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Ladies and gentlemen, meet your finalists for the Automotive X-Prize:

Mainstream Class

• Edison2, Very Light Car (team name, car name)

Alternative Class - Tandem

• X-Tracer, E-Tracer

Alternative Class - Side-by-Side

• Aptera, Aptera 2e
• Li-ion Motors, Wave II
• RaceAbout Association, RaceAbout
• TW4XP, TW4XP
• ZAP, Alias

These are the cars that have passed all the on-track testing at the Michigan International Speedway this summer and those that will now move into the Validation Stage at the Argonne National Lab next month. As you can see, X-Tracer has joined Edison2 as a team with no one but themselves to beat, which means that these two teams are just a few in-lab tests and one more road event away from earning the $2.5 million or $5 million prize money, respectively, on September 16 in Washington, D.C.

For the other teams, results from the lab tests, as well as the standings from the combined performance and efficiency event, which will be used as a tiebreaker, will determine the winners. For teams fighting against themselves, all that’s required to win now is to meet the X-Prize’s minimum targets. For detailed team standings and vehicle performance details, click here and then check out even more information after the jump.

[Source: Automotive X-Prize]

Continue reading Automotive X-Prize: Finalists announced, X-Tracer now last team standing in Tandem class

Automotive X-Prize: Finalists announced, X-Tracer now last team standing in Tandem class

The visuals to go with the “record.” Pagani blasted its Zonda R over the Nürburgring for the purposes of testing production components. Removing all the mystery from the endeavor, the in-car video shows the view out the window as the driver of the R resets yet another bar at 6:27. We put “record” in quotes simply because this flier isn’t road legal, so we’re in all kinds of gray area. But it beat the Ferrari 599XX, and that’s feat unto itself. Follow the jump for the sights and sounds.

[Source: Pagani]

Continue reading Video: Watch the Pagani Zonda R’s 6:27 ‘Ring run

Video: Watch the Pagani Zonda R’s 6:27 ‘Ring run

What do you do when you find the $79,275 Range Rover just too common to tolerate? Sure, you could take your mountains of money to any number of positively plain customization outfits to have the interior lined in albino ostrich, but where’s the taste? The style?

Fortunately for a very select group of very wealthy buyers, Design Q has gone through the pains of customizing the high rider into a pillar of luxury. The company calls its creation the Q-VR, and it rides on a lengthened Range Rover platform. Along with a little extra leg room, the additional inches in wheelbase allow for a set of doors that hinge on the top and bottom to provide the easiest of access.

Throw in niceties like a humidor, a mini spa and a drink chiller, and you’ve got the closest thing to private jet you can get on a highway. Design Q hasn’t been kind enough to let us plebes in on how much this sucker is going to cost, but we’re guessing somewhere between “ain’t cheap” and “for the price of a third-world economy.”

[Source: Gizmag]

Design Q creates ultra-lux Q-VR Range Rover

If you’ve been crossing your fingers for a production version of the Kia Soul’ster concept from the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, prepare to be disappointed. According to a report from Ward’s Auto, Kia says that expanding the Soul lineup beyond the current five-door hatch would prove to be more difficult than you might think. Earlier reports stated that Kia was keen to the idea of building an open-top Soul, but changing economic times seem to have crushed those plans.

The Soul has done extremely well for itself since going on sale in early 2009, but since this is a niche vehicle that would only appeal to a very narrow segment of the market, the business case for building new variants doesn’t make sense at this time. Kia’s director of product planning, Orth Hendrick, tells Ward’s that the Soul’ster, specifically, would have to be developed as an all-new model, due to its vast structural differences from the standard Soul.

Come 2012, the Soul will undergo its mid-cycle refresh, and we’re expected to see more upscale content, as well as slight changes to both the front and rear fascias. In the meantime, those of you who are super hot for a Soul’ster will just have to scan the local used car lot for a soft-top Isuzu Amigo, instead.

[Source: Ward's Auto]

Report: Economy kills Kia Soul’ster

Nissan has issued a recall for more than a thousand Nissan Patrol models in the Middle East, citing electrical problems that could affect the engine’s fuel supply leading to engine stalls. According to Monal Zeidan, the general manager of marketing and communications for Nissan Middle East, there are problems with an integrated circuit inside the vehicle’s electronic control module (ECM). Zeidan goes on to say that if the ECM fails the fuel injectors could stop working and the engine may stop. Owners of the 1,250 affected vehicles in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are being asked to visit their dealerships to have a revised ECM installed.

While the all-new 2011 Infiniti QX56 is heavily based on the Nissan Patrol, our sources at Infiniti say the two models run different ECMs. That’s a bit of good news for owners of Infiniti’s latest flagship SUV, as it means they won’t need to worry about the recall.

