A howling red prototype of the Aston Martin’s V12 Zagato made the international rounds last year, and now the first production example is headed for a Middle East reveal at the Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance (running February 15-18). Only 150 of the super-exclusive Astons will be made for worldwide consumption.
hasn’t released any new photos so we don’t know how the 510-horsepower, £330,000 (that’s $550,000 U.S., before taxes), aluminum-and-carbon-bodied coupe will differ from its progenitor. If at the 2011 is an indicator, though, the spoiler on the beauty in the above pic has been swapped for a redesigned trunk lid.
We’ll know more in a few weeks, so until then there’s a press release after the jump and a couple of image galleries for you to enjoy.
If wants to make a sexy commercial, there probably doesn’t need to be that much thought involved. All the ultra luxury brand needs to arouse the typical auto enthusiast is a collage of shots of the company’s , or .
That didn’t stop Aston Martin from stocking its latest video creation with women, however, but it’s not what you think. to watch Aston’s 87-second-long featurette, which is titled “Aston Martin Loves Women. Women love Aston Martin.”
The spot illustrates that women don’t need a mini skirt to be featured in an exotic luxury car commercial, and that you don’t have to be a guy to appreciate automotive beauty. And while the rolling through the majestic twisties is a real looker, it’s the sound bites that really get us going. Aston Martin may love women, and women may love Aston right back, but men are rather fond of ‘em, too.
Want to advertise a new plaything for the wealthy? The front windows at Harrods are the place to be. That’s where city car, and where a short while after. Little wonder, then, that has opted to park the at the swanky London department store.
The Karma display gives prospective British buyers the chance to see the car and register their interest with a local dealership. It’s the first time the Karma is being displayed in a retail location in the UK, but something tells us the purveyor of luxury hybrids may have gotten a break on the price for this prime advertising space: Qatar Holding, which owns Harrods, also happens to own part of Fisker. Follow the jump for the full press release.
When the original debuted in 2009 as a 2010 model, it was rated at 41 miles per gallon in the city, making it the most fuel-efficient mid-size sedan in North America. aims to re-capture that same magic with the 2013 Fusion Hybrid, which makes its debut today at the in Detroit.
Final EPA numbers have not been released just yet, but Ford’s preliminary data suggests that the 2013 Fusion Hybrid will be capable of achieving 47 mpg in the city, along with an immensely respectable 44 mpg highway. That’s better than the mid-size hybrid offerings from , and . Power comes from a new 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, rated at 180 horsepower and 130 pound-feet of torque in this application. Power is sent to the front wheels via an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission.
But that’s just half of the Fusion Hybrid story. It’s easily one of the prettiest cars in the class, combining elements of the concept along with design cues that look like they were swiped from the Aston Martin team (it’s all in that fascia). Click through our attached high-res image gallery above to see a new batch of Fusion Hybrid photos live from the floor.
The current is already capable of taking on the and , but the fact is that the and mid-size offerings sell better at the dealership. Ford was quick to point out at its press conference that Camry and Accord sales were down 31 percent and 28 percent, respectively, since 2007, with increased competition being a major culprit for the decline. The Fusion has taken a different route, with 2011 serving as the sedan’s best year of sales ever. Ford is hoping to add a whole lot more pressure to the Japanese stalwarts with the addition of the .
The Fusion looks like a mix of a (back) and a (front), but the overall design is a fresh take on the mid-size sedan. Ford will offer the Fusion in three flavors: the standard model, the 47-mpg Fusion and the plug-in hybrid Fusion Energi. The standard model itself comes in several trims and boasts three engine choices. The base Fusion is powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder mill, with 170 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque. The fuel efficient offering boasts a 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine with 179 horsepower and 172 lb-ft, plus fuel economy numbers of 26 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway. The highest performance Fusion will pack a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder with 237 hp and 250 lb-ft.
