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Ford has big plans for Lincoln. The luxury brand from Dearborn has been producing solid machinery as of late, but its vehicles often seem to get lost in the shuffle. The cars look too much like their Ford-branded siblings, and that means a major injection of new style is in order, and quick. That’s just what Ford has in mind, and Lincoln will now have its own in-house design studio working right alongside the product development team.

Our friends at Autoline Daily got a sneak peak of the future styling and, while they can’t reveal anything yet, say that Lincoln is moving into a design space of its own. The automaker will utilize fresh styling alongside Lincoln-specific interiors and powertrains. Autoline says that the new engine and transmission options will also result in huge jumps in fuel economy. New styling, upgraded interiors and more efficient vehicles? Sounds like a smart plan, and it shows that Ford understands that Lincoln needs help.

It’s also worth noting that Ford recently announced a $1 billion investment into the improvement of the Lincoln brand. It seems we’ll have Lincolns to get excited about in as little as three to four years.

Lincoln gets its own design team and studio within Ford originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We record Episode #242 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we’re joined by Autoline host and Autoblog columnist John McElroy. Drop us your questions in our Q&A module (below) and check out our discussion topics or chime in to helm determine what the crew chats about this evening. You can subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven’t already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #242
Pagani Huayra makes its U.S. Debut
General Motors back on top as world’s largest carmaker
Will the confirmed Cadillac XTS and ATS help maintain momentum?

Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast and hear your questions asked:
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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #242 LIVE with John McElroy originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Underground Racing takes your “everyday” Lamborghini Gallardo, and then turns it into a twin-turbocharged exotic beast that burps fire and destroys rubber. Robert Himler is a young man that is fortunate enough to own such an automobile, and his example produces 1,250 horsepower… at the wheels.

That sounds awesome. It also sounds terrifying, and Himler’s mom would agree. She recently rode shotgun with Robert while the driver had a dash-mounted camera rolling to catch her reactions to the ride. The fun starts at just over a minute in, but the video is fairly boring after that. Skip to the funny, then check out the other clip we have for showing Himler’s Gallardo pretending it’s a flamethrower. Both videos are yours for the watching, after the jump.

Continue reading Son scares mom with shotgun ride in twin-turbo Lamborghini

Son scares mom with shotgun ride in twin-turbo Lamborghini originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BMW is apparently the Ultimate Selling Machine. The German automaker has retained the title of top luxury brand after its most successful July in history, moving 108,721 units for the month. Overall sales are up 17.9 percent for the entire BMW Group through the first seven months of the year.

One of the BMW products moving off lots quickly is the redesigned X3. Sales of the compact crossover rose 193.2 percent, which equates to 9,763 units finding a new home in July. The X5 also helped total volume numbers by improving 51.7 percent in July, with 24,196 examples sold.

With 106,000 total sales in July, Audi isn’t very far behind, and it hopes to stand in the top spot ahead of BMW by 2015. BMW is aiming for 1.6 million in sales this year, while Audi is shooting for 1.2 million. Mercedes-Benz came in at number three with 100,391 units sold in July.

BMW leads global sales race among luxury brands through July, Audi second originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Facebook’s never-ending quest to unseat Google and officially take over the world may soon get a boost from a somewhat unlikely source: Nissan.

The Japanese automaker created its Facebook page way back in 2009 and, as of today (August 8, 2011) has close to 300,000 fans. And, as you may expect, 300,000 voices on the internet can be both a blessing and a curse for a huge brand like Nissan.

Erich Marx, Nissan’s Director of Marketing Communications, is responsible for the automaker’s social marketing efforts (including Facebook, natch), and he apparently has a team of 15 employees dedicated to social media. These men and woman keep track of the comings and goings of the company’s Facebook fans and monitor the comments left on its page.

Not all of the comments are favorable… and they are all very public. While the automaker’s policy is not to remove or delete any negative commentary, postings that are negative or outright customer service complaints need to be responded to. Says Marx:

Based on what I’ve seen in 90 days, I can realize that this is something we are going to have to deal with in the future. As opposed to operators or help desks just waiting for a customer to complain, we need to have a Facebook presence to solve issues before they get bigger, and take a more proactive role in identifying consumer issues or question.

So, does this mean Facebook will take over telephone-based customer service at Nissan? Not anytime soon, but we’d certainly expect, as social media continues to grow in importance for all automakers, that Nissan’s 15-strong staff will grow right along with it. And that number will surely include employees whose job descriptions include resolving customer complaints. It’s a brave new world out there, folks.

Nissan may one day replace customer service phones with Facebook originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We’ve got to hand it to Mercedes-Benz. The Australian arm of the German automaker was so convinced that its iconic G-Wagen is one of the world’s most capable off-road vehicles, it decided to stage a demonstration run that would have seven of its boxy SUVs traveling from Halls Creek in Western Australia to Wiluna – a distance of 1,150 miles.

