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For those of you desperate to get your hands on Ford’s new 5.0-liter Mustang GT, it just got a little easier. Pricing has dropped for the base model of the 412-horsepower pony car by $500 for the 2012 model year, edging back under the 30k mark to $29,995. In contrast, the Premium GT model sees a price increase of $200 while the Premium GT Convertible is $700 more than last year.

While the 2012 Mustang lineup carries over relatively unchanged, there are a few updates to keep the cars fresh. Ford will be offering a new color, Lava Red Metallic, available on both the exterior and interior, while Sterling Gray Metallic will no longer be available. Ford has also added a few minor features like a universal garage door opener and sun visors with a storage system and illuminated vanity mirrors, and the EPAS steering system will now also come with three modes – Comfort, Normal and Sport.

[Source: TheMustangSource.com, Edmunds]

2012 Mustang 5.0 comes with lower price, new features

The Speed Channel is approaching the 15th anniversary of its original air date and apparently its going to get much more aggressive with its content in the coming years. Right now, Speed has 20 new shows in development and six of those are ready to show up in your DVR in 2011.

We know that Adam Carolla is working on a show that would be an automotive version of The Best Damn Sports Show Period. Other items in the works include a series of specials with Jay Leno, a reality series based on Gran Turismo 5 (produced in cooperation with Sony and Nissan) and a Gymkhana program to be helmed by The Fast and the Furious Producer/DIrector Adam Cohen.

Those represent part of the growing projects currently under development. These six new shows are ready to by slotted into the lineup (titles subject to change):

-Car Warriors: Think Joes vs Pros but for car construction. A team of average folks square off against all-star builders and their work will be judged by George Barris, Jimmy Shine and Mad Mike Martin.

-American Truckers: Rob Mariani talks about iconic rigs, amazing routes and unique cargo tales. Kind of a niche audience here but the “iconic rigs” could be interesting.

-Car Science: The producers of Sports Science and Fight Science have turned their attention to automobiles.

-Speedmakers: Surprisingly not a Breaking Bad rip-off, but an examination of anything that makes speed possible. The show will examine the Daytona International Speedway, go behind the scenes at Aston Martin and will generally focus on engineering feats designed to maximize speed.

-Ticket to Ride with Dan Neil: Pulitzer-prize winner Dan Neil turns his column into a television show. If Speed lets him handle the writing, this one could prove quite interesting.

-The 10: This one is for the NASCAR fans. The 10 will highlight the best that NASCAR has served up over the years with topics such as Most Bizarre Finishes, All-Time Races, Throw-downs and Closest Calls.

[Source: Speed]

Continue reading Speed details new shows with Adam Carolla and Dan Neil

Speed details new shows with Adam Carolla and Dan Neil

There’s no point, to paraphrase the old adage, in closing the door after the horses have already left the stable. The same could be said of Prancing Horses – the red variety that hail from Maranello, specifically. So after the first image of Ferrari’s latest sports racer leaked out a few days ago, the Italian automaker and racing team have now released a quartet of additional shots.

The successor to the F430 GT2, the new 458 GTC will take on all comers in sports and endurance racing series around the world – most of them with the name “Le Mans” in the title. The new challenger is currently undergoing track testing at the hands of former FIA GT class champion and two-time Le Mans class winner Jaime Melo over the course of the winter in advance of its scheduled debut at the Sebring 12 Hours race in the American Le Mans Series. So stay tuned, and in the meantime, check out the images in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

[Source: Ferrari]

Continue reading Ferrari lets the new 458 GTC stretch its legs in the snow

Ferrari lets the new 458 GTC stretch its legs in the snow

Predictable, yet worthy. That’s how we’re feeling about this year’s crop of choices for the 2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists. Without further ado, here they are (in alphabetical order, all 2011 models):

Car:

• Chevrolet Volt
• Hyundai Sonata
• Nissan Leaf

Truck:

• Dodge Durango
• Ford Explorer
• Jeep Grand Cherokee

See? Predictable, yet worthy. There was little doubt that the 2011 Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf would make the list, and the Hyundai Sonata has done an admirable job of shaking up the established midsize sedan hierarchy. On the truck side of the equation, it’s none too surprising to see a trio of people-moving ‘utes, seeing as though the category has just be reinvigorated by a number of substantially reworked and worthy players. Click past the break for the official press release.

