admits it only needs to sell a half dozen to cover its development costs. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the 2013 Audi RS4 Avant. execs have made it clear that its hottest midsize Avant won’t be coming to the States anytime soon, so if you’re particularly sensitive to forbidden fruit, stop reading now.
Like the RS5, the RS4 Avant packs Audi’s meticulously crafted 4.2-liter V8 putting out 450 horsepower at a stratospheric 8,250 RPM and 317 pound-feet of torque from 4,000 to 6,000 RPM. A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox sends power to Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system, including a beefed up version of the ’s torque vectoring rear differential. The run to 60 blows past in the high four-second range and while the “standard” top speed is limited to 155 miles per hour, grease the palms at the Audi service department and you’ll max out at 174 mph.
The 14.4-inch front rotors are framed by standard 19-inch lightweight wheels, with optional 14.9-inch carbon ceramic discs barely obscured by 20-inch hoops. A customizable, active suspension is fitted at all four corners, dropping the RS4 by nearly an inch over its standard Avant counterpart.
Pricing hasn’t been set, but sales are due to begin this fall in Germany. And if Audi can make the case in the States, we hear the next generation could be a global model.
We Americans may only be a few calendar flips away from the launch of the 250-horsepower , but in Europe, an even more pint-sized hot hatch is about to be unleashed. Here at the , the Blue Oval’s European counterparts have just unveiled the , a three-door version of the five-door ST concept that we saw at the last November. And while executives have said that they’re “open to the idea” of bringing this model to the States, we’ll wait for official confirmation before we get too excited.
Just like the concept, the production Fiesta ST is powered by a 1.6-liter EcoBoost inline-four delivering 177 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. That grunt runs to the front wheels via a six-speed manual transmission (no word about an optional dual-clutch unit), and Ford claims that the Fiesta ST will be able to shuffle to 60 miles per hour in less than seven seconds on its way to a top speed somewhere just below the 140-mph mark.
The Fiesta ST will launch in Europe sometime in early 2013. All we can say is, if Ford is going to tease us Americans with ST concepts at U.S. auto shows, it had better be prepared to deliver.
Lighter. Faster. Efficient-er. These three adjectives are things you definitely want to hear when talking about a new sports car, and the embodies all three.
A new all-aluminum body reduces weight by 55 pounds across the model range, meaning the new base Boxster tips the scales at a scant 2,889 pounds, while the more powerful S weighs in at 3,043 pounds. The standard car is powered by a direct-injected 2.7-liter flat-six with 265 horsepower, while the Boxster S uses a DI 3.4-liter flat-six with 315 horsepower – gains of 10 and five horses versus the 2012 models, respectively. A six-speed manual comes as standard kit (sorry, no seven-speed stick here), but buyers can opt for Porsche’s fancy PDK dual-clutch gearbox (that does have seven speeds, by the way).
Performance? The base Boxster with dual-clutch PDK gearbox is estimated to hit 60 miles per hour in just 5.4 seconds and the Boxster S will do that same jaunt in just 4.7. Of course, that’s before you opt for the Sport and Sport Chrono packs that will surely knock a few tenths off of those numbers.
The 2013 Boxster officially hits North American showrooms this summer, priced from $49,500 ($60,900 for the S). We’ll be getting our first stint behind the wheel shortly after the wraps up, so stay tuned for a full report.
has been hinting at the possibility of a full-size ultra-luxury SUV for a few years and here in the rumors finally became reality in all their awkwardly majestic glory.
Just as awkward is the ‘ute concept’s name:, which is about as imaginative and puzzling as its styling. If you were to task a sophomore Photoshop wizard to digitally create a Bentley SUV, this would be the result. And that’s probably the most disappointing aspect of the EXP 9 F – its utter predictability.
Grabbing bits from the and range, mounting them up front, raising the ride height and then adding a liftback hatch is the easy way out. Same for the interior, which takes Bentley’s bespoke aesthetic and gives it the Big Gulp treatment. Maybe we’re too plebeian, but for this ute’s target demographic, it just doesn’t carry the gravitas you’d expect of something this large wearing the Flying B.
