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Given the reality of upcoming CO2 emissions regulations in both Europe and North America, it’s not much of a stretch to assume that the next generation Nissan Z will get more fuel efficient. How Nissan will manage to extract those extra miles per gallon and reduced emissions is purely conjecture on the part of everyone outside of Nissan’s engineering staff at this point.

Thankfully, the British motoring press has no aversion to speculation or even simply stuff up. In the wake of the cooperation deal between Daimler and the Renault-Nissan alliance, the future of the Z is a ripe target for such prognostication. Could the 370Z successor get a version of the 3.5-liter V6 hybrid powertrain from the Mercedes S400? How about a V6 diesel or inline-four diesel-hybrid?

Anything’s possible, but not necessarily probable. Given the personality that customers expect from a Z, we think something along the lines of a downsized, boosted gasoline V6 is a much more likely configuration. The relatively low volumes of the Z would easily be balanced out by all of the electric vehicles Nissan is planning to build without having to do anything too radical to the sports car.

[Source: Autocar]

Rumormill: Next-gen Nissan Z to get Mercedes V6, I4-hybrid?

If you pay them, they will come. At least that’s the philosophy China is applying to the electric car business these days. The people’s republic is set to roll out new pilot programs in four of its largest cities aimed at curbing emissions by promoting plug-in hybrids and EVs. The country is handing out the equivalent of around $7,320 in incentives for the purchase of more green-minded automobiles. At first, the program will only be available to those who live in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Hefei, though depending on its success, it may spread to other parts of the country.

As a result of the incentives, Chinese manufacturers are beginning to give EVs and plug-in hybrids some serious thought, and automakers like BYD, Geely and SAIC Motor Corp have all announced varying plans for production. The news will likely go a long way toward helping China get a grip on its raging air quality problems, especially in its larger metropolitan areas.

According to Automotive News, the Chinese government is also offering a nationwide subsidy program for small-engine vehicles. Any car with a 1.6-liter engine or smaller that consumes 20 percent less fuel than current standards is eligible for a $440 incentive.

[Source: Automotive News]
Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

China reportedly adding big incentives for hybrid, electric purchases

Mercury could’a been a contenda’. In fact, there was a time – long, long ago – when Mercury was a brand to be reckoned with. As far as we’re concerned, Mercury hit its zenith in the early 1970s, as you’ll see in our image galleries below.

First launched way back in 1939 by none other than Edsel Ford himself, Mercury was initially intended to offer a slightly upmarket option to those for whom the traditional Ford badge was too plebian.

By 1945, Mercury was in full swing and the brand was merged in with the Lincoln division so it could further differentiate itself from Ford, from which the automaker had historically gleaned its platforms. And therein lies the rub… Mercury vehicles have nearly always been too closely tied to their Ford stablemates, with a few notable exceptions.

As such, unlike the recent death of Pontiac, which was met with wails and great gnashing of teeth from brand loyalists, we doubt the shuttering of the Mercury brand will be met with a similar well of tears.

In order to illustrate this point, follow along as we jolt the memory banks with a look back on the both Mercury’s Best of Times and the Worst of Times. Hit the jump to see the Five Best Mercurys of All Time, followed by a reminder of how Mercury got itself into its current plight with the Five Worst Mercury Rebadges of All Time.

Along with each image in after the jump you’ll find a brief explanation as to why the car is on its corresponding list. As always, we encourage reader participation. Have an idea of the best or worst Mercury in history? Leave it in the comments.

[Image: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

Continue reading Mercury: It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times

Mercury: It was the Best of Times, it was the Worst of Times

Autoblog has learned that newly emancipated Saab is already looking to boost its enthusiast portfolio with higher-output engines and performance parts, albeit in a temporarily limited fashion. According to company sources, the Swedish automaker is seeking to enhance the performance potential of its 9-3 and the new 9-5, but it remains hamstrung by agreements signed with Saab’s previous owners that lay out chapter-and-verse about what power levels its products can offer through 2012. Why? Because “We can’t modify these licensed architectures in such a way that it will compete with General Motors products.” In other words, production-line models with stouter drivetrains have been ruled out for the next couple of years, leaving Saab to pursue other ways to bring more power to the people.

