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Three men have been arrested in connection with $30,000 worth of vandalism to Toyota vehicles at this year’s Chicago Auto Show. According to the Chicago Sun Times, Bryan Kjellman (bottom right), Richard Data (top right) and Edmund Grzeszkiewicz (left), aged 22, 20 and 27 respectively, were taken into custody by show security for using razor blades and screwdrivers to damage the interiors of seven of vehicles. When questioned by authorities, the trio said that they were angry at Toyota the company’s role in taking U.S. jobs overseas.

They must have missed the memo about Toyota operating nine manufacturing facilities in the States with over 28,000 employees. All told, of the seven vehicles that Kjellman, Data and Grzeszkiewicz damaged, three were built right here in the Land of the Free. The casualties included a Camry, a Rav4, a Land Cruiser, a Prius and two Tundra models in addition to a Lexus ES350.

The damage ranged from slashed seat cushions and dashboards to broken doorhandles and turning indicator stalks. The trio even set about scratching the windshields of certain vehicles. At the last report, the vandals were set to appear in bond court on February 18, and each have been charged with one felony count each of criminal damage to property. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Sources: Chicago Sun Times, Chicago Tribune, Jalopnik]

Three men caught vandalizing seven Toyota cars at Chicago Auto Show

Are you a mega-wealthy car enthusiast that’s always eager to be first in line when it comes to supercars? Here’s a tip for you: Buy a plane ticket (or fuel up the jet) and head on down to Florida for the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance.

Now in its fifth year, this upper-crust car show has been gaining momentum in the concours community, in part by scoring a lot of “firsts” for the auction portion of its event. Auctiongoers in past years have had a shot to buy the first U.S. examples of the Audi R8 5.2 FSI V10 and Spyder R8, Ferrari California and 458 Italia and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

On the docket for this year’s festivities? How does the 2012 Ferrari FF, 2012 Audi R8 GT and 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster. According to The DuPont Registry, each car will be the first of its kind sold in the United States. If you need to pick up something for your kids or the wife, Mercedes has also supplied a 2012 CLS63 Limited Edition, of which only 30 are to be made – and, of course, this is also the very first one sold.

[Source: DuPont Registry]

Boca Raton Concours scores ‘first’ sales: Ferrari FF, Benz SLS Roadster, Audi R8 GT, etc.

It was 10 years ago today that racing legend Dale Earnhardt Senior died while competing at the Daytona 500. It’s no secret that not every motorsports afficianado is a fan of the NASCAR scene, but there’s no denying the outright skill and presence that racers bring to the game both on and off the track. Nowhere was that more evident than with Earnhardt, who sprang from a long-line of circle track racers. Even if series fans rooted for a different driver, they respected Earnhardt for his down-to-earth nature and old-school approach to racing. When Earnhardt was behind the wheel, it was clear he wasn’t there to make friends or play nice. He was there to win.

While Earnhardt’s death was a tragedy on many levels, we can’t help but feel that NASCAR lost more than an icon when he passed. Today’s field is populated by overly polished, nameless media machines that lack the heart and human emotion that the old-timers brought to the table. Maybe that’s why we just can’t bring ourselves to flop down in front of the TV for 500 laps anymore.

For an excellent (and tear-jerking) retrospective on The Intimidator’s fatal accident, check out Dale Earnhardt’s Last Ride from ESPN.

[Sources: Yahoo Sports, Kansas City Star, USA Today Image: Bruce Ackerman/AP]

NASCAR marks 10-year annivesary of Dale Earnhardt’s death at Daytona 500

You can’t keep a good man down. That certainly applies to Erik Buell, who, by all accounts, was delivered a giant shiny bowl of lemons from his previous employer, Harley-Davidson, and is somehow elbow-deep in a gushing flow of sweet-tasting lemonade. To wit, have a look at the new Erik Buell Racing 1190RS, a roadgoing version of Erik’s 1190RR superbike racer.

