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While these supposedly leaked patent images aren’t as sexy as those of the Acura NSX convertible we recently spied, they do point to an interesting new look for the homely Ford Transit Connect.

As the pedestrian delivery van in its current form is in need of a massive upgrade in the aesthetics department, adopting more of a “Ford face” like what’s found on the Fiesta and forthcoming Fusion seems like a great idea. We’re not sure, however, what to make of the buttresses at the base of the pillars, which reminds us a bit too much of the Honda Element.

While we haven’t heard much about when a new Transit Connect might be headed to our shores, according to Left Lane News, Ford may show an almost-production-ready concept at the Paris Motor Show in September.

Next Ford Transit Connect revealed in new patent filings?

It seems like it was just a few years ago that car manufacturers used to laugh at us when we’d ask why a new model didn’t get any better fuel economy than its outgoing predecessor. “Car buyers don’t care about fuel economy,” was the refrain, “They certainly won’t pay for it.“

A few years of three- and four-dollar-per-gallon gas has apparently changed that attitude. According to a new study by Consumer Reports, 37 percent of respondents said fuel economy was now their leading consideration in car shopping, topping all others by a landslide. Quality was the second-most-important factor at 17 percent, while safety was mentioned by 16 percent, and value by 14 percent of shoppers. Two-thirds of respondents said they expected their next new vehicle to beat their current one on fuel economy. And yes, it is the economy, stupid, as 90 percent of those surveyed said high gas prices were the reason why they wanted a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

None of this is too surprising, given what has been going on both in the auto industry and in the larger economy since the economic meltdown of 2008. But we still kind of wonder how performance managed to rate number one with just six percent of those surveyed? Is that it then, there are six times as many tee-totalers than auto enthusiasts out there in the world?

CR says that it called 2,009 people across the country to get its results, obtaining 1,702 responses from adult car owners. Scroll down to read the full press release.

Continue reading Survey Says: Fuel economy is #1 factor when buying a car

Survey Says: Fuel economy is #1 factor when buying a car

There have been rumors of an Apple iCar for much longer than five years. But it was five years ago that there was enough heat under them for a German newspaper to report that Steve Jobs and Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn had met to discuss the idea. A year later another German outlet printed a photo of a VW concept (pitured) alongside an iPhone, and a columnist in the New York Times kindly asked Steve Jobs to save Detroit.

But did the iCar ever really exist as more than an idea? Mickey Drexler is the CEO of J. Crew and sits on the board of Apple Computer, and at a recent conference in New York he said that Steve Jobs’ “dream before he died was to design an iCar.” Drexler doesn’t say when Jobs had this dream, whether it was just before he died or so long ago that it could substantiate the ancient rumors. No matter, Drexler said “He never did design it.”

The edited video of Drexler’s comments is posted below. And know that this doesn’t mean the rumors, nor the iCar itself, are dead.

Continue reading Apple Board Member: Steve Jobs’ dream was to design iCar [w/video]

Apple Board Member: Steve Jobs’ dream was to design iCar [w/video]

Think back to childhood for a moment. What did you do when you wanted, say, a new skateboard, but mom and dad were dragging their heels about ponying up for one? That’s right, you built your own, out of bits of scrap plywood and some old wheels discarded by an older sibling. And it sucked.

We see the same situation playing out here. The children at Top Gear are absolutely gaga for the DeltaWing race car, which Nissan will be campaigning at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. And even if they are Top Gear, nobody at Nissan is going to just give them an experimental race car for futzing around. So they are building their own. Or at least a simulacrum of the DeltaWing, out of what appears to be junk.

Details are scarce, but the image gallery Top Gear has on its website tells enough of the story that we’re pretty sure they aren’t going to come anywhere close. Not only does the 1,100-pound curb weight of the revolutionary race car present something of a challenge when you’re basically welding the thing up from scratch, but whatever that ancient engine sitting in the nose of the Top Gear project is, we’re plenty sure it won’t be packing the 300-plus horsepower of Nissan’s turbocharged four.

