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2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Shelby Cobra, and it seems ol’ Carroll and his band of hot rodders are intent on celebrating the legendary roadster for the entire year. Back in January, Shelby kicked off a series of nationwide 50th anniversary events with the debut of the Anniversary Mustangs at the Detroit Auto Show, and earlier this month, the company showed off the very first Cobra and the new 2012 Shelby 1000 at the New York Auto Show.

The most recent celebration happened this past weekend at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California, where dozens of Shelby Cobra owners gathered for a 50th anniversary reunion put on by the Team Shelby Pacific Coast Division. All kinds of Cobras crowded into the parking lot in front of the museum, from 289-powered slab-sided Cobras to original 427 side-oiler models to the modern continuation Cobras.

In addition to the Cobras gathered outside, the NHRA museum also had a display of significant vehicles dubbed the Speed Merchants of Venice. The collection included the very first production Cobra CSX2001, generously loaned to the museum by collector Bruce Meyer, as well as a Cobra used at the Shelby School of High Performance Driving, an FIA Cobra race car, a “Dragonsnake” Cobra drag car, and an original daily driver Cobra with more than 130,000 miles.

You can see all of these and more from the Shelby Cobra 50th anniversary reunion in the photo gallery above.

Shelby Cobras gather for 50th anniversary reunion

Volkswagen has taken the occasion of the Beijing Motor Show as opportunity to debut its latest sedan. Called the Lavida, it’s the second-generation of a model produced in China specifically for the Chinese market.

Can’t figure out what you’re looking at? Call it a Chinese version of the Jetta, with which it shares its platform. Shanghai Volkswagen – the joint venture under which the Lavida is produced – had sold 700,000 units of the first-generation model from its introduction in 2008 through January 2012. The company surely hopes the new Lavida will sell even more. Read all about it in the press release below.

Continue reading Volkswagen is living Lavida loca in Beijing

Volkswagen is living Lavida loca in Beijing

We have a thing for high-end detailing jobs. We’re not talking about what the guy at your local drive-through car wash does for an extra $10. We’re talking about the kind of detailing done by highly trained professionals that costs thousands of dollars and could take hundreds of hours to complete.

We normally get our fix of before-and-after photos from friend-of-the-site Todd Cooperider, whose work we’ve featured on Autoblog before. This time, however, we bring you some work done on a well worn Ferrari Enzo by a company in the UK called Polished Bliss.

Instead of before-and-after images, Polished Bliss produced an excellent six-minute video with production quality that matches the 144-hour(!) detailing job it chronicles. If you’ve ever wanted to watch these masters practice their craft, then scroll down to start the show.

Continue reading High-end video of high-end detail job on high-end Ferrari

High-end video of high-end detail job on high-end Ferrari

Audi has just unveiled a special concept version of the company’s Q3 at this week’s 2012 Beijing Motor Show to commemorate the year of the dragon. The 2012 Q3 Jinlong Yufeng, or “Golden Dragon In The Wind,” caters to the kite surfers of the world thanks to its two roof-mounted carbon-fiber reinforced polymer boards and a clever kite pouch that can also be used to hold wet articles of clothing or serve as a beach umbrella. Designers have also thrown in a set of removable, wireless video cameras that can easily be attached to a sail bar or helmet.

The Q3 Jinlong Yufeng wears Liuli Yellow paint outside as well as a few special off-road body components based on production pieces. Brushed stainless steel running boards, LED spotlights mounted in the grille and integrated dual-exit exhaust are all part of the package. Indoors, designers have stitched the vehicle’s surfaces with yellow contrasting thread. The seats use woven leather covers and each door panel features a yellow leather insert.

A turbocharged 2.5-liter direct-injection five-cylinder engine delivers 310 horsepower through a seven-speed transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive – enough, Audi says,to power the Q3 Jinlong Yufeng to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Audi unveils Q3 Jinlong Yufeng in Beijing

Audi unveils Q3 Jinlong Yufeng in Beijing

“Stock” is a relative term. Stock cars, for example, like those raced in NASCAR, are anything but showroom stock. And at the opposite end of the spectrum, “stock” is just the starting point when ordering a new Rolls-Royce. The high-end marque offers its customers a virtually endless array of personalization options, and to drive that point, home Rolls-Royce is showcasing the show car seen here at this week’s Beijing Motor Show.

