recently released its financial report for the the manufacturer’s motorcycle division. Not surprisingly, two-wheel-friendly Asia accounted for a lofty 79 percent of the company’s total sales in 2011. The entirety of North America, meanwhile, soaked up just 1.6 percent of the brand’s total volume last year. What’s more, Honda fully intends to expand its operations in the blooming Indian market. Until last year, Honda worked with Hero MotorCorp to sell its bikes in India. With the two entities officially split, the Japanese company reports it expects to see somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 percent of its sales come from the Indian market by 2020.
India boasts a population of 1.2 billion people, or around 17 percent of the world’s population, making it the second-largest bike market globally. As of right now, Honda is working on chipping out a 20 percent share of that pie, which means it already dominates the country’s motorcycle market as the largest foreign bike manufacturer.
The good old boys at Motor Trend got their hands on not only a , but a Ford Police Interceptor and a Dodge Charger Police Pursuit, as well. Like any good, upstanding group of hooligans, the crew set to playing cops and robbers in the shadow of Detroit’s vacant factories. With the big 662-horsepower, supercharged V8 Mustang left with no long spans of asphalt to stretch its legs, the two pursuit vehicles have a clear advantage. Watching the three go at each other is a decent way to blow five minutes of your work day.
Of course, this reminds me of a pearl of wisdom served up by my grandfather on the subject of evading the long arm of the law. He always said, “You can out run one, you might even out run two, but you’ll never outrun that radio.” Amen.
We officially have a new motorcycle hero. Genki Hagata rolled his Yamaha YZF-R6 out onto the track during the second AMA Pro Supersport qualifying session at Sears Point recently. Partway through his out-lap, the bike lost traction in the rear before abruptly regaining it. We likely don’t need to tell you that scenario almost always results in a one-way ticket off of the saddle in a not-so-glorious highside. But not for Hagata. The racer exhibited nothing less than super-human strength by clamping onto the handlebars and holding on for dear life.
Miraculously, it worked. After the bike settled down, Hagata managed to cling to the machine as it rode upright until he was able to fling himself back into the saddle. The guy’s efforts kept the Yamaha off of the asphalt, but cost him a spot on the grid. Hagata missed the cut-off by a few tenths of a second. Still, we haven’t seen heroics like this in a long spell. to check it out for yourself.
The FIA’s R2 rally class offers factorry-tuned racers at privateer costs. Peugeot has unleashed its 208 R2 in asphalt and gravel versions, powered by a 1.6-liter engine with 185 horsepower and 140 pound-feet running through a five-speed sequential gearbox.
Improvements over the 207 R2 include a bodyshell that’s 40 kilos lighter; a new gearbox with reduced weight, quicker shifts and the shifter mounted on the steering column; better gas mileage; a revised Öhlins suspension with three-way adjustable dampers; and more shared parts to enable faster changes between asphalt and tarmac setups.
It will make its debut on May 10 at the Tour de Corse. If you want one, kits can be had for €37,500 ($49,061 U.S.), a turnkey model for €57,500 ($75,227 U.S.). If you just want to check it out, hit the photo gallery and give the a once-over.
We’ve taken the bone-stock down the quarter-mile drag strip at Bondurant in Arizona . The very first pass we made netted us a time slip in the mid-12-second range. That’s an impressive performance for a car wearing road-legal radial tires with zero preparation and a driver familiarizing himself with the car.
We instantly knew this car was capable of more, and wondered how long it would take before we saw our first elapsed time in the 11s. Turns out the wait is over.
itself is the perpetrator of the blazing-fast quarter mile. engineers took two completely stock ZL1 coupes to Milan Dragway in Michigan – one automatic and one manual – and recorded a best pass of 11.93 seconds at 116 miles per hour. That was with the automatic; the row-your-own model managed 11.96 at 117 mph.
Those looking to drag their new Camaro ZL1 ought to be pleased with this news. But even if your race track aspirations lean more toward a curvy strip of asphalt, the baddest production ever made has you covered. Consider its as proof of its prowess.
Likely sensing that there would be plenty of Ford fans skeptics demanding proof of its quarter mile performance, Chevrolet has released a video showing off its drag strip exploits at Milan. for the video, along with the related press release… and join us in waiting for a from .
*UPDATE: We’ve placed a call to Chevrolet inquiring whether these times were recorded on stock tires, as the press release indicates, or on drag radials. We’ll add another update as soon as we hear back.
