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The Mercedes-Benz A-Class wowed us at the Geneva Motor Show with its handsome styling and luxe interior fitment, so much so that we wondered aloud if this is the new family of small cars that Daimler has promised the U.S. market for 2013. According to a firsthand tip, the A-Class has already made a trip to Hollywood for a close-up. Taking advantage of the well-established motion picture industry, Mercedes-Benz sent its small wonder to Los Angeles for a 5-day working vacation to shoot a commercial.

Camera department pro Nic Restrepo tells Autoblog:

“This is such an awesome car! WAY nicer and better looking than its competition (A3…). This AMG-badged model had all the big Benz amenities; Self Park assist, lane departure, blind spot warning, Alcantara covered racing seats, dual clutch trans etc. The interior on this thing is head and shoulders above ANY compact I’ve ever worked with. The dash has this beautiful carbon fiber cloth that’s soft to the touch like suede, and it’s layed on like a fabric, feels like a pillow…a carbon fiber pillow.”

It looked great while being chased around by the Pursuit Systems ML63, and the A-Class made a good impression with the French Rallycross driver hired to fling the car around for the shoot. All who laid eyes upon the car seem to agree with our impression from the show floor, that there’s a lot of big-Benz nice packed into an exciting small package. Disappointingly, though, the little Benz’s corporate minders told the crew that the car is not headed to the U.S. Whether that’s a ruse or the truth, we’ll soon find out as Mercedes still has a couple tricks up its sleeve as the auto show season winds down.

Mercedes-Benz A-Class comes to Hollywood, but not to stay

We’ve been expecting for some time that Mercedes-Benz would choose to grace its New York Auto Show stand with a variant on its new A-Class family as part of a push to bring a new range of small cars to North America. However, it now seems more likely that Los Angeles audiences will get a vision of Mercedes’ entry-level future, not New York. That’s because Mercedes has officially confirmed that it will show something called the “Concept Style Coupe” at an art, music, film and food festival in LA curated by none other than Mike D of the Beastie Boys.

Transmission LA: AV Club, a “multi-disciplinary festival,” runs from April 20 to May 6, and sponsor Mercedes promises an “artistic staging” of the concept car (expected to be a sedan), the production version of which is rumored to be dubbed CLC. The 17-day festival will be held at the Geffen Contemporary at LA’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

All of which begs the question: With the New York Auto Show staged earlier (press days are April 4 and 5), what will Mercedes show in the Empire State? It’s too significant of a market to the Three-Pointed Star to let the show pass without debuting something significant. See the complete press release below for more.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz CLC to get Beastie introduction in LA?

Mercedes-Benz CLC to get Beastie introduction in LA?

Toyota is pretty sure that its expanded Prius family will drive up sales of the world’s best-selling hybrid, and the early sales returns indicate that the company is right, right, right.

After the Prius V sold about 8,400 units in the U.S. in the first ten weeks, the smaller, cheaper and more efficient 2012 Toyota Prius C is also getting a lot of attention. Toyota announced today that the C sold 1,201 units in just the first three days it was on sale. That’s enough to make it “one of Toyota’s fastest-selling vehicles,” according to the automaker, which also pointed out that those three days of sales is more than either the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt sold all last month.

If anything, those 1,201 sales are not as impressive as the C managed in Japan (where it is badged ‘Aqua’) – Toyota obtained 120,000 orders in the first five days it was on sale, though it isn’t immediately clear how many units have actually been sold. So far, the newly expanded Prius family has sold almost 10,000 units in the U.S. through the first half of March. This certainly points to the Prius franchise doing well in 2012. Last year in the U.S., Toyota sold 136,463 examples of its Prius Liftback (it sold 140,928 in 2010) and expects to sell 220,000 Prius models of all types here this year.

Continue reading Toyota Prius C outsells monthly totals of Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf in three days

Toyota Prius C outsells monthly totals of Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf in three days

With every new set of spy shots, we become increasingly more excited for the launch of the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake (or is that Break?). This tapered wagon version of the shapely CLS is certainly a looker, even in pre-production, camo-clad protype form, and after giving its shockingly quick sedan counterpart high marks for its driving dynamics, we can only assume that the complete Shooting Brake package will be really, really sweet.

Oh yeah, there’s an AMG version, too.

Seen here for the first time, the CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake takes the same sleek long-roof shape of the CLS550 Shooting Brake prototypes we’ve seen, but adds all of the bulgy bits fitting of any high-performance Merc. All we can say is, it looks absolutely stunning, and we can’t wait to see the finished product.

