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The 2011 Smart Fortwo, despite all its trying, is a car that needs all the help it can get. True, a big part of the car’s problem is that it just doesn’t make very much sense for the American market. That said, it’s underpowered, uninspiring to drive, terrifying on the highway, and not particularly efficient, given its size. It also features one of the worst transmissions in motoring.

Enter Vilner, a Bulgarian custom shop that has tried with some success to make the car just a little more appealing. Built for a Bulgarian businessman, the Vilner Smart Fortwo employs a design scheme the company has dubbed “square style.”

Inside and outside the car gets a square motif, which translates nicely into a completely redone interior featuring quilted upholstery. Outside, the car gets loud, oversize orange wheels and serious amounts of chrome. While Vilner takes the styling of the Smart to a new, supercar-aping level, the go bits have been left alone. Despite the lack of power adders, Vilner’s efforts have gone a long way to making the Fortwo a bit more appealing. Read the full press release and check out two videos after the jump.

Continue reading Vilner updates Smart Fortwo [w/videos]

Vilner updates Smart Fortwo [w/videos]

If you’re an unapologetic BMW fanboy, the next few words might sting. BMW may be considering a V6 for the next generation BMW M3. No, we didn’t mean to type I6 – we’re talking about three on one side and three on the other.

According to M3post.com, BMW is likely to go in one of four directions. First up is the suggestion that BMW will take the M3’s current S65 V8 and add a pair of turbochargers to it. Now, we’re all in favor of adding forced-induction to this engine but this would have the M3 treading heavily on F10 M5 ground.

Another rumor pegs BMW as stuffing either a modified (read: boosted) version of the N54 turbocharged inline-six or a tweaked (read: detuned) version of the F10 M5’s twin-turbo V8 S63 motor. The most interesting rumor, however, is that BMW may look into a turbocharged V6 engine. Is BMW HQ ready to hurt the fanboy feelings of folks in love with straight-six engines? If it means a better M3, then anything is possible.

Is BMW bound to bolt a V6 under the hood of the next M3?

We have the Scion FR-S on the brain, and it’s not going away anytime soon thanks to the onslaught of new spy photos that keep rolling in. This time, however, we’ve got video instead of still photography courtesy of our friends at FT86club.com.

It’s always great to see a car in motion, and besides, now we have an idea of what the Scion sports car’s exhaust note might sound like.

We’ve been having some fun at Autoblog HQ debating exactly what’s going on under all of that swirly camouflage. Some think we may, in fact, be looking at the Subaru version of the Toyota/Subie joint venture – that wing and those wheels say STI to us. However, others point out that the wing could easily be a shout-out to the Supras of yore. Regardless, we all like what we see and can’t wait until someone pulls the wraps off this thing. Click past the jump to see the prototype in motion.

Continue reading Scion FR-S caught on its working vacation in Germany

Scion FR-S caught on its working vacation in Germany

First Drive: 2012 Porsche Panamera S Hybrid

Its sheetmetal might not suit your tastes, but Porsche managed to create the best driving luxury sedan on the market. But a hybrid? They’d better not screw this up.

Report: Cummins developing four-cylinder diesel for Nissan Titan

Thanks to some cash from the U.S. Department of Engery, Cummins is developing a four-cylinder oil-burner, and it’s currently nestled under the hood of a Nissan Titan.

Spy Shots: Bentley Continental GTC getting inevitable facelift

Following the launch of the refreshed 2012 Continental GT coupe, Bentley is prepping the inevitable droptop GTC variant.

Also of interest:

• Official: Kimi Raikkonen gears up for NASCAR truck debut with a little help from Perky Jerky
• Lincoln, Chrysler named top brands in 2011 Vehicle Satisfaction Awards
• Volkswagen Camper Van is back… in tent form
• Report: Chrysler repaying all $7.5B in government loans by next week
• GM boosting Chevy Volt production, preparing for first exports

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What you missed on 5.19.11

Generally speaking, we’re more into the vinyl wraps than the chrome treatment. That’s because most vinyl wraps give a car a nice matte finish that contrasts nicely with the glossiness of your standard factory offering, while your average full-body chrome treatment is – more often than not – little more than an eyesore. This latest innovation from the Czech Republic, however, combines the two.

