European buyers now know what to expect from the Ford Transit Custom cargo van. The work version of the van bowed at the Birmingham Commercial Vehicle Show this week with the new exterior and more refined cabin that first appeared on the .
Buyers outside of North America will be able to choose between a short wheelbase version with a total length of 16.3 feet or a long wheelbase configuration that spans 17.5 feet from stem to stern. Indoors, the van can deliver up to 212 cubic feet of cargo area, or three european pallets stacked three-feet high. In addition, the floor offers enough space between the wheel wells to accommodate a 4×8 sheet of material.
The Transit Custom isn’t headed to the North American market, though, which begs the question: Why do we care? is set to replace the aging with a different Transit van that’s specific to our continent, though that vehicle will be based on the global Transit Custom we see here. According to Ford, our van will yield 25-percent better fuel economy than the current E-Series thanks to either the same Ecoboost 3.5-liter V6 currently found in the nose of the or a diesel powerplant. The North American Transit is also supposed to weigh in 300 pounds less than its predecessor.
Want a hot little hatchback? You could do a lot worse than a . But as with many cars, your budget will determine how much speed you get: Cooper, Cooper S, JCW or – with the first-gen model, anyway – the top-of-the-line John Cooper Works GP.
Introduced just before Mini launched the second-generation model line, the GP edition packed more power, less weight and a sportier suspension. After receiving a few months ago that Mini was planning a similar version of the current model, we brought you a few weeks ago of a prototype hatchback wearing some tell-tale signs of GP-ification. But what is this? A GP coupe?
That’s what it would seem, with the less versatile and more backwards-hat-wearing Mini Coupe wearing a minimally camouflaged lower fascias front and rear, plus four-spoke wheels like the first GP edition.
The question is whether Mini is planning GP versions of both the hatchback and coupe, or if one of these prototypes is merely a diversion of some sort. We’ll have to wait to find out, but you can take a closer look at the spy shots and start to wonder as well.
You may remember the as the creation that walked away with the honor of being named the most beautiful concept at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The design house decided to commemorate the honor by crafting something else special for the 2012 Milan Furniture Show.
Pininfarina turned to the craftsmen at Riva 1920 to put together a wood sculpture in the Cambiano’s image. The piece is hewn from reclaimed Venice briccola wood – the same stuff that makes up all those mooring poles in the famous Italian city.
The 36-foot beams each carry unique markings, both from the lagoon water and the aquatic organisms that call the posts home. The result is a sculpture with many unique colors and markings.
Riva 1920 used the same wood to create the interior elements of the original Cambiano. for the full press release.
There is a point at which the amount of money poured into any aftermarket-tuned vehicle becomes entirely insane. Heck, that’s half of the appeal of tuner cars – that the best ones show such fanatical devotion to a specific model that you must respect the inspiration and effort even when the result is utterly unimaginable. Which brings us to this: A $156,000 .
Now granted, it’s not just any 1′er that German übertuner Tuningwerk is selling for more than a . There’s a in there somewhere, one that’s been fitted with 19-inch wheels and some of the widest tires we’ve ever seen on a compact : 245/35R19 up front and 285/30R19 in the rear. Available 15-inch carbon ceramic rotors from Mov’it provide stopping power for the 521-horsepower, 453 pound-foot of torque upgrade to the twin-turbo inline six. The car also carries a whole host of carbon fiber body parts, from hood to trunk to even optional carbon fiber doors.
The bottom line is that Tuningwerk says its 1 M RS will do 186 mph. to read the full press release and be sure to check out all the photos in our .
Our sister site, AOL Autos, just dug up one of the largest rebates we’ve ever seen on a new car. If, for some reason, you must have a Maybach before the brand ceases production altogether, you may in line to snag a tidy $100,000 rebate. Daimler previously let slip that the company will kill the ultra-luxury brand in 2013 and replace it with a new high-end . Given that Maybach models never exactly jumped off of the showroom floor, we’re guessing the German automaker needs all the help it can get moving the and .
