September 29, 2007
Well, that UAW strike against GM was over faster than you can drive through a one-light town in the middle of the Mojave, but then that's good news, so let's hit the road for this week's drive around the auto blog block, shall we?
Well, not exactly, but close enough to make a point...
"This is like deja vu all over again."
This VEBA health care funding idea is not exactly new, as Caterpillar tried it back in 1998. Guess what? It didn't work, and now 20,000 Caterpillar retirees have to foot the bill for much of their medical expenses...
September 28, 2007
What's a Tiguan? A cross between a tiger and an iguana. We don't get it either. But it's VW's new compact SUV...
We doubt we'll see Bill Gates tooling around in the new 2008 Focus. But Ford did wire it up with Microsoft's Sync technology. It's a voice-activated media player on wheels. But what about the rest of the car?
Read the Ford Focus First Drive on Inside Line...
Toyota announced that they've developed a fuel-cell car with a range of up to 480 miles, which is roughly twice the distance of their existing model. In a real-world situation, two of these new fuel-cell vehicles traveled from Osaka to Tokyo, 350 miles or so, without refueling, while keeping their air conditioning on. They still had about 30% of the fuel left when they arrived in Tokyo.
Full story here...
It seems like the Texas State Fair is fast becoming a major stop on the auto show circuit, as more and more vehicle manufacturers (make that truck and SUV manufacturers) are using this venue to introduce new models to the public. Hey, it makes a lot of sense, as they have exactly the audience—and a huge one at that—corralled.
So along with Ford (The iconic Ford F-Series turns 60) and Dodge (2008 Ram Resistrol here), GM is using this state fair as a stage to unveil their new GMC Yukon Hybrid and Chevy Tahoe Hybrid.
From this link you can find other links to all the vehicles on display at this year's Texas State Fair...
Fifty five year old car racing aficionado Tom Wieringa has spent his whole life in Chicago. Next Wednesday (October 3) he’ll be in the most important car event he’s ever been in yet.
He’ll strap himself into a 1,525 pound 675 horsepower IRL Indy Series race car, accelerate from 0 to 100 miles per hour in three seconds and hurtle down the race track at speeds up to 210 miles an hour.
If he qualifies, he’ll set a new record as the oldest driver ever to get a license to drive in the 92 year history of the Indy Racing League...
BMW's CEO Norbert Reithofer, at a press conference in Munich, hinted that BMW may offer a fourth brand beyond BMW, Rolls-Royce and Mini, sometime in the future. As to what it may be, or as to what market segment it may enter, little was disclosed.
Reithofer did mention that, if it happens, it could very well occur in conjunction with an alliance with another already established automaker, in which “synergies and efficiencies” could be maximized. So will it be FWD, or be smaller than anything currently offreed, or go in a completely new new direction, we just don't know yet...
September 27, 2007
Inside Line drove the new Saturn Astra on Germany's autobahn.
The 3- and 5-door hatchbacks feature a 138-horsepower, 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine, a 5-speed manual transmission, and starting price in the mid-to-high teens.
Could the Astra be the best small car GM has ever sold in the United States?
Read the Saturn Astra First Drive on Inside Line.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
If you're like an increasing number of people, you LOOOVE your Internet. I'm rarely without access, and I recently paid too much for a new smartphone primarily so that as long as I have cellular coverage, I have the Internet -- albeit a very slow version -- in my pocket.
A company out of Cambridge, Massachusetts, known as WAAV (formerly Omniwav Mobile) aims to change the clunkiness and slow speeds of mobile Internet by introducing a new generation of in-car broadband Internet routers. Drivers and passengers (mostly passengers, we hope) will be able to access the Internet at speeds comparable to a DSL or cable connection and use all of their favorite applications, up to and including broadband gaming...
Arguably one of the most successful automotive product lines ever, the Ford F-Series, is now 60 years old. The vehicles debuted back early in 1948 as the F-1, F-2, F-3, etc.; and the F-1 evolved into the F-100, which then in turn evolved into the F-150; as did the F-2, et al.
So Ford will be offering a special commemorative version of of F-Series pickups, which will have special badging, trim pieces and two-tone paint. The vehicles will be announced at the Texas State Fair...
Not all the details of this new potentially landmark agreement have been announced to the public yet, as union leaders now have to present it —and SELL it!—to their membership. That will likely occur over the weekend. Then we will know if this is a done-deal or not.
Assuming the GM union members do fall in line behind their leadership, then this agreement will be used as a template for both Ford and Chrysler, which are next in line...
Last month Straightline mentioned that Toyota and Subaru may be co-developing a small entry level sports car using the Subaru 1.5L and/or 2.0L boxer engine (Toyota and Subaru collaborating on a sports car). Now there is more news from Best Car (via 7tune.com), a Japanese auto magazine, on this vehicle.
I wouldn't put any money on the images you see here, as Japanese car magazines are famous for guesstimating as to what new vehicles will look like.
A test mule has been spotted on Toyota's test track, but with the front drive shafts removed...
September 26, 2007
Cadillac produced a uniquely American sport sedan with a 304-horsepower, direct-injection 3.6-liter V6 with a zero to 60 time of 6.5 seconds.
Is it enough to take on the heavy hitters like the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class, Infiniti G35 and Acura TL?
What do you think of the new 2008 Cadillac CTS?
Read the CTS Full Test on Inside Line.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Here's an ambitious undertaking to tempt Ferrari fanatics: a new video game from developer System 3 that aims to present the entire Ferrari product line since 1947.
Ferrari Challenge will ship with 30 car models and offer the rest of the Ferrari catalog and other upgrades through microtransactions -- a couple extra dollars here for Ferris Bueller's 1958 Ferrari 250 Spyder, a couple extra dollars there for a new track.
The game will feature 13 tracks at the outset, with Monaco available for download shortly after its retail launch. Cars will suffer damage -- rare in a licensed title -- but it will be cosmetic only, and won't affect their performance on the track...
Late last night leaders from both GM and the UAW came to an agreement, ending the two-day-old strike. Details about the agreement are at the moment scarce, and union members still have to ratify the agreement, which could take place as early as Sunday.
Union leader Ron Gettelfinger stated: "We feel very good about this agreement. I think this strike helped our side."
GM's CEO Rick Wagoner had this to say: "The national agreement paves the way for GM to significantly improve its manufacturing competitiveness, providing the basis for maintaining and strengthening its core manufacturing base in the United States...
Vintage cars hit the road—and the deck of the USS Midway—on a six-day, 1,000-mile tour de force 10/7 - 10/11
In October 2007, a caravan of 30 vintage American muscle cars and their owners will take part in the third annual Muscle Car 1000. This six-day luxury adventure tour will cover 1,000 miles from San Diego to Beverly Hills, featuring once-in-a-lifetime events including the first-ever exhibition drag runs down the flight deck of the USS Midway in San Diego.
As with the previous Muscle Car 1000 journeys (from Newport to Napa and back in 2005; Santa Barbara to Napa and back in 2006), this year's event is limited to 30 teams of two participants. This intimacy sparks true camaraderie among these classic car collectors. Each team must bring their own Muscle Car, defined as: 1964 1973 American Muscle Cars; 1955-1973 Corvettes; and 1962-1967 Cobras. And while, in their heyday muscle cars were not a symbol of luxe living, the Muscle Car 1000 adds premium living to powerful driving.
Our friends over at PickupTruck.com have put up an article on the Aussie Holden VE SS ute, which is rumored to come Stateside if Bob Lutz has his way. If it does come over (up?), rumor has it that it will be badged a Pontiac, or possibly a GMC, but not a Chevrolet.
The VE SS is powered by a 362 horsepower 6.0L V8, and is based on the Holden VE sedan. Power hits the ground via either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic...
The Volvo Truck plant in Ghent, Belgium has become the first vehicle manufacturing plant in the world that operates without emitting any carbon dioxide, CO2, the company announced.
The company says its efforts to establish CO2-free manufacturing plants are in line with the European Union's goal for reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent across Europe in the next 13 years, by 2020.
