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How do you determine how environmentally friendly an automobile is? Certainly, fuel efficiency will be factored in rather highly, as will all manner of tailpipe emissions. But that’s only part of the story. Consider that there are many ways to power a vehicle; gasoline, diesel, electricity or any combinations thereof. Plus, you have to determine what actually goes into producing the vehicle and getting it into the hands of the consumer.

As you can see, assigning environmental grades to our current crop of cars and trucks is anything but an exact science, and the results will no doubt be swayed by how much emphasis is put on any given factor. And so it comes as no surprise that there are a number of differing opinions concerning the latest green machines to hit the market, and that may apply to the 2011 Chevrolet Volt more than any other.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy publishes a list of green vehicles every year. For the last few, the Honda Civic GX has parlayed its compressed natural gas running gear into a victory on the ACEEE’s report. We won’t argue with that determination, and we also don’t see any issues with the all-electric Nissan Leaf earning the silver position… but that’s where things get murkier. The Smart Fortwo comes in at number three, followed by the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Honda Insight. The next five slots are filled with compact and subcompact sedans and hatchbacks.

Are you asking yourself where the Volt fits in? So was Chevrolet. Speaking to Forbes, GM spokesman Rob Peterson had this to say:

Their logic would escape the majority of consumers. If you look at the EPA ratings for the Smart fortwo at 33 city and 41 highway, it’s actually less than the Volt’s after the electric range is exhausted. We’re being penalized against the Smart because our car is a four-seater with a battery pack and therefore weighs more. And we lose against the Leaf because we have a gas engine. But you really have to look at how the car is actually used – their methodology doesn’t add up.

No matter your personal opinion, one thing is for certain: As more and more category-bending vehicles hit the market, this topic isn’t going to be resolved any time soon.

[Source: Forbes]

Report: GM displeased with Volt’s low rating from ACEEE

We’ve seen lots of ways for an automaker to unveil a new car. They can do it online, at a special event, at an auto show. They can show us sketches and spy shots, they can give us a full array of photos, or they can make it all a big surprise when they pull back the sheet live in person. But this has got to be a new one: Opel has given us our first look at its latest concept car via hologram.

Well, not quite. It’s not like we’re looking at the hologram right now. What we’re looking at is a picture of a hologram, ostensibly generated by an iPad held by Opel/Vauxhall’s design chief Mark Adams. But that’s not the point: the point is that GM’s European and British subsidiaries will be unveiling this new concept next week in Geneva, and we won’t need a hologram or an iPad to see it.

The show car is called the Zafira Tourer Concept, and serves as a preview for the next generation of minivan based on the Corsa. It’s one of several new debuts for Opel at the European expo, joining the production Ampera (the overseas version of the Chevy Volt) and facelifted versions of both the Antara crossover and Corsa hatchback. We’ll be on hand to see them up close and personal, but for now we’ve placed the press release after the jump for all those interested.

[Source: Vauxhall]

Continue reading Opel teases Zafira Tourer concept via hologram

Opel teases Zafira Tourer concept via hologram

Review: 2011 Audi A8

For lack of a better phrase, Audi has put old luxury on notice and infused some very welcome “sport” into its flagship.

Video: Mark Webber on the “naughty” Porsche 911 GT2 RS

We don’t really need to explain why a racecar driver would choose a 620-horsepower track-ready street assassin, do we?

Exclusive: Meet Rod “Torque” Redline from CARS 2

Rod “Torque” Redline from CARS 2 revealed exclusively on Autoblog!

Also of interest:

• Lexus gives us a closer look at the LFA Nürburgring package ahead of Geneva debut
• 2012 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet drops its top for the drive to Geneva
• 2012 Saab 9-3 gets styling upgrades, powertrain enhancements
• 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid priced from $53,700

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 2.23.11

It takes a while to get around the Nürburgring Nordschleife – around seven minutes in even the fastest of machinery with the best driver behind the wheel. But apparently it takes even longer to get around to releasing a special edition Nürburgring package that makes your go-fast supercar even more track-friendly.

