Is about to repeat the mistakes of and ? reports that Hyundai has been showing off a modified pickup at some consumer clinics to gauge interest in such a product. This wouldn’t be the first time the Koreans have looked down this road. A midsize pickup based on the new had been considered before being killed off two years ago. Tackling the full-size truck market could be an even more perilous endeavor.
Nissan never made a significant dent in the big truck segment with the six-year-old . The enormous resources that Toyota has poured into the development and production of the are considered by some analysts to be one of the causes of the automaker’s recent spate of quality problems and recalls. While many of Hyundai’s recent introductions have done well, not everything has been a hit. The hasn’t been particularly successful in the larger CUV segment and the , while getting good reviews, is still very much a niche player against the likes of the and .
Porsche 911 Turbo – Click above for high-res image gallery
The has been a boon for General Motors and its Chevrolet brand, with sales of 9,150 units in April alone. The is down a bit at 5,145 units for April, but that’s expected to change once the vastly improved 2011 models begin rolling into Ford dealers around the country. Even the Dodge Challenger had its best month ever in April. We can’t tell you how happy it makes us that the pony car wars have once again began to boil over, but a report by Edmunds’ Auto Observer correctly points out that the rest of the sports car market isn’t faring nearly so well.
The report shows that sports cars like the once hot , with only 106 sales in April, are now struggling for sales. sales are down 18 percent from a poor 2009, only 428 Mazda RX-8s have been sold in 2010 and Nissan failed to sell 1,000 copies of the fun to drive 370Z. Even the venerable , which saw 2007 production of over 40,000 units, is only at 3,522 units through four months of 2010.
Is the sports car on the permanent decline, or are we just hitting a big-time bump in the road? Take the poll below to give us your thoughts.
Porsche 911 Turbo – Click above for high-res image gallery
The has been a boon for General Motors and its Chevrolet brand, with sales of 9,150 units in April alone. The is down a bit at 5,145 units for April, but that’s expected to change once the vastly improved 2011 models begin rolling into Ford dealers around the country. Even the Dodge Challenger had its best month ever in April. We can’t tell you how happy it makes us that the pony car wars have once again began to boil over, but a report by Edmunds’ Auto Observer correctly points out that the rest of the sports car market isn’t faring nearly so well.
The report shows that sports cars like the once hot , with only 106 sales in April, are now struggling for sales. sales are down 18 percent from a poor 2009, only 428 Mazda RX-8s have been sold in 2010 and Nissan failed to sell 1,000 copies of the fun to drive 370Z. Even the venerable , which saw 2007 production of over 40,000 units, is only at 3,522 units through four months of 2010.
Is the sports car on the permanent decline, or are we just hitting a big-time bump in the road? Take the poll below to give us your thoughts.
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.
The Folden – Click above for high-res image gallery
Auckland, New Zealand has a different take on the definition of hybrid. While we Americans can’t stop scarfing down lithium-ion powered creations by the boatload, the are keen to crank out creations like the one you see above. What is it? It’s called the Folden, and it’s one-half and – you guessed it – one-half . Why would someone intentionally try to mix the oil and water of the automotive universe? Because radio hosts Robert Taylor and Jono Pryor were tired of the constant back and forth between the fans of the two brands and wanted to do something that would equally offend all involved.
The finished product is far from repulsive. It wears a front clip from a ‘69 and the haunches of a HQ Holden. Power comes courtesy of a good old-fashioned FoMoCo 302. The whole thing was cranked out in a mere three months, and the station claims that there are over 800 man-hours in the build. The final price tag? No one seems to know for certain, but estimates put it at somewhere between $85,000 and $95,000.
The Folden is currently being auctioned off for charity. The proceeds will benefit the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation for Out of the Blue – a group set up to help combat veterans cope with depression. Thanks, Myke!
One Lap of America 2010 – Click above for high-res image gallery
We’re still purring along on One Lap of America in our BMW Performance School-provided 335d and 550i sedans, but while there have been zero mechanical issues for the timing and scoring crew, the event is starting to take its toll on competitors’ cars, as well as their drivers.
The returning #1 Nissan GT-R of Steven Rankins wasted no time staking its claim to the lead once again, posting the best results at Friday’s wet skidpad event (a startling .962 g) at the Tire Rack in South Bend. After negotiating some overachieving thunderstorms on the way through Wisconsin, the #1 GT-R (above) would follow up that performance with the second-best time at Road America in the first event, trailing only the of Leh Keen and Doug Wilks. Dan “Mr. One Lap” Corcoran finished third on the 4.1-mile circuit in his carbon fiber-bodied Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
In the second Road America event, the #3 Porsche GT2 again mopped up, with the of Catesby Jones and Jose Collado taking second and the #5 Corvette of Danny Popp rounding out the top three.
