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We Americans sure do love the freedom of owning our own automobile, but the price of that freedom is climbing. AAA has released its 62nd annual “Your Driving Costs” study, which shows a 1.9-percent year-over-year increase in the cost of auto ownership. That’s an average of $8,946 per year per car, with costs including monthly payment, fuel, maintenance and insurance.

Given the sharp rise in the cost of a gallon of petrol, it’s no surprise that prices at the pump are up 14.8 percent, or an average of 14.2 cents per mile. Tire prices are up 4.2 percent, in part because material prices have skyrocketed. The average insurance policy jumped by $33 versus 2010 numbers, with an average rate of $1,001 per year.

Interestingly, used cars are worth more than they were a year ago, with a depreciation drop of 4.9 percent, which means a new car purchase may hold its value a little better than before.

If $8,946 is too rich for your blood, AAA shows that the best bet could be a smaller sedan. Compact models average $6,735 per vehicle, while 4WD SUVs top the charts at $11,360. Large sedans are close to the SUV numbers, with an average of $11,324. AAA based its findings on a driving cycle of 15,000 miles per year. Scroll down below to read the AAA press release.

Continue reading Average cost of car ownership rises to $8,946 per year

Average cost of car ownership rises to $8,946 per year

The upper end of the Chinese market is all about chauffeured luxury automobiles, and given the prevalent Anglophilia in the Far East, Jaguar would be remised not to jump at the opportunity being seized by so many of its competitors. So it is only fitting that the stoic British marque chose the Beijing Motor Show to announce what is billed in every sense as the Ultimate version of the XJ sedan.

One of two products launched in Beijing by the new Engineered To Order division of Jaguar Land Rover (alongside the Victoria Beckham edition Range Rover Evoque), the XJ Ultimate packs everything a pampered passenger could desire: individually adjustable rear seats with power everything (separated by an illuminated and leather-trimmed center console), motorized fold-down tables, chilled champagne bucket and flutes, iPads with keyboards mounted to the backs of the front seats and a 20-speaker Meridian sound system. Exclusive finishes like Herringbone veneer, machined aluminum and LED lighting round out the package.

All that gear is set in motion by Jaguar’s 510-horsepower supercharged V8, riding on an adjusted suspension and 20-inch wheels. While the Chinese market may be the target for luxed-out limos like this one, the XJ Ultimate isn’t exclusive to China. In fact 30 examples (all in black) are earmarked for the United States, with price tags pegged at $155,000. Scroll down for the pair of press releases on the XJ Ultimate and the Engineered To Order department.

Continue reading Jaguar rolls out the Ultimate XJ in China

Jaguar rolls out the Ultimate XJ in China

With every new set of spy shots, we become increasingly more excited for the launch of the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake (or is that Break?). This tapered wagon version of the shapely CLS is certainly a looker, even in pre-production, camo-clad protype form, and after giving its shockingly quick sedan counterpart high marks for its driving dynamics, we can only assume that the complete Shooting Brake package will be really, really sweet.

Oh yeah, there’s an AMG version, too.

Seen here for the first time, the CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake takes the same sleek long-roof shape of the CLS550 Shooting Brake prototypes we’ve seen, but adds all of the bulgy bits fitting of any high-performance Merc. All we can say is, it looks absolutely stunning, and we can’t wait to see the finished product.

Power is expected to come from the same twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 found in the CLS63 sedan, sending 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via Mercedes’ seven-cog Speedshift transmission. Like the sedan, we expect that Mercedes-Benz will offer an AMG Performance Pack, which boosts power to 550 hp and 590 lb-ft in the sedan. Holy moly.

Wipe the drool from your keyboards and click through our attached high-res image gallery to see the CLS63 Shooting Brake prototype for yourself.

Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake is the one we want

The Bentley Mulsanne Executive Interior Concept has officially dropped the “Concept” portion of its name. Making the most of the rear quarters in the Mulsanne, the boffins at Bentley have installed power-folding wood veneer picnic tables that are topped by iPads and Bluetooth wireless keyboards, additionally controlled by Apple’s Magic trackpads. In the armrest are a telephone and a Tibaldi pen, and in the trunk is a Mac Mini computer.

None of that counts the eight-inch screens in the headrests or the 15.6-inch screen that drops from the roof. Those are controlled by the Bentley app installed on the iPads, with listening handled by Bluetooth headphones.

It takes 170 hours for the craftsmen to complete the work of installation, and if you need to ask how much their time adds to the cost of a Mulsanne, then you already know the answer. More details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Bentley putting Executive Interior concept into production on Mulsanne

Bentley putting Executive Interior concept into production on Mulsanne

The next Volkswagen Golf will be chock-full of standard and optional technology features, but its all-new Modular Infotainment System has the potential to set a new benchmark for both high-end and entry-level navigation, entertainment and connectivity.

Three new systems will be available when the 2013 Golf goes on sale in Europe towards the end of this year, starting with a five-inch touchscreen and moving up to a 5.8-inch unit and finally a range-topping eight-inch system. Each unit will be equipped with a capacitive touchscreen, with the eight-inch version packing an 800×450 resolution screen, multitouch functionality and the same NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor set to debut in future Audi models, including the next A3. Making use of that high-powered chipset will be revamped 3D graphics for menus and mapping, with free nav updates available for three years and the ability to activate additional features after the initial vehicle purchase.

Handwriting recognition will also be included in the system, much like the system already offered by Audi, which will allow users to skip the soft keyboard and write out destinations and point-of-interest searches. Additionally, VW is looking to include MirrorLink functionality (which essentially mirrors your phone’s screen on the navigation display), as expected, Internet-connectivity through smartphone tethering will be an option, along with the ability to create a WLAN hotspot.

Finally, VW tells Autoblog it plans to integrate proximity sensors into the head unit – similar to Cadillac’s CUE system – switching over from “display mode” to “operating mode” when it detects the driver or passenger’s hand moving towards the screen. The proximity sensors could also detect which side of the screen your hand is placed and then highlight specific features for easier selection.

Naturally, pricing for each system won’t be released until the Golf goes on sale in Europe this fall and hits the U.S. sometime in 2013, but VW representatives made it clear that these systems will be priced aggressively in order to compete with other feature-rich competitors.

Next Volkswagen infotainment system to use capacitive touchscreens, proximity sensors

We certainly understand the need to scrap older vehicles. Not only is it impractical to preserve every car that’s ever been built, but why would you want to? That said, decisions to destroy old cars, whether under the auspices of a government program like Cash For Clunkers or by profit motive at an automotive recycler, should be made by informed individuals. That way, vehicles that may have potential as collectibles don’t unnecessarily vanish.

That’s why we find this story so frustrating. According to the Tampa Bay Times, one of the foremost “VW graveyards,” Sunray Bugs of Dade City, FL, is headed the way of the Type 4. The giant, 10-acre Volkswagen salvage yard lost its legal battle over zoning with Pasco County, and officials have nearly completed cleanup of the site. Hundreds of cars have been crushed, though the octogenarian owner, “Corky” Yager, may have saved most of what was truly valuable, according to this long thread on TheSamba.com.

While the situation is certainly a complex one that’s caused quite a few VW enthusiasts to take to their keyboards to voice their opinions – the aforementioned thread runs to eight pages – the bottom line is that some potentially useful old cars are no longer with us.

Click through the jump to see some video of Sunray Bugs before the zoning incident, including an interview with Corky.

Continue reading Hundreds of vintage VWs scrapped over Florida zoning [w/video]

Hundreds of vintage VWs scrapped over Florida zoning [w/video]

We never heard about buyers of other ex-General Motors brands – Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer – taking to their keyboards to research new rides when the lowered boom crushed them all. Even though they would have been warrantied and supported by a still-living GM.

