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Long before Lamborghini unveiled the Urus concept for its new SUV at the Beijing Motor Show last month, we got two chances to preview the show truck: once at the factory in Italy and once at a private preview in New York. The Italian automaker’s development chief Maurizio Reggiani wasn’t prepared to talk about powertrain options at the time, but in speaking with Automotive News, he’s now given us a hint of what to expect should the Volkswagen Group board give the project the green light.

As expected, the Urus would have to be based on the same platform that is slated to underpin the next Volkswagen Touareg, Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Bentley EXP 9 F (if similarly approved) in order to make good business sense. Unfortunately, that new PL73 architecture is made principally of steel, a material that Lamborghini has been getting away from in favor of new types of carbon fiber construction. In order to keep weight down – Lambo is targeting 4,400 lbs for the Urus, significantly less than its potential competitors – it would need to make other components out of carbon to compensate.

That covers the mass side of the power-to-weight ratio that is integral to any performance vehicle. As for the power, Reggiani says the company has yet to make a final decision. The last time Lamborghini made an SUV – the legendary LM002 “Rambo Lambo” – it was powered by the same high-revving V12 as the Countach, lending to speculation that the Urus could incorporate the new V12 from the Aventador or the V10 from the Gallardo. Reggiani, however, indicates that the new twin-turbo V8 powering the latest Audi RS models and the Bentley Continental is a more likely choice, given that it would help keep weight down and provide more low-end torque than the naturally-aspired 10 or 12-pots the Raging Bull marque currently produces for its sports cars.

Lamborghini eyes low weight, Audi-sourced twin-turbo V8 for production Urus

Spec racing series are emerging as an indispensable way for exotic automakers to show what their vehicles can do without the constraints of road regulations, and for their top customers to race wheel-to-wheel on some of the most famous racing circuits in the world behind the wheel of top machinery. Ferrari has the Challenge series, Lamborghini the Blancpain Super Trofeo, Porsche operates several iterations of the Carrera Cup around the world, and Maserati has the Trofeo World Series.

Now entering its third year, the Trofeo is campaigned by a field of specially prepared versions of the GranTurismo coupe, which has been upgraded with several improvements for the season ahead. Maserati Corse has both optimized the aerodynamic setup and trimmed the car’s weight, resulting in an average lap time that proved two and a half seconds faster around the Vallelunga circuit outside Rome over last year’s car during winter testing.

Whereas previous series have been held almost exclusively in Europe or in the Middle East, this year’s Trofeo World Series adds rounds at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, and the Shanghai International Circuit that hosts the Chinese Grand Prix after the returning races at Jarama, Spain (next weekend), Portimao, Portugal (in early June), Imola, Italy (late June), and Paul Ricard, France (in July).

Maserati Corse provides the full motorsport experience to gentlemen racers for €110,000 ($140K) for the full season or €70,000 ($90K) for just the European races, including use of the car. Teams owning and fielding their own cars pay €35,000 ($45K) or €25,000 ($32K), respectively. Scroll down for the full press release and check out the latest machinery in the high-res image gallery above.

Continue reading Maserati upgrades GranTurismo racer for 2012 Trofeo MC World Series

Maserati upgrades GranTurismo racer for 2012 Trofeo MC World Series

It’s taken three years but the Great Britain is finally ready to introduce laws to make driving while impaired by illegal and legal drugs against the law. While Britain’s Home Office waitied for approval of a mobile drug-testing unit – currently drug testing is done at the police station – ministers have been working on the details of the law to fall under the Crime, Communications and Court Bill.

The drugalyzers are expected to be ready by the end of the year and will be able to detect up to 13 drugs from cocaine and crack to certain prescription medications in a driver’s saliva. An advisory panel is devising penalties for operators found to be impaired and considering the idea of differing penalties for different drugs various, but a one-year ban, jail time and a four-figure fine are looking like front runners.

