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Autopia has brought a healthy dose of skepticism to the claims that Tesla will be delivering the Model S sedan to customers by 2012. Wired’s automotive wing unearthed a report by the Downey Patriot that says that if the electric car manufacturer wants to use the property it has been eying in Downey, California, it will need to get on the ball in a hurry.

The report claims that in order for Tesla to renovate the structures located on the 51-acre tract of land to suit its needs, the company will need to have construction crews work 20-hours a day, five-days a week. Even at that pace, it will take close to 18 months to get everything ready in time.

That’s just a year and a half to work out kinks like prepping buildings, installing tooling and firing up an assembly line. A spokesperson from Tesla says the 20-hour a day work schedule is a worst-case scenario, and that the company believes its goals are more than obtainable.

Right now, however, the company has yet to make a formal decision on where exactly it will build its manufacturing facility, and time is ticking. And even after that, Tesla still needs to prove it can sell its all-electric sedan at a profit.

[Source: Wired's Autopia]

Tesla Model S factory plan timeline unrealistic?

We’ve wrapped up our Beijing Motor Show coverage as April closes and May begins, signaling the end of the major international auto show season. We’ll have a spring and summer full of concours, racing, meets, exhibitions and more to keep us busy though until the new car reveals pick up again in October at the Paris Motor Show.

This month racing fans will be busy with Formula 1 action from Spain and the legendary Grand Prix de Monaco. NASCAR stops at Richmond, Darlington and Dover before the two-week extravaganza that leads up to the Coca-Cola 600. IndyCar starts off with the Road Runner 300 from Kansas City, but the month of May means only one thing to open-wheel fans – The Indy 500.

The ALMS guys and gals head to Monterey for their annual crack at the corkscrew of Laguna Seca. WRC fans can see action from New Zealand and Portugal, while Rally America stages the Oregon Trail Rally. The NHRA schedule finds the Southern Nationals in Atlanta and the Summer Nationals in Topeka following the conclusion of the Midwest Nationals that start at the end of April.

Other racing action in May includes the Speedfest at the Classic Motorsports at the Mitty at Road Atlanta, Jefferson 500 at Summit Point, Historic Grand Prix of Monaco, Portland AHRMA Classic, SCCA Pro Racing at NJMP, SVRA Spring Vintage Weekend, 20th Annual Vintage Racing Celebration at NHMSNew Jersey Vintage Grand Prix and Family Festival, and the Olthoff Racing VIR Track Day with the SVT Cobra Mustang Club.

May auctions include two biggies – The RM Auctions Sporting Classics of Monaco and the Mecum Spring Classic.

Concours, meets and shows are beginning to fill out the calendar again as the weather improves and May is the month for the Newport Concours as well as Keels and Wheels, All-AMC Show in Gettysburg, Britfest 2010, Long Island Car Show, Pindar Vineyards – Run Out East, The Petersen Museum Discovery Days: Pop-up Greeting Cards, East Coast Boardwalk National Car Show, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering, MOPARS in May, Meguiar’s Orange County Get-Together, Saratoga Automobile Museum Spring Invitational and Auto Show, Marin Sonoma Concours d’Elegance, and Micro/Mini Car Cruise – Bear Mountain Silver Mine Roundup among many others.

If none of those events appeal to you, check out our Google Calendar after the jump for even more listings, all with detailed info and links. And please don’t forget to use the comments section to add or modify listings.

Continue reading Event Alert: May 2010 Calendar of Automotive Events

Event Alert: May 2010 Calendar of Automotive Events

Say it ain’t so! How could Harley-Davidson’s main manufacturing base be anywhere but Milwaukee, Wisconsin? It would be like a Toledo without Jeep (or Tony Packo’s), Detroit without General Motors. A Gotham without Batman. In other words, inconceivable!

But here we are anyway, with The Motor Company reporting that it is considering its options at both its powertrain operations in Milwaukee and at its Tomahawk, Wisconsin plant. Why? Simple: money. According to H-D, it could save millions of dollars per year by changing locations due to reduced costs associated with labor contracts and scheduling flexibilities. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, though, has pledged to do whatever necessary to keep Harley right where it’s at.

Of course, it seems more likely that Harley-Davidson is using these rumors as a tactic to get the upper-hand on the upcoming union negotiations. Still, with the brand’s very survival on the line, anything seems possible – up to and including the (very remote, we’d guess) threat that H-D motorcycles could be manufactured overseas. Stay tuned.