But, as usual, it’s your opinions we’re most interested in. While our completely unscientific polls will have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the actual results of the official voting, we urge you to make your voice heard anyway. Now, get to voting!

View Poll

View Poll

[Source: North American Car and Truck of the Year]

Continue reading 2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists shortlisted

2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year finalists shortlisted

We know that the all-new Hyundai Equus features an Apple iPad in place of a traditional owner’s manual but now we’re getting our first opportunity to see it in action. In a new ad that will certainly appeal to tech-savvy luxury car buyers, Hyundai shows off the iPad app that provides any information that an Equus owner might need to know about his or her car.

Rather than just providing written information, Hyundai has taken advantage of the iPad’s capabilties to deliver an app that shows you what it’s talking about, be it the Equus’ available right-rear jet-style reclining seat or its adaptive headlights. Better yet, the app is free to download on iTunes regardless of whether an Equus is sitting in your driveway (so you can see what you’re missing). Hop the jump to check out an ad featuring the iPad owner’s manual in action. Top tip, Fred!

[Source: YouTube via Unncessary Umlaut]

Continue reading Video: Hyundai shows off super slick Equus owners manual app for iPad

Video: Hyundai shows off super slick Equus owners manual app for iPad

Nissan Emerges From The Kitchen With Something New

You can get vanilla ice cream in an array of varieties. There’s New York Vanilla (the classic flavor), French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Homestyle Vanilla, Creamy Vanilla and Country Vanilla. Regardless of the subtle differences, each frozen delight is only a mild modification of the same mixture of milk, cream, sugar and vanilla beans. While generally bland and lackluster when compared to Rocky Road, Carmel Ribbon and Mint Chip, good old-fashioned vanilla ice cream enjoys an enormous following and offends few, making it the best-selling flavor in the freezer section. If you make ice cream and want to sell in volume, get on the horn to your friends in Madagascar.

Minivans are a lot like vanilla ice cream.

No matter how hard the automakers try to differentiate their product, all of today’s minivans are essentially mildly altered concoctions blending seven-passenger, front-engine, front-wheel drive, six-cylinder, highly-utilitarian ingredients. Yet, like vanilla ice cream, they are part of a segment that cannot be ignored, and they do surprisingly well at satisfying a broad degree of palates. In the case of nearly every automaker, if you’re building family vehicles, you offer a minivan.

Nissan has released its all-new 2011 Quest and it’s a minivan formulated with today’s all-too familiar ingredients, but unlike the rest of the vanilla troop, the Quest could leave a unique taste in your mouth. Has Nissan broken new ground with its new family transport, or are they just offering consumers the same dessert with just a different label? Read on for the answer.

Continue reading…

Photos copyright (C)2010 Michael Harley / AOL, Nissan

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Nissan Quest

First Drive: 2011 Nissan Quest

The new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is slowly unveiling the results of the freshly updated five-star New Car Assessment Program, and not all 2011 models are faring so well. USA Today reports that the 2011 Honda Civic is the latest such victim after the popular compact sedan received an overall score of three stars; down one star from the 2010 model year. The Civic’s score was downgraded due in part to a woeful side impact score of two stars. The female crash-test dummy on the passenger side reportedly netted a four-star score, but the male crash-test dummy driver managed but two stars. On the upside, the Civic netted four-star ratings for front crash and rollover risk.

The Civic isn’t the only popular vehicle among the 55 models tested that hasn’t fared so well in testing. The Toyota Camry and Honda CR-V were also rated at three stars, while the Nissan Versa received only two scores. Luckily for Honda, a newly refreshed Civic is on the way for the 2012 model year.

