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Bloggers we may be, but we’re still fans of good old fashioned long-form journalism – or what passes for it in this day and age. Yes, digital attention deficit disorder and the failing fortunes of print publishing have combined to largely neuter the art form, but there are still some publications willing to think high concept and go out and spend some shoe-leather on stories.

Here’s a good one: Car and Driver buys a used-up car to take to the auto recyclers, then traces the derelict vehicle’s progression through the process of being reduced to its elements.

The magazine’s choice, a 210,000-mile 1993 BMW 3 Series, is a brilliant way get us emotionally involved. The E36 is one of those cars that is just so likable, a product that was head and shoulders better than anything else in its time, that we can’t help but care what happens to it once it’s cast into the clutches of the salvage yard.

The story is fascinating in the way it focuses our attention on things we rarely think of when we ogle sheet metal and obsess over the performance profiles of new models. The numbers are all there too – who knew that a scrap BMW catalytic converter was worth $250?

But enough with that, just go read it for yourself at C/D’s website.

Car and Driver chronicles the death of a car

Tiny city cars are becoming a big business in overseas markets. Mercedes-Benz was a pioneer in the segment with the entire Smart brand, Toyota tackles it with the iQ, Volkswagen recently launched the Up! (along with the Skoda and Seat versions that came along with it), and soon Opel and Vauxhall will, as well.

The new city car, snapped last month undergoing testing at the Nürburgring and released in this latest pair of “official” spy shots, promises to give General Motors a slice of the city-car pie. But its nameplate has left us scratching our heads. The project has at times been referred to as the Junior or the Allegra, but has now been officially confirmed to be called the Adam.

The name is an apparent nod to the company’s founder, Adam Opel, and in its invasion follows the same formula as the Ferrari Enzo – albeit and the complete opposite end of the spectrum. If this emerges as a new naming trend, we should be looking forward to seeing models like the Ford Henry, Chevrolet Louis, Lamborghini Ferruccio and Porsche Ferdinand flooding showrooms in the near future. Before that, though, expect the Opel Adam to debut at the Paris Motor Show in the fall… hopefully without the camouflage.

Opel dubs upcoming city-car “Adam”

Exotic automakers from Italy come and go, and some are missed more than others. But while names like Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini have remained constant throughout, others have risen and fallen. Bugatti was one such example – revived temporarily by Italian investors before Volkswagen stepped in to bring it back to Alsace – but another is De Tomaso.

Founded (not unlike Pagani) by an Argentine-Italian in Modena, but way back in 1959, De Tomaso produced legendary sports cars like the Vallelunga, Mangusta and of course the Pantera. It even owned Maserati and Moto Guzzi for a time, but it eventually petered off into bankruptcy. Along came a certain Gian Mario Rossignolo – a veteran auto exec in Italy – to scoop up what was left of the company in 2008.

The revival led to the debut of the Deauville concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, but a lack of interest and funds led to the program being sold to a Chinese automaker which appears to have done little with it. Meanwhile it looked for a time that Rossignolo was planning to continue development of a new Pantera, but those plans have reportedly lost momentum as the outfit struggled without enough capital to even pay its workers.

The most astute readers may recall Rossignolo’s name coming up in the news about a month ago as well, when his other business – Prototipo SpA – sold the Nardo Technical Centre to Porsche. Whether the proceeds from that sale end up giving Rossignolo enough to pay his staff and possibly turn the Pantera program around, however, or if they’ll only prove sufficient to repay his debts, remains to be seen.

De Tomaso down for the count

BMW did quite a bit to differentiate the new 3 Series from the old one, but arguably the biggest development in that department is the splitting of the model line. Because the new 3 Series is only the sedan and wagon. The coupe and cabrio are branching off as the 4 Series, similar to the 6 Series (as distinct from the 5 Series), the old 8 Series (separate from the 7 Series) and what’s expected to emerge of the 2 Series from the new 1 Series.

Following earlier spy shots of the 4 Series convertible with its roof up in the rain and in the snow, this is our first look at the upcoming new model being driven the way it’s meant to be driven: with its top down and the sun shining.

Unfortunately our view is a little obscured by all the swirly camouflage, so we’ll have to wait until its anticipated debut sometime next year to see the whole package. But you can check out the spy shots now for a sneak preview.

