, 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.
Long before we saw the in the flesh, word of the vehicle’s arrival flittered around the web with tantalizing persistence. Few rumors manage to get the enthusiast world licking its chops quite as well as one with a potent V6 in the nose of a rear-wheel-drive two-door. Editors began salivating at the thought of a performance coupe renaissance, complete with all of the associated front-page comparos, while forums lit up with threads detailing hypothetical grudge matches between the would-be Korean prize fighter and hardware from the to the then-upcoming . had clearly rustled up some snakes.
Then the Genesis Coupe debuted, and while ingredients like available Brembo brakes and a limited-slip rear differential pointed to the possibility of a genuine contender, it’s fair to say the coupe never really became a top-flight prospect for many enthusiasts. A vague gearbox and similarly detached brakes sapped precision from the platform, consigning it to a mid-pack finish in our three-way back in 2010.
None of this is news to Hyundai. The company began planning ways to sharpen its first genuine sports car nearly as soon as the vehicle debuted at the . For 2013, the two-door receives a dose of the automaker’s patented love-it-or-hate-it styling as well as a host of mechanical improvements tucked behind the polarizing aesthetics. Are the changes enough to give the 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe the fangs it needs to thrive in the cutthroat performance coupe world?
SRT, the recently formed standalone brand of , is determined to reveal the new 2013 nice and slow. After and offering a , SRT has just posted a second teaser image of the 2013 Viper on their official . While this second photo is much more clear than the first, what exactly is shown in the image is up to debate. Yes, it looks to be a carbon fiber scoop, but what kind?
While we may not know exactly what’s in the second Viper teaser, here’s what we do know about SRT’s next gen flagship: as mandated by federal law, and while the 2013 Viper’s powertrain is still unconfirmed, there are rumors that the .
We’ll have all the details and photos when the 2013 SRT Viper is revealed during April’s . Until then we’re sure that SRT will have more teasers, which we’ll be sure to pass along. If you think you know what’s being shown in this latest image then let us know in the comments section below.
We’ve reported plenty on items we’d like to place in our automotive-themed dream house, from and to and – but most of them are for the living room. We’d be remised, however, to forget the one part of the house where the fascination all began: our childhood bedroom.
We all had the posters up on the walls, the models on the shelves and maybe the sheets on the bed, but the luckiest kids among us had beds shaped like cars, similar – but probably not as awesome – as this latest release from toy company Step2. Released this week at the New York Toy Fair, it isn’t just a bed: it’s a whole bedroom set, all modeled on the Z06.
The set includes a $229 bed capable of holding a toddler’s mattress but expandable to accommodate a twin (extending its usability from ages 2 to 10) with optional working headlights, a $110 dresser that looks like dad’s tool box, a $65 storage chest and a $40 wheeled storage box to make clean-up time quick. It’s all made of molded plastic from one of the biggest in the business, and is sure to make for some very sweet dreams indeed.
If NASCAR is more to your kid’s speed, Step2 has got a available too, but it’s the Vette set that has us (a) wishing we were little again, and (b) second-guessing the grown-up’s bed we just ordered for ourselves.
We’ve reported plenty on items we’d like to place in our automotive-themed dream house, from and to and – but most of them are for the living room. We’d be remised, however, to forget the one part of the house where the fascination all began: our childhood bedroom.
We all had the posters up on the walls, the models on the shelves and maybe the sheets on the bed, but the luckiest kids among us had beds shaped like cars, similar – but probably not as awesome – as this latest release from toy company Step2. Released this week at the New York Toy Fair, it isn’t just a bed: it’s a whole bedroom set, all modeled on the Z06.
The set includes a $229 bed capable of holding a toddler’s mattress but expandable to accommodate a twin (extending its usability from ages 2 to 10) with optional working headlights, a $110 dresser that looks like dad’s tool box, a $65 storage chest and a $40 wheeled storage box to make clean-up time quick. It’s all made of molded plastic from one of the biggest in the business, and is sure to make for some very sweet dreams indeed.
