auto interior: 2011

Thursday, December 15, 2011

SPIED: 2013 BMW 3 or 4 Series Convertible with Retractable Hardtop

Until BMW makes an official statement on what it has decided to name the replacements for today's 3-Series Coupe and Convertible models, we'll have to keep using both the 3- and 4-Series monikers to describe the two-door body styles of the Bavarian maker's most popular model.

Over the past few months and aside from the official presentation of the sedan in October, we have shown you spy shots of the next M3 sedan, the 3-Series Touring, the 3 or 4-Series Coupe, and the 3- or 4-Series Gran Turismo fastback, but this is the first time we're sharing scoops of the Convertible model.

The last couple of days, the sixth-generation of the Mercedes-Benz SL roadster has been one of the hottest subjects on the web – and rightly so, as it introduces several new technologies that will eventually trickle down to the premium automaker's other models.

There's a lot to mention, but one of the highlights is the aluminum bodywork, which significantly reduces weight and has a positive effect on both agility and handling as well as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

This in one of those cases that not one person would believe how close you came to meeting your maker without video proof. Fortunately for us, the driver of the car involved in this close call had a dashboard mounted camera that recorded the entire incident on film.

Basically, what we have here are two careless drivers that created a potentially deadly accident scene with their foolish actions as both attempted to overtake a vehicle on a relatively narrow road under freezing conditions. See how it went down in the video after the break.

For the past 18 years, a committee of journalists from U.S. and Canadian magazines, radio and TV stations, websites and newspapers meet once a year and vote for the North American Car and Truck of the Year [NACTOY].

You'll have to wait until January to find the winners for the 2012 edition of the North American Car and Truck of the Year, but the three finalists for each category were announced on Thursday in Detroit.

If the brand-new 2012 Honda CR-V is on your buying list, you'll be happy to know that the Japanese carmaker has just announced pricing as the crossover model arrived in dealerships across the country today.

Prices for the 2012 CR-V range from $22,295 for the entry-level LX 2WD model to $29,795 for the range-topping EX-L AWD with a navigation package, not including a destination and handling charge of $810 per vehicle, which lifts prices to $23,105 and $30,605 respectively.

Yesterday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that a new tax is imposed on U.S.-made vehicles with a motor capacity of 2.5-liters and above, effective today, December 15.

The so-called “anti-dumping” duties imposed not just on U.S. carmakers, but all companies that manufacture cars in the United States, were imposed because the Chinese authorities felt that U.S. imports were “damaging the local car industry”.

Most analysts, on the other hand, agree that this is China’s response to the World Trade Organization rejecting its appeal on U.S. duties on imported tires three months earlier.

In today's world, when you have a good thing going, you don't want to put the pause button on it. After seeing the success of Gisele's spin in a Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, the hooter-loving crew over at Hightechcorvette called in the young lady for another high-speed run, this time in a turbocharged Ford Mustang.

Gisele was apparently more than willing to place the seatbelt under her arm to get a taste of the Blue Oval's signature pony car, no doubt to compare it with Cadillac's V8-powered sports coupe.

We'll have to wait and see if she completes the trilogy with a ride in a Chrysler Group sports car in the not so far future. For now, head over the break for some bouncing action.

With the unveiling of the 2012 BMW 3 Series sedan all done and dusted, the Bavarian automaker's engineers have now turned their focus on the other variants of the F30 series including the flagship M3 sedan that was captured by our spies testing on the streets of Germany in a fairly light disguise.

While BMW has done its best to hide the most telling styling features of the M3 such as the shape of the front and rear bumpers, the pictures expose the car's muscular front and rear fenders that house larger alloy wheels and brake sets, as well as the beefier rocker panels.

When a couple is married, they vow to love and cherish each other for richer or poorer, in good or bad times.

Buying a car, especially an expensive one like a Porsche Cayenne, is kind like a marriage, in the sense that you get to live with it every day – except that you can have more than one and it doesn't talk back to you…

When things go bad, however, it’s not just couples that get a divorce: the ongoing financial crisis that has plagued Northern European countries is forcing owners to depart with their beloved vehicles because they simply can’t afford their expenses anymore.

As we're approaching closer to the 2012 edition of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 9, more automakers are slowly rolling out their plans to create some additional buzz around their products.

Today, Nissan confirmed that it's presence at the show will be highlighted by the worldwide debut of two concept vehicles, including a Pathfinder preview study and an all-electric van prototype.

We don't know if the rumors circulating around the net about a Type-R version of Honda's CR-Z hybrid sports coupe are true or not, but nevertheless, Daniel Youn from PS-Garage wanted to render what the car may look like if Honda ever decided to build such a model.