BMW 4 Series cabrio caught with its top down

Bloomberg reports that if U.S. auto sales continue at their current pace, 2012 will mark the best year for the industry since 2007. The news comes after word that both Ford and Chrysler have slimmed or entirely eliminated the traditional summer shutdown at their manufacturing facilities to keep pace with demand.

All told, sales may reach 14.3 million cars and light trucks, according to analysts, thanks to factors like a gradually improving economy and easier credit. If the pace continues, 2012 will mark the third year of 10-percent gains, which marks only the fourth time that’s happened since the Great Depression.

Car sales stalled in 2008, and 2009 saw manufacturers move just 10.4 million units. As Bloomberg points out, that’s the lowest number since 1982, but buyers took home 11.6 million vehicles in 2010 and 12.8 million in 2011. The industry saw a 10.3-percent increase through the first four months of this year. As a result, General Motors, Ford and Toyota have adjusted their yearly sales forecasts accordingly.

2012 U.S. auto sales on pace to be best in five years

BMW has long had an advantage over Mercedes-Benz and Lexus when it comes to maintenance and ownership costs that it has hardly ever advertised – free maintenance for the first four years of ownership. The secret will be no more as the company is about to unleash a major ad push behind the program known as BMW Ultimate Service.

The ads, done by BMW’s ad agency, Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, which took BMW’s whole ad account assignment last August, are set inside a BMW dealership and draw on comedy to depict the surprise and even incredulity that four years of free maintenance comes with every new Bimmer. In one spot, for example, a woman thinks the promise of free maintenance is a come-on, and she reminds the salesman that she is married. In another spot, a man buying a BMW thinks he has to give the salesman sports tickets in order to get the deal.

BMW’s marketing chief Dan Creed says the ad campaign, for which there are 27 different possible endings to the vignettes between salesman and customer, is timed right for a market of luxury buyers, which, though seemingly fully recovered from the economic death march of 2008-2010, is still looking for value along with their luxury.

“The expectation and widely held belief that BMW has very expensive maintenance costs is still a big factor in why people bypass us when shopping, and we think we have a very efficient way of changing that perception here,” says Creed. “Mercedes, Lexus, and our other competitors don’t have this, and we are going to use it as a meaningful point of difference.”

Scroll down below for more on BMW’s upcoming ads and to watch the videos.

Continue reading Olympics + 3 Series + Free Service: Enough for BMW to keep luxe lead in 2012?

Olympics + 3 Series + Free Service: Enough for BMW to keep luxe lead in 2012?

The global luxury war has three fierce combatants, all German, all producers of amazing vehicles, and all serious about besting their two other rivals. While BMW has been winning as of late, the latest battle goes to Audi.

The Volkswagen luxury brand sold 125,200 vehicles in April, topping BMW’s 121,476, according to Reuters. It was the first time Audi outsold BMW since January 2011. BMW still holds the year-to-date lead with 478,030 units sold, compared to 471,300 for April’s champ, according to the report. BMW sales are up 10.1 percent for the year, while Audi’s have risen by 11.7 percent.

Mercedes-Benz sits over 50,000 units behind at 418,246, according to Automotive News. Sales of Mercedes vehicles are up 9.7 percent on the year.

Audi’s ascendency can be traced to China, where sales rose 44 percent in April, according to AN. European sales, by comparison, were only up 4.9 percent, with U.S. sales rising by 15 percent.

Audi narrowly beats BMW in April to take premium sales crown

Every single Cadillac XTS post ends up with comments deploring the sedan’s FWD – even a post that speaks of nothing more than the iPad buyers will get with the car. For those folks especially, Car and Driver has loaded the hopper with news on the possible treats coming from the Wreath and Crest. Examining uses of the Omega platform, C/D says “a proper rear-drive sedan” will arrive in “a few” years and take the top spot in the lineup. Predictions are that it will have a rakish roofline and the 310-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6.

