2011 FordEdge Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery
That was quick. has issued a recall for a whopping 71 and models due to rear latches that are unable to be locked. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the locks weren’t programmed properly from the factory, and as such, the rear gate can’t be locked by any of the buttons inside of the vehicle or even the key fob.
NHTSA says that the problem violates the agency’s motor vehicle safety standard number 206 pertaining to locks and door retention components.
Ford will reprogram the locks free of charge, and the recall is set to get under way starting on November 1. Owners can contact Ford or the NHTSA to learn more about having their vehicles repaired.
0-60 Magazine Lexus GS450h at SEMA 2010 – Click above for high-res image gallery
is descending on Las Vegas with a host of custom-built show cars just for SEMA. A total of six models will be on hand for the aftermarket shindig, including an F Sport version of the all-new . The hybrid rolls on 18×8-inch wheels and sports a high-performance big-brake kit straight from the company’s go-fast catalog.
But the CT200h isn’t the only hybrid Lexus will be bringing to the party. In fact, all of the customized rides that the company plans to display rock a battery pack and an electric motor. VIP Auto Salon worked up an with custom wheel, exhaust and interior work as well as a trick , and 0-60 Magazine spun a few wrenches on a GS450h. That particular sedan rocks one of the wildest carbon-fiber body kits we’ve ever laid eyes on, as you can see above.
Meanwhile, Lexus set Fox Marketing loose on another LS600h L, resulting in a slightly more subdued vehicle with custom paint and a unique bumper. Finally, Paul Tolson of EST will be bringing along an with a full wide-body treatment. for the full press release and check out all the vehicles in high-res glory below.
RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery
After t, we didn’t think could find another way to toy with our emotions. We were wrong. Rob Kauffman, the owner of RK Collection and co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing, has teamed up with Toyota Racing development to produce a street-legal, NASCAR-inspired high-performance .
Those words don’t seem like they should go together, but the parts list for the RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition reads like the shopping list for a potential dream car. The most important piece of that list sits under the hood: a 358 cubic inch TRD NASCAR V8 engine producing 680 horsepower, which is paired with a Tremec T56 six-speed manual transmission.
It’s as if Rob Kauffman was reading our dreams and then built the most exciting Camry on the planet. The RK Collection Toyota Camry NASCAR Edition will be waiting for our cameras (and our hearts) at the rapidly approaching SEMA Show in Las Vegas. for the press release.
2010 Suzuki SX4 by RoadRace Motorsports – Click above for high-res image gallery
has recalled almost 70,000 models, including a handful built in 2007 as well as those constructed between 2008 and 2010. The recall centers around faulty screws that are used to attach the vehicles’ side view mirrors. Over time, vibrations can cause the screws to loosen and the mirror may fall off. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, if that happens, a lack of visibility may lead to an accident.
While Suzuki has not yet come up with a repair schedule for the issue, the company says that replacement screws are being shipped to dealers right now, and that the problem will be taken care of free of charge. Owners can contact their local Suzuki dealer for more information. for the company’s statement on the recall.
Ken Okuyama K.O 7 Roadster – Click above for high-res image gallery
We and have been thinking about it ever since. We’ve wondered aloud what it would be like to drive designer Ken Okuyama’s beautiful K.O 7 Roadster, and now, thanks to Motor Trend, we have an idea. The buff book recently got to spend some time with .
The K.0 7 Roadster is powered by a 210-horsepower, 1.8-liter 2ZZ-GE engine, which has been bored out to a full 2.0 liters. In their testing, M/T recorded a 0-60 time of five seconds flat. More importantly, they also state that the butterfly-doored bantamweight is “heroic in the twisties” and is more fun to drive than a Elise R, a car with which the K.0 7 shares modified underpinnings.
The former Design Director for Pininfarina, Ken Okuyama is part of the team that brought us the Enzo as well as the and . The K.0 7 Roadster is Okuyama’s vision of melding the craftsmanship and precision found in fine watches with the heart and soul of a lightweight sportscar. Okuyama is only looking to build a few of these per year, but at a price of around $240,000, the K.0 7 was never going to be a mass-production piece. Low-volume also means flexibility, however, and Okuyama admits he is looking at even more powerful engines from Cosworth, or perhaps the powertrain from the dearly departed
What happens when a KTM X-Bow and an smash into each other on the drawing board? We get the Roding Roadster 23. This is no longer just a unique-looking, lightweight sports car that because the car has now been caught in action. Despite the hate-it-or-love-it styling, this Roding Roadster 23 looks like it’s an absolute blast to drive.