As it turned out, the distance, though definitely a long way to go in the wild’s of Australia in just 14 days, wasn’t the real issue encountered by the intrepid group of drivers. You see, the trip was organized along the historic Canning Stock Route, which was created at the beginning of the 20th Century as a way to get cattle from remote ranches in Kimberly to Perth, where it could then be sold.

Suffice it to say that driving cattle along the Canning Stock Route was a treacherous undertaking, and deaths were not uncommon. Today, the Route is considered one of the world’s greatest adventures and can only be tackled by serious four-wheel-drive machinery. Like the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, right?

Well, sorta. As MB Australia found out the hard way, no amount of planning can guarantee a successful journey, as six out of its seven G-Wagons have been crippled by broken rear shock absorbers seven days into the drive. The lone undamaged vehicle is actually a specially modified military-spec vehicle called the G-Professional that the German automaker is considering importing into Australia… might not be a bad idea, eh?

For their part, MB’s reps are taking the damage in stride. While all machines remained drivable (of course, that term just means the machine is capable of moving under its own power…), new shocks were flown in on chartered airplanes at significant cost. Sounds like there’s absolutely no way in the Australian Outback Hell that this demonstration drive will end up a failure.

Australian Outback cripples fleet of Mercedes G-Wagens during PR event originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We’re in the middle of yet another slow striptease of prototypes from BMW, this time starring the 2013 6 Series Gran Coupe. We’ve seen patent filings and two sets of spy shots, not to mention the original ‘concept’ that – unsurprisingly – looks very, very similar to the almost-ready development cars caught out on the road.

For round three, we’re getting our first glimpse at the four-door 6 Series‘ M Sport package, complete with the usual performance-ish upgrades like larger wheels, a more aggressive front fascia and revised exhaust. Truth be told, we like the M Sport additions to the awkward 6 Series nose, and we’re sure the finished product will be quite a looker (especially in black). Scroll through our attached image gallery to see the sporty Sixer for yourself.

2013 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe snapped wearing M package originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) recently unveiled new window stickers that are going to be present on all vehicles starting in 2013. All future window stickers will feature a Quick Response (QR) code, which can be read by the smartphone of a prospective car buyer. Nissan elected to stay a step of ahead of the new window stickers, and is the first automaker to implement QR codes in its 2012 model year lineup.

On Nissan lots right now, the 2012 Altima and Sentra display the data-rich boxes that work with the camera on your phone. Once scanned, the QR codes can provide:

• Specific vehicle information, including grade walk, key features and available accessories
• Video based product overviews
• Image gallery
• Incentive offers
• Dealer inventory
• Request a quote capability
• Join mailing list request
• Dealer location support

Nissan will continue to add the codes to the rest of its 2012 lineup. Click past the jump for more information on the QR codes, and to read the full press release.

Continue reading Nissan first to place QR codes on window stickers ahead of 2013 mandate

Nissan first to place QR codes on window stickers ahead of 2013 mandate originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We’re waiting patiently – very patiently – for the 2012 Focus ST to show up in the showroom of our local Ford dealership. Meanwhile, our friends around the world have been able to play with the top-tier Focus RS, and they’re already waiting on the next generation. They won’t have to wait much longer, though, as Ford in Australia has reportedly confirmed the next-gen RS.

The current Focus RS boasts 300 horsepower, all of which is sent to the front wheels. It sounds like a recipe for an intense forearm workout, but the Focus RS utilizes the revoknuckle front suspension setup to quell torque steer. Ford insists they can push power figures higher, and the next generation RS will aim to prove just that.

Look for the current RS’ Volvo-sourced, turbocharged, 2.5-liter inline-five to be replaced with a higher-output version of the company’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost four – the same engine that we’ll be getting in the less-powerful Focus ST. As for exact power numbers, Ford’s Australian bosses have said that output numbers as high as 350 or 380 hp are possible.

Ford confirms next-gen Focus RS originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It’s not official – yet – but Car and Driver caught Porsche executives discussing a new addition to the lineup. Rumor has it that the German automaker is looking to add a mid-engined supercar to the family, slotting above the 911 range, but below the upcoming 918. This new model will be Porsche’s answer to the Ferrari 458 Italia.

Early estimates on the price tag? Somewhere in the neighborhood of €400,000 – about $568,000 based on current exchange rates (yikes!). Car and Driver speculates that this exotic supercar will utilize a powerplant that produces over 600 horsepower, which should help push 0-60-mile-per-hour times into the three-second range, while top speed could hover as high as 220 mph.