As you can see from the video after the jump, TinTek has developed a chrome-finish vinyl wrap for the full “Dubai’d out” approach, applied for demonstration to an Audi TT and a Chevrolet Camaro. While a vinyl wrap has its own costs and intricate application process, it’s surely far more cost-effective than chrome-dipping individual body panels. And while it may not be our proverbial cup of tea, who are we to stand in the way of progress, however questionable the result.

Continue reading TinTek offers the full chrome treatment in a vinyl wrap

TinTek offers the full chrome treatment in a vinyl wrap

North American audiences may not be familiar with the name Dacia. It’s Renault’s Romanian budget brand, and a particular favorite of Top Gear’s James May. But beyond its no-frills road cars, Dacia has also followed its parent company’s lead in establishing a name for itself in motorsport competition. And that fighting spirit is about to come to American shores – or hilltops, anyway.

As we reported back in January, Dacia is preparing a version of its Duster crossover for full assault on Pikes Peak. The Duster is the racer which four-time F1 champion Alain Prost drives in the Andros Trophy, a French ice-racing series, but in a bit of a twist, the project is reportedly being piloted by Prost’s main rival, Jean-Phillipe Dayraut, who drives a BMW 1 Series in the Andros Trophy. (Imagine Lewis Hamilton going to Le Mans in a Ferrari and you’ll see what we mean.)

With the car set to debut in testing on June 5 ahead of the June 26 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Dayraut has released a handful of images showing his new machine being built and wind tunnel tested. And it looks like quite the beast, with giant spoilers front and rear. As for what is powering the Monster-challenging monster, rumor is it’s based on the Nissan GT-R’s twin-turbo V6 – the companies are allied, after all – tuned by Renaultsport. Whatever it is, it’s said to pack 850 horsepower, making this one very serious contender to break the elusive ten-minute mark come one month from now.

Dacia Duster teased preparing for Pikes Peak assault

Few things inspire as much rumor and conjecture as the hiring and firing of Formula 1 drivers. This one’s going here, that one’s staying there, one is hired and another is fired. But Fernando Alonso seems to have his seat secure for the foreseeable future.

Scuderia Ferrari has announced that it and Alonso have renewed their contract through 2016, making the two-time world champion’s job one of the most secure on the grid. Alonso described the move as, “natural for me to decide to extend my relationship in the long-term like this, with a team at which I will no doubt end my Formula 1 career one day.”

Of course that’s also what Kimi Raikkonen said, before being shown the door – just a couple of years after winning the championship for Ferrari – to make room for Alonso. In an environment as volatile as F1, the value of a contract can change just that quickly. But short of that, Alonso looks poised to stay in scarlet for years to come. Official announcement after the jump.

Continue reading Ferrari renews Fernando Alonso’s contract through 2016

Ferrari renews Fernando Alonso’s contract through 2016

Mini Rocketman to spawn production model in 2014

Company: Volkswagen of America

Medium: TV

Ad Agency: Deutsch/LA

Product: 2011 Jetta TDI

Campaign: “Can I Drive”

What We Like: That VW is putting some money behind marketing its clean diesel models. VW’s sister company, Audi, has long been pushing its diesel offerings, while VW seemed to be mostly letting its enthusiast audience do word-of-mouth for the TDI line. The focus of this ad is on the fuel economy, 42 mpg on highway, which is simple, told through a brief story about a teenager who wants to take his turn driving.

What We Don’t Like: Not much at all. We see the data point on 42 mpg, which is an eye-catcher. But maybe ad agency Deutsch could have dialed in an extra graphic or data point that shows how far one can drive on a full tank.

