There is a point at which the amount of money poured into any aftermarket-tuned vehicle becomes entirely insane. Heck, that’s half of the appeal of tuner cars – that the best ones show such fanatical devotion to a specific model that you must respect the inspiration and effort even when the result is utterly unimaginable. Which brings us to this: A $156,000 .
Now granted, it’s not just any 1′er that German übertuner Tuningwerk is selling for more than a . There’s a in there somewhere, one that’s been fitted with 19-inch wheels and some of the widest tires we’ve ever seen on a compact : 245/35R19 up front and 285/30R19 in the rear. Available 15-inch carbon ceramic rotors from Mov’it provide stopping power for the 521-horsepower, 453 pound-foot of torque upgrade to the twin-turbo inline six. The car also carries a whole host of carbon fiber body parts, from hood to trunk to even optional carbon fiber doors.
The bottom line is that Tuningwerk says its 1 M RS will do 186 mph. to read the full press release and be sure to check out all the photos in our .
Iran just became a bit less interesting for automotive enthusiasts with the by that it will no longer do business there. The announcement was made Monday by and .
“Consumers here have the power to force these companies out of Iran and tighten the screws on Tehran’s regime,” De Blasio said in the statement. “Our message is clear: you can do business with the Iranian regime or you can do business with the American consumer – but you can’t do both.”
This follows news that will also stop selling or servicing its cars in Iran. But despite the ongoing international embargo against Iran, car shoppers there still have plenty manufacturers from which to choose. , , , , , , , , , and are all still selling and/or servicing their models there. Sadly, for Iranians, nothing on par with Porsche.
But then again, most Iranians aren’t exactly flush with cash. A from March says car sales in Iran were down 20 percent with prices up by about the same amount. For example, an imported sells for about $151,000 over there. Even in good times, that’s a tough monthly payment for the average Iranian. In that same report, a Tehran car dealer said he hasn’t replenished his stock of Porsche models for months because no one can afford them.
So either for political or economic reasons, we may soon see other carmakers pulling out of the Iranian car market. Check out the UANI press release .
The self-driving-vehicle fleet has grown by one. According to Wired, the tech giant has added a black to its autonomous stable. The hybrid SUV was spotted out on the road for testing wearing a new roof-mounted sensor array that’s significantly more streamlined than the gear found on the company’s autonomous models. Google says it is constantly testing its driving algorithms on a wide range of vehicles in order to refine the technology, and that the RX450h is merely the latest step in that process.
Google first began unleashing its driverless cars onto public streets in 2010 using a fleet comprised of six Prius hybrids and one . The company’s work has spurred the legislature to draft a bill requiring the California Highway Patrol to outline safety standards for autonomous vehicles. Wired reports the legislation passed the state’s Senate Transportation Committee with an 8-0 vote and is now headed to the Senate Rules Committee. Nevada has already .
There’s any number of cars that can be used for taxis. The Ford Crown Vic, , … pretty much anything with a useable back seat, a cargo area and a roof on which to put a dome light. But a ? Surely that has to be overkill, right?
Maybe for most taxis, but this is no ordinary cab. This is the Ring Taxi. Operated by and OK-Speed-Marketing at the Nürburgring, the Ring Taxi allows passengers to book a high-speed ride around the harrowing Nordschleife, chauffeured by a professional driver who knows the track’s every twist and bump like the back of his (or in the case of Sabine Schmitz, her) capable hands.
For a few years the service was run in the previous-generation M5, with its high-revving V10 engine, but when that model was phased out of production, so was it retired from Ring Taxi duty. The for a while, but now the M5 is back at it in its new iteration: all 560 twin-turbocharged horsepower of it.
Tickets for what will undoubtedly prove the ride of any enthusiast’s life go for 216 euros ($282 by today’s rates), with rides taking place once a week: on Mondays at 10 am. But BMW warns that if past experience (of which it has plenty) is any indication, hopefuls had better reserve well in advance as they tend to book up as fast as the new M5 will sling you around the Karousel.
