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A Reminder To Drive

After five days in Europe, I’m finally able to count the number of hours I’ve slept on both my hands and feet. I’ve been stuck in this sort of schmoozing fugue state for the past few days, part hapless journalist, part aimless wanderer.

The Geneva Motor Show is over. Covered. Done. But my trip isn’t even halfway through. There’s one last thing to do and that’s drive the all-new Porsche Boxster. That means another flight. Another shuttle. Another hotel. And yet another press conference. This one I actually care about. It’s just too bad I can barely focus, let alone take notes.

Chassis codes, curb weights, gear ratios and torque figures fly through the air. I manage to catch a few and jot them down. I’m running below E, barely fueled by some post-show adrenaline, copious quantities of caffeine and the occasional upbeat of my flustered circadian rhythms.

But I’m keeping my eye on the prize. One day with the new version of one of my favorite rides in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

Walter Röhrl flashes on the asymmetrical jumbotron towards the end of the over-the-top PowerPoint presentation. He’s driving the Boxster. I desperately want to be him. Right now. And that’s when I hear him say part of our drive route will be the Monte Carlo Special Stage of the World Rally Championship. Another night of partial insomnia is now guaranteed.

Continue reading 2013 Porsche Boxster S [w/video]

2013 Porsche Boxster S [w/video]

Mazda is taking the steps necessary to right its financial ship, but when a patient has this kind of issue, the cure can hurt just as much. The small, independent carmaker has been hurt by its relatively Japan-centric manufacturing base and the strength of the yen, the loss of Ford as a noteworthy stakeholder and the resulting loss of financial cushion. Mazda is expected to post a $1.2 billion loss for its 2011 financial year, which is smaller than earlier estimates but it’s still the fourth losing year in a row and the largest in a decade.

The need to act has forced Mazda North America into a five-month plan to shed a number of its 701 employees for leaner running. Select employees will be offered a buyout package, and if voluntary uptake isn’t sufficient then involuntary dismissals will occur. The timeline begins this month with lump-sum offers, followed by layoffs at the end of May if necessary, and the stretch to August will see the transition of personnel into the restructured organization.

Mazda is also issuing shares to raise $1.9 billion in order to aid its position and get production started in Mexico and Thailand. It is also aggressively seeking a partner and considering licensing its SkyActiv technology.

Mazda looking to shrink U.S. workforce by offering buyouts, layoffs possible

When Cerberus Capital Management owned Chrysler, it put former CEO Bob Nardelli in charge of The Pentastar. When Nardelli left, shortly after Chrysler came out of bankruptcy, he stepped across the corporate drawbridge and into a role at Cerberus, heading its Operations and Advisory Company. Now, Bloomberg reports that he’s leaving that role in order to focus on his own investment and consulting firm, XLR-8, although he’ll remain a senior advisor to Cerberus CEO Stephen Feinberg. Nardelli will also give up the CEO position at Freedom Group, a position he’s held for two months at the Cerberus-owned firearms maker.

This is Nardelli’s third departure in five years, having left The Home Depot in 2007 and Chrysler in 2009, but this time it’s without any obvious controversy after a quiet tenure. His own firm, XLR-8, will keep him in the private equity ranks, as his company’s mission is “to raise money to acquire underperforming companies, and to help them operate more profitably and improve their enterprise value.” He will maintain a connection to Cerberus through his own company, with the private equite house expected to be lead investor on XLR-8’s transactions.

Ex-Chrysler CEO Nardelli exits Cerberus

The Superbus, the project of a series of university students in Delft, Holland, is so gloriously absurd it’s surreal. It’s a 49-foot-long public bus that’s 5.6 feet high, runs on electricity, seats 23 passengers in individual captain’s chairs, has 16 gullwing doors, is intended to go 155 miles per hour and, while it doesn’t follow routes, will receive smartphone texts and pick you up at your location.

Most important: it’s been in development for five years and, yes, it’s real. The student engineers took it out after a snowfall in the Netherlands for some ABS testing and not only did they get it up to a claimed 85 kilometers per hour (about 53 mph), it looks pretty composed. Follow the jump to watch how it handles emergency maneuvers.

