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We know this looks like an F1 car. But you know what it actually is? It’s the end of the beginning. Because after Ferrari, Lotus, Renault, Sauber, Mercedes, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams, McLaren, Virgin and Force India all unveiled their new Formula 1 cars for the 2011 championship, Hispania Racing Team has joined the action with the F111, marking the end of the preseason debuts.

The new car bears all the hallmarks of the new F1 regulations, but the first thing you’re likely to notice is its livery. With little in the way of sponsors, HRT brought in Daniel Simon – the former VW Group designer responsible for, among other things, the light-cycles in Tron: Legacy – to pen the car’s dynamic paint scheme. The result is considerably more attractive than last year’s gray car, leaving open spots for future sponsors (currently held by “this could be you” and “your logo here” lettering). Simon’s Cosmic Motors design firm gets its own logo on the sidepod wing plates, joined only by Tata Motors, which came to the team with Narain Karthikeyan.

The Indian driver, who once raced for Jordan way back in 2005, returns just in time for this year’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix. However, after showing Bruno Senna the door, HRT is the last outfit that still needs to confirm its second driver. This is business as usual for HRT, which last year used four different drivers: Karun Chandhok, Bruno Senna, Sakon Yamamoto and Christian Klien, none of whom scored a single point in the 2010 car. Can Karthikeyan and his to-be-announced wingman do better? Well, when you’re at rock bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up. Details are in the press release after the jump, with high-res images in the gallery below.

[Source: Hispania Racing Team]

Continue reading Hispania Racing Team F111 debut rounds out Formula 1 preseason

Hispania Racing Team F111 debut rounds out Formula 1 preseason

Have you been waiting for Chrysler’s long-promised Ram hybrid pickup truck? Bad news: Speaking to PluginCars.com, Ram Trucks CEO Fred Diaz firmly put that notion on ice when he bluntly said, “Truckers don’t want to buy hybrids.”

We’re not sure truck buyers are so much anti-hybrid as they are unwilling to cough up the necessary bucks to bring meaningful hybrid technology to their pickups. Either way, General Motors‘ full-size hybrid trucks have failed to set the market on fire, and there’s little indication Chrysler’s would either, unless the automaker were to offer them at an extremely favorable price point. That seems unlikely.

For now, it seems that the only hybrid pickup trucks Ram will offer are the recently announced plug-in models that were developed using federal stimulus funds via a $48 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant and a separate $5 million grant from the Canadian government. A total of 140 PHEV Ram trucks will be offered to fleet customers within the next several months.

The good news for mileage-conscious pickup truck buyers is that Diaz suggested other technologies from Fiat are likely to make their way to the Ram Trucks division at some point. Multiair and light-duty diesels sound like a good starting point…

[Source: PluginCars.com]

Report: Ram Trucks will not offer hybrid pickup to consumers

Orange County, California and Lamborghini have an interesting history. Once home to the world’s largest Lamborghini dealership, Orange County has been without a Lambo retailer since 2009, when Lamborghini Orange County owner Vik Keulyian pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges. Now, two years later, an entirely new team is set to bring Lamborghini back to the OC.

Bill Story knows Italian cars. As an Army brat, his family was stationed in Germany, and during their time there, Story’s father would take him on trips to Italy visit the Ferrari factory. Those trips to Maranello stayed with Story as he grew older, and he eventually decided to drop out of the US Naval Academy to pursue his passion for racing.

Read more…

Photos copyright (C)2011 Jeff Glucker/AOL

Continue reading Lamborghini roars back into Orange County

Lamborghini roars back into Orange County

We know the Toyota rear-wheel-drive coupe will wear a Scion badge, and now we might finally know what it’s going to be called. The just-make-it-already Toyota FT-86 concept has evolved into the Scion FT-86 and word on the web is that the production version will be known as the Scion FT-S.

Look for the Scion FT-S coupe to make its debut at the 2011 New York Auto Show. Rumor has it that a 2.5-liter engine, not a 2.0-liter, will power the rear wheels and that Toyota plans a heavy marketing push aimed at the drifting crowd.