[Source: The Associated Press via The Kneeslider]

Rumormill: Harley-Davidson considering move away from Milwaukee?

The FIA GT1 World Championship just kicked off its inaugural season since its organizing body, SRO, split the former FIA GT Championship into separate series for the GT1 and GT2 classes. Already, manufacturers are lining up to participate.

At the opening round of the new series, six different vehicles were on the grid, including the Nissan GT-R, Corvette C6.R, Lamborghini Murcielago R-SV, Matech Ford GT, Aston Martin DBR9 and Maserati MC12. But if the latest reports become reality, that impressive lineup could see a new challenger from a decidedly more niche manufacturer.

According to some reports, Veritas is preparing a fixed-roof GT1-spec version of its RS III supercar – complete with BMW-sourced V10 – for participation in the series. The reports emanate from the Top Marques show in Monaco, where the automaker reportedly indicated its racing ambitions. If Veritas gets its act together on time, they could be joining the series mid-season as soon as the Nurburgring round this coming July.

[Source: Motorpasion - translated]

Veritas RS III to join FIA GT1 World Championship?

Civil engineers in Mexico are in the midst of an ambitious project to span the infamous Devil’s Backbone. Until now, if you wanted to cross the twisted span of the Sierra Madre that separates Durango from the coastal city of Mazaltan, you had to either take an eight-hour detour that circumnavigated the mountains or risk life and limb by tackling the dirt road that snakes through drug country. When the project wraps up in 2012, drivers will be able to hop over the mountains in a mere two and a half hours.

To make it happen, workers will have to carve a total of 63 tunnels through some 11 miles of stone. They’ll also have to raise 32 bridges, including one that will become the second highest span in the world. Work on the road officially kicked off in 2005, though crews just got started cutting their way through the Devil’s Backbone last year. Workers have already begun digging the longest tunnel – a 1.6 mile behemoth.

Mexico has a lot riding on the road. The land between Durango and Mazaltan has been difficult to access in the past, and as a result, there have been few jobs. Most local citizens have turned to the drug trade for work in one aspect or another, and the area has become one of the country’s largest producers of marijuana and opium. With the new highway in place, federal officials are hoping both tourism and industry will flow into the area and supplant drug-based jobs with higher-earning options.

[Source: USA Today Image: Google Maps]

Mexico paving Devil’s Backbone, adding 63 tunnels and 32 bridges

This whole recession thing has been good to Kia. Buyers have skidded away from high-riding luxury barges faster than cockroaches from a kitchen light and right into the loving arms of the Korean automaker’s well-equipped, smartly priced, and newly competent products. As a result, the company has reportedly seen its net profits quadruple in the first three months of this year. Kia managed to rake in a total of $358 million dollars from January to March, compared to $88.2 million during the same period in 2009.

Much of the boost came from the fact that the company’s global sales have exploded this year thanks in part to the new Sorento, Forte and Forte Koup. Kia moved 474,635 vehicles during the first-quarter of 2010 – more than 65 percent more than during the first-quarter of 2009.

[Source: Associated Press Image: Jung Yeon-Je/Getty]

Report: Kia Motors first-quarter profit quadruples

If you believe the rumors dusting up from L’Automobile Magazine, Nissan may be borrowing more than a small engine from Daimler. The French site is reporting that the two companies could be looking into sharing an entire platform in order to create a new Infiniti-badged CUV. If our Google translator is to be believed, the French site claims that Infiniti will be getting its paws on the next Mercedes-Benz A/B Class in order to build a new DX model destined to slot below the current EX.

The move would put Infiniti into the CUV fray with fighters like the BMW X1 and Audi Q3 if it came to fruition. Right now, that’s a big if. As far as we know, Infiniti hasn’t said word one about building a smaller crossover, even if it would help the brand gain traction in the notoriously truck-averse European market, and it already sells the EX, itself a rather smallish entrant (that looks suspiciously like the rendering excerpted at right). L’Automobile Magazine says the move is currently under consideration by both Renault-Nissan and Daimler, but we wouldn’t exactly hold our breath for a new pint-sized Infiniti.

[Source: L'Automobile Magazine]

Rumormill: Infiniti to offer entry-level CUV based on Benz A/B Class

Ford has announced a recall of some 33,000 vehicles due to faulty front seat manual reclining mechanisms. The recall affects certain 2010 Ford Fusion, Explorer and Explorer SportTrac models, as well as 2010 Mercury Mountaineer and Milan vehicles. Both the Blue Oval and NHTSA are concerned that during an accident the mechanisms could fail and cause the back of the seat to move toward the rear of the vehicle, resulting in a possible injury.