As is typical with recent bikes bearing the Buell name, fuel is held in the frame, which is manufactured by the same company that welded up the units from the previous Buell motorcycle company, and the engine is a V-Twin design displacing 1190cc. That powerplant is a heavily massaged version of the Rotax-built unit used in the old 1125 models. Horsepower figures are not yet available, but the race bike makes about 185 horses at the rear wheel. Expect a slight drop from that figure.

Lots of premium components are hung from the 380-pound (wet) 1190RS. Expect to see Öhlins suspension front and rear, an Aim Sports digital dashboard, magnesium wheels and a full carbon fiber fairing. Surely, components for a hand-built bike like this cost a pretty penny, and though Erik isn’t talking pricing just yet, don’t expect the 1190RS to come cheap. Think Ducati 1198R (about $40,000 or so) territory. A slightly less expensive version using fiberglass and plastic in place of carbon fiber may also be in the offing.

Suffice it to say, we’re excited that Erik is once again living his dream of producing high-end American sportbikes. Have a look at the images in our high-res image gallery below, and stay tuned for more information as it becomes available.

[Source: Road Racing World, Cycle World Images: Steve Anderson/Erik Buell Racing]

Erik Buell Racing 1190RS: America strikes back

It’s easy to dismiss the muscle-car phenomenon as a fluke of American excess. With our miles of open freeway and sinfully cheap gasoline, the inexpensive, high-horsepower V8 machine was a creation that could have only come from our neck of the woods. But that doesn’t meant the rest of the world doesn’t appreciate of our contribution to automotive history. Just look at the thriving Ford Mustang community in Poland.

That’s right, Poland.

A devoted group of pony car lovers recently got together for a little meet up and happened to cook up one of the best fan videos we’ve ever laid eyes on. There are plenty of special-edition Mustangs in the mix, including at least one Bullitt, a Shelby GT500 and even a P-51 Edition. But these horses aren’t all standing around in a parking lot somewhere. Oh, no. Instead, the owners set to sending their rear tires spinning in the best way possible, and there’s plenty of high-definition tire smoke to go around. Hit the jump to check the flick for yourself. Hat tips to Brent and Mateusz!

[Source: MotoFilm]

Continue reading Video: Ford Mustang owners gather in Poland, create amazing mini movie

Video: Ford Mustang owners gather in Poland, create amazing mini movie

On January 21, Toyota played Show-n-Tell with the first Lexus LFAs to arrive in the U.S., inviting a representative from Club Lexus to witness the stylized drama of uncrating the $400,000 supercar. While we can’t be certain, perhaps it was the King-Lear-esque howls and gnashing of teeth from the non-invited (our own form of stylized drama) that convinced Toyota to do it again. So we headed to the Fujitrans warehouse in Carson, California to watch the LFA star in its own kabuki performance. Minus the make-up.

Continue reading…

Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

Continue reading How Lexus ships the LFA - no peanuts required [w/video]

How Lexus ships the LFA - no peanuts required [w/video]

Lotus, the automaker that defines what it means to “add lightness,” has created an even more stripped-out version of its already flyweight Elise. Called the Club Racer, this lighter two-seater will make its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show next month.

The Elise Club Racer is a full 52 pounds lighter than the standard car, and Lotus achieved this by removing the noise insulation and using a motorsport-derived lightweight battery. This might not seem like an enormous weight savings, but when you consider that the base Elise already weighs in under the 2,000-pound mark, even a small weight reduction is noticeable.

To make the Club Racer even more special, Lotus has fitted a sport setting for the car’s Dymanic Performance Management (DPM) system. This advanced driving aid allows less-experienced drivers to feel at the top of their game, and can be completely shut off for the more experienced enthusiasts.

Look for the Elise Club Racer to go on sale in the near future, priced from £27,500 ($44,590 based on current exchange rates). Currently, it’s unclear whether or not the Club Racer will be available in the United States, but we should have more details after the car’s official debut in Geneva in just a few weeks. For now, follow the jump to read the official press release.