The Subaru version is slated for a Geneva debut, and the rumormill now suggests that all-wheel drive is planned for the Subaru coupe, which should easily differentiate it from the Scion FT-S and help keep the two cars from cannibalizing each other’s sales. If anyone’s listening, we’ll take an AWD Subaru coupe in full STI trim, please.

[Source: Toyobaru]

Toyota FT-86 coupe to be named Scion FT-S?

Review: 2011 Ford Explorer Limited

The Explorer name had value that Ford couldn’t let go to waste. And so the 2011 Explorer is the sport utility story retold by Ford from an entirely new angle. Can the Explorer name can still put butts in seats?

Spy Shots: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 caught sunbathing ahead of NY reveal

Get your Grand Cherokee SRT8 fix courtesy of some spy shots showing our favorite non-trail rated Jeep taking in some desert sun.

Review: Test Drive Unlimited 2

Who wouldn’t get behind the idea of amassing a huge collection of amazing cars and racing them around both Oahu and Ibiza?

Also of interest:

• Spy Shots: BMW M6 convertible caught on snowshoeing shakedown
• Spy Shots: Mini Speedster on the prowl
• 2012 Kia Rio looks sharp ahead of Geneva rollout
• Top Gear picked up for second season, Tanner Foust trading drifting focus for rallycross
• NASCAR to get fuel injection for 2012; McLaren wins supply contract

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 2.11.11

Unless you live in New Hampshire, here in the States, you’re required to have some form of car insurance covering your vehicle. The annual cost to insure a car depends on an array of factors ranging from the type of vehicle to where you live to your driving record. You undoubtedly know what you pay for insurance on an annual or monthly basis, but do you know how much you will end up paying over the course of your driving life? According to Insurance.com, the average person will spend $84,388.

What does ‘average’ mean in the context of this study? In this case, researchers assume that you first insure your own vehicle at 21 years old, get married at 27, insure two teenagers for a few years and then stop driving when you turn 75. That passage of time is filled with a variety of claims, including accidents and other incidents that get sent across your insurance agent’s desk.

Predictably, Insurance.com offers up a few suggestions for cutting your overall coverage expenses. Some are easier said than done (avoid traffic tickets) while others might actually be fun (defensive driving course). Check out the company’s press release for the full details after the jump.

[Source: Insurance.com Image: Flickr/jcrakow via CC2.0]

Continue reading Study: Average lifetime car insurance costs estimated at $84,000

Study: Average lifetime car insurance costs estimated at $84,000

If it’s good enough for Formula 1, it’s good enough for NASCAR. Heck, if it’s good enough for every single automobile sold in the United States for the past several decades, it’s good enough for NASCAR. What’s this newfangled techno-wizardry we’re talking about? Fuel injection.

For the first time since the series kicked off in 1947, the so-called stock cars that travel full-throttle around tracks all across America will abandon their carburetors in favor of an Enging Control Unit sourced from McLaren and a computer processor from Freescale. That tandem reportedly beat out eight rival bids.

According to NASCAR Vice President of Competition Robin Pemberton, “This is a positive step that will provide greater fuel efficiency and a greener footprint while maintaining the same great competition that we have seen on the race track.”

Fuel efficiency ought to go up, as will horsepower. Interestingly, NASCAR competitors like Ford and Toyota happy about the switch. “We think it’s very important that both the cars and the technology in NASCAR are more closely related to production cars. The move to fuel injection is another important step in that process,” said Jamie Allison, Director, Ford North America Motorsports.

NASCAR expects to have its fuel injection technology all sorted in time for the 2012 season opener, the Daytona 500.

[Source: National Speed Sport News, Fox Sports Image: Reinhold Matay/AP]

NASCAR to get fuel injection for 2012; McLaren wins supply contract

It looks like Saab is planning a party for this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The Scandinavian automaker has just rolled out its invitations to the shindig, and the cards feature a whopping total of four cars covered by sheets. According to the company, the public at large will get its first look an all-new concept car from the automaker, and judging by the inset image below, it looks like it could be a return-to-form hatchback that presages the next 9-3. In addition to the show car, there will likely be special edition versions of the 9-3 and 9-3 Cabriolet. Of course, the 9-4X crossover will be on the show stand, and the freshly teased 9-5 SportCombi is also set to make an appearance.

