The is nearly here, and our spy photographers have managed to . As the newest 911 makes its way towards the auto show stage, Porsche’s engineering and marketing teams are already working on a bevy of trims and limited edition iterations. One such version was caught running around wearing camo body armor, the next generation Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet.
Unfortunately, our spy photographers were only able to capture three shots before traffic got in the way. Check out the shots they did manage to snag of the next droptop Porsche turbo in our gallery.
The super-hot coupe may only have a production run of 500 units, but the candle might not burn out on this stunner anytime soon. According to Automotive News, will produce an LFA roadster, previewed by the pictured above. Interestingly, the report indicates that there will likely be a one-year hiatus in between LFA coupe and roadster production, so the droptop supercar should hit the streets in mid-2014.
Automotive News also reports that Lexus’ long-rumored seven-passenger crossover, dubbed ‘VX’, has been delayed, even after several years of study. As far as the automaker’s CUVs and SUVs go, the will get a redesign in early 2014, using some of the new bits found in the updated platform. The larger , which was redesigned in 2010, will not see any major changes, and the grandaddy will likely carry on unchanged for the foreseeable future – possibly beyond 2015.
Lexus’ sedan lineup will also see some big changes over the next few years, starting with the launch of the all-new early next year. Following that, the will be redesigned and tuned and a hybrid version will finally be offered. The smaller will get an overhaul in late 2012, based on a chopped version of the new GS platform.
Cadillac’s Best-Seller Goes RX Hunting With New Ammunition
While standing in front of the newly updated , a fellow journalist asked Cadillac Communications Manager David Caldwell why the crossover wasn’t based on a rear-wheel-drive chassis. The answer? “We already tried that,” said Caldwell.
Those who pray to the gods of rear-wheel drive can go ahead and throw your hands in the air. Smack your forehead, toss down your napkin in disgust and walk away from the dinner table. The truth is simple: The masses like their upscale ‘utes to be behave like their midsize luxury sedans. They want comfort and predictability when traipsing from the mall to school, on road trips and everything in between, albeit with a higher seating position, room for cargo out back and an air of stylish sophistication. But is that really a bad thing?
The is just beginning to pop up on roads all over the country. It’s available in hardtop and cabriolet forms, and the hotted-up Abarth version is just around the corner. Some can’t wait to modify the car, and Boulder, Colorado-based Scagliarini Motorsports is ready to offer a slew of aftermarket accessories. Scagliarini is so into the new 500, it’s decided to build a special version of its own, and the name is larger than the car itself.
Called the Scagliarini Motorsports Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato Elaborata (try fitting that script on the hatch!), this modified Italian started life as an Abarth before gaining filled-in rear windows and an all-wheel drive powertrain. Carbon fiber accents are placed inside along the Alcantara-covered front seats. Behind the wheels sit Brembo brakes, while Abarth EsseEsse parts add a dash of go-fast to the engine. The all-wheel drive bits were pulled from a . The car will be built at Scagliani’s Italian design studio, and wears searingly hot Lamborghini orange paint, otherwise known as Arancio.
Check out the high-res shots of the Fiat 504cze (the shortened version of the rather long name), and for the full press release.
certainly loves showing off the CR-Z Mugen RR concept. We last saw , showing off for the Goodwood Hillclimb crowds. Now, Honda has released a few more photos of a car it seemingly has no firm intention of building.
Mugen takes the standard car, which is surprisingly tossable, and throws a bunch of go-fast upgrades on it to transform it into the CR-Z Mugen RR. Carbon fiber bodywork and underbody tray, center-exit exhaust, forged 18-inch alloy wheels, four-piston calipers and a reworked suspension help turn this hybrid into the we all wish it was in the first place.
Check out the latest photos in our gallery, and be sure to check out the full press release .
has finally given us all a peek at the company’s all-new 2012 CX-5 small crossover ahead of its debut at September’s . The high-riding five door is draped in the automaker’s new “Kodo” design language and relies on a host of SkyActiv engine and transmission options. European buyers will be able to choose between a 2.0-liter gasoline engine and a 2.2-liter diesel powerplant, both with lofty 14:1 compression ratios. Each engine will be available in Standard Power and High Power iterations, and the high compression ratio helps return improved efficiency.
So far, details are scarce on exactly what kind of transmission options will be available at launch, though whispers kicking around the web have indicated that a six-speed manual gearbox is likely, as well as an available six-speed automatic. Expect to see serious engineering advances in both transmissions designed to serve up increased fuel economy.
Mazda says that the company’s Kodo design language stands for “Soul of motion.” Whatever it means, we think it’s a huge improvement over the Joker-smile faces of the outgoing Nagare era. The Mazda CX-5 is set to debut in Frankfurt on September 13, and the CUV is confirmed for sale in the North American market. Check out the gallery above and for the press release.