Continue reading Lotus Elise Club Racer is stripped-out, Geneva-bound hotness

Lotus Elise Club Racer is stripped-out, Geneva-bound hotness

Toyota has announced that the company will be showing off a new concept at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. The Japanese stalwart has big plans for the B-segment in the near future, and those include bringing a full hybrid system to some of the smallest cars on the road, and we’ll all get a glimpse into how the automaker plans to do that with the Yaris HSD Concept. Details are remarkably murky at the moment, and while we’d love to be able to tell you all about the vehicle’s drivetrain and fuel economy, it looks like we’ll just have to wait until the vehicle gets its official unveil next month.

The Japanese automaker is hoping to bring hybrid efficiency to the most popular segment in Europe, though the Yaris HSD will have to show off some pretty incredible fuel economy numbers and performance to match in order to best the small-displacement diesel mainstays of the market across The Pond.

Toyota will also show off the seven-seat Prius+ at the show. Hit the jump for the full press blast.

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Toyota Yaris HSD concept to bow in Geneva

Toyota Yaris HSD concept to bow in Geneva

We sure hope you BMW fans out there like your four-cylinders with forced induction. According Autocar the German automaker has committed to strapping a turbocharger to all of its four-cylinder engines in the near future. The report cites “company sources” as saying that the company plans on using turbo four-pots for applications requiring up to 241 horsepower. Above that magic number, the tried and true inline-six will step in to take over.

Furthermore, each of the company’s four-cylinders will all be based on the 2.0-liter aluminum block with different turbochargers and engine management to help crank out different levels of punch. Autocar says the block will use a sprayed-iron liner that’s just .3 mm thick instead of the conventional 1.5 mm cast-iron cylinder sleeves for added durability and reduced weight.

Chances are we’ll see the first iteration of that lump crop up in the upcoming X1, which Autocar says is set to debut sometime later this week. It will pack the most potent variation of the four-cylinder, though BMW has rated the mill at around 245 horsepower thanks to a twin-scroll turbocharger, variable valve timing and a high-pressure fuel injection system. What’s a few ponies among friends?

[Source: AutoCar]

Report: All BMW four-cylinders will be turbocharged

Right now, the U.S. dollar and the Australian Didjaerawollabuck dollar are about as evenly rated as possible. If that’s the case, why are Australians paying double or even triple what we pay to purchase an automobile?

Neil Dowling of Cars Guide looked into this huge discrepancy and found several reasons for the disparity. The United States typically purchases 30 million vehicles per year, while Australia buys around one million. Like any product, there’s a discount for buying in bulk. Additionally, Australia mandates its own set of emissions and the cost of adhering to those rules is passed on to the consumer. Beyond emissions and volume, Australians are also paying for the cost to bring vehicles down to their distant southern location. All these factors increase the price of a vehicle in Australia, but one of the biggest reasons for the increased cost is taxes.

A Porsche Carrera S would run a U.S. buyer around $88,000, before the inevitable dive into the bottom-less pit that is the Porsche options list. In Australia, that same car costs a staggering $282,800. The Australian-market Porsche is saddled with a luxury-car tax, import tax and a goods and services tax. Those taxes can also turn a $66,230 U.S.-priced Lexus LS into a $191,200 Australian-priced wallet buster.

On the flip side, Australians are getting vehicles that are highly specced. Mercedes-Benz Australia states that the local S-Class is one of the finest you can buy anywhere in the world. The level of standard equipment on Australian vehicles is greater than what we experience on NA-specced vehicles. In addition, the average wage in Australia is nearly $10,000 higher per person, per year. That may not make it easier to swallow paying nearly $300,000 for a Porsche Carrera S but it shows the Aussies are, on average, earning a better wage than us Yanks.

[Source: CarsGuides.com.au]

Why cars can cost 3x as much in Australia despite currency parity with the U.S.

