This afternoon at a media roundtable event, Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn unequivocally confirmed that will build a next-generation . “We are going to replace it. We are going to present in every segment in the market in the United States.” indicated that Nissan was pursuing a new Titan, but persistent reports indicated that the automaker would pursue an outside partner for the vehicle’s development.
A subsequent Autoblog discussion with a Nissan official revealed that not only is the company developing the next-generation Titan right now – internally and without another automaker as a partner – it’s not that far off. Our source confirms that Nissan will first show the truck “in about a year’s time” and the vehicle will likely go on sale as a 2014 model, consistent with earlier reports.
One of the chief issues the current Titan has faced, according to our source, has been its limited configurability versus competitors’ offerings. But the next-generation Titan won’t make this same mistake – it will offer multiple engines and cab configurations.
Nissan first introduced the Canton, Mississippi-built Titan in 2004, but it’s suffered from slow sales and limited updates. More recently, The Japanese marque entered the North American commercial truck market with its , but in 2011, it only managed to sell around 6,500 units.
has put the under the knife for 2013. The sprawling SUV makes its debut at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show wearing a revised front fascia, complete with the company’s “spindle” grille design and new LED daytime running lights – very similar to its sister SUV, the . The vehicle’s side-view mirrors now come equipped with integrated turning indicators for the first time, and around back, the 2013 Lexus LX 570 wears redesigned tail lamps alongside a revised rear valance with stainless steel accents. A new 20-inch wheel design is also part of the update.
Indoors, the 2013 LX 570 comes equipped with a new Easy Access system for the driver, which automatically retracts the steering wheel and driver’s seat for easier ingress and egress. Designers sprinkled new mahogany wood trim throughout the cabin as well as additional 120-volt power adapters. Likewise, the instrument cluster now comes in a new color scheme for 2013. Snazzy.
Otherwise, expect to find the same 5.7-liter V8 underhood that’s powered LX 570 models of yore. That means buyers can look forward to a stout 383 horsepower and 403 pound-feet of torque. for the full press release.
It’s the eve of the , and officially kicked things off tonight by unveiling its at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. Why CCS? Many of the college’s graduates go on to work in areas of automotive design, and as Ed Welburn, ‘ Vice President of Global Design, tols us, over 170 CCS graduates currently work within the larger GM design team, 20 of which directly worked on the ATS project. After getting our first impressions of the ATS in the flesh, we must indeed applaud those designers.
The ATS rides on an all-new rear-wheel-drive platform, and the end result is car that’s about eight inches shorter in length than the larger sedan. Cadillac’s Art & Science design language has been updated for the smaller sedan, with angular lines and flat surfaces found throughout the four-door’s styling. Sure, Cadillac is quite proud of the way the ATS looks, but what’s most important about this car is its performance. After all, the ATS will go head-to-head with the likes of the and , so on the road, it has to be good.
The ATS is around 100 pounds lighter than a comparable Audi A4, while packing a more powerful engine lineup.
A key factor to the ATS’ development was lightness, and GM’s North American President, Mark Reuss, stated that the new sedan will be “the most mass-efficient car in the segment.” Weighing in at less than 3,400 pounds, the ATS is around 100 pounds lighter than a comparable Audi A4, while packing a more powerful engine lineup. The base engine is a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-four, putting out 200 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque, which should be good for over 30 miles per gallon on the highway. The real points of interest are the new turbocharged 2.0-liter four and 3.6-liter V6. The up-level turbo four should be good for around 270 horsepower, and the larger direct-injected V6 will send 318 hp to the ground. Transmission choices include a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox, and both rear- and all-wheel drive will be available.
The ATS will get a diesel engine in its first life-cycle.
During the presentation, Reuss also confirmed that the ATS will get a diesel engine in its first life-cycle, though specific details are unavailable as of this writing. We know that GM is already working on a small diesel mill for the Cruze sedan, so the new oil-burning ATS could use a version of this engine, if not the same exact one.
As for how the ATS will perform on the road, we’ll have to wait until we get our first stint behind the wheel later this year, but things do indeed look promising. In addition to a 50/50 front/rear weight distribution, the ATS will use GM’s Magnetic Ride Control, and will have “the best steering I’ve ever tested,” as Reuss stated. Vice President of Cadillac Marketing, Don Butler, says the ATS’ key development themes were to make it “nimble, quick, [and] fun.”
