may seek to reposition in the wake of slower sales, according to Automotive News. It’s been 10 years since the Japanese automaker unveiled its youth-oriented brand, and Toyota recognizes that the original target demographic has officially grown up. After concluding a nine-month review of the Scion brand, the parent company has decided to move away from quirkiness and toward more mainstream creations.
Models like the and serve more traditional buyers than the nameplate’s best-selling , though Jack Hollis, Scion vice president, says the future of the boxy five-door remains uncertain. While speaking with Autmotive News, Hollis said the company may not replace the model with a “one-for-one” interpretation of the box as buyers are less and less interested in funky exterior designs.
Scion suffered dearly during the sales downturn of 2008 and 2009. By 2011, the company’s numbers had fallen to within 25 percent of its 2006 volume. With consumer credit tightening by the day, recent college graduates have reportedly found it difficult to finance a brand-new Scion. Hollis says sales are on the mend, and the company is cautiously optimistic. In the meantime, expect to see Scion show off more mainstream marketing aimed at a wider consumer audience.
Sponsoring most events is pretty straightforward for any company: fork over the right sum of cash and you’re the new official automaker/timekeeper/jelly donut of whatever the event is. But for , its status as Official Automotive Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a bit more complicated.
Even to fork over a massive fleet with 4,000 vehicles to the organizing committee wasn’t enough for the German automaker to secure its status. BMW also had to meet the committee’s stringent emissions requirements: while the average emissions of vehicles in the UK comes in at 138 grams of CO2 per kilometer, the automaker supplying these Olympic games had to come in below 120 g/km – which BMW did at 116 g/km.
To get there, a portion of the cars BMW is supplying are electric vehicles: 160 units of the and 40 of the Mini E, with another 40 of the . The rest of the fleet is comprised of the (1,550 vehicles), (700), (17), (10) and (200 vehicles), plus another 25 R1200 RT motorcycles and 400 BMW Streetcruiser bicycles.
Wondering what they’ll be doing with all those cars? They’ll be used for everything from shuttling around the athletes, officials, medics and journalists to hauling boats out of the water. for the full details.
Edmunds has taken the time to sort through the March 2012 sales data to find which were the quickest selling models of the month. According to the site’s research, the took the top nod by sitting on dealer lots just eight days before whirring off to a new home. Manufacturers routinely use “days to turn” to evaluate consumer demand, though pesky variables like production capacity can easily tweak the number north or south. That’s likely why the took just 11 days to turn and its smaller sibling, the , took just 13. is having a hard time keeping production in pace with consumer demand.
Other stars of last month’s show include the . With an average of 14 days on dealer lots, the model finds itself tied with hardware like the and for being quick to turn. You can check out the full list of quickest-sellers by heading over to .
The Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t released its evaluation data for the just yet, but says the compact should be capable of returning some impressive fuel economy figures, particularly with an available Aero package. When equipped with the turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission, the standard Dart is good for an estimated 27 mpg city and 39 mpg highway, thanks in part to active aero shutters nestled in the grille of every model. Should buyers require a few extra miles per gallon, an optional Aero package will see the highway figure jump to 41 mpg. So far, there’s no word on city or combined fuel economy for the package, but there’s time before the trim becomes available, as it won’t be in dealerships until the third quarter of this year.
Chrysler isn’t mentioning how much the Aero package will add to the bottom line or what other tweaks consumers will get for their coin. We do know that with 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, the Dart Aero should be considerably more engaging to drive than the . While that model is good for 42 mpg highway when equipped with a six-speed manual, it does the deed with 22 fewer horsepower and 36 fewer pound-feet of torque. for the complete Dart press release.
Automotive News reports plans to bring its recently unveiled Mirage to the Canadian market, and that the five-door hatch has a 50-percent chance of making it to U.S. buyers as well. Mitsubishi pulled the Mirage nameplate from the U.S. in 2002, but unveiled of the car in Thailand just last month. At a smidge over 146 inches long, the tiny hatch would be a suitable competitor for the likes of the Chevrolet Spark and give dealers a much-needed product infusion. The company the , Eclipse Spyder and the just recently and Mitsubishi showrooms are starting to look decidedly emaciated.
But Mitsubishi says it may not be as simple as dropping the new Mirage on U.S. soil and hoping for the best. The automaker has a reworked coming down the pike, and launching two models in close succession may make already scarce marketing dollars even harder to come by.
Then there’s the fact that the new Mirage is a no-nonsense, bare-bones creation designed to appeal to the budget-minded buyers of South Asia. Mitsubishi has some reservations about unleashing the model on content-hungry Americans. Even so, Mitsubishi says the company has yet to reach an official decision about a U.S. launch.
has managed an impressive turnaround since the dark days of 2009. After carpet-bombing the market with a spate of new or refreshed models, the automaker saw its retail sales jump a whopping 43 percent in 2011, helping it report in the process. Chrysler even managed to pay out profit-sharing checks for the first time . According to Richard Cox, director of the Dodge brand, that trend hasn’t slacked up in 2012. Year-to-date in the neighborhood of 40 percent.