Continue reading You Don’t See That Everyday: Superbus brake-testing in the snow

You Don’t See That Everyday: Superbus brake-testing in the snow

Ford is turning to prime-time TV to introduce the 2013 Escape. The vehicle will be front and center in “Escape Routes,” a new NBC reality show that pits six teams of two against one another in a road-trip competition with layovers in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Miami and San Francisco. Viewers, meanwhile, can interact with the show’s contestants and participate via EscapeRoutes.com. Ford says the online community will even have a chance to impact the final outcome of the game, though it’s unclear exactly how.

Currently, NBC and Ford have chosen five teams for the competition, and four more duos are currently duking it out for the last spot. According to the automaker, the team that takes home the gold in the final competition will win $100,000 and two Ford Escape models. “Escape Routes” is set to air for six episodes on Saturday nights at 8 pm EST, starting on March 31. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Ford teams up with NBC for Escape-based reality TV show

Ford teams up with NBC for Escape-based reality TV show

Dodge has officially unveiled the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Charger, and as you can see in the image above, tweeted by NASCAR at the ceremony, it follows in the footsteps of the 2013 Ford Fusion Cup car, with styling and detailing that’s more true to the street car than the generic silhouettes being run by all teams this season.

SB Nation’s Jeff Gluck reports that at the ceremony, SRT CEO Ralph Gilles was upbeat about the new race car’s prospects for next season, saying that there’s already a lot of interest from different Cup outfits, and that he expects to announce which team or teams will be running the car in 2013 by mid-summer.

The new car’s unveiling puts a more upbeat spin on an otherwise down week for Doge and SRT’s motorsports arm, which absorbed a punch to the gut when Penske Racing announced that it was ending its relationship with Dodge after this season to campaign the new NASCAR Ford Fusion in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

After all the pre-race ceremonies concluded, the new racer hit the track to lead the field on the pace lap for today’s Kobalt 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Continue reading 2013 NASCAR Dodge Charger Sprint Cup car unveiled in Las Vegas

2013 NASCAR Dodge Charger Sprint Cup car unveiled in Las Vegas

That isn’t double vision you’re experiencing, it’s the Gigahorse. Said to be the “hero car” in Mad Max: Fury Road, the ride, snapped by a Moviehole.net reader, is a double-bodied ‘59 Cadillac with two supercharged V8s connected by a planetary gear, sitting on a monster-truck chassis and sporting a four-bladed cow catcher. With Charlize Theron as Furiosa alongside Tom Hardy as Mad Max, it’s unknown which hero the Gigahorse might serve but it’s certainly bat**** crazy enough for The Mad One.

Production is setting up in Namibia (because the Aussie outback has gotten too green, according the director), and peeks at the movie’s other rides have shown at least one other car as big as a semi, a couple of buggies and, of course, enough tractor-trailers to remake Convoy. A stuntman said the movie would have “130 cars and bikes and 198 stunts.”

Speaking of Theron, last November George Miller said he’d film Fury Road and Mad Max: Furiosa (Mad Maxes 4 and 5, essentially) back-to-back and that production could take 2.5 years, so it might be some time before we see the Gigahorse in the local multiplex.

Mad Max’s Gigahorse is monstrous, insane

Toyota has assembled its talent roster for this year’s Pro/Celebrity Race. Names from all corners of entertainment will go head to head against pro drivers in identically-prepared Scion tC racers during a 10-lap battle over a 1.97-mile course on the streets of Long Beach, California. 2012 marks the 36th running of the event, which will feature comedian and podcast personality Adam Carolla, Top Gear USA host and friend of Autoblog Rutledge Wood, and former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. Pros like Frederic Aasbo and Bryan Clauson will also go fender to fender with the amateurs on track.

While we love to watch celebrities bash into each other, the real point of the event is to raise money for charity. Toyota donates $5,000 per entry to the winner’s charity of choice, and kids from various children’s hospitals all around the country get a chance to hang out with their favorite celebrities before the race kicks off on April 13. Check out the press release after the jump.

Continue reading Toyota Pro/Celebrity race will feature Rutledge Wood, Cain Velasquez

Toyota Pro/Celebrity race will feature Rutledge Wood, Cain Velasquez

Scott Burgess, former auto critic for The Detroit News, has joined the AOL Autos / Autoblog team. He is a veteran automotive journalist with six years in Detroit covering the auto industry and a Michigan native. Each month he’ll dig deeper into the industry’s sales figures and file this By The Numbers special report.

Now that I’ve figured out how to open my email, what in fact my email address is, and where the office is, I’ve been able to catch my breath and go through the February sales figures.

