A report by the at the university of Duisburg-Essen in Germany has revealed that , currently the number three luxury carmaker, could move up to number two in 2015, . Mercedes owned the second slot until last year, when overtook it. has held the lead in the luxury market since 2005.
“We aim to be the front-runner wherever we compete on a permanent basis,” Zetsche said in a speech earlier this month. “Wherever we are not number one, we will strive to become it,” he added.
BMW will sell 1.76 million vehicles in 2015, followed by Mercedes with 1.68 million and Audi with 1.63 million, the CAR report said. One of the reasons Mercedes could see such growth is that it intends to introduce 10 new models by 2015, including a sportier version of the A Class (above).
Audi and BMW have no plans to cede any ground to Mercedes in the World War of Luxury Vehicles as the two German brands continue to vie for number one. Audi has said it plans to sell two million vehicles by 2020, which would surpass BMW and total sales. Additionally, Audi plans to build a plant in Mexico, which could increase it’s U.S. lineup from 16 vehicles to 27.
executive Dan Knott, considered an all-around great guy, took medical retirement on April 13 due to cancer, and he sadly passed away on April 29. His 24-year tenure with The Pentastar began in the role of senior engineer. By the time he took the job as head of procurement in 2009, he had helped create marquee SRT models including the , and .
Knott’s efforts to improve Chrysler’s relationships with suppliers has even . After just three years on the job, the head of the Original Equipment Supplier’s Association “more than any individual that I know of in the history of OEM/supplier relations” when it came turning around Chrysler’s dealings with suppliers.
On top of that , an Automotive News All-Star, an inductee into the Viper Club Hall of Fame, chairman of the Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council, board member on a non-profit for people with disabilities, a key player in Chrysler’s sustainability drive, and he enforced reviews of the business that the Chrysler’s Tier 1 suppliers did with women- and minority-owned businesses. He will be missed.
has a long and storied history of being an innovator since its creation in 1986. As the first luxury brand from Japan, the marque brought with it the first variable valve timing technology, the first drive-by-wire electronic throttle, the first in-dash navigation system and the first instance of torque-vectoring all-wheel drive.
Laudable accomplishments, all of them, and Acura reaped rewards for the technological advancements it brought to the automotive realm. Venerable nameplates like and launched Acura into first place in the premium luxury car segment in 1987, the brand’s first full year of sales.
And then things started to go downhill. The Legend was replaced by the poorly received and the discontinuation of the Integra in 2001 and the a few years later in 2006 left Acura without a proper entry-level model. Acura sales peaked in 2005 and have floundered ever since.
Is Acura’s new ILX the machine it needs to inject some much-needed life into its lineup?
The group of hackers known as Anonymous last night announcing their intent to hack and take down the officialwebsite for Formula One at for the duration of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Their reason? To protest the increasingly violent crackdown on the people of Bahrain by their own government.
As of this writing, as promised and another website, , is displaying a message from Anonymous that claims responsibility.
In its press release, Anonymous addresses Bernie Ecclestone, president and CEO of Formula One, directly, promising the following:
Anonymous will turn your web site (www.formula1.com) into a smoking crater in cyber space. We will also jam your phone lines, bomb your E-Mail inboxes – and wreck anything else of yours we can find on the internet.
The group also calls upon fans of F1 to ignore the race by either not attending in person or watching it on television. They also appeal to the drivers themselves to protest the race by not crossing the starting line at the beginning of the race.
Last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was , and despite the increasing frequency of protests and leading up to this weekend’s race, it has not yet been cancelled. As a result, activists, now including the Anonymous group, are using the motorsport’s worldwide popularity to gain attention for their cause.
When it comes to German luxury vehicles, it’s always the same old story: and duking it out for first place, with gaining ground while locking down third. So why should it be any different when it comes to naming conventions? BMW has clearly taken the lead for which car brand can have the most confusing and illogical alphanumeric badging, and thus, Mercedes is readying a new naming regimen of its own.