But those gains were made largely by fluffing the pillows on old platforms. New engines, new interiors and reworked sheetmetal aside, we’ve yet to see what “the new Chrysler” can pull off with a completely fresh model. At least, that was the case.
Behold the : the first serious small-car effort from the automaker since the Neon rolled off into the sunset in 2005. As the first completely new machine from Chrysler since the automaker’s bankruptcy and subsequent takeover by , there’s plenty riding on the new compact.
While technically based on the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, American engineers have drawn and quartered the chassis while also reworking the suspension to suit domestic tastes. With eye-catching styling, an à la carte option system and a range of fuel-efficient and powerful engines, the 2013 Dart isn’t just a step forward for , it might just be a step forward for the compact class.
General Motors and Isuzu were partners for decades before parting ways in 2006. Even now, you can find the final hangover of an alliance that gave us vehicles like the and in the and smallish pickups.
The two companies may start negotiations soon for General Motors to once again take a stake in Isuzu Motors Ltd. with commercial vehicle sales in Asia and Central and South America as the goal, reports the Japanese Nikkei business daily.
GM would go in for ten percent of Isuzu, and this deal would likely spell the end for , as well as smother any capital partnership talks with . Isuzu developed the trucks, and if lashed-up with GM again, a team effort to develop, produce and distribute pickup trucks is being considered. At ten percent, General Motors would pass Mitsubishi Corporation’s 9.2-percent stake in Isuzu to become its largest single shareholder.
North American small pickup fans probably shouldn’t get excited about this, as it appears aimed mostly at markets more suited to smaller trucks. With GM’s new full-size pickups on the horizon, the General likely wants you to forget that there are any other choices for the time being.
If you want a top-of-the-line SUV with serious performance capabilities, look no further than the Group. Its unit has had tremendous success with the , a vehicle that has doubled its sales all on its own – and that’s not even accounting for the or that share some of its underpinnings. Keen to capitalize on that success, the German auto giant is overseeing the application of the same formula to two of its other divisions: , which just unveiled its new Urus concept, and , which is working on an SUV of its own.
The British marque has been showcasing the EXP 9 F concept to preview what it has in store. It only hinted at powertrain possibilities upon its unveiling at the , but at the , it got ever so slightly more specific. Like the range, the production version of the Bentley sport-ute would pack a 600-horsepower, 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12, but offer the (relatively) more sensible 500hp, 4.0L twin-turbo V8 as well. The bigger news, however, is the V6 plug-in hybrid option which Bentley is planning for its SUV, enabling it to travel up to 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) on electric-only mode, while rocketing to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than five seconds.
Bentley projects the variety of powertrain options will help it sell 3,000 units of the vehicle once it enters production in 2015 – the same figures sister-company Lamborghini is projecting for the Urus. To put that into context, consider that Bentley sold just over 7,000 vehicles (from its current and lines) around the world last year. That’s still a far cry from the number of Cayennes that Porsche churns out – it delivered nearly 13,000 of them in the United States alone last year – but then the EXP 9 F is expected to carry a price tag north of $200,000 (double the price of even the most expensive Cayenne Turbo) while sharing common components to make its first entrance into SUV market a lucrative one for the Flying B brand.
Scope out the fresh high-resolution images we’ve added to the gallery above for another look at the EXP 9 F (which is still expected to look different by the time it comes to production), and for the press release containing powertrain information.
Rumors that would some day build the in the U.S. have bounced around for years, with often being cited as the most likely candidate. After that plan was , a new version of the same story returned in 2010 when a Toyota executive vice president said . Given the on-again, off-again history of the story, we weren’t surprised when not much was officially said about the matter in the last two years. That changed today.
Koei Saga, senior managing officer in charge of drivetrain R&D at Toyota, has informed Automotive News that Toyota is now thinking of making the Prius in the U.S. by 2015 and wants to get hybrid drivetrain components – motors, inverters, batteries (likely lithium-ion packs) – from North American suppliers. The base fourth-gen Prius will probably still use nickel-metal hydride batteries, but the batteries made in the U.S. might be li-ion.
A 2015 timetable means it is likely that America would make the fourth-gen Prius model, which is due around that time. The reason this story keeps coming back is because it makes sense to build the Prius in the States. and expected to grow, so extra production somewhere will almost certainly be needed to meet demand. Plus, a strong yen means that Prius vehicles built in America would likely come at a lower cost to Toyota.