The Roadster 23 weighs just 2,030 pounds and is powered by a six-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. The run from 0-62 miles per hour happens in just under four seconds. Better yet, the car appears quick – not just in the straights, but around turns as well. The drivers in the video, which is waiting , toss the car around like a toy. It almost looks like the car prefers being sideways.
Unfortunately, the “23″ in the name refers to the number that will be built. So it’s highly likely that the one you see in the video is the only one you will ever see.
2010 Honda Insight – Click above for high-res image gallery
has not yet given up in the entry-level hybrid fight. There’s , for one thing, but the older hybrid isn’t being left in the dust, either. reports that some of the lessons from the Jazz are being applied to the Insight – most importantly that the “stop” time of the Insight’s stop-start cycle can now be up to 90 seconds long in Eco Mode.
Because of “obscure patenting reasons” that made the system assume a worst-case humidity situation, the previous limit was just 30 seconds. This change can save a lot of gas in city driving. There are no new mile-per-gallon numbers to tout just yet, and the change isn’t likely to affect America’s EPA figures (the government agency’s test cycle doesn’t recognize the benefits of start-stop), but it’s a nice, green upgrade nonetheless.
Honda has also apparently adjusted spring rates and made changes to the rear camber angles, the V-shaped rear suspension brace and adjusting mounts for a “better driving experience,” explains Autocar. Wonder ?
While has yet to unveil a wagon derivative of its /i40 family sedan, while the car has been undergoing testing around the globe. The load-lugging Korean is a lock for Europe and will doubtlessly surface in other markets, but to date, there has been no word as to whether the wagon will haul itself into U.S. showrooms.
While there’s still no official word from Hyundai, Autoblog has learned that American executives definitely want the car and are working to build a business case for it. Further, according to our source:
“We can’t comment on future product plans. But we certainly are aware of the upsurge in popularity of well-executed wagons, especially in markets like Europe where consumers demand the high degrees of versatility and fuel economy that wagons deliver. The Elantra Touring has been a terrific addition to our lineup and is a huge hit with its customers. A great wagon can bring in incremental customers who otherwise might not consider a given brand’s sedan.”
Despite and recently in favor of lifted, more crossover-like two-boxers, we still see a clear area of opportunity for a large, stylish and fuel-efficient wagon. As we’ve , hatchbacks and wagons sell in better numbers than many automakers would seem to give the bodystyles credit for, and we suspect that with the new Sonata’s , adding a second format would help them close the gap with their Japanese rivals. And while we’d love to see an affordable base model, the smart money suggests that Hyundai would have a better chance of profiting from a Sonata wagon if it were to launch with a single, higher-margin upscale model – a loaded 2.0-liter turbo, say.
What do you think – should Hyundai sell a Sonata wagon in the States? Vote in our poll below and then leave your thoughts in Comments.
Barring a last-minute hitch, it looks like and will soon be that have bound them for the last four decades. Though the U.S. maker has yet to issue a formal confirmation, it’s negotiating a deal that would have it sell off most or all of the remaining 11 percent stake it holds in its Japanese affiliate.
It appears that Mazda is as eager as Ford to go its own way.
No, it isn’t a bitter divorce. Ford and Mazda will likely still maintain some ties – in Thailand, for example, where their suburban Bangkok plant has just begun producing an all-new generation of compact pickup trucks, including the . But the two makers are already unwinding their manufacturing alliance in booming China.
And, perhaps most importantly, they’ll likely curb future product development programs that helped both companies squeak through the hard times of the not-too-distant past. One of the earliest examples of that alliance was the old Ford Escort, the U.S. maker’s first attempt to build a so-called “world car.”
More recent examples include the B-car platform that eventually went on to become both the and . Conventional wisdom is that these are virtually identical subcompacts – but as I was reminded during back-to-back drives this past week, there’s a surprising amount of difference between the American and Japanese production vehicles. Though they may have started out working together, the two companies soon branched off, yielding some surprisingly different results in terms of design and, more importantly, driving dynamics.
Continue reading…
Paul A. Eisenstein is Publisher of , 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.
We’ve seen more than our fair share of spy shots over the past couple of years showing test mules for the much-anticipated successor to the Pagani Zonda. What we’ve been lacking on, however, are details of the car’s specifications. Now Britain’s Autocar weekly claims to have the inside scoop on how the supercar codenamed C9 is shaping up, and it’s looking good.
