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A nip, a tuck and, actually, quite a bit more is in store for the 2012 Honda Pilot. The most noticeable change that’s evident with a quick glance above is the reworked front end staring you in the face. Honda has changed the grille while also making the lower fascia appear wider through the use of black plastic. Overall, the front end updates help to subtly modernize the Pilot for the new model year.

Inside, Honda has reworked its button layout into a more intuitive configuration, and applied new upgrades to the list of standard and optional features. The upgrades vary across the trim lines, which are ranked LX, EX, EX-L, EX-L with Navigation and the top-of-the-line Touring model. We’ll leave the full slew of upgrades for you in the press release posted after the jump. Instead, we’ll use this space to highlight the biggest changes to the 2012 Pilot.

Honda has decided to push 18-inch aluminum wheels as standard equipment throughout the Pilot family, with the exception of the LX trim, which sticks with 17-inch styled steelies. An upgraded audio system and nav unit is now offered, and it’s spiffed up quite a bit on the EX-L (L stands for leather) unit thanks to a full-color eight-inch intelligent multi-information display (iMID).

Click past the jump read all about the 2012 Honda Pilot, and click through the gallery for a closer look at the updates.

Continue reading Honda reveals modestly tweaked 2012 Pilot

Honda reveals modestly tweaked 2012 Pilot

Where Americans use pickup trucks, Europeans typically use cargo vans. But even on the other side of the Atlantic, some things just won’t fit inside a van. For just those occasions, Fiat Professional has come out with the Doblo Work Up.

Based on the Doblo cargo van, the Doblo Work Up features a pickup bed with not only a drop-down tail gate, but drop-down sides as well for ease of access.

Two diesels are available with either 1.3 liters of displacement and 90 horsepower or 1.6 and 105, backed up by stability control, antilock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution, with options including hill-holder, the Blue&Me infotainment system developed with Microsoft and TomTom navigation.

Combined with relatively compact overall dimensions, it looks like the perfect thing for slithering down narrow city streets to fix old statues and clean stained glass windows and whatnot. Follow the jump for more details and check out the high-res images in the gallery for a closer look.

Continue reading Fiat Doblo gets a dropside Work Up

Fiat Doblo gets a dropside Work Up

Fiat has prepped an all-new Panda, and the high-riding city car is set to make its world debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The 2012 Panda represents the current zenith of the four-wheel-drive compact’s evolution. This third-generation Panda features a restyled exterior paired with an updated interior design and a handful of engine choices.

Two new engines join the Panda powerplant family, which brings the total number of available mills to six. The new units are both two-cylinder 900-cc engines equipped with Fiat’s Start&Stop system to help cut down on emissions while raising fuel economy. Both engines are TwinAir mills, with one breathing naturally and the other utilizing forced induction by way of a single turbocharger. The non-turbo engine produces 65 horsepower while the turbo version pumps out 85 horses.

The rest of the engine lineup doesn’t grow larger than 75-horsepower 1.3-liter Multijet II, and you can read all about it and the 2012 Fiat Panda by clicking past the jump to see the full press release.

Continue reading Fiat previews updated Panda ahead of Frankfurt

Fiat previews updated Panda ahead of Frankfurt

If you’re shopping for a vehicle near Naperville, Illinois, you may have a chance to put your possible purchases through the gauntlet on at a new facility. The town has joined forces with local dealers to create a driving course that would reduce the number of test drives on public streets and give buyers a better sense of the type of vehicle they were purchasing before they signed on the dotted line. The course features a variety of pavement types, a small parking area and even a sprinkler system to allow for foul-weather evaluations.

While the entire facility is housed in an area roughly the size of a mall parking lot, Cars.com reports that the course gives buyers a safe way to more or less fully evaluate a vehicle. Given that most dealers simply offer up pre-planned routes that give only the faintest impression of what a vehicle will be like to live with, we wish more dealers and buyers had access to similar test track. Head over to Cars.com to check it out in greater detail.

Illinois town builds own track for consumer test drives

Jeep is expanding the availability of its body-color hard tops on the Wrangler for 2012. The company says that last year, 80 percent of Wrangler Sahara buyers selected the base hard top, while of those, 20 percent went all-in for the body-color option. Next year, Wrangler Rubicon buyers will also be able to get their off-road bruiser dressed to the nines. According to Ward’s Auto, the Wrangler recently experienced its best sales month in the history of the model last month, with 14,355 units rolling off of showroom floors.

