European divisions are keeping mum on the details, but Opel and Vauxhall are preparing to unveil some sort of new concept car next month at the .
All GM is saying at this point is that the experimental prototype will be driver-focused. Which sounds good, but we’ll reserve any sort of judgement until we know a little more. Or really, until we know anything.
The secretive show car will join the three-door hatch and minivan, which also make their production debuts, on the twin companies’ show stand. Joining them as well will be the Ampera – the European cousin of the – that is nearing its market debut, and seven vehicles equipped with the EcoFLEX family of frugal engines.
for the full press release, and watch this space for more info on what form that concept car might take as the show approaches.
“I can remember when my grandfather taught me how to skip stones. You know what he told me?”
“Always make sure the stone is flat…”
Yes, we all remember the classic scene from Speed Zone (also known as Cannonball Run 3 or Cannonball Fever) where the old man is out at the lake teaching his little grandson to skip stones. Just as he’s instructing on how to throw the stone at the correct angle, the training session is interrupted by a red that flies off a short pier, skips across the water and ends up safely on the other side.
No, it’s not that easy in real life. Unless, of course, you do happen to have a vehicle with a relatively flat bottom along with the proper tires and lots and lots of power. Or at least the radio-controlled equivalent. Need proof? We suggest you see how it’s done in the video .
The 2012 has finally landed on U.S. shores and has trotted out its oldest sibling – the – at California’s Laguna Seca raceway to mark the occasion.
After its , BMW boxed up its latest M machine for the festivities here in Monterey and will be shuffling it around to various events throughout the week.
Our first in-the-flesh impressions are beyond favorable, with an exterior that’s far less gauche than its predecessor, finally putting the “executive” back in “executive sports sedan.” Inside, the professional demeanor carries over, with less flash and a more driver-focused interior.
As if you need a reminder, the M5 now packs a modified version of the same twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 fitted to the and , putting out 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque – the latter of which is available from 1,500 to over 5,750 rpm. Redline is a decidedly un-M-like 7,250 rpm, but the blast to 60 mph happens in claimed 4.2 seconds when fitted with the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
And what about a manual option? BMW officials delivered the standard “we’re looking into it” line, but we suspect they’re already testing a six-speed ‘box that could be an option after the M5 goes on sale in the U.S. this February. Check out our high-res gallery above and let us know what you think in Comments.
The is just around the corner, where is set to reveal its brand-spanking-new Speed. Our intrepid spy photographers caught this Conti prototype out on the street completely uncovered, meaning there’s little left for us to speculate about before the supercoupe’s debut.
The Speed model is set apart from its kin by a more aggressive lower fascia and different exhaust outlets, but don’t let the subtlety fool you – the real story is what’s under the hood. Mum’s the word on exactly what we can expect in terms of power, but seeing as how the last Continental GT Speed produced 600 horsepower, you’d be right to expect numbers north of that for the new one.
We’ll have the full details come mid-September, if not sooner…
If things don’t rapidly start falling in Saab’s favor, it’s seeming more and more likely that the Swedish automaker may be at the tail end of its ninth life. The Swedish Enforcement Agency has reportedly contacted various banks holding assets for the troubled company, informing them that they may legally seize those assets in an effort to pay back roughly $625,000 owed to Saab’s unpaid suppliers.
That might not seem like a lot of money, but that’s only the sum that suppliers have requested the Swedish debt authority collect on their behalf that is immediately outstanding. The actual figure that owes and is significantly higher.
As always, Saab’s response is that it is working to secure further financing, but the automaker’s fortunes seem to be getting more and more bleak with every passing day.
In 2010, purchased 19.9 percent of , and the two have been working together in the form of a self-described comprehensive partnership. Apparently, “working together” means different things to the two automakers, however, because neither side is thrilled with the Japanese-German automotive tie-up. So much so, that Suzuki may be looking to take its talents to Italy.
Suzuki currently has a deal with Fiat, in which the Japanese automaker supplies its crossover for rebadging as the in Europe. There are reports that Suzuki is looking for ways to expand its relationship with Fiat, yet we’ve heard no word on whether the Italian automaker is interested in getting any cozier at this point.
Why is Suzuki ready to move on from Volkswagen? The automaker reportedly wants to get its hands dirty on some of VW’s North American assembly facilities, but that hasn’t happened yet. On the flip side, Volkswagen wants a piece of the Indian car market. Suzuki has strong roots planted in that market thanks to its partnership with Maruti. Both sides have clearly been expecting more out of this relationship, yet neither is happy. Suzuki has a lot more to lose, however, so expect to see it make a move sooner rather than later.
