Word has it is looking to establish a base of operations in downtown Detroit in a move that would strengthen its “Imported from Detroit” image. The company is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a short hike from downtown proper, but reports say the automaker has signed a lease for 20,000 square feet in the Motor City. (There’s no indication that Chrysler is contemplating moving its headquarters and the space on offer wouldn’t be enough to do so anyhow). Despite this, according to a bit of rumormongering in Crain’s Detroit Business, Chrysler will set up camp in downtown’s Dime Building, but not before unleashing an impressive renovation on the structure.
That’s not all there is to the story, however. You see, the Dime Building is owned by none other than Dan Gilbert, the founder of Quicken Loans and majority owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. Gilbert was one of a handful of individuals who came together to purchase the $225 million loan against Chrysler World Headquarters back in 2010. Rumors immediately began circulating that Gilbert used his position with the headquarters loan to coerce Chrysler, and more importantly, CEO Sergio Marchionne, into leasing the Dime Building instead of alternative locations within the city. Gilbert, who has been on a real estate binge as of late, is said to be the third largest land owner in Detroit behind General Motors and the city itself.
Quicken Loans has since stated the Dime deal was the result of little more than a strong pitch and Chrysler has also denied any behind-the-scenes influence on the decision.
has let slip a few additional teasers for the company’s concept headed to the Geneva Motor Show in March. As you may recall, the vehicle is an engineering study designed to evaluate what kind of emission reductions can be accomplished in the city car segment without resorting to exotic materials or science-fiction drivetrains. Toyota says the concept emits around 50 percent less CO2 than your run-of-the-mill supermini thanks in part to the fact that it tips the scales at a feathery 1,763 pounds.
The hybrid’s aerodynamic shape and efficient powertrain also contribute to the reduction. While the FT-Bh isn’t headed to production any time soon, there’s a good chance some of the vehicle’s tricks may show up on consumer models in the near future. to check out a short teaser video and the press release, and be sure to stay tuned for our live Geneva Motor Show coverage.
, or rather SRT (we’re still getting used to it being its own brand), has been busy that will be unveiled at the in April, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely done flaunting the performance capabilities of the old model. Only a few short months ago, SRT released a video of the for a production car with a time of 7:12.13, taking the title away from the .
Now the Viper Club of America has released a new video of the race-only tackling the Green Hell, and the result is even more impressive. The V10-powered spec racer lapped the circuit in just 7:03.058, more than nine seconds quicker than its roadgoing brother. It makes us wonder when we’ll start seeing six-minute lap times at the Nürburgring.
You can see a video of the impressive lap , including real-time stats like g-force and downforce included in the footage.
Gran Canaria is a volcanic nexus of disconnected associations, a bit of everything from a bit of everywhere. Geographically and geologically, this third largest of the Canary Islands belongs to Africa. Climatologically, it belongs to the Macaronesia Ecoregion. Its name is said to have come from an ancient Mauritanian king who, according to Pliny the Elder, named it Islas Canarias – Island of the Dogs – because of the numerous canines upon it. Politically, Gran Canaria belongs to Spain, which is why the tallest mountain in Spain is on neighboring island Tenerife. Linguistically, however, the Canarios dialect can be challenging for Spanish speakers to understand.
The island occupies just 600 square miles, but it’s otherwise all over the map. Yet it shares one crucial thing with the 2012 Cabriolet that we flew there to drive: purpose. You have to want to get to Gran Canaria – it doesn’t just happen.
Such is the case with Porsche’s latest top-dollar droptop – neither luck nor accident could have created it; the men responsible wanted this very car. The 991 Cabriolet is the sum of 30 years of 911 convertibles, and for proof of purpose, you need only know that a team of engineers has been devoted to the roof – and just the roof – on this car since 2004. For that effort they would like that their creation, and the car beneath it, earn the same the accolade bestowed on the hardtop for three months now: the best ever.
It is. But there’s more to it than a little extra fabric…
is recalling some of its previous-generation minivans due to potentially faulty gas-filled struts on vehicles equipped with a power rear liftgate. A total of 45,747 vehicles are affected by this recall, all of which are from the 2008 and 2009 model years.
According to the official release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the faulty struts in these vehicles are prone to early life failures due to a “manufacturing flaw” (that’s as specific as it gets), an issue that can result in the leak of pressurized gas. These struts aid in opening and closing the power liftgate, and if there isn’t enough pressurized gas in the strut, performance can be diminished and can lead to unexpected liftgate closure, potentially causing an injury.
Honda will notify its owners beginning in mid-March, and dealers will replace both gas struts free of charge. For the full details, to read NHTSA’s report.