We’re talking, of course, about the Lexus LFA Nürburgring package, ToMoCo’s six-figure V10 supercar fitted with extra kit for track duty. Lexus announced last May that they’d make 50 examples, and the better part of a year later, confirmed that it would finally be unveiled to the public at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Now less than a week away from its debut, Lexus has given us some additional details and images of the car which we only saw from three angles until now.

So what do we need to know? For starters, that extra ten horsepower isn’t meant to give the Nürburgring package-equipped LFA a quicker acceleration time. Nor a higher top end, either. The ten-horse boost is included to counteract the drag of the giant rear wing that helps keep the track-focused supercar glued to the Karussell. Also, while we knew the ‘Ring edition LFA could be had in white, black (matte or glossy) or orange (as pictured), Lexus has also confirmed that the interior can be trimmed in all black, black and red, or black and purple (a good match for the orange exterior if you were ever formerly known as ‘Prince’), and only European customers, for some reason, will get the full carbon-fiber interior.

There are more details to soak up in the press release after the jump, plus a new crop of images in the gallery below. But we’ll leave you with one more salient detail: Lexus is offering buyers one-on-one instruction from a ‘Ring master (or mistress) and a year’s free pass to lap the Nordschleife to your heart’s content. Of course, this is included in the $70,000 premium that the Nürburgring package commands over the already lofty $375,000 purchase price of an LFA. Tack on another $20K for the matte black finish, of course.

[Source: Lexus]

Continue reading Lexus gives us a closer look at the LFA Nürburgring package ahead of Geneva debut

Lexus gives us a closer look at the LFA Nürburgring package ahead of Geneva debut

A Plus-Sized S4 With World-Beating Tech

“Holy #&%*@^% $#^@!”

I have to admit losing track of how many times my hapless copilot uttered this – and countless other unpublishable phrases – from the passenger seat during our drive. But if I’m being honest, it doesn’t hold a candle to the endless string of explicatives running through my own mind.

The reason? I’m piloting a 2011 Audi A8 through a particularly tortuous stretch of California tarmac running between the Monterey Valley and the Pacific Coast, and for the better part of 20 miles, the driver of the tuned BMW 335i in the lead hasn’t seen anything other than the A8’s massive slatted grille in his rearview mirror. Just as impressive – if not more so – is the pair of worked-over E36 M3s that are having a hard time keeping up. And these guys are locals. They’ve been running this road for over a decade, only to have me show and spoil their ragtag rally in Audi’s latest luxo-bruiser.

I’d like to think that my hairpin heroics and high-speed capers are a testament to my own skills, but I’m not that deluded. I’ve been equipped with the standard auto journo-issued hamfists, and to think otherwise is to fall prey to motoring delusion and insult the work of Ingolstadt’s magicians. Audi’s new A8 is just that good, and the steer is just the half of it.

Continue reading Review: 2011 Audi A8…

Photos copyright (C)2011 Damon Lavrinc / AOL

Continue reading Review: 2011 Audi A8

Review: 2011 Audi A8

We’re pretty big fans of the Pixar film CARS and have been following closely the gestation of its sequel, CARS 2, due in theaters on June 24. To that end, we’ve already introduced you to a dozen brand new characters who’ll be rubbing bumpers with Lightning McQueen and Mater in the new movie. The folks at Pixar picked up on our enthusiasm and offered what is, to us, a very big honor: revealing a new character from CARS 2 exclusively on Autoblog!

So here he is. Meet Rod “Torque” Redline, described by the boys and girls at Pixar as “the greatest American spy in the world” and voiced by legendary Army of Darkness star Bruce Campbell. Clearly inspired by the best Made-in-the-USA muscle machines on the market today, Rod’s shape appears to be most heavily influenced by the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger, with just enough cues from both to keep his shape ambiguous enough to avoid the lawyers. Sorry Camaro, your influence seems AWOL on Mr. Redline, but you’re already the star of a little independant film franchise called Transformers. Regardless, Rod looks ready for action in what’s shaping up to be a much farther reaching story than the stuck-in-Radiator-Springs plot of the first film.