Strategy: Clean diesel is much misunderstood by the general consuming public, as well as 99 out of 100 legislators who, it seems, would rather be caught in a New Orleans hotel room with an escort than photographed promoting diesel cars. Hybrids, electrics and even hydrogen cars we will never drive? Members of Congress flock to those photo ops faster than they do a Wall Street hedge fund manager with his checkbook open. But diesel, their campaign managers, tell them doesn’t sell. To hell with them. TDI vehicles rock, and get much better mpg than a Camry Hybrid.

This ad is squeaky clean and is as sparkly and wholesome as a hybrid ad. The 42-mpg figure is meant to get TV viewers to search on the car when they see it on TV. There, they will see several links to VW-created content before they get to a Car and Driver review of the car. They’ll have to go a lot further into Google to find carping from anti-diesel bloggers or belly-aching from the uninformed who think if they gave a diesel car they will find themselves stranded in the middle of Idaho with no way to fuel up. Good job on the search-engine-optimization VW!

Grade: A -

Watch the commercial after the jump and give it your own grade below.

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Continue reading Ad Spotting: VW Gets Serious About Pushing Diesel

Ad Spotting: VW Gets Serious About Pushing Diesel

Ford Motor Company may be one of the world’s oldest automakers, but that doesn’t mean it’s stuck in the past. William Clay Ford Jr., 54-year-old Executive Chairman of the Ford Board of Directors and great grandson of company founder Henry Ford, has penned a forward-looking editorial for Fortune that shows there’s innovative ideas at Ford from the top down. “For the first time in more than a century, some of the most fundamental and enduring elements of the automobile are being radically transformed,” says Ford, who then goes on to tout the upcoming all-electric Focus and PHEV and electric iterations of the C-MAX five-seater.

It’s easy (relatively speaking) to toss some hybrid drivetrain into a vehicle and call it day on offering green vehicles, but that’s not the end of Bill Ford’s story. Mr. Ford also talks about energy savings to be had by making vehicles more aware of each other using WiFi and GPS to help reduce both fuel consumption and traffic accidents. With its commitment to electrification, Ford notes that infrastructure pieces like a smarter electrical grid and charging stations need to be in place to make electric vehicles a reality. Continue Reading…

Continue reading Bill Ford editorial sings praises of electric car, information technology

Bill Ford editorial sings praises of electric car, information technology

Citroën has inadvertently given back-seat drivers a powerful weapon. Well, not so much back-seat drivers… but the person in shotgun has the ability to bring everything to a screeching halt. Front-seat passengers are able to engage the brakes of the C3 Picasso.

How you ask?

No, not by grabbing the emergency brake. The Citroën C3 Picasso is offered in both right and left-hand drive configurations. When converting to right-hand drive, the left-hand drive brake components were left in place behind the footwell. If the passenger pushes in the right spot, he or she will activate the brakes. Not good.

Citroën is recalling approximately 20,000 vehicles to investigate this matter. However, the automaker has stated that is the first they’ve heard of the issue, which was revealed in a BBC News segment. Head over to BBC News for a video that demonstrates the C3 Picasso’s braking issue.

Citroen C3 Picasso recalled for ability to brake from passenger seat

Ford believes that in-car diagnostic information could be expanded beyond the health of your vehicle. In fact, the automaker is researching ways to make sure you stay healthy. Using its Sync technology and in conjunction with medical professionals, Ford is developing monitoring services and applications for drivers who might suffer from chronic illnesses that range from diabetes to allergies.

Bluetooth, cloud services and Ford apps can work together with medical devices and services, keeping you abreast of a multitude of important health-related information. Ford hopes to provide glucose monitoring services, alerts for allergy sufferers and a connection to the WellDoc platform.

Ford is hoping to go even deeper into the realm of health monitoring and information. The automakers believes that it’s not far from having the ability to bring the allergy alerts and glucose monitoring systems to production vehicles. Down the road, Ford hopes to offer systems that monitor the driver’s heart rate and stress levels. That information would be useful for the automaker to determine how to make driving a less stressful event. Click past the jump to watch a clip that provides a bit more insight into this research.