Leave it to Saab, then, to spin that right ’round like a record: according to electronic-research tracker Dataium, 10 percent more people have inquired about Saabs since the brand declared bankruptcy. Even better for the dealers sitting on 221 days worth of inventory: there were three times as many new shoppers in the 96 hours after the announcement, and for the next two weeks as least 50 percent of them were first-timers. All this for a tiny brand selling two cars without warranty and parts support (yet).

Who knows how much of that will turn into actual sales, but that’s probably more than could have been expected in the silver-lining department.

More people interested in buying a Saab after bankruptcy

The Lexus LF-LC concept has been leaking on the Internet longer than most Detroit-bound reveals, but that doesn’t make the 2+2 coupe any less stunning. The concept clearly shows the design progression that started with the CT 200h and made real strides with the 2013 GS.

The hot-looking coupe was penned by Lexus’ Calty design studio in Newport Beach, California. It comes as no surprise to us that this rolling design study also packs hybrid power, but Lexus claims that the sleek sports car will also deliver cutting-edge driving dynamics.

Continue reading LF-LC concept proves Lexus can do sexy sports coupes

LF-LC concept proves Lexus can do sexy sports coupes

650 horsepower. 600 pound-feet of torque. 200-plus miles per hour. With specs like these, you don’t need long-form introductions. This is the 2013 Ford Shelby GT500, and all we can say is, the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 has officially been put on notice.

The heart of the new Ford stunner is a 5.8-liter, aluminum-block V8, complete with a larger, more efficient supercharger. Nearly the entire powertrain has been upgraded for 2013, including a new cross-drilled block and heads, updated camshaft profiles, a carbon fiber driveshaft and upgraded clutch, transmission and axle. The cooling system has also been upgraded, and the new six-speed manual transmission now has a final drive ratio of 3.31-to-1 – optimized to handle the massive amounts of torque put down by the new engine.

Further enhancements can be had in the GT500 Performance Pack, which incorporates SVT-designed Blistein electronic adjustable dampers with ‘normal’ and ’sport’ modes and a Torsen limited-slip differential. What’s more, the Track Package adds an external engine oil cooler, rear differential cooler and transmission cooler. Like the current GT500, 19-inch wheels are standard up front (20-inch rollers are found out back) and a Brembo braking system keeps everything in check when its time to control all that force. The whole package weighs in at just 3,850 pounds – 270 less than the Camaro ZL1 – and Ford says it will not be subject to the dreaded Gas Guzzler Tax.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 delivers 650 HP and 200 MPH straight from the factory

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 delivers 650 HP and 200 MPH straight from the factory

While its styling has refined over successive generations, you don’t buy a Porsche for how it looks. You buy one for how it works. And the same could be said of a BlackBerry. The favorite communications tool of businesspeople worldwide and a number of private consumers as well, the BlackBerry is – like a Porsche – more about function than form. Leave it to Porsche Design, then, to up its style factor.

Having already produced phones on its own, Porsche Design has long been rumored to be working on a project for Research In Motion, the Canadian company responsible for unleashing the addictive device upon the world. And here it is.

The co-branded “Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone from BlackBerry” packs a 1.2 GHz processor, HD video camera, eight gigs of internal (expandable) memory, a QWERTY keyboard and BlackBerry 7 OS into a slick forged stainless steel case with leather back and a touch display screen. A personal concierge service is included with the P’9981, which still doesn’t make its estimated $2,000 price tag any more reasonable. Then again, it’s the kind of thing you’d expect a style-conscious business executive to be talking on when he cuts you off in his Panamera. Details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Yes, Porsche Design has made its own Blackberry

Yes, Porsche Design has made its own Blackberry

Planting The RS Flag On American Soil

Audi has made it clear that it’s only a matter of time before we finally get the chance to enjoy a wider slice of the company’s RS offerings in the United States. The German automaker has already confirmed that next year will see the arrival of the RS5, and additional models are presently being discussed for U.S. introductions.