"Our ambition is to make all our plants CO2-free plants and Ghent is the first," says Volvo CEO Leif Johansson. "It is not an easy undertaking, but we are prepared to try different alternatives to achieve our goal for CO2-free production in our plants."
Full story here...
September 25, 2007
Chrysler has just launched an ad campaign on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" for its 2008 Chrysler Town & Country minivan.
It will feature Nick's Jimmy Neutron character at events like the Nickelodeon Slime Across America tour and in print ads. There's also a contest in which consumers can upload family photos to a Town & Country Web site for prizes like an all-expenses-paid family trip to the Nickelodeon Family Suites by Holiday Inn in Orlando, Fla., a new kid-friendly hotel and resort.
The TV aspect will feature five 30-second spots on appointment-viewing shows like "Grey's Anatomy," "Men in Trees," "Desperate Housewives," "Ugly Betty" and "60 Minutes." The campaign will also includes two 30-second spots for African-American and Hispanic markets...
No one knows for sure, but several things are clear: The longer it lasts, the worse it will become for both parties. Many view the union going out on strike as a "1970s thing," and very much out of tune with the today's world of global markets. The union feels as if they've been pushed over a cliff, and that this was a last ditch effort on their part. Maybe so, but regardless of how it turns out, the strike will likely be just another nail in the union's coffin...
Here are three very interesting videos by Detroit Free Press writers on the UAW/GM strike, and its implications down the road.
Sarah Webster comments on how the small UAW paychecks might affect union families during the strike; and how this strike might impact Ford and Chrysler, who have yet to negotiate with the union. Mark Phelan comments on future GM vehicle launches and lost marketing momentum (related link); and Jamie Butters comments on who may come out on top, what it means to the state of Michigan, and what this may mean for future labor negotiations.
Might Suzuki be contemplating a WRX-like street car?
You gotta wonder why they're fielding a WRC team, if they're not thinking along those lines. Motor Authority (here) is also wondering the same thing, and according to an article in Cars Guide, a “SX4 Sport” could form the basis for a performance model derived from the WRC car, with an engine and performance mods to firmly take on the Subie WRX. The WRC car gets a 235kW (320hp) engine and weighs only 1230kg, however, a production model could be in the 160kW (215hp) range along with large diameter brakes, hard sports suspension, and a matching bodykit...
September 24, 2007
The Alpina B3 BiTurbo transforms the twin-turbo BMW 335i into a 355-hp, 189-mph high-speed performer with an automatic transmission.
Read the BMW Alpina First Drive on Inside Line.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
Nissan is back at the Nurburgring this week with the 2009 GT-R, and according to our shooters on the scene the engineers are once again aiming for new lap records. We heard the initial goal was to beat the current 911 Turbo, but now they're aiming even higher.
While the Turbo laps the Nordschleife in 7:40, the Porsche Carrera GT has reportedly done it in just 7:28 at hands of Walter Roehl. Nissan is supposedly gunning for the GT, but they'll need a perfect lap to beat that time...
Looks like yet another model in the Mercedes-Benz lineup is getting the Black Series treatment from AMG. This prototype of the Mercedes-Benz SL 63 Black Series was recently spotted at the Nurburgring and it looks every bit as aggressive as its current CLK counterpart. Huge fender flares add a good 10 to 12 inches of width to the car which clears the way for a monster set of wheels and tires. The brake calipers appear slightly different than those on the current SL 55/65 too...
The LA auto show has moved its date up roughly two weeks to November 16-25. Why, you ask? Apparently the date they wanted was already booked by another group: the Finger of God Good News Ministries’ “Set Up the Standard Crusade,” Ski Dazzle and T. Harv Eker’s Millionaire Mind Intensive Seminar...
What everyone was hoping to avoid has come to pass. The UAW, at 11:00 am this morning, went on strike against GM. While the two parties made great strides in many areas, they failed to come to agreement on key areas such as health care and job security, which have been bugaboos all along. This is the first UAW strike against GM since 1998, and the first national strike since 1970...
After 10 days of marathon hour-by-hour overtime negotiations the UAW has set an 11:00 am deadline to strike GM.
This surprising development comes after rumors of an accord to being close at hand. While no one is talking about specifics yet, the assumption is that the hang up is health care. Word had it yesterday that the two parties had agreed in principle, but that that the specific details of how to implement the new plan, which would shift the financial burden from GM to the union, being the sticking point...
Iceland installed world first hydrogen fuel station back in 2003, and has plans to be the the world's first oil-free nation. This not surprising when you consider gas costs $8.00 per gallon. And because of that, they are in the process of establishing a hydrogen-based transportation system. The question is will there be enough vehicles to support it?..
September 22, 2007
A modified BMW R 1150 RT bike set a land speed record of 130 mph using a 2.0L BMW diesel 3-series engine. The engine was found in a junk yard, and was converted to run on biodiesel fuel. The record was set at the Bonneville Salt Flats.
The bike was ridden by Michael Sturtz, the founder and executive director of The Crucible (here), which is an artistic industrial design center in Oakland, CA...
September 21, 2007
I've been home for over a week now, and while I'm thrilled to be done with eating goose liver and green eggs, I look back on this trip as one of the most exciting adventures I've ever had.
As someone who follows car companies like most guys follow sports, being so close to the industry was awesome. I saw the vehicle unveils firsthand, met with industry executives and worked alongside the top names in automotive journalism.
My interest in cars doesn't have grand origins...
For those of you looking for a quick, easy-to-read summary of my Astra review, here are some of the highlights and shortcomings of the Saturn Astra.
Initial impressions: Perfect proportions and well-drawn lines make it impossible to find a design flaw on the sheet metal. And while the design is conservative enough that it won't offend anyone, it's definitely not dull. The headlamps that were revamped to meet American safety standards add a bit of aggression...
Ah, but there's one catch... You must be in Japan, and ordering a Japanese-spec model.
Hey, but so what. The good news is that the car is getting ever closer to being a reality, and before you know it, we'll see it here Stateside too...
Honda's little Fit gets a little bigger.
It has 14.2 cubic feet of cargo space and somehow Honda managed to "fit" in 10 cupholders.
Read the Honda Fit First Drive on Inside Line.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
We've added a 2007 Kia Rondo to our long-term fleet.
It's small like a little wagon but has the versatility of a seven-seat compact sport utility with a fold-flat third row.
What's surprising is that it has a 2.7-liter V6 engine under the hood.
Read the Kia Rondo's Introduction on Inside Line...
There were plenty of enthusiasts who scoffed when Nissan's engineers started dragging a 911 Turbo around with them while testing the 2009 GT-R. It seemed like a lofty benchmark for a car that's expected to cost around $75,000, but the latest word from Germany suggests Nissan may have met its goals.
Prototypes of the 2009 GT-R started circling the Nurburgring yesterday, and according to spy shooters on the scene it was clear that the GT-R was running at full steam. With that in mind, they pulled out their stop watches to get an idea just how fast the GT-R was getting around the Nordschleife...
Suffering from "STI info overload" yet? Well, here's one more image that you will either love or hate, depending on your STI tolerance, and/or stance on the model.
This image is important for two reasons:
• It appears to be an "teaser" shot from Subaru that was leaked on to the Internet. That being the case, it's the first "official" glamor shot of this car from the manufacturer.
• The image is a high-drama image, and appears to be aimed at a more mature and sophisticated audience, rather than testosterone-charged teenyboppers with deep pockets.
Designer speaking here: The Subaru logo in the grille now sits in a cradle with a hint of a wing tip at the top, which I think is an improvement over what we see on other Impreza grilles. The only thing I would have done here is angle that new tip a bit more so that it aligns better with the line coming off the hood scoop—so that it looks like it leads directly to the hood scoop, and vice-versa. Yeah, it's a small detail, but it's those kind of details that can make a design great, or keep it just average.
Update: Subaru of Japan now has a teaser link up, using this image. The link and Bablefish translation after the jump.
Jim Press, who left Toyota for Chrysler speaks out as to why he switched jobs:
“I think every 37 or 38 years you ought to try a new career,” Press, who was at Toyota for 37 years, told Paul W. Smith on his WJR-AM radio show in his first interview since joining Chrysler.
