Kia Soul This or That advertising spot – Click above to watch the video
You could get with this, or you could get with that. ‘This,’ in case you were wondering, would be the , and ‘that’ would be, um, anything else. Especially a toaster, washing machine or cardboard box… and we’ll leave those vehicular associations up to you to decipher.
Before you actually watch the video pasted , please know that our collective heads heads have officially exploded due to the sheer awesomeness of this effort from and its marketing firm. First of all, the clip features the from Kia’s initial marketing launch for the Soul, the first commercial of which managed to .
More importantly, as far as we’re concerned at least, is the use of Black Sheep’s The Choice is Yours as the musical accompaniment to the Alien Green Soul and its urban backdrop. Also note that the character’s so-called Hamstar clothing will soon be available for purchase by fans at . Seriously.
Expect to see this advertisement all over your television set and in movie theaters starting on Friday, May 28. That said, we highly suggest that you get the jump on everyone else and watch the video now. Seriously, what are you waiting for? .
It’s time to do your homework, kids. The blokes at have built a virtual representation of the personal playground. If you’ve got some time to kill, head on over to the site for a turn-by-turn breakdown of the UK show’s test track, including the elusive history of each corner’s name. The virtual track will even let you in on which gear you should be in for each section should you ever find yourself as a .
Even if you don’t see your acting career thrusting you the public consciousness anytime soon, there’s still a chance you’ll be able to have your way with the track. A rumor dusted up last month that claimed Polyphony Digital now holds the rights to test ground’s in-game representation, which means that should Gran Turismo 5 ever decide to drop into stores, the PlayStation universe will be breathing down the Stig’s neck.
TG’s virtual track also features a couple of other neat tricks, including a “Stig’s Eye View” that allows you see what the perfect line should look like. You can even pick whether you want to view the track through the windshield of an econobox or a genuine supercar.
More tech in your car? Oh, that’s inevitable. But automakers are trying to figure out the best way to implement it. There are two main architectures currently; tethered and embedded. SYNC is an example of a tethered tech-integration system that uses Bluetooth to connect to mobile devices consumers already own and carry with them. OnStar system is an embedded setup that builds the technology into the car. Going forward, the consensus seems to be that we’re going to see systems that combine elements of both.
A tethered system is typically less costly than an embedded alternative, and it works with equipment you already own and know how to use. Systems like Sync can extend the functionality of your gear and is an attractive option to tech-savvy consumers. The lower cost makes it possible to proliferate these kind of features into more models, instead of just being a high-end feature. However, embedded systems offer advantages of their own. With communications hardware built in to the vehicle, performance is more reliable, and safety can be enhanced by tying in to the vehicle’s crash sensors and stability control to automatically call for help if it detects a severe accident.
True to the cliche, it seems that the young’ins are more comfortable with tethered systems, while older generations prefer embedded systems. OnStar is already starting to do this, opening up the system in applications with a mobile app that lets drivers connect to their car even when they’re away from it. The future likely holds a system that combines aspects of both, enhancing safety, beating back obsolescence and drawing on the strength of each technology to deliver the best experience as cars continue to become more sophisticated.
Car & Driver has begun assembling pieces of fact and hypothesis to come up with a picture of the next-generation MkVII . Word is that a larger, edgier, lower and wider evolution of the bread-and-butter hatch will show up earlier than planned in order to make a better case for itself against an up-market Polo and to take advantage of cost savings.
The savings will come from the use of Group’s new modular platform, which could eventually be a workhorse for 60 different models throughout the company’s various brands. That would eliminate 16 of the current platforms it needs to use. Sixty might seem like a large number at first, but the new Golf is being prepped to fit new powerplants including electric and , and that will quickly add branches to the family tree.
The interior will be replete with tech as well, with “higher-quality materials” joining an eight-inchtouchscreen with iPad-like operability that controls navigation, audio, and Internet access. We’ve seen a prototype of VW’s GLORIA touchscreen system and it should be impressive. A note of caution, though: C/D starts the piece off with the note that VW CEO Martin Winterkorn wants to make VW bigger than Toyota. All we’ll say is we know what happened when Toyota wanted the top spot, so please, VW be careful.
Daniel Garcia’s Audi A9 Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery
From the front, high three-quarter angle, A9 concept is a little too reminiscent of BMW’s . Yet, as is the case with so many geniune Audis, get to know it a bit more and you discover its beautiful and original secrets. As a concept, it’s full of features like self-repairing panels and a pushbutton that changes the exterior color, but we have to admit we’re digging those electroluminescent, spoked wheels.
Better yet is the exterior, with its inviting proportions, conceivable enough that if someone told us this will be the 2016 we’d give them the benefit of the doubt. Have a better look at it in the gallery of high-res photos below, and we’ll hope that one of includes running a program that turns your A8 into this.