If NASCAR is more to your kid’s speed, Step2 has got a available too, but it’s the Vette set that has us (a) wishing we were little again, and (b) second-guessing the grown-up’s bed we just ordered for ourselves.
has announced a whole slew of products it intends to showcase at the rapidly approaching , with the biggest reveal being the first public showing of the five-passenger 6 Series Gran Coupe.
But that’s just the tip of the Bavarian iceberg. Another highly anticipated machine, the , will make its world debut in Geneva before going on sale in the U.S. in the late summer as a 2013 model. The , which is a big seller for BMW in the States, will debut in April at the and will go on sale shortly thereafter.
Also on hand will be the BMW M550d xDrive, M550d xDrive Touring, X5 M50d and X6 M50d. Together, these four diesel-powered machines launch BMW’s line of (not to be confused with M-badged models like the and ). Sadly, these oil-burners are not headed Stateside.
Naturally, the brand new will be on display, with Europeans getting their first look at some of the new diesel engine offerings. Those of us in the U.S. will be more interested in the 3 Series with the M Sport Package that will go on sale in August and the 3 Series ActiveHybrid that will hit the market in September.
Geneva showgoers will get to see the refreshed ahead of its entrance into the U.S. market in the spring, plus the electrified and plug-inhybrid . And finally, BMW will unveil a new line of M Performance Parts and officialaccessories for the new 3 Series. On the M Performance front, those new additions will include blacked-out kidney grilles, exhaust systems, carbon fiber front splitters and M-branded steering wheels.
We know that’s a lot to digest, so we won’t mind at all if you want to for the complete press release. But first, be sure to check out the high-res image gallery of M Performance Parts above.
Fans of Dodge’s all-American supercar likely know that there have (so far) been two different logos used to depict the fanged . The first, affectionately referred to as “Sneaky Pete,” ran from 1992 until 2002. The second appeared in 2003, when the Viper got a major styling update, and was called “Fangs.”
An all-new Viper is at the , and it will do so with an equally fresh logo. We’re not sure exactly when the Stryker design was first revealed – anyone who looked closely enough got an early black-and-white glimpse when the automaker in January of this year – but we do know that the latest set of images released by the SRT hive mind offer a much more detailed look at the logo.
According to , the logo was named at the 2010 Viper Owners Invitational in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was chosen by Viper owners from amongst a handful of options. While we know very little about the actual car it will adorn, Mark Trostle, Head of SRT Design, said the following: “The new Stryker badge is the most refined, sinister looking and beautiful badge yet, just like the shape of the car.” Consider our interest piqued.
has been hitting on all cylinders of late, adding the and , the and the upcoming . That’s a lot of new metal for one calendar year, and it appears the Korean automaker is just getting warmed up.
Fox News reports that Hyundai USA CEO John Krafcik hinted to a new entry into the six- and seven-passenger crossover segment. The affable exec pointed out that Hyundai needed to do a better job of attracting families to the brand, adding “it’s probably fair to say we need more presence in the six and seven passenger crossover segment where we have the Veracruz now.”
Hyundai is also expected to unveil a at the , so the automaker’s CUV offerings are definitely looking up. As we , we expect Hyundai to eventually offer a long-wheelbase three-row version of the new Santa Fe to replace the slow-selling Veracruz, though the automaker has yet to confirm this development.
But while Krafcik hints that some new CUV metal is coming, fans of the Italic H shouldn’t hold their breath in anticipation of a pickup truck. Krafcik reportedly told Fox News that the automaker could build a truck if it wanted to, but the brand will instead focus on more efficient vehicles.
The has been a success for , and a big part of that comes down to style. It’s something which the Korean automaker has cultivated with a series of special editions, and this is the brand’s latest.
First previewed at the last year, the Red Rock Special Edition has now been confirmed for production and is available to order. Named after the famous rock formations in the American southwest, it’s characterized by a shade of brown exterior paint which Kia calls Canyon, complemented by glossy black trim in the fascia and mirror housings. Inside, the black and brown theme continues, with black leather trim and brown cloth seats.
