has released a new image of the , which adds to the growing number of teaser images highlighting the updated sedan. We’ve seen a video of , along with a shot of the headlight. After that came . Now, we get to eyeball the backside with a photograph showing the taillamp and Camry badge courtesy of a new image posted to Twitter.
One of these days, we’ll get to see the whole thing… .
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our .
If you thought your local country club parking lot or swanky bistro driveway was filled with , that’s nothing compared to the proliferation of the rear-engined sports car on race tracks around the world. Porsche claims that, with over 2,200 examples sold, the 911 GT3 Cup – never mind any other racing variant – is far and away the most popular customer racing car on earth. And now it’s set to get just a bit more popular.
Though the next-generation 911 is just around the corner, Porsche’s racing department has updated the GT3 Cup one last time. The principal difference is a new 100-liter fuel tank that now complies with an even broader rage of racing regulations. Otherwise it’s largely the same as , packing the same 450-horsepower flat-six as the GT3 RS road car on which it’s based, but with 18-inch alloys wearing Michelin slicks and mounted to an adjustable competition-spec suspension. Carbon-ceramic brakes are also available depending on the series.
The new GT3 Cup will be available for delivery to privateer racing teams as of next month, with a price tag starting at 161,750 Euro ($232k by today’s rates). for the full press release and scope out the quintet of high-resolution images in the gallery for a closer look. Or better yet, just head down to the local race track, because there’s bound to be a few of ‘em lapping down there at any given time.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 17:28:00 EST. Please see our .
A little over a year since officials picked the Dallara proposal over those of its rivals, testing has begun in earnest on the next-generation IndyCar chassis.
The new car underwent the first of a dozen scheduled shake-down runs at the hands of Dan Wheldon, the reigning Indy 500 champion, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course where the series competed this past weekend.
Dallara’s clean-sheet design – which will be built at a new Stateside facility instead of the factory in Italy – was envisioned right from inception for use on both high-speed ovals and road courses, unlike the car it replaces which was designed for the speedways and later adapted for twistier circuits. Each team will be able to switch the bodywork depending on the type of track, but that’s hardly where the differences between the new car and the old one end.
Instead of the 3.5-liter V8s that powered the existing crop, the new car Wheldon was running packed a 2.2-liter turbocharged V6, also from Honda, that will be one of three engines – alongside and – that will proliferate across the field next year.
Engine suppliers will get their first taste of the new chassis in October, with deliveries to individual teams slated for December, but you can scope out the images from the test right now.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our .
builds a great wagon. You would be forgiven for forgetting that, what with the recent product lineup featuring the ugly duckling, hunchback-shaped and physics-defying . Over yonder Atlantic pond, the European market gets to play with the while we’re left to wait for an updated . Looks like our wait is nearly over.
Our spy photographers snapped a camo-clad 3 Series wagon undergoing testing. We assume that involves cramming it with groceries, puppies, hockey equipment and golf clubs. The 3 Series is due for its update, and we’re excited to see what it looks like under all of that Starry Night-inspired camouflage. Now, if we could convince BMW to give us back the 5 Series Touring, we’d cut off our ear to show our gratitude.
Try to find the revised lines of the next generation BMW 3 Series Touring by clicking through the gallery.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our .
Austrian-based KTM is best known for producing . To four-wheeled fans, it’s also known for . Now, a new concept vehicle shows that KTM can view the world through green-tinted glasses. The plastic-bodied KTM E3W is a three-wheeled electric vehicle fit to ferry two passengers for up to 100 kilometers (62 miles).
Plastic helps keep the weight of the E3W down to 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds), which means the 15kW motor and lithium-ion battery should have no problem shuttling this KTM around town. For now, the E32 remains a concept, but KTM hopes to bring a production version to market by 2013. Early estimates on the price tag hover between $7,000 and $11,000.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our .
has said it may kill the long-standing nameplate in early 2013. A successor to the popular model is in the works for that timeframe (assuming, you know, that the company survives for that long), but Saab brass say they haven’t decided whether to kill the moniker.