While no injuries have been reported as a result of the defect, NHTSA found that the seats don’t meet federal standards for head restraints and must be replaced. Ford will replace the hardware free of charge. For more information, visit the NHTSA web site.

[Source: AP]

Ford recalling 33,000 vehicles to replace… seat recliner?

The BMW 1 Series M is getting ever closer to production, and what appears to be a real production prototype has made its first appearance at the “Green Hell.” The previously seen tacked-on rear fender flares of the previous mules have been discarded in favor of enhanced sheet metal. All of the metal from the side character line is covered in the standard-issue BMW swirly prototype wrap. Based on the new nose, this car has some serious air ingestion requirements as evidenced by the large openings below the bumper.

Within the wheels, the BMW engineers have wasted none of the available space, filling the fronts with as much brake hardware as could be squeezed in with only slightly less going into the back corners.

If the production car sounds like what we hear in the video after the jump, driving this 1 M/M1/135is/whatever will be a glorious audio experience. Tip of the hat to Luis!

[Source: 1addicts.com]

Continue reading Video: BMW 1 Series M prototype makes an appearance at the ‘Ring

Video: BMW 1 Series M prototype makes an appearance at the ‘Ring

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. And then again. That could very well sum up Volkswagen’s strategy with its quizzical Phaeton. The flagship sedan – which took “the people’s car” up-market into Mercedes S-Class territory – was introduced in 2003, then underwent a facelift in 2009 and has now undergone yet another.

The most immediately evident change is the new front end, bearing LED running lights and the brand’s ubiquitous new grille. But that’s not the end of the changes to the Phaeton for MY2011. As befits a car in this category, the Phaeton comes packed with tech, including Google Maps-enabled sat-nav, variable headlights, road sign recognition and a four-zone climate control system, all interconnected by some two miles worth of cable.

Buyers can choose from standard wheelbase or long, four (adjustable) seats or five, four engines (diesel six and gasoline six, eight or twelve)… the list goes on, but they’re all driven through VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive system. Most pertinently, the new Phaeton is anticipated to mark the model’s return to the North American market to take on another humble-badged full-size luxury sedan in the Hyundai Equus, never mind the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Jaguar XJ, Lexus LS…well, you get the point. Read all about it in the press release after the jump and check out the images in the gallery below.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Third Time’s a Charm: Volkswagen unveils 2011 Phaeton in Beijing

Third Time’s a Charm: Volkswagen unveils 2011 Phaeton in Beijing

Rumor has it Volkswagen is mulling a two-wheel drive version of the Touareg. Whispers are buzzing around the francophone site L’Automobile that the company is considering dropping power to the front wheels in order to create a Touareg 2Motion. Why? If our Google translator is to be believed, Volkswagen is hoping to trim some weight and cost from its SUV while upping the vehicle’s fuel efficiency at the same time.

The site quotes an unnamed member of the truck’s development team as saying it would be relatively easy to make the Touareg a rear-wheel drive vehicle. What’s more, a less-expensive VW SUV would likely appeal to the American masses. The Touareg currently carries a base MSRP of around $40,850, so some reduction in price for the two-wheel drive variant is all but assured.

L’Automobile doesn’t make mention of when the Touareg 2Motion will come to market, though the current feeling is that it won’t be until well past 2012, if at all. It would make sense to see VW offer a RWD version, though, especially when equipped with the upcoming hybrid drivetrain.

[Source: L'Automobile]

VW planning frugal-minded Touareg 2Motion?

Our brethren over at AOL Autos have just launched a new video series called Translogic. Hosted by the always-effervescent Bradley Hasemeyer, who we’re convinced is somehow related to J.D. Roth, and the equally bubbly Caitlin Thompson, Translogic’s goal is to introduce viewers to the cool, techy side of transportation in four weekly installments that add up to one mondo episode per month. You’ll also be able to subscribe to the larger monthly episodes in iTunes once they complete the first four installments.

They’ve already released episodes 1.1 and 1.2, which you can view over at the Translogic website. In the duo’s first two outings, Bradley and Caitlin visit Tesla, get a ride in an Ariel Atom (we know what that’s like), talk to the man behind the Velozzi turbine-powered green supercar, and explore one of our all-time favorite topics: jet packs.

Head on over to check them out and let us know what you think in the comments. The AOL Autos team reads Autoblog everyday just like you and would appreciate some thoughtful suggestions from the community on how to keep improving Translogic.

