Next-gen Kia Rio renderings – Click above for high-res image gallery
Much like its sister company , is in the midst of a major product overhaul, spearheaded by the launches of the , , , and all within the past few years. The next major up-do within the Kia line is the B-segment , and Kia has just released these sketches of the new subcompact that will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
Kia’s new design language, brought forth by chief design officer Peter Schreyer, is very much present in this new Rio. Both the headlamp and front fascia design are reminiscent of what we see in the Sportage and Optima, and the rear taillights mimic the shape of what’s found on the Forte. Combine that with a swept-back profile and a strong character line stemming from the front wheel and the end result is something that should wind up being quite handsome in production form.
We’ll have the full details in just under two months, but in the meantime, for Kia’s press blast.
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Episode #212 of the Autoblog Podcast is the remedy to our post- hangover, with Chris Shunk, Dan Roth and Chris Paukert all weighing in. We start with the Autoblog Garage and then cover some of our personal impressions of the goings-on at Cobo. It’s a wide-ranging discussion that covers the , , , , , , and , among other highlights. We prattle on for an hour and twenty-two minutes before we run out of steam and call it a night. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #212: Detroit Auto Show recap
In the Autoblog Garage:
2012 Mazda5
News Topics:
Autoblog’s complete coverage of the 2011 North American International Auto Show
Hosts: , , Runtime: 01:21:53
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2012 Hyundai Veloster B-roll footage – Click above to watch video
B-roll footage isn’t necessarily the most exciting visual or aural experience, but it allows us to see new production models strutting their stuff out on the road. is wasting no time in getting the B-roll footage out of the recently debuted , and here we see a pair of brightly-colored three-door coupes mixing it up on a desert test track.
As it typical with B-roll footage, there’s no music and the only sound comes from what the microphones picked up. Our suggestion? Go to and spice it up yourself, though you know you’re just going to add music from the movie Inception. to see the 2012 Hyundai Veloster in action.
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery
Don’t be fooled by that big ol’ bulge out back – the successor to the is destined to be a swoopy, sexy coupe when it launches sometime next year. Our spies indicate that the hunchback shape is all for show and that it’s part of an elaborate camouflage suit designed to completely mask the sloping rear roofline. Your dreams of a -badged shooting brake have indeed been dashed. Still, the new 612 coupe will surely be an eye-catcher, what with its -inspired front fascia, long, raked hood and short rear deck.
The 612 replacement will likely use an advanced all-wheel-drive system and power will come from a 6.3-liter V12 churning out roughly 670 horsepower, mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The rumors surrounding this combination suggest a 3.7-second 0-60 time and a top speed somewhere around 210 miles per hour. We’re planning to see the finished 612 at the this March, so stay tuned for the full hotness.
2011 Chevrolet Volt charging port – Click above for high-res image gallery
The more vehicles is able to build using the battery technology pioneered in its , the better chance the automaker has of earning a return on its significant investment into the electrically driven automobile. It’s the classic economies of scale issue… but what is the next logical vehicle application?
While many of the early prognostications pointed to a Voltec-powered , a report from AutoWeek says GM CEO Dan Akerson is suggesting a minivan may come first. There’s also some talk that an unknown hatchback is in the works (yes, the Volt is indeed a hatchback that’s shaped to look more like a sedan, but whatever).
Also notable are Akerson’s expectations that at least 10-percent of all GM production will be hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicles within 10 to 15 years. Akerson wants each of the automaker’s four core divisions – , Cadillac, Chevrolet (check) and – to have a vehicle using Volt technology, though no timeframe for that expansion has been given.
In other Volt news, Akerson told reporters at the 2011 Automotive News World Congress that the General is on track to sell 25,000 Chevrolet Volts for the 2011 model year, which is a sizeable increase from the 10,000-20,000 units expected as production began.
Moving past the ever-present greenery, Akerson and GM North American President Mark Reuss both stated that the company is putting some of its next-generation truck programs on the fast-track. We’d imagine that means we’ll see new fullsize pickups from Chevy and GMC sooner rather than later.
Gallery:
Photos copyright (C)2011 Chris Paukert / AOL
[Source: ]
is reportedly beginning work on the next generation , and rumor has it that they’re looking to hit Ludicrous Speed. Okay, maybe it won’t go quite that fast, but with a target of 270 miles per hour, it figures to be pretty darn close.
According to AutoExpress, despite losing money on each one it builds, Volkswagen Group has no plans to watch its mighty hypercar fade away, and the next version will stick to the business of shattering perceptions of what a production car can do. Reportedly, the 8.0-liter W16 engine and its quad-turbo setup will return in a similar form as is employed in the . However, the new car will head to the scales and produce a number far below what we see in current Veyron models. It will achieve this through more extensive use of lightweight alloys and carbon-composite materials.