This move should help keep Porsche purists happy, with the knowledge that a high-performance coupe will join a lineup of vehicles they’re entirely in love with. Still, those vehicles (read: Panamera and Cayenne) supply the cash to build super sports cars. You can’t have the sweet without the sour… and in this case, the sour is actually pretty sweet, too.

Porsche hints at new mid-engine supercar between 911 and 918 originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Want to buy a 2012 Ford Focus Electric when it hits dealer lots in late 2011? You might be out of luck. Unless, that is, you reside in New York or California, as those are reportedly the only two states that are in line to receive retail deliveries of the electrified Focus before the end of 2011.

Spring 2012 is now the official arrival time for the rest of us who live in the initial 19 markets that will get the Focus Electric. Those markets include Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh Durham, Richmond, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson and Washington, D.C.

David Finnegan, Ford’s electrified vehicles marketing manager, is being reported saying:

For the first few months of production, we will be concentrating on California and New York. Our dealers in those areas will be the first to have their retail orders scheduled and receive the Focus Electric. We will be rolling out to the remainder of our initial markets starting in Spring 2012.

Heck, even Ford’s “Go gas-free” Focus Electric promo ad reads “Coming spring 2012.” It doesn’t get much more official than that.

Ford Focus Electric launch pushed back to Spring 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It’s loud, powerful and wears the three-pointed star up front. Sure, that could describe the host of Mercedes-Benz’s AMG cars, but in this case, we’re talking about the latest hotness: the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe. This performance two-door keeps popping up in videos to tantalize our senses, and now, Mercedes has hired a pair of stunt drivers for a trio of new clips that show the sports coupe engaging in fan-approved activities.

The German automaker reached out to its fans on Facebook, who then decided on what stunts they wanted to see the C63 AMG Coupe perform. The first shows how the C63 AMG Coupe can be used to link drifts together to form a figure eight. Said figure eight happens to occur within close proximity to a pair of C63 sedans. In the second clip, a stunt driver threads the needle between a pair of parked sedans, and he does so while moving fairly quickly… in reverse. Lastly, the final clip appears fairly tame at first glance, as both stunt drivers intersect each other at high speeds. However, the timing has to be just right for that maneuver or Mercedes would have to send out a cleaning crew to pick up tiny bits of sports car from the ground.

We’ve got all three clips, idling loudly for you after the jump.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz shows off 2012 C63 AMG Coupe with three stunt videos

Mercedes-Benz shows off 2012 C63 AMG Coupe with three stunt videos originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A Minivan-Shaped SUV Minus The Ground Clearance

The last-gen Nissan Quest minivan was an oddball. It had good power, handled quite well, and was unconventional-looking. The thing is, unconventional isn’t necessarily the best thing for a vehicle as mainstream as a minivan. Nissan pulled the plug on the funky-looking Quest after the 2009 model year, promising to return after skipping 2010.

So here we are with the new 2011 Nissan Quest, which is essentially a less dramatic-looking Nissan Elgrand (as it’s known in Japan). It arrives in a minivan segment that’s as competitive as ever and stacked with new products. The excellent 2011 Honda Odyssey and Toyota Sienna lead the class. Chrysler punted the gimmicky in-car card tables, banished the trashy interiors, and released the greatly improved Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country. We grabbed the keys to a new Quest to see whether it really hangs with the A-listers.

Continue reading 2011 Nissan Quest

2011 Nissan Quest originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Our spies recently turned their lenses on this little guy in Berlin, deeming it an Audi concept for the coming Frankfurt Motor Show. Supposedly rolled out from under Audi’s e-tron umbrella, its silent running suggests electric propulsion, and its tandem seating suggests an evolution of the Volkwagen L1 concept that bowed at Frankfurt in 2009.

That VW effort was a small-displacement diesel hybrid, and although the design was quite funky, it was more conventional with a fuller body that enclosed the rear wheels. This project from The Four Rings, on the other hand, is more like a sleeked-out version of Gordon Murray’s T.25 city car. We have no idea what new thread this will start in the Audi quilt, but we’ll bring you all the news from Germany next month.

Audi City E-tron Concept caught during film shoot originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation surrounding transmission issues in the 2011-12 Ford Mustang. NHTSA has received 32 complaints citing inability to shift into gears at speed. Around 26,000 Mustangs are being investigated because of these claims.

Regarding the 32 complaints, NHTSA filed this in its report:

Some reports allege incidents occurred while merging into high speed traffic and others allege that incidents occurred while turning left across oncoming traffic. Some complainants allege that the erratic shifting behavior almost caused a collision with adjacent vehicles.

The official investigation was opened on August 3rd. According to The Detroit News, a spokesperson from Ford Motor Company said that the automaker will fully cooperate with NHTSA regarding this matter.