The racers noted above may be the lead sled dogs, but everyone at Road America spent the day talking about Howard LaFever and his #69 2010 Cadillac CTS-V. LaFever managed to walk away from a massive rollover crackup in the first event after overcooking the car in Canada Corner. The longtime One Lapper bounced across Turn 12’s gravel trap at triple digit speeds, through a catch fence and over a concrete barrier, where the car landed in a crumpled heap on its roof (pics ). Miraculously, LaFever escaped uninjured, only to leave the track in search of a replacement vehicle. He would turn up shortly thereafter in a , a car in which he can run the rest of the event but not accrue further points. By the day’s end, other cars were claimed by Road America too, although not as violently as LaFever’s CTS-V. Mechanical maladies befell a Mitsubishi Evo, the sweet 1968 Dodge Charger (fuel pump), as well as a Corvette Z06 and a Mustang GTS. Thankfully, most are not permanently hobbled, showing up further down the road.
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Gallery:
Photos by Chris Paukert / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs Inc.
Our first encounter with the Aston Martin DBS left us surprisingly cold, but after a full-bore run from LA to SF in the Carbon Black Edition, we’re ready to declare this particular DBS as the Aston to have.
At the Queensland Raceway run of the Mini Challenge, one race-prepped Cooper trips, flips and flies over the fence into the fans. Miraculously, the driver walked away and only two spectators were injured.
Chrysler’s up 25% over last month, with Subaru taking the top spot again and all but 13 automakers posting double-digit sales increases. Is the worst finally behind us?
Also of interest:
releases details of new lithium ion e-Golf, Jetta plug-in coming
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 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.
Limited edition were all-too-common with the last generation pony car, and has teamed up with DUB magazine and Roush Industries to get the party restarted with the 2011 model.
Based exclusively on the , the DUB Edition is available in coupe, convertible or glass-roof variants, and comes equipped with a Roush front fascia and splitter, quarter window covers, windshield banner, stripe package and a black interior with the DUB logo embroidered into the headrests.
Fittingly for a Mustang fettled by the lifestyle pub, the DUB edition rolls on 20-inch TIS wheels wrapped in Pirelli rubber, with Roush lowering springs dropping the Mustang for a more aggressive stance. Although the engine remains stock, a 3.31 rear axle is fitted out back to provide, in Ford’s words, more “spirited acceleration.”
Sales of the DUB Edition will begin this fall, with either an automatic or six-speed manual gearbox, and a choice of four exterior colors: Black, Grabber Blue, Ingot Silver or Race Red. Make the jump for all the details.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS – Click above for high-res image gallery
When the debuted in production form, opinions on the design have been largely split between the interior and exterior. The exterior styling and execution has been almost universally praised while the interior has been deemed barely competitive with the . The last Ford Mustang.
The problem is that while that the Camaro was hitting the streets, Ford rolled out a revised ‘Stang with an all-new and vastly improved interior. Thankfully, Chevrolet wants to rectify things post haste, so the cheap plastic dash is likely to be discarded and hopefully a steering wheel with less canted rim will replace the current unit. Unfortunatel,y changes to the enormous A-pillars are unlikely, meaning that visibility will still suck.
Since we’re talking about changes inspired by competition with the Mustang, it appears that the Z28 will probably be removed from the cold storage shelf and put back on the road. Motivation is rumored to be supplied by a version of the supercharged 6.2-liter LSA used in the with about 550 horsepower, but we’re not going to believe that until one appears on the show stand.
At this point, we know all there is to know about the 2011 . The fact that the all-new delivers a heady 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque is scrawled on our collective consciousness for good. Likewise, it’s old news that the base car has been transmuted from rental fodder into a genuine sports car thanks to its new 305 horsepower . Needless to say, Ford has a bit of a challenge ahead of it when it comes to marketing its reborn pony.
How do you advertise a car that has been so thoroughly dissected by every auto rag and site on the planet? If you’re the Blue Oval, you do it by showing the adoring public exactly what makes the car so special. Ford has rolled out two new promos for the 2011 Mustang, both of which pour over every detail of both the mighty GT and respectable V6. There’s plenty of awesome CG to take you deep into each car’s drivetrain, and a burly voice over to remind everyone just how manly you’ll be when you hop behind the wheel.
Top Gear America caught filming – Click above for high-res image gallery
We understand if you don’t believe that the History Channel has adopted . After all, you’ve been burnt before. But according to the keen-eyed crew from Kilometer Magazine, filming has already begun. During the U.S. launch of the new , the new cast of Top Gear America was spotted filming on none other than California’s infamous Mulholland Drive.
What were they doing? From the looks of things, Tanner Foust was doing what he does best by laying down lots and lots of smoky burnouts under the . Though judging by the cars spotted on the set, we may be looking at a good old fashioned sports-car comparison when the show finally hits cable. Flip through KM’s pictures, and you’ll spot cars like the , and the .
We have to wonder whether this was one big slip up or a planned leak. Having a parade of auto journos cruise by just as Foust opens up for his monologue is either the worst luck in the history of television or one very clever PR stunt. Either way, there are a boatload of photos for you to speculate over as a result. Enjoy. Thanks to everyone for the tips!
2010 Hurst Ford Mustang Pace Car – Click above for high-res image gallery
and Hurst have a long and illustrious history of working together to create special edition , and the latest fruits of their labor can be seen in our high-res image gallery below. The will make its first official appearance during the Ford Racing Mustang Challenge race that will be held at Virginia International Raceway on April 25, 2010.