The run-of-show would be that if a policeman pulls you over and suspects impairment, he’ll test for alcohol first. If, in the policeman’s eyes, that doesn’t explain your horrid driving, he’ll test for drugs. If you fail the drug test you’ll be taken to the station and tested again on their fixed machine, to verify the findings. And if you decline to be tested at all, it’ll be considered the same as declining a breathalyzer.

Great Britain set to introduce laws making “drug driving” a criminal offense

Before financial Stargate opened in September of 2008 and transported us to an entirely new economic dimension, it was oh so common to read about domestic automakers hammering Tier One suppliers to lower their prices. Of course, suppliers are still asked to find efficiencies, but pre-2008, it seemed a point of honor to hold a supplier’s feet to the fire. No more: in the latest Working Relations Index survey of suppliers by Detroit firm Planning Perspectives Inc., General Motors and Chrysler rocketed up the charts to bring the bunch much closer together.

Admittedly, the two companies are still in last place, with GM just ahead of Chrysler and Toyota and Honda still up top. But perspective and improvement is the issue here: in 2005, Toyota scored 415 and GM scored 114. In this year’s survey, Toyota scored 296 and Chrysler scored 248. It is the first time in the 12 years of the survey that the six automakers covered have been separated by less than 50 points. Chrysler’s jump was led by the efforts of the the late Dan Knott, whle GM’s improvement has been led by Bob Socia.

And yes, this is also a matter of the perennial leaders, Toyota and Honda, suffering a dip: in 2010 Toyota scored 327 and Honda 309, two years later, Toyota has dropped 31 points. Every automaker, however, from top to bottom acknowledged that they still have work to do with supplier relations. The benefits of good feelings are that suppliers tend to present their newest tech to, and make better parts for, the automakers with whom they have the best relationships. Naturally, it has been found that the reverse is true as well.

Nissan and Ford make up the middle two spots, where they’ve been for years. BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Hyundai aren’t on the list yet; PPI feels it doesn’t have enough data on the Germans to yet to officially include them, and it doesn’t have enough data on Hyundai to rank it at all. If the data gathered on the Germans was included, though, they would sandwich the rest of the field: BMW and Mercedes at the top, Volkswagen at the bottom a point shy of Chrysler.

Toyota, Honda top supplier survey with lower results, GM and Chrysler improve

Carroll Shelby’s passing, BMW 3 Series Wagon, Porsche sub-Boxster/Pajun, Google car in public, BMW 2 Series

Episode #282 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Chris, Dan and Zach chat about the passing of industry legend Carroll Shelby, the BMW 3 Series Wagon that’s coming soon, Porsche and its rumored small five-door, Pajun (along with plans for a baby Boxster), Google’s self-driving car getting the go-ahead to roam Nevada’s streets, and the coming BMW 2 Series. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #282:

Topics:

• Caroll Shelby passes away
• BMW 3 Series wagon headed stateside
• Porsche baby Boxster and Pajun
• Google self-driving car in public
• BMW 2 Series arrives in 2014

In the Autoblog Garage:
2012 Chrylser 300 AWD
2012 Honda Fit Sport
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman

Feedback
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com

Review the show in iTunes

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #282

Autoblog Podcast #282

It seems that ever since humankind grew legs and climbed out of the ocean, we’ve been trying to figure out ways to avoid using said appendages. While many of these efforts have been wildly successful – think Roman chariots, Pony Express, and the Ford Model T – the recent spate of personal mobility devices hasn’t quite taken off.

The poster child for this failure is, of course, the Segway. Though completely awesome, its greatest success has come in comedic appearances on television (Arrested Development) and in the movies (Paul Blart: Mall Cop). But manufacturers have forged ahead, undaunted in their desire to bring human-like mobility to humans. The latest: The Honda Uni-Cub.

An evolution of Honda’s U3-X motorized unicycle, the Uni-Cub marries a saddle and sturdy base with an omni-directional drive wheel. A rider controls the Uni-Cub by simply shifting their weight. Honda says it is “designed for harmony with people,” as the device positions the rider at relatively the same height as pedestrians, rather than towering over them like a Segway rider.