Lots of people were excited over the February sales numbers, which were the highest since 2009, declaring the end of tough times and announcing only big profits ahead.

Then again, that may not be exactly true. Yes, it was a 15-million-a-year sales pace, outperforming everyone’s expectations with sales jumping 15.7 percent compared to the same month last year. But people are waiting to buy cars like never before. The average age of a vehicle on the road is over 10 years old, a trend growing for nearly 20 years, according to a Polk research firm study. Polk says that people are just hanging onto vehicles longer because they’re worried about the economy. To think about how different times were 10.8 years ago – Ford Motor Co. had just (re)introduced the all new Fabulous Thunderbird, which, someone is holding onto right now.

So the depression/recession party may not be over, but times are still good. Here are the things I learned by examining the February sales figures.

1. LOTS OF PEOPLE WANT CARS

This February, cars outsold trucks 53.3 to 46.7 percent.

Throughout the industry, car sales jumped 23.9 percent compared to February last year. (Truck sales rose 7.6 percent.)

There are lots of reasons for the jump, though my gut says that people buying new vehicles are also listening to the fear mongering concerning climbing gas prices. Don’t expect either trend to end any time soon.

A more important trend might be that in February 2011, trucks outsold cars 50.3 percent to 49.7 percent. This February, cars outsold trucks 53.3 percent to 46.7 percent.

However, the big difference between 2008 and 2012, the last time gas prices skyrocketed, are that Detroit’s carmakers have a solid collection of little cars ranging from the Ford Fiesta and Focus to the Chevy Cruze and soon-to-be released Dodge Dart. More on the Chevy Sonic later. The key for Detroit is to see if people associate fuel efficient vehicles with those brands. When times get tough, people tend to go with the brands they assume are the most efficient, even when they’re not.

Continue reading Digging Deeper: February 2012 sales figures

Digging Deeper: February 2012 sales figures

Guess we called this one from the outset. Looking like a Mulsanne that just ate a Continental Flying Spur for breakfast and a GT for lunch, the Bentley EXP 9 F concept was the biggest disappointment – and we mean that literally – of the Geneva Motor Show. Apparently, Bentley must have agreed with our headline, because it’s working on a new design for it’s first production SUV, according to Britain’s What Car? magazine.

According to the report, Bentley officials have admitted that the design was “heavy handed” and have promised to tone it down, as the SUV heads toward a likely 2015 on-sale date. Potential changes include “slightly smaller” headlights, and “more traditional SUV proportions,” according to the magazine’s source.

We hope Bentley goes a bit further and just starts from scratch, dumping the sedan-ified SUV look entirely. If Bentley is bound and determined to sell an SUV, it should come up with something distinctive for the brand that doesn’t just ape the classic look of its car line.

That Didn’t Take Long: Bentley SUV redesign already in the works

It looks as if work is officially underway on the next Maserati Quattroporte. Our spy photo friends managed to click the first few images of a pre-production prototype stretching its legs on public streets. The four-door is covered in enough cladding to successfully obscure any hint of new body work, but from what we’re told, there’s a whole new chassis under there. The rear-wheel-drive architecture is built to accommodate all-wheel drive as well. Where, perchance, would Maserati secure the engineering to put power to all four corners? If the whispers we hear are true, the tech could be lifted from none other than the Ferrari FF.

Speaking of Ferrari, the next-generation Quattroporte will likely continue to get its thrust from the same beefy Italian V8 found in the current generation, though adjustments for either power or fuel consumption would be a smart guess. We’ve even heard hints of a hybrid drivetrain in development. Stay tuned. With prototypes on the road, it’s only a matter of time before we spot one with a little more metal showing.

First prototype of 2013 Maserati Quattroporte caught

Every form of motorsport requires a certain level of integration between man and machine. Drivers need to be able to quickly and accurately interpret what’s going on with their vehicle and react accordingly, but superbike racing pushes that requirement to new bounds. Overshoot a corner, get too close to a competitor or simply get too greedy and riders can find themselves personally acquainted with the track surface.

Taro Russel recently took the time to attempt to capture the kind of partnership that grows between rider and bike in a new promo for superbike racing. Set to some solid Killers tunes, sketches of bone, muscle and organ grow before our very eyes. The ad is properly innovative, and the clips lifted from various races all but ensure an uptick in pulse by the time the screen goes black. Too cool. The video can be seen below so you can check it out for yourself.

