, or rather SRT (we’re still getting used to it being its own brand), has been busy that will be unveiled at the in April, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely done flaunting the performance capabilities of the old model. Only a few short months ago, SRT released a video of the for a production car with a time of 7:12.13, taking the title away from the .
Now the Viper Club of America has released a new video of the race-only tackling the Green Hell, and the result is even more impressive. The V10-powered spec racer lapped the circuit in just 7:03.058, more than nine seconds quicker than its roadgoing brother. It makes us wonder when we’ll start seeing six-minute lap times at the Nürburgring.
You can see a video of the impressive lap , including real-time stats like g-force and downforce included in the footage.
We may think of as an American brand – and indeed it is – but of all the divisions that have come and gone over the years, Jeep is arguably the best established. So when the doors open in a couple of weeks at the , the iconic off-road brand will have a few new model variants to show potential European customers.
First up is the unique pictured above. Labeled a “production-intent sports concept,” it’s similar to the released in Houston and Washington late last month, but instead of the Darth Vader look, Jeep has taken more of a Storm Trooper approach with the European version, and also fitted it with the 3.0-liter common-rail diesel V6 with Multijet II technology borrowed from corporate cousin .
The murdered-out look is reserved here for the special , also dubbed “production-intent.” With the grille, lighting surrounds, roof rails and 18-inch wheels all blacked out, the smaller of Jeeps has a sinister look.
Finally, Jeep is using the occasion of the Swiss expo for the European launch of the Mountain edition, which mirrors Stateside with a black hood and fuel cap, dark grey wheels and grille and five color choices including the bright green pictured. for full details and scope out the high-res images in the gallery for a closer look.
It’s been seen by millions of viewers on television and the internet, it’s been on both sides of the aisle and it’s been . And, according to YouTube, staring Clint Eastwood has been named the top Super Bowl car commercial of 2012.
For those keeping track of such things, Chrysler’s commercial has over 10.5 million views on YouTube, though we do feel the need to remind everyone that the video was , which we’d imagine is one of the highest traffic times for such advertisements.
The only other commercial from an automotive company that made YouTube’s top five Super Bowl commercials was – itself controversial due to before it aired on the worldwide stage.
The number one ad, you ask? That would be M&M’s “Just My Shell” commercial. Guess there really is no accounting for taste… we prefer our M&Ms to be green, just like everyone else. Feel free to watch Chrysler’s winning ad one more time .
The first example of a given model to roll of the production line is called “Job One,” and the is celebrating just that for its : A seven-seater crossover in Emerald Green – mated with its 265-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 from Decherd, TN – has rolled off the production line. Infiniti expects numerous JXs behind it to be the second most popular model in the company’s lineup, bested only by the , and range.
The $41,400 (including $950 destination) three-row crossover and its liberal suite of configurations and technologies goes on sale in March, but you can or right now. There’s also a press release with more details.
With all the news coming out recently about the over the , readers may have forgotten the name behind a long-running legal issue over Toyota’s hybrid system: . The latest development is that Paice and the Abell Foundation (an investor in Paice) have sued and over the gas-electric technology used in the and hybrids (pictured), which shares some parts with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive. Read up on the details of Alex Severinsky’s story .
According to Automotive News, Paice claims that Hyundai and Kia should have known that was dealing with legal issues – especially since Paice has been contacting Hyundai about the issue – and says that the Korean automakers are infringing upon three patents that Paice owns. Toyota and Paice settled their case in 2010 after eight years, during which time the Toyota’s request to dismiss the case. Toyota eventually paid royalties to Paice for the , Hybrid and models it sold.
that we couldn’t even find a picture of the U.S. Army’s Clandestine Extended Range Vehicle (CERV), but times have changed.
At the 2012 , the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) displayed the CERV, which uses a diesel-hybrid “” powertrain from that Quantum says, “saves taxpayer dollars and – most importantly – saves Soldiers’ lives.”
With a top speed of 80 miles per hour and a “run-silent” range of eight miles (we assume this means all-electric range), the CERV prototype can produce over 5,000 pound-feet of torque and go up hills with up to 60-percent grades. It does all this while using 25 percent less fuel, which is critical when you have to to use the stuff in theater.
The Army says that . In World War II, it was one gallon a day.