We may think of as an American brand – and indeed it is – but of all the divisions that have come and gone over the years, Jeep is arguably the best established. So when the doors open in a couple of weeks at the , the iconic off-road brand will have a few new model variants to show potential European customers.
First up is the unique pictured above. Labeled a “production-intent sports concept,” it’s similar to the released in Houston and Washington late last month, but instead of the Darth Vader look, Jeep has taken more of a Storm Trooper approach with the European version, and also fitted it with the 3.0-liter common-rail diesel V6 with Multijet II technology borrowed from corporate cousin .
The murdered-out look is reserved here for the special , also dubbed “production-intent.” With the grille, lighting surrounds, roof rails and 18-inch wheels all blacked out, the smaller of Jeeps has a sinister look.
Finally, Jeep is using the occasion of the Swiss expo for the European launch of the Mountain edition, which mirrors Stateside with a black hood and fuel cap, dark grey wheels and grille and five color choices including the bright green pictured. for full details and scope out the high-res images in the gallery for a closer look.
An auto salon like the isn’t just a chance for automakers to show off their latest production and conceptcars, but also for stoic design houses to shape the state of automotive design. So with Pininfarina, Bertone and Carrozzeria Touring all having released glimpses of the designs they will be unveiling this year at the Palexpo, so has ItalDesign Giugiaro.
As you can see, there’s not much we can tell from this detail rendering, but what it does tell us is that the concept in question will be high-performance in orientation. Or at least look the part, anyway – minivans, hybrids and city cars seldom call for big air intakes like this one.
While formerly an independent design house, these days ItalDesign is owned by . Its last couple of designs – the and the – have both worn VW badges on the nose, so we’d expect this year’s to sport one as well, although another brand in the group could get the action this time. What we wouldn’t expect is for the show car to presage any specific production vehicle as much as outline a styling ethos for the German automaker. Watch this space for more.
may not be the first name you’d think of in racing, but it stands as a dominant force in European touring cars. Before stepping up to the World Touring Car Championship last year, Volvo and its partner Polestar Racing had come to dominate the Swedish Touring Car Championship. While that series has since expanded to all of Scandinavia, Volvo made other plans in switching over to the TTA Racing Elite League. And this is the car with which it will be contesting the new series.
Rather than field the same touring car which Volvo and Polestar had fielded in the STCC and WTCC, the TTA racer revealed here is based (or at least looks like) the sedan. Under that carbon fiber body sits a 420-horsepower V6 driving the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox and boosted by a similar KERS regenerative braking system as employed in Formula One.
The livery has yet to be finalized, so for now Polestar has decked the S60 TTA out in the same shade of baby blue that makes its other touring cars, that and for that matter the Alonso-era Renault F1 cars so perplexingly devious. Click the image above to view in high resolution and for the full press release.
It’s been seen by millions of viewers on television and the internet, it’s been on both sides of the aisle and it’s been . And, according to YouTube, staring Clint Eastwood has been named the top Super Bowl car commercial of 2012.
For those keeping track of such things, Chrysler’s commercial has over 10.5 million views on YouTube, though we do feel the need to remind everyone that the video was , which we’d imagine is one of the highest traffic times for such advertisements.
The only other commercial from an automotive company that made YouTube’s top five Super Bowl commercials was – itself controversial due to before it aired on the worldwide stage.
The number one ad, you ask? That would be M&M’s “Just My Shell” commercial. Guess there really is no accounting for taste… we prefer our M&Ms to be green, just like everyone else. Feel free to watch Chrysler’s winning ad one more time .
The car in the image above may bear a striking resemblance to the , but take a second look – that’s actually the next-generation , despite its shockingly similar appearance. It’s no secret that Lexus’ new hourglass grille is quickly spreading across its entire model range (check out the recently unveiled for reference), and while the ES looks fashionably familiar, there are a few new touches to note:
Underneath, the headlamps we can clearly see a row of LED running lights, similar to what’s found on the GS… and … and . Around back, there’s a similar resemblance to the larger GS, though the lines are a bit more sedate – a good thing, as the ES shopper tends to be a little more conservative than folks opting for the rear-wheel-drive GS. Chinese site got its hands on some interior photos, too, and – surprise, surprise – there’s a whole lot of GS in the reworked cabin as well, with a two-tiered dash featuring large navigation/infotainment screen up top.
The car Autohome caught is the ES 250 model, which suggests that Lexus’ 2.5-liter V6 is underhood – the same engine available in the GS 250 in other markets. Here in the United States, the ES will still likely be available with the automaker’s 3.5-liter V6, though earlier reports have suggested that could also be in the cards.
once again finds itself in after warning its investors to expect a loss in 2011 of 100 billion yen ($1.3 billion). In an effort to keep itself afloat, the Japanese automaker is rumored to be considering a new issue of as many as 690 million shares, which would raise about 100 billion yen while diluting current share value by a massive 38.7 percent.