Say hello again to Pat Symonds. The former Renault F1 technical director was thrown out of the sport in disgrace along with Flavio Briatore in the wake of the Crashgate scandal for having ordered Nelsinho Piquet to crash his car on purpose. But now Symonds is back.

In a controversial move, the FIA’s agreement with Symonds stipulated that he could not participate in the sport until the end of 2012. But the ruling stipulated that he could, through his company Neutrino Dynamics, take up a consulting role before then. And according to reports, that’s exactly what he’s done.

So for this season at least, Symonds will be advising the Marussia Virgin Racing team on how to cheat advance their way up the grid. He won’t be actually at the races, but if Virgin tries anything suspicious, we’ll know exactly where to look.

[Source: ESPN]

Report: Pat “Crashgate” Symonds finds his way back into F1 with Virgin

The Yen is soaring, and that means it’s costing Japanese manufacturers a lot of money to sell goods here in the United States. Some are moving areas of production to other countries, yet Toyota has decided to open its first new Japanese manufacturing facility in nearly 20 years.

Toyota’s newest facility is called the Miyagi factory and it sits 160 miles north of Tokyo. Currently, production there is limited to work on the Yaris, but Toyota plans to add two more compact vehicles by April.

This new facility is designed to cut energy demand and speed up production efforts. Cars are positioned parallel to each other on the line rather than nose to tail. This allows work to be done on both the front and rear of the vehicles simultaneously. Time on the assebmly line has been cut 35 percent because of this move.

Changes to production and facilities, like the ones employed in the new Miyagi factory, will help Toyota reduce its capital spending by as much as 40 percent. A huge savings for a Japanese manufacturer that’s patiently waiting for the U.S. Dollar to play catch up with the Yen.

[Source: Reuters]

Toyota opens first new plant in Japan in almost 20 years

Motor Trend is on a quest to determine the best budget supercar. Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan stepped up to the challenge with the 2011 Shelby GT500, 2011 Corvette Z06 and 2012 GT-R. Total cost of the vehicles used in this 1,585-horsepower shootout? $244,290… or $37,040 less than the 570-horsepower $281,330 Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera we tested in 2010. Perspective, folks.

This comparision is not about high-dollar exotics, however, because M/T is looking for the best sub-$100,000 performer. The 2012 Nissan GT-R develops 530 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6. The American muscle machines perfer V8 power with the supercharged 5.4-liter GT500 producing 550 horses and the 7.0-liter Z06 pumping out 505.

The Shelby GT500 certainly represents the best bang-for-your-buck due to its $55,330 as-tested price tag. Yet both the Z06 ($98,010 as-tested) and GT-R ($90,950) offer equally appealing performance at a relative bargain.

Motor Trend took all three super coupes to the drag strip and the Streets of Willow road course. The winning car is not much of a surprise (hint: it’s not American) but the resulting videos are still fun to watch. Click past the jump for clips of the drag race and the road course testing, then head over to Motor Trend to read about the test.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Continue reading Video: MT five-figure supercar comparo pits Corvette Z06 vs. Shelby GT500 vs. GT-R

Video: MT five-figure supercar comparo pits Corvette Z06 vs. Shelby GT500 vs. GT-R

What price a reputation? That’s what Toyota will be learning in the months and years ahead as it struggles to recover from the safety scandal that has enveloped the company since it announced the first recall for unintended acceleration in October 2009.

Going into the recession, certainly no company seemed better suited to weather the perfect storm than the Japanese giant, which had positioned itself as the leader in quality, reliability and dependability, or QRD in industry speak, as well as the benchmark for green mobility. Having ousted General Motors as the global king-of-the-hill, the Asian automaker seemed unstoppable.

Yet nearly seven years ago, I wrote a column suggesting Toyota might become the next GM if it weren’t careful, and even as the company’s sales continued growing, there were subtle signs of trouble in the offing – most notably in its slippage on the quality charts.