According to a report in Automobile, Benz will be completely overhauling the familiar “-Class” designations to make them more logical. To Germans. Who are engineers. How will this shake out? We’ve read the article three times and can’t make much sense of it, but Automobile indicates that we should expect SUV’s and crossovers to continue using the G prefix, while coupes and convertibles will use the C prefix, and the prefix will be reserved for sports cars. After that, well, we give up.
Supposedly a third letter of the name will designate the model range, meaning that the front-drive, four-door coupe based on the A- and B-Class architecture won’t be called CLC, but . And the forthcoming will be unveiled as the GLA. The GLK will probably get renamed GLC, according to the magazine, and now we’ve entered the rabbit hole, because as Automobile writes:
But what of the rumored A-Class based coupe and cabriolet models? CLA comes to mind, but this name is already spoken for. Would it make more sense if the CLC-turned-CLA is renamed once again to become the CLB, since its MFA platform is also shared with the B-Class? If so, Benz has to move quickly, as at the .
Then there’s the problem with the . It won’t be receiving a new name, according to the report, which means the forthcoming two-door version of the can’t be called CLS. And the won’t get any of the extra letters, retaining its single-letter name.
So there you have it. If Automobile is correct, Mercedes’ new naming scheme will take something that was confusing and illogical and make sure it’s still confusing and illogical, but unfamiliar as well.
It may come as a shock, but diesel cars are doing well outside of their traditional European home. The just-released shows that , but the real story is that we might be seeing the start of a golden era for diesel-powered cars in the U.S. In fact, clean diesel sales were up 35 percent in the first quarter of 2012 over Q1 2011, a trend – and it is a trend, since diesel sales were up 27 percent in 2011 – that the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF) says is due to higher fuel prices pushing people into the efficient oil-burners.
Allen Schaeffer, DTF’s executive director, said in a statement that, “I expect clean diesel auto sales to increase further as several new diesel cars are introduced in the U.S. market in the next year.”
Right now, it’s pretty much all Jetta TDI, all the time.
Once those other vehicles arrive, we’ll see how the market shakes out. Right now, it’s pretty much all , all the time. A while back, we spoke with Lars Ullrich, the director of marketing and business excellence, diesel systems North America, for Robert Bosch LLC. He told us that diesel Jettas made up 44 percent of all diesels sold in the U.S. last year, which makes the Jetta sort of the Prius of diesels in America. Last year, had 58 percent of all diesel sales in the U.S.
Does this mean the Jetta TDI is “the” diesel in the U.S.? Ullrich said it depends on how you look at the numbers. About 60 percent of all s sold in the U.S. in 2011, for example, were diesel, but the A3 sells in smaller numbers overall than the Jetta. When you have diesels available in high-volume models, he said, you end up selling a lot of diesels.
Diesel-powered passenger cars and medium-duty pick-ups had around three percent market share in the U.S. in 2011.
What does the big picture look like? Overall, diesel-powered passenger cars and medium-duty pick-ups had around three percent market share in the U.S. in 2011. That may not sound like a lot, but compare it to the hybrid market share, which has gone from 2.7 to 2.4 to 2.1 percent over the last three years, Ullrich said. Today, there are 25 clean diesel models available in the U.S. By 2014, that number will double, he said, which gives us an indication of where the market is moving. Echoing Schaeffer, Bosch’s prediction is that the U.S. will see diesels grab 10 percent of the market by 2015.
While increasingly popular, diesels are not perfect. There are issues like the , for example, and a fossil fuel is a fossil fuel. But it’s clear that Americans are considering diesel more than they used to. The question is what happens when the and arrive? Or more of ’s -D models? And, further down the line, when we see more merging of electric and diesel powertrains, where the diesel – perhaps – is burned in an efficient generator to generate electricity. That’s when things get even more exciting.
High gas prices are helping and do quite well in the U.S., too. The Diesel Technology Forum says hybrid sales increased 37.2 percent while plug-in electrics jumped 323 percent. Overall, vehicle sales were up 13.4 percent. For more number-crunching details, see our monthly green car sales charts for , and of 2012. The DTF has compiled a list of all the diesel-powered vehicles available in the U.S. .