GM’s Omega platform is said to have been engineered to accommodate this new RWD flagship, though the chances of it actually coming to fruition are about as likely as winning the Mega Millions. The only trifles, according to C/D, are that the program hasn’t even been approved, and if it is, would Cadillac have an engine good enough to serve in such a car or would it need to develop one. But said flagshp does, we repeat, it does, have a platform. Still, since the Cadillac Sixteen concept is from a time when “Gaga” is what babies said, you should probably stick to the Mega Millions for now.

More details emerge about new RWD Cadillac flagship

Boiled Down, But Still Delectable

It is nearly impossible to avoid reminiscing about the 1983 Volkswagen GTI while driving the 2012 Volkswagen Golf R. As you may recall, “the original hot hatch” arrived on our shores seemingly eons ago with a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter four spitting out just 90 horsepower. While hardly brawny, even in an era of wheezy outputs (the 1983 Mustang GT 5.0 generated just 175 horsepower), its low curb weight of 2,100 pounds and a base price of $7,995 made the range-topping Rabbit not only light, tossable and reasonably quick, but very affordable.

Fast forward nearly three decades to the 2012 Volkswagen Golf R, a direct descendant of that first-generation GTI. Thoroughly modernized, and riding on a sixth-generation chassis, the new two- or four-door range-topping Golf boasts a bit more displacement and gobs more horsepower. But that is not all today’s hot hatch has gained. With innovation and refinement come mass and cost – both of which have risen dramatically over the past three decades.

After falling head-over-heels for the 2012 Golf R after our first drive of the Euro-spec model in Switzerland last spring, it was time to put one in our garage for a longer run on domestic soil. With an eager and open mind, we welcomed the Golf R into our lives for a week. While we didn’t have a chance to toss it around a closed racing circuit, we did put in several hundred miles on the highway, wrung it out on Mulholland and frolicked in wet Southern California mountain snow. In the process, we not only learned plenty about Volkswagen’s hot hatch, but we met several other Golf R drivers who were more than willing to talk to us about their own experiences.

Continue reading 2012 Volkswagen Golf R [w/video]

2012 Volkswagen Golf R [w/video]

The good people at Cars.com have slogged their way through sales data from April and found something interesting. The Toyota Prius Plug-In managed to walk away as the third quickest-selling car in the U.S., spending just five days on dealer lots. That figure was good enough to land it behind the BMW X3 and X5, both of which take four days to find a new homes. The plug-in hybrid has only been on sale for two months, and took the honor of being the second-quickest selling vehicle in March, according to Cars.com.

The report also took the time to look at the slowest-selling models around. Surprisingly, the Porsche Boxster sits at the top of that list, taking a whopping 250 days to turn. The 2012 BMW 6 Series isn’t doing much better. The 650i Convertible took fourth place with an average of 128 days on the lot while the 640i Coupe rounds out the top 10 with 111 days. Perhaps even more shocking is the news that there are four vehicles selling slower than the Nissan Murano Cross Cabriolet at 120 days on dealer lots. Head over to Cars.com for the full report.

Toyota Prius Plug-In third fastest-selling car in America

It seems like we’ve been hearing about the Tesla Model S for a decade, but a report in Yahoo! states that the electric sedan is only a month away from production. That’s about one month ahead of schedule, as Tesla is reportedly wrapping up crash testing fast enough to start making the hotly anticipated EV.

The Model S couldn’t come at a much better time for Tesla, as the automaker just announced a first quarter loss of $89.9 million. The prospects aren’t any better for Q2, but the second half of the year should be an entirely different story. Q1 revenue was only $30 million, and the first half revenue is expected to come in around $60 million. With the Model S around for the second half of the year, sales are expected to skyrocket into the $600 million range. Tesla plans to move about 5,000 units in 2012, even though the automaker currently has 10,000 orders in-hand.

Some of those 10,000 hand-raisers might have something more to get excited about, as Tesla announced that the top range Signature model, which features a 85-kWh battery pack, will be able to travel 320 miles on a two-cycle charge. That’s 20 miles more than Tesla previously announced. The first 1,200 copies of the Model S will be Signature models with the largest-possible battery pack.

Tesla posts $89.9M Q1 loss, Model S coming sooner than expected

Ben Collins is staying busy. The former Stig has once again returned to stunt driving, this time for the upcoming James Bond film Skyfall. According to The Mirror, Collins has been spotted filming in Istanbul, where he took the wheel to ram a Land Rover into an Audi during a crash scene.