The Uni-Cub is designed for use indoors, and is powered by a lithium-ion battery and electric drive. It can reach a top speed of 3.7 miles per hour and has a range of 3.7 miles, meaning that any reasonably fit individual should be able to both outrun and outlast the Uni-Cub.

Honda will begin demonstration testing of the device in June.

Scroll down to read the full press release and watch a video of the Uni-Cub in action, and be sure to check out all the images in our gallery.

Continue reading Honda unveils another Segway-fighter [w/video]

Honda unveils another Segway-fighter [w/video]

Few marques get auto collectors riled up quite like Ferrari, and of classic Ferraris, few are as highly sought-after as the legendary Testa Rossa. We’re talking, of course, about the 50s-era roadster (as opposed to the 80s-era cheesegrater supercar), and the originals continue to fetch top dollar (or euro) whenever and wherever their fortunate owners are willing to part with them.

That when and where came this past weekend in Monte Carlo during the Historical Grand Prix of Monaco where RM Auctions sold some highly desirable classic metal. Topping the list was the rare 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC Spider you see here, one of only two built, which sold for a whopping €5,040,000 – equivalent to over $6.4 million at today’s exchange rates. That’s considerably more than the $4m four-cylinder 500 TRC that RM auctioned last year, but substantially less than the record $12m it garnered for a 250 TR in 2009.

Of course the Testa Rossa wasn’t the only car sold at the event, which brought in an astonishing €33.5 million (~$43m) in sales on 87 percent of all lots sold. In fact it wasn’t even the only Ferrari represented there, though it was the most expensive by a wide margin. A 1966 Ferrari 206 S Dino Spyder and a 1952 Ferrari 225 Sport Spyder ‘Tuboscocca’ (one of only 12 Vignale Spyders produced) each fetched €2.5 million ($3.2m), a rare factory Daytona Spyder brought in over €1 million ($1.3m), the car which Michael Schumacher drove to the 2000 Formula One World Championship and that Ferrari hydroplane each brought in over €800k (about a million greenbacks).

Other notable racing machinery sold at the auction included a Peugeot 908 LMP (which won several Le Mans Series races), a Lamborghini Gallardo LP600 GT3 (raced by Blancpain CEO Mark Hayek in the Super Trofeo series), a Ferrari FXX Evoluzione and a pair of Ducati Desmosedici MotoGP racing bikes. Follow the jump for all the juicy details and scope out the headline Testa Rossa in the high-res image gallery above.

Continue reading 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa sells for $6.4M in Monaco

1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa sells for $6.4M in Monaco

Those of you foolish enough to follow the Autoblog Podcast know I have a soft spot for sleepers. There’s just something amazing about a beaten old car secreting flawless mechanicals down below. The guys at Big Muscle have managed to track down what may very well be the queen of all sleeperdom in Dru Diesner’s 1972 Chevrolet Nova The machine wears its original faded green paint, plenty of dents and dings and a very dated interior, but there’s something special under the aged skin. Built with a twin-supercharged LS2, the Bowtie dumps 1,160 horsepower on its ultra-wide rear tires.

That’s my kind of magical. Mike Musto takes the machine out for a quick sprint around the back streets of Chicago and eventually talks Diesner into using the car to do what it does best: vaporizing its rear tires. Scroll below to check out the clip for yourself. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have Chevrolet Novas to salivate over.

Continue reading Is this 1972 Chevrolet Nova the world’s greatest sleeper?

Is this 1972 Chevrolet Nova the world’s greatest sleeper?

The current Infiniti G has soldiered on since the 2009 model year with few updates, so it is about time for a design change. But how much longer do we have to wait? Inside Line reports that the new G will arrive next spring with a new design, fresh engines and a possible hybrid variant.

Nissan VP Andy Palmer reportedly let loose the G’s tight time line, while providing room for us to speculate what engineering changes could come with the redesign. The high-ranking executive told IL that the partnership between Nissan and Mercedes-Benz is progressing as planned, and we know that a four-cylinder engine is among the early collaborative endeavors. In fact, just last week Autocar reported that the next G will feature diesel and four-cylinder engines with Mercedes DNA.