Automatic climate control and heated seats come bundled as standard in a package starting at $20,600, plus destination and taxes. Follow the jump for the full press release.
There’s no doubting the importance of the RX. It’s one of the top-selling models from one of the top-selling luxury marques. At the cutting edge when introduced in the late ’90s, the is now on its third iteration, with a fourth on the way – and this appears to be our best look at it yet.
Coming your way via a leaked brochure, the 2013 Lexus RX is apparently undergoing a facelift that will bring its appearance in line with the brand’s latest design language – centering around the pinched chrome-edged “spindle” grille that characterizes the front of the latest sedan. Reshaped headlamps with a strip of LEDs flank either side, and, of course, it’s all riding on new wheels.
While the RX may not be exactly what you’d call “performance-oriented” – floating as it does down the road and communicating less through the steering wheel than you’d expect from a pouting pre-teen behind a slammed bedroom door – the new model is apparently getting an F Sport trim kit. That would include a new front bumper, honeycomb grille, rear spoiler, bigger wheels and tinted lamps, with sportier trim to match on the inside.
We’d expect to see Lexus officially release the new RX sometime within the next few weeks, with a probable debut at the in April, but in the meantime you can scope it out right here.
What’s the new made of? Just like the last generation, it takes all the best bits from the and distills them into two door form. And this time, the convertible comes first.
At its heart, the M6 Coupe and Cabriolet are all about the engine, and as expected both models use the same twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 (ironically codenamed S63) to output 560 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which peaks between 1,500 and 5,750 rpm. Those figures should sound familiar, as they’re almost exact duplicates of (the sedan makes an additional two lb-ft of torque), including the 7,200 rpm rev limiter and Valvetronic system.
Mated to the same seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox as the M5, BMW claims the M6 Coupe will run from a rest to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds, with the cabrio taking an additional tenth of a second to hit the same mark. According to our sources, a six-speed manual option is under consideration, but it won’t be available at launch. And again, just like the M5, fuel consumption has been reduced by 30 percent while power has increased by around 10 percent.
Also included is BMW’s Active M Differential, an electronically controlled multi-plate limited slip diff that works in conjunction with the DSC and the new Dynamic Damper Controls that electro-hydraulically tweak damping force on-the-fly depending on the settings and the situation.
Inside the subtly blistered wheel arches are massive 16.1-inch carbon ceramic rotors in front, gripped by six piston blue calipers, with equally impressive 15.6-inch rotors out back held by a single-piston caliper. The standard wheels are M-specific 19-inch alloys with 265/40 R19 ultra-high performance summer tires in front and 295/35 R19 rubber in the rear, with 20-inch lightweight hoops available as an option.
BMW isn’t citing exact curb weights for either the coupe or cabrio yet, but assures us that they’re notably less than the previous E63/E64, and the double-bubble carbon fiber roof on the coupe is a visual testament to that.
Sales of the convertible will start this June, with the coupe arriving later this summer as a 2013 model. And we hear we’ll get to see the drop top in person at the , with the coupe debuting in . for all the tech-laden details.
Two more Japanese auto industry suppliers, Yazaki and Denso, have been fined by the U.S. Department of Justice and four executives from Yazaki will go to jail, according to reports in the New York Times and Automotive News. Yazaki’s $478 million fine and Denso’s $78 million fine come on top of the $200 million penalty paid by another Japanese supplier, Furukawa Electric Company, last November as . Three Furukawa execs also were sentenced to prison.
The DoJ opened the investigation two years ago into collusion among firms setting prices for parts like wire harnesses and ECUs, but is said to have found evidence of such practices since 2000. Yazaki was charged with three felonies, fixing the prices of wire harnesses, instrument panel clusters and fuel senders. Denso was charged with two felonies, conspiring to fix the prices of ECUs and heating control units. Four Yazaki employees, working mainly for its North American operations in Ohio and Kentucky, were charged with violating the Sherman Antitrust Act and will serve from 15 months to two years in prison.