Last week, a battery research lab in Warren, Michigan. General Motors has since said the fire was caused by a battery that was being tested under “extreme stress.” Engineers were trying to get the pack to fail, which it did, but not to ignite, which it also did when gases leaked out and somehow caught fire.
There’s one detail we have not heard yet, and that’s how much the fire could end up costing GM: up to $5 million, the The Detroit News reports, based on information that the automaker’s representatives submitted in a police report. The local fire department has estimated that the damage could be closer to $3 million, with one million of that due to property loss – at least two labs were damaged – and $2 million worth of damage to the labs’ contents. An investigation into the cause and extent of the fire continues.
The battery pack involved was not the same as the one used in the and GM says that the incident . Media reports have suggested the battery is be intended for the and that the prototype battery pack was made by A123 (which has had recently). Multiple people were injured in the fire but only one remains in the hospital because of “an estimated four-inch gash to the back of his head.”
Our sister site, AOL Autos, just dug up one of the largest rebates we’ve ever seen on a new car. If, for some reason, you must have a Maybach before the brand ceases production altogether, you may in line to snag a tidy $100,000 rebate. Daimler previously let slip that the company will kill the ultra-luxury brand in 2013 and replace it with a new high-end . Given that Maybach models never exactly jumped off of the showroom floor, we’re guessing the German automaker needs all the help it can get moving the and .
Even with $100,000 off the sticker price, you’ll still need a suitcase full of C notes to take one of these machines home. The entry-level Type 57 commands a $376,300 MSRP while the Type 62 starts at $427,700. Even at those prices, reports suggest the a staggering $500,000 on each and every model it sold. It’s a wonder the marque stayed around as long as it did.
Youngman has made another bid for bankrupt , according to new reports. The Chinese automaker has offered to buy what’s left of Saab for $470 million at current conversion rates. The news comes courtesy of Dagens Industri. The newspaper also indicates that’s the absolute lowest the Swedish automaker’s pledgees and real estate owners will accept to settle the company’s impressive debt. The deal would also set aside an additional $1.47 billion to restart production at the mothballed Trollhattan facility. Other foreign automakers are also vying over Saab’s remains, including India’s Mahindra & Mahindra.
Pang Da, meanwhile, seems to have no interest in continuing to pursue Saab. The company paid out around $59 million for vehicles Saab was supposed to produce. That never happened, and now the Chinese company has had to undergo the unpleasant task of reporting that loss to its investors.
Saab around $1.9 billion at the moment, and its assets are valued at just $532 million.
The finally rolled out for North American buyers at the earlier this month, and the oil-burning V6 that we’ll be able to purchase this September musters 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque shifted through an eight-speed automatic. The more important numbers are 28 miles per gallon, a 740-mile range, and a 7,716-pound tow rating when you need to realign the Earth’s crust.
Our friends across the water have been enjoying this model for three years already, and while we’re getting used to our first taste of torquey Porsches, the Europeans appear set to receive a second helping: a new report in Car and Driver asserts that will add a V8 diesel to Euro markets “in the near future.” Naturally, don’t even think about it coming here.
C/D posits two options for which diesel it will get called up: the 4.2-liter diesel V8 used in the or possibly a brand-new diesel that Porsche could share with .
We hate to reinforce stereotypes as much as anybody else, so we’d like to point out that the source for this story comes from the . With that out of the way…
According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the recent study found that older women and people under the age of 20 are most likely to mistake the gas pedal for the brake, causing what many have dubbed unintended acceleration. What’s more, the majority of pedal misapplication cases take place in parking lots.
In stark contrast, NHTSA has found that nearly two-thirds of all motor vehicle accidents are caused by male drivers. So, why are women so much more likely to mistake their pedals? Says the study:
“Possible explanations might include greater exposure by women where these crashes occur most often (parking lots); a poorer “fit” in their cars due to shorter stature, which may increase the likelihood of a pedal application error; or a disproportionately high rate of one or more functional deficits that contribute to pedal errors, such as neuropathy.”