Daniel used the Honda Performance Development (or HPD for short) CR-Z Hybrid R concept from last year's SEMA aftermarket show as a base to build his rendered vision of the CR-Z Type R.

Hyundai's creative division has come up with a driftaluscious short film starring Rhys Millen, his Genesis Coupe racecar and the company's soon to be demolished, old Hyundai Motor America headquarters building in Fountain Valley, California.

The South Korean carmaker tells us that the idea for the movie actually came from one of its Service Technicians, Dustin Loranger, who posed the question:

"Why not put Rhys Millen, his Genesis Coupe drift car, and our abandoned HQ together for a unique drift demonstration in a unique industrial setting?"

If you're wondering about the outcome, hop over the break to watch the 5-minute long video.

Ford's European division announced on Thursday that it is extending its participating in the FIA World Rally Championship into 2012 and 2013. Ford’s WRC program will continue to be operated by UK-based M-Sport.

The team will be named Ford World Rally Team and will retain support from Castrol for the next two years. Ford’s “weapon” of choice will be the Fiesta RS WRC, which made its debut this year and claimed the first three places in the first and the last races of the season.

Unless these men had one drink too many and were in desperate need to use the can, we are forced to conclude from what we see in this video footage sourced from a dashboard camera mounted on a trailing vehicle, that they either clobbered or stole from someone, perhaps even both.

The clip starts with a black Volvo S80 driving normally on a traffic jammed road, allegedly somewhere in Moscow, Russia, but as soon as the cars in front stop, the driver pulls the vehicle diagonally on the road and then three men dressed in black jump out of the car.

While BMW officials remain extremely tight lipped on what's hiding under the hood of their brand new X6 Powered by M model, the company has published a second video teaser of the sporty crossover.

This time, along with the new blurred views of the X6 Powered by M, we also get to hear some statements from BMW M's people.

Brabus' sister company Startech has decided to polish up the 2012 Jaguar XJ's looks with a subtle styling makeover through its individualization program.

The German firm's product lineup includes an aero package comprising of a front apron that incorporates LED daytime running lights into the side air inlets, small rocker panels in front of the rear wheels, new trims for the front fender air vents, a discreet boot lid spoiler and a rear diffuser that packs Startech's stainless-steel trapezoid tailpipes.

Europe may be facing troubles, but its luxury carmakers seem to be doing better than ever. Mercedes-Benz, for example, announced that it's on its way to produce more than 1.25 million vehicles in 2011, beating last year’s best-ever sales record and setting a new all-time high in its 125-year history.

“Mercedes-Benz is going on the attack”, said Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of the Daimler Board of Management. “We are securing our path to the top by extensively investing in the expansion of our high-performance production network.”

What would happen if you gave various artists from different fields and countries the opportunity to break barriers and explore new paths with the design and the use of a vehicle like Renault's entry in the small city car segment, the recently refreshed Twingo?

Renault tried to answer this question by summoning four artists from the fashion, music, design and cooking industries to give their personal take on the Twingo.

The artist lineup includes: French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, who came up with a presidential vehicle concept; Italian chef Davide Scabin renowned for his creative cooking, who decorated the interior of the Twingo accordingly; UK singer Nicola Roberts, who matched he passion for music and make-up, and pragmatic German designer, Nils Holger Moormann, who turned the Twingo into a rolling library.

Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony: the line spoken by Morpheus in the first (and, arguably, best) movie of The Matrix trilogy certainly fits Saab’s case tighter than spandex pants.

The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the 9-4X crossover and the 9-5 sedan a “Top Safety Pick”, its highest rating for crashworthiness.

Even though Europe is experiencing economic instability, Ford saw its year-to-date sales from January to November in the 51 European markets increase by 2.5 per cent, or 35,500 units, to 1,451,000 cars. In November sales in these markets dropped by one per cent, or 1,300 units, to 123,700 vehicles.

While overall sales in Ford’s traditional 19 European markets fell in November by 4.4 per cent to 95,700 units compared to the same month last year, the Blue Oval increased its market share in five of these markets as well as Turkey, Russia and Romania.

Hyundai has rolled out a teaser sketch of a new concept car named 'i-oniq' that will be revealed in a world premiere at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March.

Designed and developed at the company’s European R&D centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany, the i-oniq concept is said to preview the next evolution of Hyundai's ‘fluidic sculpture’ form language, which is featured on the brand's recent production models like the Sonata, the i40 and the Veloster.