Continue reading British Eurosport superbike teaser gets under our skin

British Eurosport superbike teaser gets under our skin

We don’t typically lose control of our faculties at the sight of the latest supercar. In most cases, the vehicles are slightly different shades of the same theme: high horsepower, low slung, two seats and a super-exclusive price tag to match.

While the Lamborghini Aventador J certainly fulfills all of those criteria, the roofless wonder also boasts the sort of brash ostentatiousness that’s been missing from the upper echelon of automotive engineering recently. The roadster design is so perfectly over the top, we can’t help but love it. Lamborghini has crafted a quick montage depicting the vehicle’s development, from lowly CAD design to the untold multitude of parts and pieces that go into assembling the final product.

This clip is too brief to satiate our manufacturing geekery, but it’s better than nothing. Look below to check out the video for yourself. It may be the closest any of us actually get to glimpsing the 700-horsepower behemoth.

Continue reading Lamborghini takes us through the development of the Aventador J

Lamborghini takes us through the development of the Aventador J

Life In The Commuter Lane

Form follows function, so it’s easy to find one element of a vehicle that explains everything you need to know about it.

Look at the widened haunches of a 911 and you know there’s serious hardware in the Porsche’s rump. Check the elongated bed of an F-150 and its obvious the Ford should be roaming free on the ranch. Look at a Smart ForTwo… Actually, don’t. It’s for your own good.

So when I opened the door to the 2012 Toyota Prius V, a single feature stood out: the cupholder. Encircled in a chrome ring and mounted dead-center in the massive armrest, this lone receptacle was the defining feature of the interior. As it should be. The Prius is the commensurate commuter and the V variant’s raised roof and enlarged hatch make it even more practical for Mommy and Daddy carpool duty. At least in theory.

Continue reading 2012 Toyota Prius V

2012 Toyota Prius V

If ever a car made us think of mullets, Cragars, racing suits and Natty Light, this is it. And we don’t mean that in a bad way. The COPO Camaro concept that Chevrolet showed off at SEMA last year is officially becoming a production reality for everyone; however, only 69 people will be able to own it. In celebration of the 69 COPO Camaro ZL1s built in 1969, Chevrolet is building just that many of its modern drag-strip-only racer.

Two engine choices have been mentioned previously: a 427-cubic-inch V8 for AA Stock racing and a 327-cubic-inch V8 with a 4.0-liter supercharger for A Stock racing. Now, a third engine choice has been added: another 327-cubic-inch engine but with a 2.9-liter supercharger for B Stock. If you want all three engines Chevy will install one and provide the other two, all with matching numbers. Shifting is handled with a Powerglide automatic, and color schemes include Metallic White, Semi-Gloss Black, Inferno Orange Metallic and Chevy Racing Blue.

The price of entry is $89,000. How can you be one of the lucky? Chevrolet isn’t saying. An “independent third party” chose the initial buyers, but it isn’t clear how many slots are left or how they’ll be distributed. Follow the jump for a press release with more info.

Continue reading Chevy will build 69 COPO Camaro drag racers

Chevy will build 69 COPO Camaro drag racers

Believe it or not, Hartmann isn’t all about high-performance vehicles. The company just showed off its latest take on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. The SP5 Conference boasts an interior inspired by the trappings of Air Force One and features front seats that can swivel 180 degrees to face rear passengers. You know, for conferencing and the like.

A small table can be folded into place and boasts swivel function of its own. Beyond the rear, forward-facing seats, a kitchenette with cabinet space, a Nespresso coffee machine and a handful of 12-volt outlets for other appliances. Ambient lighting spread throughout the cabin helps set the mood indoors, and extensive insulation work keeps the interior cozy even when the weather isn’t.

Of course, The SP5 Conference couldn’t wear the Hamann name without a few exterior flourishes thrown into the mix. The van is equipped with a complete body kit, including a new front fascia, side sills and rear valance. Massive 20 inch wheels are part of the exterior treatment as well.

Hartmann channels Air Force One with new Sprinter-based SP5 Conference van

Former and current Toyota driver Neal Bates started his rally career over 20 years ago. While that seems like a long time to have been racing, even back then a 1980 Toyota Celica was pretty old school. Mr. Bates and his friends at Toyota set out to prove that the old Celica is still cool by giving the RA40 dirt runner a full restore ahead of its ARC debut in Melbourne.