Our colleagues at Consumer Reports, when not for all things have recently . First they crowned the 2012 the top small sedan, while elevating the brand to the top of the 2012 CR ratings. Now comes this surprisingly entertaining “first look” video featuring the 2013 .
CR loved hot-shoeing the BRZ around the track, of course. As we’ve seen, this car is . But more importantly, the magazine answered a few important questions about the car’s suitability for the low-budget racing crowd. Those that might be interested in campaigning a BRZ in local autocross events or track days will be happy to know that a helmeted, six-foot-tall driver can fit inside the car with proper head clearance. Equally as important, the BRZ’s stability control can be switched entirely off, enabling the kinds of power slides that are great fun but sure to place you last in your SCCA Solo II class behind all the , and E36 ’s.
Last we heard, was to building the recently revealed sedan at the former plant in Delaware. A few years ago, Fisker announced that site would be the company’s new domestic production home (the extended-range plug-inhybrid is made by in Finland). Still, Fisker did say that any definitive statement on the Atlantic’s production location would not come until the end of the summer.
So we were interested to read new reports from local media that show more signs that the Atlantic might not ever be built in Delaware. On Friday, Delaware Online reports, 12 more workers – including engineers and maintenance technicians – were laid off at the plant, leaving “only a small maintenance team” left there. One of those let go was Jeff Garland, who had been working on community affairs and business development efforts in Delaware. He said the plant is currently “absolutely empty.” This is because Fisker has taken out the old GM equipment but has not yet installed the machines it would need to build the Atlantic. As Garland told Delaware Online, “I think what happened was the budget numbers are so tight right now and they’re working so hard to preserve as much cash as they can that something had to give. We’re not making a car in Wilmington right now, so given that situation it was an obvious place to make a cut.”
Fisker spokesman Russell Datz said that the company has flexible plans and will hire people when “we ramp up the project again.” Production of the Atlantic is being delayed, at least in part, because of issues with Fisker’s Department of Energy loan. You can read more about that .
In related , some of the components that Fisker and will use in hybrid and all-electric cars are now being made by Magna E-Car Systems in Michigan. The inverters Magna makes are used in the Karma and this new production does not in any way predict a shift of Atlantic production to Michigan.
is not going to take attacks on the electric car lying down – the closest he’ll come to that is . After spending for their attacks on the , he is switching to a positive message about how plug-in cars can help with American national security. It is not surprising that Lutz, a former Marine, co-authors the article with two former U.S. Marines commandants and the CEO of FedEx (the three are all members of Securing America’s Future Energy’s (SAFE) Energy Security Leadership Council). The gist? Well, here’s part of the opening paragraph:
When … threats exist because the United States is the protector of the world’s global oil supply lines, it is a clear illustration of how our nation’s over-reliance on a single, globally priced fuel impacts our national and economic security.
America’s addiction to gasoline costs the government billions of dollars a year, an estimated $80 billion, in fact, to guard the sea lanes, including one little area by Iran:
From a national security perspective, the U.S. military is forced to protect the world’s vital oil infrastructure. The single greatest chokepoint is the Strait of Hormuz, through which 17 million barrels of oil per day passed in 2011 – 20 percent of global supplies. Protection of the sea lanes of commerce has become an American burden and will remain so, costing the United States Treasury an estimated $80 billion per year while taxing our military, which is already engaged on multiple fronts.
It’s arguments like this that have made the recent right-wing criticism of the Volt such a mystery. If we use less gasoline, we can spend fewer lives and less treasure importing the fuel (of course, we don’t lose many lives at the Canadian border, which is where most of our imported oil comes from). The Army says that .
Lutz and his co-authors are quite clear that high gas prices are hurting Americans’ pocketbooks, “essentially” wiping out tax cuts that Presidents Bush and Obama put into place. That’s why, they say, “government action is needed to mitigate the risks of oil dependence, because there is no free market for oil.” This intervention contains both expanded domestic production and – surprise – plugging in our light-duty transportation fleet as much as possible and feeding our big trucks lots of natural gas. To that end, they write:
Regarding electrification, the beauty of plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt and the is that they are powered by electricity, which can be generated from many sources: nuclear, coal, natural gas, and renewables. Best yet, these are all domestic energy sources, meaning OPEC won’t be able to corner the market. And the retail price of electricity is far less volatile that the price of oil.
