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SPEED’s Brad Fanshaw joins us, Bentley EXP 9 F Concept, Chevrolet Volt production idle, SLP Grand National and GNX Regals

Episode #272 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Brad Fanshaw of Car Warriors on SPEED joins Chris, Dan and Zach. Topics include the Bentley EXP 9 F SUV Concept, Chevrolet idling Volt production and new high-performance Buicks. 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 #272:

• Bentley EXP 9 F Concept
• Chevrolet Volt production idled
• Grand National and GNX Buicks from SLP

In the Autoblog Garage
2012 Hyundai Accent
2012 Nissan Juke

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman

Feedback
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com

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Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #272

Autoblog Podcast #272

Take a Nissan Micra, give it the face of a Honda Fit, let designers from Renault work on the rear and add a sweet white and orange interior and you have yourself a B-segment concept that Nissan calls the Invitation.

On the ground in Switzerland at the Geneva Motor Show, Chris Paukert agrees that the Invitation is “Fit-esque,” and that it looks good in person. Not bad in photos, either. The official Nissan press release describes the design as, “The clean fluidity of the silhouette hints at its dynamic potential and showcases class-leading aerodynamics for enhanced efficiency. “

Expect a production version of the Invitation sometime in 2013 in Europe. No indication from Nissan about U.S. availability, though.

Check out the full press release below for more details.

Continue reading Nissan Invitation Concept invites Honda Fit comparisons

Nissan Invitation Concept invites Honda Fit comparisons

We’ll come right out and say it: The 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL isn’t exactly pretty. And while this new SL63 adds all of the go-fast appearance bits befitting any AMG model, it doesn’t exactly help the big roadster’s appearance. And by the way, when we say big, we mean big. The photos don’t quite do it justice – this is one seriously large two-seater.

Large and in charge as it may be, the 2013 SL63 AMG is actually far prettier beneath the skin. For one thing, it’s 275 pounds lighter than the model it replaces, thanks largely to the use of high-strength but lightweight aluminum parts. Even so, this bad boy tips the scales at just over 4,050 pounds, but never fear – there’s one heck of a powerplant underhood to get this grandaddy moving with a quickness.

Just like the entire new crop of AMG products, the SL63 uses Merc’s twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter M157 V8, good for 530 horsepower and 593 pound-feet of torque. Tick the box for the optional AMG Performance Package and those numbers increase to 557 and 664(!) respectively. With that additional grunt, the SL63 will shoot to 60 miles per hour in just 4.1 seconds (4.2 without the Performance Pack), on its way to relaxed top speed of 186 miles per hour (non PP-equipped models top out at 155).

Glorious as it all sounds, we still can’t get past the fact that the once-timelessly beautiful SL continues to get uglier and uglier with each new generation. Sigh. See for yourself in the attached high-res image galleries.

Continue reading 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG is big and beastly, not so beautiful

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG is big and beastly, not so beautiful

Claimed by some to be the crookedest road in the world, San Francisco’s Lombard Street briefly became the crookedest waterfall in the world last Saturday.

The driver of a silver Buick told a resident of the street that he swerved to avoid a car of tourists in front of him and ran down a fire hydrant at the very top of the hill. Water streamed 14 feet into the air and gushed down and through the street’s eight switchbacks.

Greg Brundage, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “If you had a raft, you could have ridden down the street.”

We’re surprised no one tried and hope we get a call the next time Lombard’s flooded. One of our more adventurous staffers will be right over to brave the rapids.

Car crash turns Lombard Street into World’s Most Crooked Waterfall

Ferrari yanked back the sheets on the company’s F12 Berlinetta at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, and the grinning horse has plenty cause to smile. It boasts a ludicrous 740 horsepower V12 under its hood that’s capable of launching the vehicle to 62 mph in 3.1 seconds. Hesitate for another 5.3 seconds, and you’ll waltz through the triple-digit barrier with ease.

Ferrari took the time to let the F12 Berlinetta loose for a few blistering laps around Fiorano, and the coupe managed to snatch the lap record from the 599 GTO. The newcomer did the deed in a scant 1:23, besting the previous champ by a full second, and the mighty Ferrari Enzo by two seconds.

Engineers positioned most of the vehicle’s weight toward the hind quarters, with 54 percent of the vehicle’s curb weight pushing on the rear rubber. While the styling certainly isn’t for everyone (see below for a gallery of the car’s styling buck from Pininfarina), there’s no denying the performance on tap. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading 2012 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta smiles on us all with 740 horsepower

2012 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta smiles on us all with 740 horsepower

Cadillac admits it only needs to sell a half dozen CTS-V Sport Wagons to cover its development costs. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the 2013 Audi RS4 Avant. Audi 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 S4’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.

