The full-on competition version of the is now officially available to order for race teams in preparation for the 2011 season. will start delivering the GT3-class race cars in February of 2011, leaving plenty of time for teams to do their own preseason testing.
The GT3 class for production based sports cars is truly heating up these days with Mercedes joining , and, of course, . The American Le Mans Series has dipped its toe into GT3 waters this year as well with the GT Challenge class. At present, GT Challenge is currently limited to but hopefully, Porsche will open it up to other GT3 contenders.
AMG and HWA AG are developing and producing the SLS GT3, and track testing began in June with veteran Mercedes-Benz DTM and GT driver Bernd Schnieder at the wheel. Before customer deliveries begin, the SLS will appear in some VLN endurance series races at the Nürburgring Nordschleife later this year. The SLS AMG GT3 costs €334,000 before value added taxes (about $430,000 U.S.). Check out the official press release .
Last week, we informed you that , falling some 30 percent from the a year ago, yet was pleased with the results. While it seemed rather odd that Toyota was satisfied with a drop in sales, the fact that the kicked off in July of 2009 helped to make some sense of the decline.
Though sales of the may have fallen, the company is surely pleased with its continued dominance in the hybrid market. Toyota and have combined to capture 73.9 percent of U.S. hybrid sales for July, and surely that’s something to be pleased about. The seven hybrid models from Toyota and Lexus accounted for 17,504 sales in July, with the Prius capturing a rather astounding 59.6 percent of the hybrid market for the month.
placed a far distant second to Toyota by reporting just 2,896 hybrid sales in July, while remained planted in third with a total tally of 2,475 hybrid sales. So, while Prius sales may have dropped off compared to last year, there’s no denying that .
Karl Stracke, VP of global engineering, has unequivocally denied the version of the next-generation with a wet-dual-clutch transmission. Stracke spoke with editors at Automotive News and Autoweek and addressed the latest batch of rumors. For decades, speculation about what will be done with a next-generation Corvette invariably pops up almost immediately after a new model is introduced.
For example, a mid-engined Corvette has reportedly been on the cards since at least the mid-60s, thanks in part to a string of concept and experimental models of that configuration. The last Corvette-badged mid-engine concept was the , but that hasn’t stopped the speculation – especially in recent years as the Corvette has gained increased respect among the ranks of high-end sports cars. According to Stracke, “There is no mid-engine in the plans.”
The same goes for a the story revealed by a engineer about development of a wet DCT. Automakers are increasingly moving away from wet-clutch gearboxes to dry-clutch units because they are less expensive and more efficient. While Stracke shoots down the wet DCT, no mention is made of a dry-clutch unit… if follows and down the dual-clutch path, that is almost certainly the type we will see.
Stracke also put the kibosh on a . GM has already announced a direct injected small-block V8 is coming soon for its full-size pickup trucks and the Corvette will no doubt follow. Stracke did acknowledge that a hybrid is a possibility for the sports car and since competitors are going that way it wouldn’t be out of place.
That said, we want to know what you think – What should power the next Corvette? Click past the break to vote in our informal poll.
We heard the first reports of researchers proving that you could earlier this year. That work was based on tapping into the OBD-II port normally used by mechanics for reading diagnostic codes. That method of car hacking, however, is of limited value to cyber criminals because it requires having physical access to the underside of a car’s dashboard.
Another group of researchers from Rutgers University and the University of South Carolina have just discovered that you can hack into a car’s electronics wirelessly, which means any modern vehicle could be vulnerable to an attack at any time, even while it’s being driven down the road.
The researchers used a car’s tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) as their entry portal. Tire pressure monitoring has been mandatory on new cars since 2008 and uses a sensor on each wheel that transmits data over radio frequencies to a vehicle’s electronic control unit.
By sniffing for signals from the TPMS, these researchers were able to track two different vehicles and even interfere with the signals. At this point, the real world implications are limited because TPMS sensors have a very short range and update the car’s ECU only every 60-90 seconds. However, these findings underscore how as vehicles get more wireless connectivity, it’s important to ensure those wireless connections are secure and encrypted to prevent mischief.
Wal-Mart was the most requested OnStar search in July – to view the top 10
‘ OnStar unit has offered turn-by-turn directions for a while now, and the service seems to be gaining popularity among subscribers. In fact, July was a record month for direction seekers, with over 2 million routes requested in the U.S. and Canada. OnStar has access to more than 13 million points of interest, but one locale was requested more than any other. The General claims that nearly 40,000 OnStar subscribers sought out a local Wal-Mart in July, enough queries to make the value chain the most popular destination of July.