How’s this for bold? Congresswoman Michell Bachmann, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination who won the Ames Straw Poll last weekend, has just stated that one thing we’d get with a Bachmann Administration is – ready? – cheap gasoline. According to she said:
The day that the president became president, gasoline was $1.79 a gallon. Look at what it is today. Under President Bachmann, you will see gasoline come down below $2 a gallon again. That will happen.
Today, said the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.58 per gallon, .
The devil, of course, is in the details, and Bachmann did not explain how she would get the price of fuel down. She’s a supporter of drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but . Then there’s the fact that opening up ANWR wouldn’t reduce prices as the pump quite that quickly (if at all). In 2008, the Energy Information Administration said ():
Additional oil production resulting from the opening of ANWR would be only a small portion of total world oil production, and would likely be offset in part by somewhat lower production outside the United States. The opening of ANWR is projected to have its largest oil price reduction impacts as follows: a reduction in low-sulfur, light crude oil prices of $0.41 per barrel (2006 dollars) in 2026 for the low oil resource case, $0.75 per barrel in 2025 for the mean oil resource case, and $1.44 per barrel in 2027 for the high oil resource case, relative to the reference case.
Oh, and then there’s . Still, a return to $2.00/gallon probably sounds good to some voters, right?
Regardless of where you sit on this issue, you can check out Bachmann delivering her gas price pledge in a brief video .
Being a race official is one of those things that nobody notices until it goes wrong. And wrong it went this past weekend in New Hampshire.
The IndyCar race there was stopped eight laps from the end due to wet conditions, but rather than call the race there or wait for the weather to clear up, the league’s competition chief Brian Barnhart evidently opted to restart the race over the vehement objections of many drivers and team chiefs.
Few were as livid, however, as Will Power. The Australian multi-race winner was one of several who were taken out of the race when Danica Patrick spun out, but it was what transpired next that caught the eye of many observers. After climbing out of his wrecked car unscathed, Power made a b-line to the race officials he blamed for the bad call. And just to drive the point home, he flipped them the double birdie. On camera.
Even though his frustration seemed justified, the Penske driver (who finished second in the championship last year and was hoping to take the lead in this year’s standings after Dario Franchitti retired earlier in the race) will likely face some sort of punitive measures for his conduct. to watch the ABC Sports video that includes the entire restart (with Power’s angry gesticulation around the four-minute mark) and for more on the incident.
has just announced that the production version of its show star, the , is on the way. Dubbed ELR and borrowing technology from the , the on-again, off-again angular coupe had been . Now, Cadillac has officially confirmed that development of the extended-range electric coupe is already underway.
While no specs are being given, Cadillac is confirming that the ELR will use a version of the same Voltec drivetrain as the Volt, though probably v1.5, and the on-board generator will again be a gasoline four-cylinder engine.
The Wreath and Crest brand isn’t giving much insight as to why the letters E-L-R have been chosen, only saying they want to “indicate the car’s electric propulsion technology” and remain consistent with the brand’s three-letter naming scheme. Maybe they stand for “Electric Luxury Ride,” or maybe someone over at General Motors is a big Everybody Loves Raymond fan. What do you think ELR stands for? Have your say in Comments.
As part of the buildup to this weekend’s Pebble Beach Concours weekend, Autoblog senior editor Damon Lavrinc is in Monterey with , where he has been able to confirm that the will receive a diesel model tuned by the automaker’s M performance division.
Interestingly, the much-rumored high-performance model will probably not be badged as an variant. Instead, it will likely adopt a nomenclature similar to that of the . Further, because of the diesel’s expected high torque output, the M-tuned diesel 5 Series is likely to be offered exclusively with all-wheel drive. Following traditional BMW naming guidelines, that means the vehicle is likely to get an ungainly moniker like BMW 550d xDrive M or something similar ( suggests 550dM or 550dXM as other possibilities).
The 3.0-liter tri-turbo’s torque output is likely to be prodigious – perhaps in the neighborhood of 650 pound-feet (the conventional gas M5 makes 500 lb-ft), a figure more commonly associated with heavy duty pickups. Even if you’ve managed to wrap your gray matter around that torque surplus, you’re probably still pondering the idea of a triple-turbo engine. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the new powerplant will be based on the current 3.0-liter diesel we’ve come to know and love, albeit significantly modified, including a unique cylinder head. The engine will make use of a single, small turbo to help avoid lag at launch, coupled with a pair of larger twin-scroll units to augment power at speed. We hear that peak ponies will be down from the M5’s 560-horsepower output, though it is still likely to stay about 500.
Predictably, the new engine is also into high-performance versions of BMW’s and crossovers, both of which already offer physics-defying M models of their own.