Power is expected to come from the same twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter V8 found in the CLS63 sedan, sending 518 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via Mercedes’ seven-cog Speedshift transmission. Like the sedan, we expect that Mercedes-Benz will offer an AMG Performance Pack, which boosts power to 550 hp and 590 lb-ft in the sedan. Holy moly.

Wipe the drool from your keyboards and click through our attached high-res image gallery to see the CLS63 Shooting Brake prototype for yourself.

Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake is the one we want

Finally. It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for ever since Toyota and Subaru jointly announced their compact rear-wheel-drive sports car: production is now underway.

With an official ceremony at Subaru’s Gunma Main Plant, attended by Toyota president Akio Toyoda, Subaru pushed the Big Red Button (quite literally, in case you were wondering) that sent BRZ and Toyota GT 86 coupes down the assembly line. And the event was captured in both still images and video for our viewing pleasure.

Check out our high-res image gallery above, and see below for the video and official press release. Oh, and if you’re one of the lucky ones with a deposit down for either the Subaru or the Toyota’s Scion FR-S twin (America won’t get one with an interlocking rings badge), it’s officially time to consider making room in your garage.

Continue reading Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 production gets underway [w/video]

Subaru BRZ and Toyota GT 86 production gets underway [w/video]

Continue reading 2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate: Wrap-Up [w/videos]

2011 Hyundai Equus Ultimate: Wrap-Up [w/videos]

Heather Peters really, really doesn’t want anyone to settle with Honda. Peters is the woman who went her own way earlier this year, suing Honda in small claims court in Torrance, CA instead of joining a class-action lawsuit against the automaker over allegations that the company promoted misleading fuel economy numbers for the Civic Hybrid, model years 2003 to 2009. She was recently awarded $9,867 in damages, significantly more than the $100-$200 the 200,000 Civic Hybrid owners involved in the class action suit are expected to net (their lawyers stand to make $8.5 million). Because of that perceived unfairness, Peters is going in front of Superior Judge Timothy Taylor in San Diego today to ask that the class-action settlement be cancelled.

According to the Associated Press, Peters is using her small claims winnings – which Honda said it will appeal – to prove that the settlement is unfair to the Civic Hybrid owners that had thus far agreed to the deal. Around 1,700 owners decided not to take part in the settlement and there is reason to believe Taylor is at least slightly sympathetic to their cause. He recently extended the deadline for state attorneys general – who called the original settlement deal unfair – to respond to Peters’ winnings.

The original Civic Hybrid class action case arose out of the claims of John True, who sued Honda in 2007 because, he said, the automaker misled him about the car’s fuel economy. When we interviewed him back in 2007, who knew the turns this story would take?

Honda Civic Hybrid small claims lawsuit winner trying to stop class-action suit

The 2013 BMW 7 Series has an appointment for some cosmetic surgery, according to a report in Car & Driver. The restyle will be minimal, with detail changes around the fascia going just far enough to let other 7 Series owners know that you have the latest model.

A more substantive change could occur under the skin of the ActiveHybrid 7, however. It’s nearly $13,000 more expensive than it’s non-hybrid counterparts but doesn’t make an equally hard-to-ignore case for efficiency: the ActiveHybrid 750i has 55 more horsepower than the standard car, but is rated at 17 city / 26 highway versus 15 city / 22 highway. Speculation is that the ActiveHybrid 7 could get the six-cylinder powertrain from the ActiveHyrbrid 5 to improve its green credentials.

BMW 7 Series getting mid-cycle updates for 2013

As we said when we first drove the Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion, Volkswagen is taking its time getting into the all-electric game. Given the tremendous ups and downs that electric vehicles and EV start-up companies are going through, maybe making sure you have a car where everything is working smoothly – to say nothing about getting the infrastructure in place - isn’t such a bad idea. And it now seems like VW is confident enough in its Golf EV, which is undergoing testing in California, to push up its estimated release date from 2014 to late 2013.

Sure, technically, that could be a difference of just one day, but we don’t think that’s what VW of America president Jonathan Browning meant when he confirmed next year’s U.S. release date with Automotive News. Late 2013 is also when the car will go on sale in Europe. A plug-in hybrid Golf is supposed to go on sale in 2015.

Even though VW is getting ready to move into electric vehicle territory, it is well behind other automakers. Perhaps that’s why it is also a bit less optimistic about the potential success of plug-ins. The automaker expects just three percent of its new vehicles to be EVs or hybrids by 2018. You can read our second spin in the Golf blue e-motion here.

