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It looks like Super Bowl fans will be enjoying a pair of Volkswagen ads between plays this year. The German automaker is returning to the greatest spectacle in the NFL for the first time in nine years with two 30-second spots designed to get people excited about both the next-generation Beetle and Passat.

We’ve had the good fortune of seeing both ads, and they’re equally entertaining. Unfortunately, the full pieces are being kept under lock and key until later this week, when we’ll be sure to share them with the world.

Until then, Volkswagen has decided to show off a teaser clip for the Beetle spot featuring a road-hugging black beetle. We dig his white racing stripes.

Don’t like bugs? No worries. The spot for the Passat centers on a Star Wars parody. Stay tuned for the full clips and be sure to hit the jump for a look at the teaser as well as the press release.

[Sources: Volkswagen, YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Volkswagen teases ‘Black Beetle’ Super Bowl ad

Video: Volkswagen teases ‘Black Beetle’ Super Bowl ad

Making Stronger Steel As Light As Aluminum

The world’s largest steel maker, ArcelorMital, says it has come up with a new kind of steel that the world has never seen before. Thanks to nanotechnology, the company says automakers can now match the weight of aluminum cars, but do it in steel at far lower cost.

Specifically, ArcelorMital says it can take 188 pounds out of the body-in-white of a car. The body-in-white, or BIW, refers to the basic structure of a car, including the doors, hood and deck lid. That’s a big number. By taking so much weight out of the structure, other components such as the powertrain, drivetrain, brakes, etc. can be downsized as well. In other words, the total weight savings could be even bigger.

ArcelorMital is already showing this new kind of steel to automakers. It isn’t yet ready to publicly divulge any of the technical aspects of the steel or how it’s using nanotechnology to make it. The company says we’re still two to three years away before we get those kinds of details. And that’s about the time we’ll see this steel show up in production. No word yet on which car company may be the first to use it, but the rumor on the street is that Ford is all over this technology.

Continue reading…

John McElroy is host of the TV program “Autoline Detroit” and daily web video “Autoline Daily”. Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.

Continue reading Steel nanotechnology can reduce the weight of our cars

Steel nanotechnology can reduce the weight of our cars

Another year, another Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona champion. Something interesting happened before the prototypes took to the track, though, when a Ford Escape Hybrid took on the 1.5-mile road course. The driver, Mark Anthony Riccobono, didn’t break any speed records… but he did successfully maneuver the Escape without the help of a very crucial driving aid – vision.

Riccobono is blind, and with the help of non-visual technology, he completed the Daytona road course. Beyond simply making lefts and rights, Riccobono also had to avoid a variety of obstacles. Some were stationary while others were thrown randomly from the back of a van. Riccobono avoided them all, and then he passed the van before crossing the finish line.

The event marks the first time a blind person has driven a vehicle around a course without the aid of a sighted person. It was a major milestone for the Blind Driver Challenge, which aims to improve blind-interface technology. Check out the press release after the break.

[Source: National Federation of the Blind Images: Terry Renna and John Raoux/AP]

Continue reading Blind man tackles the road course at Daytona on his own

Blind man tackles the road course at Daytona on his own

In the world of Hot Wheels collecting, there are two types of people: those who open and those who don’t. We tend to fall into the third, more populous category of those who demolition derby.

Clearly, we could never have demonstrated the kind of self-restraint it takes to purchase a brand-new 2000 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra R and leave it in its original factory wrapping. Fortunately, there are people out there like the seller of this particular machine. According to the eBay Motors listing, there are a mere 11 miles on the odometer, and the plastic you see on the hood and fenders is the same garb that the mean Mustang wore off the production line.

Even the front splitter and brake cooling ducts are in their original bubble wrap in the trunk, and the interior is swaddled in plenty of FoMoCo plastic. That means that this pony is as close to a factory-new Cobra R that you could possibly buy today.

Ford famously minted a mere 300 examples of the Cobra R in 2000. The cars were bare bones, street-legal racers, and while the 5.4-liter V8 under the hood was supposed to churn out 385 ponies, owners typically found the engine to return those numbers at the wheels, not the crank. When launched, Motor Trend found the car capable of 0-60 mph runs in the 4.4 second range and a skid pad effort of over 1.0 g.

