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Start naming Korean automakers. Ready? Go! Okay, there’s Hyundai, of course. And its sister company Kia. Daewoo’s been taken over entirely by GM. That’s it, right? Almost. Don’t forget Renault Samsung.

The French automaker produces its own line of vehicles in South Korea in partnership with electronics giant Samsung. The lineup includes the QM5 (also known as the Renault Koleos), the small SM3 and SM3 CE, the slightly larger SM5 and this, the new SM7.

The new top-of-the-line Samsung was previewed in concept form earlier this year, and is now ready for its production roll-out. The model it replaces offered 2.3-liter and 3.5-liter versions of Nissan’s ubiquitous VQ engine, and the new model is likely to follow a similar path. The sedan is based on the Nissan Maxima, and may very well be exported outside of its Korean market as a proper Renault. Check out the images in the high-res gallery below and the video after the jump for a closer look.

Continue reading Renault Samsung previews new SM7 [w/video]

Renault Samsung previews new SM7 [w/video]

Honda debuted its 2012 Civic at this year’s New York Auto Show, bringing the full suite of models to the Big Apple. But what about a five-door hatch? It’s not quite ready, and not exactly confirmed for consumption the United States.

This Honda Civic five-door hatchback is wearing a hefty dose of camouflage, but black tape can’t hide everything. No word yet on when we can expect the compact cruiser to ditch the camo, but we assume it won’t be too far along, considering the rest of the American Civic family is already out in full unmasked force.

Currently, Honda has expressed no plans to bring the five-door hatch to the States. Would you jump at the offering of a Civic hatch here in the U.S.? Let us know in the Comments.

Honda Civic five-door continues to shed camo

Fastest Factory Mini Ever Built

This was, at the very least, a perfect matchup of car and track. We’ve just returned from enjoying a day-trip drive in a pre-production 2012 Mini Coupe, the very two-door that is due for worldwide deliveries at the start of October. Not only that, the only model available to drive was the 208-horsepower John Cooper Works edition. You can imagine our sad frowns with curled lower lips.

Twisting the dagger so good this day were the peerless conditions at the very tightly wound seven-tenths of a mile Wachauring, a track located in Melk, Austria, about an hour from Vienna. The combo of a demanding circuit and great weather really gave us the chance to work the Mini Coupe hard.

Continue reading 2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe [w/video]

2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe [w/video]

Fastest Factory Mini Ever Built

This was, at the very least, a perfect matchup of car and track. We’ve just returned from enjoying a day-trip drive in a pre-production 2012 Mini Coupe, the very two-door that is due for worldwide deliveries at the start of October. Not only that, the only model available to drive was the 208-horsepower John Cooper Works edition. You can imagine our sad frowns with curled lower lips.

Twisting the dagger so good this day were the peerless conditions at the very tightly wound seven-tenths of a mile Wachauring, a track located in Melk, Austria, about an hour from Vienna. The combo of a demanding circuit and great weather really gave us the chance to work the Mini Coupe hard.

Continue reading 2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe

2012 Mini John Cooper Works Coupe

Chevrolet Corvette sales haven’t exactly been rocking the charts lately. Last year, the mighty sports car saw its sales drop to a 50-year low thanks to a stagnant chassis, global recession and the arrival of the Chevrolet Camaro. Despite all this, General Motors is set to hike the vehicle’s price by anywhere from $480 to $1,150 depending on the model, according to Corvette Blogger. The site points out that the only Corvette in the armada to see a price decrease is the supercharged ZR1. Don’t think you’ll be getting a steal, though, the Blue Devil saw its price drop by just $75.

In addition, Corvette Blogger reports that the individual equipment packages have also gotten more expensive with the 2012 model. Models like the 2LT Coupe will see package prices increase from $1,195 to $2,095 while 3LT Coupe variants jump from $4,205 to $5,995. Step up to the 4LT trim level and you’ll see an increase from $7,705 to $9,495. Things get more expensive for the Corvette Convertible, too. Head over to Corvette Blogger for the full rundown.

2012 Corvette gets across-the-board price increase

While Mercedes-Benz has been steadily re-integrating its four-seat coupes and cabrios into their corresponding sedan ranges, BMW is reportedly preparing to go the other way. Word from Car Magazine has it that the Bavarian automaker is preparing to launch the next-generation versions of its 1 Series and 3 Series coupes and convertibles as the 2 Series and 4 Series, respectively.

The move would correspond well to the 6 Series, the coupe and convertible that sits between the 5 Series and 7 Series sedans. It’s not the first time BMW has considered such a move, having come close to spinning the two-door 3 Series into a 4 Series about a decade ago.

