has a history of offering performance models that would make any niche supercar manufacturer cower. The latest among them is the , but the gullwing coupe and its roadster counterpart aren’t the extent of what the German automaker’s skunkworks have in store. No, that place of honor at the top of the Mercedes-Benz lineup will soon be taken by an SLS AMG Black Series.
Following in the footsteps of the , CLK63 AMG Black Series, and (most recently) the , the new SLS AMG Black Series promises to eclipse them all with an anticipated 560 horsepower, reduced curb weight and aggressive aerodynamics package.
These spy shots, snapped while the vehicle was undergoing cold-weather testing in the frigid north, also show the tell-tale widened fenders to house the upgraded rolling stock and a new front bumper to feed the over-clocked engine with all the air it needs to breathe.
We’re told to expect the SLS AMG Black Series sometime next year, but you can check out the spy shots now in our high-resolution image gallery.
has not been long known for polarizing design. The company’s styling philosophy has read more closely along the lines of “cheap and cheerful.” But when it brought out the in 2008 as a 2009 model, Ford started down a road of trying to be more expressive, emotional and evocative in the design of its crossovers and SUVs, not just with the Mustang.
For Ford, the Flex has been one of those hollow victories. The people who buy it love its Mini-Cooper-on-a-high-protein-diet look, especially with the available two-tone paint jobs, and the comfortable packaging and cruising ride they get without bumping up to a frumpy minivan. The trouble is that there haven’t been enough of those happy buyers taking the plunge.
Ford sold just 27,000 Flex models last year, down 20 percent from the year before – not exactly one of CEO Alan Mulally’s homeruns. Also, its marketing has been confused since its debut. Ford initially pitched it as a cool urban crew wagon – think Funkmaster Flex. The advertising Powerpoint presentation actually said “No dog drool.” No kidding. The high-concept ads were all shot at night on city streets. It bombed. Soon after launch, we saw families and even a dog or two in ads.
Replica carmakers take notice: Daimler will not tolerate copies of its signature 300 SL. At all. And if you fail to heed this warning and build a full-size replica of a 300 SL gullwing, justice will come down like three tons of bricks upon your unlicensed creation.
German customs officials recently confiscated what looks to be a very faithful reproduction of a 300 SL from a German company, albeit rendered in fiberglass, and they apparently notified the folks at Daimler, who didn’t take too kindly to the unauthorized likeness of their icon.
In their press release (available after the jump), Daimler says the body of the 300 SL is a “work of applied art” that has been under copyright protection for decades. And to make clear their intent to protect that copyright they also remind us they have “long taken a tough approach to vehicle replicas.”
The recently seized copy found out just how tough when the Mercedes-Benz used parts centre (responsible for scrapping the company’s unwanted prototypes) put the replica SL in a 30-ton industrial press and transformed it from illegal to unrecognizable. It then received the official “confirmation of scrappage” designation.
Guys never seemed to warm up to the Volkswagen New Beetle, and it doesn’t take a dual master’s degree in psychology and automotive design to figure out why. The outgoing Beetle featured sheetmetal that could only be described as cutesy, and many (most?) men tend to shy away from vehicles that might result in the questioning of their manhood.
Only 29 percent of New Beetle sales went to men, but Bloomberg reports that a more masculine design has put the back on dudes’ shopping lists. Since the Beetle went on sale in September, men have accounted for a much more robust 43 percent of overall sales. In general, men also appear to be quite fond of diesel power, as dudes accounted for 70 percent of oil-burning models. This suggests Volkswagen’s of a arriving later this summer could boost the VW’s male contingency even further.
The more chiseled redesign is, of course, credited for the Beetle’s newfound male suitors, and commercials geared towards a male audience likely haven’t hurt. But while the Beetle has been more appealing to men while selling better than the old model, we’re guessing would like to see immense improvement from February’s .
The Detroit News is reporting that General Motors will replace the 120-volt power cords on the majority of models the company has sold since 2010. The new charge cords are said to be more durable than the old hardware and should provide “more consistency in charging,” according to the report. GM has sold around 10,000 Volt units since the plug-inhybrid went on sale two years ago, and while some of those vehicles have already shipped with the new charge cords, most still use the old design.
Volt owners may also contact their dealers to begin scheduling appointments to have additional crash structure added around the vehicle’s battery packs. The additional steel is designed to protect against severe side-impacts. Technicians are also expected to add a new sensor to monitor battery coolant levels. The changes are in response to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into unlikely . GM will reportedly without the new structure and sensor, saying neither poses a safety issue.
How well is doing with its new made-in-America ? What if we told you that sales in February were up 14,523.2 percent? Okay, perhaps that isn’t the best measure of performance, given that there wasn’t actually a 2011 model year Passat. But VW moved 8,189 of the midsize sedans last month after selling 6,318 in January.