It’s almost time for us to get our eyeballs on the full monty that is the redesigned . Waiting stinks, though, doesn’t it? After all, this is the give-it-to-me-now Internet era, a mindset that applies to everything from music and movies to photos of next-generation automobiles. The Toyota Tacoma is no different, and unofficial images of the updated pickup have found their way to the web.
We think.
Our friend Mike Levine at PickupTrucks.com stumbled across a video of what sans graphics. Toyota has yet to confirm what we’re looking at in the clip, which you can view for yourself , but you can check it out in our gallery of stills. Regardless, the official images should arrive soon, since the 2012 Tacoma is slated to hit dealer lots by October.
As President, Barack Obama debuts a lot of things: economic plans, foreign policy… likely his own library one day. This week, however, the President debuted some serious hardware in the form of a brand-new presidential bus.
Codenamed “Stagecoach” when the President is aboard, the bus was built by well-known Canadian motorcoach builders , with an interior fitted by Nashville-based , all to the tune of $1.1 million. The Secrete Service actually bought two of these buses using a fund for transportation and armored vehicles. The second will be used by whoever winds up being the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. The President’s protectors also claim this purchase will turn out to be both cheaper and safer than what they used to do, which is lease a bus and temporarily outfit it with the required safety equipment.
As for what keeps the President safe in his tuxedo black motorcoach, the Secret Service is understandably silent on the issue of specs. If we use the as a baseline, the new bus can likely withstand bullets, small bombs and chemical attacks, at the very least. It also probably has a supply of the President’s own blood on board in case of emergencies, just like the limo, not to mention a robust cache of arms. A motorcade of over two dozen support vehicles also travels with the bus.
We’re also in the dark about what’s inside, but we hear it’s nothing like what NASCAR drivers get. ABC News reports those who have seen the inside called it “subdued,” and that the full bedroom in back has been replaced with a meeting room. Not many people beyond Obama’s senior staff have even seen the inside of the bus. A cabinet secretary reportedly hitched a ride for a leg of the trip, but other guests on the tour travel behind the president in a dark red bus.
Check out more pics of the President’s new rolling fortress in the gallery below, as well as two videos .
You may think of Morgan as a stodgy old automaker. And in many ways its is, still making as it does some of its cars on a wooden frame and recently going back to its roots with a delicious trike that looks like it came straight out a WW2 air field. But Morgan is also the company that makes the and . And now it’s taking one step further into the future (or present) of the automotive industry with a new electric prototype.
Developed in conjunction with a number of partners, the Morgan Aero Supersport +E is the first of two new engineering prototypes the company is building, and will be unveiled in a couple weeks in Rockingham, England, at the Low Carbon Vehicle expo.
The prototype ditches the 4.8-liter V8 in favor of a 94-horsepower electric drive system, uniquely operating through a manual transmission. The motor and battery are provided by – which already supplies a number of automakers as well as racing applications like Formula One’s KERS and the first hybrid at Le Mans – mounted onto an aluminum subframe. There’s plenty more technical details to delve into in the press release , so check it out.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index has released the results of its annual investigation into the automotive industry, and the biggest winners hail from Japan. Although is tied with and atop the standings with an overall score of 87, the top few automakers – with and at the tippy top – hailed from the United States.
According to ACSI, it seems Toyota’s fall from grace in the minds of consumers was just a small blip in a long history of customer satisfaction. Lincoln dropped a few points to join with a score of 86, while Buick and both earned 85. Next on the list is a three-way tie at 84 from , and .
was the poorest performing automaker in the report, eking out a meager score of 76. Overall, the auto industry itself scored 83 points, which is higher than the average for all durable goods on the index. For all the details from ACSI, check out the press release .
, Lexus, Toyota tie for lead in customer satisfaction index
Anyone who’s ever driven through a busy city can appreciate having a view upwards. Sunroofs are good, but convertibles are even better. But while the is available with a folding roof panel, we don’t see many city cars offering the full drop-top experience. , however, is here to ask, Why not? And what’s more, it’s not wasting any time in doing so.
Rather than roll out its star-to-be as a fixed-roof coupe and then converting it into a roadster later on, Audi has opted to show us (or at least tease us with) the Spyder version right away, just a week after previewing the coupe and before the concept has even been unveiled.
Otherwise, the concept is essentially the same, with a 1+1 seating arrangement (now in the open air), lightweight carbon-reinforced plastic construction (just a little bit less of it) and an electric powertrain. Scope it out in the updated high-res image gallery and the new press release after the jump.
The March 11 earthquakes in Japan took a huge toll on all of Japan’s automakers. And while some companies, like , are recovering quicker than others, it’s not exactly something to brag about. Or is it?