In addition, Mazda is thought to be seeking loans of 70 billion yen from a number of Japanese banks. A good portion of these funds are necessary to bolster Mazda’s overseas production facilities. At present, 70 percent of all its vehicles are produced in Japan and 90 percent of those are exported. In order to combat the high value of the yen, Mazda is seeking to renovate a production site in Thailand and build a new one on Mexico.
Only time will tell if Mazda, Japan’s fifth-largest automaker, is able to remain an independent company or if it will be forced to partner up with a larger partner, as it once had with .
Belgium has just launched a new campaign for the that allows participants to earn discounts for the vehicle based on their location. Smartphone users download the RAV4 Adventure Discount App, travel to a so-called adventurous location within Belgium and sign in with the application. The app then calculates a discount based on just how daring you are. While far-flung wilderness locations are an obvious choice for big discounts, Toyota has hinted there are plenty of adventurous spots in city locales as well.
The campaign seems pretty brilliant to us, though we have to wonder how many RAV4 buyers will be willing to cover hill and dale in pursuit of a few extra hundred euros off of their bottom line. So far, it appears the app and the discounts are only good in Belgium, though it wouldn’t surprise us if Toyota used a similar marketing ploy in other markets. to check out an ad for the app after the jump, complete with a mustachioed woodsman.
Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, few automobile shapes are as imitated as the legendary Jaguar E-Type. Of course, itself has drawn inspiration from its most iconic sportscar with the contemporary and the more recent concept. has reinterpreted the classic with modern accoutrements. And about a year ago a Swedish designer by the name of Bo Zolland rendered a sumptuously retro re-imagination of the form with the .
That design was by a firm called Visualtech, but now the design has resurfaced under a new moniker: Lyonheart. Based on a tweaked version of Zolland’s renderings, designer Robert Palm has given the retro E a slightly more aggressive look, with more catlike headlamps and retro touches that are somehow even more pronounced.
The new Anglo-Swiss outfit intends to render the shape in carbon fiber, stainless steel, brushed aluminum, chrome, leather and wood veneer and put it into limited production in England for 495,000 euros a pop – equivalent to about $650K. Power is slated to come from a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 with 550 metric horsepower (542 by our standards) and 500 pound-feet of torque, which – coupled with a curb weight targeted under 3,500 lbs – aims to propel the Lyonheart K from 0-62 mph in under four seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 300 kph (186 mph).
for the press release and scope out the fresh renderings in the high-res image gallery above for a closer look.
Any outfit with the cash can buy a Formula One team. Integrating it into an existing automaker, however, isn’t an overnight proposition. Both and Caterham are currently undergoing that process, but so is .
The German automaker bought out what was then the World Champion Brawn GP team (previously known as and before that, as British American Racing) a couple of years ago as a standalone racing team, and has been bringing it into the corporate fold ever since. This year, the team previously known as Mercedes GP has been rebranded as Mercedes AMG (as was the division that produces its F1 engines). To drive the point home, the company’s broadened performance arm launched two very different cars under the same banner in Barcelona this week.
The main event is W03, the new single-seater that Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will be driving in the 2012 Formula One World Championship. Bound to the same new set of regulations as the other teams, the new Mercedes AMG W03 shares some of the same traits as the rest of the field – most notably the stepped nose section that Mercedes’ PR team cleverly calls “distinctive.” Since engine development remains frozen pending the launch of the new turbo six, the W03 is powered by the same FO108Z engine – all 2.4 liters and eight cylinders of it – as last year’s car, and for that matter the latest McLaren and Force India challengers are, too.
While Daimler was at it, though, it has taken the opportunity to show off its new for the first time. Based on the that debuted just two months ago at the , the SL63 packs AMG’s fast-becoming-ubiquitous M157 twin-turbo 5.5-liter V8 with 529 horsepower, but unburdened of 242 pounds of excess weight from the outgoing model (thanks primarily to the widespread use of aluminum and magnesium where the last model was made of steel), the new SL63 AMG can rocket from 0-62 mph in 4.3 seconds (4.2 with the optional AMG Performance Package) while returning 30 percent better fuel economy.
Check out our high-res galleries of both open-top Three-Pointed Stars and to see some videos.
Slowly but surely, we’re becoming quite smitten with the F30 . The four-cylinder 328i and six-pot 335i sedans have officially launched here in the United States, and now, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the 3er body styles get the F30 treatment. First up is the wagon Touring (F31, internally), which our spies recently caught testing out in the snow.