According to enthusiast site Saabs United, both the tweaked 9-3 and 9-3 Cabriolet are said to be getting a pre-Geneva unveil on February 23. Expect to see full photos and greater detail on what those models will have to offer as we get closer to that date.

Hopefully, these new models will help drum up some interest in Saab. Last year, the Swedish automaker struggled to find traction after being released from General Motors’ shackles, selling a mere 5,445 units in the States. Officials have earmarked a goal of triple that figure for 2011.

[Sources: Saabs United, Saab]

Saab hatchback concept teased ahead of Geneva

Massively Open Online Racing Rolls Again

It’s hard to believe that four and a half years have passed since Eden Studios took its best shot at merging the open online gameplay of an MMO with a racer to create the original Test Drive Unlimited. Most would agree that the attempt wasn’t exactly perfect, but that didn’t stop TDU from being refreshing and incredibly fun to play. Really, who wouldn’t get behind the idea of amassing a collection of gorgeous cars and recklessly racing them all over Oahu?

And so, similarly, who wouldn’t get behind the idea of amassing a huge collection of amazing cars and racing them around both Oahu and Ibiza? Yes, this time gamers will be putting on their clubbing duds and hitting the Mediterranean party island as well, with the two rocks offering over 1,500 miles of roads – some of them unpaved. A lot has changed on this second trip to paradise, but even more has stayed the same. Is there enough new to make this journey worthwhile a second time?

Continue reading…

Continue reading Review: Test Drive Unlimited 2

Review: Test Drive Unlimited 2

The Formula One circus is in Jerez this weekend, testing the latest batch of racecars before the season kicks off next month in Bahrain. But something’s missing. Someone actually, and that someone is Robert Kubica.

The Polish driver on the Lotus Renault GP team, as you may have heard, is recovering in the hospital from injuries substained in a rallying accident in Italy that had his car impaled by a roadside guardrail. At the Jerez test his team will be giving a number of drivers – including their own tester Bruno Senna and F1 veteran Nick Heidfeld – a shot at temporarily filling Kubica’s seat, but they’re not the only ones feeling his absence.

The majority of the teams on the grid have placed special messages of hope for Kubica’s recovery somewhere on their cars. Some have placed them on the front wings, some on the sidepods or front keel, while others have placed them on the side of the rear wing. But the message is the same: “Szybkiego powrotu do zdrowia Robert”, in his native Polish – speedy recovery, Robert. We’ve assembled a few close-ups of the messages on the Jerez test cars and placed them for your viewing pleasure in the gallery below, so click on to check ‘em out. Thanks for the tip, Arek!

[Source: F1Fanatic]

F1 teams wish Robert Kubica a speedy recovery at Jerez test

For pure, unadulterated rally action from the comfort of your living room, there’s nothing quite like DiRT. The video game franchise from Codemasters is about as realistic as they come, and now they’ve got their third installment coming in the form of DiRT 3.

Not only is the game promised to be more accurate in its execution and feel, but it incorporates a whole new slew of features. There are more cars and more stages, of course, but that’s hardly the end of it: DiRT 3 also incorporates two new kinds of rally action – Gymkhana and hillclimb. The former, of course, was popularized by Ken Block who’s now crossed over to professional rally competition, while the latter brings events like Pikes Peak into the fold to really get that dirt kicking. But don’t take our word for it, follow the jump to watch the video preview from G4, including an interview with the studio’s lead game developer and gameplay footage from what is shaping up as the new benchmark in rally action.

[Source: G4]

Continue reading Video: G4 gives us a sneak preview of DiRT 3

Video: G4 gives us a sneak preview of DiRT 3

The Chicago Auto Show may be the smallest of the major North American auto shows, but this year proved to be surprisingly bountiful in terms of the number of new cars that were revealed. Sure, many of these new products were merely trim level upgrades, but we saw quite a few big introductions that sparked lengthy discussions amongst the Autoblog staff.