But Audi has already fired the first shot in its effort to redefine what the RS badge means to American consumers with its 2012 TT RS. With 360 horsepower squeezed from a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine and just 3,300 pounds to sling around the track, the coupe isn’t just the best TT ever made, it’s possibly the most desirable steed in the Audi stable at the moment.

We can already hear the clattering of a thousand keyboards banging out something along the lines of, “OMG R8 STFU,” but allow us to elaborate. With a power-to-weight ratio of 9.2 pounds per horsepower, a top speed of 174 mph and a conservative 0-60 mph time of 4.1 seconds, the TT-RS is a pitch-perfect weapon. So perfect, in fact, that Audi officials admit that the meanest of the TT clan can outpace its R8 brethren on most tracks unless the eight cylinder gets a straight long enough to properly stretch its legs.

Do we have your attention? Did we mention that the 2012 TT RS is only available with a manual transmission? How about now?

Continue reading 2012 Audi TT RS

2012 Audi TT RS

If you have to to work while being shuttled in the back seat of a car, it’s hard to find a more comfortable mobile office than a Bentley Mulsanne. Still, all of that luxury won’t aid you in spell-checking TPS reports as you’re more likely to be lulled to sleep. Bentley has a new interior concept that will keep you alert, awake, connected and running the show like the boss you truly are.

It’s called the Mulsanne Executive Interior Concept, and it’s way nicer than your office. No, not the office of the person who can afford the car, specifically your office. The British builder of luxuriously exotic automobiles has put together an interior fit for a constantly connected king, which comes complete with a list of items to make sure whatever task at hand is finished before leaving the coddling confines of the Mulsanne.

Rear passengers will enjoy the power-folding wood veneer picnic tables that drop from the backs of the front seats. The tables are home to separate iPad work stations, each of which includes a Bluetooth wireless keyboard. Keeping that iPad and keyboard combo in check is a Mac Mini mounted in the trunk. The Apple product brigade is joined by an iPod that can play music but also serves as the remote control for the rear seat information and entertainment devices. A telephone is nestled into the armrest alongside a Tibaldi pen. If you’re not familiar with the Tibaldi brand of writing instruments, just know that prices range from way-too-much-for-a-pen to worth-more-than-the-car-you-drive. Regardless, we’re sure it takes beautiful notes that pertain to the morning meeting, which you attended from the back of your super luxury sedan.

Once the work is done, you can kick back and relax while watching your company’s stock rise on the ticker rolling across the drop-down 15.6-inch high-definition LCD. It’s mounted on the ceiling and is the perfect tool to stop the driver from sneaking glances at you and your secretary.

Continue reading Bentley Mulsanne Executive Interior Concept is how to roll like a real boss

Bentley Mulsanne Executive Interior Concept is how to roll like a real boss

Eterniti Motors has chosen the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show as the stage upon which it will make its global debut. The British automaker has one model ready for review, and it’s a sport-utility vehicle that is light on the ‘U’ and heavy on the ‘S’. It’s called the Hemera, and Eterniti plans to have it fighting in the same space that’s soon to be occupied by the likes of Aston Martin, Bentley and Maserati.

Under the reshaped skin of the Hemera sits a Porsche Cayenne that’s been given a new heart and upgraded interior. Beneath the hood lies a 4.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 620 horsepower, and the seating area comes complete with heated and cooled reclining rear seats, a pair of iPads with wireless keyboards and a drink chiller.

Eterniti says it will begin production of the Hemera in early 2012, and customers can expect to take delivery by the summer. Those customers will need to shell out £150,000, or nearly $240,000. That price includes the three-year warranty, and a “flying doctor” service to pick up and return the car when needed.