Toyota currently makes the hybrid in the U.S. at its plant in Georgetown, KY. The question as to whether the U.S. Prius would be made there, at Toyota’s Mississippi plant, at the plant in Fremont, CA (formerly known as NUMMI) – where have also floated around in the past – or somewhere else completely will need to be answered at another time.
We knew the Morgan 3 Wheeler was coming to America, we just didn’t know when or how. The skinny, according to a report on Inside Line, is that the 3 Wheeler will be sold through three U.S. dealerships beginning later this year. One of those dealers will be Liberty, the Seattle company that got this whole thing started by – Morgan then bought Liberty and used it to develop the production model.
The other two locations haven’t been divulged, but one on each coast is the early betting line. We’ll probably know after Morgan scion Charles has finished running his 3 Wheeler in next month’s Gumball 3000 rally, and by then the company might have settled on an official U.S. price. Even if you do plan to make it yours, though, don’t expect on soon: Morgan only plans to make 500 per year, and that exact number was already pre-sold eight months ago.
The concept, showed off by as at the and then as a road-ready car at the is in talks to be sold. An update concept from the seventies and powered by a 4.3-liter V8 with 480 horsepower, the Nuccio was a 15,000-hour exercise in what the company’s historical language could look like today.
A Chinese collector was so taken with it that, according to a report in Automtive News, he is in discussions with Bertone to drop €2 million ($2.7 million) to take it home. If the deal is closed, he won’t get to take it home until after Pebble Beach weekend, where Bertone plans to again display the Nuccio.
Say what you will about The Monkees, but the guys in the band had great taste in automobiles. Take the Monkeemobile, for example. Built off a 1967 Pontiac GTO Convertible, the custom featured genuinely interesting bodywork and some wild engine bolt-ons. If you’re a fan of 1960s pop and yearn to relive the genre’s glory days, eBay Motors may have what you need. A recreation of the 1967 Monkeemobile has showed up for auction. This particular replica was built by Dakota County Customs using an four-speed GTO, just like the original.
Built for the band’s 45th anniversary and the final Monkees tour last year, this Monkeemobile is faithful down to every last detail. Unfortunately, the trumpet exhaust poking out of the front fender wells and the massive gold-flake blower are for show only. Seems fitting.
If you like what you see, this machine is up for bid in Richfield, Minnesota with two days left on the auctions. So far, bidding as whipped up to $60,000 with the reserve not met. Head over to to have a look.
Maybe you want a that does more than merely get noticed. Maybe you want a Beetle that… provokes. If so, you need to give German tuner ABT Sportsline a call.
Tweaks are made to the 2.0-liter turbo that add 40 horsepower. A front spoiler, wheels anywhere from 18 to 20 inches, and oval tailipes boost the aggression. Headlight covers make it look mean, and the “carbon-look deco set” with red trim makes it unforgettable.
The result is the Beetle Limousine 5CO, and if you’re a configurating kind of guy, then ABT will let you . Otherwise there’s a press release if you and a high-res gallery above.
Ex-engineer Richard Parry-Jones is now chairman-designate of the UK’s Network Rail. Having looked into the futures of both car and train development, he believes that by the end of this decade the most Earth-friendly internal-combustion engine cars will be about as polluting, on a per-passenger basis, as high-speed electric trains.
Parry-Jones says carmakers are targeting 40g/km of CO2 tailpipe emissions by 2020. If the “average” occupancy of 1.6 people-per-vehicle stays the same in eight years, that would equal 25 gm per person per kilometer and put such cars in the same environmental category as the cleanest mass transit.
Since the emissions of electric cars and trains is usually given as zero, we’re assuming he means diesel-electric high-speed trains; life-cycle emissions wouldn’t be a valid comparison since those aren’t factored into a car’s tailpipe number. According to of , right now you’d have to load four folks in a small diesel topped up with ultra-low sulphur fuel to get down to 42 grams per passenger per kilometer (gpkm), which would put you right with one of Virgin’s Voyager class diesel-electric trains at 75-percent capacity. If you want to go all the way low, though, you’ll need a 50cc two-stroke and a passenger: at that point you’re rocking just 19.5 gpkm. Slowly.
It’s not every day that Caterham comes out with a new car. After all, the core of its business is centered around a 55-year-old design. But the SP/300.R is an all-new product, a clean-sheet design. And after unveiling the track car built in collaboration with renowned racing chassis manufacturer Lola, the first example has been delivered.
The recipient of SP/300.R #1 is the car’s US distributor, Dyson Racing. Dyson will use its SP/300.R as a demonstration vehicle to drum up sales for the racer, which promises to rival Radical in the growing market for purpose-built, LMP-style track cars. Want to see more? We’ve added more photos to the gallery and a pair of videos (along with the press release).