Thus, we’ve looked through the lot of Autoblog’s show coverage and the staffers on-hand in Chicago have picked their favorite vehicles that debuted in the Windy City. Much like our Detroit Auto Show picks, our editors had no problem picking our first and second place winners, but when it came to numbers three, four and five, that’s when the arguing began.

Still, we’ve come to a final consensus, and you can read our Top Five Editors’ Choice debuts after the jump.

Continue reading 2011 Chicago Auto Show: Editors’ Choice for Top Five Vehicles

2011 Chicago Auto Show: Editors’ Choice for Top Five Vehicles

Saab Cars North America (barely) lived through a horrible 2010, with sales of only 5,445 units. For perspective, Toyota makes that many Camry sedans by Thursday of most weeks. Part of the problem, no doubt, was Saab’s flirtation with oblivion and the resultant crippled supplier base and a lack of consumer awareness, but a lack of new product also played a big role.

Automotive News reports that Saab execs are assuring dealers that 2011 should turn out a lot better, with projected U.S. sales of between 15,000 and 20,000 units. That’s a significant sales recovery, and at least part of the increased volume should come courtesy of a strengthening auto market. But increased sales alone won’t enable 400 percent growth. Luckily, Saab has some new product in the pipeline, with the 9-4X crossover scheduled to arrive in May, while continued sales of the 9-5 sedan and the upcoming wagon variant (scheduled for Fall, 2011) should further boost the bottom line.

Will the 9-4X prove popular enough to move Saab over the sales hump? We don’t doubt it, if only because the company’s sales bogey is so low. And it helps that the 9-4X is attractive and poised to hit the market at a time when customers are clamoring over high-end CUVs.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Saab looking for 15-20k sales this year

Continue reading Video: Dodge commercial pokes fun at Snowpocalypse

Video: Dodge commercial pokes fun at Snowpocalypse

What do you think Detroit is best known for? Cars? Motown music? Or RoboCop? A growing grassroots movement is insisting the latter, as support grows for erecting a statue in honor of the 80’s cult movie icon.

Supporters have reportedly taken to Facebook and Twitter to drum up support for the potential landmark, but have received little support in return. According to reports, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing is against the idea. And little wonder: the futuristic vision of Detroit, where the RoboCop movies are set, is hardly complimentary, depicting a crime-ridden metropolis run by corrupt officials and a privatized security force.

As The Detroit News points out, a similar initiative to honor Motown’s greatest in Detroit with another statue never materialized, although the effort is not without precendent: just one state over, a statue of the Fonz from Happy Days was erected in 2008, much to everyone’s “ayyyy!”

So… do you think Detroit should get a RoboCop statue? Place your vote in our online poll:

View Poll

[Source: The Detroit News]

The people of Detroit want a RoboCop statue [w/poll]

The hit single Lose Yourself is the most successful song from Eminem’s career to date. It’s gone platinum four times over and was the first rap single ever to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Countless ad agencies and companies have tried to license it for use in commercials, yet none received permission… that is, until Chrysler’s Super Bowl ad hit TV screens around the world.

Eminem and Chrysler both call Detroit home, so getting a real local hero on board for a Chrysler ad is quite a big deal. Oliver Francois, Chief Marketing Officer for Chrysler, met with Eminem and Lose Yourself co-writer Joel Martin to discuss the idea of using the song in an ad.

Martin and Eminem had turned down countless offers and millions of dollars to lend their song out for advertising efforts. Francois, however, approached Slim Shady from an angle that hit home: Chrysler is trying to rise from the ashes, as is Detroit and even Eminem himself.

Around the time when Chrysler declared bankruptcy, Eminem released an album called Relapse that sold poorly. Chrysler cars weren’t selling, Detroit was an undesirable place to call home and Eminem had a weak album flopping on the charts. That was 2009, yet a couple of years later, Eminem finds himself nominated for 11 Grammy awards and Chrysler has a refreshed lineup hitting dealer showrooms.