Continue reading Paging Dr. SYNC: Ford developing in-car monitoring of motorist health [w/video]

Paging Dr. SYNC: Ford developing in-car monitoring of motorist health [w/video]

Arguably more than any other driver, Kimi Raikkonen has a penchant for breaking with convention and forging his own path. The Swedish driver started out in F1 amid protests over his relative lack of experience – having contested fewer than a dozen professional lower-level races in his career – and finished 10th in his debut championship.

The next season, he was driving for McLaren, the season after that he won his first grand prix, and within just a few years was crowned world champion for Ferrari. And when that got boring, he made an unprecedented moved to the World Rally Championship. But that’s apparently wearing thin on a driver not known for sitting still, so off he goes to NASCAR.

We first broke the news of Kimi’s plans back in March, and a few days later already had confirmation of his contract with Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) to debut in the Camping World Truck Series – the entry point into NASCAR racing. Now he’s set to make his oval-track debut this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and this is the truck he’ll be driving.

The No. 15 Toyota Tundra is being fielded by KBM for Kimi’s ICE1RACING team, and features sponsorship from – wait for it – Perky Jerky. The dried meat snack packs guarana (a plant with twice the caffeine of coffee) and was apparently invented when some guys spilled energy drink on their beef jerky while trapped on a ski lift. (Seriously, we couldn’t make this stuff up.) Today it’s the “official jerky of the Daytona 500″, and should go down well with the Red Bull sponsorship on the Citroën DS3 which Raikkonen drives in the WRC. Official press release after the jump.

Continue reading Kimi Raikkonen gears up for NASCAR truck debut with a little help from Perky Jerky

Kimi Raikkonen gears up for NASCAR truck debut with a little help from Perky Jerky

Following the launch of the refreshed 2012 Continental GT coupe, Bentley is prepping the inevitable droptop GTC variant, which our spies have just caught testing on the Nürburgring.

As you’d expect, the Conti GTC benefits from a Mulsanne-inspired front fascia, as well as some slightly updated taillamps. Inside, a new dash will be on hand, as well as updated front buckets – just like the coupe.

Under the hood, the Bentley W12 has received a few updates for the 2012 model year that result in more power and fewer C02 emissions. In the future, you’ll even be able to spec the GTC with an all-new 4.0-liter V8… Just like the coupe.

Click through our high-res image gallery to see the Bentley GTC out running the ‘Ring.

Bentley Continental GTC getting inevitable facelift

Paying off debt is a dream shared by most Americans, however, most of them aren’t staring down $7.5 billion that’s owed to the United States and Canadian governments. Chrysler accountants currently see that on the balance sheet, and we imagine that figure looks rather daunting. Lucky for them, Chrysler is set to pay it back. All of it.

Chrysler is preparing to announce details of a $3.5 billion bond offering. Those funds, along with $1.3 billion in cash from Fiat and a $2.5 billion term loan, will be used to pay back the two government loans.

Fiat has previously expressed a desire to own a larger stake in Chrysler, and paying down this debt is the bridge it needs to cross to make that happen. Right now, Fiat owns 46 percent of the American automaker, but rumor has it that the Italians want 51 percent by year’s end, and possibly as much as 70 percent at some point in the near future. For now, however, Fiat is showing that it’s dedicated to returning Chrysler to a position of success.

Chrysler repaying all $7.5B in government loans by next week

Continue reading Ferrari Superamerica 45 unveiled ahead of Villa d’Este

Ferrari Superamerica 45 unveiled ahead of Villa d’Este

General Motors has only sold 1,703 copies of the Chevrolet Volt through April, but the automaker plans to crank up the volume for the 2012 model year. GM has announced that it will shut down its Detroit Hamtramck plant for four weeks to prepare for 2012 Volt and Opel Ampera production. The upgrades will enable GM to build 16,000 total units this year, and in 2012 production will grow to 60,000 units; 45,000 of which will be destined for U.S. consumption.

When the 2012 model comes online, GM will begin to open up sales throughout the U.S. The 2011 model is only being sold in California, New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The Volt and Ampera will also be shipped to Canada, China and Europe beginning later this year.