If AE is reading its tea leaves correctly, the new warp-speed Bugatti Veyron to make an appearance sometime in 2013.
Australian parking lot flood – Click above to watch video
Australia is under assault by rain and undergoing one of its worst natural disasters in its history. Flood waters in the state of Queensland have ripped through numerous cities. Over 30 lives have been lost and many others are still missing. Homes are ruined and many more are at risk as the surge heads into Brisbane; Australia’s third largest city. Damage estimates are already being pegged as high as $13 billion. One person was recently able to capture just how quickly a stream of water can turn into a raging river.
Filming from the balcony of their Toowoomba office, the video recorder watched as water levels grew higher until they were high enough to begin picking up parked cars (including a hapless ) and carrying them away. to see the clip, which includes a bold SUV driver at around 1:10 that refuses to lose his 4×4 to the rising waters (note how he appears to take the time to lock the front hubs on his ). Also, , Australia could certainly use it right now.
It’s never easy to reach a unanimous decision when it comes time for our group of auto-obsessive bloggers to choose any sort of list that involves automobiles. In the case of the Top Five Introductions from the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, the process was especially difficult.
Somewhat surprisingly, most everyone agreed rather quickly on positions one and two, but from there, the waters were much murkier. In the end, though, we made our arguments for and against, considered each others’ viewpoints and, after much weeping and gnashing of teeth, had ourselves a workable list.
2011 Scion tC – Click above for high-res image gallery
came out swinging when it launched in 2003 and sales hit a peak of 173,024 units in 2006. Since that time, however, things have been spiraling downward. In 2010, Scion sold just 45,678 vehicles. That represents a 21 percent decline compared to 2009 sales. Despite this lull, President Akio Toyoda says the youth-oriented brand isn’t going anywhere.
According to Automotive News, Scion represents a way for Toyota to reach a young demographic, and it doesn’t plan to lose that gateway anytime soon. One of the problems has been that folks under 30 have been hit by the economic recession just like everyone else. Another is that recent models have failed to capture the imagination – and sales – that models like the original box-like xB did. but will that rise include Scion’s demographic? Toyota recently redesigned the brand’s most-popular model, , trying to make sure it does.
Gallery:
Photos copyright (C)2011 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL
Nameplates like and Hemi might be commonly associated with the brand, but like any household name, it had to start somewhere. And that somewhere was with the concept you see here.
Made to showcase the then-new 7.0-liter Hemi V8, the 1964 Dodge Hemi Charger concept car is one of the most coveted pieces from Dodge’s history. It packs one of the 15 original race Hemis built, mated to a three-speed automatic. The fully restored, extreme bodywork puts it on the map, but the reported output of over 600 horsepower (kept in check by hydraulic drum brakes) promises to rip it right up.
The last time this vehicle changed hands in 2007 it went for a reported $1.1 million. Now it’s destined for the gavel once again as RM Auctions takes it to the Arizona Biltmore on January 20. Thanks for the tip, Arthur!
Between his motorsport successes and his varied creations, Carroll Shelby has no shortage of accolades. But he’s about to get one more, as industry publication Automotive News announces that they’ll be honoring the American motoring icon later this month at the Washington Auto Show.
At the show, Shelby will be decorated with the 2011 Keith Crain/Automotive News Lifetime Achievement Award. Previous recipients have included Ralph Nader and Congressman John Dingell (D-Mich).
Tesla Model S – Click above for high-res image gallery
More than to proclaim they want a Tesla Model S, and their long wait for an electric sedan is nearing an end – delivery of the four-door will reportedly begin in the second quarter of 2012. The price of the Model S will lie somewhere between $49,000 and $60,000 and Tesla is planning on an annual production run of 20,000 units.
The Tesla Model S is a rear-wheel drive, four-door electric sedan powered by 7,000 lithium-ion batteries. With the cost of batteries coming down over time, .
Top 25 desktop wallpapers from the 2011 Detroit Auto Show – Click above for high-res image gallery
Yesterday was by far one of the busiest auto show days we’ve experienced. Press conferences started at a sleep-depriving 6:30 a.m. and lasted all the way until nearly 8:00 that evening. Needless to say, there was no time to stop and enjoy the cars.
Today was a little different. With no major press conferences we’ve had the opportunity to walk around the show floor and thoroughly inspect the new debuts. We also got the chance to get better photographs of some of our favorite vehicles of the show, and this year cars like the , and were the real stars. You can see our best images from the show below, each uploaded in 1920×1275 for those with extra large computer monitors.