Called the Six Senses concept, this specially equipped Ghost is designed to stimulate each of the five senses – sight, sound, scent, taste and touch – and proffers the singular luxury of a Rolls-Royce as the sixth sense. Sure beats seeing dead people.

The concept is painted in pearlescent Carrara White, with unique forged alloys and an interior decked out in walnut burr veneer, deep-pile lambswool carpeting (even in the trunk), leather headliner with panoramic sunroof, an upgraded sound system and champagne cooler. Check it out in the gallery above and follow the jump for the details in the press release.

Continue reading Rolls-Royce showcases Ghost Six Senses concept in Beijing

Rolls-Royce showcases Ghost Six Senses concept in Beijing

Considering the rate at which the Chinese market gobbles up Buick models, you’d think it would be a prime market for Chrysler. Yet the House of the 300 wasn’t present in China at all in recent years, as the brand has just announced at the Beijing Motor Show its return to the Chinese market.

In the coming months, it will begin selling both the 300C and the Grand Voyager, and to mark the occasion it has presented a special design concept of its top-of-the-line sedan. Much like sister-brand Jeep adopted the dragon symbol for its special-edition Wrangler, the Chrysler brand went with the Ruyi – a scepter-like object symbolizing prosperity and good fortune – for its 300 show car.

The design concept is distinguished by unique ten-spoke 22-inch wheels, dark chrome trim to complement the black paint and tone-on-tone “speed stripe,” aero kit, custom grille, tinted glass and special badging. Meanwhile the interior is done up in a variety of metal finishes, with French-stitched beige suede and leather upholstery. Check it out in the gallery above and the press release by scrolling below.

Continue reading Chrysler marks return to China with 300 Ruyi design concept

Chrysler marks return to China with 300 Ruyi design concept

Audi has finally spread its plug-in hybrid technology to the A6 L. The German automaker unveiled the A6 L e-Tron technology study on Monday at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show, complete with an all-electric driving range of nearly 50 miles at 37 mph. Liquid-cooled lithium-ion batteries power the 95-horsepower electric motor, though a 211-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder can step in at any time for more acceleration or additional range. The A6 L e-tron can operate in fully-electric, hybrid or gasoline mode as needed. While the A6 L e-tron concept is technically an engineering study at the moment, Audi does admit the sedan could indicate what a Chinese-built A6 hybrid could look like in the future.

The cabin offers buyers the same level of space and comfort as the internal-combustion A6 L, though a new instrument panel and vehicle information display conveys data on battery charge status, range and available drive system power. Audi’s engineers have have also specifically calibrated the sedan’s MMI touch system to recognize 29,000 Chinese characters, which we can only imagine was no mean feat. Scroll below for the full press release.

Continue reading Audi tries hand at luxury PHEVs with A6 L e-tron concept

Audi tries hand at luxury PHEVs with A6 L e-tron concept

The alliance between the Chrysler Group and Fiat SpA has been a two-way street: Auburn Hills has given Lancia a new lease on life, for example, while Alfa Romeo has given Dodge the underpinnings for the new Dart. And now Dodge can return the favor in the form of the vehicle you see here.

Called the Viaggio, it’s essentially a Fiat-badged Dodge Dart with a few minor tweaks here and there. But don’t expect a shipment of Fiat badges to be arriving at the assembly plant in Belvedere, Illinois, anytime soon: what you’re seeing here is actually the first Fiat that will (starting in June) be built in China for China, through a joint venture with Guangzhou.

The resulting GAC Fiat enterprise unveiled the Viaggio at the Beijing Auto Show following teasers released a couple of weeks ago. The result looks like a Dart with some extra chrome. Buyers in China will be able to choose from 120- or 150-horsepower versions of Fiat’s 1.4-liter T-Jet four with either a five-speed manual or six-speed DCT. Scroll down below for the full press blast and take a look at the high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Fiat darts into China with new Viaggio

Fiat darts into China with new Viaggio

We’ve already seen the production-ready 2013 SRT Viper. In fact, we named it Best In Show after it officially debuted at the 2012 New York Auto Show earlier this month. But what we haven’t seen is the full color palette that will be offered, and our spy photographers recently caught a Viper prototype out testing sporting a fresh coat of yellow paint, as well as some new, more sedate wheels.

As for that color, we aren’t sure how we feel about it just yet, granted, we’ll want to see it in person and without all of the hastily bolted-together panel gaps of this prototype. Moreover, we’d like to see how the new SRT looks in a proper GTS white/blue paint job. Be sure to let us know what you think of the new yellow paint in the comments.