We tend to think of as a luxury automaker – and indeed it is – but overseas it’s a full-line brand, known as much for its trucks and vans as it is for its upscale passenger cars. And this is the latest.
back in February, the new Citan has just been revealed in Amsterdam ahead of its September debut at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover, Germany. Smaller than the existing Sprinter, Vario, Viano and Vito vans, the Citan is geared for use inside Europe’s crowded cities.
The compact panel van will be available in three lengths, with a choice of three turbodiesels ranging from 75 to 110 horsepower. There’s also a 115-hp supercharged gasoline engine mated to a five- or six-speed automatic transmission with an available BlueEfficiency package that includes a stop/start system.
Although the Citan by design won’t be as luxurious as we’d expect a Mercedes to be (hint: it’s based on the Renault Kangoo and will be built at the French automaker’s Maubeuge assembly plant), it does feature a more ergonomic cabin design than most vehicles in this segment and comes packed with all the electronic gizmos we’ve come to anticipate from a vehicle with a silver star in the grille. But while the (like Mercedes’ own Sprinter) has made the journey across the Atlantic to American showrooms, we wouldn’t expect the same from the Citan any time soon.
for the full press release and scope out the high-resolution images in the gallery above for a closer look.
With over a billion people, the Indian market holds huge potential for any automaker. In fact, makes a dedicated range of vehicles on the subcontinent specifically for the local market under the Maruti banner, and this is their latest.
Dubbed Ertiga, it’s essentially a lengthened Swift hatchback “Life Utility Vehicle,” or what would conventionally be called an MPV (Multiple Passenger Vehicle).
Call it what you will, Maruti Suzuki has managed to fit three rows of seating into the stretched Swift for seven-passenger accommodation. Launching locally in India prior to export to neighboring markets like Indonesia in the aim to take market share away from the Avanza and Mahindra, the Ertiga takes advantage of huge economies of scale by sharing basic components with the Swift and the Dzire sedan which Maruti builds on the same platform.
Buyers in India will be able to choose between three trim levels, two engines (gas or diesel) and seven colors, but they’ll have to justify spending six or seven times the price of a Tata Nano to do so – but then again, that’s true of most cars. Take a closer look in our gallery above and for the official press release with more information.
Drivers of 2010-2011 models and several models with turbocharged engines need to get their vehicles to their dealers. The cars are being recalled for a potentially hazardous defect that could turn their high-end autos into smoldering hunks of less luxurious melted plastic and steel.
The says the circuit boards on the cars’ water pump could overheat and possibly catch fire.
The 2011 BMW models are the and . 2012 models are the , , and . All affected models have either the turbocharged V8 or V12. NHTSA says the number of BMWs affected is 2,846. About 60 Rolls Royce Ghosts will be .
The recall is nearly identical to last November that recalled 2010 Rolls Royce Ghosts. This campaign seems to address the same problem that plagued 2011 models.
What would a superhero movie be without the fancy cars? Well, it would still be a superhero movie, we suppose, but we prefer the kind that has some flashy wheels. Like the upcoming Marvel flick The Avengers.
As you may have heard, signed a multi-picture deal with Marvel to have its cars featured in a series of superhero movies, and indeed several already have. But for The Avengers, Acura had to work up something special enough to replace Tony Stark’s . Since the old NSX was long out of production when they began shooting and the new one wasn’t ready yet, the Japanese automaker and the film studio put together something of a hybrid.
Not a hybrid as we tend to use the term in automotive spheres, but an amalgamation of the old NSX and the new one. They took a 1991 NSX and gave it a new roadster body to mimic the concept car that’s been making the rounds of the auto show circuit.
Our compatriots over at Inside Line got a behind-the-scenes look at the roadster, along with the crossover and a with a similar treatment. to watch the video clips they put together, and the .
We’re not so sure how scientific its poll was, but an online dating service that calls itself the U.K.’s largest for married people says that men who cheat on their wives are twice as likely to drive a than any other brand of car.