"It's great to be back on the home team. It’s great to be on this team...
On Tuesday, October 30, Lexus will unveil an all-new performance accessory line at the 2007 Special Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas. Lexus’ appearance will mark the division’s first official participation in SEMA, an aftermarket show where more than 100,000 industry leaders from over 100 countries showcase the latest in automotive products, electronics, and the hottest accessories.
“The SEMA Show is the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world, and Lexus is thrilled to participate this year,” said Brian Bolain, National Lexus Interactive and Automotive Events Manager. “SEMA is the perfect venue for the launch of our new performance line, to display our performance-oriented project vehicles and showcase our all-new Lexus IS F high-performance sport sedan.”
Lexus will premier the new performance accessory line at a noon press conference on October 30. The press conference will be in the Lexus exhibit tent located outside adjacent to the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The exhibit tent sits next to the Motor Trend Proving Ground powered by Lexus, where the 400-plus horsepower performance-tuned IS F will be available for test drives.
Design students from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit and engineering students from the University of Michigan worked on a joint student assignment called "Inside Out." The concept here was to design/engineer a vehicle focusing on the inner skeleton as an exterior design element, rather than the traditional outer skin. Cool assignment!
From top to bottom: Nicolas Ren Stone's Dodge Dendro was inspired by the slinky black mamba snake.Timothy O'Donnell's Pontiac Hematon is a sports car inspired by high-end sport motorcycles. Tyler Mars' Jeep Roanoke is an aggressively styled off-road vehicle but with an environmentally friendly clean diesel engine.
The results, as you can see, are unusual and very creative...
September 20, 2007
An appearance on the Nurburgring seems almost required for new models these days, so it was no surprise when these pictures of the 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STI surfaced recently. Wearing minimal disguise this STI clearly shows what's in store for the top-of-the-line Impreza. Wider wheel flares, a deeper front air dam, quad exhaust pipes and a sizable rear wing are the most noticeable changes. More power, bigger brakes and a retuned suspension are also on the upgrade list...
Kia Motors America, Inc announced today that it will be building a 7-passenger SUV for the US market. Derived from the Mesa concept vehicle and larger than the company’s Sorento model this vehicle’s third row seating is designed to comfortably accommodate adults.
This yet-to-be-named SUV code named the HM will be available as a 2009 model and will make its debut at the upcoming 2008 North American International Auto Show.
Here's Inside Line's take: Teased: Kia SUV Concept
The current UAW contact ended last Friday, and UAW members have been working via an hour-to-hour basis ever since, as union and GM leaders try to hammer out an industry changing agreement. All parties have been putting in marathon negotiating sessions, and the big hang-up, to no one's surprise, is the health care issue. Latest word is that issue has been put on the back burner, signaling that an agreement could still be days away.
Full story here and here...
No, that's not a motorcoach trying to escape New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Nope, it's actually an amphibious motorcoach.
Piqued your curiosity a bit? if so check out this link from Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International on this vehicular-whale and other unusual 4-wheeled watercraft...
NBC and Nissan extend partnership with "NBC Premier Week Nissan Rogue Giveaway." Five Nissan Rogues will be given away each night during Premier Week starting September 24.
NBC and Nissan have expanded their partnership in launching the hit series “Heroes” with a unique multi-platform, interactive promotion that will encompass all five nights of NBC's premiere week beginning Monday, September 24. Each night (Monday-Friday, Sept. 24-28), NBC will be giving away a 2008 collector's edition Nissan Rogue SL signed by “Heroes” creator Tim Kring.
“We already have an incredible partnership with Nissan on 'Heroes' and were looking for ways to expand into premiere week,” said Barbara Blangiardi, Senior Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Content Innovation...
Boy this sure slipped under the radar: An agreement between NHTSA and China to improve the safety of Chinese vehicles was signed last week—and this very important (and timely!) news is just starting to filter out.
In any event a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) that formalizes a relationship was signed last Wednesday. The MOC puts forth goals for creating safety standards and enforcing them, informing consumers, sharing research, improving fuel economy, and handling safety investigations and recalls.
This news couldn't have arrived fast enough, as the Chinese are—and deservedly so—are being battered the world over on this and other auto- and non-auto-related issues...
September 19, 2007
This test mule doesn't look like much, but the spy photographers who shot it claim that under that Lumina SS sheetmetal sits the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. There's no way to verify their claim, but there are some odd elements to this prototype worth noting. Notice how the rear doors aren't really doors at all, and those exhaust pipes don't exactly look stock either. We aren't expecting the production version of the Camaro for quite some time, early 2009 is the expected start of production, so the fact that test mules would still be in such early stages of development is entirely plausible...
These are the latest shots of what may very well be called the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1. It could be the Corvette SS or the Corvette Z07 too, but regardless of what it's called, the new super Corvette is guaranteed to be one of the fastest production cars on the road. Powered by a supercharged 6.2-liter V8, the upcoming Corvette is expected to generate 625-650 horsepower. That kind of power will not only give it bragging rights over the latest Viper, it should be enough for a top speed over 200mph...
Acura wants to be known as a "Tier 1" luxury brand, and as such, is in the process of redefining their product line and their image.
“Our goal is to move Acura into a Tier 1 luxury brand,” says John Mendel, the executive vice president of automobile operations for American Honda. “We’re pretty clear about it. BMW is well established, and Acura is not in terms of a brand image...
In case you aren't aware, Edmunds.com has a new blog up called Green Car Advisor, and as you might expect, is devoted to all things green as it pertains to the automotive world. Check it out, as there is some really interesting info there.
...And to spark your interest a bit, here's the latest entry: GM Seeking Fuel Cell Drivers
Inside Line has a write up on the all-new 5.7L Toyota Land Cruiser, which if you're a loyal follower of Straightline, should be no surprise, as it's been posted here several times over the last year or so in various spy shots. The vehicle just debuted at the Sydney auto show this week.
2008 Toyota Land Cruiser Gets Goodies -- and a Big Price Hike
Not mentioned is the fact that the Aussie-spec Land Cruiser is also available with Toyota's new 4.5 V8 diesel along with the Toyota 6-speed automatic, which is described here. Now if that diesel fits in the Land Cruiser, you can bet it will also fit in the Tundra...
Winding Road has posted what they think to be images of a 2009 Forester test mule. Perhaps better stated, Brenda Priddy & Company who took he pictures, thinks this is the new Forester—but here's where it gets interesting...
These images are old, perhaps 6 months or older, and Priddy never thought much of them—until now. For some reason, Priddy & Company are now convinced this is the new Forester wrapped in Outback trappings...
September 18, 2007
More images of a lightly disguised Subaru STI from Japan have found their way to the Internet. As expected, the fender flares appear to be toned down a bit from those seen on the WRC concept shown at Frankfurt. More can be found after the jump.
The wait shouldn't be too much longer, as the STI is to be introduced next month at the Tokyo auto show.
Last year California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer filed a lawsuit stating that GM, Ford, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, Honda and Nissan were to blame for the air pollution and related problems in the state (California sues 6 carmakers over greenhouse gases). That lawsuit was just thrown out by Martin Jenkins, the U.S. District Judge presiding over the case.
Judge Jenkins stated that it was impossible to assess how much responsibility automakers had in contributing to the damage caused by global warming in California...
There's an interesting article over at AutoObserver regarding Tundra buyers. Toyota has found that 36% of their Tundra customers are upside down (owe more than the vehicle is worth) with their current vehicles, and without large incentives, there will be no sale.
Other interesting facts:
• About one-half of all Tundra buyers trade in something.
• Some 40 percent of those trade-ins are Toyota products...
Prior to the SMART, there were a lot of microcars, and here's one from the 1920s. For a link to a list of on microcars from a bygone era, click here.
According to one of the posters on this site, she was driving driving an electric battery-powered "Custer Car," which was invented by Levitt Custer. Apparently it was a popular amusement-park ride back in the '20s...
September 17, 2007
On the horizon looms the 4,183-foot Tejon Pass, a gateway out of this triple-digit heat and the final obstacle for the Westfield XI. Our CR-V camera car falls in behind me as we navigate the sea of 18-wheelers. Within two miles the Westfield's temperature gauge, which ran confidently between 165 and 185 degrees all day, pegs the needle at 240 degrees. Something is wrong.