During the lengthy shutdown, GM will add new tools, install overhead conveyor systems and other equipment. The General will also set up the plant to build the 2013 Chevy Malibu during the four-week shutdown, though more work will be completed before the mid-size sedan is launched. Hit the jump to read over the GM press release.

Continue reading GM boosting Chevy Volt production, preparing for first exports

GM boosting Chevy Volt production, preparing for first exports

Back in February, President Obama proposed changing the credit for plug-in vehicles over to a point-of-purchase rebate, a move that would likely speed up the $7,500 payment. Under the proposal, dealers would reduce the sticker price of eligible plug-in vehicles and apply for reimbursement from the government.

Well, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Congress will consider the proposed plug-in point-of-purchase rebate as part of changes to U.S. tax and energy policy for 2012. LaHood, who was touring Nissan’s Smyrna, TN facility on Tuesday, told those in attendance:

We’re doing a lot of talking about it. When you give people that incentive to buy a battery-powered car, they’ll do it. We know these incentives help.

Under current policy, consumers who buy qualifying vehicles like the Nissan Leaf or the Chevrolet Volt receive a $7,500 credit when they file their federal income tax returns. LaHood says that the Obama Administration firmly believes that allowing dealers to handle the incentive as an immediate rebate will entice consumers and, hopefully, convince them to buy plug-in vehicles.

Secretary LaHood says plug-in vehicle point-of-purchase rebates could replace tax credits in 2012

Peter Mullin’s vision for an automotive museum showcasing his favorite era of motoring has passed the 12-month mark. The Mullin Automotive Museum is located in Oxnard, California, and it’s home to a stunning collection of French Art Deco jaw droppers. Over the past year, the museum has expanded its collection by adding a few new residents.

-The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance award-winning 1939 Bugatti Type 57C Atalante
-1924 Bucciali B6-C24 Grand Prix Reconstruction
-1910 Charron Type TC Convertible
-The 1951 Paris Auto Salon 1951 Talbot T26 Gran Sport Convertible
-1928 Lorraine Dietrich B3-6 Sports Roadster
-1923 Voisin C6 Laboratoire Replica
-1934 Voisin C27 Aerosport
-The Grand Prix de Tourisme Winning 1922 Voisin C3 S Grand Prix
-1919 Voisin C3 Berline

Not just home to cars, though that’s certainly the primary focus, the Mullin Automotive Museum has also acquired a handful of art pieces that sit alongside the vehicles. Statues, bowls and over 15 crystal radiator mascots that were created by Rene Lalique. We’re willing to bet that those Lalique radiator mascots are worth a bit more than the Nissan badge that was stolen off our 300ZX back in college. Feel free to check out the full press release after the break.

Happy first birthday, Mullin Automotive Museum!

Continue reading Happy Birthday: Mullin Automotive Museum turns one

Happy Birthday: Mullin Automotive Museum turns one

Schmuck. It’s the German word for jewelry. It’s also the kind of customer who would be interested in buying a Maybach paved in diamonds. But that doesn’t appear to be deterring the top-of-the-line Daimler brand from icing out its limousines like a rapper with a new record contract.

Back in 2006, Maybach teamed up with Wellendorf jewelers to offer precious stones to deck out its interiors. Now the German auto marque is passing the torch on to Swiss jeweler de Grosogono. In a star-studded party at the Cannes Film Festival, the two companies announced a new partnership that will allow customers with more cash than taste to have their Maybach iced out.

The first example of a Maybach 62S will be unveiled to the gathered guests with a diamond-emblazoned rear armrest (sounds comfortable), but a more thoroughly bedazzled limo is set to be unveiled in November at no less suitable a venue than the Dubai Motor Show. We can hardly wait.

Fortunately enough, no official photos have yet been made available, but you can read the official announcement after the jump if you’re so inclined.

Continue reading Maybach and de Grisogono team up to offer diamond-studded limousines

Maybach and de Grisogono team up to offer diamond-studded limousines