[Source: Inside Line]

Honda Civic only nets two stars on revamped NHTSA side impact test

Might Lotus, in its unerring though recently intensified quest to take on Ferrari, develop its own V8 engine for use in the promised-before-2013 Esprit? According to company head Dany Bahar, it’s a distinct possibility.

It should be mentioned that Lotus is quite the well-sorted engineering firm. In fact, the British automaker has designed three complete engines for other manufacturers and last produced its own V8 engine from 1996 through 2004 in the then-current Esprit.

If it does indeed develop its own engine architecture, Autocar suggests it will be seen in V8 form in the Esprit and V6 form in the Elan, which is slated to follow about six months after the Esprit. And what of the Toyota-sourced powerplants – currently seen in the Lotus Elise, Exige and Evora and shown off in the five conceptual new sports cars recently unveiled at the Paris Motor Show – we’ve come to expect from Lotus?

“In the mind of sports-car enthusiasts, Toyota power might not be good enough,” admitted Bahar. In the end, though, the decision may come down to simple dollars and cents, and we’re certainly looking forward to seeing how it all plays out in the coming few years.

Photos copyright (C)2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: Autocar]

Lotus planning to build V8 in-house?

American Honda has announced that it is recalling over 140,000 Fit hatchbacks due to a “potential loss of low-beam headlight functionality,” the automaker has told CNN. A total of 143,083 Fits from the 2007 and 2008 model years are affected.

Honda has issued a statement saying that the root of this problem is the plating on the wiring harness connectors for the low-beam headlight circuit. The Japanese automaker states that this plating “can become warn after repeated use … and cause the connector to overheat and fail, resulting in a loss of low-beam headlight functionality.”

The automaker will begin contacting affected owners, but if you’re worried about your Fit, you can take them in to your local Honda dealer for inspection and. Naturally, any repair work will be on the automaker’s dime.

[Source: CNN]

Honda recalling 143,000 Fit hatchbacks over potential headlight loss

General Motors would like to cut 2,000 skilled trade workers by March 2011, and the company is reportedly willing to part with $60,000 per employee to reach its goal. Bloomberg reports that The General is offering the hefty incentive to entice its highly paid skilled trades workers at 14 plants across America. Eight of those plants are scheduled for closure and two more facilities could shut down if demand drops off, no doubt making the money look even more attractive.

The buyout offers are the first GM has offered on a large scale since the company exited bankruptcy in 2009. Unlike past offers, though, GM is only targeting its skilled trades, while the lower-paid rank and file don’t appear to have been offered similar deals.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: GM offering first employee buyouts since bankruptcy

First Drive: 2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon

Is a wagon still the best compromise of size, functionality and driving dynamics? We snagged the keys to a 2011 Acura TSX Sports Wagon to find out.

Video: Bad parenting and bad driving know no bounds

Warning: Do not try this at home. No really. Please.

Car Gifts for Christmas: The Big Gifts

These are those big gifts you get from Santa, or the one present that breaks the bank of the gift giver.

Also of interest:

• Volkswagen recalling nearly 380,000 cars over fire risk
• Chrysler recalling nearly 370,000 minivans over potential airbag flaw
• 2012 Nissan NV to start at $24,590*
• New study says road deaths drop precipitously – but why?

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 12.15.10

Following reports that Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will open a new, efficient global small car plant in Thailand, rumors that MMC and Nissan are talking about a 50-50 joint company in 2011 are a lot more interesting. Automotive News is reporting that the two Japanese automakers could bring a small car to market together in 2012 and – here’s where it gets good – they might also work together on electric vehicles. Mitsubishi has been making the Mitsubishi iMiEV for years and Nissan just delivered its first Leaf. The two automakers also participate in a joint car-sharing program in Kyoto, Japan.