But few would have anticipated the sudden acceleration crisis, or the series of additional recalls that followed, month after month. In 2010, there wasn’t a single Toyota model that didn’t land on the recall list at least once – some repeatedly.

Continue reading…

Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of TheDetroitBureau.com, and a 30-year veteran of the automotive beat. His editorials bring his unique perspective and deep understanding of the auto world to Autoblog readers on a regular basis.

Continue reading Opinion: Turning the tide at Toyota?

Opinion: Turning the tide at Toyota?

Motor Trend may prefer the Chevrolet Volt, but the well-heeled readers of the Robb Report have a considerably different set of priorities when it comes to picking the best of the best. That’s why the luxury magazine has decided to name the Ferrari 458 Italia as its Car of the Year.

The 458 scores high marks for its exterior design, interior materials and overall performance, and the Prancing Horse beat out thirteen other vehicles for the award. Says the magazine:

The stunning Italian sports car topped (in order of finish) the Audi R8 V10 Spyder, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG, Bentley Mulsanne, Maserati GranTurismo Convertible, Audi A8L, Aston Martin Rapide, BMW Alpina B7, Rolls-Royce Ghost, Jaguar XJ Supersport, Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, and Lotus Evora.

Click past the break for the complete press release.

[Source: Robb Report]

Continue reading Ferrari 458 Italia named 2011 Robb Report Car of the Year

Ferrari 458 Italia named 2011 Robb Report Car of the Year

Our elite squad of spy photographers has managed to nab a handful of photos of the upcoming BMW 1 Series. Given that a refreshed model has just debuted for 2012, it’s understandable that details on the next-gen model are still squirmy at the moment. In any case, this new batch of shots show off a bit more of what we can expect to see on the production version when it lands in showrooms. If this mule is any indication we can expect the 1 to come bearing the company’s first turn signals integrated into the sideview mirrors, and it appears that the squared angel-eye headlights of manufacturer’s recent concept cars have finally made their way off of the show circuit and onto the street.

Inside, BMW has finally seen fit to add a little color to the cabin with a few splashes of red stitching as well as a dash accent. It looks like the 1 will also come bearing a pop-up navigation screen when it arrives in dealerships.

As of right now, there’s little word as to what will show up under the hood of this wee beastie when it comes Stateside, but we hear that this particular machine was powered by a 2.0-liter diesel engine and an eight-speed automatic. The car was also spotted testing alongside two xDrive products vehicles and an Audi A4, so there’s a good chance that we’ll see all-wheel drive crop up on the next 1, too.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: 2012 BMW 1 Series

We can officially quit our whining over our latest parking ticket. Across The Pond, London authorities have begun putting local drivers’ feet to the fire and are raking in record fines as a result. One street even managed to pull down nearly £1 million ($1.6 million at current conversion rates) last year. That’s especially shocking considering that the now infamous Clapham Park Road in the borough of Lambeth is less than half a mile long. According to reports, authorities issued an astonishing 16,800 tickets on that street alone, or about 46 citations per day.

The total amount collected from fines on that particular street tallied over £300,000 ($480,000) higher than the road with the next highest level of parking fine revenue.

Some locals believe that the government is using parking fines to make up gaps in their budget as an illegal revenue generator. Multiple complaints to that tune have already been levied from Barnet to Westminster.

[Source: PistonHeads Image: Oli Scariff/Getty Images]

Parking fines on single London street reportedly reach over $1.5M

According to Consumer Reports, Chrysler has addressed a handling issue with the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee that the publication discovered during independent testing. During a double-lane-change emergency maneuver, CR testers noted a considerable amount of skidding and hopping at the very limit of traction. Chrysler engineers then went to the magazine’s test track to review the findings before returning to Auburn Hills to come up with a solution. In December, the automaker released a software update for the vehicle’s stability control, and all Grand Cherokee models manufactured since then have come from the factory with the fix.