Both companies have pledged to retrain their employees and bolster their antitrust compliance, and both Yazaki’s Chairman and CEO said they would return half their pay for three months. The Justice Department investigation continues, and said the CEO of the Original Equipment Suppliers Association, “I’m dead certain that there has to be a lot of concern out there.”
Feel free to read over the official statements from both Yazaki and Denso .
In crafting its Super Bowl strategy, cribbed a page from the . (Have we ever been able to say that before?) The Bavarian brand will be airing two regional commercials on Sunday, one in New York and the other in the Los Angeles area, both promoting the new 2012 .
The east coast ad promotes the Bimmer’s heated steering wheel, of all the mundane features. But the SoCal spot showing off BMW Connected Drive’s is pretty darn funny, even if it is stereotypical mother-in-law humor. BMW has also created four additional commercials that it says will soon be appearing online on streaming sites like Hulu.
What’s most notable here is that in none of the clips do we actually see driving, though we do see kids, a dog and twin babies.
Click to see all the videos and read the press release.
may be a nameplate still associated with , but as any New Yorker will tell you, it’s also a class of car and its application: large domestic luxury sedans used as chartered taxi cabs preferred by executives and highly valued professionals to get from one meeting to the next through Manhattan’s notorious traffic. It’s a market Lincoln itself is keen to retain, but with the demise of the Town Car as a model, it’s pitching the crossover for the application. , however, is going with the XTS.
The top-end GM marque’s new flagship sedan will be presented on February 13 at the upcoming International LCT (Limousine, Charter and Tour) Show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. There, Cadillac will showcase the XTS W20 Livery Sedan Package, paving the way for extended-wheelbase and even sedan chassis to be made available sometime later this year.
So will Cadillac finally be able to leapfrog past longtime rival Lincoln in this vital market? Will the XTS prove the ultimate successor to the Town Car? for the full press release and cast your vote in the poll below.
Early last year, , with the brand’s performance flagship once again taking its place at the front of the SRT lineup. The next generation Viper , and it looks like will be doing its best to tease us mercilessly until then with vague sketches of the car. The first has just been posted on the , providing the very first look at the front end of the 2013 Viper. From the silhouette it’s hard to really tell what the design will look like, but the overall shape and the hood scoop distinctly remind us of the Viper GTS coupe built from 1996 to 2002.
So, what do we know about the 2013 Viper as of right now? For starters, as mandated by federal law. The powertrain is still unconfirmed, although there are rumors that the .
All of these rumors will be laid to rest come April, but until then we’ll just have to settle for the teasers that SRT gives us. We’ll be sure to bring you more news on the 2013 Viper as soon as its released, and let us know what you’re hoping to see from the new Viper in the Comments.
It’s the two-minute warning in terms of Super Bowl advertising and still has some ground to cover. General Motors’ largest brand is still mulling its advertising lineup with less than two weeks remaining until the New York Giants and New England Patriots meet in the big game.
Chevrolet has purchased seven spots. Exactly which vehicles will be featured and at what times is still stirring healthy debate at GM headquarters.
“Every day, we’re changing the spots of what’s running where,” said Chris Perry, Chevrolet’s vice president of global marketing and strategy. “We’re probably going to push it to the end.”
That comes Tuesday, Jan. 31 when NBC wants final decisions. Click to continue reading.
General Motors has launched an advertising campaign touting the safety of the extended-range plug-in electric vehicle, just as its that a recent Volt fire that took place after a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash test would never occur under real-world circumstances, Bloomberg has reported.
GM CEO Dan Akerson (pictured) said in the campaign that he “couldn’t be prouder” of the technology the company uses to produce the Volt, the wire service noted. The campaign includes full-page ads in 19 U.S. daily newspapers, including the The New York Times, as well as a television ad that will debut on News Corp’s Fox News channel. GM has also released a new “normal” ad that calls the Volt “the car America had to build.” You can watch the 30-second clip, which may appear in or around the Super Bowl, .