That’s what watchers of California-based automaker are trying to figure out after the maker of the Karma plug-in luxury sedan about 65 workers and contractors in Delaware and California while renegotiating loan details with the U.S. Department of Energy. Fisker, which was to receive a $529 million loan from the DOE, has received less than $200 million of that, with the fate of the balance in question because Fisker has not met certain loan conditions due to production delays.
Here’s the death knell perspective: With the Obama Administration under political pressure to reduce spending, Fisker is unlikely to receive the remaining $336 million, Wunderlich Securities analyst Theodore O’Neill said in an interview with the Boston Globe. Without that funding, Fisker will go out of business, O’Neill said, adding that A123 Systems, which makes lithium-ion batteries for Fisker, will also likely go under.
But no, say others, the problem is temporary. Investment advice site Seeking Alpha, for example, .” Fisker also downplayed the issue, with its spokesman, Roger Ormisher, calling the shutdown a “bump in the road” in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. Ormisher said production of the Karma hasn’t been impacted, nothing that Fisker has delivered about 250 vehicles, and that the remaining DOE funds are to be used purely for the lower-priced Fisker Nina vehicle.
Fisker said in a statement last week that the company, which most recently received cash from the loan last May, is in talks with the DOE and raised $260 million in equity in late 2011. Fisker is pursuing “alternative funding sources,” the company said in a Feb. 6 statement.
Additionally, the Orange County Register reported last week that a Fisker investor is suing the company for fraud. The plaintiff, Daniel Wray, invested $210,000 in Fisker and said the company informed him in January that he had to invest another $84,000 or risk losing the rights he gained with the original stock purchase. Ormisher told the newspaper at the time that he wasn’t aware of the lawsuit.
There’s a part of us that wishes the automotive industry were packed with more eccentric characters like Lapo Elkann. The rakish heir to the empire (and of ) is anything but dull, in a transsexual prostitute’s apartment one minute and of an NBA basketball game the next.
As much a fashion icon as an industrial tycoon, Lapo is the darling of published arbiters of style like Intersection and Wallpapermagazines, the latter of which got a behind-the-scenes look at Lapo’s favorite cars for a photo shoot. So what’s in his garage?
Well, we he had a and a done up with denim upholstery, but apparently one of his favorites is the that he had painted matte olive green. And then there’s a decked out in camouflage, as if you could hide one of the loudest, most head-turning cars on the road. Want to see the rest? to watch the video.
Tesla and Daimler are set to collaborate on a new electric . According to Gigaom.com, the fourth-quarter earnings report released by Tesla earlier this week revealed the company is set to supply a full powertrain for an unnamed electric Mercedes-Benz in the near future. Those components include a motor, transmission, inverter and all of the software necessary to keep the car whirring along. Funds from the deal are supposed to begin trickling in by the second quarter of this year, though no details about production timing or volume were available in the report.
The two automakers aren’t strangers. Daimler is an investor in the small electric vehicle manufacturer, and Tesla already supplies battery packs for the low-production Smart ED. Mercedes-Benz made waves at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show when it unveiled the . At the time, the vehicle boasted a lithium-ion battery sourced from a joint venture between Daimler and Evonik, though it’s certainly possible the German automaker has changed course on the five-door. Then again, the B-Class E-Cell Plus was an extended-range hybrid, whereas the Tesla earnings report seems to hint toward a full-electric model. Consider us curious.
As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to try and get . In his State of the Union address in 2011, he and proposed turning the $7,500 tax credit into a point-of-purchase rebate. That hasn’t yet happened, but in the President’s proposed budget that was released this week, Obama took another stab at promoting plug-ins: upping the maximum credit to $10,000.
To go along with pushing PHEVs, the budget calls for cutting more subsidies that Big Oil currently enjoys. Of course, the President’s political opponents that would divide America. Others are entirely.
Getting to a million plug-ins in four years will be tough. Last year, the top two plug-ins, the and the , sold just 17,345 units, . Add in sales of the and the new , and that leaves 980,000 or so to go. Do you think an extra $2,500 off the price of the car – plus more models to choose from – will do the trick?