It certainly sounds promising, and if all this goodness comes to live out on the pavement, we only have one thing to say: Bring on the V.
Chrysler’s of its pivotal new Dodge Dart sedan has apparently gone on longer than the Internet can stand, because the embargo has started to break, giving us these full-bleed images and video of the handsome new C-segment sedan.
Revealed here in aggressive R/T guise and Limited Trim (the white model), the Dart appears attractive and well-balanced to our eyes, looking almost like the Dodge Neon never stopped being developed. That might sound like a slam to some readers, but the Neon was a quick and entertaining small car in its heyday, with buoyant looks and attitude to spare. At a glance, the Dart appears to capture some of that energy but add in heaping helpings of much-needed refinement.
Chrysler has already promised a range of powertrains for the Dart, including three different engines and a trio of transmissions (including an optional !). Power will come from the automaker’s range of new small-displacement engines, including a 2.0-liter, 16-valve four, a 1.4-liter MultiAir turbo and a 2.4-liter MultiAir.
The Dart’s underlying platform is expected to be a much-massaged version of the chassis underpinning the Alfa Romeo Giulietta, with 68 percent of its wider and longer architecture comprised of high-strength steel.
We’ll know more when the silk comes off this at the Detroit Auto Show in just a couple of days. For now, check out our high-res gallery and see the B-roll video .
[UPDATE:Dozens more photos added to our high-res gallery]
Some may look at a utilitarian vehicle like the Citroën and wonder why bother sprucing it up, but Citroën begs to differ. After launching the just over a year ago, the French automaker has returned with the new Code edition you see here.
Available in white, red, blue or grey, the C3 Picasso Code packs a host of visual enhancements that inject the little minivan with an added dose of style: things like white or red-trimmed 17-inch alloys, chrome insets on the bumper and door handles, glossy black bumpers and door mirrors and more. All that costs just £300 more (in the UK) over the base C3 Picasso equipped with the same fuel-efficient 90-horsepower diesel engine and manual transmission. Follow the jump for the full press release.
You’ve heard us gush about the before, calling this 444-horsepower coupe “.” Sadly, we have yet to drive the updated 2013 model, which includes, among other things, a reworked front fascia, improved front-end cooling, a more assertive front splitter and new paint and graphics options.
Among those new color choices is Gotta Have It Green, which reminds us somewhat of Emerald Green popularized on models in the 1970s, albeit a bit flatter. Photographed here being jockeyed into place at Ford’s stand this morning, this is actually the second look we’re giving you at Gotta Have It, though these photos are markedly clearer (and more numerous) than the ones we showed you . We like the new reflective ‘hockey stick’ side graphic that replaces the boomerang U-shaped treatment of the 2012 model, but if we’re being honest, we’re on the fence about the pastel-like paint finish.
If you don’t (like) Gotta Have It, there’s also a new Impact Blue paint choice, along with and last year’s Competition Orange, Kona Blue, Black, Ingot Silver, Race Red and Performance White. Unfortunately, we didn’t spy either of the other new colors on Ford’s Cobo Hall show stand while we were , but they could still make the scene before press days get underway next week.
Speaking of high-performance Mustang models, Autoblog has learned that debuting in Motown are 100-percent false (as if to reinforce that fact, we spotted a 2012 model on a display stand). The most-powerful ‘Stang droptop will debut this auto show season, though Ford wouldn’t officially say at which show (we’re thinking ).
So, now that you have a better look at Gotta Have It Green, does it live up to its name? Take our second-chance poll below and let us know what you think in Comments.
Boss 302 snapped getting comfy in Detroit [w/poll]
For a country that loves (or, at least, loved) sport utility vehicles, the has certainly slipped to the back of our minds. It carries one of the most iconic go-anywhere, do-anything nameplates in the industry, and yet in 2011, only 1,662 Land Cruisers were sold here in the United States, making it one of the . But since the vehicle’s product cycles are largely dictated by other markets where it’s more popular, the big Toy continues to carry on, and for the 2013 model year, there are a host of new updates.
Slight visual tweaks to the exterior include the addition of LED running lamps up front, as well as HID low-beam headlamps and a refreshed grille. Aside from that, not much else has changed as far as design goes, and while the Land Cruiser does look a bit old, it’s decidedly rugged and handsome.