2013 Audi RS4 Avant is the latest behatched forbidden fruit

Although the 2013 A3 made its unofficial Internet appearance a couple of weeks ago, we’re now seeing the fruits of Audi’s labor for the first time here at Geneva Motor Show. With 42 models in its lineup, the Ingolstadt brand didn’t want its stalwart and next-smallest car to get lost in the traffic, so it’s thrown quite a bit of goodness into the mix.

The overall size is just about the same, but the wheelbase and interior dimensions have grown. Even so, the new A3 has lost weight to the tune of 176 pounds, meaning the 1.4 TFSI model weighs just 2,590 pounds. That 122-horsepower 1.4-liter engine will be one of three offered at launch, along with a 180-hp 1.8-liter TFSI and a 2.0-liter TDI with 150 hp and 236 pound-feet of torque, all driven through the front wheels. Quattro versions come later “for more powerful engines,” as will alternative-fuel powerplants. Shifting will come in either five-speed manual or six-speed S-tronic forms.

Technological conveniences once found only in major-league sedans have made their way to the thick end, with the A3 offering adaptive cruise control, an evolution of park assist and a 17-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo.

See below for all the details you might ever want on the new A3, and have a gander at it in the huge galleries of both stock and live images.

Continue reading 2013 Audi A3 is Ingolstadt’s new baby

2013 Audi A3 is Ingolstadt’s new baby

We Americans may only be a few calendar flips away from the launch of the 250-horsepower Ford Focus ST, but in Europe, an even more pint-sized hot hatch is about to be unleashed. Here at the Geneva Motor Show, the Blue Oval’s European counterparts have just unveiled the 2013 Fiesta ST, a three-door version of the five-door ST concept that we saw at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show last November. And while Ford 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.

Continue reading 2013 Ford Fiesta ST delivers a pint-sized punch

2013 Ford Fiesta ST delivers a pint-sized punch

With the Elise slowly shuffling off this mortal coil, Lotus needs another slinky soft-top to fill out its lineup. In the run-up to the Geneva Motor Show, we assumed that would be a convertible version of the Evora, but we were wrong. This is the Lotus Exige S Convertible, which begs the question: What took ‘em so long?

The only thing that separates the two models is ripping off the fixed roof on the Exige and replacing it with a removable cloth top or optional hard top. The same supercharged 3.5-liter V6 is mounted amidships, outputting 345 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Mated to the standard six-speed manual, 60 miles per hour comes and goes in 3.8 seconds, but Lotus will also offer the Roadster with its new Serial Precision Shift (SPS) automated manual gearbox, complete with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Sales are expected to begin throughout Europe later this year, but with the Elise and Exige twins already gone from the U.S., don’t look for the Roadster to hit Stateside Lotus dealers anytime soon.

Lotus pops the top on Exige S Roadster

While technically still a concept, Volkswagen has rolled out another version of its Cross Coupé that first debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show last November. The handsome compact crossover rides on VW’s new transverse matrix architecture and it’s smaller than you think, which means it should be rather entertaining to drive with this iteration’s TDI diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain boasting a combined 302 horsepower.

Reaching 62 miles per hour in 6.5 seconds and pushing on to a top speed of 137 mph, the Cross Coupé seems to offer a solid amount of entertainment along with impressive thrift. On the European cycle, VW says this vehicle should be good for an impressive 130 miles per gallon equivalent, thanks in part to a pure electric range of 28 miles.

We weren’t able to get inside the Cross Coupé concept this time, but if the Tokyo show star was any indication, this vehicle looks production ready – though perhaps without this showcar’s exotic powertrain. Check it out in our full gallery and look in on the official press release after the jump.

Continue reading Handsome Volkswagen Cross Coupé turns red, gains diesel plug-in tech

Handsome Volkswagen Cross Coupé turns red, gains diesel plug-in tech

Ah, Europe: The land of forbidden wagons. Automakers like Cadillac and Acura 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 XF Sportbrake is an estate we’d love to see parked at Autoblog Towers. She’s pretty.

We love the look of the refreshed-for-2012 XF, 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 hit the jump for the details in Jaguar’s press release.

Continue reading 2012 Jaguar XF Sportbrake flaunts its beautiful backside

2012 Jaguar XF Sportbrake flaunts its beautiful backside

You have to applaud an automaker like Bugatti. Not content with being second place in the production car top speed category, the automaker created the monstrous Veyron Super Sport which, with a top tested speed of 267.81 miles per hour, holds the record for the world’s fastest production coupe. Now, here at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Bugatti has officially debuted the next chapter of its top speed world domination story, because why settle for just having the world’s fastest coupe when you can have the world’s fastest convertible, too?