*UPDATE: Nissan has issued a clarifying statement that notes while U.S. Infiniti QX56 models are unaffected by this action, Middle Eastern market QX56 are indeed being recalled alongside their Patrol cousins.

[Source: TheNational]

Nissan Patrol recalled overseas but kissing-cousin Infiniti QX56 not affected [*UPDATED]

Nissan has issued a recall for more than a thousand Nissan Patrol models in the Middle East, citing electrical problems that could affect the engine’s fuel supply leading to engine stalls. According to Monal Zeidan, the general manager of marketing and communications for Nissan Middle East, there are problems with an integrated circuit inside the vehicle’s electronic control module (ECM). Zeidan goes on to say that if the ECM fails the fuel injectors could stop working and the engine may stop. Owners of the 1,250 affected vehicles in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are being asked to visit their dealerships to have a revised ECM installed.

While the all-new 2011 Infiniti QX56 is heavily based on the Nissan Patrol, our sources at Infiniti say the two models run different ECMs. That’s a bit of good news for owners of Infiniti’s latest flagship SUV, as it means they won’t need to worry about the recall.

[Source: TheNational]

Nissan Patrol recalled overseas but kissing-cousin Infiniti QX56 not affected

There’s no denying the Bentley Continental line is due for an update. In the ultra competitive world of ultra luxurious automobiles, the sportiest of Bentley’s top-shelf automobiles is, shall we say, aging gracefully, and all the while new competitors are keen to take a crack at the drive-for-yourself luxury thrown.

In order to keep the Continental GT looking fresh, Bentley is readying a slightly facelifted 2012 model for the upcoming Paris Motor Show. Judging from these spy photos snagged by Auto Express, the changes will be subtle but fairly comprehensive, focusing mainly on the front and rear fascias and perhaps a bit more power from the W12 lurking underhood.

As ever, the grille is the main focal point up front, and it will now be flanked by a swankier set of quad headlamps. Bumpers are revised front and rear, and the taillamps appear to be downsized and elongated sideways. As we said before, subtle but effective. Stay tuned, we’ll be sure to bring you live shots of this and everything else that’s fit to see from the City of Light come October.

[Source: Auto Express]

Spy Shots: Refreshed 2012 Bentley Continental GT gets ready for Paris

For those of you who partake in the world of Facebook games, you’ve probably noticed a dearth of auto-related fun. That’s about to change with the introduction of Car Town, a new Facebook app set to launch this week.

Since the bulk of the truly entertaining Facebook games focus on mobster training or channeling your inner Old McDonald, it’s about time that gearheads had their own way to get lost in the social media gaming space. Then again, we already waste spend entirely too much time in the online auto world, so the release of Car Town will inevitably lead to more late nights and sleep deprived mornings. Find out why after the jump.

Continue reading Car Town turns Facebook gamers into car people

Car Town turns Facebook gamers into car people

Unless you’ve been in seclusion for the past 24 hours, you know Ford officially unveiled the 2011 Explorer yesterday. (Be sure to read Part One and Part Two of our deep dive for the full details.) The new Explorer is a pretty drastic departure from the generations preceding it – Ford has opted to use a unibody construction and a car-based platform rather than a traditional body-on-frame SUV, and naturally aspirated V8 power has been ditched in favor of more fuel-efficient four- and six-cylinder powerplants.

So while the Explorer seems to fit better in the crossover classification, Ford is confident that traditional SUV shoppers will still be pleased with what the new Expy has to offer. There are a host of new technology features on the 2011 model, including things like blind spot monitoring, trailer sway control and a terrain management system (similar to what you might find on a Land Rover). These features will be attractive selling points to SUV-oriented customers, and they get detailed in the videos after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Videos: 2011 Ford Explorer shows off its tech

Videos: 2011 Ford Explorer shows off its tech

The big BMW 1 Series news is the upcoming M-badged coupe, but we mustn’t forget that an all-new 1er is currently in development. Our spies have just recently snapped this five-door model testing, concealing what could be a highly anticipated turbocharged four-cylinder engine.

Sources suggest this new four-pot could be a new tri-turbo setup, meaning the 1 Series would still be plenty powerful and could replace the naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six currently used in 128i models. Additionally, we won’t rule out the possibility that BMW is testing the new N55 twin-scroll single-turbo for use in the 1 Series, since that mill seems to quickly be replacing the current twin-turbo 3.0-liter setup.

Expect the next-generation 1 Series to hit the road sometime in 2012. With that in mind, a debut at next year’s Geneva Motor Show doesn’t seem out of the question.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: 2012 BMW 1 Series five-door caught with rumored turbo’d four

It wasn’t so long ago that Toyota was making big waves over plans to build the hybrid Prius here in the U.S. The company had originally planned to start cranking out the battery-powered people mover at its Mississippi manufacturing facility, but after GM pulled the NUMMI plug, Toyota was forced to move Corolla production to plant instead. That doesn’t mean there won’t be room for the Prius down that way in the future, though.