Eager to demonstrate that it hasn’t forgotten its “Ultimate Driving Machine” roots among all the front-drive city cars and crossover abominations, is rumored to be working on a new supercar to cap its lineup. Said to be a pet project of chief executive Norbert Reithofer, the tentatively-dubbed Z Spyder Stradale could serve as a successor to the Z8 roadster while demonstrating the company’s technologies in a new package.
Spyder Stradale was a name given to a special version of the ’40s-era 328 MM (similar to the Buegelfalte model recently ), and follows the likes of the and the in employing evocative Italian nomenclature to “sex up” the otherwise conventional alphanumeric nameplates typically used by the German automaker. The form, meanwhile, reportedly calls for a long hood, short rear deck and low-slung seating position – not unlike the production , then. Carbon fiber construction would figure large in the vehicle’s body panels, possibly including a two-piece retractable hard-top made of the lightweight woven material and active aerodynamics.
Power could come from a variety of sources – including a V8 or even rescuing the V10 engine from the outgoing – coupled to such Efficent Dynamics features as start/stop engine management, regenerative braking and even a mild hybrid system incorporating an electric motor into a dual-clutch transmission with as many as nine gears.
Sources suggest a debut in concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show next year, with a possible market introduction by 2014. This all sounds mighty promising, but with the current economic climate, we can’t help but wonder if the Spyder Stradale would be destined to serve strictly as a show car. Thanks for the tip, pshinmd!
For all the talk of heavyweight star power, in all but the most extreme cases, it is directors that have the most power on the set, not the celebrities. That’s apparently how it happens that Michael Bay has removed Megan Fox from Transformers 3, who is said to have insulted Bay at almost every chance she got, calling him Hitler, Napoleon, a “nightmare to work for,” and “hopelessly awkward.” Actually, that last comment she meant to be a compliment.
The official line is that Fox was cut because “giving Shia a new love interest makes more sense for the story.” If you buy that one of the most popular features of the franchise needed to be replaced – or that Sam Witwicky was looking for a hotter, more badass accomplice, well, we’ve got a few other things we’d like to sell you. We’ll wait to find out who Michael Bay’s got in mind to replace her, and who knows – casting hopefuls might be busy as we speak…
Roewe 350 with Android – Click above for image gallery
With the developer’s conference going on and about the and its Android-integrated smartphone app for the , there’s been a fair amount of virtual ink spilled over the search giant’s mobile software and its integration into automobiles.
However, Roewe has taken the biggest leap yet and .
The system, developed in conjunction with the Chinese automaker and Inkanet, employs a 3G internet connection through China Unicom to deliver everything from weather to stock market information, and connects to phones and other multimedia devices through either a cable or Bluetooth connection. As you’d expect, GPS and traffic data is integrated into the system, and users can make phone calls, along with sending and receiving emails and text messages. An on-screen QWERTY keyboard is incorporated into the custom user interface, and unlike some of the hack jobs we’ve seen on netbooks and vaporware tablets, it’s actually an attractive implementation of the Android operating system.
The whole package will set Chinese consumers back around $600-900 when it arrives later this year, and includes 24 months of free service through China Unicom. Check the gallery below for a walk through of its features.
Land Rover LRX spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
When the new hits the market, it’s goal is to change the way the world perceives . Unlike the rest of the marque’s range, the LRX isn’t likely to boast unbeatable off-road prowess with fuel-sucking power – quite the contrary, in fact. Land Rover has officially announced that in addition to the , a diesel hybrid version of the LRX will be on the road in 2013. These two new-to-Land Rover features should go a long way in broadening the brand’s attractiveness to new sets of buyers interested in smaller vehicles like the new LRX, though the move might risk alienating traditionalists, particularly if the model’s off-road ability is severely compromised. (Note: The LRX name still isn’t in the books yet, and to this day, Land Rover is referring to the crossover as the “all-new compact Range Rover”).
Near the end of this year, Land Rover will start testing its first diesel hybrid prototype, which has been dubbed “range_e.” This development vehicle, which rides on a Range Rover Sport platform, will use LR’s existing 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V6 and a ZF eight-speed automatic mated to an electric motor. The goal is to produce a powertrain that can achieve a range of around 20 miles solely on electric power, while emitting less than 100 g/km of CO2 emissions. A conventionally powered production-bodied LRX was already spotted testing just .
While this technology is still a few years away, Land Rover has assured us that the front-wheel-drive LRX will be available right away when the range launches next year. Never fear, though – Land Rover will still offer the LRX with an honest-to-goodness four-wheel drive system, and we look forward to getting both some on- and off-road time in the new baby Rover. The full details are available in LR’s press release available after the jump.