Meet the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. It’s a pretty simple (yet technically astounding) package: Take the 1,200-horsepower, 8.0-liter, quad-turbocharged W16 from the Veyron Super Sport and fit it under the hood of the roofless Grand Sport. Vitesse nomenclature aside (that’s French for ’speed’, by the way), just think of this as a Super Grand Sport.

Bugatti states that the Grand Sport Vitesse is the most powerful production roadster of all time, and once this thing hits the street, it’ll surely be the fastest, too. “Once again our engineers worked hard to demonstrate that Bugatti is able to constantly redefine the boundaries of what is technically feasible,” states the automaker’s President, Wolfgang Dürheimer.

Scroll through our attached image gallery to see the Grand Sport Vitesse live from the Geneva show floor and check out the official press release after the jump.

Continue reading Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is where top speed goes topless

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse is where top speed goes topless

While Conan O’Brien may not be the car guy that Jay Leno is, for our money, he’s funnier. Especially when he’s doing vehicular bits on air, 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.

Click past the jump to watch the full video.

Continue reading Conan drives Grave Digger monster truck

Conan drives Grave Digger monster truck

Turn 10 Studios made some big waves when the video game developer announced it had finally come to an agreement with Porsche and EA Games over a licensing deal that would see the German sports cars make it into the Forza Motorsport 4 universe. Autoblog recently sat down with Dan Greenawalt, the director of Turn 10 studios, for a quick chat about the Porsche DLC, Forza Horizon, the new level cap for Forza Motorsport 4 and the relationship between Forza and Gran Turismo.

Autoblog: Porsche has been pretty territorial about licensing their products in terms of video games. How did the Porsche expansion pack play out? How did you make it happen?

Dan Greenawalt: Well, many many years ago Porsche and EA Games signed a long-term deal regarding how Porsche was going to be licensed. That deal has been resigned many times over the years. Because of the nature of that deal, EA has the exclusive rights and the discretion to sub-license Porsche as they see fit.

Porsche has been in the last three Forza Motorsports through a sub-licensing deal with EA. For Forza Motorsport 4 we were not able to find terms that were agreeable to all parties, but we stayed at the table. It took some time to value the brand in such a way that everyone agreed.

Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini are kind of like the holy trinity of auto brands. They pull in a lot of people. They have prestige around the world. Finding that value and agreeing on that value is really what it came down to.

Hit the jump to continue reading the conversation.

Continue reading Turn 10 talks Forza Motorsport 4 Porsche DLC with Autoblog

Turn 10 talks Forza Motorsport 4 Porsche DLC with Autoblog

It’s the battle of 1986: The best Shelby “Goes Like Hell” Dodge extant or a four-wheel-drive Volkswagen Vanagon powered by a flat six from a Porsche 911. Both of these awesome rides popped up in our inbox this morning, thanks to our favorite automotive classifieds site, Bring A Trailer. Argument ensued, with good cases made for both.

The Shelby Dodge is, of course, based on the Omni econobox. But with a turbocharged 2.2-liter four making 175 horsepower and a curb weight around 2,200 pounds, the GLHS was a real performance car. With a bit of tuning, the turbo Dodge engines were capable of topping 200 hp; this in an era in which V8 Ford Mustang GT’s were barely pumping out 200 horses. Given that only 500 Shelby GLHS’s were built, we’ve got to imagine you’d be hard-pressed to find a better example than this one, claimed to have just 6,600 miles on the odo. It’s for sale by a Michigan dealer on eBay.

The Vanagon is the sort of project we all dream of undertaking in our backyards. With a 3.2-liter, air-cooled six pulled from an ‘89 911, we don’t imagine this Syncro will have any problems making it up any mountain passes. Dumping the VW wasserboxer is a favorite Vanagon owner pastime, and given the historic relationship between the companies, we think it’s only right to source Porsche power rather than the more common Subaru engine swap. The Syncro is for sale on TheSamba.com.

So help us resolve the Autoblog Staff Argument of the Day and vote in our poll, and click on the galleries below to see lots of photos of these two sweet vehicles.

View Poll

Settle our Dispute: 6,660-mile Omni GLHS or Porsche-powered Vanagon

It is expected that the BMW 4 Series – which will be what we used to call the 3 Series coupe and convertible – is expected to be revealed sometime later this year. Nevertheless, it still has much to hide, since it’s wearing the same amount of all-sheathing camouflage as when we saw it four months ago.