Volkswagen confirms late 2013 launch date for all-electric Golf

So where are we at with the 2013 Nissan Altima? We’ve seen an overhead shot teased, along with a peek at its front fascia. We’ve seen a shot of the car leaked in a promotional video, and of course, our spy photographers snapped the car in a conventional disguise, but got a good look at its interior in the process.

Now Nissan comes with this, a brief video that shows off the Altima’s new hind end. Like most every sedan on the market these days, it looks like the fourth-best-selling vehicle of 2011 will be getting a bit of a Bangle butt. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) We do get the first really good view of the Altima’s taillights, which have a bit of Lexus spindle thing going on.

We’ll have to wait until the New York Auto Show on April 4-5 to see the full reveal, though we wouldn’t put it past Nissan to eke out another shot or two of the car before then.

Click on the image above to enlarge, then feel free to see the very brief video yourself below.

Continue reading Nissan reveals latest glimpse at 2013 Altima as NY show approaches [w/video]

Nissan reveals latest glimpse at 2013 Altima as NY show approaches [w/video]

By all accounts, vehicle theft is down to some of the lowest levels in over 25 years. Even so, cars are still getting pilfered every day, and LoJack has gone through the trouble of crafting a detailed infographic displaying some of the more interesting information associated with the 10,251 LoJack-equipped vehicles that were stolen and then recovered last year. The company says that, of all vehicles equipped with the theft recovery system, 92 percent are brought back to their rightful owners. Last year, the most stolen and recovered 2011 model was the ubiquitous 2011 Toyota Camry, while the Honda Accord took the top slot overall.

The oldest model saved from the clutches of thieves in 2011 was a 1948 Chevrolet Fleetline, while the priciest of them all was a 2010 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG worth $116,825. Not too shabby.

Not surprisingly, California led the list of states with the most stolen and recovered vehicles, with Texas, Florida, New York and New Jersey fleshing out the top five. The full, expanded infographic can be seen below.

Continue reading Infographic: LoJack releases 2011 Auto Theft Report

Infographic: LoJack releases 2011 Auto Theft Report

The replacement for the aging Jeep Liberty is expected to debut at next January’s Detroit Auto Show, and when it does, a brand-new Pentastar powertrain will reportedly be spinning underhood. According to Automotive News, Chrysler will offer a downsized 3.2-liter V6 in the Liberty mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission sourced from ZF. The current Pentastar V6 displaces 3.6 liters and has been well-received by both critics and buyers in everything from the refreshed Dodge Journey to new Chrysler 300.

Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne reiterated to AN that efficient transmissions play a huge role in the development of engines. “If we had known the eight-speed was coming, we could have made the [3.6-liter] Pentastar a 3.2-liter,” he said.

Currently, the Liberty is available with a 3.7-liter SOHC V6 that produces 210 horsepower and 235 pound-feet of torque backed by a four-speed automatic transmission. This new 3.2-liter/nine-speed combo will surely improve performance, not to mention overall efficiency, though specific power and fuel economy details are still up in the air at this time.

Next Jeep Liberty to get shrunken Pentastar V6

Sorry, Phillips de Pury & Company, but you guys evidently had no business auctioning this car at a sale of contemporary art. Because no matter what the dynamic rap duo of Kanye West and Jay-Z did to it, this 2004 Maybach 57 is, first and foremost, a used car. Clearly the art community has voted with its wallets – and decided that the vehicle’s value is about what you could make if you parted it out. Frankly, that’s sad.

For those that don’t remember, the Maybach was heavily modified for use in the music video for the song “Otis,” the Grammy Award-winning hit from Kanye’s 2011 album Watch The Throne. Despite its overt ugliness, the car certainly has provenance. (Did we mention that the song won a Grammy?) We only hope that whomever ponied up the paltry sum of $60,000 for the “Otis” Maybach is either a real music fan or someone who goes on to resell it at Barrett-Jackson or another car auction where they know how to move the celebrity metal.

Be sure to check out our gallery of the “Otis” Maybach, and click past the jump to watch the music video.

Continue reading Jay-Z and Kanye’s wrecked Maybach fetches just $60,000 at auction [w/video]

Jay-Z and Kanye’s wrecked Maybach fetches just $60,000 at auction [w/video]

More Consonants, More Raw

There’s an almost infinite amount to love about the Infiniti G37 line. In sedan or coupe form, X or S guise, the vehicles deliver that difficult-to-attain blend of rear-wheel-biased performance, content and refinement with a manageable price tag. With the excellent VQ37 3.7-liter V6 engine pounding under the hood and the buyer’s choice of manual or automatic gearboxes pushing power to the rear or all four wheels, the G37 family is one of the market’s best arguments against sliding behind the wheel of a BMW 3 Series. That is, unless you wanted a truly serious performance machine.