But just as your pre-pubescent charm and pluckiness eventually prevailed in the skateboard scenario, we’re thinking Top Gear might be on to something with its fanboy-ish DeltaWing replica. After all, mom may have embarrassed you in the skate shop, but she did get you the real thing, didn’t she?

Top Gear building its own Nissan DeltaWing race car

While we get the Volkswagen Eos, other markets get this: the Golf GTI Cabriolet. We had a good look at it under the lights of the Geneva Motor Show, and now VW has dropped a slew of photos of the convertible in its natural environment.

Under the hood is a 207-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, mated to either a six-speed manual or dual-clutch gearbox. The car’s feminine aspect has been mentioned, but VW would like to focus people’s attention on the 0-to-62 time of 7.3 seconds, making it the fastest GTI convertible ever, the top speed of 147 miles per hour, and it being “the most economical model in its class.” And the man at the wheel in the press photos.

You can have a good, varied look at it in the gallery of high-res photos, and check out the press release by scrolling down.

Continue reading Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet toots its 207-horsepower horn

Volkswagen Golf GTI Cabriolet toots its 207-horsepower horn

If you sift through eBay Motors like a junkyard dog looks for bones, you may have already come across a Studio Effect image from Dimostra. They look a little out of place in an eBay Motors auction gallery, perhaps because they’re a bit too perfect compared to the usual lot of hastily snapped images. The irony, however, is that these glossy-looking glamor shots don’t come from a physical studio at all, but are rather the result of renting the Photoshop expertise of Dimostra’s digital artists to turn those hastily snapped images into something special.

This Chicago-based company offers a number of services related to vehicle photography, but the Studio Effect is what caught our eye. Company spokesman and partner David Nawrocki tells Autoblog that many hours of Photoshop manipulation go into each Studio Effect image despite the price of just $49 per image. Doesn’t sound reasonable to you? Try finding an independent digital artist with skills like this and see what he charges. That price includes a digital copy of the resulting Studio Effect image, but Dimostra also offers accessories on which you can emblazon your Studio Effect shot – everything from a keychain and coffee mug to a T-shirt or framed gallery picture.

We were curious how the process works, so we sent Dimostra some images of one of our own cars – a 1986 Porsche 911 Turbo – to see what they could do. Turnaround time was a few days, during which time the company helped us choose the best image to use from ones we already had, as well as offered tips on how to go out and shoot the sort of image that results in the best looking Studio Effect shot. Check out the results in the gallery above, as well as some other before-and-after shots from the Dimostra artists.

Studio Effect turns your snapshots into studio glamor shots

With a starting MSRP of $90,695, the 2013 BMW M5 is spendy to begin with. But loading it up with all the trimmings, you’ll see a sticker price north of $116,000. And we know this because we just spent a few minutes playing with the M5 configurator, which is now live on the BMW consumer website.

While we’re not really that shocked by the price, we are kind of confused by the M5’s color palette. While mainstays like Monte Carlo Blue Metallic and Alpine White are there, you cannot have an M5 in red – Sakhir Orange Metallic will have to do if you’re the flamboyant type. If you’re into earth tones, however, BMW has you covered, with five silver and gray tones, three shades of black, and two browns.

When it comes to options and packages, there’s all kinds of way to drop several thousand dollars at the tick of a box, including an Executive Package that bundles together a bunch of stuff you probably don’t need – active front seats, heated rear seats, sunshades, soft-close automatic doors, yada, yada, yada – and charges you $5,500 for it. It makes the Driver Assistance Package with lane departure warning and blind spot detection seem like a steal at just $1,900. A night vision system with pedestrian detection ($2,600), a head-up display ($1,300), and a rear-seat entertainment system ($2,200) are also offered, though the best piece of optional kit is one BMW isn’t charging for: a manual transmission.

Check out all 14 exterior M5 colors in our gallery.