If Saab does decide to switch things up, the car’s new handle will likely be pulled from the automaker’s heritage, and for now, that’s all the company will say about the possible re-naming. Saab also said that it is looking to refire production as early as the end of this month, and finally managed to pay their white-collar workers in full this month.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 13:29:00 EST. Please see our .
Muscle cars have never coped well with having their tops clipped. Losing the roof rarely does a vehicle any favors in the rigidity department, but the high-horsepower, high-torque coupes of the last four decades took fiendish delight in twisting themselves into pretzels after a few enthusiastic throttle plunges. To make matters worse, frumpy, awkward-looking soft tops were never as attractive as the original tin. When it came time to design the fifth-generation , the engineers at General Motors specifically aimed to avoid those pitfalls by drafting the chassis to field both coupe and convertible duties.
Long before the first test mule ever turned a tire, this coupe was designed to go topless, and the result is one of the more stable convertible platforms out there. With a little help from the minds behind the soft top, the retractable lid even offers the same sleek profile as the Camaro Coupe. That’s not to say all is right in this cruising kingdom, though. Tough top-up visibility, a bulging waistline and an overly extroverted interior all work against the drop head. Even so, this is still a vehicle soaked in summertime. And whatdayaknow? The sun’s out.
SS Convertible
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our .
Ferrari has started work on the successor to its lovely . Our spies caught the beast, codenamed the F152, during some warm-weather testing, and although these shots confirm the car’s development, they don’t really give any useful clues as to what it will look like. Test mules – gotta love ‘em.
The bodywork you see here was stuck together from forms for the , and is only there to cover the new car’s chassis. The new Prancing Horse is slated to break cover sporting a 700-plus-horsepower 6.3-liter V12 backed by a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Rumor has it that the new Ferrari will also carry direct injection (not surprising). Stay tuned for more, but for now, see the 599 successor mule in our attached high-res image gallery.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:29:00 EST. Please see our .
Hold your horses, ladies and gents. All 700 of them. It appears that earlier reports of the Pagani Huayra’s exclusion from the U.S. market may have been a tad premature.
As you may recall, we on a ruling from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that denied Pagani its application for exemption from certain airbag regulations. The assumption was that this would put a big damper on , but if the latest reports prove accurate, that now appears to be little more than a speed bump. And as little as exotic supercars and their drivers like speed bumps, they can, one way or another, be overcome.
According to GTSpirit, Pagani appears to have been prepared for the NHTSA’s refusal. The application had been submitted some three years ago, and since Pagani Automobili had not received a reply until now, it had already begun work on the advanced air bags as required. The request – such as had been granted to other niche supercar manufacturers – was simply to give Pagani some extra time to implement the rules and allow it to sell in the U.S. in the meantime. Clever.
Reports highlight just how far Pagani has gone to heighten the safety measures in the new Huayra with such features as a carbon-titanium passenger tub from which the rear subframe breaks off in the event of a catastrophic crash, and a fuel system that cuts off pressure if the fuel line is severed. In other words, over and above what NHTSA mandates.
The rigorous application of the advanced airbag regulations may mean that Pagani’s planned deliveries for late 2012 could be pushed back to early 2013, but one way or another, Pagani is determined to sell here in the United States. And given the speeds of which its cars are capable, we wouldn’t count on them arriving too late, either.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:27:00 EST. Please see our .
Hot-hatch enthusiasts take note: the Swift Sport is back.
Having updated the Swift range last year, Suzuki unveiled the rather tantalizing in Geneva a few months back. What you see here may not be quite as extreme as the show car, but carries the salient points to the showroom. And if the previous-generation Swift Sport was anything to go by, it could become a new favorite among pocket rocket enthusiasts.
Set to be unveiled at the upcoming , the new Suzuki Swift Sport upgrades on the base hatchback with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine developed specifically for this model. It churns out a modest 134 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque, but considering its diminutive dimensions, that ought to be enough to deliver a real punch.
That’s mated to a six-speed manual transmission and supported by a performance-optimized suspension, all of which we hope to read more about in the near future. In the meantime, though, you can check out the press release and the solitary image released thus far in full resolution above.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our .