German titans like BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been lapping European racetracks under their M and AMG banners for decades, honing performance hardware that customers would merrily plop down fat stacks of cash for later. While Japanese luxury automakers have been somewhat slow to embrace performance sub-brands, recent years have seen an explosion of consonant-laced badging stuck to sharper machinery. Among Japanese automakers, Lexus first dipped a toe in those waters with the company’s F-Sport goods, and Infiniti has risen to the challenge with its new Infiniti Performance Line. By gracing the G37 Coupe with more horsepower, a sharper suspension, larger brakes and unique interior appointments, Infiniti has taken a first step into a world dominated by some of the world’s most storied badges.

But is the IPL G37 a serious performance contender or simply a bolt-on queen with delusions of grandeur?

Continue reading 2012 Infiniti G37 IPL

2012 Infiniti G37 IPL

Subaru is recalling 275,000 Forester crossovers over potentially faulty rear seatbelts that may not properly allow for the secure attachment of a child restraint. The affected models are from the 2009 to 2012 model years, built between November 26, 2007 and March 13, 2012.

According to the recall summary from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the automatic locking retractor in the seatbelt assemblies of the rear center seat are at fault here. Obviously, if a child restraint is not properly secured to the seatbelt anchor, this can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

The recall is expected to kick off in early April, and Subaru dealers will replace the rear center seatbelt assembly free of charge. In the meantime, owners can contact Subaru directly at 1-800-782-2783, and the full summary of the recall can be read in NHTSA’s report after the jump.

Continue reading 275,000 Subaru Forester models recalled over faulty seatbelt fears

275,000 Subaru Forester models recalled over faulty seatbelt fears

The Amelia Island Concours may not be as old or have quite the prestige of Pebble Beach, but it still marks an important place on the automotive calendar every spring. For 2012, an incredible selection of cars gathered in the northeast end of Florida for the 17th annual show, with the event celebrating 50 years of the Shelby Cobra, the legendary Ferrari 250 GTO, custom coachwork Cadillacs, experimental Corvettes as well as cars that won the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring.

As with Pebble Beach, the Amelia Island Concours gives out awards to the most outstanding vehicles, but unlike the West Coast show there are two main trophies up for grabs instead of just one. This year a 1938 Bugatti Type 57, one of just three like it in the world, was awarded the Concours d’Elegance award, while a 1962 Ferrari 330 LM, essentially a 4.0-liter version of the 250 GTO, claimed the Concours de Sport award.

You can read more about this year’s Amelia Island Concours and the two best of show winners in the press release below.

Continue reading 1938 Bugatti Type 57, 1962 Ferrari 330 LM take top honors at Amelia Island

1938 Bugatti Type 57, 1962 Ferrari 330 LM take top honors at Amelia Island

GMC has a hit on its hands with the Denali trim, but for some reason the brand’s most popular crossover still hasn’t donned the signature chrome grille. That will change for the 2013 model year with the introduction of the 2013 Terrain Denali.

The freshly minted Terrain Denali will of course feature a chrome front grille, 19-inch wheels (V6 model only), satin chrome accents, body color rocker panels and front and rear fascias, new headlight and taillights and a dual exhaust. The top Terrain will also receive a high-end interior, including a leather-wrapped steering wheel with mahogany wood accents, a soft-touch instrument panel with French stitching, Denali-embossed leather seats and illuminated Denali sill plates.

The biggest news for the Denali is the introduction of a more powerful 3.6-liter V6, which will replace the 3.0-liter V6 across the Terrain lineup. The larger V6 will output 301 horsepower and 272 pound-feet of torque, or 37 hp and 50 lb-ft more than the 3.0-liter. And if you’re thinking fuel economy will suffer as a result, think again. The added power will result in the same fuel economy as the torque-deficient 3.0-liter, with 24 miles power gallon on the highway and 17 mpg in the city.

Fuel-thrifty buyers can purchase the Terrain Denali with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder, which outputs 182 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque and boasts 32 mpg on the highway. The four-cylinder-equipped Denali will feature slightly smaller 18-inch wheels. All-wheel drive will also be available with both engines.