2013 BMW M5 configurator revs up

Motor Trend reports Rolls-Royce has pulled the plug (literally) on its electric Phantom. Word has it none of the ultra-luxury automaker’s current clients have any interest in an electrified land yacht due to niggling factors like range anxiety and a perceived loss of premiumness. Apparently the world’s super wealthy only feel content when their transportation runs on the tears of crushed ecosystems. That’s a bit odd considering the 102 EX Concept bowed at the Geneva Motor Show with more torque than the buttery-smooth V12 in the standard Phantom. Still, all the torque in the world is no balm for a range of under 100 miles.

While it’s true Rolls-Royce officially quoted a total range of around 120 miles from the 1,452-pound battery pack in the machine’s nose, we’re more than a little skeptical of that figure. Then there’s the issue of keeping the electric Phantom charged. We can imagine the typical Phantom owner isn’t accustomed to waiting for anything, let alone twiddling their thumbs for eight hours while their cripplingly expensive sedan charges. With all that compromise, Rolls-Royce says it just doesn’t make sense to produce the 102 EX.

Remember the electric Rolls-Royce Phantom? Forget it

Our trusty spy photographers have caught the upcoming Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet with its top down and its tail up on a stroll through German streets. To our eyes, the extended length and wheelbase are accentuated in the rear-end packaging, but it’s still a looker.

Some reports say that motivation will come from a twin-turbo 3.8-liter flat-six, others say there will be three turbos affixed for immediate low-end action. Horsepower ratings are also a muddle for now, with various reports suggesting 515 horsepower or thereabouts, making for a 15-hp increase over the current Turbo, and that would be followed by a Turbo S with somewhere around 550 hp, a 20-hp bump on the present Turbo S. Other reports say the regular turbo will go straight for the 550-hp jugular, leaving the S to haunt the neighborhood of 600 hp.

What we do know is that it will pack all-wheel drive, a seven-speed transmission in traditional stick or PDK, and every electro-bauble in Porsche’s arsenal when it finally is revealed. For now, catch what you can in the high-res gallery of spy photos.

Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet caught topless

Big trucks just aren’t appealing enough on their own, at least in some places. For proof, look to a Shanghai GMC dealer who is offering about three years worth of free gas to anyone who buys a new Sierra Denali. Too bad it’ll take about 20 years to pay off the big truck.

The dealer is giving away five tons – about 2,000 gallons, worth around $8,000 in China – of petrol to new Sierra Denali buyers in China’s largest city, according to The Detroit Bureau. The offer appears to be a nod to rising China gas prices, which are climbing towards levels similar to those in the U.S. now that the Chinese government is doing less to artificially keep gas prices down. Full-size trucks have been sold in China for about three years and are known to be status symbols in China, says The Detroit Bureau.

There is, of course, a catch. The Denali, unlike most General Motors vehicles sold in China, is built in the U.S., so the price tag is about $134,000, or almost three times what the model sells for in the States. Here’s hoping a few free car washes come with those full tanks.

Shanghai GMC dealer offering five tons of free gas with truck purchase

Lexus has announced a voluntary recall of roughly 650 2013 GS 350 F Sport models over a potential issue with one of the electronic control units.

When the vehicle is parked with the steering wheel turned, the calibration of the ECU for the Variable Gear Ratio Steering can cause the steering wheel to “become off-centered” if the car is immediately restarted.

Lexus will be notifying owners in early June, at which time they can take their cars to the dealer to have the ECU recalibrated free of charge. Scroll down for the press release.

Continue reading Toyota recalling 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport over faulty ECU

Toyota recalling 2013 Lexus GS 350 F Sport over faulty ECU

The Mini John Cooper Works line is set to get a little more efficient. Engineers have given the turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine a tune-up with new reinforced pistons, a sturdier cylinder head laded with lightweight cams, and sodium-filled exhaust valves. Though the forced-induction four-pot is good for 208 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque, an overboost function can step up the power to 207 lb-ft.

For the first time, Mini buyers can snag their own John Cooper Works creation with a six-speed automatic transmission, complete with wheel-mounted shift paddles. Combined with electric power steering, the changes should be good enough to offer a sizeable jump in fuel economy.