Let’s start with some good news: We have no reason to believe that won’t offer its capacious 3 Series here in the United States. The Touring has been a part of the 3’s lineup in the U.S. for decades, and BMW executives that the wagon will be offered here in the States.
Like the outgoing 3 Series, expect just a 328i model in rear- and (forthcoming) xDrive all-wheel-drive formats. Of course, other markets will get some tasty diesel options, but since the wagon doesn’t account for a huge percentage of 3 Series sales in the U.S., having one engine option will likely have to suffice.
Look for the 3 Series Touring to launch in the near future (?) with the first cars hitting the ground in Europe this fall.
is the man behind the tuner – Rauh-Welt Begriff, which is loosely translated as “Rough World Concept,” and he doesn’t often climb out from under one of the he’s working on. His original shop in Japan is now 20 years old and he still works in the same building, even though his tuning ethos has caught on hot enough to provide other .
He’s a car nut, simply, and he makes nutty – in a good way – cars. The guys at eGarage got him away from a project long enough to say a few words about what he does, what he thinks, and what he’ll be doing until he dies. Even though he speaks a different language, he sums all of us up nicely. Check him out in the video premiering exclusively on Autoblog .
With all the news coming out recently about the over the , readers may have forgotten the name behind a long-running legal issue over Toyota’s hybrid system: . The latest development is that Paice and the Abell Foundation (an investor in Paice) have sued and over the gas-electric technology used in the and hybrids (pictured), which shares some parts with Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive. Read up on the details of Alex Severinsky’s story .
According to Automotive News, Paice claims that Hyundai and Kia should have known that was dealing with legal issues – especially since Paice has been contacting Hyundai about the issue – and says that the Korean automakers are infringing upon three patents that Paice owns. Toyota and Paice settled their case in 2010 after eight years, during which time the Toyota’s request to dismiss the case. Toyota eventually paid royalties to Paice for the , Hybrid and models it sold.
The name Zagato may be most closely associated in the minds of many with other Italian marques – names like Lancia, Alfa Romeo, and . But the truest of connoisseurs wouldn’t make the mistake of excluding from the list.
When the two stoic names teamed up for the Aston Martin V12 Zagato, it came as only the latest fruits of a collaboration that stretches back for decades. The classically curvaceous DB4 GT Zagato started it all in 1960, followed by the pugnacious V8 Vantage Zagato and V8 Volante Zagato of the mid-80s and the DB7 V12 Zagato and DB AR1 of the new millennium.
To highlight the lineage, Zagato released the renderings pictured above and a brief history of the bonds that tie it to Aston Martin. Click above to view in extra high resolution and to delve into the text.
With co-branding arrangements in place with an increasing array of luxury labels, doesn’t limit its brand just to cars these days. But of all the sunglasses, wallets, pens, skis and cashmere scarves licensed by the British purveyor of super-luxury automobiles, few are as well established as its partnership with Breitling.
The Swiss watchmaker has been with Bentley for years, and has celebrated every milestone along the way. So with the introduction of the new V8-powered , Breitling wasn’t about to miss the opportunity to dazzle us with another piece of shiny wrist candy.
Limited to just 250 examples, the Breitling for Bentley GMT V8 chronograph features an additional hour hand that displays the time in a second time zone, and a rotating red inner bezel displaying major cities in time zones around the world. It’s powered by a COSC-certified chronometer mechanism with a 30-second sweep, encased in steel and affixed to the wrist with either a metal bracelet or unique rubber strap.
We wouldn’t dare ask how the timepiece sells for, but considering the Bentley customers they’re selling to, we’d expect suitably Bentley-like prices.
SRT, the recently formed standalone brand of , is determined to reveal the new 2013 nice and slow. After and offering a , SRT has just posted a second teaser image of the 2013 Viper on their official . While this second photo is much more clear than the first, what exactly is shown in the image is up to debate. Yes, it looks to be a carbon fiber scoop, but what kind?
While we may not know exactly what’s in the second Viper teaser, here’s what we do know about SRT’s next gen flagship: as mandated by federal law, and while the 2013 Viper’s powertrain is still unconfirmed, there are rumors that the .
We’ll have all the details and photos when the 2013 SRT Viper is revealed during April’s . Until then we’re sure that SRT will have more teasers, which we’ll be sure to pass along. If you think you know what’s being shown in this latest image then let us know in the comments section below.
![22eda 2012 porsche 911 cabriolet lead First Drive: 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet [w/video]](http://theautoblog.ru/wp-content/plugins/wp-o-matic/cache/22eda_2012-porsche-911-cabriolet-lead.jpg "First Drive: 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet [w/video]")
An auto salon like the isn’t just a chance for automakers to show off their latest production and 