The Terrain Denali will feature a cadre of top tech amenities too, including IntelliLink, Bluetooth, Pandora and Stitcher integration and iPod controls with Gracenote tech. This Denali also utilizes advanced safety features including lane departure and forward collision warnings and blind spot radar tech to look for vehicles the driver may not see.

Pricing will be released later this year, so for now check out the official word from GMC below and additional images in our gallery.

Continue reading GMC reveals 2013 Terrain Denali with 301-horsepower V6

GMC reveals 2013 Terrain Denali with 301-horsepower V6

The Italian city of Modena stands as a veritable mecca for automobile enthusiasts. Not only does it serve as the home of both Maserati and Pagani, but it was also the birthplace of one Enzo Ferrari. While the automaker and racing team that carry his name are situated in nearby Maranello, where the company also operates its own museum, a new foundation has started up in Modena, dedicated to preserving the memory of the legendary industrialist and racer.

That organization is the Fondazione Casa Natale Enzo Ferrari, which has acquired the house where Ferrari was raised, turning it into a museum of its own. Although Enzo himself sold his childhood home to finance his aspirations, the foundation has recently reacquired it, transforming it and the adjacent garage where his father worked into a cultural center and expanding on the original buildings with a modern structure.

Designed by Czech architect Jan Kaplicky and carried to completion after his death by his protege Andrea Morgante, the yellow-roofed building – painted the color of the Ferrari logo and designed to evoke the hood on one of his iconic sportscars – incorporates an art exhibit, a multimedia experience, a rotating display of Ferrari road and race cars borrowed from independent collectors, and a collection of Enzo’s own artifacts.

The grounds also house education and conference centers, a book shop, cafeteria and the offices of the foundation itself. If you’re planning a pilgrimage to the area, it strikes us as an experience not to be missed. But if your travel plans don’t extend to the Modena area, you can check out the gallery of high-resolution images we’ve compiled for your virtual tourism pleasure.

Modena welcomes new museum at birthplace of Enzo Ferrari

It’s a funny thing, being rich and famous. You can afford anything you want, but everything comes to you for free. Just ask Sebastian Vettel, who – as reigning Formula One World Champion two years running now and brand ambassador for Infiniti – can get any luxed-up Datsun he wants. Which may not be quite as exciting as Fernando Alonso having his run of the Ferrari motor pool or Lewis Hamilton getting his hands on the new McLaren MP4-12C, but it’s not without its perks, to be sure. Like the Infiniti FX Sebastian Vettel Version.

Unveiled as a concept vehicle at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September, the Vetteled FX packs a 5.0-liter V8 good for 414 horsepower and an estimated 5.6-second sprint to 62 mph, along with carbon fiber aero bits aplenty, reduced weight and a lowered suspension.

Back in October, we received confirmation that Infiniti was, indeed, planning on offering the special edition performance crossover – based, as it is, on the FX50S Premium model – in limited quantities, and the company has now officially announced its availability.

Only 200 examples will be made at an as-yet undisclosed but assuredly lofty price, with orders being taken now for delivery next year. But before you go racing down to the local Infiniti dealership, know that the model will only be offering in Europe and the Middle East. Which is just as well, because we can’t imagine many American buyers ponying up the kind of cash Infiniti will be asking for the privilege just because it’s named after some kid from Germany, no matter how many grands prix he’s won. Official announcement after the jump.

Continue reading Infiniti opens order book on FX Sebastian Vettel Version

Infiniti opens order book on FX Sebastian Vettel Version

Ford is hard at work on a refresh for the Fiesta, and thanks to our intrepid spy photographers, we’re now getting our first glimpses of the subcompact’s new schnoz. It appears as though the car’s somewhat cutesy face will now have a more aggressive shape, complete with smaller headlamps that integrate LED running lights – which appears to be right in line with the revised design language seen on the all-new 2013 Fusion.

It’s unclear exactly what other changes are in store for the next Fiesta, though reports have suggested that EcoBoost power may soon be found underhood. Ford has long stated that it plans to incorporate EcoBoost powertrains into the vast majority of its vehicles, and the Fiesta would be a seemingly perfect home for the recently launched 1.0-liter three-cylinder turbo. In the European-spec Focus, this engine is available with either 99 or 118 horsepower and a respectable 125 pound-feet of torque. For comparison, the current Fiesta’s 1.6-liter inline-four pumps out 120 hp and 112 lb-ft.

Scroll through our attached high-res image gallery to see the facelifted Fiesta blasting through the snow undergoing winter testing and stay tuned for more details.

Ford Fiesta five-door facelift photographed