Due to the recent abundance of unintended acceleration claims, NHTSA has proposed that brake override systems on all new cars sold in the United States.
More details are filtering in about at the Technical Center battery research lab in Warren, Michigan.
First, the number of people injured has climbed to five, with one taken to the hospital and four treated at the scene. The local deputy fire chief said none of the injuries were life-threatening. The fire department also told the local mayor that it was fumes from hydrogen sulfide that caused the explosion, but GM declined to comment on that aspect. We learned yesterday that a battery under “extreme testing” caused the explosion.
According to The Detroit News‘ David Shepardson on , “Chemical gases from the battery cells were released and ignited in the enclosed chamber. The battery itself was intact” , “All areas of the Alternative Energy Center except for the battery lab and adjacent offices will operate normally on Thursday.”
Unnamed sources have told the media that it was a prototype battery pack made by A123 that caused the fire. Fox News that pack was being tested for use in the Chevy Spark EV and other all-electric vehicles. Batteries made by A123 were recently involved in in the .
It may be a bit of stretch to call a McLaren F1 “priceless”, but finding an owner willing to part with his can be a challenge for even the most determined (and cash-rich) collector. But just such an opportunity is coming around the corner at Bonhams’ upcoming auction at the Quail Lodge in August. While every McLaren F1 is a rare bird indeed, this one is even more so.
Even more extreme than the road-going supercar on which it was based, the McLaren F1 GTR emerged as a dominant force in endurance racing in the late 1990s. The F1 GTR proved so successful, in fact, that despite being categorized in the GT classes of production-based racers, it eclipsed the purpose-built prototypes to claim overall victory at the 2005 24 Hours of Le Mans.
All told, McLaren only built 28 examples of the F1 GTR – of which only ten were the aerodynamically-optimized Longtail versions – and this was the very last of them. Built in 1997, chassis 028R contested the FIA GT Championship at the Nurburgring, the A1-Ring, Donington, Spa, Mugello, Sebring, Laguna Seca and Suzuka.
Decked out in Gulf and Davidoff race livery, it’ll go to the top bidder at The Quail, but we dare not venture a guess as to how much he or she will have to pay for the privilege – but the last time this car went up for sale, the asking price was nearly $4 million. Feel free to read more about the car in the press release .
The Juke-R needed a complete rework for just 480 horsepower. The needs only a few bolt-ons to more than double that number, apparently.
Despite having very little experience with imports, the guys over at put together a hilarious video showing exactly how to get a Nissan Cube to crank out 1,001 horsepower. After the base dyno test, the crew outfitted the Cube with some Type R badges, dragon vinyl, a GT-R inspired rear wing and some new wheel covers.
The end results were off the chart. if you have dreams of seeing what a 1,001-hp Nissan Cube looks like.
Lacking the fanfare of a flashy press conference, the arrived at the sporting an upgraded interior and new wheel options ( is one of the few automakers still following the actual calendar when it comes to model year introductions, meaning 2012 models are just now flowing into the North American marketplace).
While hardly lacking lavishness, the Evora’s cockpit has been further enhanced with additional leather on the door panels and lower sills. There is a new trim ring around the transmission shifter, the standard Recaro seats have been re-upholstered with upgraded leather (with contrasting piping and woven fabric inserts) and the bright brushed metal dashboard has a new dark finish for better contrast. Rounding up the interior alterations, the loathed Alpine audio/navigation system has been replaced with a superior system from Pioneer.
The standard alloy wheel package remains a staggered 18- and 19-inch setup, but Lotus is also offering a new 19- and 20-inch wheel package with several different finishes including a gorgeous matte anthracite (). The 2012 Lotus Evora / Evora S is rolling into showrooms today.
The wait is finally over. … excuse us, has officially pulled the wraps off the 2013 , and it’s everything we were hoping it would be. Let’s discuss numbers: 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque from a front/mid-mounted 8.4-liter V10 and the best power-to-weight ratio of any Viper ever built.
Two models will be available, the standard high-performance SRT and GTS.