We’re not at all surprised that Wal-Mart came out on top this month considering the sheer size of America’s largest private employer, and the other top requests read like a who’s-who of big business. Big-time hotel chains and major retail outlets dominate the top 10 most requested routes (the top 10 destinations list is available ), but only one fast food chain and zero gas stations cracked the top 10. to read GM’s press release.
We’ve seen vehicles on more than one occasion over the past few years, but most connected cars and trucks aren’t much more than a rolling hot-spot for passengers and (very) distracted drivers. That promises to change over the next decade as automakers and suppliers work to connect cars to the world around them. has already begun to connect vehicles to the rest of the planet with SYNC and a smart phone, delivering information like traffic alerts, vehicle health reports, news updates and soon (above). Senior technology leader K. Venkatesh Prasad tells CNET that the automaker plans to keep the momentum going.
Venkatesh says in a video interview (available after the jump) that in-car connectivity is currently “tuned to zero miles per hour,” adding that there is an opportunity to connect vehicles to applications that enable the Internet to work for the occupants of the vehicle. Ford has been testing safety technology where vehicles communicate with traffic signals through WI-FI and GPS, and that could just be the tip of the iceberg. Electric cars, for example, could one day communicate with the electric grid and your home to find the optimal time to charge. to watch the Venkatech interview.
is reporting that Toyota’s may be getting back into motorsports big-time with a GT entry based on the Lexus LFA. According to the report, Lexus would enter the FIA GT1 championship to take on the Nissan GT-R. This seems like a move downmarket for the $375,000 Lexus sports car from a marketing standpoint. GT1 is also a faltering race class that’s being eliminated under the new .
If Toyota wants to race the LFA, it would make more sense to head to Le Mans where it can take on Ferraris, Aston Martins and Porsches in the GT2 class. The LFA race edition (above) that’s already been developed and run in the last two 24 hour races at the Nürburgring would already be close to GT2 specification and could be ready for the 2011 race season.
The Group is only a few months away from bringing the brand back to the United States, starting with the launch of the too-cute later this year. The automaker will be holding a Fiat Experience event in Detroit at the end of August, and around 600 dealers from around the country have been invited to attend.
These 600 dealers are located in cities where Chrysler is planning to have Fiat franchises – a total of 119 different markets around the country. The Fiat Experience program will give dealers a detailed overview of Chrysler’s exact plans for the brand in the U.S., and dealers will be allowed to submit proposals for snagging a Fiat franchise through mid-September.
No, not all of these 600 dealers will be approved for Fiat franchises, and Chrysler will be announcing its final list of Fiat locations in the fourth quarter of 2010. Hit the jump to see the current list of market considerations to find out if a Fiat dealer might be heading to a city near you.
While we’d all love to see 1,000-horsepower supercars that effortlessly reach 100 miles per gallon, the pace of fuel economy improvement is far less aggressive. Automakers are scratching and clawing for every mpg they can find by doing things like downsizing and turbocharging engines, adding direct injection and variable valve timing, utilizing electric power steering and cutting weight. Another great way to save fuel is through improved aerodynamics, as evidenced by an enhancement made to the that helps the new C-segment sedan reach 40 mpg on the highway.
The utilizes an innovative automatic air shutter system that closes the grill vents at higher speeds to reduce drag by .016 – adding .5 mpg and helping push the Cruze to the magic 40 mpg number. The shutter system is fitted to sensors that measure changes in speed or temperature. If the temperature drops or the sensors measure sufficiently high speeds, the vents will be closed by electric motors, cutting down the amount of air that enters the engine bay. Why not simply keep the grill vents closed all the time? Because added airflow is needed to help cool the engine at lower speeds. to read the presser and watch a minute-long video that shows how the shutter system works.
Toyota A-BAT Concept – Click above for a high-res image gallery
is about to expand past its initial three-model lineup with a rather intriguing new vehicle that’s set to take on the as the microcar of choice for those looking to downsize as far as humanly possible. While the upcoming is a pretty nifty machine, it won’t quite be practical for a large number of drivers here in the United States.
Hence, it’s not entirely surprising that Scion is reportedly considering a possible fifth, sixth or even seventh model. As before, talk of a small pickup truck is apparently on the table. Interestingly, Scion vice president Jack Hollis suggests that something like the concept could be revived in Scion guise.
Another possible Scion model could be based on the love-it-or-(more-likely)-hate-it Hako Concept from the 2008 New York Auto Show. Finally – and certainly most interestingly for enthusiasts – a small, rear-wheel-drive sport coupe is also on the table for consideration. We know where we’re casting our vote…
Marek Reichman’s Aston Martin Vantage GT4 – Click above for high-res image gallery
And he’s going racing with it. Marek Reichman, the design director for , will be hopping into the saddle of a Vantage GT4 for his first shot at the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Brittain. Reichman has gone fender to fender before, though he typically keeps to vintage club racing. This will be the first time he’s stepped up to the 90-minute big boy leagues of his company’s one-make series. Reichman won’t be doing it alone, though. Chris Porritt, the engineering manager for Aston Martin, will be sharing driving duties.