Akerson spoke Wednesday with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending. Both he and NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said the car was safe and defended NHTSA’s handling of the situation against accusations from some Republican members of Congress who’ve been critical of the Obama Administration and its relationship with GM.
NHTSA said late last week that it finished its into the crash test that resulted in a fire three weeks after the fact last summer, and concluded that neither the Volt nor other electric vehicles pose more of a fire risk than conventional vehicles.
The California Air Resources Board () is holding meetings that could put the hammer down on getting more zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) on the road – or so it seems at first glance.
CARB, which always looks far down the road, is discussing how it will change the ZEV program that concerns model year 2018 vehicles and beyond. The proposal (, but watch out: it’s 670 pages that are not searchable!) could force automakers to add half a million pure electric or fuel cell vehicles and another 900,000 plug-in hybrids by 2025, writes The New York Times. Overall, CARB’s proposal would increase the market segment of advanced clean cars from four percent in 2025 to 15 percent in the future. CARB is also asking for more hydrogen stations to be built.
That may all sound good, but there’s another side to the story, one that’s . Plug In America is to oppose a portion of the proposal that could actually reduce the number of ZEVs on the roads in the future. Comparatively, anyway. In a letter to the DOE and EPA, CARB Chair Mary Nichols wrote:
California commits to propose that its revised ZEV program for the 2018-2021 MYs include a provision providing that over-compliance with the federal GHG standards in the prior model year may be used to reduce in part a manufacturer’s ZEV obligation in the next model year.
The details are that, for every two grams per mile of GHG overcompliance, an automaker could “cut the number of pure electric-drive vehicles [it has to offer] by as much as 50% over 2018 to 2021,” writes Plug In America, which also calls it a “sweetheart deal” and “a bad deal for California and for the United States.” PIA writes that , and lobbied for this overcompliance language. We’ll keep following this one.
It won’t be long before we see the official reveal of the , but predictably, the Internet won’t be kept waiting. Consider us unsurprised that a set of grainy photos showing what is claimed to be a badgeless redesigned Santa Fe crossover has appeared ahead of schedule.
That said, we’re thinking the chrome-heavy maw depicted in these shots suggests that this is probably an overseas version (ix45) – not exactly what we’ll see in the States. At least, that’s what we’re hoping, as the wall of frontal brightwork seems out of step not just with the market, but also and its styling position here in North America. That said, our moles confirm that this is “some version of Santa Fe” and suggest that the image above was likely part of an illicit photo shoot taken inside the plant in Korea.
We should know more in April, when the North American Santa Fe is expected to launch at the . For now, however, check out AutoEvolution for a second look.
2008 was one crazy, almost surreal year. It was the year when the economy took a nosedive, and the U.S. auto industry nearly ceased to exist. One of the last major decisions former President Bush made before he left office was to give and a combined $17.4 billion to keep their doors open.
That money held over the two automakers for a few months, but The Detroit News reports that the Bush administration almost took a different tack. The New Yorker published a 57-page economic memo that was written by economist Larry Summers to President Elect Obama. The memo claims that President Bush was noodling an earlier bankruptcy for the automakers, backed by up to $100 billion in government financing.
By instead forwarding GM and Chrysler a bridge loan, Bush (pictured here with former Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli) effectively prolonged the inevitable and pushed the tough decision on to the next administration. But that could have been the best possible action to take – Summers was reportedly of the opinion that pushing the automakers through bankruptcy too early could have severely damaged the entire U.S. auto industry – not just at Chrysler and GM.
In the end, Chrysler entered bankruptcy in April, followed by GM in June. Chrysler no longer owes the federal government any money, though Uncle Sam still owns 26.5 percent of The General. As a result of the Bush administration’s choices, the Obama administration is the one that gets the blame and credit (depending on your political viewpoint) for shepherding the two automakers through bankruptcy.