As such, company executives have been in talks with leading European Saab tuner Hirsch Performance AG (with whom it has a longstanding relationship) to develop new dealer-installed performance parts to be offered in North America and other markets. As Hirsch is not a well-known entity outside of Europe and diehard Saab enthusiasts, Saab has not yet decided under which name it will market these upgrades. However, these dealer-installed improvements could take the form of everything from ECU upgrades to aero kits, brakes, exhaust systems and other bolt-ons.

Discussions are ongoing, but names under discussion for the parts range include Hirsch, Saab Performance Group (SPG), as well as the Viggen moniker, both of which have been attached to high-performance Saab models in the past. It’s possible that different names will be adopted for different markets, leaving the door open for Hirsch in Europe and another designation in North America.

Continue reading Saab working with Hirsch Performance on line of dealer-installed go-faster parts

Saab working with Hirsch Performance on line of dealer-installed go-faster parts

Are you a purist who believes Porsches should have two or three doors and no more? Not convinced by DC Design’s take on a two-door Cayenne? Not impressed by some of the chop-jobs perpetrated by Xenatech? Then have a look at this conversion job by aftermarket firm Merdad.

Starting with either the current- or previous-generation Porsche Cayenne, Merdad has chopped the rear passenger doors right off and replaced them with an aggressive body kit. But the British tuning house didn’t stop there: based on the Cayenne Turbo’s twin-snail 4.8-liter V8, Merdad has boosted output by nearly 250 horsepower to bring it up to a prodigious 740 overall, tipped to rocket the coupe-like sport-ute to 60 in under 4.4 seconds. That’s about all that’s available at the moment, but you can check out the renderings in the gallery below for a closer look.

[Source: Merdad via World Car Fans]

Porsche Cayenne loses two doors courtesy of Merdad

It’s certainly no secret that BMW is working on a high-powered version of the darling 1 Series coupe. After all, we’ve seen different mules and prototypes testing on many, many, many occasions. And while the speculation continues as to what the end result will be called (M1? 1M? 135is?), executives within BMW’s M division have reportedly confirmed that the car will go on sale in the second quarter of next year.

Regardless of nomenclature, we’re pretty stoked over what this potent little 1 Series will bring to the table, and we wonder how it’ll fare compared to BMW’s grandaddy M3. If the 2011 Q2 on-sale date is to be believed, we won’t be surprised if the production car debuts at either the Paris or Los Angeles show later this year.

[Source: 1addicts.com]

Report: BMW M1/135is to go on sale in Q2 of 2011

The mantle of “world’s most famous car” is a heavy one indeed. But if any single automobile ever created deserved the honorific, surely it’s the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 used on-screen in the production of the iconic 007 films Goldfinger and Thunderball. And in case you were disappointed at having missed the opportunity to get your hands on one of the stunt cars, the real thing is now up for grabs in London, where RM and Sotheby’s will be auctioning it off to the highest bidder.

The car in question was prepared by Aston Martin for use in the Bond films. After that it went back to the manufacturer, which then sold it to radio host and philanthropist Jerry Lee, who’s been holding onto it for the past 40+ years. In pursuit of his charitable work, Lee is finally putting the car up for sale, with bids expecting to top $5 million when it goes under the hammer on October 27.

One of only two made and the only one still in existence, the custom DB5 comes packed with all the extras the Q-Branch installed for Bond’s use, from the revolving license plates and tracking device to the oil slick dispenser and smoke screen. You can check out all the details in the press release after the jump, along with the 100+ high-resolution image gallery that very well might be the largest we’ve ever compiled. Oh, and do be careful, Bond.