Such a powerplant could replace the 2.5-liter V6 under the hood of the G25, and turbocharging could be on order as well. Palmer added that a turbocharged six could also be in the cards, noting that there is a business case for blown sixes that deliver V8 power with V6 fuel economy. Given that the entry Infiniti sedan doesn’t currently feature a V8 option, we’re all for more G-power for 2014.

The last interesting tidbit is the possibility of a G hybrid model. The addition of a battery-assisted G makes sense given that the automaker already features a hybrid option in its M sedan, and using the powertrain in more applications helps lower development costs.

Next Infiniti G to arrive in a year’s time

We’re almost ready to record Episode #282 of the Autoblog Podcast, and you can check out the topics below, add your own to the Q&A and join us live via UStream, as well, and we’ve embedded our UStream player after the jump. Thanks for listening!

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #282

• Caroll Shelby passes away
• BMW 3 Series wagon headed stateside
• Porsche baby Boxster and Pajun
• Google self-driving car in public
• BMW 2 Series arrives in 2014

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #282 goes LIVE at 10PM Eastern

Autoblog Podcast #282 goes LIVE at 10PM Eastern

After eight days, 3,300 miles, nine tracks and untold bloody knuckles and zip ties, the song remains the same: Leh Keen and the No. 3 TopSpeed Motorsports Nissan GT-R emerged victorious at the 2012 Tire Rack One Lap of America on Sunday. Keen, his co-drivers Doug Wilks and Lawrence Richard, and their 2010 GT-R put on a clinic, remaining atop or near the top of the leaderboard of every event, from road courses to ovals to drag races and autocrosses.

If Keen’s name sounds familiar, it’s either because you follow racing – the Georgia native is a multiple Grand Am Rolex GT series champion, currently campaigning a Porsche 911 GT3 with Brumos Racing – or because you follow One Lap (this is the third victory in a row for Keen and his second victory in a row at the wheel of the black and green GT-R). In fact, the top three spots this year were all occupied by Nissan’s heavyweight, with the No. 4 2009 GT-R of Todd Treffert and Tyson Timperley and the No. 7 2012 GT-R of Hugh Bate and Craig Kahle rounding out the podium. A total of seven GT-Rs entered this year’s One Lap, though none were officially sanctioned Nissan efforts.

Of course, for most competitors and fans, Brock Yates’ One Lap isn’t actually about winning – there’s no prize money doled out and trophies are modest. The event is more about the camaraderie among driving enthusiasts that inevitably results from one of the most unique and challenging tests in motorsports – a week-long pressure-cooker test of man and machine. For more results, photos, videos and tall tales, check out One Lap of America on their website or Facebook page.

Nissan GT-R dominates 2012 One Lap of America

We record Episode #282 of the Autoblog Podcast tonight, meaning you can drop us your questions via our Q&A module below and chime in to direct our conversation. Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes if you haven’t already done so, and if you want to take it all in live, tune in to our UStream (audio only) channel at 10:00 PM Eastern tonight.

Discussion Topics for Autoblog Podcast Episode #282

• Caroll Shelby passes away
• BMW 3 Series wagon headed stateside
• Porsche baby Boxster and Pajun
• Google self-driving car in public
• BMW 2 Series arrives in 2014

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Submit your questions for Autoblog Podcast #282 LIVE

Our friends at Car and Driver recently spent some time poking and prodding around McLaren headquarters in Woking, England, and they have confirmed plans for a convertible MP4-12C. This isn’t exactly earth-shattering news, having been rumored since 2009 and even spotted earlier this year, but it does suggest the program is on track for a public reveal this year. The MP4-12C Spyder is expected to be mechanically identical to its hard top cousin, which means buyers can look forward to finding twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 with 593 horsepower kicked out through the rear wheels.

The report says McLaren designed that engine along with its partner, Ricardo, to serve as the beating heart behind more than just one model. In addition to the lidless MP4-12C, McLaren is hard at work on a true successor to the F1. That machine will feature more conventional side-by-side seating and a dual-clutch gearbox bolted to a higher-output version of the same 3.8-liter engine. McLaren also has its heart set on creating a full product line. What does that mean, exactly? Car and Driver says we can forget purist-affronting models like an SUV or a sedan, but the odds are fairly high that the stable will swell beyond the three models mentioned here. Color us excited.