In fact, the 2013 SRT Viper’s 4.9 pounds per horsepower puts it just behind the and and ahead of such performance stalwarts as the and . What’s more, this engine has no turbocharger or supercharger, and those 600 lb-ft make this V10 the most torque-rich naturally aspirated production engine in the world.
Two models will be available, the standard high-performance SRT and GTS. The SRT is meant to “offer a perfect blend of extreme performance and a deliberate preservation of what has become the iconic DNA of the Viper,” says Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of the Street and Racing Technology Brand and Motorsports. Buyers looking for a little more technology can opt for the GTS, which adds such niceties as a two-mode active suspension and interior creature comforts not normally associated with the Viper.
The 2013 Viper isn’t just about power, either. Chassis updates are plentiful and include a beautiful X-brace up front that helps the new platform boast a 50-percent increase in rigidity over the last Viper. To help the driver maintain control, the 2013 Viper is fitted with stability and traction control (both fully defeatable, says Gilles) along with Pirelli P Zero Z-rated tires that were designed specifically for the Viper in massive 355 sizes in back and 295 up front. Three different wheels will be available, with five or six spokes in polished, matte black or gloss black finishes, along with a special lightweight set as part of the SRT Track Package.
Inside, the Viper is more luxurious than ever before, with seats from Sabelt (the same supplier used by ) and a seven-inch LCD screen directly in front of the driver that’s configurable with a whole slew of custom operations. Chrysler’s stellar 8.4-inch Uconnect Media Center is also included, as is a Harmon Kardon sound system. Oh, and for the first time ever, cruise control is standard.
For the first time ever, cruise control is standard.
Though first and foremost a street car, SRT fully intends to establish the 2013 Viper’s racing credentials early and often. Viper will return to the American Le Mans Series in 2012, fielding a two-car team driven by Dominik Farnbacher, Marc Goossens, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Kuno Wittmer. And gaming fans aren’t left out, either – SRT has worked with the Forza Motorsport 4 crew to make sure the 2013 SRT Viper is available soon as DLC.
There’s lots more information in the press release and videos , but we suggest you check out our high-res image galleries first, as this Viper is one beautiful machine.
Bucking The Downsizing Trend For All The Right Reasons
Sometimes in life, you hit the nail right on the head, sink a hole-in-one or strike a perfect bullseye. It happens in all walks of life – from the original Star Wars trilogy to the Apple iPod. It even happens from time to time in the automotive realm. Take, for instance, the 1965 or the original Acura Legend.
Other times, we’re not so lucky. Like the ill-begotten Star Wars prequel trilogy, the automotive world has played host to a long line of underwhelming encores. The Mustang II comes to mind, and so does the .
Of course, every so often, automakers release a car to market that’s just isn’t quite fully baked, like the ill-timed and poorly received Edsel from Ford. Though not nearly as obvious, the first-generation falls into this unfortunate camp.
Originally marketed to the upwardly mobile male Gen-X population – a guy named Jason back in 2006 – it turns out that well-to-do, tech-savvy men aren’t actually all that interested in an entry-level premium crossover from Honda’s luxury division. And that’s why, for 2013, the Acura RDX is being re-aimed at the heart of the market: namely, baby boomers and young couples – defined by Acura as DINKS – “Dual-Income, No Kids” – who prefer quiet, comfortable and composed to quick, nimble and raucous.
Italy’s Superstars Series may have seemed like an insignificant championship in the past, but drivers and manufacturers alike are beginning to take notice of what is rapidly emerging as Italy’s equivalent of Germany’s DTM, Japan’s Super GT or Australia’s V8 Supercars series. One of those drivers is Tonio Liuzzi, and one of those manufacturers is .
The German automaker had been represented in the series before, but is now launching an officially factory-sanctioned works effort with a specially-prepared touring car fielded by Caal Racing. And it has lined up an experienced driving talent to man the wheel.
A veteran of 80 grands prix, Vitantonio Liuzzi has driven for Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Force India and HRT, but unfortunately failed to distinguish himself with a single podium finish, pole position or fastest lap in the span of his six years in Formula One. Prior to ascending to the pinnacle of motorsports, he had won the International Formula 3000 championship, and has also tried his hand at A1GP (representing Italy) as well as the Speedcar Series (a stock car series held briefly in the Middle East).