There will only be one 2010 Hurst Mustang Pace Car, and it will make appearances at the Hot Rod Power Tour, a slew of Larry H. Miller dealerships and finally at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas before being auctioned off next January. Proceeds from the car’s sale will benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. A hot Mustang convertible for a worthy cause… what’s not to like?
Though you won’t be able to march into your local Ford dealership and drive off in a new Hurst ‘Stang, you will be able to get “promotional items” inspired by the car… including ’skins’ for pinewood derby racers. Sadly, the miniature version won’t be sporting the full-size car’s polished 20-inch wheels, Hurst shifter or 550-horsepower supercharged V8 engine. What they will have in common, though, is the iconic black and gold Hurst color scheme. See below for images and click past the break for the press release.
Mitsuoka Galue – Click above for high-res image gallery
If ever there was proof that just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should, it’s Mitsuoka Motors. Case in point – the , which we’ve finally gotten to see in person here in Beijing. Sadly, we cannot un-see it. Why anyone would take a perfectly serviceable contemporary convertible and transform it into this is beyond us. Then again, this is the same company that .
The Galue ‘vert’s front end apes an older Bentley while the tail is lifted straight off a late-1990s Cadillac DeVille. It’s all terribly wrong in so many ways. Just be happy that we’ve opted to spare you the sea monster-like Orochi, which was sitting on an adjacent turntable. It was so awful that the unfortunate model standing next to it collapsed from embarrassment.
Gallery:
Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
We had nearly forgotten about the . It’s not that we don’t love the idea of forcing the 8.4-liter V10 from the mighty into the nose of Chrysler’s muscle car, it’s just that cars built for SEMA typically have a shelf life shorter than an unpeeled banana. So it came as some surprise when our keen-eyed spy shooters happened to spot the roided-out 600-horsepower cruising around public streets.
For whatever reason, the car had been let loose from the company test center, and was spotted doing ridiculously pedestrian things like parking in lots and obeying traffic laws. You know, instead of leading high-speed pursuits from one gas station to the next or making entire warehouses of tires weep for their tortured brethren.
As much as we’d love to stroke your crazed dreams of a production Challenger SRT10, the truth probably has more to do with the fact that some lucky soul managed to sneak the car past the suits at HQ for a quick run around town. Still, with the Viper singing its swan song and a few shelves of V10s lying around and looking forlorn, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine a limited production run of the Challenger SRT10 that would send both the Chevrolet Camaro SS and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 into fear-induced convulsions. Hey, it doesn’t cost us anything to dream.
Marc VDS Racing Ford Mustang GT3 – Click above for high-res image gallery
’s got a rich history of competing against European machinery on their own home turf. But while the GT40 (and the more recent reborn GT) and the Cobra cut their teeth on the old continent, the is another story. overseas, and now a Belgian-Canadian joint effort is preparing to oblige.
Canada’s Multimatic racing garage has prepared this new Mustang for the Marc VDS Racing Team, a competition outfit that also fields a pair of Ford GTs in the GT1 championship, as well as teams in Moto2 and rally raids. They’ll be taking this Mustang to the FIA GT3 European Championship, where it will take on the best that the likes of , , and countless others have to throw at it on some of Europe’s finest racing circuits. It’s already undergoing testing at Ford’s Bedfordshire test facility (curiously not Lommel Proving Grounds in the team’s home country) and will be piloted by a team of Belgian and Canadian drivers.
Will the VDS Mustang GT3 prove its mettle against Europe’s finest? No telling just yet, but it sure looks the business. Check it out for yourself in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.
After struggling in his first season of Formula Drift competition with the , Rhys Millen finally came good at Long Beach this week. Millen still hasn’t won with the Genesis, but he managed to get second place on the podium against over 50 other drivers.
After rushing to get the coupe ready for the season opener a year ago, Millen’s team spent this past winner thoroughly going over the car. Hyundai’s Lambda V6 now produces over 650 horsepower compared to the 480 hp it turned out last year. Vaughn Gittin Jr. grabbed the top spot on the podium with his new . For those unfamiliar with drifting, you can check out Millen’s video primer along with the official press release.
They can keep their retail therapy, we have configurator therapy. It soaks up just as much time, you can get your “help” in your jammies, and provided you don’t go through with a purchase, it’s much, much cheaper.
Ford’s configurator is now up and taking virtual orders, and to go along with the pony car’s movin’-on-up attitude, there are some increasingly swanky options. But remember, the challenge isn’t just to see how expensive you can make the car, it’s how expensive you can make the car you’d actually want to buy. The best part about it: everybody wins. And did we mention it’s free?
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Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid, Chris Paukert and Dan Roth are joined by Reilly Brennan of AOL Autos. After discussing what’s in the Autoblog Garage, attention turns to the Ferrari 599 GTO, the ongoing Chevrolet Camaro-Ford Mustang V6 cage match, wacky interior awards from Ward’s Auto, Audi beating Mercedes in the most recent sales numbers, and the Daimler-Renault/Nissan tie-up. We hit some questions and then skedaddle just under the hour and twenty mark.
Autoblog Podcast #174: with Reilly Brennan from AOL Autos
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