Check out Rod “Torque” Redline’s official description and turntable video after the jump, as well as our ongoing gallery of new CARS 2 character below.

Continue reading Exclusive: Meet Rod “Torque” Redline from CARS 2

Exclusive: Meet Rod “Torque” Redline from CARS 2

After releasing initial details and a solitary image, Volvo has followed up with more information and photos of its latest product. The V60 Plug-In Hybrid is billed as the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid, packing a 2.4-liter five-cylinder turbodiesel coupled with a 70-hp electric motor on the rear axle.

The hybrid diesel wagon enables the driver to select from one of three modes of propulsion: Pure for electric drive, Hybrid for alternating propulsion and Power for an extra boost from both. The flexible powertrain also gives the driver the option of conserving battery power and operating purely under diesel thrust (for instance when entering the city), as well as a through-the-road all-wheel-drive option by enabling both motors when traction is limited.

As a plug-in hybrid, the Volvo wagon can be charged in 7.5 hours on a 6 amp socket, 4.5 on 10 amps or as little as 3 hours at 16 amps. And while production targets weren’t spoken of in yesterday’s announcement, Volvo has now confirmed that the V60 Plug-In Hybrid will hit dealers next year. Follow the jump for the press release and check out the images in the gallery below for a closer look as the car’s debut at the Geneva Motor Show approaches.

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo confirms V60 Plug-In Hybrid for production ahead of Geneva debut

Volvo confirms V60 Plug-In Hybrid for production ahead of Geneva debut

Skoda has announced that it will unveil a new concept car at next week’s Geneva Motor Show, confirming earlier reports on its parent company’s plans for the European expo. Though little in the way of details were announced, Volkswagen’s Czech subsidiary has indicated that the show car will showcase the company’s latest design language.

The mysterious concept car – which does not appear in the solitary accompanying image above alongside its existing range – will also bear a fresh take on the Skoda logo, and will join the previously-announced Fabia Monte Carlo edition on the company’s show stand at the Geneva Palexpo. We’ll have to wait a little longer as the show approaches to find out more, but in the meantime you can read the full press blast after the jump.

[Source: Skoda]

Continue reading Skoda to showcase new design with fresh concept car in Geneva

Skoda to showcase new design with fresh concept car in Geneva

Rinspeed’s oddball creations are as much rare birds as they are strange ones. Every year we arrive in Geneva and take a good long look at the latest one before moving on, and then the cars are never to be seen again. And we wouldn’t expect any different from this year’s bizarre concept car.

Called the BamBoo, it’s the Swiss firm’s vision of a modern-day, all-electric, open-air beach buggy of sorts, and, like its predecessors, bears little in the way of resemblance to any other car on the road today. Well, maybe the old Fiat Jolly, Mini Moke and any number of fiberglass-bodied dune buggies…

So if you want to take a closer look at the BamBoo in its intended natural habitat – Saint-Tropez – check out the quartet of videos after the jump. Because the show will soon be over, and so will the car that Rinspeed built for it. Oh, and guys: looks like the driver above is single… says so right at the front of the car.

[Source: Caradisiac]

Continue reading Videos: Rinspeed BamBoo takes us on vacation from Geneva to Saint-Tropez

Videos: Rinspeed BamBoo takes us on vacation from Geneva to Saint-Tropez

Review: 2011 Dodge Durango

The 2011 Durango has emerged a significantly different and altogether leaner and meaner mid-size proposition than its predecessor.

Autoblog Podcast #218: 2012 Honda Civic, BMW “i”, Chevy MyLink, and GMC Granite

Topics include Chevrolet MyLink, the GMC Granite’s rumored re-greenlighting, the 2012 Honda Civic and BMW’s new “i” sub-brand.

Lamborghini Aventador leaked ahead of Geneva reveal?

Is this the first image of the completed Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4?