We’ve taken the bone-stock down the quarter-mile drag strip at Bondurant in Arizona . The very first pass we made netted us a time slip in the mid-12-second range. That’s an impressive performance for a car wearing road-legal radial tires with zero preparation and a driver familiarizing himself with the car.
We instantly knew this car was capable of more, and wondered how long it would take before we saw our first elapsed time in the 11s. Turns out the wait is over.
itself is the perpetrator of the blazing-fast quarter mile. engineers took two completely stock ZL1 coupes to Milan Dragway in Michigan – one automatic and one manual – and recorded a best pass of 11.93 seconds at 116 miles per hour. That was with the automatic; the row-your-own model managed 11.96 at 117 mph.
Those looking to drag their new Camaro ZL1 ought to be pleased with this news. But even if your race track aspirations lean more toward a curvy strip of asphalt, the baddest production ever made has you covered. Consider its as proof of its prowess.
Likely sensing that there would be plenty of Ford fans skeptics demanding proof of its quarter mile performance, Chevrolet has released a video showing off its drag strip exploits at Milan. for the video, along with the related press release… and join us in waiting for a from .
The 2012 Targa Tasmania has officially come to a close, and while we were a long, long way from the action this year, YouTube closed the distance with a slew of day-end recaps aimed at keeping us up-to-date on the action. This year, Jason White took his all the way to the top of the podium despite running into a tuning issue late in the event. Wet weather made for slippery conditions with low visibility more often than not, and more than a few competitors were forced to retire due to unintended departures from the course.
Day three saw some impressive driving from Sam Tapping and his Holden Commodore SS Ute. The duo ran down a total of three competitors on the same stage, including two models. That’s some impressive driving given the Ute’s tail happy nature and the wet asphalt. Of course, there are plenty more highlights that are well worth your time. to check out all five recap videos for yourself.
The and racing go together like slicks and dry asphalt, so it’s no surprise that the world now has its first competition-prepped version of the new F30. According to BMWBlog, South Africa has partnered up with ADF Motorsport to create the 335i racer you see above. The sedan is set to debut at the Wesbank Super Series at Killarney in Cape Town on March 31. All told, the vehicle took less than two months to build with a price tag of $260,000.
The N55 turbo straight six is bereft of power-adding tweaks due to series regulations thta include a restrictor plate on the turbo and limited boost. ADF and friends have worked over the turbo, exhaust, and ECU, however, so the powertrain is still good for over 400 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque – a tidy increase over the 300/300 ratings of the standard production cars.
In addition, the car’s curb weight has been trimmed down to 2,998 pounds. Much of that savings was realized using carbon fiber components from the M Performance catalog. The team also borrowed a set of 14.5-inch front brake discs and 18 inch wheels from the minds at M. ADF Motorsport says this is the first example of a production-based direct-injected racecar.
In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re now actively using your suggestions for new episodes of . We started the series with a few of our own, but have been flooding our inbox since the first episode. ? That was your idea. ? Your idea. And so is today’s episode: Drive the PCH.
California’s Pacific Coast Highway is known as much for its amazing views as it is for the enjoyable cruising that can be had along its asphalt. It’s the type of drive where the destination is less meaningful than the trip that got you there and people you met along the way. In this episode of The List, Jessi and Patrick are given the keys to a suitably ostentatious droptop and sent north from Los Angeles to discover what the PCH has in store for them.
While the PCH is arguably one of the best roads in the country for cruising, every state has a similar road that shows off their unique, natural beauty. What’s the best cruising road in your state? Let us know in Comments so we can try it out the next time we’re in the neighborhood.
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If you live in a city where parking is scarce, you won’t like hearing this. MIT Professor Eran Ben-Joseph has written a book titled Rethinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking, and the gist is that the U.S. has far too many parking spaces.
Ben-Joseph estimates that there are 800 million parking spots across the U.S., taking up enough space to cover Puerto Rico in asphalt. In fact, Ben-Joseph says that many large cities have up to one third of their overall space dedicated to parking.
So what’s wrong with a glut of parking lots? For starters, they’re made of asphalt, which absorbs energy from the sun, which warms the ambient temperature. The lots also lead to faster water runoff, which hurts the ability of plants to remove toxins from the air.
The book doesn’t paint parking lots in a positive light, but we’re guessing there isn’t much that will be done to change the issue, at least in the short term. We are, after all, a country of auto owners, and we need a place to park our four-wheeled friends. And it’s not like we’re going to replace open lots with a glut of parking structures, since those can cost four times as much money to build.