Looks like the 2009 Porsche 911 Turbo is getting a little touch up. This prototype spotted in Germany looks like the current model, but we noticed a few minor changes that indicate an imminent midcycle refresh. The front end is unmolested as far as we can tell, but the rear end has new taillights with LEDs and a slightly different lens arrangement. Reshaped tailpipes indicate a reworked exhaust, so there could be a few extra horsepower on tap for a car that's already one of the fastest we've ever tested...
File this under "You just can't make up this stuff..."
Zolotye Klyuchi 2 (Golden Keys), a spiffy community that caters to Moscow's rich and famous, has banned domestic vehicles from the premises.
The management at the Golden Keys states that Russian cars pose "a significant danger to the environment, creating high noise levels." In addition, and because of their unreliability, they are also responsible for "traffic jams on the territory of the complex."
Full story here at Autoblog.
CNW Market Research often meets with new car buyers to get a read on their opinions, and what they're thinking. One of the "tricks" they employ is to take a Toyota Camry, and remove any identifying logos, and then tell them this is a new model from one of the U.S.-based auto makers. Or it takes a domestic car and tells them it's a Toyota or another import make. Hard to believe, but I guess there is a large percentage of the population who can't tell a Camry from a 300C...
Gotta love the Onion... In this article they state that Ford will bring back the legendary Model T.
Fun stuff—and needed during this time of intense UAW negotiations that are, as of this moment, running into overtime.
"Today's drivers want to get in touch with the experience of sitting behind the wheel of a finely crafted, planetary-gear vehicle with manual crank shafts," said Ford's president and CEO Alan Mulally, who expects the first line of Model Ts to be available for sale by mid-December and safe for driving as soon as it is neither snowing nor raining...
The sharp-eyed detectives over at PickupTruck.com have discovered that GMC (and Chevy too, I'm sure) will be offering a V8 option on their midsized Canyon in early 2008. It's likely to be the same small block V8 found in the recently announced Hummer H3 Alpha. So the big question is will it be badged a 2008 or 2009 model?
Full story here.
September 15, 2007
Tragedy strikes the world of rallying as Colin McRae, one of the world's great rally racers, was killed along with his 5-year old son Johnny after his helicoper crashed near Strathclyde Scotland, a half mile from his home. There may also have been another child and adult aboard who also perished.
Jean-Eric Freudiger, McRae's agent, last night said that he had spoken to the driver's brother and that he had confirmed the former champion had been piloting the Squirrel aircraft. Freudige added: "I have heard that it was his aircraft...
American automakers have cut more than 80,000 jobs and lost at least $15 billion in the past year at least in cumulative part thanks to decade of union excesses, so the UAW threatens to strike GM if the current negotiations fail. That's the ticket, that'll fix the industry and save those remaining jobs.
Huh? What are you talking about?
Well, Bohmte, a town in Germany is doing just that. They are removing all street signs in an effort to improve traffic safety. The concept is that road users will now have to negotiate their behavior with each other, rather than have it prescribed by rules...
September 14, 2007
If you're a racing newbie or a casual fan, you might actually prefer to watch the race on television rather than shelling out the dough to be, you know, at the track.
Let's face it, only the most dedicated and diligent fans can keep up with exactly where their favorite car is at any one time, and being at a race in person can be a tedious experience for the novice or the young, easily bored fan.
Being at the track can actually cause you to miss out on a lot of the little nuances of positioning and timing that make the race so interesting to watch on television, and no one can track position changes and pit stops when they get up to use the restroom or buy some of that oh-so-reasonably-priced merchandise from a trackside vendor.
Fortunately for TV-dependent race fans with middle-to-deep pockets, Nextel comes to the rescue with FanView...
Jeep has just announced a heavy-duty military-spec version of the Wrangler called the J8 at the DSEi trade show (here) in London. It will be available in 4-door (above) and a LWB 2-door pickup (Will Jeep build the Wrangler JT pickup?).
The suspension has been beefed up with rear leaf springs, and can now carry a payload of 2,952 pounds, and can tow 7,716 pounds. It is also powered by a 158 hp 4-cylinder turbo diesel that's hooked up to a 5-speed automatic, along with Command-Trac 4WD...
Pontiac is exploiting the serendipitous timing of the launches of the new Xbox 360 game, "Halo 3," and its own factory-tuned GXP version of the G6 car with a cross-promotional campaign that includes one of the new raft of TV spots for the GXP cars--plus events and interactive components touting the car and the game, which goes on sale midnight on Sept. 24.
The new ads this fall, via Leo Burnett, Detroit-based interactive agency Digitas and Hollywood, Calif.-based Stardust Productions, include a recently launched 60-second ad and two 30-second spots.
In the ads, the cars--the GXP versions of G6, Solstice and Torrent crossover--and the urban world through which they pass, are shot in black and white and appear in 2-D rendering...
One new vehicle at Frankfurt that should at least get a mention is the new Subaru Justy, not because it's a great vehicle, but because it's the first Subaru in over a decade to be sold outside Japan that is not AWD, or at least even offers AWD as an option.
This is surprising because the the Daihatsu Boon, of which the Justy is just a rebadged version of, offers as AWD as well as FWD models. So might this be a hint of things to come? Meaning do you think Subaru may offer FWD on some of their other vehicles sold outside Japan?..
Well, you knew it had to happen sooner or later, right? We're talking about a hybrid-only repair shop here folks; and what better place to open one than in the land of the "Greenies Gone Wild," better known as the San Francisco Bay Area?
The shop is called Luscious Garage, and is owned by Carolyn Coquillette, who has degrees in physics and English from the University of Michigan. Besides working only on hybrids, Luscious Garage remains close to the environmental mantra in that the shop avoids Volatile Organic Compounds, offers re-refined motor oil, uses local suppliers and recycles scrap metal. ...And it also relies on sunlight as much as possible, as well as using no paper...
Shelby Supercars can now claim as to owning the "world speed record for a production car." Their new Twin-turbo 1183 hp Ultimate Aero set a two-way average of 255.83 mph, breaking the unofficial record held by the Bugatti Veyron by 3.11 mph. The highest speed in one direction was 257.11 mph, and the return trip it posted a 254.55 mph, and when averaged together, ended up with an "official" 255.83 mph for the record as per Guinness World Records rules. Even more amazing is this was held on a closed stretch of highway in the state of Washington.
Full story here and here...
September 13, 2007
Over the course of the past three days, I had the opportunity to sit down with Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak several times. Our conversations focused on the immense change in Saturn's products, hitting on Red Line, green technologies, a Saturn subcompact and the Saturn/Opel relationship. Here's what I learned.
Opel's OPC performance badge graces nearly every model the company offers in Europe, boosting both performance and go-fast looks...
Here in Orange County, California, we've got one of the most crowded radio markets in the country. Just looking at this list, it's easy to see that there are maybe two "usable" frequencies for an in-car FM transmitter.
This is something that always frustrated me, as I love having all my music in a tiny little iPod Nano, but never was able to find an FM transmitter that consistently let the sound be broadcasted in my Honda Civic with any clarity. Fortunately, that problem was solved with the upgrade to the new CR-V, which lets me use a $6 cable to connect my iPod to the tuner...
Porsche has updated the Boxster S by giving it the Cayman S 295-hp 3.4-liter flat-6 engine.
We used to think the Cayman was a Boxster with a roof. But now, has the Boxster become a Cayman without a top?
Read the Boxster S Full Test on Inside Line.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
HKS USA recently let us drive three vehicles outfitted with impressive products it will be releasing this fall.
BREAKING NEWS: The McLaren Mercedes team has had all of their points in the constructors' championship stripped away for their role in spying on rivals Ferrari, the FIA announced today.
In addition, the team has also been hit with a 100 million (US) dollar fine and will have their 2008 challenger, the MP4-23, under observation ahead of next season to ensure that intellectual property rights belonging to Ferrari are not implemented.