While that’s but a fraction of the 34,543 February sales for the , it’s enough that VW is adding another 800 jobs at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant that builds the car. That’s the second ramp-up this year – VW already announced last month.
“Quite plainly, we need more Passats to meet the market demand and I’m glad that we can respond so quickly by adding staff in Chattanooga,” said VW’s U.S. President and CEO, Jonathan Browning.
VW currently employs over 2,700 people at the plant, though 500 actually work for a “staffing partner.” VW says the new jobs will be filled both by those contract employees already working at the plant and by new hires. Positions include production, supervisors, quality engineers, and other professionals roles. Click to read the full press release.
hiring 800 workers in Chattanooga to meet Passat demand
Sure, we think of as an American automaker. One of the most American, at that. But its eponymous founder wasn’t born in these United States. He was born in Switzerland. La Chaux-de-Fonds, to be exact, and so to celebrate the brand’s 100th centenary, it has commissioned a local artist to erect a statue of Louis Chevrolet in his hometown’s Parc de l’Ouest.
The giant polished steel bust was created by budding artist Christian Gonzenbach, whose design was selected by an international jury from among four finalists. Measuring five meters (16.4 feet) tall, the oversize bust was commissioned by and will remain in the park as a permanent tribute to the man whose name has become an international fixture in the automotive industry and a veritable household name. Press release .
Wait a second… a diesel Ducati? Has gone through and the TDI engine made its way onto two wheels already? In a word: no. This isn’t diesel with a small D, but Diesel with a capital D – as in the Italian house of denim.
Diesel signed on last year as a sponsor of the Ducati racing team in the MotoGP series, and has now taken the partnership to a new level by giving the Monster 1100EVO the same kind of treatment it’s applied to the . That means a military theme with Diesel’s trademark matte green paint, yellow brake calipers and rear spring, and blacked-out frame, engine covers, exhaust and forks.
The special edition model is, of course, being launched with a range of biker gear including everything from jacket to jeans, all in typical Diesel style but with an added dose of burnt rubber. for the full press blast and check out the trio of images in the gallery for a closer look.
Our spy photographers managed to spot something curious (and decidedly hilarious) recently. General Motors has been busy testing what would appear to be models with massive 20-inch wheels and tires in place of the low-rolling resistance pieces on the stock plug-in.
Why? Guesses are slim at the moment, but one hypothesis is that this is actually our first glimpse at a Cadillac Converj test mule. That vehicle will make use of an altered version of the Voltec drivetrain found in the , albeit bolted to flashier wheels. The luxury hybrid has been an on-again-off-again affair for since the concept first rolled across the stage at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
Last we heard, the Converj is on track for launch in either 2013 or 2014. If true, now would be the time to begin working out any engineering bugs on the rumored Voltec 1.5 system. With luxury buyers more willing to hand over stacks of cash for new technology, the Converj could make quite a bit more sense to buyers than the Volt. Or bolting chrome dubs to a hybrid, for that matter.
In an effort to appeal to a much wider range of shoppers, has announced that its turbocharged models will now be available with a six-speed automatic transmission. Up until now, manual-averse customers were stuck with the 1.8-liter naturally aspirated inline-four – by our opinion, the worse of the two engines offered in the Sonic.
Under the hood of the Sonic, Chevrolet’s 1.4-liter turbo-four is good for 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. That’s seriously good power for the 2,700-pound subcompact, especially when you consider that when paired with the manual ‘box, the Sonic carries EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 29/40 miles per gallon (city/highway). Of course, adding the automatic transmission reduces that economy, though the slushbox Sonic is still rated at a respectable 27/37 mpg.
The automatic Sonic Turbo is on sale now. LT models start at $16,835 for the sedan and $17,635 for the five-door, with the high-zoot LTZ trims commanding $18,625 and $19,325, respectively (not including $795 for destination). for the official press blast.
The all-electric hasn’t exactly set the sales charts ablaze since it hit the market, but it has succeeded in delivering a zero-emissions halo to the brand, and the model’s fortunes are poised to improve now that it’s a 50-state offering. What’s more, TheDetroitBureau.com reports that the electric love will soon migrate over to Nissan’s luxury marque, but with a lot of Leaf under some sexier sheetmetal.
We’ve heard rumors of an Infiniti-branded EV concept for some time now, but details on the electric concept car have been scarce to this point. Now, the automaker tells TDB that it will feature G-Series-inspired styling with a sprinkling of inspiration from the concept (pictured above). Infiniti wants to frame the unnamed concept as a luxury car first and EV second, with more performance and a larger battery pack than the Leaf’s 24 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion setup.