Gallery:
[Source: Land Rover Images: KGP Photography]
: Land Rover confirms hybrid and front-wheel-drive LRX models
2011 Ford Fiesta – Click above for high-res image gallery
Actually, the marketing campaign started well over a year ago with the Fiesta Movement social media effort. The primary advertising campaign is now moving into the more traditional print and broadcast areas as well as a new phase of the “Movement.” The first 60-second TV ad will air Tuesday night during American Idol and then spread to movie theaters to lead in the big summer blockbusters.
The more interesting aspect of the campaign will be the online webisodes that feature Fiesta Movement agents in short films. What’s not to like about to advertise a hip new car? Another webisode may be a play on last year’s Fiesta vs. Corvette comparison on Top Gear with the little Ford facing off against a Lamborghini this time.
The tag-line of the campaign will be “It’s a pretty big deal” referring to all of the features and equipment that are either standard or available in the Fiesta including the seven airbags, push-button start, heated leather seats, SYNC and especially the 40 mpg highway fuel economy. Ford is heavily promoting this as a premium small car rather than just a cheap, small car. One of the print ads features a comparison of the air bag count as compared to the .
In spite of that premium feel, Ford is still promoting value although not necessarily the way they have in the past with a low-ball entry level price. Instead, the hatchback Fiesta, which starts at just over $15,700, is being pitched against the Honda Fit Sport.
With down-sizers, urban dwellers and younger buyers being the primary target market a big part of the campaign will also involve ad buys on urban and adult contemporary radio stations as cable channels like BET. .
Back in January, announced that OnStar would to be used in conjunction with the . The app allows owners to keep track of charge status, remotely lock and unlock the vehicle, along with providing diagnostic reports and a host of other features.
Last week, reports surfaced that about implementing the search giant’s Android mobile operating system into its vehicles, and while that may still come to fruition, GM’s announcement tonight is far less dramatic.
The app that GM demonstrated on Android-powered headsets earlier this year will now be available with a “navigation” tab that ingrates with OnStar to provide turn-by-turn, voice-guided directions, along with vehicle location (think: finding your Volt in a parking lot) and allowing users to perform voice searches through their Droid, Incredible or other Android smartphone.
While tapping Google’s massive location-aware search is an important inclusion, it’s less than revolutionary, particularly when is in the . Furthermore, GM says that the new functionality won’t be available on the Volt app at launch, but will be rolled out in the 2.0 version of the software. So if you’re keeping track, we’re talking about a yet-to-be-released feature for a yet-to-be-released car. Make the jump for the full details.
24 Hours of Nurburging – Click above for high-res image gallery
The 24 Hours of Nürburgring took place this weekend with an enormous starting field of over 200 cars. The enduro features a huge array of classes, including GT2, GT3 and touring cars, with everything from to and even a battling through the Green Hell through the day and night. The race is run over a combined course of the legendary Nordschliefe and the modern Grand Prix circuit for a total of 15.8 miles, and with only 36 pits available, up to eight cars must share each pit, so plenty of coordination is needed. Read on after the jump to read what happened after the green flag fell.
As usual, has used this year’s annual GTI meetup in Wörthersee, Austria to unveil new special variants of the sporty Golf. Of the two cars revealed today, the Golf GTI Adidas (above) will go on sale in Europe next month while the GTI Excessive shall remain a concept.
The Adidas is a three-door GTI that carries the name of the famous German sportswear brand. The only exterior differences are small Adidas badges on the B-pillars and unique 10-spoke alloy wheels. On the inside, the usual GTI plaid upholstery has been supplanted by a black finish with red side bolsters and the Adidas triple stripe down the middle. Cars equipped with the DSG dual-clutch gearbox also get an old-school shift knob with golf ball texturing.
The GTI Excessive (of which no images are available yet, we’re working on it) features a series of new motorsports inspired exterior parts all finished in a high-gloss piano black. The distinguishing feature of these components, which may yet find their way into the automaker’s aftermarket catalog, is razor edge creases.
BMW 1 series M prototype – Click above for high-res image gallery
It seems every time we catch a glimpse of upcoming high performance , more details are revealed. Up until now, all of the and have had only two exhaust pipes. In contrast, the newest car to get caught on camera now has four pipes. Why is this significant? Because four pipes are one of the characteristic features of all M models.
This four-piped addition seems to indicate that this car will, in fact, earn that coveted M badge. We still don’t know exactly what the widebody 1 will be called, of course, and we are leaning toward 1 Series M, something such as 1xx M (as in 140 M) is not out of the question.
If this mystery car is a 1xx M, we would expect the higher output engine to get a designation correspondingly higher than the current top 135 in keeping with BMW’s sort-of-power-related naming convention. We still don’t know when this car will debut, but sometime during the next auto show season seems probable.