According to a statement from Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, no details have been decided, but an analyst at a consulting company in Tokyo told AN, “The alliance of the two automakers seems to be a good one as we can expect more cooperation in electric vehicles going forward.” Ghosn’s statement said the partnership, “is important for Nissan as it supports our expansion in emerging markets, meets immediate capacity needs overseas and enables us to grow our minicar business in Japan.”

Mitsubishi and Nissan already work together on some vehicles, like the Mitsubishi Lancer Cargo (made by Nissan) and the Minicab, Town Box, eKWagon and Pajero Mini models (built by Mitsubishi for Nissan).

[Sources: Automotive News - sub. req., Green Car Reports]

Report: Nissan, Mitsubishi will work together on small, possibly electric, cars

BMW recently pulled the wraps off of its hot new 1 Series M Coupe, but this new addition to the automaker’s least expensive range isn’t the only changes on tap for the 2012 model year. Both the coupe and convertible versions of the 128i and 135i receive modest upgrades for 2012, including very, very slight styling updates and a new powertrain for the 135i.

Up front, 1 Series cars equipped with Xenon headlamps (optional on 128i, standard on 135i) receive a new horizontal LED eyebrow to complement the corona running lamps. Out back, newly tweaked taillamps use LED running lamps similar to those on the rest of the BMW product line. The 1 Series also gets a tweaked M Sport package that includes an aero kit (standard on the 135i), increased top speed limiter and more sporting suspension geometry. Additionally, M Sport cars are fitted with sport seats and M-branded interior trim components.

Much like its older brother, the 3 Series, the 135i is now powered by BMW’s N55 3.0-liter inline-six which uses a single twin-scroll turbocharger to produce 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. In addition to the standard row-it-yourself six-speed transmission, the 135i can now be had with BMW’s seven-speed DCT that first debuted in the Z4 roadster. Fitting this new engine means that the 135i Coupe can run to 60 miles per hour in five seconds flat with DCT and 5.1 seconds with the manual (add 0.3 seconds to those respective times for the droptop 135i). The base 128i continues to use the naturally aspirated 3.0-liter mill found in the outgoing model, rated at 230 hp and 200 lb-ft and paired with six-speed manual or Steptronic transmissions.

Pricing for the 2012 1 Series will be revealed closer to the car’s on-sale date in the Spring of 2011, and we wouldn’t expect the current base price of $29,450 for the 128i and $36,350 for the 135i to change much. Follow the jump for BMW’s exhaustive press release that details the full host of changes.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Officially Official: 2012 BMW 1 Series coupe and convertible take a bow

Officially Official: 2012 BMW 1 Series coupe and convertible take a bow

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa pushed his “Clean Truck Program” as a way to improve the air quality in and around the Port of Los Angeles. And while a cleaner air is in everyone’s best interest, a Los Angeles Times report suggests that it could be truckers who are left holding the short end of the stick. Semi drivers have been encouraged to replace their beat-up, high pollution diesel rigs for much newer trucks with particulate filters that trap harmful gasses before they ever reach the atmosphere.

But while the new trucks are most definitely cleaner, they’re also far more expensive; often costing over $100,000 each. Truckers are leasing the vehicles from the trucking companies for over $1,000 per month, and they also have to spring for fuel and insurance and maintenance costs are said to have risen. Some drivers say that they have been driven to sleep in their rigs at night to save time and increase earning, and even after that after paying for the bills, wages can be as low as $7 per hour.

Trucking companies say that the drivers aren’t faring nearly as poorly as advertised, and they counter that the Clean Truck Program’s real aim was to unionize the drivers. According to the LAT, that was actually supposed to be part of the plan, as Mayor Villaraigosa intended for truckers to give up on being independent contractors in favor of becoming employees of the trucking company. Teamsters President James P. Hoffa justifies unionizing the employees, adding that the drivers are “slaves” to their rigs. Meanwhile, the trucking companies have taken the government to court in an effort keep the the city from forcing the companies to hire on the workers with benefits including health care. The industry promises to continue to fight hiring the thousands of port workers even if the case needs to go to the Supreme Court.