So, what’s it worth? Hard to say, but the auction has a Buy it Now price of $70,000, though the seller is also entertaining offers. Check out the auction here. Thanks for the tip, Brent!

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: 2000 Ford SVT Cobra R still in the wrapper

The new Ferrari F150 is a single-seat Formula One racecar that will be the object of affection for millions of Tifosi around the globe. One Florida fan of the Italian automaker recently purchased a brand-new 2011 458 Italia. He wasn’t planning on turning his into an F150, but he did turn into an F-150… a Ford F-150.

The accident happened in Brandon, Florida, when the Ferrari driver allegedly decided that the yellow paint on the ground didn’t apply to him (investigation still pending…). When he went to pass another car, he found a Ford pickup heading straight for his front bumper. The F-150 didn’t stop at the low-lying nose and ended up with its left-front tire on the hood of the 458. Fortunately, it appears that no serious injuries resulted.

If you want to see the aftermath of a failed attempt at Ferrari F150 construction, all you have to do is click past the jump. Thanks for the tip, Michael!

[Source: YouTube via Examiner.com]

Continue reading Video: This is not how you make a Ferrari F150

Video: This is not how you make a Ferrari F150

Team Lotus has had a busy off-season, principally dealing with the naming rights dispute with Group Lotus and its new Renault team. That issue is still far from resolved, with both teams laying claim to the name, but the Malaysian outfit is taking first blood by launching its new car online before their British counterparts unveil theirs at Valencia. In doing so, Team Lotus becomes the second team to launch its 2011 challenger (following the new Ferrari F150), and the team calls it a complete clean-sheet redesign over last year’s car.

Designed by Mike Gascoyne, the new Lotus T128 is a considerably more radical than the T127 it replaces, which was rushed onto the grid with a more conservative design in order to get the team a foothold in its inaugural season. Swapping the previous car’s Cosworth power for Renault, the T128 also uses a Red Bull gearbox and starts the season without the KERS regenerative braking system permitted for use once again under this year’s regulations.

The T128 sticks with the green and yellow livery after initial plans to switch to the JPS black and gold were aborted before Lotus Renault GP released its own plans for the same. It will be piloted once again by Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, with its reserve/test drive still yet to be announced. The new car isn’t expected to make its on-track debut until the second day of testing at Valencia, but you can read more about it in the press release after the jump and take your first look in the high-resolution image gallery below.

[Source: Team Lotus]

Continue reading Team Lotus releases radical new T128 challenger

Team Lotus releases radical new T128 challenger

The average age of those who buy new Chryslers? Sixty-two. That’s not good for a brand that’s looking to expand into new markets and thereby increase sales. Invariably, such a strategy means younger buyers will need to be lured into the showroom.

In order to entice younger buyers, Chrysler reportedly plans to enhance its so-called ‘S’ sub-brand, starting with the refreshed 200 sedan (the old Sebring) and the more heavily revised 300, that Chrysler says will appeal to those who want something a little more “edgy.”

Exterior chrome will be blacked-out, interior wood will be replaced with carbon fiber and traditionally staid interior colors will now be offered in brighter red hues. There won’t necessarily be any modifications to the car’s driving characteristics, as this is intended to be a styling exercise only.

Automotive News reports that an S version of the 200 will go into production this spring, followed an an unspecified time by the 300. Think it’s a good idea? Let your opinion be heard in our completely informal poll below.

View Poll

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Chrysler wants ‘S’ branding to appeal to youth market [w/poll]

Want some data sharing with your car sharing? On Thursday, Zipcar added eight Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) to its car-sharing fleet. The plug-in Priuses, which are not available for purchase until 2012, will be accessible to Zipcar members in Boston, MA, Cambridge, MA, San Francisco, CA, and Portland, OR. Zipcar’s newest additions are part of a broad pilot program aimed at assisting Toyota in obtaining real-world data prior to the plug-ins’ 2012 launch. On the flip side, Zipcar hopes to analyze the use of plug-in hybrids and assess the potential for a broader fleet rollout.

Back in 2009, Zipcar teamed up with the city of San Francisco to test a plug-in Prius. That car, which utilized a plug-in conversion kit provided by A123 Systems, offered up to 40 miles of pure electric range. The battery-only range of Toyota’s plug-in Prius is limited to 13 miles, but Scott Griffith, Zipcar’s chief executive officer, points out that “approximately one-third of our reservations are made for trips equaling less than 13 miles,” which implies that those jaunts could be made in a Prius PHEV without using a drop of gas, as long as there’s enough time to rechage between rentals.

