A new trailer for has made its way to the web. As you may recall, the game allows you to design a vehicle from the ground up with your own chassis, engine and exterior design before attempting to sell the car to the masses as part of your own car company. The game is now officially available for pre-order, which can save you $10 off of the final $30 purchase price. Camshaft Software will even throw in some exclusive content with each pre-order purchase.
Automation makes you the head of a new vehicle company in the year 1946. It’s your job to turn your startup into a brand that’s recognized the world over by producing the best vehicles possible. We couldn’t care less about the business end of the prospect, but the thought of designing our own vehicles from the platform on up is enough to get us excited. to check out the trailer and click over to the game’s page for more information.
When opened its new Chattanooga factory, there were lots of questions about what else it was going to build there, since volume wouldn’t come close to soaking up the facility’s 150,000-unit capacity. A three-row crossover was often mentioned as another model, with reporting that a possible 180,000-unit expansion could lead to , and VW CUVs being built there.
Now reports that a three-row and fighter will be built, and it will “almost definitely” be assembled in Tennessee or Mexico. It might use the Passat’s platform, the rumored engine is VW’s 3.6-liter V6, and its MSRP is expected to strongly challenge those of its competitors (in the manner of the and Passat’s newly competitive price strategies).
The same report claims that VW is working on a more suited to American tastes, which probably means turning it into something more like a Jetta crossover than a Golf CUV. Last year, there were several reports that Volkswagen was considering and to North America, and a Stateside-leaning Tiguan might mean now is the right time to do so.
General Motors continues to celebrate Chevy’s 100th anniversary with a new tribute video to the company’s long truck lineage. Chevrolet started producing pickups in 1918 with the 490 Light Delivery and hasn’t stopped since. We’re a little disappointed to see that the video glosses over tasty hardware like the 1956 Chevrolet Apache and the ever-attractive , but beggars can’t be choosers. The clip does spend some time with the Blazer, including some fantastic vintage footage of the utility bouncing along a dusty trail with its top off.
Unfortunately, the video is served up with the dryness of a middle-school health documentary, so don’t expect too much in terms of entertainment. Fans of the brand and truck geeks will likely find plenty to salivate over, however. to check the video out for yourself.
It’s no secret that the Toyota FT-86 will finally make its production-spec debut next week in Tokyo, and ahead of that, the automaker’s UK office has released the first officialphotos and some initial specs. In Europe, the car will officially be called the Toyota GT 86. In Japan, however,
Cutting right to the chase, here are the specs that are now official, from the Toyota UK announcement. Obviously, there’s more to come:
2.0-liter boxer with D4-S injection (direct and port injected)
197 hp @ 7,000 rpm and 151 lb-ft (205 Nm) @6,600 rpm
As demonstrated in the photos, everything is basically in line with what we’ve seen so far in . So, start getting excited. In addition to the sharp styling outside, the interior looks the business, and the “86″ fender logo is just plain cool. The GT 86 goes on sale in the UK next June.
We’ll be on hand in Tokyo for the official reveal at the end of the coming week, with plenty more then. In the meantime, peruse the photo gallery, then and the full press release.
It’s no secret that the Toyota FT-86 will finally make its production-spec debut next week in Tokyo, and ahead of that, the automaker’s UK office has released the first officialphotos and some initial specs. In Europe, the car will officially be called the Toyota GT 86.
Cutting right to the chase, here are the specs that are now official, from the Toyota UK announcement. Obviously, there’s more to come:
2.0-liter boxer with D4-S injection (direct and port injected)
197 hp @ 7,000 rpm and 151 lb-ft (205 Nm) @6,600 rpm
As demonstrated in the photos, everything is basically in line with what we’ve seen so far in . So, start getting excited. In addition to the sharp styling outside, the interior looks the business, and the “86″ fender logo is just plain cool. The GT 86 goes on sale in the UK next June.
We’ll be on hand in Tokyo for the official reveal at the end of the coming week, with plenty more then. In the meantime, peruse the photo gallery and hit the jump for the full press release.
When’s the last time you watched a wreck that took nearly two minutes to conclude? Driver Eric Peterson’s XDR Firebird got out of shape almost immediately during a solo dragstrip run and crashed almost head-on into the wall.