Ford Mustang under investigation for transmission issues originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In Australia, a muscled-up showcar has given way to the real thing. Earlier in the year, Ford Performance Vehicles showed off a sinister-looking Falcon GT Sedan, which boasted a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine under the hood. The FPV Concept was shown to the public at the Australian International Motor Show, and the team behind the car were happy with the overwhelming support for the blacked-out brawler. Their thumbs-up reactions helped Ford’s Australian brass give the concept car a green light, albeit with limited production.

The end result is called the FPV GT Black, and it’s limited to a run of just 125 units. There’s only one color choice, and it’s staring you in the face right now. Power is supplied by the aforementioned 5.0, which enjoys a bit of forced induction to help push output to around 450 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. All of that twist is available from 2,200 rpm up through 5,500 rpm.

We already know cars in Australia are more expensive then vehicles sold here in the states, and this limited-edition sedan is no exception. Still, we’re rather curious how the $74,290 sticker price would translate stateside. Still, this is as close as we’ll get to wondering about that, because these sports sedans are staying in Australia. Hit the jump for the official press release.

Continue reading FPV putting concept into production as limited edition GT Black

FPV putting concept into production as limited edition GT Black originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is launching an investigation concerning 40,000 2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI models. This is the result of NHTSA receiving seven complaints from Jetta TDI owners citing leakage from the fuel line to the fuel injector. If an official recall is issued, both the 2011 Jetta TDI sedan and SportWagen will be affected.

NHTSA’s report states that the common rail fuel system in the Jetta TDI operates at extremely high fuel injection pressure – up to 26,000 psi – and that the seven complaints involved vehicles that had between 2,470 to 7,764 miles on the odometer

Additionally, NHTSA says that it has received a similar complaint regarding a Volkswagen Golf TDI, which uses the same 2.0-liter diesel engine as the Jetta. The investigation was officially opened on August 2.

2011 Volkswagen Jetta TDI being investigated over potential fuel leak originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Volkswagen took another step to plug any holes in its quality-control loop by appointing a VP of Customer Experience. The new position is being filled by Mark Barnes, who moves over from his role as COO and head of sales for VW of America. The point is to create a “a systemic approach to better manage the entire customer experience within VW,” in the words of VWoA head Jonathan Browning.

Don’t expect to get Barnes on the phone if your Jetta acts up – his task is figure out how to support customers in every way they might interact with the brand, which can run from dealer training to loyalty programs.

Continue reading VW America creates new role: VP of Customer Experience

VW America creates new role: VP of Customer Experience originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Pagani unveiled its new supercar, the Huayra, to the media at the Pasadena Art Center Colleage of Design this past week. The car was initially introduced to a world-wide audience at the Geneva Motor Show in March, but this is the first time the car has been seen on North American soil. In fact, this is the first time Pagani has officially brought any car to the United States despite producing its first supercar, the Zonda, for more for than a decade. Company founder Horacio Pagani said that the reason his company is only now beginning to sell cars in North America isn’t for lack of potential customers. According to Pagani, there was actually quite a bit of interest in the car, but unlike other supercar makers, he is in no rush to expand too quickly.

“At the time, the production capacity was not enough to fulfill all the demand an inquiries that we got from our worldwide customers,” he told us through his Italian translater. “The customers for these very special high end cars are very sophisticated, and when they come to Pagani they have to get not just a supercar but super attention and service together with the car. It’s not easy to properly look after each of them, so this is why, step-by-step, we are developing new markets just to make sure that every new customer coming into the Pagani family is very well looked after and pampered by our staff and to meet every request.”

Unfortunately, that attention to detail and customer service means that U.S. buyers will still have to wait a little longer before getting their cars. Horacio says that current customers need to be attended to before orders from new markets can be handled. “Pagani plans to enter the U.S. market only at the end of the 2012,” he told us. “We already have a huge demand for the car from our existing market, which is outside North America. We have to allow for some time for Pagani to fulfill the demand of the existing customer, and then start with our new ones.”

Pagani Huayra makes North American debut, first customer cars coming at end of 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Hulme, New Zealand’s only supercar company, has finally started accepting orders for its long-promised, much-hyped supercar. Along similar lines as the Caparo T1, the Hulme’s goal is to provide an F1 car experience for the street.

To do so, the beast is loaded with a 700-horsepower, Chevrolet-derived V8 stuffed into the middle of a carbon fiber and kevlar shell. Weight is kept down to just over 2,300 pounds, which Hulme hopes will mean a 0-60 sprint of under 3.5 seconds. Denny would be proud.

The order books for the limited-production supercars are now open, but deliveries likely won’t begin until the second half of 2012. Hulme is hoping to get the car classed as a limited-production vehicle in Europe, which would mean the car could be sold freely across the continent.

Hulme finally opens order books originally appeared on Autoblog 5.0 on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.