This is the convertible version, and it is figured to be the new 3 Series with a few tweaks at the front. It is capped by a folding hardtop and presumably uses the same engines offered in the 3. When the camo does come off, we’re anxious to see if the lower front intake really does retain the shape of a Wallace-and-Grommit smile.

BMW 4 Series Convertible spotted buttoned up for winter

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 Bentley Continental GTC V8. 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. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Bentley debuts Continental GTC V8 before Geneva

Bentley debuts Continental GTC V8 before Geneva

The Chevrolet Volt may not be selling well, but it’s one of the most lauded cars in history. Today the plug-in hybrid was named the 2012 European Car of the Year, an award it will share with its European fraternal twin, the Opel Ampera.

The Volt won North American Car of the Year in 2011, while also picking up car of the year accolades from Motor Trend, Automobile, and nabbing Green Car of the Year from Green Car Journal. Britain’s What Car? awarded the Vauxhall Ampera – as the Opel model is called in the U.K. – its Green Car of the Year award, as well.

But the Volt has been at the center of one controversy after another, since even before it was launched. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into a battery fire showed the car was not defective, but it led to the Ampera being delayed. Recent negative publicity among right-leaning political pundits has contributed to making the Volt something of an enigma for General Motors, which just announced it was suspending production of the slow-selling car.

While Europe was never envisioned as the prime market for the Volt/Ampera, GM says it already has 7,000 orders for the Ampera and that the company expects to hit its target of 10,000 sales this year. Certainly, winning this award, presented at the Geneva Motor Show for the first time this year, should help.

The Volt/Ampera finished significantly ahead of the Volkswagen Up! and Ford Focus in the European Car of the Year voting, which included a field of 35 vehicles.

To read the full press release, click past the jump.

Continue reading Chevy Volt and Opel Ampera named 2012 European Car of the Year

Chevy Volt and Opel Ampera named 2012 European Car of the Year

There once was a time, not so long ago, that if you wanted a luxury SUV, your options basically came down to a Range Rover. The Bentley of off-road vehicles, they called it. But those days are behind us, as nearly every luxury automaker is making a sport-ute of its own. And soon, so will Bentley.

Called the EXP 9 F, the vehicle you see here is a concept, er, truck, that Bentley will unveil at the Geneva Motor Show this week. Although still a design study, strictly speaking, the EXP 9 F previews what could emerge as a third model line for Crewe to roll alongside the Continental and Mulsanne. Power comes from the same 6.0-liter twin-turbo W12 as found in the Continental, but in a drastically different form, and V8 and hybrid propulsion are also being considered for production.

Charting new territory for the Flying B marque, the EXP 9 F aims to apply traditional Bentley styling cues to an SUV shape, from the oversized air intakes to the split rear tailgate. And based on these images… well, let’s just say we’re not convinced yet. The interior space, however, looks as pleasant a place to be as any vehicle ever to roll out of Crewe. And if that blend of questionable shape and beautiful cabin sounds familiar, look straight to the Porsche Cayenne, a vehicle ushered into reality – a first for its brand as well – by the same Wolfgang Dürheimer who now heads Bentley.

We’ll reserve final judgement for when we see it tomorrow in person in Geneva, where Bentley says it will be evaluating public reaction with an eye towards potential production. In the meantime you can check out the images in the gallery above and the press release below for a closer look.

Continue reading Bentley previews luxury performance SUV with EXP 9 F concept

Bentley previews luxury performance SUV with EXP 9 F concept

The Volkswagen Cross Coupe is back and headed to the Geneva Motor Show this week, this time with an innovative diesel hybrid drivetrain under the hood.

Details are scarce at the moment, but the company says a TDI engine works in conjunction with not one, but two electric motors to propel the vehicle. All told, the combination is good for fuel economy of 1.8 liters per 100 kilometers on the European cycle, which translates to a staggering 130 miles per gallon. It’s worth remembering, however, that European and domestic testing cycles vary greatly.

Even with the vehicle’s impressive fuel economy, the Cross Coupe has over 300 horsepower on tap and a top speed of 136 mph. We certainly like the sound of that combination. So, is a diesel hybrid from Volkswagen headed to production anytime soon? Hard telling. Odds are we’ll hear more when the Cross Coupe debuts later this week. Hit the jump for the brief press release.

Continue reading Volkswagen revisits Cross Coupé concept for Geneva, now with PHEV drivetrain

Volkswagen revisits Cross Coupé concept for Geneva, now with PHEV drivetrain