McLaren MP4-12C Spyder coming this year

A Rare Mid-life Updo Comes To The Starter Ferrari

Every time I travel to Maranello for a test drive, the three hours or so prior to turning the red key are driven in a U.S. Interstate-style straight line along Italy’s A1 autostrada in my 99-horsepower 2001 Opel Astra station wagon with five-speed manual. It’s just about the perfect antithetical setup for the unleashing of the hounds that awaits just over the hills south of Ferrari HQ.

This trip over was for the midlife upgrade of the Ferrari California for our 2013 model year, a car that promises to weigh less, deliver more horsepower and torque, and go quicker.

Continue reading 2013 Ferrari California [w/video]

2013 Ferrari California [w/video]

Typically when an automaker wants to roll out a new car, it does so at one of a dozen or so major auto shows held throughout the calendar and around the world. But with the bulk of the show season on break for the summer, rumor has it that Renault is planning a more glamorous location to unveil its latest.

Speculation has been mounting for years that Renault was preparing to revive the Alpine nameplate with a new sports car sometime soon. And with the 50th anniversary of the legendary A110 (pictured above in the 1971 Monte Carlo Rally) coming up, the latest suggests that is exactly what the French automaker has in store for the Monaco Grand Prix, scheduled to take place in short order on the streets of Monte Carlo.

Just what the new Renault Alpine will amount to, if anything, remains to be seen, however. Some forecast that it could be based on the same platform as the GT-R from allied automaker Nissan, while others anticipate an electric sports car of some sort.

One way or another, it won’t be the only Renault present for the most iconic of grands prix: eight out of the 24 F1 cars on the grid this year are powered by the same Renault RS27 engine that powered Sebastian Vettel to the last two world championships.

Renault to unveil new Alpine concept at Monaco Grand Prix?

The BMW M135i is still doing development laps, but that hasn’t stopped BMW from getting prospective buyers ready for it. In a 1:44 promo called “It!”, two adults play the kiddies’ favorite game in the hot hatches through the container-box lanes of an empty port at night.

If you’re dead-set against the car then this probably won’t make you like it, but this does lay down the first promotional marker in the 1,000-horsepower M135i/Mercedes-Benz A25 AMG/Audi RS3. battle. Take a look below to watch.

Continue reading BMW plays tag with its new M135i

BMW plays tag with its new M135i

What you see here is an ambulance. It’s based on the Sharan, a van Volkswagen offers in certain overseas markets. We shall therefore call it the Sharanbulance.

The Sharanbulance was recently unveiled at the 2012 RETTmobil emergency vehicles show in Fulda, Germany, by Volkswagen Rettungsfahrzeuge, the company’s rescue vehicles division.

The latest vehicle in the company’s emergency lineup, the Sharanbulance (which VW incidentally refers to as the Sharan NEF) packs LED emergency lighting all around and loudspeaker/siren system that can still be operated once the vehicle’s been shut off. It’s held up by a heavy-duty suspension and motivated by a 2.0-liter TDI driving 170 horsepower to all four wheels through a six-speed DSG and 4Motion all-wheel-drive.

Head down to the Nürburgring for a lapping session without enough training and you just might get rescued from the tangled armco and medevac’d in a Sharanbulance, or in the Touareg, Touran or Passat Variant emergency vehicles also offered by Volkswagen Rettungsfahrzeuge.

Volkswagen presents new Sharanbulance at RETTmobil emergency vehicles expo

Running a high-end automobile manufacturer like Bentley or Bugatti has got to be a dream job for most any business executive. And Wolfgang Dürheimer gets to run them both – but not for much longer, according to the latest reports coming in from trade publication Automotive News Europe.