Watch Czech Police Slap a Wheel Clamp on a Bugatti Veyron 16.4

No one really likes to get their car booted, but if you're willing to park illegally, then you should also suffer the consequences, no matter what type of vehicle you drive.

And while we don't know how the owner of this two-tone Bugatti Veyron 16.4 will react once he returns back to his cherished possession, we do know that the Czech police officers seen in this video had no problem clamping the French supercar - even though the regular boot lock was no match for the Veyron's humongous rear tire.

Take a look at the video after the break.

After the first official photos of the all-new 2013 SL hit the web on Tuesday, it was only a matter of time before Mercedes-Benz itself disclosed all the juicy details about its new luxury roadster model, which will make its official world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

For starters, the new SL, code-named R321, is the first mass-production Mercedes car built almost entirely from aluminum, with the same material used for the multi-link front and rear suspensions. As a result, its weight has been reduced by up to 308 pounds (140 kg) compared to its predecessor.

Using aluminum has not only reduced weight, but also increased agility providing sportier handling characteristics.

We're not the only ones surprised by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board's [NTSB] call for a ban on all cellphone use - yes, that includes both talking and text messaging- by drivers.

The controversial federal proposal also caught the attention of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, who on Wednesday, called the NTSB's (doesn't the acronym sound like something Comedy Central would come up with?) recommendation "ridiculous."

Along with the Focus Electric, the Blue Oval also announced two more new models today, the C-MAX Hybrid and the C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, which Ford claims will allow operation in all-electric mode at higher speeds than any other hybrid currently in production.

Ford is willing to compare its new cars, which will be launched in North America in 2012, with the competition and in particular, Toyota’s Prius models.

Cadillac is not…horsing around with its soon-to-be revealed 2013 ATS as the Detroit automaker will offer the compact sports saloon with a newly developed 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four producing an estimated 270-horsepower and 260 lb-ft. of torque (353 Nm) straight from launch.

The 2.0T is a different engine than the one used on the current Buick Regal GS, with the ATS being the first GM model to receive the force-fed powerplant.

“This engine is the perfect match for the new ATS, which will be a refined performance luxury sedan,” said Don Butler, Cadillac vice president of Global Marketing. “The 2.0T has an exceptionally smooth and responsive power curve that will make the ATS nimble, quick and fun to drive.”

General Motors has just announced that its new Buick crossover model that will debut at the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month will be named Encore, confirming previous speculations.

The company also published a cropped image of the 2013 Buick Encore giving us a glimpse of what’s to come, with the promise to release more photos over the next few weeks.

Who would have ever guessed that car thieves in Canada have a thing for the Toyota Venza? Yet, the 2009 model year version of Toyota's crossover topped the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s [IBC] top 10 most frequently stolen vehicles this year.

The 2009 Venza takes the crown from the 2000 Honda Civic SiR Coupe that was last year’s number one stolen vehicle but dropped to third place in 2011, just below the 1999 Honda Civic SiR Coupe.

The Japanese carmaker's models prove to be very popular among Canadian thieves as the 1998 and 1999 Acura Integra Coupe also made the list taking the 9th and 10th spot respectively.

When your ride packs a high-revving, 570HP V8 matched to a dual-clutch transmission for a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) time in 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 320 km/h (200 mph) then you’re inclined to believe that you're the king of the road.

But as fast as your ride may be, there will always be something faster. And as the owner of a Ferrari 458 Italia found out, the Koenigsegg Agera R that was launched earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show is one of them.

Even with only a couple of months under its belt, the tuning industry has already warmed up to the new 991-series 2012 Porsche 911, with the most recent round of enhancements coming from Techart.

The renowned German tuning house has presented some subtle styling bits for both the 911 Carrera and Carrera S.

With Fiat shares losing 30% of their value in the first nine months of the year, the company's sales hitting a 20-year low point in Italy, its European market share shrinking from 8.2% to 7.3% and all of its domestic plants recording losses, CEO Sergio Marchionne has been pushing for an increase in productivity.

The workers’ unions, though, have been resisting changes, threatening with strikes and legal action against the Italian automotive group. This, along with the Italian crisis and the fact that Chrysler is the one keeping the group afloat, has led analysts to predict that Fiat may go as far as to partially abandon its home market.

As safe as modern bridges may be, it's definitely not the kind of place you would like to be at if the winter weather gets rough and tough.

In this video, you can see a bridge in Bergen, which is the second largest city in Norway, being battered by very strong winds that cause it to sway in almost every direction. Watch it for yourself after the break.