The stunt vehicle used a special cage on the roof, where the stunt driver can manipulate the SUV with the actors inside. Collins has a long history of working with the Bond franchise. The TV personality turned stuntman worked on both “Quantum of Solace” and “Casino Royale,” though he’s also worked on other films as well.

In Collins’ memoir, “The Man in the White Suit,” the driver turned author describes how he juggled his time in the Army, on Top Gear, as a race driver and a stunt driver at the same time. As you may recall, the BBC attempted to prevent the memoir from being published at all, but lost the lawsuit in which it alleged revealing the Stig’s identity would breach Collins’ contract.

Former Stig signs on as Bond stunt driver

Mercedes-Benz has rolled out a new video for its vicious C63 AMG Black Series. The 510-horsepower machine spends a little time frolicking through an industrial complex before taking to an open stretch of track for a little more fun. The entire clip is appropriately shot in black and white and set to the riotous tones of the hefty 6.2-liter V8 banging off the limiter. Not a bad way to blow two minutes of your day.

As you may recall, Chris Harris recently lined the C63 AMG Black Series up against bruisers like Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the BMW M3 GTS for a little German showdown. Harris found the C63 to be a willing dance partner with appropriate levels of presence on the street, but still found the machine out gunned by the track-bred Porsche. Scroll down to check out the Black Series video for yourself.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz shows off the dark side of the C63 AMG Black Series coupe

Mercedes-Benz shows off the dark side of the C63 AMG Black Series coupe

Hiring a lawyer is like hiring a hitman. Except it’s not against the law. A lawyer’s job is to exert your will on your legal opponent – and on the legal system itself. So it should come as no surprise to see this evolution of distracted driving case law: The victims of a traffic accident have filed a lawsuit against both the motorist and the woman he was texting with when he caused the crash, according to the Huffington Post.

Let’s just state for the record that we have no horse in this race, which is not unlike any other personal injury suit in which the plaintiff’s attorney rounds up anyone and everyone that might be named as a defendant. The difference here, however, is that this is the first time we’re aware of someone being accused of being an accomplice to the breaking of distracted driving laws and causing a crash without even being in the car.

The driver, Kyle Best, a 19-year-old at the time of the accident, has already pled guilty to three violations of New Jersey law, including using a mobile phone while driving, careless driving, and leaving his lane, according to the report. Best hit a couple on a motorcycle with his pickup truck, resulting in both the man and woman losing their left legs. At the time, Best was exchanging text messages with Shannon Colonna, according to phone records.

The couple’s lawyer is arguing that Colonna knew she was texting Best while he was driving, and that her behavior is no different than if she had been having a conversation with him in the car, according to the report. Her attorney, however, maintains that she can’t be liable for the driver’s decision to read the text when it was not safe to do so and that she did not realize the dangers of texting while driving. The judge in the case is expected to decide whether Colonna can be included in the suit on May 25, according to the report.

Certainly this case is a complicated one, and could have broad ramifications on distracted driving lawsuits as well as further legislation on the issue. If the plaintiffs’ attorney is successful in bringing the texting woman into the suit, we can certainly expect that lawyers in other states which have texting bans will follow their lead.

Woman sued for sending text message to driver who crashed

Nevada has officially granted Google a license to test autonomous vehicles on public streets. The tech giant underwent demonstrations in both Las Vegas and Carson City to prove its vehicles are as safe or safer than those piloted by mere humans. The state requires two people to be in the test vehicles at all times, including at one occupant in the driver’s seat and another monitoring the vehicle via an onboard computer. If anything goes wrong, the human “driver” can take over by simply applying the brakes or taking hold of the steering wheel.

As of right now, Google has only applied to license three vehicles. Each one will carry a red license plate with an infinity symbol. According to Bruce Breslow, Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles director, vehicles with autonomous capability could be on the road within three to five years. When that happens, the machines will wear green plates.

Google allowed to test self-driving car on Nevada public streets

Ferrari is not an outfit that would miss out on the enormous opportunity presented by the Chinese market. Having won the grand prix there three times out of the first four it was held, the Prancing Horse marque launched a special-edition 599 there in 2009, followed by an even more exclusive porcelain-finish one-off.