According to people in attendance, both tires on the car’s driver’s side were torn off, and the impact ripped the master cylinder from the firewall. The throttle cable was attached to the cylinder, so when the cylinder fell, the throttle controlling a 1,500-plus-horsepower engine got stuck wide open for more than a minute. Worst of all, the initial impact knocked Peterson unconscious, so he wasn’t able to do anything to intervene.
You can see what happens after that in the video . Peterson, an experienced racer, came to after the medics cut him out of the car and is said to be at home and ok.
It was confirmed over the summer that was , and now the spy photogs at KGP have caught it testing. We’ve been told it’s called the XF Sportbrake, and it’s hard to pin down the exact lines in back with those bulging light units, but it should make itself right at home in the handsome XF line.
This car will begin the expansion of Jaguar’s lower-end offerings as it tries to win over the buyers that have been lining up for and wagons. The last time Jaguar had an entry level load-lugger, the unlamented X-Type Estate. The XF Sportbrake, even with the swirlies and disguised taillights, already looks promising, and we know from experience that the 2012 XF sedan is a terrific driver.
Don’t get too excited about it, though, because it’s not heading Stateside. Jaguar’s U.S. VP of communications released this statement:
Today in the news from the UK, Jaguar Cars confirmed the ongoing development and testing of a new Jaguar XF derivative, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake (a sport wagon). No vehicle information is being released at this time. Please be aware, the Jaguar XF Sportbrake is not scheduled to come to North America due to significant design changes that would be required to meet U.S. federal regulations.
So there. You can admire it from afar in the attached photo gallery, at least.
Garmin has pushed out an update to its , and the available traffic information just got a lot more detailed.
The free update includes live weather and forecasts, but if you shell out for an additional $9.99 in-app purchase you get access to 10,000 live traffic cameras. The traffic cam functionality works in both the U.S. and Canada and makes a nice addition to the live traffic already included in the app. And you can create a list of favorite cameras in your area to check known trouble spots before you leave.
If you haven’t downloaded the StreetPilot app yet, be advised that it’ll set you back $59.99.
We’re not strangers to the allure of Craigslist. The classified ad site is our go-to distraction when it comes time to contemplate our next project vehicle, and we’ve been tempted by the occasional decommissioned Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor more often than we care to admit. As one Chattanooga, Tennessee man recently found out, those vehicles may be more trouble than they’re worth. that Luke Ridings was recently stopped by authorities as he was driving his newly acquired Crown Vic, complete with lights, camera and radar equipment. Ridings said that he bought the vehicle for $4,000 from an individual in Georgia.
The only problem was that the cruiser was supposed to be crushed by a towing company after electrical issues had forced officials in East Ellijay to pull the vehicle from service. At this point, the company is trying to discover how it originally lost track of the doomed Interceptor. Ridings had his slightly used cop car confiscated and was charged with operating an unregistered vehicle as well as underage drinking.
that while is only expected to offer going forward, the vehicle will carry two different names depending on where it’s sold. The is expected to carry on in Canada while American buyers are likely to continue to be able to buy the . Reid Brigland, the head of the Dodge brand, said that the Town and Country resonates better with American buyers.
As you may recall, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has said that the automaker will only offer one minivan by 2013. In addition, the next-generation Chrysler minivan will offer optional all-wheel drive and have a nine-speed automatic transmission. Buyers will also be able to chose between standard sliding doors and a people-mover configuration with traditional hinged entrances. Chrysler also plans to take the compact-van fight to the Ford C-Max with a smaller platform as well.
The Detroit News says that the next-generation Chrysler minivan will continue to be built in the automaker’s Windsor, Ontario facility.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a statement on its investigation into a fire that occurred at the organization’s facilities. NHTSA had done a side-impact test on a Volt then parked it outside, and three weeks later . The battery was determined to be the cause, after its coolant line was ruptured during the side-impact test. That led the forcing hybrid and electric-car batteries to be drained after a wreck.
On Friday, NHTSA said it is opening “a formal safety defect investigation” to study the risks of fire in Chevy Volts that have been in major accidents. To be clear, though, the larger story is that this isn’t just about the Volt, this is about any vehicle with a battery pack, with NHTSA gathering “additional information about the potential for fire in electric vehicles involved in a crash….”
NHTSA conducted three more tests on the Volt’s battery packs over three days, each test involving damaging the pack and rotating the car to simulate an accident and rollover. The battery pack in the third test began to smoke and spark almost immediately, the pack in the second test caught fire a week later. It is due to these results that the formal investigation has been opened. Follow the jump for NHTSA’s complete statement.
