has announced it will debut a concept version of the at the New York Auto Show next month. Details are scarce at the moment, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the vehicle turns out to be a thinly veiled look at the next version of the funky crossover. Honda has a long and storied history of rolling out concepts with more than a passing resemblance to its production models. Given that the Crosstour has only been on the market for a couple of years, we aren’t anticipating an all-new model, or perhaps even a heavy redesign.
Back in December, Honda President and CEO Tetsuo Iwamura told Autoblog that he was “really disappointed” with sales of the Crosstour, which he maintained has “.” Even so, Iwamura acknowledged that Honda would further refine the vehicle’s styling and performance. As to the latter, Honda now offers buyers the ability to with a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder. The move was largely thought to be in response to the fact that competitors like the are available with four-pot motivation.
Still, all the engine options in the world won’t save the Crosstour from its inherent design issues. Specifically, the Crosstour offers compromised rear visibility and cargo area, not to mention its highly controversial appearance. Will the concept headed to New York address those ails? We certainly hope so. for the brief press release.
“This is most definitely not a .” So says ex-Autoblog staffer Damon Lavrinc in a story written for Wired. The non-Prius-esque vehicle to which he’s referring? The .
We know all about the and how it stole the show at the at the 2010 . We know that interest in the plug-in hybrid supercar was so strong that pulled out all the stops to get the vehicle into its as soon as possible. We know it will and be able to hit 60 miles per hour in a scant 3.1 seconds. What we hadn’t known until now, though, is how far along into its development Porsche’s team of engineers had gotten.
It seems there are currently three 918 development mules in existence, and Lavrinc got to ride shotgun at the Nardo Test Track in one of them. Though it was limited to half its available power – full power being a generous 770 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque with an overboost offering up to 700 lb-ft for short periods – it was still an exciting ride, and it’s telling that Porsche was confident enough in its Franken-mule to allow anyone to go on record this far ahead of September 18, 2013, the car’s official launch date.
We suggest you to peruse the full article, and feel free to mosey on back to let us know what you think of the 918’s potential.
According to Autocar, may be working on a smaller version of the rakish four-door coupe sedan. Known internally as the SC, the smaller CC will be a part of the seventh-generation lineup, in addition to the sedan and wagon models.
The creation of the SC comes after Volkswagen’s NCC (New Concept Coupe) received lukewarm response at the . Autocar reports that while consumers do want another variant of the Jetta, a two-door coupe isn’t the answer. “Our research suggests there is increasingly a market for a sportier and more stylish version of the Jetta in the mould of the CC only smaller and more affordable. From the feedback we’ve received so far buyers want an individual bodystyle and the practicality of four doors,” a source within Volkswagen told the British magazine.
A more stylish Jetta sedan would likely do battle with the new , set to debut in concept form at the later this year. If the SC does come to market, it will likely launch in Europe sometime in 2015, right around the time the next-generation CC arrives.
of Europe has officially unveiled the production version of the that made its debut at the earlier this month. The Tourneo won’t be coming to the United States, but according to Ford, it’s part of the automaker’s plan to refresh its entire commercial vehicle lineup by 2014. The production model will officially debut at the Birmingham Commercial Vehicle Show in April.
This front-wheel-drive van is available in both short- and long-wheelbase versions (measuring in at 195.7 and 210.2 inches, respectively), and can be had in either eight- or nine-passenger configuration. Ford also touts the Tourneo’s car-like interior with its “stylish, sculpted driver-focused instrument panel,” as well as onboard tech like SYNC, a rear-view camera, lane-keeping assist and driver alert.
Under the hood is an updated version of Ford’s 2.2-liter Duratorq inline-four, offered in 99-, 123- and 153-horsepower variants, all of which are paired exclusively to a six-speed manual transmission. There’s also auto start/stop on board, meaning the Tourneo can deliver a combined fuel economy rating of 6.9 liters per 100 kilometers – about 34 miles per gallon on the U.S. cycle.
Again, we won’t be seeing the Tourneo in the States – our all-new van will be based on the heavy-duty, rear-wheel-drive commercial line that’s set to debut later this year. Nevertheless, for the full details in Ford’s press release.
Just over one year ago, we heard reports suggesting that Volkswagen would of its concept for limited consumption. And while the skeptics among us were quick to dismiss these reports with a resounding “yeah, right,” this latest set of spy shots show that is indeed making progress on an honest-to-goodness road-going model of its 1.0-liter fuel economy warrior.
