2012 Scion iQ – Click above for high-res image gallery
The will be getting the States , thanks to Toyota’s parts supply woes. According to TheDetroitBureau.com, now says the microcar, which was supposed to bow late this summer, has been postponed indefinitely.
Scion brass won’t speculate on when the iQ will actually be launched, which makes sense since hasn’t yet figured out when it can resume a full production schedule post-earthquake. The current word is that North America’s iQ might not hit dealers until early 2012. This postponement marks the second time Scion has delayed the iQ’s launch, and the third time the company has reportedly .
Whenever it does appear on our shores, the tiny tot will look to pick up where the trailed off, with a raft of features you wouldn’t expect in a diminutive econobox. Chief among those will be no fewer than 11 airbags, including rear-curtain units to protect passengers in a rear-end collision.
2011 Kia Sorento – Click above for high-res image gallery
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into the for possible driveshaft failure that results in a sudden loss of power. According to NHTSA, there have been four complaints about the intermediate driveshaft and another five alleging that the power loss was due to a transmission failure which may be related to the driveshaft issue. The investigation will look into 50,000 2011 model year Sorento CUVs.
The second, separate investigation concerns possible corroded lower control arms on the 2002-2003 . According to The Detroit News, there have been seven complaints alleging that the control arms on the Subaru can break at more than 50 miles per hour, with two claimants saying that the failure sent their car outs of control. The Subaru investigation affects 84,000 Impreza models.
Though no recall has been ordered yet in either case, Kia has reportedly issued a technical service bulletin to address a clunking or squealing noise from the intermediate driveshaft.
2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon commercial – Click above to watch the video
The will be new to America’s sliver of luxury wagon buyers, but the fact is that it’s little more than a rebadged European Honda Accord estate with a bit more pizazz in the interior. But hey, who cares? The TSX may well be the best-looking Acura, and now it comes with more room for our stuff.
Team is getting ready to launch the new wagon with a :30 second commercial that shows some Autobot-like shape-shifting CGI. The video shows the front-wheel-drive TSX sedan drifting through a hot corner, and as it swings into opposite lock, the body panels of the sedan strip away, only for the car to be reconstituted into something a bit more capacious. The animation is more Wallace and Gromit than Transformers, but the idea behind the spot is clear; the newest TSX may be a wagon, but its soul is still 100-percent sports sedan. to watch the video for yourself. Hot tip, Arthur!
2011Scion iQ – Click above for high-res image gallery
We’ve all heard the rhetoric about how small cars are primed to be big sellers over the next few years, and nobody seems to be responding to that direction sooner than . The Japanese automaker is getting ready to challenge the diminutive here in the United States with the , and we’ve just been told by Toyota representatives to expect it to hit dealer showrooms around March of next year.
Unlike its main competitor, the iQ sports a unique 3+1 seating arrangement that will allow three real-sized human beings to fit in the car with an extra spot for a munchkin or car seat. also promises that its micro car will boast real storage capacity, which is an important factor if people have any inkling to use their urban runabout as a second car.
Expect a price somewhere in the vicinity of the Fortwo when the iQ hits the streets early next year.
: Tiny Spin in the Amp’d Equinox all-electric SUV
Another step completed for the Midwest EV company, some more to go.
Benz’s small car gets a boost from Renault-Nissan.
New York this weekend and then
on to Detroit on Autoblog Green" href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/04/07/honda-u3-x-comes-to-america-new-york-this-weekend-and-then-on-t/">Honda U3-X comes to America, New York this weekend and then on to Detroit
Who needs a Segway-like unicycle? We don’t know either.
Other news:
Mercedes decision to hybridize
S-Class on Autoblog Green" href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/04/07/dealers-not-pleased-with-mercedes-decision-to-hybridize-s-class/">Dealers not pleased with Mercedes decision to hybridize S-Class
electric car, including
specs and pricing on Autoblog Green" href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/04/07/more-on-the-croatian-dok-ing-xd-electric-car-including-specs-an/">More on the Croatian Dok-Ing XD electric car, including specs and pricing
Yes, the wing is back, and with it comes even more of the adrenal gland-kicking performance we know and love from the STI. Fuji Heavy Industries will have you believe this is the fastest STI ever, and judging by the fact that the 2011 model weighs less and uses a revised suspension, they may be right. Sure, there’s no extra horsepower on tap, but why add ponies when you can shed pounds?
