The project may be dead in the proverbial water, but that hasn’t deterred a group of American investors from breaking into Formula One. In fact, it only appears to have whetted their appetites as representatives headed to Montreal this past weekend for the to meet with Bernie Ecclestone and others to discuss new opportunities for involvement in the sport.
According to Autosport, the delegation was led by Parris Mullins, who was there representing an unspecified group of American investors. An advisor and close friend of YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley, Mullins was directly involved with USF1 until it collapsed.
Apparently, Mullins and company aren’t interested at this point in taking a fresh stab at forming another startup team, but are looking at possibilities to invest in existing operations. Given Mullins’ close ties with , speculation has linked him with either Toro Rosso or Sauber, both of which use Ferrari engines and are in need of a fresh injection of cash. The reports also add another layer to Ferrari chief regarding fielding a third car with American backing.
Just after we flip our calendars to the year 2011, we’ll have three new sedans on the street, all poised to compete against one another and priced from around the $16,000 mark – the , and . Each car has a lot of positives and we’re sure the automotive media will be lining up comparison tests as soon as each are ready. But right now, we want to know what you, the reader, thinks has the makings of the best $16,000 sedan. Read the details and vote for your pick below.
Engines: 2.5-liter inline-five with 170 horsepower, 177 pound-feet of torque; 2.0-liter turbo-diesel four with 140 hp, 236 lb-ft; 2.0-liter turbocharged four with 200 hp, 207 lb-ft; six-speed automatic, dual-clutch and manual transmissions will be available
Fuel economy: Over 40 mpg for TDI diesel models
Available features: Navigation, Bluetooth, 60/40 split rear seat
Engines: 1.8-liter naturally aspirated inline-four with 138 horsepower and 125 pound-feet of torque; 1.4-liter turbocharged four with 138 hp and 148 lb-ft; six-speed manual and automatic transmissions available
Fuel economy: 40 mpg for Eco models
Available features: Bluetooth, USB connectivity, OnStar support
Engines: 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four with 155 horsepower, 145 pound-feet of torque, mated to a five-speed manual or six-speed dual-clutch automatic; 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four reportedly in the works with 240-plus hp and a six-speed manual
Fuel economy: 40 mpg highway targeted for base 2.0-liter model
Available features: SYNC, active park assist, navigation
Note: Official specifications for the 2011 Jetta and 2012 Focus have not been released as of this writing, but these are the details that Autoblog has learned through industry sources.
Volkswagen New Beetle – Click above for high-res image gallery
Men, take note: According to a new survey from research firm TrueCar, the Volkswagen New Beetle is (still) the ultimate car for women. Apparently, its combination of cute-as-a-button looks and affordable pricing make the reborn Bug a total hit with the fairer sex.
This data was determined not by some silly woman-on-the-street clipboard survey, but rather by looking at the registrations of more than 13 million vehicles over the past two years. We could have saved them quite a bit of work if they wanted to know that the New Beetle was a chick car, but whatever. There was some other interesting info gleaned from the research, including the revelation that 64% of all cars are registered by men despite the fact that there are more women (at 51% of the population, just a tad) than men in America.
Rounding out the top five vehicles that scored well with the mono-chromosomed gender were the , , (saw this one coming) Volkswagen Eos and Volvo S40.
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport – Click above for high-res image gallery
Rumors of an even more powerful version of the have been around almost as long as the Veyron itself. But after abating for a couple of years, now that the Veyron’s production run is winding to an end, the have begun creeping up again.
The gossip suggest that the will send off the Veyron with a final run tuned to 1,200 horsepower, trimmed of 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of excess weight and capable of hitting 100 km/h (62 mph) from a standstill in 2.2 seconds en route to a 425 km/h (264 mph) top speed.
Reports further suggest that the ultimate Veyron will revive the SuperSport label used on the most powerful version of the 90s-era EB110 and the 30s-era Type 55. Only 30 examples are said to be in the pipeline, each carrying a €1.5 million ($1.8M) price tag. Sources expect the Veyron SuperSport to make its debut at the upcoming Paris Motor Show in the Fall, so truth or speculation, we’ll find out one way or another in a few months.
Gallery:
Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
2011 Hyundai Equus – Click above for high-res image gallery
America CEO John Krafcik is rarely one to hold back his opinions, and today’s topic of discussion is marque’s upcoming Equus luxury flagship. Hyundai has moved up in the automotive ranks so quickly over the past 15 years that many people have wondered if the brand is overreaching with the Equus.