It’s still unclear exactly what will power the production XL1, though the concept car featured a two-cylinder TDI diesel paired with an electric motor, lithium-ion battery pack and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. All in, this is said to be good for an astonishing 235 miles per gallon. It might look big and sleek, but the XL1 is about as long and wide as a Volkswagen Polo. It should be ultra-light, too – the concept version tipped the scales at just 1,753 pounds.
The XL1 might look sleek and sporty, but performance will be anything but. The latest reports state that the production car will be limited to a stop speed of about 75 miles per hour, and that it’ll take 32(!) seconds to shoot from a stand-still to 50 mph.
We’ll keep our eyes peeled for future XL1 prototypes as development continues, but for now, scroll through our attached high-res image gallery to see the space-age VW for yourself.
We’ve been expecting for some time that would choose to grace its stand with a variant on its new A-Class family as part of a push to bring a new range of small cars to North America. However, it now seems more likely that Los Angeles audiences will get a vision of Mercedes’ entry-level future, not New York. That’s because Mercedes has officially confirmed that it will show something called the “Concept Style Coupe” at an art, music, film and food festival in LA curated by none other than Mike D of the Beastie Boys.
Transmission LA: AV Club, a “multi-disciplinary festival,” runs from April 20 to May 6, and sponsor Mercedes promises an “artistic staging” of the concept car (expected to be a sedan), the production version of which is rumored to be dubbed CLC. The 17-day festival will be held at the Geffen Contemporary at LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
All of which begs the question: With the New York Auto Show staged earlier (press days are April 4 and 5), what will Mercedes show in the Empire State? It’s too significant of a market to the Three-Pointed Star to let the show pass without debuting something significant. See the complete press release for more.
It’s a funny thing, being rich and famous. You can afford anything you want, but everything comes to you for free. Just ask Sebastian Vettel, who – as reigning Formula One World Champion two years running now and brand ambassador for – can get any luxed-up Datsun he wants. Which may not be quite as exciting as Fernando Alonso having his run of the motor pool or Lewis Hamilton getting his hands on the new McLaren MP4-12C, but it’s not without its perks, to be sure. Like the .
Unveiled as a concept vehicle at the back in September, the Vetteled packs a 5.0-liter V8 good for 414 horsepower and an estimated 5.6-second sprint to 62 mph, along with carbon fiber aero bits aplenty, reduced weight and a lowered suspension.
Back in October, we received that Infiniti was, indeed, planning on offering the special edition performance crossover – based, as it is, on the FX50S Premium model – in limited quantities, and the company has now officially announced its availability.
Only 200 examples will be made at an as-yet undisclosed but assuredly lofty price, with orders being taken now for delivery next year. But before you go racing down to the local Infiniti dealership, know that the model will only be offering in Europe and the Middle East. Which is just as well, because we can’t imagine many American buyers ponying up the kind of cash Infiniti will be asking for the privilege just because it’s named after some kid from Germany, no matter how many grands prix he’s won. Official announcement .
We can appreciate a good track car as much as the next enthusiast, but we’re beginning to bemoan their creation as a way out for automakers to charge wealthy customers obscene amounts of money for cars they’re not even legally allowed to drive on the road. (As least, not in countries were homologation can’t be circumvented with a sufficient bribe to the right bureaucrat. Which we’re not entirely sure includes these United States.)
It’s the road that is expected to take with the “production” version of the Sesto Elemento concept, and it appears to be the way plans to bring its C-X75 concept to production. At least, the jet-powered one, anyway.
The C-X75, as you may recall, bowed at the with an awesomely innovative powertrain: two micro-turbines acting as range-extenders to electric motors. Reports then began to surface that Jaguar intended to build the supercar, only that the commercially available version would pack a 1.6-liter turbo four being developed with the Williams Formula One team and packing about 500 horsepower instead of the turbine setup. (Not too shabby, but still no turbine.)
Then parent company Tata invested in a turbine outfit called Bladon Jets near Jaguar’s headquarters in Coventry, leading to the that a limited quantity would be offered with turbine power like the concept’s. The latest reports, however, indicate that even those would be confined strictly to the track.
Now don’t get us wrong, we applaud Jaguar and Tata pursuing the technology of getting this experimental powertrain into a “marketable” car, however much it may cost. We’re just not sure that keeping it confined to the race track, given the prices they’ll be bound to charge, is the right way to go about it. Agree or disagree? Cast your vote in the poll below.
A design studio and contract manufacturer, when Pininfarina builds a car it’s typically under another brand’s auspices. That could change, however, with the Cambiano.
Unveiled just last week at the , the 680-horsepowerplug-in hybrid coupe concept – which we had to examine close-up in the ramp-up to the show – is being considered for limited production.