No official numbers have been released as of yet, but Mini says the new John Cooper Works Hardtop is capable of returning 7.1 liters per 100 kilometers on the EU cycle when equipped with the automatic gear box. That works out to around 33.1 mpg, though the Environmental Protection Agency figures are bound to vary greatly.

Mini has also officially announced the John Cooper Works Countryman will feature all-wheel drive as standard equipment. Using the same engine and transmission options as the rest of the JCW line, the high-riding JCW Countryman can nip to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds. Scroll down for the full press release.

Continue reading Mini adds revised powertrain, automatic option to John Cooper Works models

Mini adds revised powertrain, automatic option to John Cooper Works models

The Biggest Hammer Of Them All Is Sharper Than Ever

We would love to be able to look you square in the eye and say, “All you need to know about the 2013 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 can be summed up in one figure: 662.” After all, that’s the obscene amount of horsepower ripping at the rear tires courtesy of the supercharged 5.8-liter V8 under the hood. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple. For the first time in its life, the GT500 has found itself lined up against a legitimate competitor in the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The muscle car/supercar crossbreed from General Motors is stitched to conquer not only the quarter mile, but nation’s road courses as well.

In order to answer that threat, the engineers at Ford have laid a hand on nearly every mechanical and electrical system on board the GT500. While that means the blown V8 churns out a diabolical 112 more horsepower than the previous model, it also means the top-tier Mustang now comes with tricks like user-selectable Bilstein dampers, adjustable electronic power steering, larger brakes and an array of optional cooling systems. In fact, if this car came wrapped in a slightly different shade of sheetmetal, we’d be talking about an all-new model instead of a refresh.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 [w/video]

2013 Ford Shelby GT500 [w/video]

This isn’t the first (or second, or third) time we’ve caught the next-generation Big Daddy Range Rover out testing, but this latest set of spy photos gives us our best look yet at some of the SUV’s new exterior details. (Sidenote: We have to commend Jaguar Land Rover for having some of the coolest camouflage patterns in the world.)

As you might expect, the Range Rover’s shape hasn’t changed too much from the current generation, though we can clearly see a sleeker front fascia with headlamps that seem to incorporate new LED running lights, as well as a slightly sleeker roofline. But the big news for this next-generation vehicle is the huge reduction in weight that’s supposedly on tap – reports have estimated that as much as 800 pounds have been shed from the SUV’s body. This weight savings is largely due to an all-new aluminum platform, as well as widespread use of lightweight materials throughout the body.

Mum’s the word on what’s going to be found underhood, but we’d expect the usual range of eight-cylinder engines to be offered here in the United States. Murmurs of a hybrid powertrain have also been spinning ’round the rumormill, so don’t rule out the possibility of some electric boost being on tap, as well. Click through the above gallery to see the full slate of spy shots for yourself.

Next Land Rover Range Rover reveals more of its lighter body

Audi has claimed its first overall victory at the Nürburgring 24 Hour race with the R8 LMS Ultra finishing in both first and second place. The win comes after a slew of endurance race wins for Audi in the last 12 months including the Bathurst 12 Hour and the 24 hour races at Spa and Zolder.

The winning Phoenix Racing R8 LMS Ultra, driven by a German quartet of Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock, managed to complete 155 laps of the Green Hell free of technical issues or crashes, and finished over three and a half minutes ahead of the second place R8 run by Abt. A Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 claimed the final place on the podium.

“We are absolutely delighted about this long desired victory,” said Dieter Gass, Head of Racing Commitments at Audi Sport, after the race. “For three years the Audi R8 LMS was always the best GT3 car at the Nürburgring. Now we have taken overall victory in the fight with seven other brands.”

Scroll down to see the official announcement from Audi or view photos from the race in the high-res gallery above.