Even with $100,000 off the sticker price, you’ll still need a suitcase full of C notes to take one of these machines home. The entry-level Type 57 commands a $376,300 MSRP while the Type 62 starts at $427,700. Even at those prices, reports suggest the a staggering $500,000 on each and every model it sold. It’s a wonder the marque stayed around as long as it did.
Youngman has made another bid for bankrupt , according to new reports. The Chinese automaker has offered to buy what’s left of Saab for $470 million at current conversion rates. The news comes courtesy of Dagens Industri. The newspaper also indicates that’s the absolute lowest the Swedish automaker’s pledgees and real estate owners will accept to settle the company’s impressive debt. The deal would also set aside an additional $1.47 billion to restart production at the mothballed Trollhattan facility. Other foreign automakers are also vying over Saab’s remains, including India’s Mahindra & Mahindra.
Pang Da, meanwhile, seems to have no interest in continuing to pursue Saab. The company paid out around $59 million for vehicles Saab was supposed to produce. That never happened, and now the Chinese company has had to undergo the unpleasant task of reporting that loss to its investors.
Saab around $1.9 billion at the moment, and its assets are valued at just $532 million.
The arrival of any new is bound to be anticipated eagerly by legions of fans around the world, but few more keenly than the successor to the famed Enzo.
Following in a line that dates back to the 288 GTO, through the F40, the F50 and most recently the Enzo, the new top-of-the-line hypercar from Maranello is now well on the road to readiness. We’re told to expect its arrival in less than a year from now at the , but while endless speculation has filled the void until now, we’ve now got our first batch of spy shots showing – to some extent, anyway – what Ferrari is working on.
While the widened test mule in these spy shots is wearing a hideously humorous hodgepodge of sheetmetal and body cladding evidently thrown together in a back room in Maranello (with the lights off), we’re told this is not an actual prototype for the Enzo successor – sure to wear a different name, but referred to internally as project F70 – but rather a rolling test bed for components that will make up the finished product.
That is expected to include an uprated (and backwards-turned) version of Ferrari’s new 6.2-liter V12 from the F12 Berlinetta, producing more power and augmented by a hybrid electric assist. Despite the added hybrid bigs, the F70 is still said to be light in weight, and it will be sent gunning for the with a targeted 0-60 run in under 2.5 seconds and a top speed in excess of 250 mph.
How do doctors do it? How do they tell people that their loved ones are sick, afflicted, or even terminal? Sure, it’s one thing to deliver bad news like a mechanic: “Your transmission’s fried lady, that’s gonna be three grand.” But doctors need to be sensitive to the great anguish that will accompany their diagnosis. Nobody wants to find out that their formerly healthy family member isn’t well, and a doctor’s compassion is as important as his healing hand. The way the news gets delivered is crucial to how a patient, family and friends come to accept the situation and cope with treatment and its aftermath.
Can we then, get a doctor to write this review of the new Camry? Because after a week behind the wheel of the 2012 SE V6, one thing is clear: This best-seller is ailing.
Now, we understand that the car is a veritable institution – there are presently some 40,000 people snapping up Camrys every month. And yes, for most of the car buying public, the new midsize will continue to provide safe and suitable, if unsurprising, transportation. By our estimation, however, there are at least two, probably three, maybe even four or five other midsize sedans offering a better overall package of price, performance and personality than Toyota’s breadwinner. The short list starts with the and ends with the , but the forthcoming and deserve their shots as well.
Product placement in television and film has become so commonplace that we almost expect any mention of a specific brand on camera to be paid for in full by the company in question. And so we might have assumed with this week’s episode of Mad Men, but apparently that wasn’t the case.
The episode featured an account to advertise for in the United States, with Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce beancounter Lane Pryce coming across the account through his British ex-pat connections and bringing it back to the firm. “I think a man getting out of a Jaguar needs a cold shower,” pitched Don Draper. “The Jaguar XKE is pornographic.” And indeed it is, lauded as one of the most sensuous automotive designs ever to grace tarmac. (For crying out loud, just take a look at the classic cat in the fresh gallery of high-resolution images we’ve put together for you.)