If built for public consumption, the Cambiano is tipped to ditch the concept’s diesel turbine in favor of a more conventional electric powertrain with its range extended by a diesel engine. If Pininfarina were to build just ten examples, the pricetag on each would amount to about 1 million euros (approximately $1.3 million at today’s conversion rates) but if ramped up to 70 or 75 units, each would fetch around 400,000 euros (about $525,000).
It’s pretty obvious that automakers’ definition of the word ‘coupe’ these days is a far cry from the traditional meaning. (We do live in the world of the “four-door coupe,” after all.) That said, Car and Driver reports that will call the company’s two-door Paceman Concept the once it hits production.
While it’s true that both the Paceman Concept and most coupes have two doors, the vehicle is more of a CUV/hatchback/crossover, at least to our eyes. Even so, the fact that the vehicle will reportedly share the Countryman moniker is no shock. Both vehicles wear the same nose front fascia, grille, headlights, fenders and hood. Even so, based on the automaker’s current naming convention, that means we’ll have to get used to saying something like “Mini Cooper S Countryman Coupe.” Because that won’t get confusing or anything.
Last we heard, the three-door Countryman as a 2014 model, and rumor has it that the production model will debut at the later this year. A few have already made their way to the web, indicating the final version will be remarkably similar to the concept we’ve already seen.
This year’s Geneva Motor Show served up a scintillating buffet of vehicles, but the Lamborghini Aventador J may very well have been our favorite. With no roof, no windshield and all of the insane running gear of the standard , the roadster is the embodiment of exotic. But according to Top Gear, the car went from design sketch to reality in record time. Designer Filippo Perini told TG he first sketched up the Aventador J in mid-January after CEO Stephan Winkelmann asked his crew to to come up with something special for Geneva.
Despite the apparent similarities between the Aventador and the new Aventador J, the two models share only a handful of body components, including the front hood, fenders, headlights and rear fenders. Everything else is bespoke just for the concept.
If you like what you see as much as we do and want to take one home, too bad. The world’s only Aventador J is already sold to an unnamed collector for the lofty sum of $2.74 million at current conversion rates.
You may never have heard of the French carmaker . After starting out as a coachbuilder for companies like Delahaye and , Facel moved on to crafting entire cars. From 1954 to 1962, the company produced the Hemi-powered Vega. Facel closed its doors in 1964, but some intriguing sketches and renderings have stirred up a lot of chatter on the Internet of a possible revival of the brand.
Details are scarce and almost impossible to verify, but if Google’s translation of French websites are believable, the image above is a rendering of what the resurrected Facel could show off at this September’s and we might even see a production version in 2014. But rumors written in French translated by Google are not exactly credible. The images all appear to come from a constantly updated Facebook page called “.”
Swoopy fenders, and a slick greenhouse wrap the four-seater concept in a sports car disguise. The interior sketches show minimal seating that seem more suited to racing than relaxing.
Speaking of performance, there’s no mention of what would power such a car, but it sure is fun imagining that car barking with the power of . Sinister sexiness.
The project now has two major corporate backers and, more importantly, an engine. and Michelin have signed on of designer Ben Bowlby, Dan Gurney’s All-American Racers and Don Panoz. Now called the Nissan DeltaWing, the Japanese firm will provide a turbocharged, direct-injected 1.6-liter, four-cylinder with an output of around 300 horsepower. Known as DIG-T, the powerplant shares the same roots as the engine in the .
That’s about 200 hp down on the 510 horsepower developed by the diesel V6 in the and about half the horsepower developed by other LMP1 racers. However, Nissan says the engine is half the weight of a typical LMP1 motor, and paired with the DeltaWing’s minimal aerodynamic drag, the lap times are said to be somewhere between those of the LMP1 and LMP2 classes. Why does this matter? Because Nissan and Co. are taking this needle-nosed baby to Le Mans.
Of call cars and classes, Nissan says this strangest looking effort is one that will “showcase the pioneering technology that will show one potential direction for the future of motorsport and will feed into the research and development of future technologies, that filter down to Nissan’s road car product range.”
The Nissan DeltaWing will be allowed to run in the 24 Hours of Le Mans following a special dispensation for an experimental car that doesn’t follow any technical guidelines offered by ACO, the organizer of Le Mans. It will use Garage 56, it will wear Number 0, and won’t be classified in the results. Even so, we’ll be watching closely. for a video of the racecar’s development and a press release detailing Nissan’s involvement.
has chosen former designer Thomas Ingenlath to replace Peter Horbury as the head of the Swedish brand’s design department, the latter having moved up the ladder to oversee design work at Volvo’s corporate parent, Geely. Ingenlath was with the VW Group for 20 years and did stints with , Skoda and Volkswagen, leading work on concepts and production cars like the VW , the Bluesport Roadster and first-generation Skoda Fabia and Superb.