Chicago Auto Show recap, Tesla Model X, BMW M6, Toyota Prius C
Episode #269 of the is here with Chris, Dan, and Sebastian Blanco. Topics include a quick recap of the Chicago Auto Show, some chatter about the Tesla Model X and BMW M6, and we finish up with the Toyota Prius C. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our , thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #269:
In the Autoblog Garage
Hosts: , ,
Runtime: 01:08:32
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If the prevailing opinion of a new design can be judged by initial sales, then the jury is in on the . They like it. They really, really like it. From the time the electric crossover was driven out on stage at Tesla Design Studios late Thursday night/early Friday morning until Valentine’s Day four days later, says it has received over $40 million worth of reservation love.
What that means is that over 500 people have plunked down a significant amount of cash – $5,000 for regular production version or $40,000 for a Signature package – to reserve a vehicle that won’t even begin serious production until 2014. Think about that for a moment. Nobody, except a lucky few employees, has even driven the X prototype. Hell, barely anyone has ever taken the wheel of the , with which it shares its platform.
While some of the orders did come from people switching their Model S reservation to the X, Tesla says sedan sales weren’t cannibalized. In fact, the company says, sales of the S saw a boost of 30 percent following the big event.
Another indication of sentiment for publicly traded companies like Tesla Motors () is its stock price. If you panicked and sold off shares a month ago when the price plunged 20 percent on , you may want to begin kicking yourself now. (Go ahead, we’ll wait.) From that $22.79 low, it has climbed to $33.17 (as of this writing). Now, we’re not financial experts, but that would seem to indicate that the market likes the company’s outlook.
Make your way to read the press release and, if you were unable to see the live presentation of the Model X on Tesla’s website, we have that official footage waiting there as well.
Judging by the recent spate of i8 , is cranking away on the plug-insupercar to make sure its primped and ready for its on-sale date in 2014.
However, one thing appears to be missing: the glass panel that extends down past the coupe’s belt line. That same design element – – probably won’t make it to the i8’s little EV brother, the i3, either.
But one element that appears to be making the leap from concept to production is the i8’s butterfly doors. We’ve seen them on both the and , not to mention . Now we have photographic proof that the i8’s doors will flip up and out, similar to the Enzo and past McLarens (both the F1 and SLR). And since the doors appear to open just passed the roof, BMW won’t have to resort to the same explosive charges has to employ on the .
We record Episode #269 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and you can drop us your questions via our Q&A module below. We’re joined by Sebastian Blanco tonight, so now’s your chance to pepper us with those Green-focused questions and topics. 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 #269
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is struggling with the rising yen, so much so that the automaker has been shifting vehicle production . That’s bad news for laborers in Japan, but it works out in favor of the American workforce in Princeton, Indiana.
That’s because Toyota has announced that it will hire 400 more workers and spend $400 million to ramp up production of the popular . Toyota plans to ship off the extra production to buyers in countries like Russia and Australia. The plant expansion and additional jobs will enable the Princeton plant to crank out 50,000 additional Highlander models each year.
Toyota plans to complete the upgrades to the Princeton facility by late 2013. Hit the jump to read over the Toyota press release.
A California woman last week, receiving nearly $10,000 in damages after getting lower-than-advertised fuel economy in her Hybrid. Early next week, we may have a better idea of how many people intend to follow her lead.
A key deadline arrives Saturday that affects all U.S. residents who bought a Civic Hybrid between 2003 and 2009. Those owners are considered part of a class-action lawsuit regarding the fuel-economy issue – unless they opt out of the case by Saturday.
Owners who opt out will not be entitled to the expected settlement of up to $200 and a coupon off their next purchase. But opting out preserves their right to go it alone in court, as Heather Peters did, and seek a more substantial payout.
In order to opt out, owners must send a certified letter to the settlement administrator postmarked no later than tomorrow. More information can be found at hchsettlement.com.
Automakers, legal experts and consumer-rights advocates are all keeping an eye on what happens in the class-action suit, both in terms of how the case is settled and how many people forgo a smaller settlement with the intent of filing individual cases.
There’s something undeniably enthralling about watching a vehicle perform outside of its intended element. It’s why we love seeing semi tractors weaving their way around a road course and rally cars bashing down a rock-strewn desert path. It’s also why watching a Formula car dash around the snow-covered Nürburgring paints a big ol’ smile on our faces.