Continue reading Eterniti Motors arrives in Frankfurt with exotic Hemera SUV

Eterniti Motors arrives in Frankfurt with exotic Hemera SUV

By now, we’ve all grown a little callous to watching high-strung supercars prance their way around the Nürburgring. Nearly every manufacturer has taken it upon themselves to do battle with the infamous road course, and as a result, YouTube is choked with videos of physics-bending cars doing what they do best. It’s a little rarer to get to see a motorcycle take on the torturous course. Bridgestone test rider Tim Röthig recently mounted a Kawasaki ZX-10R, strapped on a Gyrocam and proceeded to wring the life out of a pair of Battlax tires.

Watching Röthig coerce the big liter bike through one of the most challenging road courses on the planet is a hair-raising experience, even from the comfort of our keyboards. While his 7:50-second time falls well short of the current 7:14 record for production cars, the knowledge that even the smallest of mistakes could have introduced both bike and rider to the unforgiving guard rail in a hurry certainly earns Röthig a spot in the pantheon of impressive Nürburgring videos. Hit the jump to check it out.

Continue reading Kawasaki ZX-10R lapping Nürburgring in 7m 50s is scary awesome

Kawasaki ZX-10R lapping Nürburgring in 7m 50s is scary awesome

The last time we heard anything about the upcoming A6 Avant, our spy photographers were braving brutal winter cold to snag a few heavily camouflaged photos of the luxury long roof. Now Audi has confirmed that it will pull the sheets off of the vehicle during a live television broadcast that will also be streamed on the interwebs for all to enjoy. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 18 at 8 p.m. CEST at the Humboldt Box in Berlin, though something tells us that you’ll need to know a guy who knows a guy to get an invite.

The rest of us plebes can sit back and take in the whole affair from the comfort of our keyboard by watching the live stream here. Apple fans can also watch the unveil on their iPhone by using the AudiMedia App. Hit the jump for the press blast.

Continue reading PSA: Audi to unveil A6 Avant in live video event

PSA: Audi to unveil A6 Avant in live video event

If you have some time this evening, we highly recommend checking out Autoline After Hours. The crew will be hanging out with Margery Krevsky, the author of Sirens of Chrome. Krevsky painstakingly researched the 100-year history of the auto show model for the book and will be sharing some of her insights with hosts John McElroy and Peter Delorenzo for your enjoyment. If that’s not enough to drag you to the computer at 7 p.m. Eastern this evening, the news that Krevsky will bring along a few of her product specialist friends as well should have you patiently waiting at the keyboard.

The booth professionals will model dresses from the last 50 years of the car show circuit as a living, breathing supplement to the discussion on the book. Sound like a good time? You can see all the action by heading over to the Autoline After Hours site or by checking out the uStream feed after the jump.

Continue reading Autoline After Hours welcomes auto show models in the studio tonight

Autoline After Hours welcomes auto show models in the studio tonight

Brabus does bonkers. So when it decided to cook up the latest iteration of its rolling ode to executive connectivity, it went all out – both under the hood and inside the leather-clad cabin – so lets work from the inside out.

The conversion of the rather staid Mercedes-Benz S-Class into the Brabus “iBusiness 2.0″ begins in the boot, with a Mac Mini mounted in a leather-lined tray inside the trunk. The Mac connects up with a 15.2-inch TFT, 16:9 aspect ratio display that mechanically unfolds from the alcantara-coated headliner and can also be used as an auxiliary display for the – not one, but two – iPad 2s mounted in the electronically deployed and adjustable custom tables mounted behind the two front seats. The tables secure both the tablets and a Apple Bluetooth keyboard, and allow the Russian mobster in back to chat with his Swedish princess over Apple’s Facetime video conferencing system.

Naturally, all this tech isn’t any good without solid connectivity, and to that end, Brabus has fitted the S with a WiFi network comprised of UMTS and HDSPA networking to wireless wire everything together. More impressive, the German tuner developed a custom app for the iPads that allows backseat passengers to control every aspect of Mercedes’ COMAND infotainment system. Jeeves will not be pleased…

When it’s time to crank up the tunes, a 64-gig Apple iPod Touch is mounted in the rear center console and sends music to either the standard S-Class sound system or a pair of Sennheiser Noise Gard headphones, which can also be used to plumb in one of a few hundred channels provided by the wireless DVBT television receiver.