Ford will continue to offer optional all-wheel drive, and MyFord Touch version 2.0 will show up on the option sheet as well. to read over Ford’s press release, and peruse our live high resolution images from the in the gallery above.
Your eyes do not deceive you – the sleek, pretty, low-slung sedan you see above is indeed the . But don’t think that the 2013 Fusion is all beauty and no brains. is preparing the new Fusion, as well as its Hybrid and Energi fuel-mizing siblings, to be the most fuel-efficient, best-driving, tech-packed range of sedans in the mid-size segment.
Thanks to vehicles like the and , we’ve seen that mid-size sedans don’t necessarily have to be conservatively styled three-box appliances, and this new Fusion is certainly a looker. Combining elements of the concept, not to mention a front fascia that’s decidedly -esque in approach, the Fusion has a wide, flat stance with strong character lines down the side that wrap around to a sleek rear end. Clearly the design builds upon the Kinetic language of the European rather than the Fusion we’ve lived with in North America since 2010.
The standard Fusion – available in S, SE and Titanium trims – will be available with three engines. The base mill is a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-four with 170 horsepower and 170 pound-feet of torque, mated solely to a six-speed automatic transmission. We’re sure it’s a fine powerplant, but our interest is more settled on the next two: a 1.6-liter EcoBoost four with 179 hp and 172 lb-ft, and the range-topping 2.0-liter EcoBoost four with 237 hp and 250 lb-ft. Both engines can be had with the same six-speed automatic, though the smaller 1.6-liter engine can be mated to a six-speed manual box. Front-wheel drive is standard across the board, but top-of-the-line Fusions with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine can be had with all-wheel drive.
Ford is ditching a V6 for an all-four-cylinder lineup.
Like many other automakers, Ford is ditching a V6 for an all-four-cylinder lineup. That’s par for the course these days, and with the Fusion weighing in at just over 3,300 pounds (loaded, AWD Fusions will likely weigh as much as 3,600 pounds), fuel economy is expected to be the best in the class. Ford hasn’t released complete – or official – economy numbers, but Fusions equipped with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine (complete with start/stop technology) are expected to achieve 26/37 miles per gallon city/highway, while front-wheel-drive, 2.0-liter-equipped cars should net around 23/33 mpg.
But if fuel economy is your thing, Ford has two even more efficient examples of the 2013 Fusion. Their names? Hybrid and Energi.
We’ve still got a few days between us and the reveal of the , but a minor bug in its iPad teaser app has given us an early glimpse of the all-new sedan.
As we showed you before, to count down the days until the Fusion’s reveal. But today, an error with the app gave us a nice front-three-quarter view of Ford’s new -fighter, which has since been removed.
We’re digging the low-slung stance, blacked-out Day Light Opening (greenhouse) and pixel-perfect wheel size, but it’s the fascia that’s easily the most handsome, combining elements of recent Ford concepts and polishing them up for production duty (along with a fair bit of in that grille). We’ll be seeing much more in another three days, so stay tuned…
After two consecutive years posting losses in its balance book, is back in the black as the figures came in for the close of 2011. But don’t think for one minute that the ultra-luxe British marque is about to stop there. No, Bentley’s new CEO Wolfgang Dürheimer (pictured above, right) has big plans for the company, and having headed product development at for years, that can only mean one thing: more new vehicles. More types of vehicles, more bodystyles and more derivatives.
The biggest potential item in the pipeline is an SUV, a plan which Bentley has had in the making for some time now and which Dürheimer recently indicated in a conference call will be decided on soon. The Bentley of sport-utes would be significantly more upscale than anything currently offered, with a price tag upwards of $140,000, with underpinnings borrowed from the which Dürheimer helped launch himself.
Beyond the SUV, the Bentley chief executive also hinted at a new sportscar range that would include a two-seat coupe, a hardtop convertible and even a racing version. The model would likely take the fight more directly to , against whose smaller GTs the larger range currently competes with.
