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Canada’s SR Auto Group likes to take a car, any car, and make it wilder. The Audi S4 they did looks intriguingly evil. The wheels they’ve created for the Lamborghini Reventon are amazing.

Their latest canvas is the Scion iQ, which became Project Pryzm. “The objective behind Project Pryzm was to create a car that would leave you speechless,” says SR Auto. Let’s just say they’re getting really close, but we still have a few things to say about it.

These guys apparently took inspiration from the Mitsubishi Evo and one of the pigs from Angry Birds, and we think they’ve come up with mixed results. We like the idea of a more aggressive iQ, we’re just not sure we’re fans of one with this much going on. Passengers are treated to an upgraded interior with leather seats and diamond-stitched suede inserts on the seat centers and door panels.

Check out our gallery for more images, then let us know what you think of this pint-sized mouth-breather.

SR Auto’s Scion iQ looks like it swallowed a Mitsubishi Evo… and an Angry Birds pig

Fisker Automotive may drop plans to use a Delaware factory to build its upcoming Atlantic sedan and is looking at “other options,” Automotive News reports, citing an interview with company CEO Tom LaSorda. The company, in an online meeting with owners of the Fisker Karma extended-range plug-in sedan, spelled out some of the issues that have been plaguing the car.

Fisker will hold off on deciding on the Atlantic’s production site until the end of summer, which will delay the model’s debut. LaSorda maintains that Fisker will be able to produce the Atlantic with or without Department of Energy funding, according to Automotive News. Fisker’s director of corporate communications, Russell Datz, tells AutoblogGreen that the company remains “committed to Delaware” but admits that if the rest of the company’s DOE loan money does not come through, the plan to build the Atlantic in Delaware could change.

Follow the jump to continue reading…

Continue reading Fisker may change plans on Delaware production, details Karma troubles

Fisker may change plans on Delaware production, details Karma troubles

There has been plenty of debate about whether bicyclists should be able to take up a lane typically reserved for motor vehicles. While that argument is far from settled, we can all agree that hit-and-run accidents between cars and bikes have got to stop.

At least one bus driver seems to agree with that statement, as evidenced by the action displayed in this video posted by the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania police department. The driver in question, a minor, faces multiple charges.

After seeing the bicyclist get hit, a quick-thinking bus driver can be seen blocking both traffic lanes, leaving the hit-and-run driver with nowhere to go. Well done. Hit the jump to watch the traffic camera footage.

Continue reading Watch a bus driver block escape of hit-and-run driver

Watch a bus driver block escape of hit-and-run driver

It’s always interesting to see what the guys who make and sell speed parts will build to show off their wares. Heck, that’s the appeal of the SEMA show in a nutshell. So we’re intrigued by this new 2013 Mustang project from Ford Racing, despite its unfortunate color, “Gotta Have It Green,” a hue that doesn’t exist in the natural world. (Outside of 1980’s album covers, that is.)

As reported on Mustangs Daily, the project starts with everyone’s favorite Ford V8, the Coyote five-liter, but adds a whole bunch of stuff from the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog, including a 2.3-liter, intercooled, twin-screw Whipple supercharger. The car has a six-speed manual, of course, and there’s an 8.8-inch axle out back. It’s been lowered an inch, thanks to new FRPP springs paired with matching shocks. Stopping power comes courtesy of a 14-inch, four-piston Brembo setup and Laguna Seca brake duct kit. This project ‘Stang is also equipped with a Mustang GT Side Exhaust System, 19-by-9-inch wheels with massive 255/40/ZR19 Pirelli PZero tires, and the Laguna Seca Adjustable Front Splitter.

While we don’t see any performance specs for the car, we know the supercharged V8 is good for 624 horsepower and 536 lb-ft of torque.

You can check out all the images of the Ford Racing Mustang project car in our gallery.

Ford Racing reveals its latest Mustang project

If you haven’t noticed, NBC’s The Office has really jumped the shark since Steve Carrell left the show at the end of last season. Or maybe the beginning of the end was Pam and Jim’s wedding during the sixth season. Regardless, the point is that the show is no longer very funny or edgy, nor does it ever make the audience uncomfortable in the way the brilliant original BBC version did. Rather, as the main characters in the American version of the show have become caricatures, The Office has grown predictable and formulaic.

