Autoblog: News Thread

[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Martinelli unveils Fiat's new Formula 3 engine

Filed under: Motorsports, Misc. Auto Shows, FIAT

Paolo Martinelli is a name familiar to anyone who follows the technical side of Formula 1 racing. He joined Ferrari's powertrain department after graduating college in 1978, and has been in charge of the Scuderia's engine development program since 1994. Last year, however, Martinelli left Maranello for an executive role at Ferrari's parent company Fiat. The racing world has been waiting ever since to see what the motorsport-powertrain legend would produce next, and now they have their answer.
Next to a giant model of the Fiat 500 at the Bologna auto show last week, Martinelli, now Vice-President of Fiat Powertrain Technologies, took the wraps off of 420F3. Like sister-company Ferrari, which is working on the development of an engine for the A1GP racing series, Fiat will be offering the 420F3 engine to competitors in the Italian Formula 3 championship.

[Source: Italiaspeed]
Continue reading Martinelli unveils Fiat's new Formula 3 engine

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Monte Carlo rally cancelled for 2009, and that's not all...

Filed under: Motorsports

Monte Carlo is to the World Rally Championship what the Monaco Grand Prix is to Formula One. Aside from being held in the same tiny European principality, it's probably the most iconic, most well-known rally stage in the world. They couldn't cancel it. They wouldn't. They have. Sort of.
Headlines around the motorsport world have been shouting that the Monte Carlo stage will be absent from the 2009 WRC calendar for only the third time since the series' inception. But that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Starting in two years' time, every stage on the race calendar will alternate years, in a bid to include as many locations as possible in the series each year without overcrowding the calendar and putting additional stress on the teams. (And the motoring press, for that matter, thank you very much.) Whereas this year saw no less than 16 rally stages in the WRC, next year will be reduced to 15, and the 2009 and 2010 calendars will be burdened by only 12 rounds each. Yet over the course of the '09 and '10, 24 countries will have hosted WRC stages. So in point of fact, while the Monte Carlo stage is cancelled for the 2009 schedule, it returns in 2010 and will apparently alternate every year thereafter.

Follow the jump to view the full calendars for the 2009 and 2010 seasons of the FIA World Rally Championship.
[Source: Autosport]
Continue reading Monte Carlo rally cancelled for 2009, and that's not all...

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: VIDEO: New GT5 Prologue trailer pretty, oh so pretty

Filed under: Videos, Toys

click above image to view video

If you watched last night's Video Game Awards on Spike then you saw were among the first to see Digital Polyphony's new Gran Turismo 5 Prologue trailer. If you missed it, however, we've got the vid for you right here. Once again, the graphics are simply stunning. Whether watching the new Nissan GT-R whiz by or staring at a race-prepped BMW Z4 in the pit garage, there's nary a pixel out of place. Though we all know the Playstation 3 is a graphical powerhouse, few games have really shown off the console's potential. This one will, if it ever gets released. And this is just the prologue! We're still a good era away from the full game's actual release.

Click here to watch the video after the jump.

[Source: Joystiq]Continue reading VIDEO: New GT5 Prologue trailer pretty, oh so pretty

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Make your ride a rolling reindeer

Filed under: Etc., Lifestyle


Christmas. The decorations, they're everywhere. Don't get us wrong, we love it. You can't help but enjoy watching folks get into the spirit as they trim their trees and erect light displays that'll consume more electricity in December than Iron Maiden did during the entire '83 Piece of Mind tour. Some people deco their cars, too. Usually, it's some roping around the roof rack, a few ribbons to add color and maybe a wreath obstructing the grille. Those who still can't get enough (or who have maybe had a few egg nogs too many) can go one step further and turn their rides into something worthy of the Island of Misfit Toys. Or cars, as it were. The What On Earth catalog sells a reindeer kit consisting of a pair of window-mount 16" plush jingle-bell antlers and a red Rudolph nose you attach to the grillework with wire. For some reason, this seems more ridiculous to us than a house whose lights are visible from the planet Neptune via the naked eye, but hey, it's Christmastime. We'll just cue up the Burl Ives and roll with it.

Thanks for the tip, Brenda!

[Source: What on Earth via bookofjoe via transportTrends]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Golden Oldie: 18-karat Vee-Dub in Bucharest

Filed under: Concept Cars, Etc., Euro, Volkswagen

This isn't exactly what the recording industry had in mind when The Beatles went gold for the first time. But then, who would have predicted back then that the Iron Curtain would fall and that Eastern Europe would grow into one of the world's largest markets for tasteless luxury items.
This 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, unveiled at this year's Luxury Show in Bucharest, Romania, is covered in tiles made of glass and 18-karat gold. We'd say if you have to ask, you can't afford it, but it strikes us that the whole point of building or buying something this perversely ostentatious is to flaunt to the world just how much it's worth. In this case, the figure is actually just $88,000.
If you're thinking that eighty-eight grand will buy you a well-equipped Porsche 911, we're not far behind you. But then, whoever would even consider buying something this ridiculous probably has a couple of "ordinary" Porsches lying around the grounds already.
[Source: Luxurylaunches.com]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Spy Shots: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V undisguised, now in hi-res

Filed under: Detroit Auto Show, Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Cadillac