The Land Cruiser’s 5.7-liter V8 is carried over unchanged, still with 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque on tap, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Of course, because the Land Cruiser is billed as a true off-road vehicle, driving aids like KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) and Multi-Terrain Select are standard. Inside, the Land Cruiser gets a brand new hard-drive-based navigation system complete with Toyota’s new Entune infotainment system.
has a similar mild refresh in store for the Land Cruiser’s luxury twin, the which we’ll see at the next week. For the full scoop, read Toyota’s official press release .
is gearing up for its first showing at , and in addition to building a sizable booth to highlight its range of new and updated products, M-B head .
We expect Zetsche to detail the automaker’s plans for its infotainment systems going forward, including a comprehensive update of COMAND and new connected and app-driven features.
On the floor, Mercedes will be showing off mbrace2, it’s revamped communications and connectivity platform, which will include new safety features, speech recognition, traffic and navigation information, vehicle care and personal assistance functionalities, along with a new concierge service and internet browsing. A complimentary smartphone app will link up with the system, allowing drivers to lock and unlock their vehicles, set up geo-fence alerts and include a new social functionality dubbed Send2Benz.
Additionally, Mercedes will preview its new DriveStyle iPhone app that integrates much of the phone’s functionality into the central display to limit driver distraction, along with new safety systems, both of which will debut later this year.
We’ll be on the floor getting hands-on with all of it it less than a week, but until then get the full details in the press blast .
Back in July, our man Bowman got his first chance to drive the new in the wilds of Montana, and he came away particularly impressed by the ML350 BlueTEC 4Matic. It’s great news that this updated diesel powertrain is coming to the United States in November, but in Montana, we missed out on the new-generation On&Offroad Package and innovative Active Curve System.
Fortunately, we were recently afforded the chance to test all of this goodness over a small paved circuit in Austria, as well as up and down a truly hellacious off-road course. By the end of the day, we were convinced that this ML350 diesel 4×4 thus equipped can finally take it to a similarly optioned or . And, as MercedesGermany tells us, North American buyers will at long last get a crack at this On&Offroad harder-core package for 2013. Are they at risk of messing with the winning on-road recipe that has made the M-Class the world’s best-selling premium SUV, with over 1.2 million sold?
It’s no secret has come a very long way from the company’s humble roots – and it’s done so in a startlingly short period of time. One needs only to cast an eye towards the automaker’s current sports car offerings to see what we mean. With hardware like the soon-to-be-updated range and the new three-door , Hyundai has proven itself as a manufacturer capable of building vehicles to run with the best the market has to offer. But it wasn’t always so. The Korean automaker first dipped a toe into the sports car market with the 1991 Scoupe. Based on Excel, the two-door featured sportier notchback styling along with a Lotus-tuned suspension.
At its heart, the front-drive Scoupe made use of the same wheezy 81-horsepower four-cylinder engine found in the Excel, which was good enough to get the coupe to 60 mph in 11.4 seconds. Like it’s arch rival, the Toyota Paseo (), these were the kind of machines that demanded patience. Click to take a look at a 1991 MotorWeek segment on the Scoupe LS for a quick trip down memory lane.
A Czech site has gotten a glimpse of what we may be able to expect from the upcoming face lift. AutoForum managed to swipe what it says is a full, undisguised view of the vehicle’s revised front fascia, where we can clearly see a more angular split grille with new horizontal slats. The current Cruze relies on a rounded opening. It isn’t completely clear that this is a planned global facelift, or if it’s just a market-specific look, but if it’s the international mid-cycle refresh, the vehicle will also benefit from more expressive triangular fog light housings and stylized detailing along the lower fascia. We like what we see.
General Motors has already made it clear American buyers can look forward to getting their hands on both a diesel Chevrolet Cruze as well as a five-door version of the vehicle. Whether this fascia update will tag along on either of those models remains to be seen, however. The snapshot clearly shows a European license plate bezel, and the vehicle has been on sale in the old country for significantly longer than it has here in the States. Head over to to see the full-scale shot side-by-side with our current model.
While we’ve been consumed with the ramp-up to next week’s , there’s a more pressing matter on the international car events calendar – this week’s New Delhi Auto Expo. isn’t overlooking the burgeoning biennial show, and it’s taking the opportunity to reveal its first-ever world debut at the show, the next Ford EcoSport.
Debuting with a sliver of show-only frosting (check out those glitzy headlamps), the tiny crossover is about the same size as the five-door, and it’s built on the Blue Oval’s new global B-Car architecture. Ford isn’t revealing much in the way of powertrain specifics for this thinly disguised model, but our sources tell us the EcoSport will see the first application of the company’s new 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine in India (yes, that means there will be an EcoSport EcoBoost), and presumably there will be an ethanol variant as well.