And this is why Chevrolet can launch an ad campaign like its “Under The Blue Arch” series. Despite the brief, 30-second running times of the ads, the characters are instantly recognizable and the “plots” are easy to follow. Although the scenes set in a Chevy dealership play with the tropes created by the Emmy Award-winning series, they do so to little comic effect. Because comedy isn’t the point – these are ads, after all, full of ham-handed product information and designed to sell cars.

If anyone should understand that it’s Joel Ewanick, General Motors’ Chief Marketing Officer. Yet he told Automotive News at the New York Auto Show that GM has “talked about turning this into an actual show because we’ve got so much material.”

Well, that Chevy product line isn’t nearly the joke it once was, but if you say so…

Let’s just chalk this one up to Ewanick being a bit starstruck. “Under The Blue Arch” was created by Randall Einhorn, one of the directors of The Office, and it “stars” Wayne Wilderson, who appeared on the NBC show in 2006.

Click past the jump, where you can watch a few of the ads.

Continue reading GM’s Ewanick mulls turning Chevy ad campaign into sitcom

GM’s Ewanick mulls turning Chevy ad campaign into sitcom

Getting word of another special edition from the UK isn’t surprising, as we’ve grown almost numb from the carnival of Mazda, BMW and Citroën models that have been given a few extra gubbins for a few extra quid. But when the Union pairs a Toyota Aygo with Tabasco – as in, the legendary Louisiana hot sauce – consider our eyebrows raised. Except, that doesn’t exactly appear to be what this is – it’s the Toyota Aygo Tobasco. As in the alternate spelling for the pepper that makes up the hot sauce, not the condiment itself.

The Aygo+ Tobasco edition gets a choice of three colors: Orange Spice, Black or Dark Gray, and all come with orange side mirrors and door handles. Inside, orange is splashed all over, on the speedometer and tach, vents and door speakers. Orange upholstery is also on offer.

We don’t know how much you have to love the pepper to check this box, but it’s there if you’re feeling saucy. It joins a suite of other upgrades for the tiny Aygo+ such as new seat trims and a new stereo. Hit the jump for the press release with the details.

Continue reading Toyota offering spicy new Aygo Tobasco special edition

Toyota offering spicy new Aygo Tobasco special edition

Cancer sucks. And pediatric cancer sucks the worst. Without hesitation, we would trade all the exotic cars in the world for a cure.

But you know what doesn’t suck? The new Viper. So it’s pretty cool that Chrysler will auction off the first one to benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation For Pediatric Cancer. The organization, based in Chattanooga, TN, is an official charity of the American Le Mans Series, which is presumably why it was picked. At the Viper reveal at New York, Chrysler also announced it would resume racing in the series.

So the first 2013 SRT Viper will cross the stage at Barrett-Jackson Orange County, which goes down June 22-24. It’ll be interesting to see what it brings in, considering the first 2013 Chevrolet Corvette 427 convertible’s $600,000 hammer price earlier this year at Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.

And if you aren’t deep-pocketed enough to get in on the Viper hunt, helping out the Hatcher Foundation doesn’t require bidding – you can make a donation at the organization’s website.

Click past the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading First Viper to be auctioned off for pediatric cancer charity

First Viper to be auctioned off for pediatric cancer charity

How do you make the hot-selling Volkswagen new New Beetle even hotter? Chop the top!

Car and Driver says sun worshippers will have a convertible option when buying their Beetle next year. The news should be a surprise to no one, but engine choices could be.

VW says all the powertrain options in the coupe will be availble in the convertible. That means the 170-horse five-cylinder, the 200 hp turbo four and even the 140 horse 236 lb-ft TDI. Both transmissions will be on the menu as well: 6-speed DSG or a 6-speed manual.

Car and Driver speculates that VW will probably show off the convertible Bug at the L.A. Auto Show in November. When it goes on sale in the spring, it’ll be the only diesel convertible available in the U.S. The way VW’s diesels are selling, don’t expect the Bug version to sit around on lots very long.

VW Beetle Convertible coming in early 2013, diesel/manual model promised

The 2013 SRT Viper stole the New York Auto Show this week with its 640-horsepower 8.4-liter V10 and the promise of even better tire-melting performance. It’s the crown jewel in Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology brand headed by Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT, Senior Vice President of Chrysler Design and the man most credited with resurrecting this beast.