Infiniti FX Limited Edition and the Bell & Ross BR03-92 Instrument Phantom Infiniti – Click above for high-res image gallery
Think of automotive brands associated with aviation, and what comes to mind? and first and foremost (which may or may not be coincidental since the two are now under common ownership). Maybe , , and Fuji Heavy Industries (makers of vehicles)… but would be a bit of a stretch. In the watchmaking sphere, Bell & Ross are synonymous with aviation, known as they are for producing timepieces designed after airplane instruments. Now the two brands have teamed up for a very limited edition wristwatch.
Complimenting the recently released (and almost already sold out) in Europe, only 100 examples of the BR03-92 Instrument Phantom Infiniti wristwatch will be produced, available only through Infiniti Centres in Europe. The timepiece features a 42-millimeter case coated in black carbon powder, black dial and purple accents, supposedly in compliment of Infiniti’s brand color. (News to us.) Each example will be individually numbered and fetches a princely sum of £2,809.97 in the UK, equivalent to $4,145. Details in the press release after the jump.
The engineers in Stuttgart are hard at work prepping the next-generation , which should launch next year as a 2012 model. The smallest offering from doesn’t look all that far from being show-worthy either, which leads us to believe that the SLK could possibly make an appearance at the Paris Motor Show later this year.
Details on the new SLK are slim, but rumor has it that an is in the works for the AMG-badged roadster, producing somewhere in the area of 476 horsepower. That’s pretty insane, especially considering that the current (and already potent) SLK55 AMG makes due with just 355 horses.
Obviously, the refreshed exterior design takes a lot of cues from the Big Daddy supercar, but new interior spy shots show that the updated cockpit will also be more akin to the Gullwing, as well. Note that the center stack features the Command head-unit integrated into the flat dash, with the radio and HVAC controls placed on a separate console below. We like what we see, especially since the current SLK interior is rather drab – not nearly as nice as what you’ll find in the new .
Scroll through the gallery below to see new spy shots of the next-generation SLK from all angles.
Porsche Tequipment – Click above for high-res image gallery
For those fans who were unable to acquire a , of which only 250 were built, Stuttgart is now offering some of the bits that make up the Sport Classic car on an à la carte basis. Among the most popular items are likely to be the Fuchs wheels that feature the classic five-spoke design used from 1966 until the early-1980s. The wheels come in 8.5×19 front and 11.5×19 rear sizes.
Those who bought a Porsche (except the 911 Turbo) in the last couple of years with the dual clutch PDK gearbox can now also get the turbo steering wheel retrofitted to their car. The non-turbo steering wheels all had spoke-mounted toggle switch shifters. The Turbo wheel features racing-style metal paddles mounted on the back of the wheel.
While the paddle shift wheel is only visible to the driver, owners of a 997 series 911 can share in Porsche’s racing heritage on the outside as well. A new and makes new 911s look like the racers from the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. All of these parts are available in Europe now and should be offered Stateside soon.
Clay Dean runs through the finer points of the CTS-V Sport Wagon – Click above to watch video
We have no idea how it’ll fare when it goes on sale, but we enjoy imagining the day when we start seeing the on the streets. Since that’s still a ways off, for now we’ll be happy getting our next fix from Design Director Clay Dean, who takes us on a walk around the hottest wagon that isn’t named “E63.” Perhaps the most useful thing about it is that it gives us otherfeatures to talk about besides the engine – not that we’ll ever really talk about them, but at least we know they’re there. for the walk-around.
is set to descend on the yearly Audi/Volkswagen meet up in Worthersee, Austria with a pair of reworked GTI hatches. First up is a collaboration with Adidas that features a rash of aesthetic changes, including new wheels and sports seats. You’ll also find the stock headlights and tail lights swapped out in favor of the trick hardware found on the . VW says that it will push 4,410 examples of the Adidas-branded GTI via European dealers.
Then there’s the Golf Excessive Edition. As far as we can tell, the company hasn’t bothered to breathe on the stock turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Instead, VW has a wider track with bodywork to match. Throw in a reworked set of springs, bigger brakes and a free-breathing exhaust and you’ve got a recipe for getting us all hot and bothered.
VW hasn’t released any photos of the Golf Excessive Edition just yet, so we’ll have to wait until the Worthersee event kicks off next week to lay our eyes on the creation. Stay tuned. In the mean time for the translated press release.
If we’re playing the odds game, chances are you don’t own a . It’s okay. Neither do we. At the same time, there’s a good possibility that there’s either an or iPod touch on your person as you read this, which means you can now come a little closer to the dream of Ghost ownership via a brand-new app from Rolls-Royce. The company has answered the call of the masses by providing the world with a mobile Ghost . Now you can wow your friends and waste time by flipping through the myriad of options that go into building your very own Rolls.
The app also features a few other goodies. For one, you can flip through a selection of Ghost photos and watch a few clips of the car as it oozes luxury all over the country side. There’s even a specifications section for the tech-minded out there, and the app will also help you find the closest Rolls-Royce dealer. You can pick it up from the Apple App Store completely free of charge. for the press blast.