The upright CUV has been designed with emerging markets in mind, namely portions of Asia and South America, so we’re unlikely to see it in North America (we’d be more likely to receive the B-Max MPV), though our sources tell us that an eventual European market appearance is not out of the question. Roughly 90 percent of cars in those markets are B-Segment or smaller, and the previous generation of the Brazilian-built EcoSport has sold some 750,000 units since hitting the market nine years ago.
While the original EcoSport sold almost exclusively in Brazil, the new model will spread its wings to take on a more global role as part of the company’s One Ford agenda. To be assembled in both India and Brazil, the EcoSport represents the first time that Ford’s team in Camacari, Brazil has taken the lead in conceiving a global product, another indication of the market’s growing importance. The new EcoSport will be a lynchpin for the Blue Oval, who expect the Asia Pacific region to swallow up to one out of every three Ford vehicles sold by 2020 (it’s just one in six today).
Want more proof of India’s rise in importance? Officials tell us that Ford plans to treat the Delhi show as a first-tier show going forward, on par with Detroit, the , and so on. Ostensibly, the show will replace a presence for the Dearborn automaker, as Ford was absent from last month’s show in Japan.
UPDATE:Additional photos and sketches have been added to the gallery, along with a press release after the jump.
Tata Motors has issued a recall for all Nano models manufactured between July 2009 and October 2011. The company will replace the vehicles’ starter motors free of charge. And while the Indian automaker has declined to say just how many vehicles will be affected by the recall, local news reports have said as many as 145,000 Nano vehicles will receive a new starter. Tata says the recall has been underway for some time, noting it has already replaced somewhere around 50,000 starters to date. The entire recall program is expected to cost Tata around $20.8 million at current conversion rates.
The automaker has released an updated version of the Nano called the Nano 2012. The revised model is not included in the recall.
Tata hasn’t seen the sort of sales success the company had hoped for with the world’s least expensive new car. From labor unrest to perception issues to a wave of fires and safety upgrades, the Nano has had a hard row to hoe since birth.
Our spy photographers have snapped a few shots of the upcoming and G65 AMG SUVs. The beasts are currently undergoing winter testing in Sweden, and from the looks of things, buyers will be able to chose between two brawny boxes when the vehicles receive an official debut next year. The G55 is likely to feature a 525 horsepower, twin-turbocharged 5.4-liter V8 engine along with the subtle grille and bumper updates we see here. The globe-crushing SUV will also likely receive larger, more capable brakes as well as an updated interior. Otherwise, we can expect the G’s sharp angles to soldier on in perpetuity.
If the G55 isn’t enough to make you giggle, is also planning an even more exclusive G65. That terror will come boasting a 6.0-liter, twin-turbo V12 engine good for 612 horsepower and 737 pound-feet of torque, though only 200 units will be produced. How’s that for maniacal? Word has it the AMG G twins will take a bow at either the 2012 Detroit Auto Show or the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March.
for Windows, Android and iOS has been around for a while, but the most recent update for the iPhone allows you to view all the OBD-II-sourced data directly on your Pioneer AppRadio.
As we’ve said before, the real draw of the AppRadio isn’t just its 6.1-inch, capacitive multi-touch screen, it’s the ability for third parties to integrate their apps into the display. In the case of DashCommand, you can port over 229 different data points through your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch using an OBDII connector. A maximum of 27 customizable gauges show you everything from coolant temps to check engine lights, and using the built-in accelerometer and GPS systems, you can also display an inclinometer, G-forces and even race track mapping. Get all the details in at .
How many sports cars can one automotive group offer? Just ask the people at , whose various divisions – , , , – churn them out like you and I would write Christmas cards. (Or Hannukah cards, anyway.) And the group is right behind their German counterparts, with and keeping the upper crust of the market satisfied, and now Alfa Romeo and Abarth filling a more accessible – but potentially no less exciting – niche.
Recently we brought you a progress update on the Alfa Romeo 4C, a concept mid-engine sports car that’s now apparently been green-lit for production. In the ruminations of its potential roadworthiness, there was speculation that Abarth could get a version of its own. But those rumors have existed for longer than the 4C concept, and will now appear to outlast it as well.