[Source: Translogic]

AOL Autos launches Translogic

Between the emergence of the M3 GTS and the Competition Package – to say nothing of the new 335is – there’s been plenty of news for fans of BMW’s performance-oriented 3 Series. Unfortunately, not all of it is good, as reports indicate that the Bavarian automaker is looking to discontinue the four-door M3 sedan.

Although the current M3 sedan looks poised to continue through to the end of its current lifecycle, sources suggest that the next-gen M3 will remain a two-door (coupe and convertible) affair only. The reason has apparently been cited as lagging sales for the V8 super-sedan, which was highly demanded by American buyers in the previous generation but has failed to live up to its potential in the marketplace. So if you’ve been eying that M3 sedan on the local dealer’s lot but were waiting to see what the next model would bring, now may be the time, hombre.

[Source: BimmerFile via eGMCarTech]

Report: BMW M3 Sedan may not live to see another generation

Fair is fair. If North American buyers will have the option of equipping their Chevrolet Cruze with the RS sports package – unveiled just a couple of weeks ago at the New York Auto Show – when it finally comes home to roost, don’t the Europeans deserve a little something to? After all, they’ve had the Cruze on the market there for a while. So to keep them interested, General Motors’ European operations have teamed up with tuning house Irmscher for a sporty little number of their own.

Irmscher has fitted the Cruze with a 25-mm lowered suspension, a rear spoiler and a set of nifty looking 18-inch turbine-style alloys. But the real news is the car’s freer-flowing exhaust system that gives the 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine a 36-horsepower boost to bring output up to 186hp and the 0-62 mph sprint down to eight seconds flat.

Best of all – for German customers, at least – the Cruze Irmscher Edition can be ordered directly from their Chevrolet dealers. The package was unveiled at the AMI show in Leipzig, Germany.

[Source: CarScoop]

Cruze RS, Euro style: Chevrolet unveils Irmscher Edition at AMI Leipzig

We all know by now that no matter what the law dictates, those with an interest not in-line with the law will do what they can to work, shall we say, around the law. Wisconsin is said to have one of the highest rates of DUIs and binge drinking, and that probably has something to do with the state’s beer culture. Kids under the age of 21 can drink in public if they’re with a parent or legal guardian, and when you get your first DUI – at any age – it’s treated as a traffic violation, not a criminal act.

Why is that allowed to continue? The theory goes something like this: State legislators are the same kinds of hard drinkers as the general populace and they don’t want to get worked over for DUIs. Said a University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin professor, “There is a live hard, play hard, cut corners, get away with anything you can culture in the Legislature. Driving drunk is just part of a larger political culture of getting away with anything you can.”

Case in point: State rep Jef Wood has been busted three times in less than a year, and plans to defend himself in part by establishing the well populated history of assemblymen caught drunk behind the wheel. That makes it sound like things aren’t going to change any time soon. And makes us think there’s a little bit more going on in those flyover states than one would imagine…

[Source: AP]

Report: Brewery-heavy Wisconsin not exactly eager to punish drunk drivers

Before we say anything at all about the Sony RDP-NWV500 speaker system, please allow us to get this sentiment off our collective chests: Why? There are precious few automobiles on the road these days featuring sound systems that lack the ability to attach a portable MP3 player, and even if your current car doesn’t have one, you could always just get an integrated replacement unit that does.

With that established, let’s take an look at Sony’s utterly mystifying new cupholder speaker system. It boasts 16 watts of power and reportedly pumps out 360-degree sound from its 56-mm woofer and 20-mm tweeter. The unit is designed to fit into a standard cupholder and draws its power from your car’s 12-volt accessory socket.

Of course, if you do choose to go the route of the Sony Sound Mug, you could always remove your car’s stereo system entirely and add a bunch more cupholders. Click past the break for a video plus one more image.

[Source: Sony via Engadget]

Continue reading Sony Sound Mug fits your car’s cupholders, but why? [w/video]

Sony Sound Mug fits your car’s cupholders, but why? [w/video]

Particularly astute (and Alfa-fanatical) readers may have noticed something missing from the Geneva Motor Show last month. With Alfa Romeo celebrating its centenary this year, the stoic Italian brand was reported to be commissioning three of Italy’s finest design studios to produce concept cars for the brand. But cool though they were, only two showed up at the Geneva Palexpo: the Pininfarina 2uettottanta and the Bertone Pandion. We chalked it up to an error in the initial reports, but now it seems like we’ve discovered what happened to the third.