McLaren Mercedes led the constructors' championship with 166 points, 23 ahead of Ferrari prior to the announcement. The loss of points will also bring a financial penalty to the team in the longer-term...
Chrysler ENVI? Hmmm... Chrysler LLC has just opened new engineering division called ENVI, which is dedicated to developing new hybrid and electric vehicles. ENVI will reside within the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, and will be made up of specialists in engineering, portfolio management, modular architecture, manufacturing, and procurement and supply...
GM is offering the UAW a two-tier pay system in which new employees would get less than veteran employees. The automaker is pursuing the two-tier wage structure because it has an older work force and may have a need for new hires in coming years.
"GM would really benefit from a tiered wage structure more than Ford and Chrysler," said David Cole, director of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. "Even with the buyouts, GM's average (hourly worker) age has only dropped from 51 to 49...
Play it again Sam...
VW might be once again considering a pickup truck for the US market. A few years back, before the Touareg debuted, VW showed the concept truck showed above. However, somewhere along the way they got cold feet and backed off the idea...
There's an interesting article over at China Car Times (here) about the stumbling blocks that the Chinese auto industry is facing as they try to become a world player. China Car Times took a story that ran in the Shanghai Daily on this subject.
Straightline, other auto blog sites, and other auto and general interest news sites have commented on many of the problems—but as perceived by Western eyes. Now we have a Chinese perspective...
September 12, 2007
I thought this looked interesting - like a GTI or Civic Si but with a little more character and spunk. The Seat Leon 2.0T FSI Cupra has a name that says it all. That 2.0T FSI engine is VW/Audi sourced and is good for 240 hp. 0-100km is listed at 6.4 seconds - more than quick enough for U.S...
Look familiar? Both the Peugeot 4007 and Citroen C Crosser are essentially the Mitsubishi Outlander. Each version has a slightly different nose but inside it looks just like the Mitsu, chevron or lion logo on the steering wheel notwithstanding.
My favorite part is how garish and un-European the large subwoofer and Rockford Fosgate logo look when you open the rear tailgate...
I almost had to hold back snickers while talking with Saturn General Manager Jill Lajdziak on Tuesday. While sharing some of the details of the Opel/Saturn relationship, Lajdziak mentioned that Saturn would play a much more significant role in creating engineering standards for the next generation of Opel/Saturn products –- engineering standards like the number of cupholders.
Cupholders? Was this the punch line of a bad joke about the stupidity of American consumers?..
You see Renault Kangoos everywhere in Europe. Mostly they're driven by small-business owners, but the Kangoo's low price and highly space-efficient design make it a draw for small families as well. The original Kangoo had been on sale since 1997, and Renault has just redesigned and enlarged it to help fend off the competitors it spawned (Citroen Berlingo, Peugeot Partner).
What you see here, though, is not a standard Kangoo, but the Kangoo Compact Concept...
Excess pudge and average performance credentials relegate the production Suzuki SX4 to blah status in the economy car class, despite the fact that it's an attractive car. Recently, a Suzuki product planner told us that younger owners of the car were asking for a turbocharger option -- a fair request, we think, given that the hatchback version already has all-wheel drive.
The existence of the Suzuki SX4 WRC offers reason for hope. Suzuki had the 2007 version on display in Frankfurt, and the '08 iteration of this car will enter rally competition in the 2008 calendar year. --Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor
It's very easy to see where Honda is going with the Accord Tourer concept. This is pretty much the exact shape the new European-market Accord will take when it debuts in production form next year in Geneva. This is a good-looking wagon that we'll never see in the U.S...
If VW continued to sell the Westfalia Camper in the U.S., this is what it would look like. This is a camper or caravan conversion of a VW Multivan plus it's a limited-edition California No Limit -- love Euro names.
Part of the special edition includes suede seating and painted appliances which consist of a two-burner stove, sink and fridge. Of course there's the pop-up sleeping compartment and hidden storage spaces throughout...
WHAT? An eight-hundred-and-forty-cubic-centimeter scooter?
Did these Gilera guys force-feed some super-bike steroid-like computer virus into their scooter engineering software? Good grief, 840 cc used be the neighborhood in which the 2-wheeled crotch-rockets used to live...
Please enjoy these pictures of the Porsche 911 GT2. We don't have much to add to our First Look story (link below) other than that seeing it in person, in red, brought us a great deal of joy. --Daniel Pund, Senior Editor, Detroit, Inside Line
Here's another French concept car that had us scratching our heads. The Peugeot 308 RC Z is an obvious Audi TT knockoff, but there's some Mitsubishi Eclipse in there along with bits and pieces of Nissan 350Z. If someone told us they were designing a car that mixed that many design elements, we would not be looking forward to the results.
Remarkably enough, this Peugeot looks quite striking, if not a little odd from the back...
Walking around the modern, sterile halls of the Frankfurt auto show, with all their escalators and moving walkways, you might get the impression the whole city is stuffy and all-business. But within a couple miles of the Messe, you see things that just wouldn't be possible in the United States. For instance, a Mercedes-Benz dealership where human-size stuffed rabbits are allowed to ride in SLK350s.
There has been a ton of speculation here and elsewhere about the upcoming Subaru STI. To boot yesterday at Frankfurt Subaru unveiled a "shell" of what their next WRC racer will look like, with many thinking that it is a tip-off of what the street model will look like.
A few days ago several scans from Best Car, a Japanese car magazine hit the Net showing the car, but the images were so small that it really was hard to get a real feeling for it, other than it seemed to look pretty good. Now larger versions of those scans are up over at NASIOC...
Looking like a cross between BMW's 6 Series and Audi's A5 coupe, the Citroen Airscape wasn't the most French-looking convertible we've ever seen. It was quite elegant nonetheless, with a soft fabric roof that had few of the awkward lines typical of most convertible tops. Citroen even extended the fabric all the way down the A-pillar to emphasize the curve of the structure.
It features SnowMotion traction control, which is almost as good as all-wheel drive according to Citroen...
Here's another reason to love the French. They are the Japanese of Europe. By this we mean only that the car companies of both countries seem to understand what a concept car should be.
Production cars with big wheels, fancy paint and side mirrors that have been replaced by mini cameras are not concepts. But the French, they get it...
Maybe you saw our news story on the Fiat Panda Aria, a wonder version of Fiat's minicar with a 900cc two-cylinder engine that runs on a gasoline-methane-hydrogen mix.
Surprise, surprise, Fiat had no further details on how such a car would work in real life, but it's not every day you see a Panda in a field of daisies -- under the glass panels.
For those of you who might believe that Americans have a monopoly on bad taste, we offer this collection of photos as evidence to the contrary. There are three different makers of such vehicles represented here at Frankfurt. We admit that we interviewed no one in preparing this report. And we promise that we never, ever will...
Word on the street is that contract negotiations between Detroit automakers and the UAW may not be completed by Friday's deadline. As you might have guessed, there is still some haggling over health care, as to how to fund it, etc.
So what does that mean? Well, there are several options open: One, they could continue to work under the existing contract until everything is resolved...
September 11, 2007
According to Aston Martin's CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, the new DBS is like Muhammad Ali. It is, in other words, all about grace, elegance and power. Having been introduced to us in the James Bond movie Casino Royale, the DBS is finally available for (rich) mere mortals to buy. The first customer cars will be delivered in November and will cost $265,000. Aston claims already to have orders for a thousand cars, equivalent to two years production...
Mercedes calls the F 700 the “future of big sedans,” and it is indeed a striking mix of luxury and efficiency. The swoopy sedan is loaded with all manner of future tech, but the biggest news is under the hood. The breakthrough 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine, dubbed DiesOtto because its dual mode of operation combines conventional spark ignition with the compression ignition of a diesel, delivers 258 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque -- good enough, says the literature, to take the luxury sedan from 0 to 60 mph in less than 8 seconds while also providing up to 40 mpg.
This best-of-both-worlds technology is wrapped by a sleek, three-box design penned in Mercedes-Benz’s California design studio under the direction of Gorden Wagener, vice president of Global Advanced Design...