First of all, the engine: AMG is once again developing the Pagani’s powerplant. But whereas the current Zonda’s V12 is naturally aspirated, the new unit – thought to be derived from the SL65’s – is tipped to carry twin turbochargers. That should help the C9 churn out some 700 horsepower and 730 lb-ft of twist – considerably more than the current model.
All that muscle is reported to be transmitted to the rear wheels via an X-trac seven-speed sequential transmission, all the while reducing carbon emissions by half. That’ll make the C9 – or whatever it’s called when it finally hits the market – Euro 5 compliant, but that’s not all. Autocar says Pagani is developing the car specifically to meet American federal regulations, meaning that the C9 will be sold Stateside whereas the current Zonda could not.
Construction is expected to take advantage of the carbon-titanium weave that Pagani developed for the ultra-exclusive , keeping weight down to around 2700 lbs. Production is supposedly to expand to 40 units per year, but Autocar expects that, despite similar pricing and a big improvement in performance, the current Zonda will continue to be built to order alongside the new model.
2007 World Champion Kimi “Räikönnen” – Click above for high-res image gallery
Someone at Ferrari World has some esplanin’ to do. A gaggle of readers with keener eyesight than us happened to notice something a little fishy about wall of World Champions in Abu Dhabi’s newest exotic-car-themed amusement park. If you look closely at the image above, you’ll notice that under 2007, the park has the winner displayed as “Kimi Räikönnen.” The only problem there is that Kimi’s name is actually spelled Räikkönen. That’s one very large mural to have replaced for a couple of swapped consonants.
Does anyone know how to say, “It’s my first day” in Arabic?
Ferrari World has already to the adoring public, so the mistake is there for the world to see for the time being. We’re guessing that the slip-up will be fixed sooner rather than later. Thanks for the tips, Seppo, Anne and Pasi from Finland!
The Automotive Recyclers Association is ready to go to war with and . Why? The ARA claims that the automakers warn against the use of recycled auto parts, saying that the use of these components will void vehicle warranties. The ARA filed an official letter of complaint with the Federal Trade Commission saying that the actions of the automakers fly in the face of the Magnuson-Moss Act of 1975, which was enacted to make warranties more straightforward.
Recycled auto parts have been in wide use for decades, and the ARA says that the use of these gently used components is a $22 billion industry. Further, those recycled parts are not of the aftermarket variety; they’re simply OEM parts that are re-applied after the donor vehicle goes out of service. The ARA goes on to say that the automakers have presented no clear evidence that shows why these components aren’t acceptable for use in repairs.
So if recycled parts originate from the OEM, are environmentally friendly, are cheaper for the customer and are fully warrantied by the recyclers, then why are Honda and Hyundai warning against their use? The ARA feels the reason is money. If Honda and Hyundai insist that their brand new parts are used, the companies bring in more revenue.
Of course the views of the ARA represent but one side of this story, so it will be interesting to see if the FTC will rule on this matter.
McLaren MP4-12C GTR renderings by Jon Sibal – Click above for high-res image gallery
Could you imagine McLaren making a supercar and not racing it? Of course not. Even though the Woking, England-based outfit might have envisioned the original McLaren F1 purely as a road car, history naturally had different plans for it – and with spectacular results. So we were hardly surprised back in March when began coming in that The House That Bruce Built was planning a competition version of the new MP4-12C.
As was the case with the F1 and indicated by those earlier reports, McLaren’s plans, according to AutoWeek, involves teaming up with independent racing garages to turn its road car into a racer. In this case, that firm is said to be , a British outfit that’s racked up a considerable number of victories in GT and open-wheel racing. But CRS will hardly be going it alone. Reports have McLaren’s own people working on the design to be implemented by the outfit.
Lest you think there will only be a handful of MP4-12C competition cars on select tracks, reports have CRS building a fleet of some fifteen GT3-spec versions and another batch of GT2 machines that could find their way to Le Mans by 2013.
Something tells us we’re going to be wading through news of various lawsuits against for a good while. According to various news sources, the Japanese automaker is now facing accusations that it clandestinely sought to buy back vehicles with unintended acceleration issues in order to hide the problem from the public. Part of the alleged buy-back deal involved having owners sign a confidentiality statement that forbade them from talking to anyone – including regulators. In addition, those who took part in the program could not sue Toyota later down the line.