Will he prove himself a greater talent in touring cars than he did in F1? We’ll have to wait and see, but given the factory support in a privateer-dominated series and the number of championships Caal Racing has won, things are looking up for Liuzzi and Mercedes. for the official announcement (in Italian) and check out the batch of official high-resolution images in the gallery above.
When our friends at told us they’d be sending over a set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-70 tires mounted on 17-inch Sport Edition alloy wheels for our , our minds were immediately filled with images of the little blue hatchback bounding along snowy roads with razor-sharp precision and confidence. Instead, editors Neff, Paukert and myself can literally count on one hand the number of times we actually had to drive the on snowy/slushy roads. So much for winter tire/all-wheel-drive snowy playtime.
To say that we’ve had an unusually mild winter here in the Midwest is truly an understatement (note: we are absolutely not complaining). In mid-March, we saw record-high temperatures in the mid-80s. As Neff said in , seriously, what the hell is going on?
So rather than wear down the tread on our Blizzaks even further, we took the over to Motor City Mini once again to have its stock Pirelli Cinturato 18-inch wheels and run-flat (boo!) tires put back on. Perfect timing, too, since the car was just about to roll over the 12,000-mile mark, meaning its first scheduled maintenance was due. The oil was changed, fluids were topped off and all of the other mechanical elements inspected, and thus, our Mini is now prepped and ready for spring and summer in The D. We of the run-flat tires combined with our optional sport suspension already, so we’ll spare you another round of grumbling. If there’s one thing we’ll miss about the winter tires, it’s the smoother – albeit, slightly louder – ride.
Our observed fuel economy numbers are falling short of what the EPA suggests.
With 12,000 miles now under our belts, the Countryman is plenty broken in. But after a quick math session with the car’s logbook, it seems our observed fuel economy numbers are falling short of what the EPA suggests. I’ll personally admit to driving the Mini more aggressively than most consumers likely will (hey, this thing is seriously fun to throw around), but even so, the fact that our observed fuel economy is only 24.9 miles per gallon is indeed questionable. The EPA rates the 2011 Cooper S Countryman All4 at 26/32 mpg city/highway and 28 mpg combined when fitted with the six-speed manual transmission, and our best recorded fuel economy is only a dismal 29.3 mpg. Either I’m not the only one with a heavy right foot or something is off here. We’ll definitely be keeping a close watch over this as time progresses.
In the next month, associate editor Chris Shunk will put the Countryman to use as a family hauler, so we’ll get a better idea of just how kid-and-cargo-friendly the four-passenger interior really is. Stay tuned.
Keep your eyes locked on the official for the majority of our updates, as well as the official Autoblog Twitter account (, look for the hashtag).
It’s going to be a big year for , which will soon be reloading its model lineup with the new and XTS sedans. The compact slots in below the , while the larger 2013 XTS aims to take care of traditional Caddy buyers looking for immensity above all else. While at diametrical ends of the spectrum, the two new models will share a technology package that all revolves around a new seat.
General Motors is throwing around fifty-cent words like “haptic” and phrases like “directional tactile sensation” to describe its new Safety Alert Seat, which vibrates to warn the driver of potential dangers like wandering out of one’s lane. The seat employs two electric motors to create its directional feedback, and it’s at the center of both safety packages Cadillac will be introducing this year. The first is aimed at merely providing the driver with safety alerts, while a more comprehensive suite will also offer vehicle intervention. Cadillac is using six radar sensors, eight ultrasonic sensors and two vision cameras to drive the new safety systems.
The Driver Awareness Package will debut with the launch of the XTS in the spring and offers the seat, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Departure Warning, Side Blind Zone Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. In the fall, Cadillac will begin offering the Driver Assist Package, which adds Adaptive Cruise Control, Front and Rear Automatic Braking, and Automatic Collision Preparation. Both packages will also be offered on the crossover, details of which we expect to hear about at the . Click to read more and to view two demonstration videos.