The company has released a new teaser for the four-door version (2011 will let you pick between the wagon and sedan), and we have to say the wide body treatment and that rear wing do much to give the latest WRX body some attitude. Sure, we wouldn’t call it pretty, but that’s an adjective we reserve for the intake on that devilish little turbo boxer four. to see the flick.
may be giving the Chevrolet Cruze a once-over before the car debuts here in the States. According to Paul Tan, the sedan is getting a few upgrades ahead of American consumers getting a crack at the company’s new compact fighter. The majority of the changes seem to be geared towards making the car quieter, and include a new acoustic laminated windshield and extra sound deadening in the doors. GM has also cranked the total air bag count up to 10 to improve its safety rating.
While the thought of additional weight in a car with just 138 horsepower slows our pulse, there is some good news: The General may be ditching the torsion bar rear suspension in the global in favor of a Z-link set up, meaning there may be some hope for the four-door when it comes to the twisties.
2010 New York International Auto Show – Click above for high-res image gallery
At many auto shows there are usually several hundred – if not thousand – images that we’ve taken that don’t make it into our posts. Sometimes we categorize them and create several themed galleries, other times we create megagalleries of all of the random sites from the auto show and the surrounding soirees, sights and scenery. New York 2010 was such a case.
At the 2010 New York International Auto Show, we saw some cars that we’ve lusted after before but now saw in a new light, race cars that didn’t necessarily deserve a separate post but still revved our engines, models who smiled just long enough to give us hope… for the future of the industry at least, and just random sights that helped create the overall atmosphere of excitement we felt at this year’s event.
While the number of press conferences seemed down, the number of debuts actually seemed to increase (). There wasn’t the sense of gloom and doom we’ve felt at other recent shows, the parties actually felt like celebrations for a change and the announcements didn’t sound like words of desperation. Perhaps it’s the spirit of the city that never sleeps, but New York 2010 seemed like a signal that the industry is really starting to make a turnaround. Click below to get started on your tour of the rest of the show’s random impressions.
2011 Scion tC by Five Axis – Click above for high-res image gallery
Yesterday, Scion revealed their to the world’s automotive press here at the New York Auto Show. We happen to think the car looks just fine, but will admit that for a youth oriented brand such as , a little bit more aggression might have been nice. Meet the tuned , a car that couldn’t get much more aggressive unless it was holding a gun. A really big one. If you don’t know, Five Axis is mostly known for their show car offerings.
The “Blood Shot Red” paint is slathered over a four-inch wide body kit. The lower grill is just plain nuts. Sadly the doors of this concept were locked, but we could see (but not really photograph) that the interior’s stuffed with all sorts of customized good stuff, with lots of what appears to be leather and suede. The suspension is made up of Tein adjustable coil-overs. The brakes are ginormous (especially for a 180-horsepower tC), measuring 14-inches in front and 13-inches in the rear. But the brakes aren’t the crazy part.
The crazy part consists of the wheels. Ready? The front wheels are so big they require 245/30/20 rubber. The rear? 295/30/20. That’s right, the rear wheels are 10.5-inches wide. Remember this car’s a front-wheel driver. Sort of gives new meaning to the phrase, “all show and no go,” eh?
2010 Chrysler Town & Country SafetyTec – Click above for high-res image gallery
Although the Chrysler Group still has a rather large amount of floor space here at the 2010 New York Auto Show, the company didn’t have a lot to offer this year…at least not just-baked stuff for the assembled media. Instead of showing off a new 300 or maybe even a 200C hybrid, they merely gathered up a bunch of older concepts and special editions and dropped them off at Javits. at least had the good sense not to have a press conference. To be fair, the Pentastar is struggling and we don’t mean to kick them when they’re down so we’ll focus on the positive instead.
One new vehicle we found amidst the recently unveiled specials was a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country with seemingly every one of Chrysler’s latest safety and securityfeatures. The press release, which you’ll find after the jump, says the package includes the company’s Rear Cross Path (RCP) and Blind-spot Monitoring systems (BSM) to help drivers in making “safe lane changes and backing out of high-traffic parking situations.” Both features are apparently firsts in this segment.