Also of interest:

• Opinion: Five Questions For Ray LaHood
• Subaru teases Boxer Sports Car Architecture ahead of Geneva debut
• Jeep Grand Cherokee with 3.0L diesel V6 to bow in Geneva
• Pair of Giugiaro Volkswagen concepts leak out ahead of Geneva debut
• Report: House votes ‘overwhelmingly’ to block E15 fuel

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Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 2.22.11

Mini’s latest production car – the Countryman – may be the automaker’s largest offering to date, but now the brand known for its pint-sized fighters is returning to its roots with its latest concept. But this isn’t a preview of the next-generation Cooper – oh no, no, no – it’s the Rocketman (cue Elton John). At just over 11 feet long, the bug-eyed little hatch is slightly shorter than a base Cooper hardtop and uses a unique three-plus-one interior seating arrangement. It isn’t gonna be a long, long time before we see the Rocketman in person, either – the concept makes its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week.

In creating the Rocketman, Mini’s main focus was to keep its petite body as light as possible. A carbon spaceframe makes up the main construction, and things like weight-saving wheels with an enclosed surface structure reduce drag to improve fuel economy. Speaking of economy, Mini says that the Rocketman is powered by “a drive system which combines further enhanced sprinting ability with average fuel consumption of just three liters per 100 kilometers (94 miles per gallon Imperial)” – about 78 mpg on the U.S. cycle. We don’t have details about what exactly powers the Mini concept, but we’d bet our bottom dollar that there’s some electrification involved.

The doors themselves are another bit of notable engineering. Upon opening, the doors pivot outwards complete with their sills, making ingress and egress to both the front and rear seats a breeze. From there, passengers are greeted with a three-plus-one seating concept, meaning that instead of a connectional bench seat in the rear, there is an individual chair behind the passenger seat. Behind the driver is a smaller seat where the backrest can be folded down to act as a storage surface. The interior is full of nifty, concept-spec LED lighting, and the latest in infotainment, including the auotmaker’s Mini Connected system with three-dimensional graphics and a steering wheel-mounted joystick for easy operation.

Mini’s Rocketman concept previews the future of small, urban mobility from the brand. This mini-Mini looks capable of retaining the automaker’s core values of driver involvement with seemingly endless personalization, and we encourage you to see all of its ins and outs for yourself in our high-res gallery below. Mini’s official press blast is available after the jump, as well.

[Source: Mini]

Continue reading Mini Rocketman Concept takes off ahead of Geneva debut

Mini Rocketman Concept takes off ahead of Geneva debut

Martin and Lewis. Farley and Spade. Frost and Pegg. Bell and Foust? Are Justin Bell and Tanner Foust the next great comedy duo? No. However, the two can drive around a track very quickly. Though their styles may differ, they have teamed up to set a baseline run in a 2012 Focus for Ford’s Global Test Drive Event.

Bell is a GT2 Champion and veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Tanner Foust is a champion drifter, X-Games gold medalist and overseas Rallycross rookie. The two can drive a car to say the least. Can they work together to put down a solid lap time with the 2012 Focus? Click past the jump to find out.

[Source: Ford via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Tanner Foust and Justin Bell set Focus Global Test Drive benchmark time… sort of.

Video: Tanner Foust and Justin Bell set Focus Global Test Drive benchmark time… sort of.

Mr. Peanut can’t be relegated to just any automobile. After all, as the face of Nabisco’s Planters division and as one of the most beloved (though just a wee bit creepy, if we’re being honest) mascots in American history, Sir Nut needs a ride suitable of his stature. And, since he’s apparently over 12 feet tall and carries a six-foot-long cane, we’re talking some significant stature.

Fittingly then, Planters has seen fit to replace Mr. Peanut’s old set of wheels with a brand-new Nutmobile. And this is no ordinary Nutmobile… if such a thing actually existed. Based on a 2011 Isuzu NPR truck with a diesel engine running a five-percent mixture of biodiesel (oddly not actually nut-based), this latest Nutmobile will be making appearances all around the country to “promote the peanut lifestyle” and draw support for The Corps Network.

According to The New York Times, this latest Nutmobile is quite the green machine. In addition to the biodiesel blend, it features “a wind turbine, solar panels, LED interior lighting, recycled parts and wood floors reclaimed from a 19th century Pennsylvania barn.” Guess it’s not very nutty after all, is it? Top tip, Jeff!