Krafcik addresses the obvious comparison to the U.S. market failure of the Volkswagen Phaeton. The way Krafcik sees it, VW skipped a few pricing steps going straight from the Passat to its ill-fated Phaeton range-topper, noting that there was a much larger gap between the Passat and the Phaeton than there will be with Hyundai because they’ve taken the trouble of bringing the and to market – the former of which verified that consumers are willing to pay $40,000+ for a Hyundai.
Of course, that’s no guarantee that consumers will pay $55,000-60,000 for an Equus but it seems more plausible than $80,000+ for a Phaeton. Krafcik also addresses the fact that each Equus buyer will get an Apple iPad with the owner’s manual. As he explains it, the tablet PC is meant to provide a more useful resource for people to figure out how to use all the technology in this flagship, hopefully avoiding the pitfalls of some other luxury machines.
The iPad will also have an application that allows owners to schedule service appointments. When the appointed time arrives, Hyundai will send a driver to the Equus owner’s home or office with a loaner, and then return the Equus when the work is done. As Krafcik sees it, other luxury automakers have spent millions of dollars to gussy up their dealerships – building things like coffee bars, fancy seating areas and water features. Problem is, nobody really wants to visit their dealer even with those added niceties, so Hyundai plans to remove it from the equation with its pick-up and delivery service. In other words, the ultimate luxury is never having to take your car to the dealer at all. Fair enough.
Forza Motorsport with Kinect controls – Click above to watch video
The Electronics Entertainment Expo is underway in California, and Microsoft has kicked things off by unveiling its new Kinect peripheral for the xBox 360. Kinect (formerly “Project Natal”) is an advanced camera that can track your body as you stand in front of your TV, enabling what Microsoft is calling controller-free gaming. The primary titles shown were silly ones involving running, jumping, and other types of tomfoolery that will appeal to the casual crowd, but there was a Forza Motorsport tie-in that might just make motorheads take notice.
If you’re a Forza fan, then chances are you’ve spent more than a few seconds ogling the incredibly high-res versions of the cars shown in your virtual in-game garage. Now, with Kinect, it appears as if you’ll be able to get a little closer. The camera can track you as you physically walk around, enabling you to “walk around” your virtual steeds. As you move, the perspective shifts. The demo car was a Ferrari 458, naturally in red, which a spokesman was able to explore, crouch to get a closer look at its carbon ceramic brakes, and even open the door with a wave of his hand and take a seat inside.
Gorgeous, but not particularly exciting. A short demo was also given of a simple gameplay mode, which you play by holding your hands in front of you as if you were holding a steering wheel to control the car. This mode looked to be a challenge to see how many cars you can pass in a limited period of time, but with seemingly no way to accelerate or brake we’re guessing this will be little more than a passing distraction.
This version of Forza is said to be coming sometime in 2011, so it won’t be here for the November 4 launch of Kinect. Neither was there a mention of whether this will be a free update for Forza Motorsport 3 or a whole new title. Given the limited amount of content here, we’re hoping for the former. Check out the keynote during which the Kinect-enabled version of Forza was demonstrated .
Our camera-happy spy photographers were quick enough to grab a batch of shots of one very distinctive as it underwent mountain testing. From what we can tell, it’s the next iteration of the German manufacturer’s successful Race Touareg 2 – the same diesel rally raid beast that has gone toe-to-toe with other competitors in the . From what we can tell, the next-gen racer will look nearly identical to the car that competed in the 2009 series, with a few subtle changes.
The prototype our photographers spotted sports a for high-water crossings and a new brush guard – presumably for pushing obstacles from the Touareg’s path and protecting its lightweight bodywork. Who knows what’s under the hood, but considering the success the company has had with hits twin-turbo diesel I5, we wouldn’t expect too much to change in terms of power delivery unless rule changes warrant it. VW has managed to increase the engine’s power output by about 10-15 ponies each year, though, so it wouldn’t surprise us to see the oil-burner top 300 horsepower for the first time.
There are certain vehicles that were born to be convertible. The is not among them. The plucky, inexpensive little transporter is somewhat lovable in hardtop guise with its round overall shape and ladybug proportions. The cheapest of cheap cars is just too cute to hate, but make the mistake of pulling back the top sheetmetal, and you’ve got a sight that can’t be unseen. A photo of a drophead Nano has hit the web courtesy of Wheelosphere – a site dedicated to India’s blooming automotive world.
Fortunately, for the moment at least, the world won’t have to deal with these things in the wild. The cars are apparently kept to the grounds of Tata’s Sanand plant and used to ferry visitors from one portion of the complex to the other. That’s just as well, really, because the car’s semi-monocoque construction probably doesn’t take too well to having its roof cut off, and we suspect that structural rigidity is now something of an open question (*rimshot*). If you can peel your eyes away from the missing roof long enough to check out the rest of the Nano , you’ll likely spot some sporty step bars and classy side graphics, too. Excellent.