General Motors thinks the U.S. car-buying public is ready to embrace the subcompact market. The is proof of that, and shows that GM can build a small car that doesn’t suck. We’ve had and we’re curious to see what America thinks. That time is nearly upon us because the Sonic is now officially in production.
Workers at the General Motors Orion Township assembly plant broke out their wrenches and set to work on the new subcompact. The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic will begin arriving on dealer lots by the fall of 2011. Sedans will .
It’s not everyday that an automaker launches a new marque, let alone a disruptive vision of the future. But did just that last week in Frankfurt with the unveiling of its .
However, the story behind BMW i isn’t limited to the i3 city car and i8 plug-inhybrid concepts. It’s a new take on everything from manufacturing to infrastructure; it’s about challenging preconceived ideas about how we get around in an ever-changing, ever-expanding world; and it’s arguably one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by a modern automaker.
That might sound like overwrought hyperbole, and it’s sure to send chills down the spines of technophobes and Luddites, but i isn’t about a dystopian driverless future. In fact, BMW says it doesn’t want mobile automatons. It wants drivers with an eye on what lies ahead and an open mind. And from what we’ve seen, i and the philosophies behind it have the potential to eliminate much of the daily drudgery behind the wheel, ushering in a new era of mobility that’s at once intelligent, sustainable and engaging.
Did you miss your opportunity to get your hands on a before Sant’Agata’s small batch was all spoken for? Well, some might not call spending a cool million on what tangibly amounted to a (spectacularly) rebodied an “opportunity,” but if you were enamored of the limited-edition Lambo’s styling but were hoping for a smaller form and maybe a smaller price tag, this could be it.
Based on the first-gen , a German tuning house by the name of Cosa Design has come out with the edgy body kit you see here. Far more than the usual bolt-on front splitter, side skirts, rear wing and apron, Cosa’s take on the Gallardo is a rather comprehensive rebody.
The modifications are apparently applied to the original 2003-spec Gallardo coupe, and not current LP560-4. (If you’re wincing at the outdated machinery, just keep in mind that the Reventón was based on the even-older Murciélago.) Cosa then boosts the output from 500 horsepower stock up to 540. Part of that comes from the new variable exhaust system, good for an extra twenty horses or so. Those extra ponies join a set of 20-inch alloys, adjustable coilover suspension and upgraded brakes on the spec list.
The result looks like it’s about to transform into a robot from outer space, yet would look right at home next to a Reventón. And while we haven’t seen the pricing sheet, you can bet it’ll cost you less than seven figures when all’s said and done.
For the 1939 World’s Fair, bodied in Plexiglass. Part of the Previews of Progress pavilion in which ‘ Futurama showed off what was to come in the world of autos, the ‘invisible’ Pontiac is credited as the first transparent car in America. And there were no shortcuts taken with its body: the Plexiglass form was fabricated by the company that brought the material to market in 1933, Rohm & Haas.
The see-through sedan was sold at RM Auctions’ St. John’s auction in Michigan on July 30, fetching $308,000. Not bad appreciation for a domestic oddity that cost $25,000 to build when new. You can check out the high-res gallery of its innards, including copper and chrome metalwork and white moldings and wheels, and get the exhaustive details on it .
There’s no greater cardinal sin in the automotive world than completely replacing a highly successful model with an inferior machine. According to , that’s precisely what happened with the .
Says David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center: “While other models like the have gotten better after being redesigned, the Civic has dropped so much that now it ranks near the bottom of its category.”
Just how far has the Civic fallen from CR’s grace? The 2012 model’s 61 points is a precipitous 17-point drop from the 2011 model’s score of 78. That discrepancy is enough to force the Civic out of CR’s Recommended list of automobiles. The only small sedan to score lower than the Civic is the , which has also been widely accused of too-obvious cost cutting compared to its predecessor.
Many of the Honda Civic’s fiercest competitors, on the other hand, scored very well in CR’s latest round of compact car tests. The aforementioned and recently redesigned 2011 Hyundai Elantra earned the top spot overall, followed closely by the , and hatchback.
Also performing adequately but no longer considered class-leading are the , and .
The is set to be available with four-cylinder EcoBoost power with the addition of a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, and reports are emerging that the vehicle will be able to return some fairly impressive fuel economy numbers. According to Ford Inside News, the Environmental Protection Agency has concluded testing, and the Edge 2.0 EcoBoost has managed to eek out 30 mpg highway. That’s three miles per gallon better than the comparable 3.5-liter V6-equipped 2011 model and two miles per gallon better than the 2.0-liter EcoBoost, whose 28 mpg highway figure was just .