[Sources: Wired, The New York Times]

Planters cracks open a new ride for Mr. Nut

It took ten months. It involved the best brains in the nation. They conducted exhaustive tests. And Lord knows what it all cost. But when it was over, the results were totally predictable. The U.S. Department of Transportation could find nothing wrong with Toyota vehicles that would cause them to suddenly accelerate out of control.

The results were predictable because the country went through the same thing nearly a quarter of a century ago. Only then, it involved Audi. And in both of these cases, each car company was accused of having some sort of mysterious gremlin that would cause its cars to suddenly accelerate out of control.

But there is a significant difference between both investigations. Back then the Department of Transportation blamed it on driver error. Officially, they called it “pedal misapplication.” But this time around, the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, wouldn’t do that. He said it was caused by mechanical problems, i.e., sticky pedals and piled up floormats.

Too bad the Secretary didn’t have the courage to call it like it is. By failing to identify the root cause of the problem, more people are going to lose their lives.

Continue reading…

[Image: Chip Somodevilla/Getty]

Continue reading Opinion: Five Questions For Ray LaHood

Opinion: Five Questions For Ray LaHood

Finding Redemption Through Repetition, Groundhog Day Style

Two years ago, on a lark, my girlfriend and I clambered aboard a new Dodge Durango Hybrid and motored from Detroit to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to take in the kitschy phenomenon known as Groundhog Day. The idea was to do a combined road trip story and vehicle review, but Chrysler didn’t even wait for us to return home before it canceled production of the gas-electric SUV. In fact, it wasn’t much more than two months after its initial announcement that production was cancelled at the truck’s Delaware plant.

Blame Chrysler’s then-dire financial condition, but the hybrid Durango barely made a dent on the Pentastar’s production charts, lasting one model year and moving just 224 copies. Hold your belated “Who Killed the Electric SUV?” shrieks, though. Despite a nearly 25-percent increase in claimed fuel efficiency, the Durango Hybrid wasn’t a particularly good vehicle. This wasn’t wasn’t really its fault, of course, as the already aging second-generation Durango upon which it was based wasn’t a terribly refined piece to begin with.

Fast-forward to 2011, and we’ve commandeered an example of Dodge’s all-new third-generation Durango to make our second-ever pilgrimage to see Punxy Phil. More importantly, we’re using the trip as an opportunity to see if Chrysler has finally gotten around to building a better Durango.

Continue reading Review: 2011 Dodge Durango…

Photos copyright (C)2011 Chris Paukert / AOL

Continue reading Review: 2011 Dodge Durango

Review: 2011 Dodge Durango

Some automakers adopt the latest technologies in whatever form they come. Others define themselves around specific features. Take Subaru, for example, which has built up its reputation around two features: all-wheel drive and the boxer engine. In its joint venture with Toyota over a shared sportscar platform, Subaru may have had to give up on AWD (at least in conceptual form), but it’s not budging an inch on the horizontally-opposed engine configuration.

So far, all we’ve seen of the Subaru version of what Toyota is calling the FT-86 program are some spy shots of test mules wearing modified Impreza bodywork. But both Toyota and Subaru are expected to unveil their own versions of the sports coupe at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, and to pique our interests, the latter has released the single teaser shot you see above, representing the boxer engine nestled inside a Tron-like representation of the sportscar’s frame. Not much to go on, really, but about all we’ve got so far, so check out the statement after the jump, follow the link to Subaru’s website and watch this space for more. Thanks to everyone for the tips!

[Source: Subaru]

Continue reading Subaru teases Boxer Sports Car Architecture ahead of Geneva debut

Subaru teases Boxer Sports Car Architecture ahead of Geneva debut

Assembling an exotic supercar like a Lamborghini is a painstaking process, making sure every last bit fits just right. Most of the time, we don’t see that process in such minute detail, but Lamborghini has made sure we get the full experience with its latest supercar.