Right on schedule, has unleashed a flood of details and images highlighting the . We got due to the nature of the ever-leaky internet, and most everything is just as we had been expecting… sadly including its Euro-only status.
Underhood is a 450-horsepower4.2-liter V8 engine with 317 pound-feet of torque available between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm. Power is sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and, using launch control, the RS4 Avant has enough boogie to scoot from 0 to 60 in 4.7 seconds on its way to an electronically governed top speed of 155 miles per hour, or up to 173 in optionally ungoverned form.
Naturally, both the interior and exterior get upgrades to set the car apart from lesser models, and under the crisply defined sheetmetal lies an aluminum-intensive suspension setup that’s tuned to sit 20 millimeters closer to the asphalt than the regular-grade A4 Avant. Electromechanical speed-dependent steering is standard, as are polished 19-inch, ten-spoke forged aluminum wheels shod with 265/35-series tires.
Want one? We don’t blame you. Audi says it will be available in Germany in the fall for a starting price of €76,600. Still interested? Check out the press release for all the details, and be sure to browse our high-res image gallery above.
Literally two days after about our , I found myself trudging through a snowstorm at 30 miles per hour on Interstate 94 along Michigan’s west coast. I guess Mother Nature had heard my cries about not being able to test our in the snow, and decided to reward me with super slippery roads and poor visibility for two and a half hours straight. Lovely.
Mile after mile, the Mini dutifully carried on while I watched large SUVs and a host of mid-size sedans slide off into the ditches on either side of I-94. I’ve lived in southeast Michigan my entire life, and I know how to drive in the slushy, slick stuff, but there’s nothing quite like the combination of all-wheel drive and proper winter tires for times like this – it not only helps with driver confidence, but makes the whole process of safely navigating through a snowstorm much less fatiguing. Mini’s All4 all-wheel-drive system made sure power was being sent to exactly which wheels needed it most, and our car’s winter tires provided by the folks at kept the rollers from slipping during acceleration or skidding during braking.
After using the Mini to schlep many an Autoblog staff member to and from various happenings, I handed the Countryman off to executive editor Chris Paukert, who turned it back over praising the All4 system and snow tires’ handling on split-mu surfaces – even with the driver’s side tires on wet asphalt and the passenger-side wheels trudging through ice and slush, the Mini remained confident and steady despite times when traction coefficients differed at every corner.
The Countryman now resides in Cleveland, Ohio, where it will be under Editor-in-Chief John Neff’s care for the next month. We haven’t had any snow to speak of since sending the Mini to Ohio, but I’m sure if Neff complains enough, Mother Nature will reward him with a big ol’ lake-effect dumping to the Lake Erie coast so he can see just how good our All4/Blizzak combo is.
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).
Last year was a good one for Harley-Davidson. According to Asphalt and Rubber, the American bike manufacturer saw its sales increase by 5.9 percent globally compared to 2010. Sales in the U.S., meanwhile, were up 5.8 percent. All told, Harley-Davidson managed to move 235,188 units last year, with 151,683 of those heading to owners in the States. Those figures mean the manufacturer managed to post a net income of $105.6 million last year. By contrast, during the fourth quarter of 2010 the company saw a net loss of $46.7 million.
The global recession hadn’t been kind to the company. With a model line designed to cater to the wealthy and their lust for toys, Harley-Davidson suddenly saw itself posting yearly losses. Those at the helm sold off MV Agusta and pulled the plug on Buell all together in an effort to keep Harley-Davidson up right.
Those moves seem to have helped. The company posted $4.6 billion in revenue last year, which marks an increase of 11.6 percent over 2010.
We’ve never found ourselves with an excess of driveway space, but if that changes any time in the near future, there’s a chance the vacant asphalt could make us a buck or two. Parkatmyhouse.com allows users to upload photos of their driveways, garages or yards and then rent the space for parking on a monthly basis. The program is just getting underway here in the U.S., though UK drivers have been using the site for some time now. Across the pond, parking via the site can cost anywhere from $10 to $30 per day, and the service’s organizers say Parkatmyhouse.com has earned users more than $5 million.
Currently, the service is looking to get off of the ground in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C., so if you have space and are willing to put up with someone’s vehicle in your way day in and day out, head over to the . It may just pay for your new garage in no time.
Detroit in January isn’t exactly the proper place to go topless in a 650-horsepower tire smoker, but that doesn’t mean rumors of the Convertible’s at the aren’t accurate. And these spy shots prove that the car is very much ready for its big debut.