Audi recently completed a similar shift, replacing the A4 convertible with the A5. That model has since spawned a five-door Sportback, in whose company BMW may soon find itself with the 3 Series GT that may likewise be badged as a 4 Series.

BMW to rename 1 and 3 Series coupes as 2 and 4 Series

Porsche offers no lack of choices for the purist, but the Panamera isn’t one of ‘em. Despite being ridiculously capable, the company’s four-door coupe is more for spirited cruising than track attack. Little wonder, then, that Porsche is reportedly likely to abandon the availability of a manual transmission on the next-generation Panamera.

The decision reportedly comes, naturally enough, from lack of demand for three pedals on the current sedan. Which makes enough sense, we suppose – while we’d take a GT3, for example, with a clutch pedal, when it comes to the Panamera, we can see most customers preferring to let the robot do the work.

The report comes from the German correspondent at Car and Driver, who just a couple of weeks ago brought better news for the enthusiast side of Stuttgart’s fan base: namely, that the next-gen 911 will offer a seven-speed manual. That in addition to the seven-cog, dual-clutch PDK that will apparently be the sole choice on the next Panamera.

In other news, C/D also suggests that the next Panamera will receive electric power steering, an energy-saving technology whose main drawback has been that such systems are tough to tune while preserving steering feel, an essential Porsche ingredient.

So, assuming word of no manual Panamera is true, has Porsche made the right decision? Cast your vote in the poll below.

View Poll

Porsche to nix manual option for next-gen Panamera? [w/poll]

If this year’s intense 24 Hours of Le Mans hasn’t satiated your thirst for the French race, SPEED has something special for you. The show ‘Dave Despain on Assignment’ is taking the time to get up close with one of the living legends of the great Ford versus Ferrari battles of yore: Carol Shelby.

The show details exactly how Shelby came to be in Ford’s employ, the Blue Oval’s motivation to put Ferrari in its place and how the mighty Ford GT40 eventually went on to Le Mans glory. The show first airs on June 24, but you can check out behind-the-scenes photography and video at the ‘Dave Despain on Assignment’ site.

SPEED discusses Ford GT40 Le Mans victories with Carroll Shelby

While Ford is busy busting its you-know-what to prep its next-gen CD4 vehicles – the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ here in the States and the Ford Mondeo in other markets – for launch, the team of Blue Oval engineers assigned to development of the updated Fusion Hybrid is reportedly hard at work reducing the gas-electric’s fuel consumption.

A report from Ford Inside News suggests that the Fusion Hybrid’s revised powertrain, which will most likely feature Ford’s fuel-saving e-CVT trans, will bump the vehicle’s fuel economy rating all the way up to 47 or 48 miles per gallon highway. If true, that would be a healthy increase over the 2011 Fusion Hybrid’s 41 mpg highway rating, which is already class leading. Since the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid will make use of the same hardware, this means that the gas-electric MKZ is almost sure to have an identical mpg rating.

The next-gen Ford Fusion Hybrid should be launched in early 2012, with the debut of the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid likely pushed back a bit further.

2012 Ford Fusion Hybrid to get up to 48 mpg highway?

If you belong to the camp that believes there’s nothing wrong with the Honda CR-Z hybrid hatch that couldn’t be cured with an extra few doses of power, Mugen is cooking up something special that may be just what your tastebuds ordered.

If current speculation holds true, the Mugen-modified CR-Z will put out around 200 horsepower, drop 110 pounds of pudge from its standard curb weight and see improvements made to the base car’s brakes, wheels and tires. Sounds tasty, no?

Naturally, there’s a body kit bolted in place that includes a new fascia, rocker panels, rear wing and what appears to be a carbon fiber hood. Inside are Recaro seats and plenty of white-faced gauges. Finally, as you’ll see – or rather hear – in the video after the break, it also boasts some aural improvements courtesy of what we’re guessing are substantial changes to the exhaust system along with the welcome addition of a supercharger.

We’ll have to wait until Goodwood before we get all the details sorted out, but in the meantime, go ahead and get a sneak peek in the video after the break.

Continue reading Mugen CR-Z sounds nice as it zooms toward Goodwood

Mugen CR-Z sounds nice as it zooms toward Goodwood

Ford is hard at work prepping its all-new CD4 platform cars – the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ here in the United States, and the Ford Mondeo overseas. The trio are expected to launch in the first quarter of 2012, but now, a report from Ford Inside News suggests that the Lincoln counterpart could be delayed until the second half of next year.