There's something unnatural about grown men in suits skateboarding and scootering down the halls of an auto show. But after the laughing subsides, it dawns on you that maybe these goofs are actually seasoned veterans when it comes to covering the world's largest auto show.
It's not just that the Frankfurt auto show covers so much square footage that a walk through the show will suck the life out of you. It's that the manufacturers are spread across 10 halls connected by never-ending passages...
Subaru's Frankfurt press conference should have been an opportunity to rally the WRX faithful in the wake of recent disappointments -- all related to the softening of the 2008 model. And indeed plenty of fanboys showed up to get a photo of Petter Solberg.
But the Subaru WRC Concept was little more than eye candy, a fiberglass shell, and no tantalizing specs were released. In fact, no specs were given at all. It was just an opportunity to take a photo to stare at on your desktop wallpaper -- something to busy your mind until the STI production car debuts next month in Tokyo.
No question, the WRC Concept recovers some of the old WRX's edginess, but it's hard to know if that will be enough until we know what's underneath.
Solberg kept his comments brief, noting that "I'm a rally driver first and foremost." He of course noted that the new Impreza's stiffer chassis provides more stable handling characteristics in the prototypes he's driven thus far. He also said that Symmetrical All Wheel Drive is a great thing. Who would have guessed? -- Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor
More photos after the jump...
I'll admit it, I have odd taste in cars. I've even been accused of not liking cars at all because I'd rather spend the day in a Lexus rather than a WRX STI.
I really love auto shows like Frankfurt because there's so much stuff that we never get to see or drive in the U.S. Peugeot's 407 Coupe is a car I'd love to take home...
In almost a decade of covering motorshows, only once before has an unveil created such a stampede of attention. And that had more to do with the appearance of Australian pop sensation Kylie Minogue, than precious metal. This time, the uncivilized stampede was caused by two things -- the Ferrari 430 Scuderia and seven-time F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher, who was joined on stage by Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo.
The chisel-jawed German was in Frankfurt to unveil a car in which he has had considerable personal input...
It was difficult not to feel slightly sorry for Maserati. While noisy crowds besieged the Ferrari stand in search of a glimpse of Michael Schumacher and the 430 Scuderia, Maserati quietly got on the with the business of unveiling its own new pretender, the Quattroporte Sport GT S.
In essence, this is an uprated version of the deliciously beautiful, Pininfarina-styled Quattroporte. It blends the flexibility of a fully automatic, six-speed gearbox, with a suspension setup tuned for the enthusiast...
The Lamborghini Reventon was back on display at the Lambo booth today, and everyone wanted a piece of it. Ten-year-olds with cameras elbowed their way through the throng, and grown men took pictures of each other posing in the driver seat. In short, dignity of any sort died as soon as the sheet came off the Reventon.
Environmental concern was the key phrase of the BMW press conference. The BMW of today and tomorrow, we were told, is all about "Efficient Dynamics" -- driving pleasure with a conscience. It was strange then, that when they took the wraps off the hybrid X5, they chose to smother it in dry ice, which is composed, of course, of carbon dioxide.
This obsession with "Efficient Dynamics" explains why, when they unveiled the new 1 Series Coupe, the Germans chose to hero the 123d, rather than the much more exciting 135i...
Suzuki calls the Splash its fourth world car in recent years. Hoping to capitalize on the relative success of the Wagon R, the Splash is a multipurpose vehicle that will likely appeal to those with small families and a limited budget -- maybe that's redundant.
For now, the Splash is not headed to the U.S. But given the popularity of cars like the Honda Fit and Nissan Versa plus newcomers like the Kia Rondo, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to see this car on U.S. roads within the next few years...
Progressive Auto Insurance introduces coverage for pets. 'Bout time I say...
As the owner of a critter that occasionally gets to ride in the car, this is welcome news. Not sure if it's "welcome enough" for us to change insurance carriers, but it wouldn't surprise me to see other auto insurance companies offer a similar package—maybe even my insurance company...
If there was any doubt about the theme of Frankfurt 2007, it was vividly dispelled by Mercedes-Benz’s extravagant, Cirque du Soleil-esque floor show of twirling trees, dancing flowers and giant birds, emphasizing the firm’s commitment to eco-friendly, sustainable mobility.
Oh, and there were some new cars on hand, too — 19 of them, in fact — which Daimler chief Dieter Zetsche called “True Blue Solutions” to the seemingly contradictory goal of melding driving pleasure with social responsibility.
The star of the show was the striking F 700 research vehicle, joined by seven hybrids from five different model series; an E300 Bluetec version of the E320 that was voted “World Green Car of the Year 2007”; three Smart cars with electric, gas-electric and diesel-electric powertrains; an E350 CGI with second-generation gasoline direct injection; B-Class cars with natural-gas and fuel-cell drives; S300 and E300 Bluetec Hybrids; an S400 Hybrid; and the ML450 hybrid, which, when it comes to market in 2009, will be the world’s most economical gas-electric-powered SUV in its class.
The ML’s two-mode hybrid system allows it to be driven with just its two compact electric engines or in tandem with its V6 gas engine, the combined system boasting an output of 321 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of torque. A new four-speed transmission is said to combine the advantages of a multiple-speed automatic with the efficiencies of a stepless CVT gearbox...
The all-new 2008 Honda Accord is larger in all dimensions, including the MSRP. Prices now start at $20,995 and work their way up to $31,145, and this before you start adding options and accessories. The $20,995 (plus a $635 destination charge) is a $1,775 increase over last year's corresponding model.
Honda Hikes Prices on 2008 Accord Sedan and Coupe
To its credit, the iQ manages to seat four despite the fact that it's only 11 inches longer than a Smart Fortwo...
Mazda introduced the Mazda 6 with the accompaniment of a vast array of talented musicians. Once of them, whom we'll call Tambourine Boy, bopped and leaped around in a frenzy, like a Michael Flatly from Lord of the Dance on amphetamines.
Tambourine Boy scared me, partly because his antics were wholly unnecessary. The Mazda 6 looks flat-out great and needs no such forced hoopla. Here's a car with true grace...
This humdrum-looking C30 variant, the 2008 Volvo C30 Efficiency, packs a surprise. President of Volvo Cars Fredrik Arp mentioned it in his opening remarks, but we doubt the glassy-eyed jet-lagged throng of journalists in attendance caught on.
First, the car. The C30 Efficiency sips fuel at a rate below 4.5l/100 km and generates CO2 emissions below 120 g/km...
Although the second-generation Outlander has gone over rather well in the U.S., it's too big and thirsty to appeal to most European buyers. Much like the VW Tiguan and Ford Kuga, Mitsubishi's Concept-cX is an attempt to sate Europeans' SUV desires without losing the battle for fuel economy and CO2 reduction.
Mitsubishi officials wouldn't disclose the Concept-cX's platform origins, but considering its 99-inch wheelbase is within five inches of the 2008 Lancer and its 59.4-inch track is less than an inch narrower, it's a pretty safe bet these two are at least distantly related.
I found this odd concept in some side stage among the aftermarket exhibitors. It's a four-seater -- two in front and two kids facing rearward. (A company spokesperson specifically said they were child seats.) They get in by opening the large rear hatch. Its midengine layout uses a small diesel engine...
True to the spirit of New Chrysler, Executive Vice President Mike Manley was careful to emphasize that the 2009 Dodge Journey is the product of rational thinking at today's press conference: "We focused on meeting customers' needs -- and our customers had some very practical needs." Children and cargo were apparently foremost on buyers' minds.
Somehow words like "sporty," "sexy" and "functionally cool" also entered the speech. So did quick-change artists, "David" and "Dania," who transitioned between day and evening wear on stage to re-create the fast-paced lifestyle of a prospective Dodge Journey owner...
Kia unveiled a design concept here that will set the tone for future styling from the Korean automaker. The lime green Kia Kee sport coupe is marked by uncluttered body panels that exude a simplicity rarely seen in automotive design. The front is a bit busier with an LED strip that arches from the headlight to the lower fascia. In place of the overly used quarter-panel vent, Kia has left a small accent crease...