And naturally, since this is Brabus, the package wouldn’t be complete without a serious dose of pavement-pummeling power. The Brabus 800 iBusiness 2.0 lives up to its name with 800 horsepower and 1,047 pound-feet of torque pulled from the twin-turbocharged V12, shuttling the S to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and on to an electronically-limited top speed of 219 mph. If you’re less interested in the power and more enthralled by the tech, Brabus is offering the complete iBusiness 2.0 package for any S-Class – from the lowly S 350 to the aforementioned S 65 – but if you take your life on the road seriously, why opt for anything less? Full details in the press blast after the break.

Continue reading At 219 mph, the Brabus iBusiness 2.0 is the world’s fastest Apple-obsessed office

At 219 mph, the Brabus iBusiness 2.0 is the world’s fastest Apple-obsessed office

What happens if you take a Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, add a disco-ball finish and then throw in Electriconic Rock group Apparatjik? You get the mirrored two-seater shown above, as well as a rather odd video featuring enough flashing lights to push epileptics into DEFCON 1.

The electric party-mobile is a one-off creation thought up by the Apparatjik crew. It’s a music group comprised of Coldplay bassist Guy Berryman, A-Ha guitarist/keyboardist Magne Furuholmen, Mew lead singer Jonas Bjerre and producer Martin Terefe. The car will be used in a film called Pixel City. It also has a starring role in an Apparatjik music video, which can be seen after the jump. Just don’t crash… that’s a lot of mirrors ripe for a shattering.

[Source: Daimler]

Continue reading Mirrored Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Seven years of bad luck if you crash? [w/video]

Mirrored Smart Fortwo Electric Drive: Seven years of bad luck if you crash? [w/video]

We’ll let you all in on a little secret: when we aren’t furiously rowing away out our keyboards, snapping photos of our review vehicles or splitting knuckles on the world’s worst project vehicles, we’re stuck in front of Netflix sucking up a deluge of horrible B movies. We just can’t help ourselves. Bad acting and worse editing dipped in the sugary coating of a strange premise is the perfect concoction for shutting off your brain for awhile, which is exactly why we first got excited when we heard about director Quntin Dupieux’s new film, Rubber.

The movie centers on an old tire by the name of Robert that somehow comes to life, acquires telepathic powers and sets out on a murderous rampage. If that doesn’t sound like B-movie gold, we don’t know what does. But after watching the trailer for the flick, we can’t help but think this is a legitimate film that just happens to be slumming it alongside flicks like Death Bed – The Bed that Eats.

Even setting our questionable cinematic tastes aside, we can’t help but want to see this movie when it hits theaters on April 1. Hit the jump to check the video for yourself.

[Sources: YouTube, Bloody Disgusting]

Continue reading Video: Rubber is the story of a homicidal tire named Robert

Video: Rubber is the story of a homicidal tire named Robert

What’s even better than a supercar? A one-of-a-kind factory prototype. And few drummed up as much excitement back in the 70s as the Mercedes-Benz C111. The experimental showcase demonstrated the epitome of performance technology and aerodynamics, and still stands as one of the most advanced prototypes ever devised in Stuttgart… or anywhere else for that matter. And now it’s back.

GWA Tuning, a Benz tweaker out of San Antonio, has breathed new life into the C111 formula with a recreation called the Ciento Once (Spanish for “one hundred eleven”). The one-off eschews the Wankel engine of the original for the AMG M120 V12 that drives the Pagani Zonda, driving 408 horsepower in this case through a six-speed transmission with the brakes from the S55 AMG and the rolling stock from the SLS. Have a closer look in the gallery below, and do try to keep the drool from puddling on the keyboard.

[Source: GWA Tuning via 0-60]

GWA Tuning channels the Mercedes-Benz C111 with Ciento Once prototype