[Source: RM Auctions]

Continue reading James Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 expected to top $5 Million at auction

James Bond’s 1964 Aston Martin DB5 expected to top $5 Million at auction

Anticipation of a new sportscar from Panoz has been mounting for some time now. Initial reports back in October forecasted the arrival of a successor to the current Esperante, followed by confirmation a couple of months ago, and finally the first cropped teaser image just a few weeks ago. Now the independent constructor has released its second image as it prepares to unveil the first prototype next week during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Called the Abruzzi “Spirit of Le Mans”, the new sportscar features a number of new technologies for Panoz, including Recyclable Energy Absorbing Matrix System (REAMS) construction and a new TrifectaCooling system developed to improve both performance and efficiency.

The Abruzzi – apparently so named in reference to and solidarity with the recently disaster-striken Italian region – will be officially unveiled at La Sarthe at noon on Tuesday, June 8, so stay tuned. In the meantime, you can check out the press release after the jump and the pair of high-res teaser images in the gallery below.

[Source: Panoz]

Continue reading Panoz Abruzzi teased again ahead of Le Mans debut

Panoz Abruzzi teased again ahead of Le Mans debut

Car and Driver has prognosticated that we’ll get other versions of the Buick Regal, but we still don’t know if we’ll get this one: the Opel Astra Sport ‘Coupe.’ Wearing much less cladding than when we’ve seen before, it’s obvious this one has gone all sleek-and-creased compared to its predecessor, and it looks like the extended-windshield option will make it to production for the Volkswagen Scirocco rival, as well.

The markets that will get the hot hatch, namely Europe and China (for starters), will have four engine options ranging from a 1.4-liter turbo to the 240-hp, 2.0-liter direct injected turbo inline-four going in the VXR model. The big reveal is likely set for the Paris Motor Show this September, but you can get a sneak peek at it now in the gallery of high-res photos below.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: 2011 Opel Astra three-door ‘coupe’ caught in the lot

If you were wondering whether there was a market for a $375,000 Lexus, wonder no more. Automotive News reports that all 500 copies of the 552-horsepower LFA are officially sold out. Not a surprise if you ask us, considering the fact that there always seems to be a healthy market for ultra-rare exotics with a ridiculously low production quota. But the fact that the LFA is resonating with the European elite is a bit of a shock, as the report claims that one-third of pre-sold LFAs are heading straight for the land of Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Lexus even brought eight of the German LFA owners to the 24 Hours of Nurburgring race for some wining and dining.

Lexus hasn’t announced how many LFAs would go to which regions of the globe, but an earlier Wall St. Journal report quoted Lexus as saying that Toyota’s luxury arm would hand-pick which perspective buyers would gain the right to own the LFA. Looks like we didn’t make the cut, not that we had the $375k to spend one anyway.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Report: Lexus LFA sold out

The McLaren MP4-12C has barely hit the market yet, and already reports are surfacing of new variants. Last year we were already seeing reports of a convertible version in the works. Then reports of a potential privateer racing model trickled out a few months later. Now, word from across the pond is that McLaren Automotive is planning on squeezing an extra couple of seats into the MP4-12C to make it a proper 2+2.

With an enlarged cabin, the 2+2 would be the first four-seater to roll out of Woking – most of their chassis, after all, are single-seaters – but it wouldn’t be the first McLaren with more than two seats: The famous McLaren F1 supercar featured a unique 1+2 configuration with a central driving position, a setup McLaren abandoned for the MP4. With the 2+2 version, it looks like at least one of your dates will have to sit in the back. Good luck smoothing that one over there, slick.

[Source: Auto Bild - translated]

Report: McLaren to launch 2+2 version of MP4-12C supercar?

Rich people are different from the rest of us. Their wants and needs involve parameters and details completely foreign to the proletariat. While we use our vehicles for transportation, utility and sport, the rich view their automobiles as a necessary accoutrement to their elevated lifestyles.