Dubbed “Aventador LP 700-4″ by the press in anticipation of its launch, the long-awaited replacement for the Murciélago is now officially confirmed for debut at the fast-approaching Geneva Motor Show next week.

Along the way, Sant’Agata has shown us the engine and gearbox, the suspension and the monocoque frame, not to mention the myriad spy shots of camouflaged test mules romping around. And now Lamborghini is showing us the full rolling chassis – sans bodywork or interior (save for one seat) but with just about everything else fitted – which it unveiled at an Audi TechDay event. We’ll have to wait another week to see the full monte, but for now you can peruse through what we’ve got so far in the galleries below.

[Source: Lamborghini]

Lamborghini rolls full Aventador chassis to Geneva

To most people, two may be company, but three’s a crowd. If you’re looking for real performance, though, a little menage-a-trois could be just what the proverbial doctor ordered. Case in point: Mercedes AMG, Ducati and the Cigarette Racing Team. One makes muscle-bound automobiles, the other some of the fastest sport bikes in the business, while the third makes speed boats that’ll outrun just about anything on the water. Strange bedfellows? We’d call them kindred spirits, and they’ve all jumped in to bed together.

AMG and Ducati, as you may recall, shacked up together in Los Angeles last year when they announced their partnership in the MotoGP series. AMG partnered in similar fashion with the Cigarette Racing Team in Miami, where they presented a special liveried offshore racing boat at the 2010 Miami International Boat Show. Now the nautical equivalent of the Detroit Auto Show is coming around again, but this time it’s Ducati and Cigarette that are getting wet, and this is their love-child.

In the place of the 2,700-horsepower 46-foot AMG version from last year, the Cigarette 42X Ducati Edition is a 42-foot speed boat with a pair of 1,100hp Mercury Racing engines capable of speeds in excess of 120 miles per hour. That’s fast no matter which way you look at it, but on the open water it’s insanity in fiberglass. Cigarette says it’s included a number of innovative new features in the boat’s design, but Ducati’s participation seems largely confined to the badass paint scheme. Follow the jump for the full press release, and check out the images in the gallery below.

[Source: Ducati]

Continue reading Ducati takes AMG’s place with special edition Cigarette speedboat

Ducati takes AMG’s place with special edition Cigarette speedboat

Excuse us if we’re not all that excited about Transformers 3. The novelty of seeing fantastically animated versions of the toys we played with as youngsters died off right about the same time an SR 71 Blackbird turned into old man Decepticon in T2. But hey, at least we can consider watching any movie featuring Megan Fox. Oh wait, she was replaced.

You know what could get us jacked for T3? NASCAR Transformers.

We kid, of course, but it appears we’re going to receive exactly that – Autobots with numbers on the doors – even if we didn’t ask for them. Hit the jump to watch the latest commercial for the July blockbuster. We’re told the ad was aired during the Daytona 500… can’t say we were watching. Then again, if NASCAR allows Jimmie Johnson’s car to be fitted like the T3 car pictured above, they’d have our attention in 2012.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: New Transformers 3 commercial hits during Daytona 500

Video: New Transformers 3 commercial hits during Daytona 500

We’ve just had out first stint behind the wheel of the new-for-2012 Audi A6 sedan, destined to arrive on North American soil this fall. And while Audi is moving forward on the hybrid version of its stylish new four-door, the German automaker has been spotted testing the trusty wagon variant that will likely be revealed later this year (Frankfurt Motor Show sounds about right).

We’re eager to see how the new A6’s new styling works with the larger hind quarters, though it appears that Audi is using a more rakish rear hatch design (limiting the cargo area’s usefulness?). Expect interior and powertrain fittings to be carried over unchanged from the sedan.

Audi has always offered the A6 Avant here in the United States, so we don’t have much reason to doubt that this new iteration will also be sold Stateside. Granted, the wagon hasn’t exactly sold in great volumes here in the U.S., but if there wasn’t a business case for it on our shores, the automaker would have likely canned the current model by now.

Scroll through our high-res gallery below to see the A6 Avant prototype frolicking in the snow.

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Audi A6 Avant plays in the snow