The show’s called India’s Got Talent, and we’re certainly prepared to say that India’s got The Warriors of Goja but we’re not sure if what they have is called talent, bravery or just plain crazy. The aforementioned warriors put on a lengthy display of what, in a circus, would be called ‘amazing feats of strength’ that includes breaking rocks on every part of their bodies with sledgehammers and eating florescent light bulbs.
Admittedly, most of this seven-minute long video doesn’t have anything to do with cars, but then they bring out a Maruti five-door and use a comrade to show tricks that, off the set, would probably be both illegal and fatal. And in the middle of the stunt, they randomly add a motorcycle to the mix. As said by the person who uploaded the video, “I have no words for this.. just AMAZING.” That’s about right. You’ll find it all , the Maruti action starts at 2:40.
When an automaker like comes out with a limited edition model, the entire run usually spoken for before we ever see a single photo or detail. Which is fine for the automaker in question, but can often irk many of its best customers, who would gladly shell out whatever the asking price for the opportunity to own the rarest of Prancing Horses.
According to Automotive News, the issue could lead Ferrari itself to form an elite owner’s club. Membership would be limited to just the top customers – like those who own five or more Ferrari models, of which there are about 300 in the world – who would be given right of first refusal on special editions like the SA Aperta (pictured above), the -based roadster of which only 80 were made. After all, if your garage already has five Ferraris, you probably deserve for Maranello to give you special treatment.
It seems to us like never tires of rolling out ever hotter renditions of its Vantage sports coupe. As if the original weren’t enticing enough, Aston then shoehorned a under the hood. Zagato then rebodied what we already thought was one of the shapeliest beasts on the market. And the improvements just keep on rumbling in. But then there’s the racing versions. Oh, the racing versions!
The N24 showed us what it meant to take beauty to the beast that is the Nürburgring. Then came the racing model, followed by the even hotter . The category in-between used to be tended to by the DBRS9, but now Aston’s opted to replace it with yet another competition version of the Vantage.
First teased back in April, Aston revealed further photos and details of the V12 Vantage GT3 in August, and the British marque has now commenced track testing of its latest racing machine. Packing a 6.0-liter V12 with more than 600 horsepower and enough wings and ducting to make a fighter jet blush, the new Vantage GT3 has already covered a thousand kilometers of shakedown running while gearing up to take on series like the FIA GT3 championships, the Blancpain Endurance Series and the VLN Nürburgring series.
Like what you see? There’s a fresh pair of images we’ve added to our gallery, and a whole mess of specifications in the press release after the jump, so check ‘em out and start dreaming of racing glory.
According to an unnamed source speaking with AutoWeek, the German automaker is killing off its line in 2013.
The unsurprising news comes after the brand was resurrected in 2002, but failed to meet sales expectations with its two core models, the Maybach and . Further solidifying its fate, a deal with to aid in the development of future Maybachs .
According to the AutoWeek insider, the plan is to continue to sell both Maybach models through the end of 2013, after which the fifth-generation will go on sale. When that happens, three new variants of the S-Class will be available, including an all-new, range-topping S600 that brings back the Pullman moniker and may be better suited to competing with the likes of and .
According to an unnamed source speaking with Autoweek, the German automaker is killing off its line in 2013.
The unsurprising news comes after the brand was resurrected in 2002, but failed to meet sales expectations with its two core models, the Maybach and . Further solidifying its fate, a deal for to aid in the development of future Maybachs .
According to the Autoweek’s insider, the plan is to continue to sell both Maybach models through the end of 2013, after which the fifth-generation will go on sale. When that happens, three new variants of the S-Class will be available, including an all-new, range-topping S600 that brings back the Pullman moniker and may be better suited to competing with the likes of and .
was a transplanted Detroiter, his family having moved from Birmingham, England to The Motor City well before Detroit earned that nickname. From there, he embraced the city and life itself, penning more than 10,000 poems with titles like “On Quitting” and “It Takes a Heap O’ Livin’.” His works had simple, inspiring themes that earned him the title of The People’s Poet and the only-ever Poet Laureateship of Michigan. And it is he that has turned to for its next Imported from Detroit commercial, advertising the 2012 .