After a couple of years trying to decide where it wanted to be – or at least, how it wanted to be described – on the luxury spectrum everyone seems to be on message now. Volvo will be looking for Ingenlath to continue its progress toward being a “top-tier luxury brand,” in the words of CEO Stefan Jacoby, and “a truly luxury automotive brand” in the words of Geely CEO Li Shufu. Check out the official press release for more details.
We record Episode #273 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we’ll be recapping the huge , which just wrapped up. You can drop us your questions via our Q&A module below, check out our discussion topics or chime in to help determine what else the crew chats about this evening. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast if you haven’t already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #273
[] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
According to Automotive News, is looking to expand its dealer network in a big way. The luxury Italian automaker intends to double its dealers by the end of next year in an attempt to take advantage of a rash of new models heading for production. All told, Maserati intends to have around 500 showrooms open by the time the new vehicles roll in, and CEO Harald Wester says that the majority of the growth will happen this year. While the automaker sold just under 6,200 units last year, Wester wants to see that number swell to 40,000 in 2014 and 60,000 by 2015.
That’s a substantial jump, but with an all-new on the way as well as a production version of the not-yet-named Kubang, Wester believes the numbers are attainable. Maserati has also made it clear the company will offer an entry level sedan positioned below the big Quattroporte, which will likely do a smart job of bringing in even more customers.
The buzz around the 2013 has centered around two questions: what will it look like and what will its retractable roof look like. Even though its expected unveiling at the is a few weeks away, we still have little info on its looks, although the Detroit concept clearly telegraphed what we should expect. We have got our first impression of how the sliding roof looks in action, though.
It’s been compared to the sliding roof on the Targa (and we hear that Lincoln is using the same supplier, Webasto), but whereas the Porsche’s roof panel slides underneath the rear glass, the MKZ has external tracks along the roofline that enable its glass toupee to rise and slide aft.
Our spy photogs say that although this roof is only retracted to a halfway position (probably due to the opaque camo that would eliminate all rear vision on the prototype), the real deal will slide all the way back.
Another rumor suggests there may be a system to create engine sounds through the car’s speakers for a livelier cabin atmosphere.
Guess we called this one from the outset. Looking like a that just ate a for breakfast and a for lunch, the EXP 9 F concept was the biggest disappointment – and we mean that literally – of the . Apparently, Bentley must have agreed with , because it’s working on a new design for it’s first production SUV, according to Britain’s What Car? magazine.
According to the report, Bentley officials have admitted that the design was “heavy handed” and have promised to tone it down, as the SUV heads toward a likely 2015 on-sale date. Potential changes include “slightly smaller” headlights, and “more traditional SUV proportions,” according to the magazine’s source.
We hope Bentley goes a bit further and just starts from scratch, dumping the sedan-ified SUV look entirely. If Bentley is bound and determined to sell an SUV, it should come up with something distinctive for the brand that doesn’t just ape the classic look of its car line.
If ever a car made us think of mullets, Cragars, racing suits and Natty Light, this is it. And we don’t mean that in a bad way. The COPO Camaroconcept that Chevrolet last year is officially becoming a production reality for everyone; however, only 69 people will be able to own it. In celebration of the built in 1969, is building just that many of its modern drag-strip-only racer.
Two engine choices have been mentioned previously: a 427-cubic-inch V8 for AA Stock racing and a 327-cubic-inch V8 with a 4.0-liter supercharger for A Stock racing. Now, a third engine choice has been added: another 327-cubic-inch engine but with a 2.9-liter supercharger for B Stock. If you want all three engines Chevy will install one and provide the other two, all with matching numbers. Shifting is handled with a Powerglide automatic, and color schemes include Metallic White, Semi-Gloss Black, Inferno Orange Metallic and Chevy Racing Blue.
The price of entry is $89,000. How can you be one of the lucky? Chevrolet isn’t saying. An “independent third party” chose the initial buyers, but it isn’t clear how many slots are left or how they’ll be distributed. for a press release with more info.
When we say we’re obsessive, we mean it. The list below of 90 vehicles that Autoblog covered at the 2 is proof positive that we stand behind our tagline.
The Geneva Motor Show is always the biggest international auto show of the year in terms of vehicle debuts, whether they’re production cars, forward-thinking concepts or outrageous tuner vehicles. This year we got super-sized helpings of all three.
Special thanks go to our crew of five who were on the ground in Geneva, as well as the large support staff here at home who backed them up. We love covering auto shows, and after so many years doing it, we think we’ve gotten pretty darn good. Look below and you’ll see why.