Discontinued in 2010, the Viper was always a brutal and unforgiving car. It was the baseball bat of supercars.

Autoblog got a chance to sit down with Gilles and ask him five questions. Always the gentleman, Gilles answered six.

Gilles and his team walked a narrow line refining the Viper to the point of Italian Boss Sergio Marchionne’s acceptance, but still remaining true to the car.

Before, the Viper was brutal, it’s transmission tunnel heated up so much, the sparse cockpit turned into a crock pot. It did not even offer stability control, now required by law, meaning one wrong move, one slip of the clutch and the Viper would be wrapped around a light pole faster than an airbag deployment.

Even getting out of the Viper, with its side-mounted exhaust pipes, could be a challenge, giving the car one last chance to leave its mark, literally, on your calf.

Autoblog got a chance to sit down with Gilles and ask him five questions. Always the gentleman, Gilles answered six.

AB: The new design is pure Viper, but it seems to have some influence from those Italian super cars. What’s the percentage of the Viper that’s American, percentage that’s Italian?

Gilles: Maybe five percent Italian. The seats, the seats are the same supplier as Ferrari. It’s all American. Done inside, done outside, it’s all all American.

Continue reading Five Questions with Ralph Gilles about the 2013 SRT Viper

Five Questions with Ralph Gilles about the 2013 SRT Viper

We love Mini’s sense of humor, and its April Fools’ Day pranks this year were among our favorites. While we really, really wanted the Cowley camper to be real, Mini actually went ahead and built the Amphibious “Yachtsman” – and then brought it to the New York Auto Show, just as promised to in its fake April 1 press release.

Considering that some car companies have been known to release real press releases that are disingenuous at best, we’re even more bemused by Mini’s antics.

Click past the jump to read the entire absurd press release, then go ahead and check out our gallery of high-res images of the Yachtsman.

Continue reading Mini Cooper Yachtsman Concept has us all fooled

Mini Cooper Yachtsman Concept has us all fooled

Chevrolet has over a hundred years of heritage from which it can call upon when the right marketing angle presents itself. Like, for instance, when it launches a brand-new Impala for the 2014 model year, as it has just done at the 2012 New York Auto Show. As such, the automaker has brought a mint 1966 Chevrolet Impala SS 427 Convertible to display alongside its new family sedan.

We’ll get this right out of the way: the 1966 ‘Vert has nothing in common with the 2014 sedan, other than its nameplate.

Regardless, it’s always fun to ogle over a classic muscle car, and this ‘66 Impala is, perhaps, the very best of its full-size breed. The 427-cubic-inch V8 was factory rated at 390 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque – plenty more than necessary to turn those 7.5-inch-wide bias-ply tires into plumes of smoke, and the four-speed manual and 3.55:1 gears mean it’s properly equipped for 1960s-style stoplight showdowns.

Check out this classic Impala SS in our high-res image gallery, and before we all get too sentimental for the old times, remember two points: First, as awesome as this machine undoubtedly is, it could never be sold today due to safety and emissions reasons. Second, most of the millions of Impalas sold over the years were much more pedestrian models than this stunning blue SS.

Caveats aside, we want this car rumbling away in our virtual garage. Badly.

1966 Chevrolet Impala SS 427 Convertible reminds us of days long gone

Anyone with an Xbox 360 and Forza Motorsport 4 will be able to get their hands on a virtual version of the all-new 2013 SRT Viper. As revealed at its New York Auto Show debut, the hotly anticipated American supercar is headed to the game as part of an exclusive Viper Pack.

Turn 10, the studio behind the game’s development, has revealed that the Viper Pack will be available this summer, and in addition to a drivable version of the Viper, will also include a Viper Autovista experience that lets players inspect the car very closely using their controllers or the hands-free Kinect system. Pricing for the pack has not yet been mentioned, and though not confirmed, we hope the GTS-R racing version of the Viper that debuted alongside the production car will also be digitized for the game and included in the pack.

Keep scrolling to watch the official 50-second teaser video of the 2013 SRT Viper in Forza Motorsport 4.