On the sales front, The Flying B was the first automaker to report its December figures and the 2011 calendar year as a whole, with global sales up 37 percent last year to 7,003 units. Sales for December were also up 69 percent versus 2010 to 1,059 cars, which Bentley claims is its second-best sales month of all time and best since the recession began.
What’s more interesting is how Bentley sales break down geographically. The U.S. remains the brand’s best-selling market with 2,021 cars sold, but sales in China “virtually doubled” last year to 1,839 units. In fact, the Chinese had already bought more Bentleys by last July than they did in all of 2010. With that kind of momentum, China should easily overtake the U.S. as as the automaker’s best customer base in 2012. Even struggling Europeans managed to increase their appetites, buying 53 percent more last year than the year before. Follow the jump for the latest statement on Bentley’s financial health.
sent Calvin Klein model Lara Stone out with a 2013 SL, and put photographer Alex Prager in charge of documenting the platform-heeled, Arcadian shenanigans. The project is called the 2012 Fashion Collaboration, Icons of Style, and will be shown in its entirety at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, February 9-15, 2012. Meant to be a modern take on film noir and, apparently, Storm Catchers, Stone uses the SL to outrun a tornado.
of the photo above, and for a behind-the-scenes video and more details on both models – the car and the woman – and Alex Prager.
shows off SL’s new curves with supermodel Lara Stone
We were pretty surprised to find out just a few days ago that ’s new rally team had, for some reason, for next year’s World Rally Championship. “Inexplicable” is what we called it at the time, but the latest reports coming out of the UK where the team is based could serve to cast some light on the situation.
Not only has the outfit – run by the rally gurus at Prodrive (who have, in the past, run Subaru’s rally team, as well as and works efforts at Le Mans) – missed the filing deadline, but they’ll also reportedly let their best driver go. The reason? Funding, apparently. Although the team supposedly benefits from factory backing, a lack of sponsorship has reportedly left the team strapped for cash.
As a result, Northern Irish driver Kris Meeke – who was called up to the WRC team after claiming the 2009 title in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge – and his co-pilot have reportedly been released from their three-year contract after only one year. Meeke’s seat will reportedly be auctioned off to the highest bidder – that is, whoever comes with sponsorship dollars, pounds or euros already lined up. Former Citroën WRC driver Dani Sordo, however, will reportedly carry on with the team, assuming it can secure its entry for the upcoming season.
How a factory-backed team like Mini’s could find itself without enough funding has us scratching our heads, but our compatriots over at Autocar point to parent-company ’s costly new entry into DTM next season as a potential answer.
It’s amazing what a company like can do with what essentially amounts to two product families. Discounting the -built Cygnet and the exclusive One-77, the company’s entire line-up is based around either the Vantage or the . While the latter has also spawned the , the and the , Aston has also done a lot with the former. There’s the , the Vantage S, the and even the exotic V12 Zagato – not to mention countless racing versions.
And then there’s the convertibles. Aston offers open-top versions of just about all of these (save, once again, the Cygnet, One-77 and Rapide). All that’s been missing is a V12 Vantage Roadster, and now word has it that Aston’s got that one in the pipeline for the near future, too.
The formula is pretty simple: taking the mechanical bits from the V12 Vantage coupe and fit the folding fabric roof mechanism from the V8 Vantage Roadster and presto! an open-top twelve-cylinder roadster. And with 510 horsepower on tap, it should make for one heck of a wild ride. We’re told to expect it’s arrival as soon as the this coming March, so stay tuned.
What makes an an Aston Martin? Well, it has to be made by Aston Martin, to start with. But just what does that brand stand for? Performance, on the one hand, and luxury on the other, because Aston Martin doesn’t exactly build extreme supercars, it crafts luxury GTs with prodigious levels of performance capabilities on tap.
And then there’s the Cygnet. Mechanically the same as the Toyota iQ on which it’s based, the Cygnet packs less than 100 horsepower – the next model up in the Aston Martin catalog has more than four times that. But Aston is keen to demonstrate that the Cygnet still offers the same levels of exclusivity, elegance, luxury and fine craftsmanship as its bigger brothers.