Like all of the other hybrids in Zipcar’s fleet, the plug-in Prius can only be reserved by the hour, with sixty minutes of seat time costing approximately $7.00.

[Source: Zipcar]

Continue reading Zipcar gets Toyota Prius plug-ins ahead of the car’s official launch

Zipcar gets Toyota Prius plug-ins ahead of the car’s official launch

Audi has officially put its new R18 Le Mans racer and all nine of its factory drivers through their paces. The pair of closed-cockpit Audi bruisers and one last-generation R15 TDI spent some time lapping Sebring as part of preparations for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Each of the cadre of pilots was able to get some seat time in all three vehicles. Interestingly enough, Audi has made it clear that the R15 “Plus Plus” will campaign alone at this year’s 12 Hours of Sebring. Audi typically uses the venue as a dry run for new hardware before showing up in France.

At this point, it appears that he R18 will enjoy its race debut at Le Mans instead. Audi motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich said that Sebring offers up a unique test of any race car’s mechanicals, and that the warm, dry weather in Florida is more conducive to testing than European venues. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi R18 tests successful at Sebring

Audi R18 tests successful at Sebring

Subaru Outback Motor Trend road trip – Click above to watch the video after the jump

Manufacturers can get pretty cocky when it comes to naming their products. We can say with near-certainty that a Chrysler Sebring never turned a tire in anger at the legendary Floridian track and that we’d be surprised if a Pontiac Le Mans ever went fender to fender in France. Motor Trend has set about putting the Subaru Outback up against its Australian namesake in a 30-minute long web special hosted by none other than Editor-in-Chief Angus MacKenzie. This isn’t your typical man-against-nature flick, though. Instead, Motor Trend has gone about creating an in-depth travel video that would be right at home on the Discovery Channel.

MacKenzie and his crew seem to trek across Australia’s wild bits with relative ease despite large mud holes and plenty of soft sand, and we’re left to enjoy the vast scenery of one of our planet’s most beautiful continents. The finished product is less about power figures and 0-60 times and more about the actual trip. It’s well worth taking some time during your lunch break for a quick watch. Hit the jump to take a look for yourself.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Motor Trend goes to Australia, chronicles Subaru Outback road trip

Video: Motor Trend goes to Australia, chronicles Subaru Outback road trip

Ford Proves It Can Build A Compact With A Pulse

2012 Ford Focus – Click above for high-res image gallery

We should no longer be surprised by the notion of a compact car with big-sedan features and eye-popping fuel economy. New creations like the Hyundai Elantra and Chevrolet Cruze have gone about making the compact segment one of the most hotly contested arenas in the market, rankling the chains of long-time fighters like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla in the process. But while the Cruze and Elantra have proven that big content can come in small packages with smaller price tags, there’s a growing sense that the fun-to-fling small car may be on its way out in favor of commuters that have inherited the soft-riding genes of their bigger brethren.

In a way, the change was all but inevitable. Whereas the compact segment once served up a cornucopia of rides that were low on power but big on handling, the market has proven that above all else, buyers in this neck of the woods want value. In an effort to pinch every last copper cent, both Hyundai and Chevrolet have scrapped the independent rear suspension in their respective compacts in favor of the considerably cheaper torsion-beam design.

So when Ford announced that American buyers would finally be able to get their hands on the global Focus, our ears perked up. The last Euro-Focus had built a reputation for being a smart handler, and if this latest version could make it across the pond without becoming too watered down in the process, compact buyers would once again have a vehicle that’s as fun to drive as it is responsible to own. Now we get to find out if Ford pulled it off.

Continue reading…

Photos copyright (C)2011 Zach Bowman / AOL

Continue reading First Drive: 2012 Ford Focus

First Drive: 2012 Ford Focus

Government safety regulations are put in place to, you know, actually keep us safer. But sometimes, it seems the loopholes are big enough to drive a truck through. Okay, maybe not a truck, but definitely a Volkswagen New Beetle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that the certain examples of the aging Volkswagen Bug (both the coupe and convertible) manufactured in September 2010 failed to meet new Federal crash test requirements that went into effect that month. Reasonable enough, we suppose, as the regulations are there for a reason.