The don’t-call-it-a-Dodge Viper officially launches this year, boasting 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque from its monstrous 8.4-liter V10. We’re eagerly awaiting our first stint behind the wheel, but for now, this new batch of high-res photos will have to suffice.

2013 SRT Viper looking fly in yellow?

MG has taken to the 2012 Beijing Motor Show with its Icon Concept, a hatch that’s somehow intended to pay tribute to the MGA and MGB GT models of old. The automaker is marking its 50th anniversary this year, and chose the Chinese show to mark the occasion with the funky-looking concept you see above. Aside from a general hatchback shape, we don’t see too much of the Icon’s predecessors in the design – in fact, we see as much Mini Countryman as anything else. The tall ride height and flashy wheels certainly look as if they’d be at home on a modern roadway, however.

Details are scarce as far as the concept’s drivetrain is concerned, though MG says the Icon can accommodate four occupants, and the rear seats fold into the floor to optimize the available cargo area. A brief press release is after the jump.

Continue reading MG Icon displays Mini-like sensibilities

MG Icon displays Mini-like sensibilities

Scion has long been labeled as a “youth brand,” so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to read word of parent Toyota turning over the marque’s aging nameplates so quickly. According to Ward’s Auto, Scion is set to kill off its xB and xD models – the first a onetime icon for the brand, the latter an econobox that never truly caught on with buyers (not unlike it’s predecessor, the xA).

A model like the xB was always going to be a love-hate proposition, and indeed, the subcompact sharply divided opinion because of its its t-square styling and funky stance back when it was introduced in 2004. But enough buyers fell enough with its good qualities – remarkable space efficiency, solid fuel economy, ease-of-driving and low pricing that the xB sold surprisingly well, in the process becoming something of a totem for the brand. The second-generation model, which bowed for 2007, seemed to alter all the things that made the original so endearing: the xB grew substantially, had the uniquely sharp corners of its design chamfered off, and it gained more power without adding much in the way of performance because the vehicle had been so radically upsized. Fuel economy dipped, too, as did the xB’s popularity with shoppers. Last year, Scion only moved about 17,000 examples – in its heyday, the xB sold over 60,000 units.

A couple of years ago, Jim Farley, Ford’s vice president of global marketing, told Autoblog that Scion’s intent wasn’t to be a youth brand at all – it was to be an experimental division, an incubator for product and marketing techniques. Farley, as you may recall, was one of the driving forces behind Scion, ascending to the role of its vice president before being reassigned to Lexus. By Farley’s yardstick, perhaps Scion had pushed the xB and xD as far as they could go, and now it’s simply time to test new vehicular hypotheses. Indeed, more recent models like the tiny iQ and FR-S coupe show the brand experimenting in bold new directions… exactly the sort of innovation we can get behind.

Scion xB, xD models getting the axe

Cadillac’s new XTS isn’t just headed to China, it will be built there. The forthcoming full-size luxury cruiser had already been earmarked for production in General Motors’ Oshawa, Ontario Assembly Plant, but the automaker has just announced in Beijing that it will also be built in China with its joint venture partner Shanghai General Motors.

Cadillac is still a relatively small player in China’s premium segment, with just 68 dealers and 30,000 sales last year. However, it’s growing quickly, with March sales up more than 35 percent year-over-year to 2,745 units. Better still, General Motors says Cadillac’s average buying age is very young – just 35 – and it expects to have 120 dealers online by the end of this year to meet growing demand.

The idea of local XTS production strikes us as a smart one, as China is enjoying a swell in demand for luxury cars, and it has always maintained a strong demand for vehicles with large rear seats. Cadillac already has a solid track record building in the communist nation, as it first began assembling the China-only SLS Executive Sedan – essentially an extended wheelbase STS – back in 2006.

Continue reading Cadillac expanding XTS production to China

Cadillac expanding XTS production to China

Honda has used the 2012 Beijing Motor Show to launch two new concept cars that it says “show the direction of mass-production models Honda will introduce to the market next year.”

First up is the imaginatively named Concept C. According to the automaker, ‘C’ stands for “Cool, “Challenge” and “China.” As much as we wish we were making that up, we aren’t. The car itself, though, looks pretty bold, with striking character lines down each side and a fascia that would look right at home on the next Battlestar Gallactica spinoff. We’re curious to see how much of the C’s conceptual styling makes it into production when a mass-market version hits the Chinese market in 2013 – if it were toned down just a bit, we think Honda could do worse than inject some of this boldness in its American lineup, though some might suggest the grille has overtones of the controversial styling decisions seen at Acura.