Whether it succeeds in convincing is up to you, so check out the pair of to see for yourself.
The Detroit Free Press reports that, of the 267 automotive plants that have closed in the U.S. since 1979, 128 have reopened with a new purpose. Astonishingly enough, 40 percent of those reopened sites were purchased between 2008 and 2010 as General Motors and underwent restructuring, thanks in part to lower land prices and a larger volume of available properties.
Of those that remain closed, however, 65 percent can be found in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. They don’t call it the rust belt for nothing. Even with so many sites finding new owners in recent years, things aren’t necessarily looking better for those that remain closed.
According to the report, of the 128 plants that have closed in North America since 1980, three of every five are currently lying idle. Perhaps even more concerning is that only three of the 45 that have reopened under new businesses have been able offer their communities the same number of jobs as the buildings supplied under the automakers. Head over to for the full report.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is still eight months away, but that hasn’t stopped from producing another video to get us excited about it. Or rather, Porsche is working to get us excited , when it will return to the 16.75-kilometer circuit with a new LMP1 car.
Porsche hasn’t won Le Mans’ top category since 1998, when the 911 GT1 was the overall winner. With and entered in the LMP1 club, and considering, and the years-long battle between and Peugeot still going strong, even if it is 2.5 years before Porsche’s return, the wait is looking very, very worthwhile. For now, you’ll find the new video .
Spell it with two Es and the name is intrinsically linked to . Drop that second E for an A, though, and you’re looking at another 60s icon altogether. While the VW might not hold much sway for music buffs, the Beatles and its individual members hold plenty of interest for car fans.
If it’s not going up for auction, it’s a special . This time around, though, it’s Harrison’s that’s garnered our attention.
This 1964 DB5 belonged to Harrison back in the 60s and was just sold at auction for well above its estimated value. After a fierce bidding war under the auspices of Coys in London, the classic Aston went to an unnamed collector from Houston, Texas for £350,000 (equivalent to $547k at today’s exchange rates) – a good £150k ($235k) more than expected.
At those prices, the new owner may be whistling “baby you can drive my car”, but is more likely to hide his love away in a climate-controlled garage somewhere. Follow the jump for the full press release.
No brand escapes the keen tuning eye of Bulgarian tuner Vilner, from the that first brought them to our attention, to the and that’s kept them there. This time it’s a take on the that takes Cinderella for its inspiration.
This might not be the Cinderella you’re familiar with, however. Apparently in the Bulgarian version the fictional princess has a serious craving for leather, and leather, and, um, leather, along with a little chrome and Alacantara, followed by a generous helping of leather.
In the words of Vilner, it’s “a beautiful fairy tale.” You can decide for yourself with a read of that fairy tale , and high-res look at it in the gallery of images above.
The French have made some nice coupes over the years. The Pininfarina-designed Peugeot 406 may stand out as one fine example, but the Renault Laguna Coupé is no less a looker. Unfortunately the market hasn’t agreed – or has, just not to the extent to make it a sales success – leaving Renault struggling to keep the model relevant.
Sources the next-generation model will represent a substantial re-thinking of the coupe’s approach, but in the meantime the French automaker has released a series of updates to the 2012 model to spruce it up.
The subtly updated 2012 Laguna Coupé has been treated to new LED running lights and 17- or 18-inch alloys (depending on specified trim level) and an interior with visible top-stitching on the dashboard. Buyers can choose from the Black Edition, Monaco GP edition, GP 4Control and Initiale trims, and between three gasoline and two diesel engines ranging from 150 to 240 horsepower.
Features like four-wheel steering and regenerative braking round out the package, but whether the latest updates – and the rather -like rear end – will prove enough to lure European buyers into showrooms remains to be seen. Details in the press release with high-res images in the gallery.
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 .