The same applies to the drivetrain, which utilizes the 6.0-liter W12 that’s been doing duty in the Continental for years. The only interesting propulsion proposition is the possible fitment of Bentley’s new V8, augmented with an electric motor and battery pack to make the world’s largest and least efficient plug-inhybrid.
It’s just bad on all sides, so like the concept before it, we’re hoping Bentley sees the light, heads back to the drawing board and comes up with something befitting of such a storied marque. Just after it quietly pulls it off the show stand, just like did two years ago.
Ah, Europe: The land of forbidden wagons. Automakers like and may have taken a chance and brought out new wagons in the United States over the past few years, but it doesn’t mean that the Yankee market will be flooded with useful premium cargo-haulers anytime soon. A shame, too, since Jaguar’s new is an estate we’d love to see parked at Autoblog Towers. She’s pretty.
We love the look of the refreshed-for-2012 , and thankfully, none of the cat’s sleekness has been tainted with the addition of a larger hind quarters. The car goes on sale in Europe in the third quarter of 2012 with a choice of two diesel engines measuring 2.2 and 3.0 liters. Either powerplant is matched with an eight-speed automatic and sends its power exclusively to the rear wheels.
Take some time to drool over the XF Sportbrake by clicking through our attached high-res image gallery and for the details in Jaguar’s press release.
Give the people what they want. And when it comes to China, the people – or more accurately, the gilded class – want their rides long. Extra long. And Ruf is all too happy to oblige, stretching a some 400mm; 250mm at the B-pillar and another 150mm at the rear door.
The effect inside is even more luxurious than its standard stablemate, with acres of legroom and a custom quilted upholstery fit for even the most oversized NBA retiree. From the outside, it’s… awkward, as most stretches of this variety are.
But the obvious question is obvious: Why buy a Porsche when your confined to the back? Regardless, give your chauffeur a gift this spring by plunking down the $250,000+ Ruf is expected to ask for the .
We’re almost ready to record Episode #272 of the Autoblog Podcast, and we’re excited to be joined this week by of . Check out the topics below and you can join us live via , as well, and we’ve embedded our UStream player after the jump. Thanks for listening!
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #272
While Conan O’Brien may not be the car guy that Jay Leno is, for our money, he’s funnier. Especially when he’s , in this case, rubbing elbows with monster truck drivers.
But Coco doesn’t just play the redneck card and point and laugh. He actually suits up in full Nomex and drives one of the most famous monster trucks of all time, Grave Digger. While Conan’s performance behind the wheel is pretty tame by Monster Jam standards, he sure seems like he’s having fun and it translates into some laugh-out-loud comedy.
No matter how you might feel about the sport of crushing derelict vehicles, we’re pretty sure there’s some little part of everyone that would like to get behind the wheel of one of these awesome trucks and unleash 1,500 horses of destruction at least once in their life.
File this one under sketchy. has been tipped off to what is purported to be a patent filing for an Acura NSX Convertible. And as you can see from the photo above, that’s about all we have to go on.
Is this in fact a droptop version of Honda’s supercar? Or is it nothing more than Honda’s due diligence to protect its intellectual property rights? Either way, it’s got the NSX fans in a tizzy trying to figure out what exactly it means, when they can (dream about) buying one, how much they’ll (never be able to) pay and why the original NSX is better/worse than the new one.
Feel free to continue these and other arguments here on Autoblog. Check out the original post and related comments on for more fodder, but not before taking a gander at the images above.
Though the doesn’t open until tomorrow morning, automakers have thrown the doors open on their own evening events in order to get a captive audience away from the show. We’ve just returned from the bright lights of and its new A-Class reveal, and we have to say, it looks far more enticing than .
Displayed in a trio of uplevel trims, we were particularly taken with the bold surfacing on the car’s two-box profile, as well as the unique and premium-looking “diamond” grille treatments derived from . Even the interiors come off as upscale, with convincing carbon fiber-look dashboard treatments and round HVAC vents that riff on those of the gullwing.