Porritt has helmed the mighty Vantage GT4 in the past, though most of his experience has been at the Nürburgring. We’re thinking that if he can keep the car shiny side up around Green Hell, he should have no problem going toe to toe with the rest of the field. That doesn’t mean that the competition is going to be a cakewalk for the team – so far this season, the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge has proven to be full of more than capable racers. The race is slated to kick off at Oulton Park on Saturday, August 21. for a peek at the press release.
Ferrari 458 Italia caught testing – Click above to watch video
A video camera can do strange things to reality. While we’ve always heard that training a lens on a person can add 10 pounds to their figure, it’s also true that focusing on a moving car can subtract 20 mph. Watching a car scoot around a track on screen and seeing the same action in real life, or even worse, from the cockpit, are two entirely different things. At some point during the migration from the real world to digital representation, things just seem to slow down, which is exactly why this video of the Ferrari 458 Italia Challenge is so impressive. The beast looks down right fast on film, so we can only imagine the kind of tear in the space-time continuum it could develop here in the real world.
has pulled something special with its newest track bully. While the car still breathes through the same 570-horsepower 4.5-liter V8 as its more civil sibling, the company shaved a considerable amount of weight and fitted it with the same globe-crushing brakes as the 599XX. The changes have been enough to give the 458 Italia Challenge the guts to lap the Fiorano circuit in a blistering 1:16.5. That’s a mere two-tenths of a second off of the lap time of the marginally more loco FXX.
That puddle on the floor? Yeah, that’s from our mouths watering. We’ll get someone on that.
2011Nissan Juke – Click above for high-res image gallery
has just released pricing for the 2011 Juke – the company’s new baby CUV. Buyers looking to scramble into the driver’s seat can look forward to a base MSRP of $18,960 (*plus destination) for the Juke S when equipped with a CVT and front-wheel drive. Prices for the range-topping Juke SL with a CVT and all-wheel drive hit a ceiling of $24,550 before any options are added.
All models will come from the factory with a new direct-injection turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine with 188 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. Nissan says that when bolted to the company’s efficient CVT, the Juke should return 27 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. Meanwhile, six-speed manual-equipped models start at $20,260.
Buyers wanting to take advantage of the Juke’s torque-vectoring all-wheel drive can hop into the Juke S AWD. That model, which is available only with a CVT, starts at $20,460, landing it squarely in and Mini Countryman territory. With a low price, plenty of onboard tech and quirky, youth-oriented styling, we’re expecting to see plenty of these on the road in short order when it goes on sale this October. for the full press release.
was one of just a few companies to come through the automotive meltdown of 2009 relatively unscathed. The Korean automaker managed to keep sales up while others faltered thanks to a quality, inexpensive product lineup backed with a stout warranty. Now it looks like those very factors are beginning impact the number of car shoppers who would consider hopping into a Hyundai. According to the Kelly Blue Book Market Intelligence Brand Watch study, the company has risen to the fifth most non-luxury brand considered by car shoppers. The move effectively kicked out of the top five for the first time in years.
Hyundai’s rise was precipitated by the fact that the company is scoring well in the non-luxury coupe/sedan/hatchback segment. In that area, the carmaker is bested only by , and .
Interestingly enough, Ford is the most considered car brand at the moment, thanks in part to Toyota’s newly tarnished image. The Japanese automaker fell eight percentage points in the study compared to this time last year thanks largely to its recall problems. for a look at the KBB press release.
Britain’s Autocar has been given a first look at a sketch of Morgan’s Eva GT, the coupe that the firm plans to unveil at Pebble Beach this weekend. The details and photo Morgan released made it obvious that the Eva GT would be on the modern side, and with this sketch we can amend that to mean and modern. Even allowing for the tendency of sketches to be more aggressive than the genuine item, the Eva GT doesn’t look like it’d be out of place in The Joker’s garage.
Powered by a 306-horsepower inline six cylinder and weighing in at 2,755 pounds, the Eva GT should move at a decent clip. Morgan also claims it should gets around 40 miles per gallon. Awaiting delivery, though, will need patience: Morgan is accepting deposits now, but the Eva GT won’t end up in your driveway until 2012.
We’ll bring it to you live from this weekend’s festivities in Pebble Beach, and we’ll see whether it can really fit four people, so stay tuned.
1965 Ferrari 250 GTO Evocazione – Click above for high-res images
Practical considerations aside, cost no object, if you could have any car ever made, what would it be? We’d bet that a large proportion of you would be thinking of the legendary 250 GTO. Unfortunately, cost is an object for the vast majority of us. And considering how the iconic GTO is one of the most valuable, most sought-after classic sportscars ever made, the overwhelming likelihood is that most of us – make that practically all of us – could never stand a chance of owning one.