According to NineMSN.com, Illicit Encounters points to the “intrinsic link between success and cheating” to explain the connection between Bimmers and adultery. Some 19 percent of the dating website’s members drive a BMW, including 11 percent of the women who responded to the survey, according to the report. Coming in second on the survey was , with a close third. While BMW may not be outwardly proud of this “victory,” we’re sure at least someone in Munich is glad to have bested its German rivals.
Speaking of which, scroll down to watch a classic Mercedes commercial about a “happily married” couple.
Ward’s AutoWorld is well known for its annual list, but the trade publication has been compiling a second list for interiors for a few years now. Formerly known as the competition, Ward’s rebranded the list last year, naming the coolest cockpits under the “10 Best Interiors” moniker.
This year’s winners are a relatively diverse lot, with hatchbacks, sedans and crossovers all making the list. While Ward’s lists them in alphabetical order rather than crowning a single winner, we’re choosing to present them with the lowest as-tested MSRP first:
($15,925)
($18,745)
($21,485)
($25,195)
($30,415)
($36,875)
Luxury ($44,855)
($49,745)
($54,800)
($67,430)
The first thing we noticed then is that while fully half the models carrying base sticker prices under $25,000, Ward’s was clearly not testing the base models of any of these vehicles. The Chevy Sonic, for instance, starts nearly $5,000 below the price of the car Ward’s drove. Even so, that half of the cars on the list could be legitimately called “affordable” is impressive.
Ward’s says 40 vehicles qualified for the competition by having “new or significantly improved interiors,” and while 13 of those were luxury vehicles, they only made up half of the winners. Ward’s says it judged the interiors based on design, fit-and-finish, comfort, ergonomics, safety, material selection, overall value, aesthetics, and human-machine interface.
Check out all the award winners in our high-res image gallery above.
It turns out Jay Leno shops for classic cars just like the rest of us do: by wasting untold hours drooling over occasionally perusing . The comedian and host of The Tonight Show recently took a shine to a memorable 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint shown on the site, and it wasn’t long before a few phone calls were made. Now the previous owner can say he sold a car to one of the world’s most well-known collectors, and Leno will have a very-cool Falcon in his Big Dog Garage.
So, what made this particular coupe worthy of such admiration? The ‘63 had undergone significant revision at the hands of the previous owner and builder, including a substantial weight reduction, suspension tweaks with input from the gurus at Koni, along with a fully blueprinted 302 V8. With an aluminum intake and heads as well as a lightweight T5 transmission, the seller claims to have plucked around 200 pounds from the vehicle’s nose.
The idea was to build the car in the image of the Holman Moody Falcons that once competed in the legendary Monte Carlo Rally. Head over to BaT for both the and the tale of .
So is it time to start the dead pool? Automotive News seems to think so. While the newspaper doesn’t go as far as suggesting that Suzuki is not long for the American market, it has compiled a depressingly long list of signs that the company is on its last legs here.
Among the many signs that Suzuki is hurting, the most damning might be what’s happening with its dealer body. The report says the brand dropped 32 stores last year, roughly 12 percent, and that it is down to 246 total dealerships in the States. But of those, 150 sell five or fewer cars per month. That would explain why Suzuki only sold 26,618 cars last year, according to AN.
Other signs of distress include sluggish sales so far this year, not exhibiting at the most recent and auto shows, cutting off their deal for J.D. Power customer satisfaction data, and a lack of marketing leadership or initiative, according to the report.
While Suzuki’s product lineup is among the smallest and oldest in the industry, that seems to be the least of the brand’s troubles. Heck, even we kind of like the .
We see tribute vehicles come and go. Most of the lot are slaves to every last detail of the original, offering little more than a few engine upgrades to the mix. Then there are beasts like the one above. Built as an homage to Parnelli Jones’ 1971 “Big Oly” Bronco Baja 1,000 bruiser, this machine uses a modern trophy truck chassis wrapped in larger-than life fiberglass first-generation Bronco body. With 723 horsepower on tap, the truck is fully capable of bashing the desert into submission. Owner Marshall Mardruga originally built the machine to tackle the Baja 1,000, but decided to turn it into a show truck instead.