Designer Ian Callum and the gang over at Jaguar introduced the sedan they hope will save the storied British marque. The event was low-key in the British tradition, but the Jaguar XF is anything but boring. When it goes on sale in March the XF will replace the S-Type in the company's lineup and take the brand in a completely new styling direction.
"A very handsome car with too many references to the past doesn't make a Jag," Callum told us...
OK, now I remember what Suzuki showed - two cars actually, one was this Kizashi concept. Company officials say they have a three point strategy for selling cars worldwide. The focus of those vehicles is to be sportiness, families and status. Guess which one this fulfills?
Suzuki says it's going to build a car like this but it will likely be more grounded in reality than this concept...
Suzuki held a press conference to unveil a new concept -- I think they were talking about the car, but I was having a hard time focusing. -- Brian Moody, Road Test Editor
It had no interpretive dance performed by man/birds. It had no crazy concept. And yet, somehow, Audi's press conference had its own surreal appeal. How does super-Canadian Bryan Adams performing a hit live on stage grab you?..
Ford wins the award for the worst press conference. In a quick 15 minutes the company introduced the new European market Ford Focus, the Ford Kuga crossover and the Ford Verve Concept. But the presentation packed all the insight of a children's book and was launched with the excitement of an insurance seminar. The girls in pink pulling the wrap off the Verve were a nice surprise, although they looked like a pack of misplaced bridesmaids.
Which was perfect considering the band...
Although the Volkswagen stand here in Frankfurt feels like it's the size of a football field, only two models were revealed at today's press conference. The first was the up! concept shown last night, while the rest of the time was devoted to the 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan. The Tiguan seems like old news now, but this was its official world premiere...
One look at the wildly cambered front wheels and we knew the Mini John Cooper Works Challenge was a real-deal racecar. Intended to compete in the Mini Challenge racing series in 2008, the JCWC is the racecar based on the latest Mini Cooper S.
Last year China churned out 7.2 million cars, and this year they're predicting 9 million cars will be built. This is from a country that not so long ago was still using farm animals, wagons and walking as the primary means of transportation. Pretty amazing—and you wonder why everyone is so eager to board the Orient Express...
Full story here and here...
While all the buzz right now is on the Frankfurt auto show, keep in mind that SEMA is also just around the corner. And with that in mind Volvo plans on showing two mighty spicy cars. The first being an S80 that is powered by a 380hp bioethanol engine, which are hooked up to a sport suspension and AWD. Volvo claims a 5.8 second sprint from 0-62 mph...
General Motors kept the surprises to a minimum but continued to push its barrage of green technologies at this morning's press conference. Hydrogen, ethanol, diesels and hybrids all received playing time as Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe, drove home his message that, “low emissions and price economy should not be exclusive.”
The HydroGen4 is Europe's version of the Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell. A fleet of about 100 test vehicles will be on the road around the globe by 2008. Just don't expect hot-rod performance...
Club, man. The partylike atmosphere of the 2008 Mini Clubman press conference included fresh-faced Mini reps, bumpin' beats, and was packed with sweaty bodies. Despite all those people, few bothered to look up at the Clubman lurking precariously overhead.
Everyone knows the BMW 6 Series coupe and convertible are good to drive, but would you want to wake up to that face every morning? Perhaps it's an indelicate question to ask at this price, but when you see the nose on the 2008 6 Series, you have your answer.
The front end is sleeker, and your eyes naturally follow the progression from A-pillars to grille, as opposed to honing in on the hood cutlines. Along with wider air intakes, reshaped headlight units aid in the viewing experience, and they are of course bi-xenon. All other light sources on the car (turn signals, taillights) are LEDs...
It lasted about four seconds. Half the crowd missed it. But Mercedes showed the 2010 E-Class at the Frankfurt Auto Show.
It was easy to miss...
Porsche announced today at the Frankfurt show that it will produce exactly one infinity of variations on its Cayenne SUV. There will be a Cayenne for everyone. There's the Cayenne, the Cayenne S, the Cayenne Turbo, the Cayenne Bob, the Cayenne powered by rabid squirrels and many, many more. Or at least there will be two new Cayennes: the GTS and the Hybrid...
Although this Frankfurt auto show marks the world premiere of the 457-hp 2008 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, the highly anticipated sedan was not part of the 14-hour-long Mercedes press conference. It wasn't even mentioned. But we found one. It's hidden away on the third floor of the epic Mercedes display, which takes up an entire hall the size of the Superdome...
During the endless Mercedes-Benz press conference, which included something like 400 cars and even more dancers dressed as trees, we spotted Formula 1 phenom Lewis Hamilton (right) talking up the Mercedes brass. This season the British driver has four poles, three wins and is right now atop the points standings. His Mercedes-McLaren, however, was not part of the four-hour-long dog and Bluetec show. -- Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
We'll admit to being a little skeptical of the 2009 BMW X6 after seeing the early prototypes. Any new vehicle that resembles an AMC Eagle is suspicious, and the fact that it appeared to have negligible rear passenger space and little to no cargo room seemed all the more suspect.
After seeing it in person following its world premiere here in Frankfurt, our opinion of the X6, at least in concept form, hasn't changed much. It has a good stance and some interesting lines here and there, but you have to look hard to appreciate it...
Amidst BMW's heavily evironmentally oriented presentation, the 2008 BMW M3 snuck in. Yeah, you know all about this fourth generation of the M3 already. Here in Frankfurt, though, the M3 finally made its public debut.
Hybrids never used to get any respect here in the land of the oil burners we like to call Europe. But that's changed drastically. Porsche and Mercedes will both show hybrid-powered SUVs here. And this morning BMW unveiled its gas-electric take on the SUV with the fetchingly named BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid...
September 10, 2007
Volkswagen made a big deal about a very small car at tonight's pre-show unveil party. It's called the up! Concept, and it's Volkswagen's answer to the Smart city car. Chairman of the Board, Martin Winterkorn, said it was the first project he turned his attention to when he became head of the German automaker...
I left for this trip with one firmly planted belief: There can’t be a better career than being paid to drive cars. I haven’t been in Germany for 12 hours and we’re still days away from driving a car, yet I already need to revise this judgment.
There can’t be a better career than being paid to drive cars and attend swank parties with free food, drinks and good conversation. This revelation has been brought on at General Motors' Premiere Night in a dark clublike atmosphere, featuring some of the most knowledgeable and well-known gearheads there are and food so fancy you can’t tell what it is until you bite into it...
The VW Group's pre-press-preview-days press conference was so big that it had its own traffic jam. In an almost GM-level of bigness, VW unveiled a car from each and every one of its passenger car divisions. It was so big it was housed in a converted basketball arena. It was so big that the Chinese Minister of Science was in the house...
No, this is not 50 Cent's car. This, sir, is the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Pur Sang. And, hoo boy, is it ever shiny. Unveiled at the Volkswagen Group's nonstop extravaganza the night before the Frankfurt show began, the Pur Sang nearly blinded several bystanders...
The rumors of a new super Lambo are true, but the most remarkable aspect of the new Lamborghini Reventon isn't its horsepower or torque, it's the price -- 1 million euros even. That's more than a 300 percent premium over the Murcielago upon which the Reventon is based.
Forking over an extra $700,000 gets you about 20 extra horsepower, loads of carbon-fiber trim and some questionable bodywork. So yeah, it's not much of a deal, but with only 20 slated for construction in 2008, the exclusivity of the Reventon is the real draw.
"It's the most powerful and expensive Lamborghini ever built," said Stephan Winkelmann, CEO of Lamborghini SpA at the reveal here in Frankfurt. Apparently a phrase like that is enough, as all 20 Reventons have already been sold. -- Ed Hellwig, Inside Line Lead Senior Editor
We've just returned from an evening out at Frankfurt's Restaurant Remise, sipping German beer, chatting with acquaintances about nothing in particular, listening to a DJ spin progressive rock -- doing all the things that the future owners of this red 2009 Dodge Journey will never get to do. Because they're in the having-kids phase of life's journey. And with enough children to necessitate a 7-passenger SUV, they can't be drinking 5 euro heffenweisen. As consolation, they'll enjoy third-row seats that are easy to fold and the ability to chill juiceboxes on demand.