Eminem decided to let Chrysler use Lose Yourself and also appeared in the Super Bowl spot, which garnered a lot of positive attention. Internet searches for the Chrysler 200 were way up shortly after the spot aired and the commercial is closing in on five million views on YouTube.

With a critical reception like that, it’s no surprise that TheDetroitBureau.com is reporting that Francois and Eminem’s posse are set to meet today in a closed-door session to discuss possible future collaborations, and the discussion is likely to center around a followup ad to the Super Bowl “Born of Fire” spot. Click past the jump for a quick refresher on the epic two-minute commercial.

[Sources: AOL Autos, TheDetroitBureau.com, Chrysler via YouTube]

Continue reading Chrysler’s Eminem ad almost didn’t happen, pair meeting today to discuss sequel

Chrysler’s Eminem ad almost didn’t happen, pair meeting today to discuss sequel

With the Geneva Motor Show coming up in a matter of weeks, a whole mess of new debuts and concept cars are rolling in. The latest comes courtesy of Suzuki and its European operations.

Called the Swift S-Concept, the show car looks like it could be a pretty mean interpretation of the latest Swift hatchback in a higher-performance guise with a healthy dose of rally-inspired action. The Japanese automaker has released very little in the way of details, essentially announcing the debut accompanied by the preview rendering you see above.

We’ll have to wait as the expo approaches for more, but for now you can check out the press release after the jump and click on the image above to view in high-resolution.

[Source: Suzuki]

Continue reading Suzuki readying Swift S-Concept for Geneva

Suzuki readying Swift S-Concept for Geneva

If you look at the very pinnacle of the automotive market, you’ll mostly find exotic sportscars and luxury sedans. There are plenty of high-end SUVs out there too, but not quite at the same level. But demand for luxury sport-utes continues to rise in “developing” luxury markets like Russia and the Persian Gulf, prompting automakers to dial up their high-riding game time and time again. And the latest ne plus ultra comes courtesy of Land Rover.

Called the Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition, this top-of-the-line SUV is exactly that: the ultimate. It’s billed as the most luxurious Range Rover ever, and that’s no mean feat. To get there, Land Rover has outfitted the SUV with a veritable first-class cabin that includes four individual buckets, separated front and back by middle console with aluminum tray tables and a drinks cooler in the back. The rear-seat passengers also get the use of a pair of Apple iPads docked into the front seatbacks, and the cargo area gets a yacht-inspired teak deck. Of course the leather is top notch, offset by Kalahari wood veneers.

Outside, prospective owners will find a dark grille, color-keyed door handles (which are available with a couple of new paint options), along with the requisite special badging and unique 20-inch alloys. Buyers can choose from either the 4.4-liter V8 turbodiesel or the 5.0-liter supercharged V8, both mated to ZF’s eight-speed automatic transmission and capable of catapulting the truck to sixty in 7.5 or 5.1 seconds respectively.

Pricing has yet to be announced, but the Autobiography Ultimate Edition is set to be unveiled at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, now just weeks away, but you can read all about it now in the press release after the jump and soak up the opulence in the high-resolution image gallery below.

[Source: Land Rover]

Continue reading Land Rover to unveil Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition in Geneva

Land Rover to unveil Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition in Geneva

Chicago 2011: Hyundai Veloster Rally Car is ready to duel in U.S. Rallycross

Rolls-Royce may sell as many motor cars in Hong Kong and Dubai as they do in their own domestic market, but if you had to pick one city that embodies the Spirit of Ecstasy, that’d be London. So to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the iconic Rolls-Royce mascot, the company rolled out a parade of 100 of its vehicles around the sites and streets of the English capital.

The latest Phantom and Ghost models lead the procession that included shining examples from the company’s history – including Silver Ghosts, Clouds, Shadows and Spurs – past such local landmarks as Big Ben, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus. Full details in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Rolls-Royce]

Rolls-Royce parades through London on the Spirit of Ecstacy centenary drive