Continue reading Audi R8 LMS Ultra claims overall victory at Nürburgring 24 Hours

Audi R8 LMS Ultra claims overall victory at Nürburgring 24 Hours

Chrysler is recalling 67,872 Jeep Wrangler models over a potential issue with the transmission skid plate. The recall deals solely with Wranglers from the 2010 model year, equipped with automatic transmissions. It’s been found that debris can collect on the skid plate that protects the transmission, leading to the risk of a fire if the debris makes contact with the nearby catalytic converter.

Chrysler will begin notifying owners this month, at which time they can take their Wranglers to be repaired free of charge at the dealer. Scroll down for the complete release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration.

Continue reading Jeep recalls nearly 68,000 Wrangler models over… skid plate fires?

Jeep recalls nearly 68,000 Wrangler models over… skid plate fires?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a formal field inquiry into the garage fire that may or may not have been started by a Fisker Karma sedan, Bloomberg reports. The conflagration, which destroyed the Karma, the garage and a few nearby vehicles, took place on May 3 in Sugarland, Texas.

Claude Harris, NHTSA’s director of vehicle safety compliance, said that the investigation is “ongoing,” adding that “no determination has been made at this time.” Until an official cause is isolated, we’re betting there will be a good bit of he-said, she-said finger pointing in all directions…

It’s worth noting that NHTSA has also been actively investigating the safety of battery packs used in the Chevrolet Volt after reports of fires in the wild and after NHTSA’s own crash testing procedures.

NHTSA launches inquiry into Fisker Karma garage fire

The Fiat 500 in its various guises positively romps on its popularity, making special-edition hay with terrific frequency. This latest outing in the form of the Abarth 695 Maserati Edition follows a familiar trail, coming three years after the Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari that debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

That hatch had a tuned 1.4-liter turbo four putting out more than 180 horsepower, a variable exhaust system and paddle-shifting automated manual under its Ferrari 430 Scuderia-mimicking paint scheme. But aside from the paint, this one gets much the same treatment: 180-hp output, Abarth Competizione gearbox and dual mode exhaust.

It goes the GranTurismo route instead of hard-core sports car, though, using the convertible Abarth as a base and adding Pontevecchio Bordeaux paint with a gray top, sand-beige leather and black interior, Jaeger instrumentation, and 17-inch Maserati-style Neptune wheels and hexagonal tailpipes. Still, it gets even bigger Brembo brakes than the Ferrari version.

Just 499 will be made for “mainly” European markets, naturally, so the closest we’ll get to it is the high-res gallery above the the press release below.

Continue reading Abarth 695 Maserati Edition bows at Mille Miglia

Abarth 695 Maserati Edition bows at Mille Miglia

Our own lensman Drew Phillips caught sight of this at Cars & Coffee in Irvine, California: the 2013 Hennessey Venom GT Spyder. This is the first time it’s been seen on our shores. The targa version of the Venom GT packs the same 1,200 horsepower as the coupe – which also debuted at C&C, one year ago – but adds $150,000 to the price.That means you’ll need $1.1 million for that wind-in-your-very-rich-hair feeling.

We still don’t have exact specs on the car beyond a very limited build and its “enhanced driving sensations,” but the high-res gallery of photos above should fill in enough blanks for now.

Hennessey Venom GT Spyder pops in at Cars & Coffee

According to the timing sheets for the Nürburgring 24-Hour race, the now-hybridized P4/5 Competizione set a lap time of 6:51 during qualifying. That would make it faster than the “Production-Derived Sports Car” record of 6:58.16 set by the Ferrari 599XX in 2010, and the fastest Ferrari-powered vehicle to ever run the ‘Ring.

In case you don’t remember, the 700-horsepower 599XX was also a purpose-built, track-only racer driven by a test driver. On the other hand, we don’t have specs on the P4/5 Competizione to compare, but that doesn’t make the achievement itself any less impressive. The only car ahead of the P4/5 Competizione in the not-street-legal category is the Pagani Zonda R, which rocked a 6:47.50. Glickenhaus himself told Jalopnik he thought the feat was “pretty cool” and that Ferrari was welcome to challenge it.

James Glickenhaus claims fastest lap by a Ferrari ever on the ‘Ring