In the earlier part of the last decade, the king of the hill was a model called the Vanquish. More muscular than the DB7 it superseded, the Vanquish was offered first with a 450-horsepower V12, and then as the Vanquish S with 514 hp on tap. The flagship model from Newport Pagnell was replaced in 2007 by the , but before it went the way of the proverbial dodo, Aston offered a final run of 40 examples called the . And now that its successor is itself due for replacement, sources expect Aston to offer a DBS Ultimate Edition, as well.
What separated the Vanquish S Ultimate Edition from its penultimate basis were a special black paint job, an enhanced interior and – most significantly – a conventional manual gearbox to replace the maligned sequential transmission in the regular model. What the DBS Ultimate Edition might comprise remains to be seen, but sources don’t expect a manual gearbox to factor into the mix.
The Ultimate Edition, then, may boil down to something largely similar to the above-pictured that, like the Vanquish special, also featured a special black paint job and unique wheels, but little in the way of powertrain or suspension upgrades. Whatever the Ultimate Edition does encompass, though, is expected to cost nearly $300,000 and limited in production to just 100 units, of which only 30 are expected to make it to American dealerships.
is on a bit of a naming spree. Back in April, it was revealed that the Italian automaker (and hopeful SUV maker, too…) put its legal stamp on the names and , the first of which, as you’re likely aware by now, is the moniker adopted for the concept version of its future sport utility vehicle.
Deimos, on the other hand, has yet to grace any bullish Italian supercars, at least none shown to the public, so we’re curious to see where that ends up. Muddying waters even further is a report from Car and Driver that Lamborghini has also recently trademarked the name Huracán.
Huracán, in case you hadn’t made the connection yourselves, is the Spanish word for hurricane, but it’s also the name of a Mayan god of fire, wind and storms, according to C&D. That dovetails nicely with Deimos, which was the name of a terrifying mythological Greek god.
What either of these as-yet unused names has to do with Spanish bulls or matadors (if anything), we have no idea. We also can’t say with any certainty what future Lambos, concept or production, will be graced by these names. But we certainly look forward to finding out.
It’s almost DLC time again at – Tuesday, May 1 will bring with it the Top Gear pack, a true goulash of automobilia. At one end you have the 2012 Hennessey Venom GT, a car that automotive historians will look back on and say “Wow.” At the other end you have the 1977 AMC Pacer X, a car that we look back on and say “Wow.” In ‘between’ are the: 2011 SuperSportVan, 1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII, , 1966 Lotus Cortina, 1992 Galant VR-4, , 1990 RS and .
The bad news is that the TG pack won’t be part of the Season Pass, so you’ll need 560 MS points, or $7, to make it yours. But if you throw down the fresh amounts you’ll be able to enter the new Community Rivals Mode with the Hennessey Venom GT. Set a leaderboard time with it and you could win one of the 100 unicorn cars Forza will be handing out every week.
to check out the video and have a look at the wares in the gallery of high-res screenshots.
“The past four months have been really tough for us,” admits CEO Dany Bahar to Autocar magazine. “We were working at a pace nobody had seen at Lotus for many years,” Bahar continued, alluding to the British sports car maker’s planned rollout of four models over five years that recently had recently hit the skids thanks to a 60-day financial freeze at Malaysian parent DRB-Hicom. “The shut-down, as I call it,” Bahar continued, “was very hard for us,” but the Lotus boss forcefully rejects media reports that his company is being shopped to potential buyers.
Production at Hethel is reportedly swinging back into action within the next few days now that DRB-Hicom has slid money across the table to re-start , and production. Lotus will also reportedly continue to develop the new and its V8 engine and automated transmission. Bahar went on to dispute reports that KPMG was looking for a buyer to take on Lotus, though there are likely to be management shuffles and continuing developments between Lotus, DRB-Hicom, , and who know what other parties, as the re-start doesn’t completely short-circuit the rumors of a possible sale.
In fact, resuming production could potentially even position Lotus more attractively for a potential suitor, rather than putting a shuttered, down-at-the-mouth boutique carmaker on the block.
When rolled out their outrageously styled three years ago, car buyers took notice. It’s eye-catching exterior styling, well-appointed interior and affordable price was just what a lot of family sedan buyers wanted.
Few will admit it, but carmakers sat up and paid attention, too. However, Andy Palmer, executive vice president for global planning, doesn’t mind telling the world that his company certainly saw the significance of the midsize Korean sedan. So much so that they briefly halted design work on the 2013 .
“We even delayed development by a short amount just to check that the (new Altima’s) proportions were right, the (package) was right (and that) the product overall was right,” Palmer tells Ward’s Auto. “I’d say they (Hyundai) are our major point of reference.”
But with the Altima as the second-best selling car in its segment, Nissan is focusing not on the Sonata, but on and the No. 1 best seller: .
“If you keep coming with better cars and better communications, telling better stories, over a period of time,” Palmer says. “I guarantee you’ll be talking about Toyota and Nissan.”