Ford Inside News also reports that the engine will continue to turn out 240 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque when tucked into the Edge. While we’re betting that while our right foot will likely miss the extra 45 horsepower produced by the 3.5-liter V6, the extra 22 pound-feet of torque mustered up by the forced-induction four-cylinder should help make up the gap. Our wallets probably won’t mind skipping the gas station a little more often, too.
There’s a lot of changes going on in the world of sports car racing, the bulk of them resulting from the between the ACO (which organizes Le Mans and its related series) and the FIA (which until now governed just about every other form of motorsport). However, the FIA’s own GT racing championships have also had their own fluctuations over the past few years.
What started out as the FIA GT Championship then split into the GT1 World Championship, GT3 European Championship and GT4 European Cup. The classes are set to rejoin next year, though, as the SRO which organizes them on the FIA’s behalf has announced the formation of the new FIA GT World Championship.
Rather than have a variety of cars competing in different classes, SRO and the FIA are working to equalize the performance of existing cars to have them all fighting for the same prize. As a result, organizers are expecting a bigger grid. Teams representing , , , , , and are all expected to return from the current GT1 series, while talks are also underway to bring , Alpina and teams to the grid. With all these challengers lining up, we’d be surprised not to see any jumping in, too.
The series is expected to return to circuits across Europe, Asia and South America next season, however discussions are underway to expand to such locations as Australia, Russia and even North America in the near future.
So what’s the difference between the reformatted FIA GT Championship and the new FIA World Endurance Championship also starting next year? In two words, race length. While the latter will go with the ACO’s format of round-the-clock racing, the former will stick with the current series’ one-hour sprint-race format.
loves special editions, and fans of the brand eat them up as fast as they’re produced. There’s been no shortage of limited Mini vehicles lately, and a new iteration is set to join the (*deep breath here*) Mini 25, Mini 30, Mini 35, Mini 40, Mini Mayfair, Mini Ritz, Mini Chelsea, Mini Piccadilly, Mini Park Lane, Mini Advantage, Mini Red Hot, Mini Jet Black, Mini Rose, Mini Sky, Mini Racing, Mini Flame, Mini Racing Green, Mini Flame Red, Mini Checkmate, Mini Designer, Mini Paul Smith, Mini Cooper RSP, Mini Cooper Monte Carlo, Mini Cooper Grand Prix, Mini Cooper 35, Mini Cooper Sports LE, Mini Cooper S Touring, Mini Cooper S Sport 5, Mini Cooper S Works, Mini John Cooper, Mini Cooper Sport 500, Mini After Eight, Mini Belfast, Mini Blue Star, Mini Brighton, Mini Cosmopolitan, Mini Jubilee, Mini Kensington, Mini Lady, Mini Lapagayo, Mini Monza, Mini Printemps, Mini S, Mini Silver Bullet, Mini Silverstone, Mini Twinings, Mini Woodbury, Mini 1000 Stripey LE, Mini 1100 Special, Mini Sprite, Mini Studio 2, Mini Neon, Mini Cabriolet, Mini British Open Classic, Mini Italian Job, Mini Rio, Mini Tahiti, Mini Sidewalk, Mini Equinox, Mini ERA Turbo, Mini Cooper S Sidewalk Convertible, Mini John Cooper Works GP, Mini Cooper Chilli, Mini Cooper John Cooper Works World Championship 50, Mini Cooper Hampton, Mini Cooper Camden… and there’s probably a handful of others we (and ) missed.
The newest member of the limited-edition family is the Mini Soho. For the moment, it appears to be a United Kingdom-only model, one that will be offered in both standard gasoline and diesel versions of the Cooper hardtop and convertible. What’s the Soho edition offer up? This Cooper wears Soho-edition-only White Silver metallic paint, 17-inch black star bullet wheels, bi-xenon headlights, anthracite headliner, a three-spoke sport steering wheel and piano black interior accents. for the full press release and check it out in our gallery above.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating certain and Mercury Milan models for a possible wheel-stud failure. According to Reuters, a total of 317,315 of the mid-sized sedans are being investigated for a default that causes the vehicles’ wheel studs to fracture and break over time. This can cause a wheel to detach itself, potentially leading to a serious accident. So far, there have been 29 complaints and 128 warranty claims associated with fractured studs, according to NHTSA, as well as four instances of a wheel actually separating from the vehicle.
Ford, meanwhile, is investigating the root cause of the defect at this time while NHTSA upgrades its efforts from a preliminary investigation to an engineering analysis. A recall could result should the manufacturer or government regulators decide that the issue is widespread. NHTSA opened its preliminary investigation into the matter . The Fusion and Milan twins have were previously investigated for sticking accelerator pedals.