Do you need a little bit more oomph for your Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe? Vath promises to address your needs with its new Väth V63 tuning kit that brings a host of engine, chassis, exterior and interior upgrades.

But before you read on, you might want to know that the package - not including the car itself - is priced at €64,308 or about US$83,600.

Another chapter in the tense relationship between the world’s two biggest economies, those of the United States and China, has opened today with the announcement by Chinese authorities of new duties on U.S.-made cars that are imported into the country.

Reuters reported that the Commerce ministry of China said on its website that the measure, which imposes “anti-dumping” and “countervailing” duties on cars with an engine capacity of 2.5-liters and above, is effective tomorrow, December 15, and will last for two years.

A Toyota iQ with the 1.33-liter gasoline engine will set you back £12,775 (US$19,900 or €15,100) in Britain. A base Aston Martin Cygnet with the same drivetrain will cost you £31,000 (US$48,300 or €36,300) but can approach the £50,000 mark (!), depending on the edition.

If you do the math, you'll find that the entry-level Cygnet costs almost two and a half times more than the car it is based on, and which is available in North America under the Scion brand with prices starting from $15,995.

Being that Japan is a nation of many skillful drifters, we are not a bit surprised that they have also mastered the technique on a much, much smaller scale. Enter the magical slideways world of Drift 44's radio controlled toy cars.

You can get a sample of their precise driving and impressive drifting skills with a Nissan 350Z RC in the videos that follow right after the jump. And while no doubt you'll find all the tricks and courses pretty cool, you may want to turn down the volume as the same music plays on all clips.

Having already launched its first all-electric vehicle, the Transit Connect Electric in December 2010, Ford announced today that it is beginning production of its first plug-in passenger car, the Focus Electric.

The all-electric, zero-emissions version of the Focus will be manufactured at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant from this month – and the Blue Oval is making some really bold statements about its EV.

The good times continue to roll for the Volkswagen Group's Skoda division that has just built the 1,500,000th example of its second-generation Octavia model, with the aforementioned figure not including the production numbers of the structurally identical "MingRui" that is sold in China.

The anniversary vehicle is a white Octavia Combi ‘GreenLine’, which rolled off the assembly line at the Czech company’s main plant in Mladá Boleslav on Wednesday.

We have already seen the 2012 Fiat Panda at its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show this past September, but the Italian brand has just dropped a massive gallery comprising of more than 170 high-resolution photos, some of which are quite picturesque.

To refresh your memory, this is just the third iteration of the Panda in the model's 31-year history. It's predecessor were extremely successful and popular throughout Europe having sold some 6.5 million units over the past three decades.

Fiat hopes to build on the success of the Panda's predecessors with the new model, which is available exclusively with five doors and comes with a slightly larger body that measures 3,650 mm long, 1,640 mm wide and 1,550 mm tall for improved passenger space.

With developing costs on new technologies rising and markets fluctuating in unforeseeable ways, cooperating with other manufacturers is the way to go.

BMW has been one of the first to mingle with its automotive counterparts. Since 2002, it has been cooperating with Europe’s second largest group, PSA Peugeot Citroen.

Only a few days ago, it announced a new deal with Toyota, in which the Germans will provide the Japanese with their diesel engines in exchange for Toyota’s vast expertise on hybrid technology.

The second-generation of the Ford Fusion saloon is on its way with the world premiere to take place at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show in January.

As you'd expect, the Blue Oval is preparing a month long tease for its mid-size model starting with a new app that will give users the opportunity to drive the 2013 Fusion through a series of “worlds” that unlock to reveal the car.

The Audi Q7 has just become more attainable for buyers in the United Kingdom with the presentation of a new entry-level model powered by a 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine that produces 204PS (201bhp) and 450Nm (31.6 lb-ft) of peak torque.

The 204PS 3.0 TDI model comes standard with Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system and an 8-speed tiptronic transmission and it complements the existing 3.0 TDI quattro 245PS version.

New Volkswagen Electric Car Concept and Jetta Hybrid Headed to Detroit Show

While a little late to the party, the Volkswagen Group plans to make up for its lackluster presence in the electric and hybrid vehicle sector with a barrage of eco-friendly models within the next couple of years.

At the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show, the VW brand will lift the covers off a never before seen pure electric concept car and the production version of the Jetta Hybrid, according to the Detroit Free Press.

It's amazing but at the same time scary of how many things you can buy online at the touch of a button, without ever leaving the comfort of your chair.

Adding to the long list of products one can acquire on the web is General Electric's 'WattStation' wall mount charger for pure electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles that is now available directly to U.S. consumers though Amazon.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Tuesday, December 13, 2011