Nissan’s two most recent advertising spots tout the fact that its dealerships have a better inventory than competitors, like or – two car companies hit much worse by the earthquake catastrophes. Speaking to Automotive News, Nissan’s vice president of sales and marketing, Al Castignetti, states that while Nissan was affected by the disaster’s aftermath, the company is faring better than others and his dealerships are very well-stocked at the moment – a 54-day supply in most cases.
to watch both of Nissan’s latest ad spots, especially the first one, titled “Car Carrier.” Then, let us know if you think Nissan’s latest ads are fair game or a cheap shot by voting in our poll below. Sound off with your full reactions in the Comments, as well.
Here it is, folks: the all-new 991 . Like nearly every 911 that came before it, the iconic coupe’s design has not changed too much, keeping the line’s classic styling and proportions intact. Aside from some new LED running lamps and revised air intakes up front and some thinner taillights out back, the 2012 model is extremely similar to the 997 911 currently out on the road.
The big changes, though, are more than skin-deep. The car is about two inches longer than the current 911, and features revised six-cylinder engines. The base Carrera now uses a 3.4-liter direct-injected flat-six, producing 350 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, while the Carrera S will use a direct-injected 3.8-liter unit, delivering 400 hp. Both engines will be mated to a seven-speed manual (yes, we said it) or PDK dual-clutch transmission, either of which can be had with launch control.
Inside, the 911’s cabin uses a design borrowed from the , with a more pronounced, downward-sloping center console. Like the exterior, nothing radical has been done to the car’s innards, and that’s just fine with us.
We’ll have the official details in the coming weeks in anticipation of the new 911’s official debut at the .
Our enthusiast’s Spidie Sense started tingling when we heard about the newest bit of technology employed on the enhanced . It was not a more advanced variable valve timing system; the Yaris’ 1.5-liter engine is carried over and already has an intake cam with adjustable phasing. It was not more cogs gracing a more advanced transmission; the Yaris makes due with a 4-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual. The suspension is also traditional with struts up front and torsion beam in the rear.
So what was the next great thing?
A mono-arm windshield wiper with washer jets aimed to either side of the big blade. Ah, our Spidie Sense was trying to warn us of an exceptionally dull car. In this world where small, inexpensive cars are becoming more fun – and anyone – the new Yaris is a yawner.
For normal consumers, however, the 2012 Yaris – available as the L, LE and SE – is a much improved, affordable and economical transportation appliance. It’s the kind of car you’d feel comfortable recommending to a friend’s sister or anyone who thinks of cars as nothing more than subway substitutes.
If you live in downtown Austin, Texas, don’t plan on sleeping in next Saturday morning. First of all, you won’t want to miss this, and secondly, even if you did, something tells us the wail of an F1 car running past the capitol building will keep you from snoozing anyway.
Though completion of the new Circuit of the Americas is still a good year away, Formula One is coming to Austin this weekend when Red Bull brings one of its famous road show events to the state capital city. The event is reportedly slated to feature veteran driver and team ambassador David Coulthard driving one of the team’s demo cars up Congress Avenue between 15th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from 7 a.m. to noon this coming Saturday.
A crew will be filming the event, which spectators will also get a chance to watch from the sidelines, though details on how many passes DC will make and whether he’ll be meeting with fans after the demonstration remain undisclosed. For that matter, the team has reportedly yet to secure the necessary permits for the event, but assuming the paperwork comes together, Texas is about to get an earlier taste of F1 than they expected.
For an even earlier glimpse, to see what Red Bull had in store when its road show hit Hong Kong.
and aren’t exactly setting the sales charts ablaze these days, but the North American President of the British makes is bullish about the future. Automotive News reports that Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover North America’s new boss claims that Land Rover could hit 50,000 sales by 2012, while Jaguar could crest the 50k mark in annual U.S. sales within the next few years.
The key to growth at Land Rover and Jaguar in a mature market will obviously be new product, and Tata Motors’ luxury utility brand is a lot closer to making its mark. Land Rover sold 31,864 units in 2010, and the make is already past 20,000 vehicles sold through July of 2011. Add the compact and stylish Evoque in 2012, and Goss feels the 50,000 mark is well within the brand’s reach.
Hitting U.S. sales of 50,000 units could be quite a bit trickier for Jaguar, as the Leaping Cat only moved 13,340 units in 2011. Goss again feels fresh product will help move more metal, with a sports car and -fighting sedan are at the top of the list. Another, smaller engine to compliment the excellent but somewhat thirsty 5.0-liter V8 could be on order, though such a powerplant could could take a few years to arrive Stateside.
What may not arrive is the small crossover we’re sure many Jaguar dealers are hoping for, but Goss and company have plans for their retail stores anyway. Goss tells AN that dealers will likely be asked to revamp their facilities, though corporate has yet to bring up any changes to the Jaguar dealer council.