Bates, Coral Taylor and the 32-year-old Celica took first in the opening round of the 2012 Australian Rally Championship, and if you watch the video below, you’ll see why. Bates put the beefed-up Celica through its paces, and it looks like he hasn’t lost a step.

Continue reading Watch a restored 1980 Toyota Celica rally car put through its paces by Neal Bates

Watch a restored 1980 Toyota Celica rally car put through its paces by Neal Bates

We may not have found much to like about the redesigned 2012 Nissan Versa sedan when we test drove it, but here’s something in its favor: A Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

While the old Nissan subcompact never made it to the top of the IIHS rankings, the new sedan earned its award by scoring “good” ratings in front, side, rollover, and rear tests and coming equipped with standard stability control, according to the IIHS. The 2011 and earlier Versas only scored “acceptable” in side impact and roof strength tests.

Keep in mind that the Top Safety Pick only applies to the new sedan, as a redesigned version of the hatchback has not yet launched. The 2012 Versa hatchback is the same design that’s been on sale since the 2007 model year.

See below for a video of the IIHS side impact test on the Versa sedan.

Continue reading Nissan Versa named IIHS Top Safety Pick [w/video]

Nissan Versa named IIHS Top Safety Pick [w/video]

Like pretty much any driver, we’ve had our share of car trouble over the years, both with vehicles loaned to us for review by automakers and our own private rides. What we haven’t experienced is being the first media outlet to plunk down over $100,000 for a luxury plug-in hybrid, only to have it konk out before we even put 200 miles on it.

That “honor” goes to Consumer Reports and their brand new Fisker Karma, which broke down during calibration tests, just a few days into CR’s ownership period. After the dashboard flashed a warning, the driver stopped to see what was wrong, and then couldn’t get the PHEV into gear again. Self-repairs (i.e., let’s leave it alone for an hour and see what happens) didn’t work and the manual was no help, so the nearby dealer sent out a flatbed truck to haul the Karma away. As CR writes:

We buy about 80 cars a year and this is the first time in memory that we have had a car that is undriveable before it has finished our check-in process.

The Karma’s problems are widespread. It has been plagued by a variety of problems, including two recalls, one for a software glitch and one for battery issues, following a long delay getting the car to market. Owners commenting on the FiskerBuzz forum are also reporting various issues. Not exactly behavior that leads to a “Recommended” rating.

Continue reading Fisker Karma owned by Consumer Reports breaks down

Fisker Karma owned by Consumer Reports breaks down

If you’re looking at this auction and thinking, “Who in the hell would pay six figures for a derelict Dodge van covered in graffiti?,” just go ahead and check out our Geneva coverage or something.

Whatever. Never mind.

Because to those of us who watch Portlandia and never stopped buying records (yes, hipster Millenials, they’re called records, not “vinyls”), this van might as well be a time machine. Just thinking about a band like the Melvins takes us back to being young, to a time where anything was possible …

Well, that’s just patently untrue.

When the current owner of this 1972 Dodge Sportsman van acquired it from the mother of Melvins bassist Matt Lukin in 1992, nothing was possible. Or at least that sort of nihilism was the zeitgeist of the era.

The van itself was the seminal grunge band’s tour vehicle, reportedly having been both driven and illustrated by none other than Kurt Cobain, a great admirer and friend of the band in the late 1980s. The van’s value is derived almost entirely from a mural of the band Kiss that Cobain drew on its side, which is why the “Melvan” is not listed on eBay Motors, but in eBay’s art section.

Cobain, of course, went on to later fame as frontman of Nirvana, but committed suicide in 1994, the same year the van last saw use. If there’s one thing that Cobain made clear through his suicide, it’s that angst-as-religion doesn’t play out well. With his passing, grunge began to die off, and the rest of us were forced to grow up.

We’re old now, most of us fans are at least pushing 40, if not already “over the hill.” This makes an artifact like the Melvan desirable for sheer nostalgia, but there’s more to it than that. Most Cobain-related memorabilia seem unfortunately tarnished by his ultimate demise, while this piece harkens back to an earlier, more hopeful point in Cobain’s life. A time before the fame and drugs and pressures of public life conspired to destroy him.

Think about it: Who would draw Kiss on the side of a junky old van with a Sharpie other than a goofy kid? That seems like the best imaginable way to remember Kurt.

eBay Find of the Day: Kurt Cobain-decorated 1972 Dodge Sportsman “Melvan”