When winter weather recently set in on Green Hell, Andy Gulden, the chief instructor for the Nürburgring Driving Academy went out to have a little fun. After a quick tire change, Gulden and the Formula racer were happy as could be flicking around the infamous track.
Gulden doesn’t hold back on the accelerator as he tackles the course, either. Fortunately for us, he was kind enough to strap a few cameras to the car before he rolled out of the garage. The resulting video is a look at the Nürburgring as you’ve likely never seen it before. to check out the clip for yourself.
Toyota’s new doesn’t look like a math problem, but that’s what it is.
Hidden behind its attractive hatchback body and Toyota Synergy Drive hybrid powertrain, the Prius C is just a bunch of numbers. Numbers like the car’s miles per gallon rating, its MSRP, how many can be produced and how many Toyota hopes to sell. ran these numbers through its “Do we build it?” formula, which is what caused the Prius C to come into being, but the good news is that this smallest of Prii adds up to more than what was put into it, and even introduces a bit of fun to the appliance-like Prius driving experience. Not much, mind you, but enough that its target audience – young people who want to buy the most efficient gas-powered vehicle on the market today – should take notice.
Here are some of the calculations that Toyota is making for its new Prius family. Instead of selling 136,463 “normal” as it did last year (down from 140,928 in 2010), the Japanese automaker believes that three new models – the , the smaller C and the – will push cumulative Prius sales up to 220,000 in 2012 and then go up from there.
Last year, Toyota’s group vice president for U.S. sales, Bob Carter, said he expects the Prius to be the automaker’s number one nameplate by 2020. Sure, the Prius continues to sell well in green car circles and has been the best selling car in Japan for a year and a half, but for Carter’s statement to come true, the Prius family would have to outsell the almighty . Think about that. Think about the ambition – and challenge – behind those words. This is the equation that the Prius C needs to solve.
It’s amazing what a little regulation can do for an industry. In the past four years, the fuel economy of new vehicles has improved by an average of 14 percent, according to a new study by the University of Michigan. This increase comes on the heels of big hikes in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy, which . Since then, , and .
The Michigan study showed that the average fuel efficiency of 2012 light-duty vehicles on the market was 21.5 mpg, up from 18.9 in 2008. Adjusted for the vehicles that are actually purchased, the number is even higher, with 2011 coming in at 22.5 mpg. Researchers say that shows that consumers are buying models with better fuel economy.
The biggest efficiency improvements over the past four years came from diesels, which jumped 9.8 mpg, likely as a result of more diesel passenger cars being offered. Hybrids, oddly enough, saw their average fuel economy drop by 3 mpg’s, no doubt because of a number of larger and thirstier hybrids hitting the market, like the .
The all-electric crossover was unveiled at a red-carpet, velvet-rope style event at the TeslaDesign Studios in Hawthorne, CA tonight, with company co-founder Elon Musk confirming that the Model X will start production late next year and that full production is expected in 2013.
With luminaries such as California Gov. Jerry Brown in attendance and a post-announcement concert by Foster the People, Musk presented a CUV that, as , has so-called “” doors that are similar to those of the old gull-wing vehicles but bend in the middle, allowing them to be opened in tight spaces while offering better access to the rear and third row of seats. Musk said the Model X, which is expected to be priced similar to the $57,500 Model S sedan set to debut this summer, can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds, or 0.2 seconds quicker than a . The vehicle, which Musk says can seat “seven real adults,” actually has front and rear electric motors that instantaneously shift power from one to the other to maximize traction, Musk said. He added that the CUV’s turning radius was comparable to that of a .
Musk, speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of about 1,000 people, touted the Model X as having, “more room than a minivan, more style than an SUV and more performance than a sports car.” Indeed, with no internal combustion engine, the vehicle has substantial rear cargo space behind the third row of seats as well as a “frunk” in front of the car (which provided the evening’s only glitch with a sticky latch. See video of that ). Musk said that the “frunk” has the same storage space as the rear cargo area of an . Musk should know, since he owns one.
Musk also said Telsa will start deliveries of the Model S sedan – upon which the X is based – “no later than July” and will start taking online reservations for the Model X at noon Pacific time Friday. Tesla is expected to produce between 10,000 and 15,000 Model X units a year starting in 2014.