According to the latest reports, Abarth is pitching a project that would see it develop its own sports car. But while the 4C would be priced similarly to a or , the Abarth would be positioned lower – maybe at the or the new /Scion FR-S/Toyota GT-86. It would also likely be front-drive, with between 200 and 250 horsepower, and draw its inspiration from the 1968 Abarth Scorpione pictured at right.
Whether it comes to fruition or not remains to be seen – not to mention its potential arrival in North America – but the prospect of another Italian sportscar isn’t something we’d turn down.
In-car point-of-interest and Google searches are all well and good, but it’s hard to decipher what restaurants, bars and other local businesses are worth your hard-earned bucks while you’re on the go. Yelp for ConnectedDrive solves that problem.
Whatever your view of Yelp is (and there are many), the crowd-sourced business rating site is still the go-to source for many looking for up-to-date, relevant rankings of what’s nearby. And with the latest update from BMW Online, drivers of most 2009 and later models can benefit from the service.
Additionally, you can email business listings to yourself or a friend, and BMW’s infotainment system can also read off the three latest reviews so you won’t be staring at the screen while trying to find a suitable sushi joint. for the official details and a list of vehicles included in the update.
That can’t sell enough superluxury sedans to justify the brand’s existence is the worst-kept secret in the entire automotive industry. The numbers don’t really make a dent in what its competitors sell, and they are but a drop in the bucket of what the company moves as a whole. That’s what’s prompted Daimler to seek out more cost-effective alternatives to the current Maybach line, and what’s .
So you’d think that the prices on buying a new Maybach would be dropping considerably as a result. And you may very well get your local Maybach dealer to cut one heck of a deal to get one of their limousines out of the showroom. But you wouldn’t know it from the latest pricing updates released by Mercedes-Benz USA.
Instead of slashing their prices in an effort to turn a profit before shutting down the brand, Daimler has actually increased the MSRPs on 2012 models. Not by much, mind you – about $4,000 across the board (save the $1.38m , which stays the same). Of course, that probably isn’t enough to deter someone willing to shell out this kind of money from buying a Maybach. But the sheer audacity of raising the sails on a sinking vessel is certainly an interesting tactic to save the ship.
– or Prodrive, the outfit that preps Mini’s rally cars – has inexplicably failed to file for entry into the 2012 World Rally Championship before the series’ December 20 deadline. Mini’s first year back at the top level of rallying as a development team yielded two podiums, and the company hasn’t stepped back from its stated desire to . Word is that parent is gung-ho to continue but that there are “significant issues which need to be resolved” between it and Prodrive.
In an update to the situation today, UK site PistonHeads said has spoken to Prodrive and has been told Mini will somehow gain entry and be at the first race in Monte Carlo. Prodrive is in discussions now with the FIA to clear the way to entry, but apparently told PistonHeads that had “some concern” over WRC promotion with respect to television coverage. We have no idea if that has anything to do with the supposed issues with BMW, but we do know we’d like to see the little red flyer in action again this year.
has just spilled the beans on how it plans to keep its MVP fresh for the 2012 model year. The recipe for the lineup hinges on a new Touring package (from $2,065) that adds many of the features of the without adding any actual power.
Offered on all three bodystyles, the CTS Touring pack includes such niceties as a buttoned-up suspension (presumably not the actual magnetic ride control setup at the CTS-V given the price), faux suede inserts on the seats and steering wheel, Sapele wood trim and metal pedal pads. The extensive package also includes exterior touches like HID headlamps, dual exhaust, a darker grille finish, different wheel packages and a decklid spoiler cribbed from the V.
There are some equipment differences with the Touring Package depending on whether you stick with the base 3.0-liter V6 or opt for the 3.6-liter. The 3.0-liter package costs less at $2,065, but the 3.6-liter Touring group ($2,810) also includes grippy Recaro seats and larger 19-inch wheels shod in either summer or all-season tires. While we’d much rather have the 556-horsepower, 6.2-liter V8 of the real-deal CTS-V, either package seems like a screaming deal for all of the extra equipment.
For 2012, General Motors has also updated the entire CTS range with Bluetooth as standard fit and added blind spot assist and rain-sensing wipers to the options list. New paint colors include Opulent Blue Metallic, Black Diamond Tri-Coat and Mocha Steel Metallic. Pricing starts at $36,790 for the sedan, $39,590 for the rakish coupe and $39,890 for the Sport Wagon.