Roof supplier CSP recently retooled to handle the larger capacity, and as such, the 2012 roof features a few changes compared to those found on the 2011 Wrangler. Those include slightly larger openings at the rear hatch and side glass for more interior light and added finger grips to help with removal. Buyers will also be able to option up their Wranglers with color-matched fender flares for a complete monochrome look. Pretty snappy.

Jeep Wrangler’s body-color roof option taking off

If you had to pick which model in the Mercedes-Benz lineup packed in the most new features, which would you choose? The S-Class? The SLS AMG? You might want to try the new B-Class on for size, because according to Daimler, its newest model encompasses the most new developments ever launched on a single vehicle.

For starters, the premium compact minivan/hatchback debuts a new front-drive platform for Mercedes, which will also go on to underpin a new A-Class and a whole raft of derivatives as well. It also features a new family of four-cylinder engines (both direct-injection gasoline versions and common-rail diesels) and new six speed manual and seven-speed dual-clutch transmissions with integrated stop/start and regenerative braking systems. The new B-Class also includes a staggering array of available safety systems, including Adaptive Headlamp Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Attention Assist, Speed Limit Assist and Active Parking Assist, Brake and Hill Hold functions, Linguatronic and Distronic Plus.

The new B also offers more space for both passenger and cargo over the model it replaces, while returning improved aerodynamics which, together with the new powertrain family, delivers better fuel economy and emissions figures. The one-box design takes its cues from recent Benz concept cars and looks significantly more sculpted and dynamic than the outgoing model, which was rather conservative in its styling in the first place and has since grown long in the tooth.

Mercedes will officially pull the veil of the new B-Class at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month before European buyers can begin taking delivery in November. The question is whether this second-generation model will make it to American showrooms, where its predecessor did not. Canadian buyers have had the outgoing model at their disposal, but whether this heralds the arrival of front-drive Mercedes in the U.S. market (as studied) is a matter we’ll be monitoring closely. In the meantime, you can dive into the full details in the extensive press release after the jump and the high-res images in our mega gallery for more.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz B-Class revealed ahead of Frankfurt… but is it coming here?

Mercedes-Benz B-Class revealed ahead of Frankfurt… but is it coming here?

Being a video game designer sounds like fun. And when the video game you’re designing involves recreating famous racetracks from around the world, you’re definitely having more fun than the average cubicle-dweller.

The developers at Turn 10 Studios have to do exactly that for the upcoming Forza 4 video game. It’s an interesting process, and Turn 10 has released a video showing us how it’s done. It highlights the nearly three-mile-long Hockenheim circuit in Germany, which features 13 turns and plays host to both the German Grand Prix and DTM events.

We won’t spoil the track-creation magic for you. Instead, click past the jump and let Turn 10 demonstrate how it happens.

Continue reading Forza Motorsport 4 shows the making of its Hockenheim track

Forza Motorsport 4 shows the making of its Hockenheim track

The Cadillac Ciel concept is a convertible showstopper that wowed crowds at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Not surprisingly, Jay Leno managed to secure some talking time with General Motors VP of Global Design Ed Wellburn, and the two chatted about the ultimate Art and Science-mobile while Leno got a look at some of its features.

The Ciel concept is powered by a 425-horsepower twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine that’s paired with a lithium-ion battery pack powering an electric motor. Basically, it’s one of the best-looking hybrid vehicles on the planet at the moment, and it’s even more intriguing when Wellburn shows off the rear power suicide doors.

It may be wearing a different badge, but Cadillac has seemingly built a modern-day homage to the fourth-generation Lincoln Continental. Click past the jump to see what we’re talking about.

Continue reading Jay Leno and GM design boss Ed Welburn peruse the Cadillac Ciel concept

Jay Leno and GM design boss Ed Welburn peruse the Cadillac Ciel concept

If we had to put a list together of cars that we’re dying to drive, the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series would be well within the top ten. Mind you, ours would be a big list, too. Apparently we’ll need to recalibrate our roster a bit, because MB may just have a more vicious version waiting to assault our senses.

Our spy photographers have just trained their lenses on a particularly angry-looking C63 Coupe Black Series wearing some bolt-on upgrades. A fixed rear wing is paired with a carbon fiber front splitter, front canards and side skirts. For the moment, we’re going to assume that the engine still pumps out 510 horsepower, but the more aggressive features point to this being a track-ready version of the German super coupe. Check it out from all angles in our high-res gallery.

Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series captured prepping for track duty

It may be hard to believe, but the Audi R8 has already been on the market for five years. And while it was cutting edge then and is still eminently fresh and desirable by any account, sooner or later it’s going to need a bit of a touch-up up to keep ahead of the competition. And this could be our first look at what to expect.

Apparently leaked out together with some other photos, this solitary shot is believed to be a design mock-up of the front-end of the next R8. The nose features Audi’s latest hexagonal grille shape and a very sharp-looking set of all-LED headlamps that (with apologies to Bryan Adams fans) cut like a knife across the car’s face.

Mechanically, the new R8 is likely to carry over the existing choice of V8 or V10 engines with Quattro all-wheel drive, although prototypes have reportedly been seen with 2.5 and 3.0-liter TFSI engines driving the rear wheels only. What is understood is that the much-derided R-tronic transmission will finally be replaced with a better dual-clutch gearbox.

Sources speculate that Audi could be preparing to unveil the new R8 at the rapidly approaching Frankfurt Motor Show, but that could prove little more than wishful thinking. One way or another, we’ll find out soon enough, so watch this space for more.

Is this the face of the next Audi R8?

Nobody can throw an anniversary party like the folks at Pebble Beach. To celebrate 50 years of the Ferrari 250 GTO, the world’s most famous classic car show convened an incredible collection of Enzo’s most coveted creation. And what a gathering it was. More than half of the 39 250 GTOs in existence were on display – the official number quoted was 22, although we could only count 21. The line of cars literally stretched farther than our cameras could capture. Factoring in the going rate of $25 million for a 250 GTO, the collection of Ferraris represented more than half a billion dollars worth of Pininfarina sheet metal and V12 engines.

Some of the more notable 250 GTOs present:

1961 Ferrari 250 GT Sperimentale, chassis 2643GT: This is regarded as the 250 GTO prototype, being the first Ferrari to combine the 250 SWB chassis and the race-spec 3.0L V12. The car raced at Le Mans in 1961 and at Daytona in 1962 with Stirling Moss behind the wheel.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 3223GT: This is the first official 250 GTO built. The car has several distinctive features including mis-matched headlights that were thrown on the car during a race at Daytona to help the drivers see the wall on the banking at night. This car was selected as the best in class.

1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, chassis 3705GT:This 250 GTO has one of the best racing histories, finishing first in class at the 1962 24 Hours of Le Mans, second overall. The car won every race it entered in 1965.

1964 Ferrari 250 GTO/64, chassis 5571GT:The first of three Series II 250 GTOs that features the lower and shorter Pininfarina body. The car raced at Sebring and Le Mans and was driven to victory at Daytona by Phil Hill.

You can see these 250 GTOs and the rest from the 50th anniversary celebration at Pebble Beach in the high-res gallery above.

Ferrari 250 GTO gathering takes over Pebble Beach

Concorso Italiano is a celebration of all things Italian. That means plenty of amazing cars, delicious food and drink, and good music. It’s mostly about the cars, though. Ferrari and Lamborghini dominated the lawn, but spectators are also able to enjoy dozens of Maseratis, De Tomasos, Alfa Romeos and Fiats.

Previous years of Concorso Italiano saw several changes of venue, but 2011 marked the third year that the show was hosted at the Laguna Seca Golf Ranch. That stability seems to have helped the event, and the organizers have started to figure out how to make things run smoothly. Parking was a breeze (for us, at least), and the organization of the cars was the best it’s been in several years.

The last two years of Concorso have featured gatherings of Ferrari supercars – 288 GTO in 2009 and F40 in 2010 – and this year an F50 reunion was announced. Unfortunately only three cars were in attendance, although one was the ultra-rare F50 GT.

Other features of this year’s Concorso Italiano included the 40th anniversary of the De Tomaso Pantera and a collection of original-condition and barn-find cars, our favorite being an aluminum-bodied 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB still in the same condition it was found after being stored since the early 1970s.

You can see those cars and more in our high-res gallery above.

2011 Concorso Italiano

Infiniti seems to think the world needs another seven-passenger, three-row luxury crossover. And their answer is the JX, first shown this evening in concept form in Pebble Beach before the production model debuts at the LA Auto Show this fall and sales begin in the spring of 2012.

We’re hardly enamored with the design, but its specs are sure to appeal to a certain subset of families looking for a premium alternative to a minivan or SUV. Infiniti claims class-leading interior space, with a second row that tilts and slides forward (up to five and half inches) to allow access to a rather commodious set of seats in the way, way back.