A memorable scene, but apparently Jaguar was as surprised to see it as the rest of us. According to reports, the plug was neither solicited nor paid for by the British automaker. Of course, the particulars of product-placement deals are seldom revealed, but we’ll take Jaguar’s assertion at face value – particularly when two of the show’s starring actors – John Slattery (who plays Roger Sterling) and Jon Hamm (a.k.a. Don Draper)- pitch for rivals and respectively.
That’s the crux of the changes in store for the extended-range plug-in electric vehicle. Changes for the 2013 model year will include a driving mode that lets drivers force the car into gas-powered, extended-range mode in situations where it’s most advantageous to switch out of EV-only mode, GM Inside News reports.
Drivers can choose the Volt’s “EV Hold Mode” in certain cases, such as when the route consists of a bunch of highway driving prior to city driving, according to the publication. Switching over to extended-range mode, in which the gas-powered on-board generator is used, would be better in that situation because high speeds drain a plug-in’s battery charge a lot more rapidly than city driving. “EV Hold Mode” is , the . The closest that U.S. drivers can do with today’s Volt is .”
Additionally, the Volt will eschew its black roof and trunk backing and will go to body colors for those parts of the car for 2013. Other improvements include a lane-departure warning system that’s becoming commonplace on many U.S. vehicles.
GM released details of the 2013 Volt following the model’s since its late-2010 debut. The automaker sold 2,289 Volts in March, a monthly record that is more than three times higher than figures from a year earlier. The Volt missed the 10,000-unit target set by GM for 2011, moving just 7,671 units last year.
Well lookie what we have here. We’ve been waiting for to pull the silk off its long-awaited compact sedan, and a brace of new concept car images have started leaking onto the Internet this morning as further proof that a production model is almost here. Dubbed Concept Style Coupe, or CSC, the showcar seen here is expected to debut at the next week. had this hot bit of hardware dubbed CLA, though that nomenclature could still be reserved for a production model.
Looking more than a bit like a that’s been run through a dryer after mating with the and , the rakish four door is expected to spawn a production model that will be available in North America.
According to reports, the CSC will roll onto the stage in China powered by a 208-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder that also sees duty in the new A-Class hatchback. Like the A-Class five-door that , the CSC is expected to ride atop Mercedes’ new MFA platform, scaled to take on models like the (which is also pegged to get a sedan variant) and .
We’re also expecting Mercedes to unveil a related concept in North America very shortly at the music and media festival that begins in LA on April 20, so keep your eyes peeled for that vehicle as well.
Designing a luxury automobile is easily as much about the cabin space as it is about the exterior styling. knows that very well, and as if to showcase what its design department can do outside the confines of a modern automobile, the German automaker is gearing up to launch a collection of furniture at the upcoming Milan Furniture Fair.
A collaboration between the Mercedes-Benz Style division and furniture manufacturer Formitalia, the collection includes items as varied as sofas, dining tables, home theater systems and beds. The pieces are all crafted out of familiar automotive materials like aluminum, glass and wood, with styling details borrowed from automotive design.
Suffice it to say, the items would look right at home in our ever-growing fantasy living room. Check ‘em out in the gallery of high-resolution images and renderings released ahead of the show, and the press release .
is hot in China right now, and the four-ringed automaker will show its appreciation by unveiling this hot-to-trot RS Q3 concept at the later this month. Any RS vehicle worthy of the label begins with an outstanding powertrain. In this case, the RS Q3 features the same 2.5-liter TFSI turbocharged five-cylinder that is available in the , with 360 horsepower and a zero to 62 time pegged at just 5.2 seconds. The powertrain also features a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission and full-time Quattro all-wheel-drive.
The pumped-up softroader also features several RS-themed styling cues, including a black honeycomb grille that Audi says has a particularly three-dimensional appearance. The concept also features brushed and polished aluminum trim around said grille, tinted headlights and an updated bumper with graping air intakes. The little Q3 also features massive 20-inch aluminum wheels coupled with a ride height that has been dropped by a full inch.