For the ultra-wealthy, an appropriate equivalent might be an original Remington bronze or Picasso painting. And just as they need art in their mansions, they need beautiful transportation. The 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost lives up to those lofty requirements by simultaneously being a rolling work of art and a status symbol beyond reproach.

Like access to the Queen, our time with the Ghost was strictly limited, so comprehensive driving impressions will have to wait. But what we did get was a rare glimpse into what the world’s richest inhabitants will enjoy when the Ghost goes on sale this year. And as you’d expect, life is good on this side of the financial Bell Curve.

Photos by Rex Roy / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is smaller in size, still larger than life

First Drive: 2010 Rolls-Royce Ghost is smaller in size, still larger than life

Volkswagen finally unveiled its new sub-compact Polo sedan in Moscow today, billing it as the first ever VW developed specifically for the Russian market. While Russia may be the first market for the trunked Polo, it isn’t likely to have an exclusive on it for long. The Polo sedan is expected to make its way to North America within the next 12 months as part of VW’s drive to expand its sales here to 800,000 units a year by 2018.

Like Americans, Russians consumers have generally had a preference for notchbacks over hatchbacks despite the sacrifices in utility. In an effort to keep the Polo sedan affordable in Russia, Volkswagen is equipping it with a 103-horsepower 1.6-liter gasoline inline four-cylinder engine with a choice of five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmissions.

When the Polo arrives in the U.S., it will likely offer either this combination or the 1.2-liter turbocharged, direct injected TSI four- cylinder that we drove in Germany last fall.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Officially Official: 2011 Volkswagen Polo sedan unveiled in Russia

Officially Official: 2011 Volkswagen Polo sedan unveiled in Russia

Continue reading BMW art car by Jeff Koons unveiled for 24 Hours of Le Mans [w/video]

BMW art car by Jeff Koons unveiled for 24 Hours of Le Mans [w/video]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has completed a round of rollover testing on 12 mid-sized SUVs (though most are technically CUVs, but whatevs), and the results show that some carmakers are exceeding federal rollover standards. Six of the haulers scored a Good rating, led by the 2010 Jeep Liberty, one scored Acceptable, and the remaining five were Marginal. The Good rating means a tested car has a roof that is twice as strong as the current government safety standard.

Five of the top six – the Chevrolet Equinox, 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Highlander and Venza, and Kia Sorento – also scored Good marks for front-, side- and rear-occupant protection, and so earn the coveted classification of being an IIHS Top Safety Pick. If your CUV isn’t listed, fear not, as the IIHS is testing them in groups.

Follow the jump for the full release, and you can have a look at the entire batch of tested vehicles in the high-res gallery below.

[Source: IIHS]

Continue reading IIHS performs rollover test on 12 mid-sized SUVs

IIHS performs rollover test on 12 mid-sized SUVs

Automotive News reports that budding car share company Zipcar is looking to raise as much as $75 million in an Initial Public Offering (IPO). Zipcar, which rents cars by the hour mainly in 13 heavily populated urban areas around the globe, has reportedly never turned a profit in 10 years of business. The filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows that Zipcar intends to use the money to pay down debt and increase the company’s fleet size.

The company did post first quarter revenue of $33 million, up 29 percent from 2009, yet its loss ballooned from $3 million in ‘09 to $5 million this year. In spite of the losses, Zipcar has continued to grow as the company acquired Streetcar Ltd in April to gain a foothold in London, England. Further expansion into Europe is planned in part due to an investment in Catalunya Carsharing, the largest car sharing company in Spain.

Analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics says that Zipcar may have an opportunity to expand beyond the big cities, but the company will need to “learn vehicle usage cycles for different markets all over the country and all over the world.” That expansion may mean Zipcar will need to overstock its inventory of vehicles, which could cut into future profits.

[Source: Automotive News sub. req. Image: Rakka, CC2.0]

Zipcar reportedly seeking $75 million in IPO

1960 Pininfarina X Concept – Click above for image gallery

The Space Age was all the rage back in the late 50s and early 60s. Man was heading to the moon, the Jetsons were captivating our imaginations and even items as mundane as toasters and hairdryers looked like space ships. Car design was certainly no exception, and this was one of the most radical examples.