Although Infiniti is sticking with its “Inspired Performance” mantra, a V6 fitted with a CVT and sending power through either the front or all four wheels doesn’t strike us as particularly sporting. But where the JX should excel is in the features and safety department. In addition to the automaker’s Blind Spot Intervention, the JX will come equipped with a new Backup Collision Intervention system, which can detect objects when the crossover is reversing and automatically engage the brakes to avoid a crash.

Other amenities include a 14-speaker Bose stereo system, Infiniti Connection Telematics and the recently launched Personal Assistant program, which provides owners with 24-hour access to a team of living, breathing reps that can do everything from supplying navigation instructions to booking a hotel.

We’ll pass final judgement on the styling once we get an eyeful at tonight’s reveal, but judging by the shortened time frame between the concept and production model, this Shiro Nakamura design study should be incredibly close to what we’ll see in LA this November. Hit the jump for the full details.

UPDATED with live pics. It’s better in person… if just.

Continue reading Infiniti JX Concept shows off its polarizing shape in Monterey

Infiniti JX Concept shows off its polarizing shape in Monterey

Another day in Monterey, another debut from Lotus. Yesterday evening, the British sports car maker unveiled the stunning Evora GTE Road Car Concept, and earlier today pulled the wraps off the Exige Matte Black Final Edition, a special model reserved exclusively for the North American market.

This isn’t the first time that Lotus has introduced a market-specific Exige with a sinister paint scheme. Back in 2009, the company released the Exige Stealth for Japanese buyers and Exige Scura for European customers. While those cars had track-ready features like launch control and variable-slip traction control, the U.S. version is mostly an appearance package with the addition of black Alcantara seats and a slightly upgraded motor on top of the matte finish. Lotus collectors might be interested in the exclusiveness of the car, though, with just 25 slated for production.

You can view our live photos of the Lotus Exige Matte Black Final Edition in the high-res gallery above.

Lotus Exige Matte Black Final Edition makes stealthy debut

The world’s automakers have been steadily realizing the enormous potential of the Chinese market. Luxury automakers in particular, and no automaker offers more luxurious motor coaches than Rolls-Royce.

This year, the Chinese people celebrate the Year of the Dragon, so to celebrate along with them, Rolls-Royce is offering a special design edition of the Phantom and Phantom Extended Wheelbase models.

The special touches are crafted by the company’s expanding Bespoke division, and include such features as a gold-colored exterior coachline and an interior with dragons embroidered in four colors into the headrests, special inlay panels and throw cushions, bridged by LED illuminated door sills identifying the special edition. Have a closer look in the high-resolution image gallery and the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce celebrates Year of the Dragon with special Phantom line

Rolls-Royce celebrates Year of the Dragon with special Phantom line

A 7-Seater That Makes The Grass Look Greener

Let’s do a quick recap of famous people, places and things that bear the name Orlando. There is the hunky Hollywood star Orlando Bloom, the not-so-hunky actor Tony Orlando, and there was even a 1992 chick-flick entitled, you guessed it, Orlando. While the name doesn’t really imply anything uniquely Canadian, the new 2012 Chevrolet Orlando does because this is one Orlando that’s only available in Canada, at least within the confines of North America.

Even though the 2012 Chevrolet Orlando isn’t available in the U.S., it has been released worldwide under General Motors’ global strategy. The Global Delta platform was designed to be a mass-appeal front-wheel-drive vehicle, and the masses find it appealing if you go by how well the Cruze, which shares the platform, is selling.

Our sources say a U.S. team was involved with the Orlando project at one point, but pulled out last year, leaving nothing behind but the name selection. With the retro-styled Chevrolet HHR bowing out, the Orlando is slipping in as an MPV with current styling and contemporary features, and it also adds a third row to accommodate up to seven people. It sounded to us like a win on paper, and then we heard that a base Orlando LS would start at $19,995 CAD!

As a Canadian, let me explain why that’s worthy of an exclamation point. At current exchange rates, that equals $20,733 USD. However, Canadians always pay more for vehicles. If we use the departing Chevy HHR as an example, its base price is 8.5% less in the U.S. when the currencies are at par, which lets us guess that, were the seven-seat Orlando sold in the States, it would start at an impressive $18,295 USD.

Continue reading 2012 Chevrolet Orlando

2012 Chevrolet Orlando

Here it is, folks: the all-new 991 Porsche 911. Like nearly every 911 that came before it, the iconic coupe’s design has not changed too much, keeping the line’s classic styling and proportions intact. Aside from some new LED running lamps and revised air intakes up front and some thinner taillights out back, the 2012 model is extremely similar to the 997 911 currently out on the road.