For 2012, Ferrari created a special-edition 458 Italia to mark the year of the dragon, and to launch it, the local dealership in Nanjing rented out a section of the Great Wall. It’s what they did with it, however, that has local authorities seeing red in more ways than one.

Apparently at some point during or after the demonstration, an employee of the dealership got behind the wheel of the limited-edition V8 supercar and pulled some smokey donuts. The problem is that the stunt left tire marks burnt into the ancient surface, leaving authorities understandably upset. What repercussions will ensue remains to be seen, but we certainly wouldn’t want to be ticking off China’s notoriously strict government.

Scroll down below for the video report.

Continue reading Ferrari dealership in trouble for burning rubber on the Great Wall of China

Ferrari dealership in trouble for burning rubber on the Great Wall of China

When our man Scott Burgess asked SRT CEO Ralph Gilles about the Dodge SRT Viper Roadster, Gilles naturally demurred. The Internet, however, always provides an answer to every question, and German magazine Auto Bild has rendered its take on the droptop snake.

Unlike previously, when the coupe and roadster were rather dissimilar, this time the brotherhood will be more traditional… at least according to this artist’s take.

We won’t speculate on how close the rendering might be, but we will say we like it. With the coupe having already enjoyed its 600-horsepower burst onto the scene, it shouldn’t be long before the roadster begins leaking its way out.

Rendered Speculation: SRT Viper Roadster

Autoblog reader Ed sent us this screen shot from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, showing that General Motors has apparently trademarked the name Riviera for use on automobiles. It’s no secret that the Riviera name resonates well with anyone familiar with Buick’s history, and since the production coupe’s death in 1999, the name Riviera has only been resurrected once for the 2007 concept car you see here.

So, why is GM registering the Riviera name again? Your guess is as good as ours. As GM Inside News points out, it could be nothing – automakers will, from time to time, trademark a host of words or alphanumeric sequences (Ford, for example, has trademarked everything from MKA to MKZ for potential Lincoln use). But then again, this isn’t the first (or second, or third) time that we’ve heard rumors about Buick potentially adding a coupe to its lineup, and the Riviera name would certainly be appropriate.

GM trademarks Riviera name

Last time we saw the non-AMG skin of the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake it was bathed in red paint and caked in Arctic snow and grime. Warmer times have brought new shots of a black car – which we’ll christen The Scarab – on standard wheels wearing nothing but a shine and a wisp of camo. Its shape has found a way to divide opinion, as the CLS-Class has always done, and we’ll admit that yes, perchance there’s something faintly Romulan about it, but we’re totally sold on the looks.

Right now, there’s nothing left to the imagination but the aft-most sliver of window – that final angle of chrome is an application. We expect all blanks to be filled in come the Paris Motor Show in September, which should see the reveal of the CLS550 and CLS63 AMG versions of the sleekest wagon this side of Rigel 5. The high-res gallery is above, and you should check it out.

Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake reveals more of its rakish rump

Jeremy Clarkson did an 11-minute interview with a South African radio station that has a name to match its geographic location. Clarkson discussed what it took to make the Top Gear segment that had them drivng around the Monaco GP circuit on a race weekend, the coming Ron Howard movie Rush about the 1976 F1 battle between Niki Lauda and James Hunt and Top Gear Festival 2012 “with an array of cars that has never been seen anywhere.”

But what has caught everyone’s attention – everyone except for the radio interviewer, that is – was Clarkson saying that the festival would be “about the only time” he, Hammond and May would work together in 2012 because “there’s no Top Gear this year.” There’s video of the interview below, the bombshell at about 8:10. Since it’s all a bit confusing, Mr. Clarkson himself has set the record straight via his personal Twitter account, confirming that Top Gear will return in January of 2013, though there will be a Christmas special some time before that.

The reason petrolheads will be missing out on their BBC fix? Simon Cowell, apparently. “Sunday nights will be full of fat people singing,” said Clarkson. “Top Gear is a medium size van. Cowell is a juggernaut. When he has finished his singing competition, our new series will start.”

Continue reading Top Gear not returning until 2013 [w/video]

Top Gear not returning until 2013 [w/video]