No new car launch would be complete without a corresponding marketing campaign. But when that launch and campaign are heralding the return of a famed automaker and nameplate to the American market after decades of absence, the marketing team is likely to be an especially important part of the overall success of launch… at least at the outset.
Such is the case with , which recently reentered the U.S. market by way of its bailout of struggling . The car on which Fiat is banking its initial hopes on is the diminutive and convertible, and it’s launching with a new tagline: Simply More. We’ll let Fiat itself explain:
The FIAT brand’s new tagline, “Simply More,” defines the Fiat 500 as everything you need and nothing you don’t. It represents the notion that the simple things in life are treasures, alongside the thought that the richness and fullness of a life well-lived is defined by one’s view of self-expression.
Simply More… seems like a fine tagline to us, we’re just glad someone was around to explain its meaning to us. In any case, expect to see this new marketing campaign in every facet of your life. In addition to the television spot you can see after the break, Fiat will also focus on print advertising, outdoor billboards, digital and social media and event sponsorships.
Check out some of the one-page ads in our image gallery, and check out the brand’s first U.S. television commercial .
Over the weekend, rally cars took over the streets of downtown Los Angeles to compete in X Games 17. The field of drivers was perhaps the most prestigious yet, with plenty of X Games veterans like Tanner Foust, Travis Pastrana and Brian Deegan facing tough new challengers in the form of Marcus Grönholm, two-time World Champion of the World Rally Championship series and European RallyCross veteran Liam Doran.
The new venue, the third in three years, provided an interesting setting to watch rally cars fly by – traffic whizzed by on the 110 Freeway just a block away – and for the drivers, it was a welcome change to last year’s tight and confusing course at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The venue wasn’t ideal for spectators, however, with much of the course hidden from view on the main grandstands. For members of the media such as ourselves, photographing the event was nearly impossible as well, with high fencing blocking nearly every good view.
Even so, the drives put on quite a show for those watching at home on television. With so many talented drivers in so many fast cars, entertaining matchups were inevitable. to read more and watch the wacky action in some X Games-provided videos.
The journey has been arduous and fraught with disappointment, but it appears we’ve finally reached our destination. Welcome to The Golden Age of Compact Motoring. Gone are the days of mostly cheap and poorly executed C-segment entries. Ye Olde “It’s the , and everybody else” mindset is finally history, too. All of a sudden, new car buyers can choose from a bumper crop of smart new motors, including the all-new Civic, the , the , the larger and more affordable and the always entertaining . And that’s not all – there’s also a new wildcard in the compact segment, the .
While entries like the Cruze and Focus have garnered lots of attention, the Elantra has quietly established itself as a worthy alternative in this suddenly competitive segment. The redesigned Hyundai caught our attention with its expressive styling, an improved cabin and 40 miles per gallon highway rating. It sounds like a winning game plan to us, but does this revitalized Hyundai live up to its impressive stat sheet? We spent a week with an Elantra Limited to find out for ourselves.
has managed to squeeze a little extra fuel economy from the . According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the model now gets up to 17 mpg city and 21 mpg highway, good for 18 mpg combined when saddled with a five-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission. That’s a thirteen-percent improvement over the 2011 model’s 15 mpg city and an 11 percent boost over the old bruiser’s 19 mpg highway. Not surprisingly, the increases come from the fact that the Wrangler now boasts the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 engine.
The better fuel economy doesn’t come at the cost of horsepower, either. In fact, the new V6 rocks 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The old 3.8-liter V6 was only good for a comparatively asthmatic 202 horsepower and 237 lb-ft of twist.
The four-door Wrangler Unlimited shown above has also benefited from the Pentastar engine – its fuel economy has increased to 16 mpg city and 21 mpg highway when equipped with a six-speed manual transmission.
loves long strings of characters that somehow swirl together to create the name of a specific vehicle in its lineup. We don’t, however, and would love to see names like the give way to easier-to-understand nomenclature, alphanumeric or no. To that end, our spy photographers have managed to snap some shots of a new hatchback/wagon that could help restore a bit of naming sanity, and it goes by the nickname FAST.
Those four letters are the shortened version of Family Active Sports Tourer. We’d prefer to call it a wagon, but FAST (the model’s internal designation according to AutoExpress), is far better than BMW 1 Series Family Active Sports Tourer Fdrive30iT… or whatever the company’s marketers would prefer to call it.
Speculation is that the , which itself will soon graduate to become 2 Series. This new wagon will utilize a front-wheel-drive platform that’s shared with the next crop of vehicles. Rumor has it that an all-wheel-drive version will also be made available. We’re not counting on it keeping the FAST designation when it reaches showrooms, but either way, look for this creature to arrive by 2013.