Not long ago, our spies captured , suggesting that a B-segment crossover might be in the works for . If that’s the case, it looks like the Fiesta CUV will have competition when it hits the streets, as we’ve received this set of spy shots showing a high-riding version of the Aveo .
Is the Sonic CUV bound for North American soil? Hard to say, but we won’t be crossing our fingers for this one to arrive on our shores. Expect to see the Sonic-based crossover sometime in 2012, with both front- and all-wheel drive versions available, with power supplied by a range of gasoline and diesel engines.
Franz-Josef Paefgen hands Wolfgang Dürheimer the keys to Bentley – Click above for high-res image gallery
The king is dead. Long live the king.
After eight years at the helm of , Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen has officially stepped down from his position as chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors. Following the a little over a month ago, the longtime group executive has literally handed the keys over to his successor, Wolfgang Dürheimer, on the floor of the Detroit Auto Show.
The official changing of the guard took place when Dürheimer accepted the keys to the vintage 1930 Bentley 8-Litre saloon that served as company founder W.O. Bentley’s personal transport.
Intriguingly, Dürheimer will also be taking charge of . The two executive rolls were combined when Paefgen took the head office at Molsheim as well upon from Bugatti’s helm. Industry insiders were waiting to see whether the brands would be placed under separate leadership once Paefgen was out of the picture, but now we have an answer.
Did your favorite brand just move to six-speed automatics? Are you already cruising along happily in seventh gear or perhaps you’re enjoying the scenery with your transmission lazily churning in eighth. Well move over because ZF is getting ready to produce a nine-speed automatic gearbox.
Marking a first for front-wheel drive passenger vehicles, the ZF nine-speed will help automakers generate greater fuel-economy gains while also providing a smoother driving experience. The shift times are said to be quite short and the resulting gear changes are nearly imperceptible to passengers.
The nine-speed automatic will be produced in a brand-new manufacturing facility located near Greenville, South Carolina, and there’s talk that one of its first homes will be under the hood of something from .
Jeep Wagoneer through the years – Click above for high-res image gallery
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of , has reportedly just announced his plans to bring an old American nameplate back to life. According to Automotive News, in two years time, will roll out a seven-seat SUV and its badge will read: Grand Wagoneer. According to Marchionne, it will be an upscale, seven-seat sport utility vehicle built on the same platform as the and .
The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is slated to make its first appearance in January 2013, though whether that will be in conceptual or production form, we’re not yet sure.
The is a hatchback that has so much interior space that it approaches small wagon status. Heck, if Honda’s little B-Segment five door were just a bit longer or if its backlight were a little bit more vertical, we’d say it was a wagon. According to a report on Carscoop a vehicle with just such a description may be on the way, as an alleged leaked brochure of a Japanese market model suggests that the Fit has been stretched for even more cargo room.
Aesthetically, the JDM Fit Shuttle seen above clearly has about a foot more glass beyond the hatchback’s C-Pillar, which should translate to quite a few more cubes of space. To pull that extra cargo, the brochure suggests that the Fit wagon will make do with the same 1.5-liter four-cylinder and 1.3-liter IMA hybrid that the folks in Japan already know and love. And if the brochure is legit, then the Shuttle is well on its way, at least in Japan, with a release date of March, 2011.
Will we see a Fit wagon here in the States? We have no idea, but at the same time, we’re not very hopeful. After all, Honda still hasn’t blessed us with the Fit hybrid, and as much as we’d like to see it in the States, we would need some convincing to believe that such a model would be a sales success in the U.S.
has proclaimed itself as “one of the world’s few, true icons.” Normally, we’d take issue with such a brazen statement, but in the case of Jeep, we don’t really disagree. In fact, in a good portion of the developed world, the word ‘Jeep” is synonymous with sport utility vehicles in general… like Kleenex or Coke.
With that in mind, Chrysler think it’s time to celebrate Jeep’s 70th anniversary in 2011, and as you might expect, the off-road specialist is releasing a slew of special editions to commemorate the occasion. All of the new 2011 models – one each of Jeep’s five models – will be available in a unique Bronze Star exterior paint in addition to Bright Silver and Black along with the appropriate spate of 70th Anniversary badges.
All five 70th Anniversary Jeeps will come with a dark perforated leather interior (either Dark Slate or Dark Olive, depending on the model) with Chestnut stitching, Berber carpeting (yes, really), unique cluster overlays and 70th Anniversary logos on the radio. Past that, each model gets its own set of touches that will set it apart from its non-Anniverarized siblings.
We’ll grab some live photos of these machines here at the Detroit Auto Show soon enough. In the meantime, get the complete details in the press release after the break, and also be sure to peruse all the milestones in Jeep’s 70 years of history.