According to Reuters, Atsushi Niimi, the company’s executive vice president, said that production of the hybrid could shift to the Mississippi plant when the car undergoes its next revision. Thing is, that won’t be for another six years.

Niimi said that the car’s production isn’t likely to move until the fourth-generation Prius hits the assembly line, which is expected to be somewhere around 2016. Why the delay? Toyota doesn’t see the American auto market – or even the economy as a whole – recovering any time soon. While some analysts have said that buyers in the land of the free would snap up 12 million cars and trucks next year and 14-15 million the year after, Toyota says it’s not so convinced.

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Next Toyota Prius to be built in U.S… in six years

At the Plug-in 2010 Conference in San Jose, CA today, Nissan North America’s executive vice president, Carlos Tavares, announced that the Leaf’s battery pack will be covered by an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty – exactly what Chevrolet is offering on the Volt pack. He said that feedback from people interested in the Leaf was important in setting these levels, so that explains why Leaf hand-raisers received email surveys about the topic recently.

For what it’s worth, the official Leaf battery warranty is what about half of AutoblogGreen readers voted for in our unscientific poll on the topic. Almost 45 percent said the eight-year/100,000-mile level was good for electric vehicles, while a few more thought 10-years/150,000 miles was the preferred level.

In other Leaf news, Nissan has also announced its official rollout plans. As we already knew, the electric car will first launch in December, in California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and Tennessee. Firm orders from these five states, which make up the so-called EV Project, will begin in August.

Following that initial wave, the machine will be sent to Texas and Hawaii in January 2011. Next up will be North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and Alabama in April 2011. The rest of the nation will see their Leafs beginning in the fall of 2011 with availability in all markets nationwide by the end of that year.

There are plenty more interesting tidbits to glean from Nissan’s press release on the matter, which can be found in its entirety after the break.

[Source: Nissan]

Continue reading Nissan announces Leaf rollout plans, 8-year battery warranty

Nissan announces Leaf rollout plans, 8-year battery warranty

We’ve met the Nissan Leaf before. First at its coming-out party in Japan, followed by an all-too-brief stint behind the wheel of a Versa-based prototype late last year. Now we’ve had a chance to sample Nissan’s first foray into the world of electric vehicles in production form and the automaker picked one of its most important markets – the heart of Silicon Valley – to give us some seat time.

If there’s any area ripe for early-EV adoption, it’s San Jose, CA. And during a quick test loop through the tight confines of Santana Row and a run through the city’s suburban surrounds, it’s obvious that the first mass-produced EV is officially ready for prime-time.

Follow the jump to continue.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Nissan Leaf doesn’t change the game, just the players

First Drive: 2011 Nissan Leaf doesn’t change the game, just the players

General Motors‘ recently hired vice-president for sales and marketing Joel Ewanick took the stage at the Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose, CA today and finally revealed that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt will have a base price of $41,000 (including a $720 destination charge) before federal and state tax incentives. While GM hasn’t gone as aggressive as most people had hoped on the sticker price, the real deal appears to be the $350 per month for 36 months lease. That matches the monthly payment that Nissan is charging for the Leaf EV.

The effective purchase price of the Volt will be cut to $33,500 with a $7,500 federal tax credit (hence the asterisk in the title), but buyers will have to finance the $41,000 and get the credit back on their next tax return. Lease customers will have the credit factored in to their payment. The Volt lease requires a $2,500 down payment (vs $2,000 for the Leaf), but GM is including a clause in the lease contract that allows leasers to buy the car at the end of their term so that the automaker don’t have another standoff with customers like it did with the all-electric EV1. Follow the jump to learn more about the Volt’s price and how the order process will go, but first take our informal poll below.

View Poll

Continue reading 2011 Chevrolet Volt priced at $41,000* or $350/month for three-year lease

2011 Chevrolet Volt priced at $41,000* or $350/month for three-year lease

At it’s peak in 2002, Toyota was selling over 70,000 Sequoias. Last year, that number dropped to below 20,000 units. So it comes as little surprise that ToMoCo will be nixing its Tundra-based SUV at the end of the current model’s lifecycle.

A source speaking with PickupTrucks.com confirmed that the Sequoia won’t live on, partially due to slow sales, but surely in part to get Toyota’s CAFE ratings in check before the new rules hit in 2015. But all’s not lost for the automaker’s body-on-frame offerings.

A redesigned Tundra is set to arrive in 2014, just in time for Ford, General Motors and Nissan’s newest half-ton pickups. Although sales of the Tundra haven’t lived up to Toyota’s lofty expectations, it’s obvious the automaker feels the need to compete in the segment, and a refreshed model should help sales, despite the market’s less-than-enthusiastic reception of Toyota’s largest pickup.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Report: Toyota to kill Sequoia, Tundra redesigned in 2014

Jaguar’s new 5.0-liter V8 has seen its fair share of praise since its introduction, but even the best petrol mill is worthless without fuel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website indicates that 5,048 of the automaker’s 2010 and 2011 XF and XK models equipped with the 5.0-liter engine are being recalled for a faulty fuel pump relay.