The lawsuit also points to internal Toyota documents that may indicate that company technicians and engineers were actually able to replicate the problem. At the heart of the suit, plaintiffs are alleging that Toyota acted negligently by failing to act on complaints of unintended acceleration for years.
The lawsuit bundles together more than a dozen plaintiffs into one larger, easier to handle suit.
Toyota, meanwhile, says that those who sold back their vehicles were simply asked to sign a waiver of liability – consumers weren’t required to sign and the waiver didn’t say anything about confidentiality. Thanks for the tip, Rudy!
[Sources: , , Reuters via Image: Ramin Talaie/Getty]
Navigon no longer makes hardware for sale in the U.S., but if you still pine for the days of the 2090S you bought from Radio Shack then they might have some software for you. The German company has released an app for Android phones (to go with its already released app for the iPhone) with a few features aimed at enhancing your journey.
Reality View Pro is meant to provide better intersection visuals, Traffic Live and red light and speed camera warnings assist with getting there quickly and without extra premiums. Google search keeps you in touch with the local action, and text-to-speech can read street names so you actually find that action.
Speaking of Google, though, since the Android OS is a Google property, most of those phones will free. If you’re looking reasons to spend $39.99 on the Navigon option, Reality View might do it – an augmented reality function that provides information overlays when you point your phone’s camera at a point of interest. The Navigon app also comes with the whole U.S. road map preloaded, so no waiting for a connection if you get thrown off course. Oh, and that $39.99 price is only for two weeks – after that it goes up to $59.99.
Peugeot 308 GTI – Click above for high-res image gallery
Some automakers call their cars by name. Others give them alphanumeric designations. The trouble with the latter is that, if you follow a formula, sooner or later the sequence is going to either run out or repeat itself. That’s the issue that Peugeot is looking at with the next generation of its popular hatchback range.
The current model is called the 308, so it would follow logically that its successor be called the 309. After that the French automaker would have to either abandon the traditional _0_ naming scheme that identifies all its products (and the _00_ for minivans and crossovers) and dip into the _1_ range, but even before that comes up, Peugeot’s facing the issue that it already produced a model called the 309 between 1985 and 1993.
Rather than reuse the same nameplate, sources speculate that Peugeot could go for a name designation like it did with the RCZ coupe. The formula would likely follow across the range, leaving sister-company Citroën to stick with its alphanumeric C_ and DS_ naming scheme.
Aston Martin One-77 does the ‘Ring again – Click above to watch video
Today’s word from the audio dictionary is “Bellow,” one of whose verb forms is defined as “alouddeepsound,asofpainoranger.” We’re going to be on the side of angry today.
But you can’t really understand those words until you watch, and listen to, the latest video of an Aston Martin One-77 (the infamous , perhaps?) testing its chops and its pipes at the Nürburgring. Along the way it runs down other ‘Ring runners like an and a , but it’s likely all they registered was a blur and a bawl. Perhaps even a bellow, if you will. for the aural treat.
Here’s a match made in heaven. According to The Deadline, NBC is currently hard at work on a reality TV series focused on the inner workings of a NASCAR family. While we likely won’t be pointing our remotes toward the Peacock because of the news, the show does pack some pretty serious talent behind it. Joe Pokaski, of Heroes writer-producer fame, and Scott Stuber are behind the project. The show will supposedly revolve around a pair of racing brothers with very different styles that race for the same team. The show will also spend plenty of time on behind-the-scenes family drama, too.
Sounds riveting.
NBC is currently doing its best to secure rights for everything from tracks to sponsor logos and even the NASCAR name itself. The show wants to use in-race footage as well. Given the recent decline in attendance at stock car races these days as well as NBC’s lackluster fall lineup, the show could be a boon for both. There’s even some word that Stuber, a Universal producer, is trying to get the OK for a full-length feature directed by Gary Ross. So far there’s no word on when the show could hit the air.
Confession time: I spend an inordinate amount of time in the autos section of Craigslist. That site is like Krispy Kreme doughnuts dipped in crack cocaine for any connoisseur of bad ideas, and I, loyal readers, am the world’s foremost authority on poor decisions.
This is the 2011 Dodge Avenger. It has a new interior, better powertrain choices and more aggressive suspension, which were greatly needed, especially since it is perhaps the most frequently overlooked vehicle in the entry-level mid-size sedan segment. But Very minor adjustments have been made to the Avenger’s exterior.
I-TEC believes it can built around 100 cars per year for around $80,000 apiece.