Moving along, we have the Concept S, which supposedly stands for “Stylish,” “Smart” and “Surprise.” Like the Concept C, Honda says Concept S will spawn a production model that will debut in China in 2013, with global sales following thereafter. Honda isn’t saying exactly what is powering the S other than mentioning it’s a hybrid.

Scroll down below for the complete press blast from Honda, but not before perusing our two high-res image galleries of the Concept C and Concept S.

Continue reading Honda surprises with wild Concept C and Concept S showcars in China

Honda surprises with wild Concept C and Concept S showcars in China

BMW has created the BMW i sub-brand for its upcoming production plug-in models, which currently include three concepts: the i3, i8 and the i8 Spyder. After keeping that third model away from our eager cameras at the New York Auto Show, BMW finally showed off the i8 Spyder Concept in the metal at the Beijing Motor Show today.

The car itself we’ve already learned plenty about, but seeing it on stage shows once again that BMW is serious about putting cars like these on the road (toned down from the concept’s style, of course, perhaps with something like this). We’re more than ready for the through-the-road, plug-in hybrid that packs a 96-kW (131-horsepower) electric motor in front and a turbocharged three-cylinder gas engine offering 223 hp in back. 0-62 in five seconds and maybe 78 MPGe? Yes, please.

BMW is also making official the “eDrive” name, which is the new catch-all name for all of the electric drivetrain components: motor, battery and motor management system. First hinted at in 2008, the eDrive designation will be used “for the drive technology of all future electric and plug-in hybrid cars,” so get used to seeing it a lot.

Continue reading BMW i8 Spyder takes to the stage bearing eDrive name

BMW i8 Spyder takes to the stage bearing eDrive name

Much as it is to any automaker doing business there, China has grown to become a vital market for the Jeep brand. In fact, the Chrysler group’s iconic SUV brand sells more vehicles in China than anywhere outside North America. And so to celebrate its success in the Chinese market, Jeep has rolled into Beijing with the customized Wrangler you see here.

What sets this design concept apart from any other Wrangler Unlimited is the dragon motif that dominates throughout. Jeep started with a Rubicon Unlimited, blacked out everything from the fenders and bumpers to the wheels and roof and applied bronze-gold dragon decals to the hood and left flank, the spare tire cover, the unique carbon-fiber engine cover and the interior. Bronze-gold trim complements throughout, with a gold and black leather interior with gold snakeskin bolsters to top it all off.

More than a simple decal job, the Wrangler Dragon design concept looks pretty convincing, and if demand in China is high enough, Jeep might even build it. Just don’t count on it showing up in your local dealership on this side of the Pacific, though – you’ll just have to scope it out in the high-res image gallery above and scroll down for further details in the official press release.

Continue reading Jeep Wrangler Dragon Design Concept slithers into China

Jeep Wrangler Dragon Design Concept slithers into China

The Lamborghini Urus super-SUV is, arguably, the most significant debut of the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. Maybe not in terms of sales volume, but at it’s a completely new direction for the modern Lamborghini brand (nevermind the LM002 “Rambo Lambo” from the ’80s), and moreover, it shows the first glimpse into the new premium SUV architecture that will gradually make its way through the entire Volkswagen Group portfolio.

We’ve already divulged the nitty gritty details about the Urus, including the meaning behind its questionable name (it’s a Spanish bull – go figure), but now it’s time to take a look at the bruiser live on the stage in Beijing. Before its debut, we were skeptical about how a high-riding Lamborghini SUV would look, but if we’re honest, we like what we see. It’s absolutely in-tune with the rest of Lambo’s design language, and it’s not nearly as enormous as you might think. We just wonder how much space there is in the back seat and how much utility is offered by the cargo bay.

Click above to peruse through a high-resolution gallery of images live from Beijing, and scroll down to watch a video of the SUV’s unveiling live from the Chinese expo.

Continue reading Lamborghini Urus stomps onto the stage in China [w/video]

Lamborghini Urus stomps onto the stage in China [w/video]

Faint Praise For The World’s Nicest Honda Civic

Acura has a long and storied history of being an innovator since its creation in 1986. As the first luxury brand from Japan, the marque brought with it the first variable valve timing technology, the first drive-by-wire electronic throttle, the first in-dash navigation system and the first instance of torque-vectoring all-wheel drive.