Simply put, the loaded interiors we saw put even the cabins to utter shame, and they shade those of the current (a new one is being introduced here in Geneva), and anything in the portfolio. They even seem to be surprisingly roomy – we observed a journalist who had to be six-foot, six-inches find a comfortable seating position without issue. Said scribe had also driven to the show in a new and proclaimed the materials in the new A-Class to be “not that far off.”
A-Class hatches new level of refinement for its class [w/video]
-Benz A-Class hatches new level of refinement for its class [w/video]
We record Episode #272 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, and we’ll be joined by from the . You can drop us your questions via our Q&A module below, check out our discussion topics or chime in to help determine what else the crew chats about this evening. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast if you haven’t already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.
Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #272
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If the Geneva Motor Show is good for anything, it’s getting a closer look at some of the world’s more lust-worthy vehicles, including the . Like its hardtop twin, the GTC gets its power from a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine good for 500 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque. Coupled to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the engine can push the big convertible to 60 mph in a scant 4.7 seconds. Top speed is a suitably ludicrous 187 mph, though Bentley says the GTC V8 produces better fuel economy than ever before.
How much better? The forced-induction V8 delivers up to 40 percent better fuel economy than models equipped with the heavy-breathing W12 engine, thanks in part to a cylinder deactivation system that allows the engine to run part-time on just four cylinders.
While the GTC V8 comes with 20-inch wheels as standard equipment, buyers may also opt for 21-inch rollers if they so desire. for the full press release.
This is the production version of the Ford Fiesta ST, and except for the fact that it’s missing a couple of doors, it looks just like the we saw at the last year. Of course, the two-door version is cooler, which should be all the clue you need that we won’t be getting it in America. Ford is, however, “open to the idea” of bringing it here.
The specs match the concept: 1.6-litre EcoBoost with 177 horsepower and a top speed beyond 125 miles per hour, along with torque vectoring, three ESP stages and Ford’ MyKey – all of which should make it a fabulously good time when it goes on sale in Europe in 2013.
A “pre-production” example will get a showing at the tomorrow, and we’ll have a fuller report on it then, but there’s a with more details. Perhaps between the show and 2013, Ford can be convinced to ship it this way when it decides to “say more about our plans for other markets.”
Not to spoil the rest of this article, but the number one thing that the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth has going for it is its styling. That isn’t to say the rest of the car isn’t worth writing home about – quite the contrary, actually – but if there’s one driving factor that makes you want to run to the dealership and spend your hard-earned dollars on an Abarth, it’s how it looks. You’ll read a vast variety of opinions across this great big Interweb about the 500 Abarth’s driving dynamics, interior refinement and value, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find one critic who considers the Abarth anything less than molto bella.
Smart, then, that the Chrysler Group chose to employ European goddess supermodel Catrinel Menghia for its starring the 500 Abarth, ending the 60-second commercial with the phrase, “You’ll never forget the first time you see one.”
So three months after we first met the North American-spec 500 Abarth in person at the , we finally got the chance to see if our lust for the cute little Italian runs more than skin-deep. On Fiat’s invitation we hit the roads – and track – around Las Vegas to see exactly how powerful the scorpion’s sting really is.
A seriously stretched Cadillac XTS has been snapped during cold-weather testing doing what appeared to be checks of its traction-control, braking and stability systems, according to our spy photographers. With the Town Car having left the building, probably sees a huge opportunity not only , but also in the celebs-and-prom-kids segment.
More than once the spy photogs mentioned the size of this car, and it looks massive even from its best angle. Another option for its use is as a new presidential limo to replace the rolling Imperial Starship that is the current Cadillac One, though while that vehicle does have the body of a Cadillac, its underpinnings come from a medium-dutyChevrolet Kodiak truck.
The Seat Toledo Concept that we’ll see at the is the precursor for the Seat Toledo that will go on sale later this year in Spain – hence its description as a “close-to-production study.” The “study” part is how Seat has integrated its , and concepts into a production sedan, and how it plans to make that car “exceptionally good value for money.”
This will be the fourth generation of the Seat, which, in its 20-year lifespan, has been both a trunked vehicle and a five-door hatchback. This “concept” splits the difference: it looks like a three-box sedan but it’s actually a five-door hatchback. The liftgate at the rear helps it achieve a 500-liter cargo capacity.