Guest’s poem “See it Through,” a lash of encouragement for the folks battling World War I, is spoken over snatches of Detroit still-lifes: children swinging, NFL fans tailgating, a grocer in his doorway. Underneath all that, Muddy Waters does a little bit of his version of “Mannish Boy.” It doesn’t have the shock and grit of Eminem’s take, but it’s just as good.
In fact, it’s so good at recasting images of Detroit that we thought the city itself should do the same for itself, then AdWeek found out someone else already did. , a biannual English magazine about cities, did its second issue on Detroit. To advertise it, Boat produced a video using voiceover of the same Guest poem and its own quotidian scenes of the city. Chalk up another one for high coincidence. If you missed the commercial during yesterday’s Thanksgiving Day Lion’s game, you can check it out – and we’ve even included the Boat Magazine vid for good measure.
“Imported From Detroit” ad trades in Eminem for poetry on Thanksgiving
You haven’t forgotten about Robert Kubica already, now have you? Of course not. Who could, after all, forget the first Formula One driver ever to come out of Poland, and one of the most promising talents in the sport.
Unfortunately, Kubica’s career was put on hold earlier this year when he in a pre-season Italian rally that saw a roadside safety barrier impale his Skoda Fabia S2000 and partially sever his forearm. The injury took him out of the F1 season that was about to start, and sent the LotusRenault GP team looking for a replacement, Nick Heidfeld brought in for the start of the season before being replaced by Bruno Senna.
A general lull in news subsequently fell over Kubica’s recovery as he recuperated in private, but the team has now issued a statement that he won’t be back in the cockpit for the start of next season. His recovery is apparently going well, just not that well: he’s said to be able to move the injured arm, but moving is one thing – the rigors of driving a modern F1 car competitively is quite another. His management and team are discussing an extension of his contract that will expire at the end of next year so that Kubica can come back when he’s ready, and are they are keeping the simulators and test cars running for when the time comes.
In the meantime, LRGP will have to choose who will fill Kubica’s seat for another season. His Russian teammate, Vitaly Petrov, is confirmed through 2012, but whether the team opts to keep Bruno Senna in the race seat remains to be seen. Renault keeps a large roster of reserve drivers on call – including Romain Grosjean (who raced for the team in 2009 and is the reigning GP2 champion), Chinese up-and-comer Ho-Pin Tung (currently in IndyCars), former Le Mans Series and F3000 series champion Jan Charouz and Malaysian driver Fairuz Fauzy – but could, as with Heidfeld, bring in an experienced outside driver to fill the void.
With three shifts running at two Canadian assembly plants, General Motors is cranking out as many Chevrolet Equinox crossovers as it can. Rather than miss out on sales because demand is outstripping supply, the company’s Spring Hill, Tennessee plant, idled since 2009, is being put into service to pick up the overflow. Spring Hill will be nowhere near its yearly capacity picking up the Equinox’s slack, however. The plant was originally the assembly point for Saturn’s entire line, after all, so there’s capability for body stamping and engine production in addition to the assembly line. Most recently, the Chevrolet Traverse was produced at the facility, and General Motors plans to put what it’s calling a midsize vehicle there by 2015.
For now, $61 million is being invested in Spring Hill to make the changes for Equinox production, and 685 workers are being brought on board. The green button will be pushed sometime in the second half of 2012, and the ultimate plan for Spring Hill is to be a quick-change artist capable of flexible operation. An additional $183 million and 1,196 personnel will be invested in Spring Hill for the midsize vehicle effort, as well.
Equinox inventory has been uncomfortably low for GM for the last three years, which might eg the question “Why now?” when Chevrolet’s hot-potato crossover is going to face increasing challenges from recently refreshed competitors like the 2012 Honda CR-V and 2013 Ford Escape. However, this isn’t the first time that Equinox production has been expanded. At the very least, the Spring Hill plant makes some sense as an overflow facility because of its rail line connections, lower-cost Southern U.S. location, and capacity. Balance those savings out against the cost of shipping parts in from suppliers and the U.S. dollar vs. Canadian dollar exchange rate, and GM is either legitimately trying to create a super overflow plant with ultra-flexible operation, or just herding cats to some other end. Check out the press release posted for the official word.
If you need a little assistance getting through your annual 80-course meal and various NFL games, may we offer you some GT3 RS à la Rally? Some kind chef has cobbled together 22 minutes of footage of the that loves to get dirty doing slides and Scandinavian Flicks and making rooster tails.