We’re not experts on government law or unionization, but it sounds suspiciously like the city of Los Angeles chose to draft and enforce new trucking laws without working closely enough with the companies that would end up footing the bill. The good news is that the air in L.A. appears to be a bit clearer, but the bad news is that the truckers appear to be the ones making the sacrifices.

[Source: Los Angeles Times Image: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty]

Report: Truckers upset over LA ‘clean rig’ legislation ready to take fight to Supreme Court

Need to transport a lot of people or stuff overseas? You could do worse than the Volkswagen Transporter. Need to take a lot of people or stuff off road? Then you’ll need this: the Transporter Rockton 4Motion.

The go-anywhere van from Volkswagen’s Commercial Vehicles division packs a 4th-generation Haldex all-wheel drive system with a locking rear differential and a 1.2-inch ride-height boost over the standard Transporter. Heavy-duty springs and damper help it carry over three metric tons of payload, while a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine with either 138 or 178 horsepower does the pushing/pulling duties through a six-speed manual transmission.

There’s a more extreme Expedition package available straight from the factory with 16-inch wheels and all-terrain tires, a heftier transmission and a heavy-duty floor-rail system for variable seat and cargo configurations. Details in the press release after the jump, along with the high-resolution images in the gallery below.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Continue reading Volkswagen Transporter takes to the hills with the Rockton 4Motion

Volkswagen Transporter takes to the hills with the Rockton 4Motion

If you think early winter weather is causing you headaches this season, you should hear what General Motors and Ford are putting up with. The companies have seen production slow in at least seven of their manufacturing facilities in Canada and the Midwest thanks to road closings. According to Bloomberg, The General was forced to either slow or stop production of at least eight models, including the Chevrolet Equinox, Camaro and Impala as well as the Cadillac CTS and STS. And Ford hasn’t fared much better – the Blue Oval has brought production of at least six models to a stop.

Among the FoMoCo casualties of this week’s winter wonderland? The Flex, Edge and Explorer, but work was also held up on the Lincoln MKT and MKS. Additionally, the slowdown may impact the automakers’ fourth-quarter results, since most carmakers record their revenue when vehicles are assembled at the plant.

Interestingly enough, Chrysler, which operates facilities in Canada, has apparently not had to slow or stop production because of the weather. Likewise, the Honda plant in Marysville, Ohio is operating normally so far this season.

[Source: Bloomberg Image: John Ehlke/AP /The Flint Journal]

Report: GM, Ford slow production at seven plants due to Canadian storms

Automotive fatalities continue to drop year-over-year, which is perhaps not surprising in and of itself. What is surprising, however, is a study that notes a massive falloff in the number of motoring deaths. According to The Wall Street Journal, the total number of road fatalities in 2009 was 33,963 compared to 43,510 in 2005 – a 22 percent decline. That is the steepest rate of decline since automobiles entered mass production in the beginning part of the 20th century. So what gives?

According to a new study by a pair of University of Michigan researchers, it’s certainly not the invasion of handheld technology, which the story says has created a rise in fatalities due to inattentive driving. Keeping our eyes on an incoming text message or email has resulted in a 42 percent rise in distracted-driving fatalities from 2005 to 2008. However, those accidents only account for a small portion of the total number of fatalities, and it’s likely that with increased awareness that more deaths are being classified in this way.

Safety technology continues to improve, and new technologies continue to filtering down into more affordable vehicles. Deaths from side-impact crashes have declined more quickly than the decline rate for overall deaths, meaning that more people are surviving these types of accidents.

Another, more interesting, statistic is the drop in fatal accidents during rush hour driving periods. Why has that number fallen in recent years compared to 2005? According to the WSJ’s theorizing, it’s the economy. More folks out of work means fewer people on the road during rush hour. You just might not notice it when you are stuck in traffic screaming at the car in front of you that just cut you off to make its exit.