As the Spanish brand’s version of the , it will enter the range under the Ibiza and above the Leon and be built on the AO-plus platform from parent company . Prices are €13,000 to €14,000. for a press release with more details.
-bound Seat Toledo showcar is a concept in name only
The party can’t really begin until Mansory shows up, and here they are with a McLaren MP4-12C that has been turned into “a work of art.” Since Mansory makes most of its paintings in carbon fiber, that means new hood, roof, rear wing and mirror housings as well as wider fenders that stretch the car by 60 mm. Let’s not forget the unique daytime driving lights, either. Mansory touts its work as being not only beautiful but better for acceleration, braking and fuel economy.
Final touches include a new ECU and high-performance exhaust, which bumps horsepower by 68 and torque by three pound-feet, boosting top speed to nearly 219 mph. The wheels are Mansory two-piece lightweight forged numbers measuring 20 inches up front and 21 inches at the back.
There’s an official info sheet after the jump and you know we’ll get a closer look at it on the Geneva floor.
Back in January we heard rumors that would to the . Once the SUV was ruled out, that left the and a surprise for which guesses have ranged from the replacement to the production Sesto Elemento to something else.
That something else appears to be the car shown above. Reportedly dubbed Avendador J, it’s a minimalist speedster variant of Lamborghini’s flagship supercar, and it got an early reveal this weekend at . The car loses its roof entirely, has a tiny windscreen, and reportedly dumps all unnecessary amenities like air conditioning and an audio system. Any additional weight-saving measures Lamborghini has put into effect will be revealed tomorrow, when the car debuts at the Volkswagen Group’s preview gala.
There’s much speculation online as to whether the Aventador J will be produced an any number. In truth, it doesn’t even matter. If Lamborghini builds any, it will sell all of them, immediately, at whatever price it asks.
Now, Lamborghini also released a video teasing the car’s Geneva unveiling, which ends with the hashtag #Unica on the screen. That translates to “only” in English, which could suggest that the Aventor J is, in fact, a one-off.
to watch the teaser, and stay tuned here as all the Geneva festivities ramp up starting Monday evening. We’ll be on hand to bring you news and photos of the new Lambos as they’re revealed.
has teased its 2013 car for the Sprint Cup series, and perhaps it goes farthest with NASCAR’s switch to bodies at its top level that look more like their street counterparts. In the deep red and shadows above you can make out the same greenhouse and character lines from the Charger in the showroom.
It will be revealed in full on March 11, just before the Sprint Cup race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. While we’ll know what it will look like then, we probably won’t know who’ll be driving it in the aftermath of that he’s switching his team to .
The body, however, has already been revealed accidentally. Scale modeler paid a visit to Roger Penske’s shop to get details on liveries for other modelers, and while he was there in the public area, two shop employees wheeled the new body across the floor. If it’s any conslation to Dodge, we agree with Sam Hornish: it does look good.
Roger Penske has run a NASCAR operation off and on since 1972, and continuously since 1991. In that time his drivers have piloted cars from AMC, , , , and, for the last nine years, . Penske announced this week, though, that 2012 would be his team’s last year with Dodge and that 2013 would inaugurate a new partnership with Ford. There’s another Dodge in the Sprint Cup field driven by Robby Gordon, but Penske has been .
Autoweek reports that the move isn’t over money, but Penske’s desire against some same-brand competition, and that the association with Ford would make that possible. To us that sounds like excessive chivalry. Had Penske Racing been winning with Dodge, would it really swap makers just to make closer comparisons? In the last eight years Penske took the Nationwide series in 2010 with Brad Keselowski, but in the Sprint Cup, the team has won just 18 times in 764 starts.
The 2013 Sprint Cup car is set to be revealed next week at the race in Las Vegas. The question now is, who will run the new car?
Both Penske and SRT CEO Ralph Gilles say they’re focused on winning this year, and in a statement Gilles added, “We do value our NASCAR program and will be evaluating the opportunities available moving forward.”
Follow the jump for the press releases from Dodge and Ford on the latest events.