We can’t say we’re surprised. After of the latest , which received four brand-new engines for the 2011 model year, we signed out the two V6 offerings as the ones most worthy of buyer’s consideration. And, lo and behold, F-150s equipped with V6 engines are outselling their V8 counterparts for the and the first time since 1985 that V8s weren’t the dominant powerplant option in Ford’s full-size pickup.
So far in 2011, Ford has sold 313,183 units – an eight-percent increase over last year and enough to keep the F-series the best-selling vehicle in America for the umpteenth year running. Of the two six-cylinder engine options, it’s the EcoBoost V6 that’s truly stealing the show, and with good reason. With 365 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque compare very favorably with its competitor’s top V8s, and it handily outperforms them in EPA-rated fuel mileage (16 city, 22 highway).
Also worthy of consideration from buyers is the base 3.7-liter V6, which accounted for 16-percent of F-150 sales in July. With 302 horsepower, it offers more ponies that its most direct competitors’ base V8s, and it scores 17 mpg city and 23 highway. These two Ford V6 options represent a rather astounding 80 percent of the full-size V6-powered pickup market in America, besting the likes of the , , and by massive margins.
If you want all the sordid details, feel free to peruse the press release .
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:59:00 EST. Please see our .
Buyers looking for a hot hatch could do worse than a . But European buyers also have the option of going with its Spanish version, the Seat Leon, which offers a touch of Latin flavor along with a little bit more power than its German sibling often at a more attractive price. Now, the Iberian auto marque is expanding the range of its Leon FR with a choice of new engines.
Where the Leon FR was previously available with either a 208-horsepower 2.0-liter TSI or a 168 hp turbo-diesel, these have now moved up a notch to the new FR+. Underneath them, Seat is offering the more accessible 123 hp 1.4-liter TSI and 138 hp 2.0-liter TDI, giving buyers the sportier treatment but with smaller engines.
Overseas buyers can also opt for either a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG, but those looking for the more hardcore hot-hatch experience can still go for the , which also gets a subtle refresh to keep it current. Check out the whole family in the press release and the images in the high-res gallery for more.
originally appeared on on Wed, 10 Aug 2011 07:59:00 EST. Please see our .
If you were smitten by the , Fuji Heavy Industries is ready to make your dreams a reality at next month’s .
Influenced by the concept that debuted in this April, the production version of next generation crossover is set to land in European showrooms later this year. For those of us in the States, , although it’s unclear if the Euro-XV will form the basis of the next wagon or another variant of the . We’ll know soon enough once we hit the floor in Germany. Check out the brief press blast .
teases XV crossover ahead of Frankfurt
originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 23:35:00 EST. Please see our .
The has been on the market now for the better part of a decade. Along the way, it has led to countless variants: some with roofs, some without, some with all-wheel drive, some with rear, some with as less than 500 horsepower and some with nearly 570. Soon the entire range will be replaced with a new model thought to be called Cabrera, but before it does, word on the strada is that the Raging Bull marque is planning one last hurrah.
And what a hurrah it will be. Reportedly based on the Super Trofeo race car that’s fielded in the spec racing series of the same name, a “Super Trofeo Stradale” is tipped to debut at next month’s show as the final iteration of the Gallardo.
Little word at this point on just what it will entail, but expect more power and less weight than any variant that has preceded it. For reference, the track-bound Super Trofeo packs a 562-horsepower V10 but with 240 pounds less heft than the standard Gallardo and 88 pounds less than the stripped-out Superleggera. Expect the roadgoing version to hit 60 miles per hour in three seconds flat and run out to a top end of some 210 mph.
We’ll have to wait until we get to the Messe to find out more, but that’s little over a month away, so stay tuned.
originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:27:00 EST. Please see our .
A day after spies caught latest the automaker has dropped the first round of details on its -bound prototype.
As suspected, the Audi Urban Concept is another in a string of etron-branded concepts that point towards an electrified future, but with a more city-friendly size and shape.