According to ANE, the former Porsche development chief is set to move to Audi in a broad management restructure aimed at reducing the average age of Ingolstadt’s seven-member management board. In his new capacity, Dürheimer (53) is tipped to replace Audi’s current development chief, Michael Dick (60), who is expected to retire later this year.

Along with Dürheimer, Volkswagen marketing director Luca de Meo (44, formerly of Fiat) is expected to replace Audi sales chief Peter Schwartzenbauer (60), while Volkswagen purchasing manager Bernd Martens replaces his Audi counterpart Ulf Berkenhagen, who will take up the same role at the group’s commercial vehicles division. Audi production chief Frank Dreves is also expected to leave his post, though no replacement was named in the report.

Of course with any game of musical chairs – or “Reise nach Jerusalem” as they call it in German for some reason – replacements will need to be found for the positions being left vacant. We’ll be watching who is named head of Bentley and Bugatti, both roles that Dürheimer assumed from Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen (pictured above at right), who last we heard was still in the group organizing its classic vehicles division.

Bentley/Bugatti chief Durheimer moving to Audi in management shake-up

The wagon is not dead! BMW has unveiled the latest 3 Series Sports Wagon and announced that it will again be available to U.S. customers. The new long-roof 3 goes on sale in Europe later this year as the 328i, 330d, and 320d Touring. U.S. customers need to wait until Spring 2013 for the 3 Series Sports Wagon to arrive in showrooms, and powertrain details for our market have not yet been announced. The current 3 Series wagon is only offered as the 328i here in the U.S. (with and without xDrive).

The new car is larger than the current model, and boasts 10 percent more cargo volume according to BMW. As with the 3 Series sedan, the wagon will be available in Sport, Luxury, and Modern lines, as well as an M Sport Line, each with a unique approach to their interior and exterior trim.

Inside, the back seats have a 40:20:40 split and the cargo space offers plenty of room (as you can see in the photos). There’s also hidden storage, a standard partition net, and if the cargo cover isn’t in use, it can be stowed under the cargo floor for added convenience.

Amenities include an available power tailgate that, with the optional Comfort Access package, becomes a hands-free power tailgate; you just wave your foot under the bumper à la 2013 Ford Escape. Naturally, BMW will offer its full complement of tech and driver aids, like BMW Apps, a color HUD, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection, BMW Parking Assistant, Rear-view Camera with Top View, and the BMW Assist telematics service.

So, the good news: There’s a new 3 Series wagon. The bad news: You need to wait a year. But that’s better than no wagon at all, right?

Continue reading 2013 BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon unveiled, bound for U.S.

2013 BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon unveiled, bound for U.S.

The wagon is not dead! BMW has unveiled the latest 3 Series Sports Wagon and announced that it will again be available to U.S. customers. The new long-roof 3 goes on sale in Europe later this year as the 328i, 330d, and 320d Touring. U.S. customers need to wait until Spring 2013 for the 3 Series Sports Wagon to arrive in showrooms, and powertrain details for our market have not yet been announced. The current 3 Series wagon is only offered as the 328i here in the U.S. (with and without xDrive).

The new car is larger than the current model, and boasts 10 percent more cargo volume according to BMW. As with the 3 Series sedan, the wagon will be available in Sport, Luxury, and Modern lines, as well as an M Sport Line, each with a unique approach to their interior and exterior trim.

Inside, the back seats have a 40:20:40 split, and the cargo space offers plenty of room (as you can see in the photos). There’s also hidden storage, a standard partition net, and if the cargo cover isn’t in use, it can be stowed under the cargo floor for added convenience.

Amenities include an available power tailgate that, with the optional Comfort Access package, becomes a hands-free power tailgate; you just wave your foot under the bumper a la the new Ford Escape. Naturally, BMW will offer its full complement of tech and driver aids, like BMW Apps, a color HUD, Lane Departure Warning, Blind Spot Detection, BMW Parking Assistant, Rear-view Camera with Top View, and the BMW Assist telematics service.

So, the good news: new 3 Series wagon. The bad news: you need to wait a year. But that’s better than no wagon at all, right.

2013 BMW 3 Series Sports Wagon unveiled, is U.S.-bound