We’re expecting the soft-top Shelby to pack the same 5.8-liter supercharged engine as its hard-topped sibling, which means the asphalt will be punished with those aforementioned 650 ponies along with 600 pound-feet of torque. For the coupe, that power equals a top speed of over 200 miles per hour.
So, here’s the big question: Will the 2013 GT500 Convertible be the least expensive way to a wind-in-your-hair blast at supercar speeds? While we all ponder that question, let’s all take a gander at the spy photos in the gallery above. And let’s pray to the god of sunshine that the GT500 Convertible does indeed drop its top in the snowy climes of Detroit in January.
has been busily preparing its new , and the automaker just put the racer through its first shakedown tests in Turin, Italy. So far, the Lotus team is happy with the vehicle’s progress, but testing will continue in 2012 as the company prepares to take on the 2012 FIA World Championship. Don’t expect the to take on too many gravel stages, however. Lotus says the rally car will lock horns with competitors in the FIA GT Class on the asphalt events in Monte Carlo, Tour de Corse and San Remo.
Lotus began working on its rally fighter in July, 2011, which is a pretty quick turn around for the vehicle’s first shakedown run.
But the Exige R-GT Rally Car isn’t the only tasty piece of news from the company. Lotus also fired up the company’s IndyCar engine for the first time as well. for the full press release.
Accomplished Sports Coupe Rekindles Hope For Scion
When it comes to wringing out a performance car, nothing beats track time. Public roads are crowded, chock full of regulations and policed. Race circuits are lawless expanses of curvy asphalt with just one golden rule: Keep it on the pavement.
Under invitation from , we loaded into a widebody 777 for the long trek across the Pacific Ocean to Japan. Our objective was to drive the automaker’s highly anticipated, all-new sports car. Upon arrival, we were pleased to learn that Scion had rented Sodegaura Forest Raceway for our full day behind the wheel.
After dozens of laps at unrestricted speed – few have been offered as much track time – we answered many of our own nagging questions. Does Scion’s new rear-wheel-drive coupe deliver all that it promises? How is the power delivery from the naturally aspirated flat-four engine, and is it sufficient? Is the handling balanced and the chassis up to the task? Most importantly, why would someone choose the Scion FR-S over its clone, the ?
City officials in San Pedro, California, have long had their eye on a section of bluff-top road in the area. Constant erosion had threatened to walk away with the asphalt altogether, and that’s exactly what happened during a storm on Sunday, November 20. A massive section of the Paseo del Mar roadway vanished down the bluff, leaving road crews to ponder on how to go about repairing problem. The city first discovered cracks in the road surface last spring, though the extent of the storm’s damage was something of a surprise.
For now, the city is urging residents to stay away from the road until a solution can be found. The Los Angeles Police department has stepped up patrols in the area to keep would-be sight-seers away from the unstable road. Some area activists have accused rampant bluff-top development for accelerated erosion, though the slide could simply be nature at work.
A dealer in the Netherlands has leaked what it says is a tasty bit of information on the upcoming diesel . According to 5post.com, the vehicle will boast a tri-turbo inline six-cylinder oil burner good for around 381 horsepower. That number is a far cry from the 500-pony speculation that had been making the rounds until recently, but that doesn’t mean that the big 5 Series will be any slouch on the road. The dealer also let slip that the vehicle will arrive packing 516 pound-feet of torque, which should be more than enough for the big sedan’s all-wheel drive system to rip up massive handfuls of asphalt to throw at lesser machinery.
Speaking of all-wheel drive, word has it that the 550d will only be available with all four corners turning, at least initially. Production is set to kick off in March of next year, and true to form, there’s no telling whether or not the big, powerful diesel will be available to U.S. buyers. There’s also some indication that this potent engine will show up in hardware like the next-generation and , though there are no fuel economy estimates to be had at this time. Presumably, a Touring variant like the one shown above will be on offer overseas, as well, making it this Bimmer a covet-worthy alternative to a premium crossover.
has given the company’s a life of its own. The newest commercial for the vehicle shows exactly what happens when dealers shut off the lights and go home for the night. The coupe sets about prowling the streets of some unnamed metropolis in a quest to quench its insatiable thirst for asphalt, frightening away vagrants and using its exhaust note to bark at the moon. Looks like fun. Buyers may want to think about installing a cage in the garage if they plan to bring this Black Series home.
Our with the non-Black Series C63 coupe left us wanting plenty more, and the video is only whetting our appetites for this even snarlier two-door. to check watch the film for yourself.
releases drool-inducing C63 AMG Black Series featurette