According to reports, Zagato – not ItalDesign Giugiaro – will be rolling in to the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este this year with an Alfa Romeo concept of their own. Reportedly named the TZ3 Corsa, it follows the path of the original TZ1 and TZ2 (pictured above) which Zagato built on the basis of the old Alfa Giulia. Sources say it’s made up of a carbon-fiber frame, with the 4.7-liter V8 from the 8C Competizione providing motivation.

If it looks half as good as the Perana Z-One (and twice as nice as the less fortunate Ferrari 550 GTZ Barchetta), we could have a real stunner on our hands. We have a feeling we won’t mind the wait.

[Source: OmniAuto.it (translated) Image: Brian Snelson via CC2.0]

Zagato reportedly to unveil new Alfa Romeo TZ3 Corsa concept at Villa d’Este

It probably could have been foreseen that an erupting volcano in Iceland would be an irresistible lure for Top Gear. The smell of lava in the gave James May, Jeremy Clarkson, and Richard Hammond the urge to outfit a vehicle and drive from Reykjavik to the top of the caldera. Specifically, rather, it gave them the urge to get a vehicle outfitted by Arctic Trucks to make the attempt.

The Google oneline translating team has left us a bit in the dark on this one, but aside from installing a cold water system to keep the tires cool, it doesn’t appear much else was done to the truck. Any of you Icelanders out there, feel free to fill us in. And for the rest of you – and us! – at least we have one segment to look forward to in the coming season. Hat tip to Baldur!

[Source: MBL.is (translated) Image: Daniel Örn - CC 2.0]

Report: Top Gear seen filming segment on erupting Icelandic volcano

As you may have guessed by now, we’re very excited over the prospect of a reinViggenated reinvigorated Saab. Our thinking is, now that Trollhattan is free of General Motors, it will get back to the business of making niche three- and five-door hatches coveted by post-grad Ivy League types with mega-potent turbos blowing into longitudinal, slanty I-4s spinning the front wheels. Even if our entire Saabian wish list isn’t fulfilled, a fully independent Saab can only result in better focused cars. For instance, the 9-7X SUV will stay dead and buried.

Of course, even if the 9-7X was something of an abomination, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t Saabophiles out there that seek the all-weatherness of all-wheel drive combined with a lot of cargo hauling capability. While we suggest those people first seek out a Volvo C303, Saab’s thinking different. Badly translated reports are fluttering that not only is Saab building a 9-5X (Saab chose to brand their AWD vehicles with XWD, or “Cross-Wheel Drive” – a fancy way of saying Haldex version 4.0) that will presumably be a performance variant, but they’re also apparently set to build a XWD-equipped 9-5X SportCombi (station wagon) that will do battle with up-armored station wagons like the Audi Allroad and Volvo XC70.

The 9-5X SportCombi will be separate from the apparently still forthcoming Saab 9-4X, an actual SUV-looking CUV built on the same platform as the Cadillac SRX. It looks as if the 9-4X will be the only new Saab product not built in Sweden. One more little tidbit: As Saab wrestles itself back to its former glory, they might just be dropping the hyphenated names. Meaning that the next 9-3 might actually be billed as the Saab 93, and that this whole time we’ve been talking about the new 95X. Time will tell.

[Source: Autoweek.nl]

Saab planning XWD-equipped 9-5X wagon?

Back in the fall, General Motors was desperate to sell Saab to just about anyone with a few hundred million dollars and (hopefully) some car-making knowledge. Chinese automaker BAIC repeatedly came up as a potential bidder for the company, but in the end it appeared China’s fifth largest automaker was only interested in buying up some aging pieces (see: outgoing Saab 9-3 and 9-5) of the Swedish automaker. Dutch specialty car maker Spyker eventually picked up Saab for a song, but it appears the ultra luxury car maker could have a very interested donor from the home of the Great Wall.

The Associated Press reports that BAIC CEO Wang Dazong told Swedish business daily Dagens Industri that his company has “a durable interest in deepening our partnership with Saab and we are ready to invest in the company.” BAIC had even already reportedly signed a contract to begin selling Saab models through its dealer network in China.

We’re not sure why BAIC wasn’t able to reach a deal with GM to purchase Saab, but it appears the Chinese automaker is still very interested in deepening its ties with the Swedish automaker now that The General is out of the picture. And if Saab wants to increase sales by 120,000 and make a profit by 2012, we’re thinking added exposure to the quickly expanding China market could be a very good thing.

[Source: Associated Press]

Report: Chinese automaker BAIC looking to invest in Saab