The fix? To replace the non-compliant vehicles with ones manufactured before September 1, 2010. In other words, the replacement cars still won’t meet the new safety regulations, but didn’t have to at the time of their manufacture because the rules had yet to come into force. Seriously.

The end result may not make occupants of the 27 affected units any safer, but at least they’ll be on the right side of the red tape. Follow the jump for the full recall notice.

[Source: NHTSA]

Continue reading Bizarre recall mandates 2010 Volkswagen New Beetle models be replaced with… older cars?!

Bizarre recall mandates 2010 Volkswagen New Beetle models be replaced with… older cars?!

Strategic Vision has released its annual Total Value Index for 2010, and it looks like a few serious changes have begun to take hold. While Volkswagen still retains its position on the top of the heap, Ford has moved up into the second position by bumping Honda down the podium. That move is particularly commendable considering that the Blue Oval was ranked dead last in the study just eight years ago.

Ford wasn’t the only stand out star, though. The Hyundai Sonata, while technically a 2011 model, managed to take the highest Total Value Index score of any vehicle ever tested by Strategic Vision, even amongst luxury badges. The new sedan managed to pull in a total of 860 points, prompting the creation of a new Special Value Award category. Interestingly enough, the vehicle with the next closest number of points is the Hyundai Genesis with 852, while the Audi A8 rounds out the top three with 821 points.

Strategic Vision combines information from a whopping 442 data points in order to rank individual vehicles, and a company’s score is created by averaging the verdicts for all of its respective products. The True Value Index is generated by surveying owners who actually purchased new vehicles during the calendar year. Hit the jump for the press release.

Photos copyright (C)2011 Zach Bowman / AOL

[Source: Strategic Vision]

Continue reading VW leads 2010 Total Value Awards, Ford beats Honda and Hyundai Sonata sets record

VW leads 2010 Total Value Awards, Ford beats Honda and Hyundai Sonata sets record

Things are looking up at Chrysler. The smallest of the American Big Three has announced that it managed to turn out a modified operating profit of $198 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. That number gave the Pentastar a modified operating profit of $763 million for the full year, even while fielding a net loss of $652 million in 2010. Modified operating profit excludes taxes, interest and pension costs.

During the fourth quarter, Chrysler saw a net loss of $199 million – the largest of the year. Even so, Chrysler says that it expects good things from 2011. The automaker has made it clear that it plans to see significantly improved figures in coming months. With an arsenal of new and refreshed models in showrooms right now and an improved buying forecast here in the states, Chrysler expects to see net profits of $200-500 million for 2011 and total revenues in the area of $55 billion.

According to Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, the automaker has been unable to post a net profit thus far due to high interest payments on federal loans. Throughout last year, the company paid a total of $1.3 billion in interest, according to Automotive News. Click past the jump for the full press release.

[Sources: Chrysler, Automotive News - sub. req. Image: Drew Phillips/AOL]

Continue reading Chrysler posts fourth-quarter operating profit amid 2010 net loss

Chrysler posts fourth-quarter operating profit amid 2010 net loss

We know that looks like snow in the picture above, but imagine all that white stuff as the winding circuit that ascends Pikes Peak instead. The legendary (and brutal) Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has been dominated by the likes of Suzuki’s Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima in years past, and while Rhys Millen has been eager to win back his daddy’s title, reports indicate that both Tajima and Millen could have a new challenger to deal with this year.

The challenge could come from the Andros Trophy – the French ice racing series that attracts big names from F1 like Alain Prost and Jacques Villeneuve. As much about the drivers as it is about the cars, the Andros Trophy series has been dominated by two names over the past several years: the aforementioned quadruple F1 champion Prost, and Jean-Philippe Dayraut. The former won the trophy in 2007 and 2008, the latter in 2009 and 2010, and the both of them are currently tangling for the 2011 title.

Prost switched from the Toyota Auris in which he won the trophy twice to the specially-prepared Dacia Duster pictured above. Dayraut left his Skoda Fabia to Villeneuve in favor of the BMW 1 Series. If reports prove accurate, however, it could be Dayraut taking the Dacia to Pikes Peak. French reports say Dayraut’s people approached Tork Engineering (the firm that set up Prost’s Duster) to make a Pike’s Peak challenger using the engine from the Nissan GT-R (Dacia is part of the Renault-Nissan alliance) with a projected 850 horsepower and a curb weight under 2,000 lbs.