The big changes, though, are more than skin-deep. The car is about two inches longer than the current 911, and features revised six-cylinder engines. The base Carrera now uses a 3.4-liter direct-injected flat-six, producing 350 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, while the Carrera S will use a direct-injected 3.8-liter unit, delivering 400 hp. Both engines will be mated to a seven-speed manual (yes, we said it) or PDK dual-clutch transmission, either of which can be had with launch control.

Inside, the 911’s cabin uses a design borrowed from the Panamera, with a more pronounced, downward-sloping center console. Like the exterior, nothing radical has been done to the car’s innards, and that’s just fine with us.

We’ll have the official details in the coming weeks in anticipation of the new 911’s official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Official 2012 Porsche 911 images spill onto the internet

Inside Line has released an ambitious list of what its editors consider to be the 100 greatest cars of all time. We’re constantly arguing about what the best cars of all time are here in the virtual halls of Autoblog HQ. And we hardly ever agree, but with a list of 100 vehicles, you’re bound to see most of the cars you want included somewhere. Where they land in the list, however, is what’s most clearly debatable.

For instance, does the 1992 Hummer H1 at 95 deserve to be ahead of the 1991 Ford Explorer at 99? Should the 1968 Toyota Corolla, which went on to become the best-selling nameplate ever, be a little higher than 83? What about the first V8-powered Corvette at 72 or the 1906 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost at 68, both behind the 2010 Porsche Panamera at 67? The 1941 Jeep MB didn’t even crack the top 50.

We’ve debated this list among the staff fairly extensively already – some Autobloggers are rather pleased with it, while others believe there are glaring holes (no 1948 Citroën 2CV or 1955 DS? 1956 Volvo Amazon? 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air? 1969 Dodge Daytona Charger? 1992 McLaren F1?). We won’t spoil any more spots for you and let you discover on your own what made Inside Line’s Top 100. After you look over the list, drop us a line in Comments to let your fellow readers know what you think about the list.

Inside Line attempts to name the 100 Greatest Cars of All Time… do you agree?

Fashionable Europeans demand a few staple accessories. Things like a Gucci bag, a Fiat 500 and a tiny quivering dog to put in both. Fiat may not be in the breeding business, but the first two came together when the Italian automaker teamed up with the Italian fashion house to come out with the Fiat 500 by Gucci.

Now available in both hatchback and convertible bodystyles, the Fiat 500 by Gucci is coming to America next month. That’s when it’s set to make its North American debut during New York Fashion Week. Following the fashionable retro mini’s debut, buyers can begin taking delivery of theirs starting in December.

The special edition is available in either white or black, and features such unique touches as Gucci’s green and red stripe, the brand’s signature logo on the b-pillar and double-G logo on the wheel hubs. The interior meanwhile is decked out in special embroidery and leather trim, all of which you can read about in further detail in the press release after the jump and scope out in the accompanying video footage and the high-resolution image gallery.

Continue reading Fiat 500 Gucci confirmed for American debut at NY Fashion Week [w/video]

Fiat 500 Gucci confirmed for American debut at NY Fashion Week [w/video]

The trusty Honda Fit hatchback was far and away the segment leader when the second-generation car arrived in late 2008. But since then, the B-segment has been a huge point of attention for many automakers, and as such, Honda’s all-star now has some pretty serious competition from the likes of the Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa and Mazda2, not to mention soon-to-be-released newcomers like the Cheverolt Sonic, Toyota Yaris and Kia Rio.

In an effort to keep the Fit fresh, Honda has, um, fitted it with some new standard equipment for 2012, as well as some minor styling tweaks. Sport models now get a new grille, black headlight bezels and a new finish for the 16-inch alloy wheels. The base Fit receives body-colored mirrors and a new wheel cover design. New standard features on the Fit Sport include steering wheel-mounted audio controls, as well as Bluetooth HandsFreeLink on navigation-equipped cars.

Under the hood, the Fit’s 1.5-liter inline-four carries on unchanged, producing 117 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque, mated to either a manual or automatic transmission, both of which are five-speed units. It’ll be another couple of years before the Fit’s all-new replacement arrives. Just in time, too – by then it’ll be the old dog in a segment of new pups. Follow the jump for Honda’s official release.

Continue reading Honda details updates to 2012 Fit hatchback

Honda details updates to 2012 Fit hatchback