On the inside, the RS Q3 concept displays a blacked-out theme throughout, save for one high-class exception: The seat inserts feature dark blue Alcantara inserts surrounded by Nappa leather. The same dark blue re-appears in the form of door inserts that integrate blue luminescent glass fibers.
to read over the Audi press release and feel free to click on the image above for a of the Audi RS Q3 concept.
Ford design chief J Mays tells Automotive News that the controversial grille design that on the at the won’t necessarily be pasted onto the front of every model. Mays means something quite specific, though: the perimeter of the grille and headlight form will remain, but the “grille texture” – the horizontal lines on the MKZ – could be reworked on other models.
Says Mays, the split-wing outline “is what makes a Lincoln.” But with Lincoln commencing “a pretty long year journey,” his comments to AN give his design team latitude while the brand seeks its new, younger consumers instead of being “trapped” into one grille style.
It’s an interesting position to take – allowing the possibility of different faces – when the brand only has four models (we’re not including the aging stepchild Navigator in this discussion) and is devoted to rebranding itself and making an impression among groups who haven’t paid attention to it in some time – if ever. Of course, Mays isn’t saying that other models won’t have the MKZ grille, but we look forward to seeing how this plays out.
Last we heard, was to building the recently revealed sedan at the former plant in Delaware. A few years ago, Fisker announced that site would be the company’s new domestic production home (the extended-range plug-inhybrid is made by in Finland). Still, Fisker did say that any definitive statement on the Atlantic’s production location would not come until the end of the summer.
So we were interested to read new reports from local media that show more signs that the Atlantic might not ever be built in Delaware. On Friday, Delaware Online reports, 12 more workers – including engineers and maintenance technicians – were laid off at the plant, leaving “only a small maintenance team” left there. One of those let go was Jeff Garland, who had been working on community affairs and business development efforts in Delaware. He said the plant is currently “absolutely empty.” This is because Fisker has taken out the old GM equipment but has not yet installed the machines it would need to build the Atlantic. As Garland told Delaware Online, “I think what happened was the budget numbers are so tight right now and they’re working so hard to preserve as much cash as they can that something had to give. We’re not making a car in Wilmington right now, so given that situation it was an obvious place to make a cut.”
Fisker spokesman Russell Datz said that the company has flexible plans and will hire people when “we ramp up the project again.” Production of the Atlantic is being delayed, at least in part, because of issues with Fisker’s Department of Energy loan. You can read more about that .
In related , some of the components that Fisker and will use in hybrid and all-electric cars are now being made by Magna E-Car Systems in Michigan. The inverters Magna makes are used in the Karma and this new production does not in any way predict a shift of Atlantic production to Michigan.
In the market for a new luxury crossover? You could do a lot worse than the . But if the existing model isn’t luxe enough for your taste, has now announced the availability of a new trim level that amps things up a notch.
Called the Inscription edition, the gussied-up XC60 gives buyers a choice of special interior trims. Four colors of semi-aniline leather – white, black, reddish tan or beige – are on offer, with black or beige trim to coordinate. The headrests are also embroidered and the tread-plates embossed with the Inscription logo, the center armrest is trimmed in top-stitched leather, and the seats are upgraded with electrically adjustable lumbar support.
Charcoal headliner, a special shade of silver paint and unique 20-inch wheels are also on offer for the special edition of the model that Volvo says is its top seller. The model will be unveiled at the Leipzig Motor Show in June (oddly sales start in April), but you can peruse the special touches in the gallery above and check out the for more details. Pricing has not yet been released, but Volvo is promising “worldwide” availability.
General Motors has released pricing for the bi-fuel option for the and , and it’s a pill that probably won’t go down easy. Buyers who want their workhorses to suck down either compressed natural gas (CNG) or gasoline can look forward to ponying up $11,000 for the pleasure. That big chunk of change adds a Type 3 tank in the bed for CNG, and GM says that with both fuels, the trucks will have an effective range of 650 miles. The bi-fuel option is available on any heavy-dutytruck configuration, including four-wheel drive and extended cab models.