BMW teaser photos – Click above for high-res image gallery
If there’s one thing the auto world loves, it’s a good tease. has been happy to oblige this afternoon by dropping three photos of a new model fit just for U.S. consumption. Details are fittingly scarce, though the company does say that it will drop full details on the world come Thursday. Since we’ve been left to our own devices, how about a little rampant speculation to get the ball rolling? Judging from the front fascia, we’re guessing the new car is gussied up . The smattering of M logos throughout the cabin leads us to believe that the new kid on the block will likely boast a more sporting pedigree than its brethren, and since the America-only is already down the pike, another pepped up 3 Series wouldn’t make much sense.
From the looks of things, there’s definitely a dual-clutch cog box at play, though it’s unclear if that will be the only option. Now the only question is whether the company will tweak the V8 found in the M3 or whether it will leave it alone and instead make other upgrades, and there’s also the question of which bodystyle(s) the car will be available with, as the M3 is currently available in coupe, sedan, and convertible form. Keep your ears pinned back for more information later in the week. Until then, let your imagination run wild.
As investigations into how handled in the company’s pickup trucks and SUVs continue, critics suggest that it’s quickly becoming clear that the company has mishandled repair and recall efforts. According to a USA Today article, Toyota had repaired vehicles with the defect for over 11 years in the U.S. before deciding to initiate a in Japan, and a recall for the 977,000 affected American vehicles didn’t occur until one year later.
To compound the issue, not all owners were contacted about the recall once it went into effect, leaving plenty of potentialy defective vehicles in the hands of the public. Some owners were even made to pay for the repair out of their own pockets without reimbursement from the automaker, especially after the vehicle was out of warranty. In some cases, Toyota made what it calls goodwill repairs for free.
The investigation into the defective steering relay rods comes after the federal government fined Toyota the maximum allowable earlier this year for failing to notify the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration of unintended acceleration issues in a timely manner. The automaker is currently the plaintiff in a class action lawsuit in California concerning the faulty steering relay rods.
We’ve all seen people doing really dumb things. You know, the kind of act of stupidity where you’d try to stop them from harming themselves or their possessions if it weren’t so riveting to watch. Hell, we’ve made some pretty heinous misjudgments in our time, but we’ve never attempted to load a jet ski into the back of a Ford Econoline while said van was partially underwater. That just doesn’t sound like a good idea.
While driving a jet ski into a cargo van doesn’t make any sense to us, we know of at least one YouTube all-star who thinks otherwise. Well, he probably thought otherwise until the van’s rear wheels began having trouble maintaining traction while submerged under water. to watch Darwin’s theory in motion. Luckily, it appears that nobody was hurt during this epic fail.
1955 Le Mans crash featured in a BBC documentary – Click above to
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a much, much faster and much, much safer race today than it was back when it created the reputations of legends. In fact, the 1955 running was the single deadliest event in motorsports history. In a debacle near the pit straight that involved a backmarker, a swerving Jaguar braking for the pits, and two speeding Mercedes-Benz racers, it was Pierre Levegh’s car that was launched into the crowd. It disintegrated as it flew on to catch fire, killing the driver and 77 onlookers, as well as injuring another 120.
Since then, the issue of safer racing was put on the boil, with Levegh’s own co-driver for the 1955 race, John Fitch, inventing the Fitch Barrier. Fast forward 55 years and there hasn’t been a fatality at Le Mans since 1997, when Sebastian Enjolras died during practice. There have been no racing deaths at Le Mans since 1986, even though three Mercedes sports cars flipped at high speed in one weekend in 1999.
A BBC documentary called “” takes a look at the accident that helped bring about new rules and new safety. Thankfully, it’s an event we can still leave in the long ago past – every driver in this past weekend’s race made it to the finish unscathed. Can’t say the same about a bunch of the cars, though. for a teaser vid of “Deadliest Crash,” complete with truly unnerving period footage.
Autoblog reader Geo happened to be cruising on I-275 in Detroit last week when he was passed by a convoy of pickups. Snugged smack dab in the middle was none other than the upcoming SuperCrew without a stitch of camouflage to cover those two extra doors. Geo did what any good enterprising AB reader would do and clicked a couple of photos as the desert-crushing truck blew by.