2013 Lincoln MKZ facing delays?

While the battery-powered Mini E certainly has some limitations – like two seats instead of four and a real-world driving range that’s well below 100 miles – it seems that the vast majority of Mini E drivers have adapted to the vehicle’s shortcomings and are extremely pleased with their electrified rides.

In conjunction with BMW, the University of California, Davis Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center compiled testimony from a subset of “more than 40″ of the 450-odd drivers who took possession of their Mini Es back in June of 2009.

Among other things, the year-long survey revealed the following:

• All of the respondents agreed that electric vehicles are fun to drive and practical for daily use
• Respondents claims that the Mini E met 90 percent of their daily driving needs
• 71 percent of respondents drove less than 40 miles a day; 95 percent drove less than 80 miles a day
• 88 percent of respondents showed a strong interest in buying a plug-in vehicle within the next five years
• By the end of the lease period, Mini E drivers overwhelmingly thought that the electricity used for charging their vehicle should come from renewable energy sources.

More importantly and perhaps a deal breaker for some, several of the Mini E lessees “adapted their driving around the capabilities of the vehicle.” For example, the reduced range due to running the heater or A/C led some drivers to make do without those comforts. Would you be willing to make such sacrifices?

Continue reading Most Mini E drivers adapt to their electric vehicles

Most Mini E drivers adapt to their electric vehicles

Work is well underway on Cadillac’s upcoming new flagship. The XTS is slated to replace both the STS and DTS, and while this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a test mule out in the open, it could be our best glimpse yet.

The new sedan is said to be riding on an extended version of GM’s Epsilon II platform – the same architecture that underpins the Buick Regal and LaCrosse, the next Chevrolet Malibu and the new Saab 9-5. Power is expected to come in naturally-aspirated and turbocharged V6 forms, driving either the front wheels or all four depending on specification, when it comes along likely sometime late next year as a 2013 model. A turbocharged four has also been rumored, and of course we’d love to see a high-output XTS-V.

Our intrepid paparazzi say the XTS prototypes are wearing very similar camouflage to the much smaller ATS – which was beefed up to disguise its form under development. Very clever, GM, but not clever enough. Take a look at the spy shots in our gallery for a closer look.

Cadillac XTS draws closer

What will become of Maybach? That question has been rattling around the halls of Daimler headquarters in Stuttgart for some time now. But all questions will be answered, and answered soon: according to reports, the German automaker is currently evaluating prototypes and propositions for its top-end marque, and will make its decision next month.

So, what are the options? On the one hand, Daimler could kill the Maybach brand altogether. It was a notion ill conceived and even more poorly executed, taking an old platform and building a new flagship atop it. In that way, it was sort of like the Chrysler Crossfire, only far more costly to both the buyer and manufacturer. On the other hand, Daimler could opt for the long-time-coming proposition of contracting the production (and possibly much of the development) of a new generation of Maybachs to Aston Martin.

The British automaker has been linked with a future Maybach tie-in for some time now. The idea would be to have Aston produce the hyper-luxury range for Daimler at its own facility in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England – the same location that was recently expanded to accommodate bringing the Rapide home from its current assembly line at the Magna Steyr complex in Austria. In return, Aston could get the platforms and engines to underpin its next generation of vehicles, including the rebirth of the Lagonda badge.

One way or another, reports indicate the decision will be made on July 1st. As to when said decision might be announced, well… we’ll just have to sit tight and find out.

Aston or Bust? Maybach’s fate to be decided next month

The Goodyear blimp “Spirit of Safety” erupted into flames and crashed on Sunday, claiming the life of pilot Michael Nerandzic. According to reports, the vessel began emitting fuel fumes as it came in to land at the Reichelsheim aerodome outside of Friedberg, Germany. Nerandzic ordered his three passengers, all journalists, to jump from the blimp from a height of around six feet. With the weight of the passengers gone, the dirigible shot approximately 150 feet into the air before bursting into flames and crashing back down.

The ship was filled with non-flammable Helium, though photos and video of the incident show the gondola and engines aflame.

Goodyear leased “Spirit of Safety” from Lightship Europe for advertising purposes along with a second vessel, which has been grounded since the incident. In a statement, the tire manufacturer said that neither it nor Lightship Europe could comment on the possible causes of the accident at this time. Click past the jump to watch a report from Bild.de, one of the outlets aboard the vessel during the incident.

UPDATE: A representative from Goodyear contacted us with the following information: “This airship is not one of our 3 US ships and is a totally different kind of airship. It is owned and operated by Lightship Europe Limited. The airship was one of two chartered by Goodyear from LEL for marketing purposes in Europe.”