It’s only natural, then, that there should be replicas made. Scratch that – “tributes.” But if you’re going to replicate a GTO, you’re not going to start with an old Firebird as your underpinnings. You’re going to start with another classic Ferrari. Just one not quite as valuable.
That’s what the owner in did. And that’s what you’re looking at here. This 1965 Ferrari 250 GTO “Evocazione” started its life as a Ferrari 330 GT, and in 1993 was sent to Italy to have its chassis modified before being fitted with painstakingly handmade aluminum bodywork in the UK. Attention was paid to every detail, down to the gauges and Borrani wire wheels. And now it’s up for grabs, courtesy of newly inaugurated auction house . Once it crosses the block there on September 25, it’s expected to fetch around £240,000 ($377k) – which may seem like a fair chunk of change, but it’s a far cry from the reportedly last fetched by the original.
is two months away from execution, leaving the brand’s 1,700 dealers in a pretty tough spot. Essentially, they’ve got three choices: Agree to terms and walk away, negotiate and walk away, or pick a legal fight with The Blue Oval. Automotive News reports that about 1,000 dealers still haven’t signed FoMoCo’s compensation agreement and some of those dealers reportedly stand to lose millions of dollars in the deal.
Dealer lawyers claim that compensation has ranged from between $100,000 and $800,000, depending on a number of factors, including the dealer’s dependence on Mercury sales and the average amount of vehicles sold over a three year period. A princely sum, sure, but it won’t help some of the dealers who count on Mercury for 50 percent of sales or more. AN reports that Ford acknowledges that some dealers are in markets that cannot support a Lincoln-only store, but the company claims to be working with dealers to get them to sell Fords or sell the remaining Lincoln store to an existing Ford dealer.
Ford will stop producing Mercury-branded vehicles in early October, and while some dealers are picking up as many vehicles as possible, others have stopped ordering vehicles altogether. And until they sell out of their Mercury stock, Ford won’t cut dealers a compensation check.
[Source: - Sub. Req. Image: AP Photo/David Zalubowski]
Todd Cooperider’s 60-hour Ferrari F40 detail job – Click above for high-res image gallery
Detailing an uber-rare exotic like a F40 isn’t exactly like slathering your with Dawn dish detergent in your driveway. Restoring the paint on a Prancing Horse of that caliber requires equal parts chemistry, experience and patience. Need proof? Look no further than detailing guru Todd Cooperider’s 60-hour job on a 3,500-mile F40. The 43-year-old Cooperider has been obsessed with bringing out the best in paint since he was a kid, but turned to professional detailing just three years ago. Since then, he’s become the go-to-guy for owners of exotic metal of various vintage, make, model and flavor. He even had the honor of being named one of AutoWeek’s top 9 detailers in the U.S last year.
For most of us, getting anywhere near one of the world’s most legendary supercars with a power tool is a recipe for the kind of disaster that’s funny later but expensive now. But Cooperider’s extensive experience allowed him to tackle the big-bad Ferrari with all of the weapons in his arsenal without fret. Even with so few miles, the paint had suffered the effects of 20 years of occasional enjoyment, and as such, multiple scratches and blemishes were present all over the car. Cooperider worked out which polishing compound, pad and sealant to use with this particular car and set to work.
Follow the jump to see how he did it…
Acura’s corporate beak might put off the average CUV shopper, but get inside the MDX’s tech-rich interior and the awkward proboscis is out of sight and mind.
If you’re heading to Monterey, California for this week’s Pebble Beach festivities, we’ve compiled a schedule of what to see and do each and every day.
According to the latest report, the Lancia Stratos revival was penned by Jason Castriota and could go on sale as a limited edition model in two year’s time.
Mercedes-Benz G-Class – Click above for high-res image gallery
The 2002 through 2010 is equipped with covers for the front turn signals – added for style as much as protection. Undoubtedly, many owners of the blocky SUV have never given the covers a thought, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has and it’s been deemed unworthy of Federal Standard 108.
If you’re wondering, that’s the standard that covers “lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment.” In this case, NHTSA claims that the cover could “impact over time the signal’s ability to meet the minimum requirements of FMVSS 108.” In other words, the cover could inhibit the visibility of the signal.
If you’re one of the 3,522 G-Class owners affected by this recall, you’ll be notified to bring your $100,000 off-roader to a dealer, where they’ll install a new turn light unit that works better with the grill cover. to read over the NHTSA press release.
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[Source: NHTSA]
-Benz recalls 3,500 G-Class SUVs over turn signals