Designed by Pininfarina to test the limits of aerodynamic efficiency, the X Concept reconfigured the family sedan into something decidedly out of this world. The concept may look like a trike, but it actually has four wheels: one in front, two in the middle and one more around back, to give the wheelbase an X shape. Power came from a 1.1-liter Fiat engine with just 43 horsepower. Hardly enough to propel the little machine into outer orbit, but enough to push its svelte shape – try a drag coefficient of just 0.23 (lower than a Prius) – down the road.

Only one example was ever made, and now (appropriately enough) the Aero Toy Store in Fort Lauderdale has got it for sale at a staggering $3 million. Sound steep? Try JamesList, where the same dealer listed it for less than half that.

[Source: Aero Toy Store via CarScoop]

Pininfarina X Concept takes us back to the Space Age, into seven figures

Just a few short days ago, we got word that Fisker Karma production would be delayed once again and a new target date for full production now sits at February 2011. The delay gives Fisker ample time to secure even more funding, and that’s exactly what the company is doing. Fisker reports that it just wrapped up its latest round by securing $189 million in additional capital, bringing its total private equity funding thus far to around $339 million.

However, this latest cash campaign is about much more than just money. The additional funds ($115 million of which came in back in January), mean Fisker can trigger its $528.7 million loan from the Department of Energy. The loan will be used to re-open a General Motors plant in Delaware which the company will eventually utilize to develop a line of lower-cost, family oriented models under the Project NINA program. The company estimates that 2,000 new jobs will be created at the site, and that 5,000 more will be saved or created at domestic suppliers and that more plug-in hybrids will be on the roads soon.

[Source: Green Car Advisor]

Fisker adds $189 million in latest funding round

Toyota has decided to shift production of all non-hybrid Highlander crossovers for the North American market to its Princeton, Indiana assembly plant. The move is intended to help shield Toyota from fluctuating exchange rates. When Yoshimi Inaba took over as president and COO of Toyota North America a year ago, one of his stated aims was to increase North American production of Toyota and Lexus vehicle above the 60 percent level.

Toyota originally shifted production of the Highlander to Princeton after it consolidated production of its slow-selling Tundra pickups in San Antonio and the new Mississippi factory was put on hold. Because most of the hybrid powertrain components are supplied from Japanese factories, the gas-electric Highlanders will continue to be sourced from Toyota’s Kyushu factory. Production of non-hybrid Highlanders for North American export is expected to end in August.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Toyota Highlander production being moved entirely to Indiana

With the launch of the 2011 Fiesta, Ford’s put an emphasis on customization, primarily in the form of interior amenities and infotainment. But as we learned during our First Drive, the range of modifications won’t be limited to the inside – Ford’s making exterior graphics packages available for its new B-segment player, and the Fiesta won’t be the only model from the Blue Oval to don custom vinyl.

Ford’s added the Mustang and F-150 to the range of vehicles you can coat in a custom wrap, with over 50 available designs ranging from the predictable flames and matte black racing stripes to the decidedly more feminine flowers and bubbles.

If you click on over to FordCustomGraphics.com you can start creating your own 3M Scotchprint wraps, and within the next few months the entire Ford line-up can be had with multi-colored vinyl to suit every available taste. So if your black-on-white Flex isn’t standing out from the crowd at the soccer field, you can add a smattering of camo and a dash of “faux diamond plate aluminum look” to spruce things up. All of it will be available at a fraction of the cost of a custom paint job and will carry a three-year/36,000-mile warranty when it’s installed by a certified Ford dealership. Hit the jump for the details and check out the gallery below for a few designs.

Continue reading Ford custom vinyl graphics now available for F-150, Mustang

Ford custom vinyl graphics now available for F-150, Mustang