The concept will reportedly also utilize a 6kWh charger that will charge a spent battery in about half the time needed for the Leaf. The beefier charger is likely to make it to production, since the Leaf will reportedly get the 6kWh unit by December.
Demand for the extended-range plug-in hybrid vehicle in the U.S. has been up and down over the car’s first 16-odd months, but executives at General Motors’ Opel division in Europe are saying that the , the Volt’s European twin, is getting some good attention.
The Ampera has received more than 7,000 orders, leading Opel executives to believe that the Ampera will hit its 2012 sales target of 10,000 units, website Plug In Cars is reporting, citing Enno Fuchs, Opel’s e-mobility launch director.
Opel started shipping Amperas to customers last month, saying that most of those owners previously owning high-end cars from automakers like and . General Motors is hoping the Ampera will be better received in Europe than the Volt has been here in the States, where it has become a political lightning rod. Earlier this month, GM said it would – starting this week – in order to thin-out dealer inventory of the car. And last year, GM missed its sales goal of 10,000 units, selling just 7,671 units. GM makes both the Volt and the Ampera at the same plant in Hamtramck, MI.
Still, the Volt showed signs of more life last month when the model moved 1,023 units, up from 603 vehicles in January. The Volt and Ampera were also recently . Last October, Opel to at least 10,000 from 8,000 after Opel had received more than 6,000 paid reservations.
Earlier today, we showed you a brace of images starring that will make its debut at the next month. But upon closer inspection, the folks at CarScoop found something very interesting hiding in the back of one of the GLK photos: the revised .
It’s unclear exactly which G-Class model this is, though our best guess is that it’s the standard G550. (Those wheels look much too tame for an AMG model.) The G-Wagen’s overall design hasn’t changed (that’s fine, we like it just the way it is), but updates for the 2013 model year include LED running lamps under the headlights and redesigned mirrors.
Word on the street is that the G-Class will feature a reworked interior for 2013, including a new instrument panel, steering wheel and consoles. The big news, however, is that the G55 AMG found in the other AMG models, though it’s unclear if its nomenclature will be altered. You know, because G63 AMG absolutely makes sense.
Mum’s the word on when the official G-Class details will be released, but since the car appears to be finished and already posing for photos, we don’t expect Mercedes-Benz to hold off for too much longer.
The newest trim line of the family will also be its most expensive. The will have a starting price of $45,700 for a , officials tell Autoblog. That’s well over double the $21,820 asking price of a no-frills 1500.
Of course, spending that kind of money, you’d expect the interior trim to come with some fancy name like “black burled walnut,” an overpowering smell of leather every time you open the door and more shiny chrome exterior accents than 1934 Airflow. The Laramie Limited, introduced at the in February, does that and more, playing its role as the ultimate Ram when it arrives at dealerships in the coming months in the full-size and heavy duty offerings. The starting price for a Ram Laramie Limited 2500 HD SWB 4×2 is $47,780 (prices do not include $995 in destination charges).
In recent years, Detroit’s pickup builders have continued to create more high-end pickups along with their work versions. Hey, how’s a One Percenter supposed to tow his yacht? Just a few weeks ago, of its , which will push the price of an F-450 Platinum . There appears to be a growing market for these vehicles as well, as the J.D. Power Information Network notes that nearly 30 percent of heavy duty truck buyers spend more than $50,000 for their vehicles. All of that money is not simply going for the diesel powertrain upgrade. No, these trucks are loaded up with all of the amenities of a luxury sedan. After all, affluent buyers want to flaunt their success a little, but it’s not like you can carry a load of lumber in the trunk of a .
Infiniti’s rival to the is known by just one letter – that letter, of course, being G – but the range is expanding beyond the solitary G35 that had been the mainstay of the line for years. The G35 was succeeded by the (pictured above) and recently supplemented by the smaller-displacement G25, but emerging reports indicate that has a whole raft of new versions on their way.
The report from Car and Driver is bolstered by tell-tale trademarkapplications for the nameplates G35h, G30t and G22d. The numbers tell us something, but it’s the lower-case letters that follow which really indicate what to expect. The G35h, then, could seemingly adapt the hybrid powertrain currently found in the , coupling a 3.5-liter V6 with electric assist. The G30t suggests a turbocharged engine is in the pipeline, though it’s too early to tell if the spool would be fitted to a four- or six-cylinder engine. Finally, a G22d could join the range of diesel models which Infiniti currently offers in Europe.