Regardless of why overall traffic fatalities are down, it’s great to hear that this number is falling. However, as the economy picks back up, it’s expected that traffic fatalities will as well.

[Source: The Wall Street Journal Image:Chip Somodevilla/Getty]

New study says road deaths drop precipitously – but why?

Volkswagen AG has just issued a recall of nearly 380,000 cars due to the potential for fuel leaks which could lead to a fire. According to The Detroit News, A total of 266,936 Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Golf and Rabbit models from the 2007 to 2009 model years are affected, as well as an additional 110,350 New Beetle models (both hardtop and convertible).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued an official recall bulletin, stating:

“The Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Golf and Rabbit vehicles may have a small plastic tab located on the windshield washer fluid reservoir that may chafe against an underhood fuel supply line. The New Beetle and the New Beetle Convertible vehicles may have a fastening clamp on a hydraulic hose of the power steering system that may be located in an improper position which could cause chafing against an underhood fuel supply line.”

In both instances, chafing could result in a fuel leak, which in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.

NHTSA states that dealerships will either remove the plastic tab from the windshield washer fluid reservoir or, in the case of the New Beetles, inspect the position of the fastening clamp. Either way, the fix won’t cost owners a thing, and the recall is expected to ramp up by the end of January.

[Sources: The Detroit News, NHTSA]

Volkswagen recalling nearly 380,000 cars over fire risk

Warning: Do not try this at home. As much as we’d love to read you the riot act that contains the rest of the typical automotive video warnings – “professional driver on a closed course,” “no animals or small children were harmed in the making of this video” – well, we’re not entirely sure we can claim any of those things are true.

What we have here is a man and a woman who have apparently taken it upon themselves to exercise their inadvisable right to procreate. Oh, and a baby and a car. We’ll set the scene: Man and baby jointly drive car, on what appears to be a public street in Poland, in traffic. Woman records grainy video, family later uploads results to YouTube.

We’ll be the first to admit that we don’t know how old this video is (it has a recent upload date, but who knows?), but it’s still worth watching. We don’t want to spoil it for the rest for you, so all we’ll say is that you have to watch it all the way through to get the full scope of the awful parenting involved. Click past the break to see what all the fuss is about… and please, no Polish jokes in the Comments.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Bad parenting and bad driving know no bounds

Video: Bad parenting and bad driving know no bounds

Gooding will be unearthing some vintage competitors and a barely used road car to its 2011 Scottsdale Auctions next month: a barn find 1964 Shelby Cobra and 1965 Shelby GT350 R, 1964 Porsche 904, 1965 Ferrari 275 GTB, the purported lowest-mileage unrestored Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster anywhere.

Said to be the only unrestored Cobra in blue and red livery, the ‘64 snake spent 33 years in “storage” yet comes off as surprisingly lustworthy in spite of that. It began life as Carroll Shelby’s promo car at SoCal racing venues, was dredged up from the deep to do the Postwar Preservation Class at this year’s Pebble Beach, and now expects to find a good home for somewhere north of $525,000. The ‘65 Shelby GT350 R is a one-of-26 that was campaigned and did plenty of winning in the B-Production Championship in the sixties.

Another serious racer was the four-cam, fiberglass-bodied ‘64 Porsche 904. The one up for auction was used to beat Phil Hill, who was driving a Cobra, at Candlestick Park in 1965. Finally, the ‘62 Mercedes 300SL has so few miles that it could qualify for a barn find: 7,367 original miles in 48 years and still in the care of its original owner. The auction happens January 21-22 next year. There’s more info on the cars in the presser after the jump, along with some high-res galleries below and after the break if you just want to window shop. And trust us, you do.

[Source: Gooding Images (C) Alejandro Rodriguez/Gooding, (C) Pawel Litwinski/Gooding, (C) Scott Nidermaier/Gooding]

Continue reading Gooding unloads its ‘time capsule’ cars for its 2011 Scottsdale Auctions

Gooding unloads its ‘time capsule’ cars for its 2011 Scottsdale Auctions