This new “SafetyTec” package, as it’s known, is an option on the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Touring and new Touring “Plus” models, and will be standard on the Town & Country Limited. The grouping includes standard and optional safety and security features like multi-stage airbags, seatbelt pretensioning, constant-force seat-belt retractors (CFR), active head restraints and supplemental side-curtain air bags. There are also accident-avoidance features like Smart Brake and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), plus security features like an anti-theft alarm and the Sentry Key engine immobilizer among other things. If Chrysler knows anything, it’s minivans and the importance of safety to minivan buyers.
The new SafetyTec package will be available late spring at an undisclosed price. Follow the jump to read the long laundry list of included features and take a look at our gallery below.
Gallery:
[Source: Chrysler]
: Chrysler shows off new SafetyTec package for Town & Country
The A-Team van shines in New York – Click above for high-res image gallery
Are these the ultimate performance cars? Maybe not in 0-60 or quarter mile times – although we wouldn’t count a few of them out at the dragstrip – but in terms of actually being performers. Some of the random cars and trucks we found at this year’s New York Auto Show are perhaps just as famous as their on-screen co-stars of the human variety.
While the parked right smack dab in the middle of the entryway was an easy target, we delved a little deeper and found a , , , , and Grandpa Munster’s sitting in a booth in the lower level of the Javits Center. Oh, and your eyes aren’t deceiving you…that is the that was last year…just in time for Easter. After the star car turnout at Chicago, this was a nice encore.
Gallery:
Photos by Frank Filipponio / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery
Let’s just go on ahead and make that much needed volume leader. The great economic collapse of 2009 smashed in the teeth with a much larger brick than most other manufacturers. Thinks have slightly improved, but their , and from an already frighteningly low level. Obviously, something must be done.
Meet the , or as they’re calling it in alphanumeric-loving Europe, the . We’ve covered this particular small crossover pretty extensively already, so here’s the U.S. spec deal. It’s 15 inches shorter than the Outlander GT. Like its big brother, it gets magnesium paddle shifters. However, they are connected to a CVT instead of Mitsu’s sweet dual-clutch gearbox. Now, no one has driven the Outlander Sport yet, and CVTs have gotten massively better in the last few years, so don’t bunch your panties up quite yet.
The real upshot of that CVT is the Outlander Sport’s 31 mpg highway figure, a right respectable number for a small crossover. In fact, that means the Outlander Sport is competitive with a small CUV we like a whole bunch, the . Besides the CVT, Mitsu has installed weight-saving plastic front fenders, electric power steering and has sculpted the Outlander Sport down to a admirably slippery 0.33 Cd. The Outlander Sport can also be shifted from front-wheel drive to all-wheel drive and yes, you will be able to order yours in this particularly vibrant shade of show car blue.
2011 Kia Sorento SX – Click above for high-res image gallery
officially debuted the new for the at this year’s Atlanta Auto Show, but they also brought the dolled-up crossover to New York for a larger-scale unveiling. The Sorento is already off to a good start in the U.S. – it has already become Kia’s top-selling vehicle for the first few months of 2010 – and the SX, which goes on sale this Summer, offers up a bit more standard equipment and style to the lineup. The revised front fascia is a bit buffer than lesser trims and the ride height has been lowered by about one inch, giving it a more aggressive stance.
Under the hood is Kia’s 3.5-liter V6, which produces 276 horsepower. Upgrades over the lesser LX and EX models include things like sharp 18-inch wheels and Dual Flow Damper shock absorbers. Inside, leather seats are standard, as is a back-up camera, Infinity audio system and voice-activated navigation. Look for Kia’s all-new to debut in the Sorento later this year. Check out our galleries below to see the SX in high-res glory.
Gallery:
Gallery:
Live photos by Steven J. Ewing / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
Volkswagen New Mid-Size Sedan – Click above for high-res image
During yesterday’s North American debut of the at the New York Auto Show, VW’s North American CEO, Stefan Jacoby, let slip that the yet-to-be-named Passat replacement – currently known as the “New Mid-Size Sedan” (NMS) – will be available with a diesel in both the U.S. and Canada when it goes on sale in 2011.
Production of the NMS is set to begin within the next year at the automaker’s new Chattanooga, Tennessee facility, and it’s all but assured that the mill will be the same 2.0-liter diesel four-pot currently outputting 140 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque in the .
Details on the sedan are scant, but Jacoby reiterated that the NMS will be most focused push into the mid-size segment, where it is set to do battle with the Honda Accord and . With a launch this important, it’s no wonder that the company is still debating names.