The problem can reportedly occur if the in-tank electronic fuel pump isn’t properly activated when the fuel pump relay is energized at vehicle start-up. When this happens, the engine could receive inadequate amounts of fuel, resulting in the vehicle abruptly stalling with little or no warning, which would potentially result in an unscheduled (is there another kind?) accident.

Beginning August 30 of this year (or possibly earlier) owners of affected vehicles can simply take their faulty cat to the nearest Jaguar store for a free software update that should fix the issue. Hit the jump to read over the NHTSA press release.

Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration]

Continue reading Jaguar recalling 2010-2011 XF and XK over potential fuel starvation

Jaguar recalling 2010-2011 XF and XK over potential fuel starvation

Attention perps: You’ll have a new patrol vehicle roaming the streets come next April. That’s the month General Motors says its Chevrolet Caprice Police Patrol Vehicle will finally hit the local precinct. Those models will apparently all be of the detective package variety; Chevy’s police package will officially go on sale in June of 2011. Ordering for the detective cars will commence in October of this year, while those officers looking forward to the police package will need to wait until next January to place their orders.

For those unaware, the new Caprice will feature a rather traditional layout, with seating for two officers in the cushy front seats and two less lucky individuals in the rear behind a full-width prisoner partition. Motivation comes from a 355-horsepower 6.0-liter V8 engine sending those ponies to the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission.

We’ve wrangled up a full gallery of high-res images below and pasted a video along with the press release after the break.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Chevrolet Caprice police car to patrol America’s streets beginning April, 2011 [w/video]

Chevrolet Caprice police car to patrol America’s streets beginning April, 2011 [w/video]

Were it not for the efforts of John Cooper and drivers like Paddy Hopkirk on the European rally stages of the 1960s, the Mini brand probably wouldn’t have the beloved reputation that it does today – in fact, it’s possible it would never be around today at all. BMW has confirmed a longstanding rumor with today’s announcement that Mini is heading back to international rallying with the Countryman WRC beginning in 2011.

The Countryman WRC is being developed by long-time Subaru partner Prodrive for the new Super2000 regulations and will run in select World Rally Championship rounds in 2011 before taking on the full 2012 season and beyond. The rally special will have a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four with all-wheel-drive. Prodrive started work on the project early last year and testing will start this Fall.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Mini confirms entry into 2011 World Rally Championship with Countryman

Mini confirms entry into 2011 World Rally Championship with Countryman

The Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight, in the company’s Sportster segment, sits at a cross-cultural intersection in the cyclemaker’s lineup. It apparently represents the spot where bikers meet skateboarders. It seems that the stripped-down looks and functional-jewelry design of the Forty-Eight is well appreciated by skaters who don’t like their rides to make any extraneous fuss.

The bike is only one small part of what some call a larger trend, that of skateboarders increasingly moving into the world of bikes. It isn’t that skateboarders want to be bikers but, according to a skate shop owner, “We’re just wired a certain way. For some reason the death and danger are just a part of us.” And you don’t have to look any further than a motorcycle to find death and danger.

Harley has used the rendezvous to help market the Forty-Eight, including hiring skaters like Heath Kirchart and Matt Ball to appear in its promotional materials. The Milwaukee firm isn’t targeting skateboarders only with this bike, but they certainly want to welcome them to the family. Said a Harley rep, “There’s no question that there are huge parallels there between bikers and skateboarders.” Tip of the cap to Alex!

[Source: The New York Times]

Harley Davidson targeting skateboarders with new model?

Refiners and blenders pocket 45 cents for every gallon of ethanol blended with gasoline. The subsidy, courtesy of the U.S. government, helps the industry stay afloat amidst the dwindling demand for gasoline and increasing costs of ethanol production. It’s been argued that, without the subsidy, the ethanol industry would die a quick death. If a report from BusinessWeek turns out to be true, then the industry might soon be dealt a glancing blow.

BusinessWeek reports that the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee is considering a 20-percent reduction in ethanol subsidies, from the current 45 cents to just 36 cents per gallon of ethanol. The reduction would help cut government spending at the expense of ethanol refiners and blenders across the nation. The pressure to reduce the subsidy comes because the Committee is faced with the challenging task of extending the ethanol credit before it expires December 31. The proposal to reduce the credit is a compromise to please members of the committee who would rather see it vanish altogether.

[Source: BusinessWeek Image: Jan Tik - C.C. License 2.0]

Report: U.S. House Committee considers 20% reduction in ethanol subsidy