We’ll have to wait and see if and when the Nissan premium marque rolls out these model variants on its mainstay line of sedans, coupes and convertibles, but the trademark filings at least give some guidelines to our anticipation.
has a big anniversary to celebrate at this year’s New York Auto Show. The company is marking its 25th year in the States, and it’s busting out a few historical models for display at the show for the occasion. Those include a 1987 , a 1993 Land Rover 110, a 1995 Range Rover Classic and a 1994 Camel Trophy Discovery, among others. These bruisers won’t just be parked under the expo center lights, either. Land Rover has set up a special off-road course on site to demonstrate the vehicles’ capabilities.
Though the brand debuted in 1948, Land Rover didn’t officially make its way across the Atlantic until 1987. Since then, Americans have bought over 575,000 of the upwardly mobile sport utilities. Land Rover is largely credited with inciting the luxury SUV craze with its plush Range Rover line. When the leather-trimmed four-wheel drives arrived in the U.S. in ‘87, their $30,850 MSRP put it head and shoulders above the competition… at least in terms of cost. for the full press release, but before you do, check out our gallery of vintage Land Rover awesome.
It’s funny how a couple of letters can change the meaning of a word entirely. Take “racy” and “racing,” for example. One implies a certain charge of sexuality, while the other refers to the competition of getting from Point A to Point B the quickest. Pamela Anderson, for example, would be one we’d categorize under the former, but now the Canadian model/actress/bombshell is breaking into the latter by launching her own racing team.
Downforce1 by Pamela Anderson is the name of the new team that will be fielding an in both the (European) Le Mans Series and the International GT Open, wearing white and blue livery with the glamour model’s signature and bearing the logos of PETA (the animal rights group for which Anderson is a spokesperson) and ICM (the talent agency that manages her career). The team is apparently being managed by a Swiss outfit with ten years of experience in GT racing.
This is not the first time we’ve seen a model lending her image to a racing team: Paris Hilton was to a MotoGP squad a couple of years back, and now Pam appears to be following in her high-heeled footsteps. And apparently she’s not stopping at GT racing, either, as the effort could spawn a NASCAR team as well. In the meantime, Anderson hopes to be present at as many of the races as her schedule will allow. Which ought to be plenty distracting for the racers.
So what is it about models like Pam headlining racing teams? Beyond – the airbags have, after all, been removed – maybe the former Baywatch starlet herself put it best in a with British tabloid The Sun: “Fast cars and fast women go together.” Who are we to argue?
The slow drip of official information for Nissan’s continues to spread across the internet. Today, the Japanese automaker has unveiled a (very) short video clip and a shady single image that hints at the expressive profile sheetmetal on its new family sedan. The video is very brief, but together with the other images we’ve seen depicting the new boomerang-shaped taillamps, headlamps and overhead view, we’re starting to mentally stitch together a composite view of the new car.
We couldn’t resist helping Nissan accelerate its reveal process by tinkering with Photoshop’s brightness and contrast controls a bit. You can which reveals a nicely rounded three-window greenhouse and a set of split five-spoke alloys. In addition, check out the short video while you’re waiting for live shots and impressions to drop from New York.
Spring means lots of things to lots of people, but for owners, this time of year points to just one main event on the calendar: Easter Jeep Safari. This year, Jeep and Mopar have put their heads together to create another group of awesome concepts. All told, the automaker will roll out six new vehicles in the desert, including the , Jeep J-12 and Jeep Mighty FC concepts – the last of which is pictured above. We can’t say much about what the Apache will bring to the table, but the J-12 looks to pay homage to the old Kaiser Jeep M715.
Another year, another Jeep pickup truck that’ll likely never make it to production. Sigh.
Still, the truck should be as cool as can be. Speaking of awesome, the Mighty FC teaser hints to the resurrection of the long deceased Forward Control. Our hearts ache from how killer this is. All six concepts will be unveiled in Moab on March 31. for the brief press release.
has announced it will debut the at next month’s New York Auto Show. While based on the company’s platform, engineers worked in several tweaks to the body and chassis to imbue it with a bit more crossover utility. Additional ride height delivers 8.7 inches of ground clearance and a smattering of black plastic cladding helps the vehicle further stand out from its donor platform.
A 148-horsepower, 2.0-liter boxer four-cylinder engine provides power and should deliver up to 33 miles per gallon on the highway. That’s not a stellar number for a vehicle this size, but as Subaru points out, it’s good enough to help the XV Crosstrek nab the honor of being the most fuel-efficient all-wheel drive crossover on the market. Buyers may bolt the engine to either a five-speed manual transmission or CVT.
Inside, the rear seats can be folded completely flat for around 52.4 cubic feet of cargo area. With the seats up, rear passengers can look forward to around 35.4 inches of leg room. Look for the XV Crosstrek to hit dealers this fall. In the meantime, to check out the full press release and keep an eye out for our New York Auto Show coverage starting April 4.