Laudable accomplishments, all of them, and Acura reaped rewards for the technological advancements it brought to the automotive realm. Venerable nameplates like Legend and Integra launched Acura into first place in the premium luxury car segment in 1987, the brand’s first full year of sales.

And then things started to go downhill. The Legend was replaced by the poorly received RL and the discontinuation of the Integra in 2001 and the RSX a few years later in 2006 left Acura without a proper entry-level model. Acura sales peaked in 2005 and have floundered ever since.

Is Acura’s new ILX the machine it needs to inject some much-needed life into its lineup?

Continue reading 2013 Acura ILX

2013 Acura ILX

Back in January at the Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen unveiled a concept car called the E-Bugster. A chopped-down, electric-powered Beetle roadster, the E-Bugster cut a lean, mean, green profile. The only thing that was missing, ironically, was a chance to see the convertible with its top off.

If you’re going to make a roadster, at least have the courtesy of showing it off with the roof down, right? Fortunately, Volkswagen has fixed that in time for the concept’s Asian premier at the Beijing Auto Show, revealing a cowled rear deck replacing the rear seats inside the chrome bezel surrounding the cabin.

Aside from the open cockpit, the E-Bugster you see here is the same as the Detroit car, complete with its 114-horsepower electric powertrain that can take you up to 100 miles and quick-charge to 80-percent capacity in just half an hour. Scope it out with its hair down in the gallery above and with it up in the gallery below.

Continue reading Volkswagen E-Bugster concept lowers its lid in Beijing

Volkswagen E-Bugster concept lowers its lid in Beijing

Eterniti Motors chose the 2012 Beijing Motor Show to unveil the Artemis, an engineering prototype of the Hemera SUV Concept we saw at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this year. From the looks of things, the boutique automaker has ditched the Porsche Cayenne-inspired front for a fascia that borrows a bit more heavily from the Jaguar playbook. The company says the vehicles on display are currently running prototypes used for testing and that finished examples should be in production by this summer.

Designed to offer buyers new levels of luxury and performance, Eterniti calls the Artemis a Super SUV. The cabin boasts absurd levels of hand-crafted detail, including quilted carpets with lambswool rugs, natural wood veneers with carbon fiber and piano black accents and twin reclining rear seats. Eterniti stitched the SUV’s body from carbon composite and massive 23-inch wheels are standard equipment. Under the hood, a 4.8-liter twin-turbo V8 (wonder where they got that?) dumps 600 horsepower to the ground and helps the machine dart to 62 mph in a scant 4.5 seconds.

Buyers may purchase their own Artemis for around $337,785 at current conversion rates, complete with a two-year, 100,000-mile warranty. Eterniti thoughtfully offers insurance and financing for those who don’t have that sort of cash on hand. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Eterniti Motors brings updated Hemera Artemis SUV to Beijing

Eterniti Motors brings updated Hemera Artemis SUV to Beijing

Starting with the 2013 Altima, Nissan will be launching five all-new products in the United States over the next 15 months. And while the sedan you see here is initially heading to China as the Nissan Sylphy, it’ll be heading to our shores as the Sentra later this year, albeit with a few market-specific tweaks.

For now, Nissan has released a short video teaser of the North American-spec 2013 Sentra, which you can view after the jump. The video shows the new compact sedan in its SR trim, which Autoblog has learned is only a North American-specific trim package. The rest of the Sylphy’s styling appears to carry over largely unchanged, with new details like LED running lamps and taillamps rounding out a design that’s essentially a downsized version of what we see on the new Altima.

In China, the Sylphy will be launched with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine mated to Nissan’s next-generation Xtronic continuously variable transmission. It might not be an all-new powertrain, but remember, this is the same strategy that Nissan is using with the new Altima – one that has paid big dividends in fuel economy. The engines themselves haven’t changed, but with an improved CVT, we should see gains in not only performance but fuel economy, as well.

We’ll see the North American-spec 2013 Sentra this summer with the car officially going on sale this fall. Scroll down to watch a teaser video of the Sentra SR, and to read the full press materials about the Chinese-market Sylphy.

Continue reading 2013 Nissan Sentra previewed by new Sylphy in Beijing [w/video]

2013 Nissan Sentra previewed by new Sylphy in Beijing [w/video]