Consumer Reports was recently able to put the updated 2011 Grand Cherokee through its paces at the track once again and found that the issue had been corrected. The big SUV managed to maintain an average speed of 50 mph through the course and behaved itself at and beyond the limits of the vehicle’s traction. The fix has helped to improve the vehicle’s Consumer Reports rating for the Grand Cherokee from a 66 to a 71.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Zach Bowman / AOL

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Chrysler fixes Grand Cherokee handling issue identified by Consumer Reports

That’s right, this is the 2012 Honda Civic in all its glory. Though it might be difficult to tell with just a casual glance, this Civic is brand-new, sharing practically nothing but its moniker with the previous generation. As much as we may have liked some additional visual flair, it seems Honda is being conservative and aiming right for the heart of the market with five separate and distinct flavors of its compact offering.

We’ll start with the all-new HF model, which, as you may have guessed, is the most fuel efficient of the non-hybridized Civics that will be available in the United States. Honda expects the HF, with its 1.8-liter i-VTEC engine, to earn EPA-estimated fuel economy of 41 miles per gallon on the highway. The HF will share its aerodynamics package with the returing Civic Hybrid, which manages a combined rating of 45 mpg (a four-mpg improvement over the outgoing Civic Hybrid) thanks to its lithium-ion battery – a Honda-first – and 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine and CVT transmission. There’s also a natural gas-powered Civic GX.

While those two models aim for the ultimate in fuel efficiency, we imagine that the standard Sedan and Coupe models will make up the bulk of sales. Buyers will find a 1.8-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine underhood with 140 horsepower that scores an EPA-estimated 39 mpg on the highway (a three-mpg improvement over the last Civic). The Civic soldiers on with a five-speed automatic at a time when most of its competitors are packing six ratios.

And then, of course, there’s the sporty Si model. As the Civic that’s meant to steal the hearts of performance lovers, it’s nice to see a new 2.4-liter powerplant with 200 horsepower mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. Perhaps more importantly, the larger mill pumps out 170 pound-feet of torque, a 22-percent increase over the outgoing twist-starved Si. All that and an additional two mpg on the highway (31 mpg estimated) ought to make for a reasonably fun everyday commuter.

And now to the styling. We’ll start off on a positive note: the 2012 Honda Civic is not ugly. Problem is, it’s also not hugely attractive. In fact, *yawn* it’s not really anything. Both inside and out, this latest Civic is barely distinguishable from the previous generation, and as competitors continue pushing their design envelope forward, well… we really expect more these days. Let’s hope the driving dynamics live up to our lofty expectations, and let’s also hope that Honda accidentally left the shipping blocks in the cars it used for photography – particularly the Si models – or the new model looks a bit high-riding.

In any case, you don’t have to take our word for it. See the 2012 Civic for yourself in our high-res image gallery below and feel free to peruse the full press release after the break.

[Source: Honda]

Continue reading 2012 Honda Civic launches in five flavors

2012 Honda Civic launches in five flavors

Honda has announced that the company is recalling around 700,000 vehicles globally for faulty lost motion springs in the valve train. The springs may fatigue and break over time, causing the engine to stall as a result. The recall covers certain 2009-2010 Fit, Freed and City models, and so far the company has received a total of 72 complaints of the issue in Japan and 29 complaints from elsewhere in the world.

No injuries or accidents have been reported as a result of the problem.

A total of 176,000 vehicles are being recalled in Japan, while another 156,000 are being brought in for inspection in China. A full 233,000 models are being recalled through the rest of Asia, and North America should see 122,000 cars head back to the dealership – over 97,000 of which are from the States. Hit the jump for Honda’s official press release. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

Photos copyright (C)2010 Damon Lavrinc /AOL

[Sources: Honda, BBC]

Continue reading Honda recalling 700,000 Fit models over engine fears – 97k in U.S.

Honda recalling 700,000 Fit models over engine fears – 97k in U.S.