The body is comprised of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, with offset seating for two, a sliding canopy and a tailgate that serves as the main entry point. Motivation is provided by a pair of electric motors and a lithium-ion battery which Audi insists will deliver “sporty performance.”
Beyond that, Audi isn’t saying much in the press release – we’ll have to wait for the Urban Concept’s debut next month for the full details.
originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:27:00 EST. Please see our .
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has begun an investigation (not a recall) into models made from 2002 through 2008. The reason? A 2006 BMW 7 Series rolled away when it was parked, and NHTSA wants to make sure this was an isolated incident. After all, we don’t want to see more unintended activity involving any of the 120,000 units sold between that time period.
We’re not going to worry just yet, however, as the lone incident resulted in no injuries or an accident. Still, there are a few other reports of folks experiencing a randomly rolling 7 Series, and NHTSA is examining the electronic transmission shifter. The unit is designed to place the vehicle in park when the engine is turned off.
Once we hear more with regards to the mysterious case of the roving 7 Series, we’ll let you know.
originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our .
Episode #242 of the Autoblog Podcast is here. This week, Chris and Dan are joined by John McElroy, long-time host of , Autoblog columnist and a fixture to listeners of WWJ. We start by getting our supercar fix, mulling the Pagani Huyara and its eventual move to the U.S. market. From there, we bring some informed analysis to General Motors regaining the largest automaker crown from Toyota and discuss the newly-confirmed Cadillac XTS and ATS. Your questions and comments power the last third of the podcast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our , thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #242:
In the Autoblog Garage
2011 Infiniti M56
2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
2012 Fiat 500
Hosts: , , Guest: Runtime: 01:13:50
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originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:45:00 EST. Please see our .
is in the midst of reshaping its entire family. The new look starts at the top with the redesigned , has shown itself on the A7 and A6, and will now filter its way down through the rest of the lineup. Next in line to get the updated look is the , and spy photographers managed to capture a cladding-covered prototype on vacation down in Argentina.
We don’t yet have a clear shot at the front end, but you can expect a large gaping maw paired with bright LED daytime running lamps, similar in shape to what we see on the A6, no doubt. The real family resemblance, however, can be seen in the character line running down the length of the car. That sharp accent is now a family trademark, and lets the world know you’re looking at an Audi (as if the LED-everything didn’t tell you already).
Don’t get too used to this three-door shape, though. When the next-generation A3 goes on sale in the United States, it will be a four-door sedan, as Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen . The five-door configuration will still be available in other markets, but Stateside, Audi believes a proper four-door will be what makes customers swoon.
originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our .
Through the end of July, sales of diesel vehicles in the United States were up 38.5 percent, compared to the same seven-month period in 2010. Led by the and , diesel vehicles appear to have escaped the quake-related supply issues that for months, though they’re tally of 8,653 vehicles sold in July still only represents 0.82 percent of the total market.
Sales of the segment leader, the Jetta TDI, were 5,206 last month, bringing the diesel sedan’s year-to-date total to 56,717. The oil-burning Golf didn’t enjoy nearly the same level of demand, but its sales of 966 units in July landed the hatchback in second place among all diesel vehicles. In third, with sales ringing in at 562 units was the diesel-fueled .
Looking for more details? Head over to for a model-by-model breakdown of diesel vehicle sales for July 2011.
originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our .
Yoichi Yokozawa, CEO of Motors North America, recently confirmed to Automotive News that a new SE will be arriving this fall as a 2012 model. The SE will feature the all-wheel drive of the and models, but will be paired with the naturally aspirated engine found in the current DE, ES (pictured) and GTS trims.
Official details and pricing information has not been released as of this writing, but Automotive News reports that the SE will sticker for approximately $20,000. Mitsubishi says that the SE should account for 15 to 20 percent of all Lancer sales.
Adding the SE trim to the Lancer lineup is part of Mitsubishi’s plan to someday sell 100,000 units in the United States again. The last time Mitsubishi sold over 100,000 vehicles in this market was 2007, when sales totaled 128,993.
originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:01:00 EST. Please see our .