2011 BMW Alpina B7 xDrive – Click above for high-res image gallery
We dig . You get 94 percent of the performance of a sports car (or there abouts) plus the ability to take a few friends along for the hair-raising ride. Also, cops don’t seem to scrutinize big snazzy sleepers as much as they do bright yellow scissor-doored whatchamacall’em-ardos. It should come as no shock then that when we first heard about the , we were pretty excited. When we then subsequently learned that an of BMW’s sportiest big sedan was coming to the New York Auto Show, well, our excitement grew.
Then we saw the car in the flesh.
Let’s just say we’re now triple excited. A few pertinent stats, if we may. The 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 found in a host of BMWs has been significantly improved to 500 horsepower (up by 100 hp over stock) and 516 pound-feet of torque (up by 66 pound-feet). The B7 is also more aerodynamic than your garden variety 7 Series, comes with zillion-spoke wheels (fine, twenty) and can hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. With the Alpina B7 xDrive, you can now toss AWD into that already frothy mix.
But the above stats aren’t the crazy parts. It’s the details that impress the most. For example, all four of the heavy-duty half shafts come out of the . The 60 to 0 mph braking distance is identical to a Porsche Turbo. That last bit is not an April Fools’ joke, although it’s somewhat mitigated by Alpina’s saying, “that’s cold braking distance.” While not a stat per say, the AWD system is mechanically identical to other BMW xDrive systems, though Alpina has written their own software system, presumably for the better.
One last thing that’s actually a little to complicated to explain: take a look at the center of the B7’s wheel. You’ll see that once you’ve slid the heraldry over, there’s a keyhole. Now, if you zoom out, you’ll notice no valve stems anywhere on the wheel. In other words, your tire pressure’s locked in and can be adjusted to the tenth of a PSI. Pretty cool, no?
High res gallery below, official press release after the jump.
2011 Hyundai Equus – Click above for high-res image gallery
showed off its new and yesterday at the New York Auto Show, two vehicles that should help keep the brand’s mid-size sedan moving up the sales charts with a bullet. With March sales figures just trickling in, it looks like the is now the third best-selling mid-size sedan behind the and Honda Accord. With its high level of equipment, style, quality and performance, it’s not surprising to see this Korean doing well. Today in New York, the automaker showed how it can take that level of refinement found in the Sonata and its bigger brother, the , and ratchet it up another notch for a new flagship, the Hyundai Equus.
The Equus actually , sent over in world-market form to gauge customer interest. Apparently, it went swimmingly for Hyundai, as the production Equus will officially go on sale here towards the end of the year – well an oxymoronically named Equus, minus its signature hood ornament. Looking slightly less like the than the previous version of the car we’d seen, the U.S.-spec Equus has a shape that fits right in with upscale sedans from Buick, Lexus and Infiniti, if not Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Particularly at the rear fender, there is a swoop that doesn’t quite speak luxury like the rest of the car though, reminding us more of a than a Euro sedan. This production version though, particularly with its cleaner hood and grille, definitely has a refined look.
CEO John Krafcik wouldn’t give us a firm number but did promise that the 385-horsepower sedan will come in with a base price somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000. The Equus will also launch a new luxury ownership experience being sold through select dealers in a dedicated area that will also include and . It will be available in four- or five-seat configurations with a mini fridge splitting the rear bucks on the rear twosome. Those backseats are also extremely comfortable, with power ventilation, heating and massage, plus a -like foot rest. Very nice.
Hyundai has also said that the Equus buying experience will be a step up from other models, with an iPad-like tablet device replacing the traditional owner’s manual. We’ll have full details on this interesting bit of kit shortly. For the moment, we have live shots for you below and the official press release so you can get the rest of the lowdown on this highbrow Hyundai.
2011 Kia Forte five-door – Click above for high-res image gallery
Since Americans seem to be finally latching onto the concept of the compact five-door hatchback, is jumping into the fight with a new variant of the . The five-door Forte debuts with a slightly revised front fascia (something that will make its way onto all Forte models) to go with its new more useful backside.
Under the hood the Forte five-door retains the same port-injected 2.0-liter and 2.4-liter inline-four engines found in the sedan and . Those engines remain paired with six-speed transmissions of the manual or automatic flavors. Inside, a new center console can be equipped with a navigation system for the first time, push-button start is available and the automatic versions get paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Look for the Forte five-door to hit Kia dealers in the coming months.