Continue reading Goodyear “Spirit of Safety” blimp crash claims pilot’s life in Germany [UPDATE]

Goodyear “Spirit of Safety” blimp crash claims pilot’s life in Germany [UPDATE]

The Goodyear blimp “Spirit of Safety” erupted into flames and crashed on Sunday, claiming the life of pilot Michael Nerandzic. According to reports, the vessel began emitting fuel fumes as it came in to land at the Reichelsheim aerodome outside of Friedberg, Germany. Nerandzic ordered his three passengers, all journalists, to jump from the blimp from a height of around six feet. With the weight of the passengers gone, the dirigible shot approximately 150 feet into the air before bursting into flames and crashing back down.

The ship was filled with non-flammable Helium, though photos and video of the incident show the gondola and engines aflame.

Goodyear leased “Spirit of Safety” from Lightship Europe for advertising purposes along with a second vessel, which has been grounded since the incident. The ill-fated blimp was scheduled to be retired in 2013. In a statement, the tire manufacturer said that neither it nor Lightship Europe could comment on the possible causes of the accident at this time. Click past the jump to watch a report from Bild.de, one of the outlets aboard the vessel during the incident.

Continue reading Goodyear “Spirit of Safety” crash claims pilot’s life in Germany

Goodyear “Spirit of Safety” crash claims pilot’s life in Germany

The upcoming 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is being billed as a substantial departure from the cutesy car it replaces. And if you’ve been waiting for your chance to put your name down for one of the first examples to hit the road, here it is.

Called the Black Turbo Launch Edition, this limited-run Volkswagen will represent the first 600 examples of the new Beetle to hit American dealerships. Packing a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter TSI inline-four with dual-clutch transmission, the launch edition is distinguished by such touches as 18-inch alloys packing upsized brakes with red calipers, a rear spoiler, foglights, and includes an interior bundled with tri-color ambient lighting, Bluetooth and iPod connection, eight-speaker sound system, an extra glovebox, aluminum-alloy pedals and sport seats upholstered in cloth. (Although VW hadn’t released specific images of the Beetle Black Turbo Launch Edition as we went to press, it should look like the one pictured above.)

The special Beetle is the first model to use Volkswagen’s new Vehicle Pre-Order (VPO) program, available for pre-order online now for a $495 refundable reservation fee that will be applied to the purchase price of $24,950, plus a $770 destination charge. Details are in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Volkswagen rolls out new Beetle with Black Turbo Launch Edition

Volkswagen rolls out new Beetle with Black Turbo Launch Edition

Building Momentum With A Mid-Life Refresh

At first blush, Munich seems like an awfully long way to travel for the chance to drive a mid-cycle refresh. But Volkswagen has good reason to ask us to schlep across the Atlantic to drive its updated-for-2012 Tiguan: Momentum.

The compact crossover had a bit of a knock-kneed start out of the gates when it arrived in the U.S. in May of 2008 as a 2009 model. While demand was spectacular at home in Europe, the VW failed to find early favor with North American shoppers, despite entering a white-hot segment. But that’s rapidly changing. Last year, Tiguan sales increased from fewer than 14,000 units to nearly 21,000, and this year, it’s on its way to a new record, selling almost 3,100 units in May alone. And thanks to a series of meaningful updates for 2012, there’s every reason to believe that the kid brother of the pricey Touareg will continue to find increasing favor among consumers.

Continue reading 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan

2012 Volkswagen Tiguan

Camaro ZL1 will have automatic option, offer ZR1 traction system

When Lotus unveiled its slew of new concepts at the Paris Motor Show, it included a rather enticing new take on the Esprit. The show car packed the 5.0-liter V8 from the Lexus IS-F, but the latest reports suggest that the British automaker is planning on developing its own eight-pot engine for the supercar.

Although the original mid-engined exotic used four- and eight-cylinder engines developed and built in-house, the newer generation of Lotus sportscars have used engines borrowed from Toyota. However, rumors have been circulating that the partnership with the Japanese auto giant could be coming to a close as Lotus weighs returning to building its own engines.

And little wonder, as the Esprit will reportedly be positioned significantly higher than any of the current models. While the current range-topping Evora S sells for around $76,000, reports indicate that the Esprit will more than double that in the $170-200K range.

That would make it more expensive than the Porsche 911 Turbo ($137K) or even the Turbo S ($160K), but undercut the top-of-the-line GT2 RS ($245K)… not to mention the likes of the Ferrari 458 Italia, McLaren MP4-12C and Lamborghini Gallardo (all of which start above $220K) by a significant margin – and crucially pack their own lunches.

Lotus to go in-house, upmarket with new V8 for upcoming Esprit?