Every visible component was then plated in brass or nickel and protected with a clear powder coat in preparation for SEMA 2011. If you like what you see, this machine can be yours for a heady sum. Available in San Diego, California via eBay Motors, the street-legal tribute commands a $535,000 Buy It Now price. You can see the auction or to check out a few videos.
You had to figure that this might happen when decided to reinvent the gearshift lever for the 2002 . The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been investigating the 2002-2008 7 Series since last fall, and has now “upgraded the probe to an engineering analysis,” according to an Associated Press report in TheDetroit News. The Feds have found 16 crashes and five injuries related to transmission issues, and received 50 complaints about the issue, according to the report.
NHTSA’s Monthly Defect Investigations Report calls the problem “Vehicle Rollaway Allegations,” which are likely related to the design of the gear selector in the E65/E66. This generation of the 7 Series moved the traditional gearshift lever from the floor console to the steering column to make more room in the center console. In doing so, BMW abandoned the traditional P-R-N-D layout and adopted an electronic push-button selector for “Park.” The AP says at least some of the problems may be related to owners not realizing their cars were in neutral instead of park.
Our own experience has shown that even in more recent BMW’s with floor-console-mounted shifters, it can be difficult to tell whether the vehicle is in Park or not, and we find the BMW gear selector as a whole to be non-intuitive – we’re frankly surprised that NHTSA has not received more than 50 complaints concerning the issue.
is known for hyper-exotic supercars, speed and big price tags. There is a reason, though, that we didn’t mention fuel efficiency. Hopped-up V8 and V12 engines don’t exactly conjure up images of tree-hugging, and, for the most part, we’re more than okay with that.
That could change, at least a little bit, with a patent that describes a hybrid powertrain that passes on flywheel technology in favor of a more mainstream effort. Car and Driver reports that the Italian supercar maker has filed patents for hybrid technology that would use a pair of electric motors and a battery pack.
The hybrid system would utilize one electric motor that assists the powertrain while the other runs auxiliary systems like air conditioning, infotainment and power steering. The patent also reportedly mentions that the technology would play nicely with a front-mounted 90-degree engine, making the a likely destination if this system ever sees the light of day.
There has been some speculation that Ferrari might opt for a production version of its racing-derived Kinetic Energy Recover System (KERS) that captures energy via a flywheel to provide short bursts of energy. KERS, which doesn’t utilize a battery pack, is already used in Formula One racing, and Ferrari introduced a in 2010 that included the fuel-saving tech.
The first , an drove through the factory gates in Göthenburg around 10AM on April 14th, 1927. To celebrate 85 years of building its uniquely Swedish cars, Volvo President and CEO Stefan Jacoby recreated the moment along with Olof Persson, President and CEO of the Volvo Group (the truck-building Volvo).
From a modest start – Volvo only sold 300 cars in its first year – the company built its business by building solid trucks and buses that help earn the profits to support the car business that took off like wildfire with the eventual introduction of the PV444. Volvo Car Corporation and the Volvo Group are separate companies now, with China’s Geely owning the automotive side of the business, but they’ll be forever joined by that spring day in 1927. The press release .
Of all of the carsTop Gear host Richard Hammond has driven – and that’s a lot of cars – it is an oil-burning entry-level luxury sedan that has earned the plaudit, “possibly the best car ever made.” He’s referring to the 2013 320d in an article for the UK’s Mirror newspaper, further crediting it with “brilliant handling,” an easy-to-use infotainment system, “very accurate steering” and being “one of the nicest Threes to drive in decades.”
His conclusion does come from a lack of negatives just as much as the positives. However, even though it’s still a huge call, we’ve on BMW’s gasoline four-pot, the 328i, which trades a quicker sprint to 60 mph for a few mpg less than the 320d’s 52 Imperial mpg (43 U.S. mpg).
Hammond’s a fan of the styling, and in fact the only thing he doesn’t like is a stripe on his tester. Click the link to get the words straight from the Hamster’s mouth.