Continue reading Viper coming to Forza this summer, will include Autovista version [w/video]

Viper coming to Forza this summer, will include Autovista version [w/video]

We have to admit to being fairly smitten with the promise of the low-slung Acura NSX concept that debuted at the Detroit Auto Show back in January. But for this moment – and for the next several moments – “promise” is all it is, because Acura says we shouldn’t expect an NSX in showrooms until sometime around 2015. (Back in January, Acura advised that the production car is “expected to debut in the next three years.”) Until then, Honda’s premium outpost is going to do whatever it can to stoke the fires to keep interest high, including star-studded Super Bowl commercial appearances and this – a drophead spinoff that will be Tony Stark’s ride in this summer’s The Avengers blockbuster from Marvel.

We first saw this car thanks to some intrepid movie set shots by would-be paparazzi back in early October, but this is the first official acknowledgement and image of the car that we’ve seen. Early in March, we told you about alleged patent drawings of an NSX convertible that was very similar to the Detroit showcar, which some interpreted as Acura planning both a fixed-head coupe and a roadster for production. However, those drawings look an awful lot like the car shown here with the exception of small details like a unique wheel pattern and differing seatbacks, so while it’s possible that Acura is pondering a topless NSX, the renderings could have simply been to protect design rights to the movie car, especially considering that neither Stark’s ride nor the patent drawings appear to have headlamps.

We’ll have to wait and see what Acura decides regarding its Ohio-built all-wheel-drive hybrid supercar, but we suspect that even if it does greenlight a convertible version, we probably won’t see it until 2016. Which is… a really long time to keep believing in a promise.

Continue reading Acura previews Tony Stark’s NSX roadster from The Avengers

Acura previews Tony Stark’s NSX roadster from The Avengers

Last week we brought you Inside Line’s list of the 10 cars most likely to be owned by a women. The Volvo S40 came out on top among the ladies. But what’s most likely to be owned by a guy? Minivans? Fuel-efficient hatchbacks? Hybrids?

No.

At the top of Inside Line’s list is the very masculine, testosterone-oozing Ferrari 458 Italia. It should be no surprise that 95.3% of 458 owners are men. We sure would like to meet the other 4.7%.

Ahem. Anyway, in second place is the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, then the Audi R8, the Mercedes SLS AMG and then, at No. 5, the Ferrari California. So far, we’ve pretty much recited every male motorhead’s ultimate wish list. Seriously, what self-respecting man doesn’t put himself to sleep every night running through the gears of any of those cars?

At No. 6, is the perennial Porsche 911, then the Nissan GT-R at No. 7 with 87.9% male ownership. No. 8 is the obligatory GMC Sierra pickup closely followed by the Ford F-Series at No. 9. Rounding out the list at No. 10 is the consummate mid-life crisis Chevy Corvette with 86.9% male ownership.

So where does that leave the Ford F-650? Are there really that many women buying that monster?

These are the 10 new cars with the highest percentage of male ownership

After we saw spy shots of a long-wheelbase BMW 3 Series for China, we knew it one was coming. Now BMW has confirmed that the car will indeed bow at Auto China 2012, otherwise known as the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, which kicks off on April 23.

The LWB 3 Series has an 4.3-inch wheelbase stretch and will be offered with three powertrains. The smallest is the 184-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder that’s not available in North America. The 240-hp, 2.8-liter sold here in the 328i will also be available, as will the 300-hp, turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder. The LWB 3 Series models will carry the “Li” suffix like we’ve seen on the 7 Series, so the three models will be designated 320Li, 328Li and 335Li.

Click past the jump to see the press release, and be sure to check out our gallery.

Continue reading BMW confirms 3 Series long-wheelbase model for Beijing

BMW confirms 3 Series long-wheelbase model for Beijing

If you’ve attended major international auto show in the U.S. this season, you’ve likely seen this car: Edsel Ford’s 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster. We first saw it at the Monterey Concours d’Elegance last August, then again in January at the Detroit Auto Show. It is, frankly, a most beautiful specimen, and since we hadn’t yet taken the opportunity to capture it with our own lenses, New York seemed like the perfect place to hold an impromptu shoot.

The Speedster has a very long history going back to 1932 when Edsel Ford, then president of Ford Motor Company, returned from Europe and asked design director E.T. Gregorie to pen a sports car similar to the ones he saw running around Europe. It started out as a 1934 Ford, but was radically altered to make a low slung, two-seat sports car with technology that wouldn’t appear on production Fords for many years. It originally weighed 2,100 pounds and was powered by a 75-bhp Model 40 flathead V8 that was later replaced by a 100-bhp Mercury V8.