The first unveil of the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show is in the history books and the auto show hasn't even opened its doors yet. Tonight General Motors turned the historic Bockenheimer Depot, an old train station in downtown Frankfurt, into the hippest and greenest Internet cafe on earth (even the laptops were 100% fuel cell powered so said the sign). The event was called GM Premiere Night, and it was the perfect setting to introduce the Opel Flextreme, the next evolution of the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid.
Essentially a packaging exercise, the Flextreme concept shows that GM's plug-in hybrid platform can support a four-door sedan...
There's a new player in the compact crossover arena: the Nissan Rogue. How will it fare against the leaders in this market segment?
We rounded up the Rogue, a Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Mitsubishi Outlander and put them to the test.
Read the Crossover Comparison Test on Inside Line...
PickupTruck.com has just interviewed John Perez who is the CEO of Global Vehicles U.S.A. (GV-USA), a company that's going to bring over the Mahindra pickup from India.
This is going to be an interesting addition to the American pickup truck landscape in that it will offer a number of unique features not currently seen over here. For one, it will be a compact pickup with a clean, high-tech 4-cylinder diesel...
Porsche has just announced a new version of their Cayenne SUV: the GTS.
This model is clearly aimed at those who prefer carving up back roads rather than carving up dirt trails. It features a lowered suspension, turbo-like front and rear panels. In addition it has 21" wheels sporting 295/35R21 tires, and comes painted in either a bright red or gold...
As everyone knows, creating the "perfect" battery has long been the major stumbling block in terms of making electric vehicles more palatable to the motoring public. Now we may have yet another possible power source that could "better" the battery—by replacing it.
An Austin-based company called EEStor claims to have designed an ultracapacitor (a device that stores and releases energy quickly) that can replace the traditional electrochemical battery. EEStor claims that when their ultracapacitor is used in a plug-in vehicle, it can recharge the vehicle in about five minutes, and will be able to run for 500 miles...
The Model T Ford? The 1958 Lotus Elite? The Plymouth Prowler? I don' think so...
September 8, 2007
Okay, summer vacation is over, the 2008s are arriving and it's time to get back out there on the road around the auto blog block, so how about we grab a gear, pop a clutch and go clip some apexes!
Found this over at Hemmings (here), and they have absolutely no
info on it other than it "could be" Hungarian, as they found it on a
Hungarian site. As you can see, it's yet another application of the term "Woodie," and this time applied to a motorcycle of sorts.
In any event, being a Saturday, it's something for those of you who are weekend warriors with some yard waste to ponder...
More images after the jump.
September 7, 2007
A stretch Mini? Well, on a mini scale. The Mini Cooper S Clubman sits on a longer wheelbase giving rear passengers more space while maintaining the Mini's refined ride.
Read the Mini Clubman First Drive on Inside Line.
More photos after the jump...
Even more Bentley. If the 552-hp, 198-mph Continental GT didn't quite cut it for you, try the 602-hp, 202-mph GT Speed.
At $206,285 and a 0-60 time of 4.3 seconds. That's only $47,973.25 per second or $342.66 per horse. You probably can't buy a real horse for that little.
Read the Continental GT Speed First Drive on Inside Line.
More photos after the jump...
With the 2009 Jaguar XF sedan officially out of the bag, we can now turn our attention to the upcoming Jaguar XF-R, a top-of-the-line sports model that will sit above the supercharged version of the standard model. Test mules spotted recently in Death Valley may have been wearing S-Type bodywork, but the XF nose job suggests these prototypes were testing a new engine configuration. Most rumors point toward a supercharged V8 with a larger displacement than the 4.2-liter engine used in the standard XF. That engine produces 420 horsepower, so expect at least 500 from the upgraded motor...
Hot on the heels of the Jim Press hiring, and in another move that will further shake up the auto industry, Chrysler LLC has just hired Phil Murtaugh.
Phil who, you say?
Murtaugh is (was) the Executive Vice President of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC), and is considered an expert in the Chinese auto market. Prior to his stint with Shanghai, Murtaugh was an executive with GM. SAIC and GM are joint partners...
Honda is finally about to enter the side-by-side utility market with their new "Big Red" utility vehicle. Not sure why it took Honda so long to enter this market, as most of Honda's competitors have had a model in this segment for some time. The UTV will go on sale next summer.
The Big Red is powered by a 675cc fuel-injected engine, has an automatic transmission, and has three drive modes plus reverse...
Mercedes-Benz will debut the ML 450 Hybrid at the Frankfurt auto show. This vehicle uses the two-mode gas hybrid system that was jointly developed by Mercedes, BMW and GM. It reportedly puts out a combined 340 hp and 354 lb.ft of torque, and delivers 30.6 mpg.
Full story here...
Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda to Speak on the Past and Future of Toyota Motor Corporation in the United States
On Wednesday, September 12, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars will host a Director’s Forum featuring Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, Honorary Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation, titled: “Toyota in the US: Learning From Our Past As We Prepare For the Future.”
What: Director’s Forum—“Toyota in the US: Learning From Our Past As We Prepare For the Future”
Who: Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda—Honorary Chairman of Toyota Motor Corporation
When: Wednesday, September 12, 2007, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m...
September 6, 2007
Mazda will debut this snappy new Mazda 6 at the Frankfurt auto show. Like the popular Mazda 3, this is a very good-looking car and should prove to be another winner for Mazda.
When it hits Stateside, expect a 3.5L V6 as well as a base four-cylinder model. Early reports say the car will weigh less than the outgoing model and will emit less pollutants...
The Frankfurt auto show is a big deal. Sure, Frankfurt has a great list of production and concept unveils set for next week, but that's not what sets it apart. The auto show organizers over in Deutschland are so confident that their show is top-notch, they pull it off only once every two years — yet it still remains relevant up against premier annual auto shows like Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Geneva. Maybe they're on to something...
Innovative and Unique Vehicle to Go on Sale January 2008
Smart USA Distributor LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Automotive Group, Inc., (NYSE: PAG), today announced the pricing of the all-new smart fortwo models that will be sold in the United States beginning in the first quarter of 2008.
The smart fortwo will be available in three trim levels. The entry-level pure coupe will start at $11,590*, manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), with standard convenience features such as a 5-speed transmission that allows drivers to switch between automatic and manual driving modes with the push of a button, central remote locking system, 2-spoke leather steering wheel, and a radio-ready console. The well-equipped passion coupe, starting at $13,590* MSRP, includes a panorama roof, alloy wheels, air conditioning with climate control, 3-spoke leather sports steering wheel with gear shift paddles, power windows, electric and heated side mirrors, and an AM/FM radio with CD player, all standard. Those seeking top-down excitement can choose the passion cabrio, starting at $16,590* MSRP, featuring a fully automatic soft top that can be easily adjusted, with a push of a button and in addition to the standard equipment of the passion couple, a premium sound system with an in-dash mp3 compatible 6-CD changer. The value-priced cabriolet model is believed to debut as the lowest priced convertible offered in the United States. All models are equipped with a 1 liter, 3-cylinder, 71 horse power engine.
“The smart fortwo offers a fantastic combination of fun to drive aspects, innovation, functionality – and all for a great value,” said Dave Schembri, president of smart USA. “In addition all smart fortwo models will come standard with four air bags and many other safety features found in many luxury vehicles.”
An optional “comfort package” for the passion coupe and passion cabrio, at $850* MSRP, includes leather heated seats, electric power steering, rain/light sensors, and auto-off headlamps with exit delay.
Information about many other vehicle accessories and option pricing can be found on the smart USA website here...
Whoa! Here's a shocker! Chrysler has just hired Jim Press, Toyota's (now former) North American chief. Press was just appointed Chrysler Vice Chairman and President...
For 2008 Lexus has added more muscle to their luxury GS sport sedan by replacing the 4.3L V8 with the 4.6L V8 from the larger LS. Along with the increased displacement, the horsepower jumps to 342 from 290. Also included in the package is the 8-speed automatic found in the LS 460, which replaces the current 6-speed unit. EPA numbers are 17/24 mpg, which is within one mpg of the smaller engined GS 430 (18/25)...