The prototype in the photos has ditched the outlandish graphics of its shorter brother, but it still looks just as mean, and it’s even slathered in silver paint, a color that isn’t currently available. If the badge on the fender is any indication, this particular example packs the same 411-horsepower6.2-liter V8 mill we were not too long ago, which means it should have no problem jumping over hill and dale. If ever there was a backyard party on four wheels, this is it.
Mini boss Jim McDowell responds to Porsche – Click above to watch the video
We’ll be honest – we were rather excited to see how a race between a and would go down. After to a trackday showdown at Road Atlanta on June 21, , saying that it will “stick to racing the way we have over the decades,” and welcomed Mini to attend any sanctioned race where “there is more at stake than t-shirts and valet parking spaces.”
Mini has had a very impressive response to this challenge, and isn’t giving up. Mini USA boss Jim McDowell has issued yet another message to Porsche Cars North America CEO Detlev Von Platen saying that they’re willing to raise the stakes, offering prizes such as concert tickets (including backstage passes!), a lifetime membership to the Salami Of The Month club or even a (slightly used) home gym, among other things. Excellent.
We love Mini’s enthusiasm over this whole event, and as we understand, Mini is even flying a banner plane over Porsche’s Atlanta, Georgia headquarters with the message “Dear Porsche, Bring it. Love, Mini.” Seriously. You can keep up with the whole back-and-forth on . In any case, with only one week until the supposed race day, we hope Porsche will saddle up for this duel, even though Mini hasn’t specified what the Road Atlanta challenge(s) will be (it could be an egg-carrying race for all we know) and Stuttgart really doesn’t appear to have much to gain by picking on the little kid. Top tip, Brett!
Hennessey has already divulged practically every piece of information we want to know about its . It’s built on a heavily molested Lotus Elise chassis and driven by one of three versions of the 6.2-liter LS9 V8 used in the . The base model is supercharged and produces 725 horsepower and 741 pound-feet of torque. The other two mills are both twin turbocharged and produce 1,000 hp and 1,200 hp, respectively. All three models use the same six-speed Ricardo transmission as the Ford GT. Weight: 2,548 lbs dry and 2,685 lbs loaded with fuel. Price: Somewhere north of $600,000 for the base supercharged model. Yeah, this is some serious stuff.
The Texas-based tuner (can we really call a company that builds something like this a tuner?) has finished the very first production Venom GT, and it’s a duesy. Chassis Number 01 is a top tier twin-turbo model, the same one clocked a few weeks ago on a dyno.
As if the numbers don’t paint a pretty enough picture, Hennessey recently hired a photographer to snap some beauty shots of its Venom GT. The high-res image gallery below sports some 56 images, some of which are good, many of which could be better. May we offer up our own ace photog Drew Phillips? We’re quite sure he’d be happy to snap a pictorial starring the new Venom GT.
Mercedes’ new ad campaign, “The best or nothing” – Click above to watch video
Mercedes-Benz’s new slogan as of last Friday is “The best or nothing.” That catchphrase will be joined by a redesigned Three-Pointed Star pretty soon, but the new icon doesn’t appear to have gone on display yet… so stay tuned for that.
This refresh is meant to help the Stuttgart brand bump year-on-year sales by seven percent this year, which, if successful, would about double the industry average. The slogan is pretty clear cut so we won’t bother explaining it, but if you want the rest of the story you can find it in the first campaign commercial .
[Source: ]
plans updated Three-Pointed Star, new ad campaign [w/video]
As we get closer to seeing significant numbers of electric vehicles come to market, various standards are starting to emerge that cover things like how these vehicles are to be charged and how to measure range and equivalent mileage. One feature that remains up in the air is the sound signature of electric vehicles. For years, EV advocates have touted the silent operation of battery-powered vehicles as a bonus.
However, advocates for the blind and safety regulators are pushing for electric vehicles to produce some audible alert that indicates their presence. According to Just-Auto, beginning next week, will be bringing in 500 people including media, government officials and customers who have signed up to buy the Leaf to drive the car at its Oppama, Japan test track.
Among other things, they will be evaluating the “approaching vehicle sound” that will be used for the and Fuga () hybrid. Nissan is testing a system that produces external sounds that sweep across a range of frequencies to insure that almost anyone can hear it. The sound will also vary depending on whether the car is accelerating or decelerating. to hear a sample of what the Leaf will sound like, which to our ears is something like a robot whistling dixie. Top tip, Tohe!
![7a76f jettacruzefocusopta The $16,000 Question: Jetta, Cruze or Focus? [w/poll]](http://theautoblog.ru/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/7a76f_jettacruzefocusopta.jpg "The $16,000 Question: Jetta, Cruze or Focus? [w/poll]")