Edsel Ford enjoyed the car until his death in 1943, at which point the car began a journey of many ownerships, ultimately vanished and then resurfaced in 1999 when it was sold to a collector for $1.76 million. When the collector died, the Speedster was given to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House who oversaw a complete restoration of the car. It now travels the auto show circuit, on display in a place of honor within the Lincoln display.

Continue reading Edsel Ford’s 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster

Edsel Ford’s 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster

Despite having a media center that’s plagued with bad coffee and prone to the occasional journalist fight, the New York Auto Show is one of our favorite automotive expos. It’s not an all-out automotive blitzkrieg like Geneva, but the vast majority of New York debuts are actual, honest-to-goodness production cars rather than spiffy concepts that only show what could be possible. And if you’ve paid attention to our show coverage, some mighty big nameplates had some show-stopping debuts here in the Big Apple. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

We’ve walked the show floor, sipped some free coffee, shook hands with plenty of executives, and after two days of New York madness, we’ve come up with our picks for the five best reveals here at the show. Which of the 38 new cars took top honors? You’ll have to scroll down to find out.

Continue reading Editors’ Choice: Top Five New York Auto Show Debuts

Editors’ Choice: Top Five New York Auto Show Debuts

You may not have ever heard of a car called the Daihatsu Copen, but it’s ending production and we’re sad to report it. The Copen is (or was) made by the budget Toyota brand and stands as the only convertible kei car – those being the whimsical little cars that zip around Japan – still on the market.

A tiny two-seat roadster with a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Copen was a favorite among customers for being just downright fun. But apparently after ten years of production, there just aren’t enough of those customers left to justify its continued production.

As a result, Daihatsu is reportedly discontinuing the line, with no apparent plans to replace it. Before it does, however, a 10th anniversary edition is reportedly in the works, with production limited to just 500 units. But with only 2,000 Copens sold last year, that represents a full quarter of production.

Daihatsu Copen, Japan’s last kei convertible, ending production

J.D. Power has become a household name thanks to the organization’s yearly awards based on in-depth consumer surveys about all manner of goods and services. In the automotive industry, manufacturers constantly struggle to best each other for top honors, and that struggle has helped push the industry toward ever-better quality. But as Ward’s Auto points out, few people know the man behind the name.

James David Power III began licensing manufacturers to use his award in advertisements in 1986, two years after Subaru dropped the J.D. Power name in a Super Bowl ad.

In 2005, Power sold J.D. Power and Associates to publishing giant McGraw-Hill, but stayed on with the company until 2009. Even after his departure, Ward’s Auto says Power is proud of the empire he helped build. While outlets like Consumer Reports have gained a substantial following, the organization only polls its own subscribers, while J.D. Power takes its data from a larger cross section of consumers.

Using a separate operation to keep conflicts of interest at bay, companies must pay a fee to be able to use the J.D. Power name in their ads. Yet J.D. Power is not without controversy – auto companies pay substantial fees for access to its various quality metrics and counsel, leading critics to suggest there’s a conflict of interest in having a quality auditor paid by the very companies it monitors. In addition, critics note that the company’s much ballyhooed Initial Quality Study isn’t purely a study of manufacturing defects, but rather an arcane formula that mixes actual owner problems with design flaws (think: cupholders that can’t hold a Venti Frappucino from Starbucks). As most consumers are likely to equate the idea of quality with a product free of problems, the thought is that this is somewhat misleading methodology.

Either way, there’s no doubting J.D. Power’s impact on the auto biz – both the company and the man who bears its name. To learn more about him, check out the in-depth Ward’s Auto article at the link below.

Who, exactly, is J.D. Power?

The 2012 New York Auto Show has officially vomited on its shoes, stumbled out of the bar and taken a seat on the subway between a homeless person and RuPaul impersonator (actually, it might really be RuPaul). That’s right folks, the party’s over, and the Big Apple has told us that we don’t have to go home, but we can’t stay here.

Like a wasted hipster on his hands and knees scrounging loose change off the floor, we’ve gathered together all of the cars and concepts that debuted at this year’s show. Enjoy perusing our 2013 New York Auto Show playlist while we pop a Tums and concentrate on surviving the cab ride to LaGuardia.

Good night, New York! #dropsmicwalksoffstage

Continue reading We obsessively covered the 2012 New York Auto Show…

We obsessively covered the 2012 New York Auto Show…