With those kinds of stats – and that kind of driver – the Dacia hillclimber is shaping up to be a a monster. And Monster Tajima had better take notice.

[Source: Le Blog Auto]

Dacia Duster to tackle Pikes Peak with 850-hp Nissan GT-R engine?

Bridgestone paid big bucks for a pair of spots in the Super Bowl, and it appears the tire maker wants to maximize its bank for the buck. Instead of simply banking on the billion viewers of Super Bowl XLV enjoying its commercials, Bridgestone is trying to build excitement with a pair of cliff-hanging teasers.

The first of the two teasers is titled “Reply All,” with the obvious theme of an office worker accidentally sending an organization-wide email. The second spot, titled “Carma,” combines a Bridgestone-equipped Buick LaCrosse primed to dance with a very busy beaver. Hit the jump to peer inside Bridgestone’s creative genius.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Bridgestone teases its two Super Bowl commercials

Video: Bridgestone teases its two Super Bowl commercials

It’s hardly a secret that the A- and B-Class hatchbacks are no great success for Mercedes-Benz. But M-B is working hard to make the next generation of both, based on common front-drive architecture, seriously competitive. But a shooting brake?

The retro body style is making a comeback, as we saw with Mercedes’ own Shooting Break concept and the new Ferrari Four, and we could soon see it on a baby Benz. Along with a potential convertible, a shooting brake is one the additional configurations reportedly being considered for the range. Others in the pipeline include hatchbacks (like the existing models), a CLS-style coupe (with four doors or two) and an SUV to slot below the GLK and rival the BMW X1.

Beyond its own applications, Mercedes-Benz is also reportedly discussing the potential for industrial ally Renault-Nissan to use the Mercedes Front-wheel-drive Architecture (MFA) for an entry-level Infiniti.

[Source: Automotive News - subs. req'd]

Report: Entry-level Mercedes-Benz range to include coupe, SUV and… shooting brake?

The Smart rumor mill keeps churning and this latest image adds even more fuel to the fire. Thanks to some crafty, long-lens work, a photographer has managed to capture a diminutive example of a four-passenger Smart ForTwo.

The 1:4 scale model clearly wears an extra set of doors and the wheelbase, if scaled up to full-size, is also longer than current Smart ForTwos.

Smart has dealt with some sales issues of late and a new model could be what the automaker needs to spark renewed interest in the States. The ForTwo is due for a makeover and the addition of a four-seater could be compelling for city folks who want to transport friends. If the Roadster winds up in production, Smart will have three-pronged approach to renewing its appeal among U.S. consumers.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Spy Shots: Are you the Smart ForTwo+2?

By 2015, we think a fuel cell car will not cost more than a four-cylinder diesel hybrid that meets the Euro 6 emissions standard. By 2013-2014, we want to bring a four-digit-number of fuel cell vehicles to market.

Kohler added that he expects fuel cell vehicles to be less expensive than comparable battery-powered cars within the next five years. Currently, the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell is available for lease in the U.S. at a price of $849 a month (plus tax). However, Kohler points out that the F-Cell employs expensive technology that will be replaced with less pricey hardware when the second-generation model launches in 2013-2014.

Additionally, Mercedes-Benz is toying with the notion of developing fuel cell versions of the A-, C- and E-Class models within the next five years. If the company can sucessfully incorporate its fuel cell technology into multiple platforms and reach mass production levels, costs could plunge by mid-decade.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Daimler: Fuel cell vehicles to cost no more than diesel hybrids by 2015

	Fuel cell vehicles to cost no more than diesel hybrids by 2015 So says Daimler.		Analyst: Chevy will sell 60,000 Volts by 2015 Nissan Leaf will trail slightly.
	DC 2011: Novozymes wonders how far you can drive on a ton of corn biomass Somewhere between 245 and 1342 miles.	Other news: Nation’s 2nd largest petroleum refinery violates Clean Air Act, fined $5.3m China mulling full-year quotas on rare earth exports Zipcar adds 8 Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids to car sharing program

AutoblogGreen for 01.31.11