The automaker says the bi-fuel trucks are a way for business owners to safeguard themselves against volatile gas prices, and that the option could save anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 over the course of three years depending on fuel fluctuations. However, any option on a work truck that only might break even in three or four years seems like a tough sell in our book, especially given the reduction in useable bed area. for the full press release as well as a quick video.
Judging from the we’ve seen recently, the BMW i8 is coming along nicely. With its more realistic bodywork, the hybridsupercar is beginning to look like something that actually belongs on public streets. Now Sonny Lim, former head of BMW DesignWorks, has taken a stab at what the finished product may look like via a handful of renderings.
With it’s shorter wheelbase and clipped length compared to the concept, the production vehicle is rumored to tip the scales at around 3,187 pounds, or just under the concept’s original weight goal. Much of that weight savings is thanks to the substantial use of carbon fiber reinforced plastic in the vehicle’s chassis.
With the combination of an electric motor and a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine, the i8 will reportedly offer buyers just under 400 horsepower and three driving modes. The driver will be able to pick between pure-electric, gasoline or a medley of both. All told, the i8 should deliver a 0-60 mph run of under 4.9 seconds with the help of both power sources.
is not going to take attacks on the electric car lying down – the closest he’ll come to that is . After spending for their attacks on the , he is switching to a positive message about how plug-in cars can help with American national security. It is not surprising that Lutz, a former Marine, co-authors the article with two former U.S. Marines commandants and the CEO of FedEx (the three are all members of Securing America’s Future Energy’s (SAFE) Energy Security Leadership Council). The gist? Well, here’s part of the opening paragraph:
When … threats exist because the United States is the protector of the world’s global oil supply lines, it is a clear illustration of how our nation’s over-reliance on a single, globally priced fuel impacts our national and economic security.
America’s addiction to gasoline costs the government billions of dollars a year, an estimated $80 billion, in fact, to guard the sea lanes, including one little area by Iran:
From a national security perspective, the U.S. military is forced to protect the world’s vital oil infrastructure. The single greatest chokepoint is the Strait of Hormuz, through which 17 million barrels of oil per day passed in 2011 – 20 percent of global supplies. Protection of the sea lanes of commerce has become an American burden and will remain so, costing the United States Treasury an estimated $80 billion per year while taxing our military, which is already engaged on multiple fronts.
It’s arguments like this that have made the recent right-wing criticism of the Volt such a mystery. If we use less gasoline, we can spend fewer lives and less treasure importing the fuel (of course, we don’t lose many lives at the Canadian border, which is where most of our imported oil comes from). The Army says that .
Lutz and his co-authors are quite clear that high gas prices are hurting Americans’ pocketbooks, “essentially” wiping out tax cuts that Presidents Bush and Obama put into place. That’s why, they say, “government action is needed to mitigate the risks of oil dependence, because there is no free market for oil.” This intervention contains both expanded domestic production and – surprise – plugging in our light-duty transportation fleet as much as possible and feeding our big trucks lots of natural gas. To that end, they write:
Regarding electrification, the beauty of plug-in hybrids and pure electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt and the is that they are powered by electricity, which can be generated from many sources: nuclear, coal, natural gas, and renewables. Best yet, these are all domestic energy sources, meaning OPEC won’t be able to corner the market. And the retail price of electricity is far less volatile that the price of oil.
When a company like debuts a new model line, enthusiasts know it brings with it the promise of a high-performance muscle-beast to follow. And so is the case with the leading to the RS6.
The first RS6 packed a twin-turbo V8 good for 444 horsepower, and the second-generation model had a 571-horse V10. As is the general trend with German muscle, the new model pictured in these spy shots – snapped at the Nürburgring with telltale RS4-style intakes and widened fender flares – will likely downsize back to a twin-turbo eight. The smart money’s on Quattro GmbH taking the 4.0 TFSI from the and the , but tweaking it to its own specifications. Output is likely to hover around that of its predecessor, trading two cylinders for as many turbo spools.
As with past models, the new RS6 is likely to come first in Avant wagon form before the sedan comes along soon thereafter. Whether any RS6 models makes it Stateside, however, remains to be seen, but we can certainly hope.