Click image for high-res gallery

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/500_HP_2009_Cadillac_CTS_V_undisguised_in_high_res'; Last week, we sent you over to Inside Line to see the undisguised 2009 Cadillac CTS-V as it wound its way down the road for some photographers leading it in a Buick Enclave. Today, we've obtained the hi-res shots ourselves, and have them all lined up in the gallery below for your enjoyment. Recapping the news from last week, you'll see that the V-Series CTS sports a full body kit, a sizable power dome, smaller mesh grilles that are reminiscent of the previous-gen CTS and an updated wheel/tire/brake package. While the lack of the new-style grille is disappointing -- it's really the car's calling card -- there has to be a good reason GM did this. As Inside Line said last week, there are two schools of thought regarding what engine lurks under that dome. Initially, the assumption was that the CTS-V would get the LS7 from the Corvette Z06. Recent talk seems to favor a supercharged 6.2L V8 making 525 horses or so. If it's indeed the latter, perhaps the large lower intake is there to feed an intercooler. That's one possible explanation for the rather drastic grille change compared to the standard car. We won't need to wait much longer to find out the real skinny, anyway, as the Detroit Auto Show is fast approaching. Until then, have fun with the new eye candy.

Gallery: Spy Shots: 2009 Cadillac CTS-V Undisguised


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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: HUMMER headed to Japan in spring of '08

Filed under: SUVs, Japan, HUMMER


Japanese fashionistas are getting a three-ton present from the General this coming spring when it will begin shipping HUMMERs to the Land of the Rising Sun. Martin Walsh, HUMMER's General Manager, told the Detroit News that despite slow vehicle sales in Japan, the island nation will become another niche player for GM's iconic off-roader.

Although Walsh remained mum on what models will be making their way across the Pacific, we were surprised during our recent trip to Japan when we saw a few H2s and H3s making the rounds on Japan's congested motorways. The HX concept revealed yesterday would be an obvious candidate for consumers abroad, and we're convinced that an H5 kei-car would be a winner if HUMMER ever decided to think small(ish).

[Source: Detroit News]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: AutoblogGreen for 12.11.07

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green


Some days, all you need is one headline: GM releases first teaser shot of the production Chevy Volt!

As a bonus, here are 16 more:

• So, who wants to get into Daryl Hannah's biodiesel El Camino?
• It's not all bad news at Tesla, LA store construction starts
• Study commissioned by Land Rover finds small cars are bad for the environment
• Mitsubishi will test High Performance Clean Diesel engines in Dakar 2009
• Saab's 1.8t Biopower engine on sale
• European Commission President trying to move CO2 regulations forward
• Videos: Bob Lutz says Toyota will have egg on its face come Easter
• Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin falls hard for Gale Banks' diesel speed trucks
• VW introduces C3World, "Connected Cars in a Connected World"
• Fedex to develop and test hydraulic series hybrid delivery van
• Fiat CEO: take your hybrids elsewhere
• Volkswagen could build the up! in India
• 2008 Ford Focus qualifies as partial zero emissions vehicle (PZEV) in California
• Economist figures a tank of ethanol = food for a year
• Bike trends: chainless, brake less, retrodirect, illegal bike positions
• White House may increase CAFE for SUVs

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: First U.S. legal Koenigsegg CCX delivered to customer

Filed under: Car Buying, Supercars

We got our first (and only) taste of the U.S.-spec Koenigsegg CCX more than a year ago when we piloted it on a road course outside Las Vegas Speedway with sportscar racer Justin Bell giving us driving tips from the passenger seat. We had mixed emotions about the super-fast Swede -- it was immensely powerful, but its ease of use and drivebility made it underwhelming at the same time. The day before we got behind the wheel, Koenigsegg had treated several prospective clients to stints around the track as well, and apparently there were at least a few who were impressed enough to plunk down the cash to buy one. It's taken a while, but Exotic Cars at Caesars Palace, Koenigsegg's sole authorized distributor in the United States, announced yesterday the delivery of the very first CCX to an Arizona customer. They expect to now delivery a new 'segg about every five weeks, meaning a little less than a dozen will be in the country at this time next year. Exclusiveness has a price, though: new customers have to deal with a one year waiting list and a $930,000 price tag.
[Source: Exotic Cars at Caesars Palace]
Gallery: Autoblog Drives the Koenigsegg CCX



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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Unseating Koenigsegg: Ascari A10 sets new Top Gear lap record

Filed under: Euro, Supercars

Sweet Lord, how we do love progress! Cars just keep on getting faster and faster. Unfortunately drivers aren't getting any better - as evidenced by the seemingly endless stream of supercars crashing into unforgiving immovable objects - but leave it to Top Gear's anonymous pilot extraordinaire (all we know is he's called The Stig) to show the way.
The Top Gear lap record has been broken again. The new king of the Power Lap board: the Ascari A10. On this week's show, The Stig coerced the British supercar around the show's private test track in a scant 1:17.3, beating the previous record-holder, the Koenigsegg CCX (complete with special Top Gear rear wing), by three tenths of a second. The A10's more "civilized" brother, the KZ1, took a more leisurely 1:20.7 (still good enough to best the likes of the Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, Lamborghini Murcielago and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, to name just a few).
Although the Ascari may be king today, it has to watch out for potential usurpers who have some serious gripes: the Caparo T1 posted an even faster time than the Ascari (much faster, actually), but was disqualified on a technicality. Meanwhile the Ultima GTR, in an unsanctioned (read: non-televised) test, lapped the track four and a half seconds faster than the Ascari, too. Should Top Gear give either (or better yet, both) a proper run by the books, the A10's reign could be short-lived. But in the meantime, the Koenig is dead, long like the king.
Jump for the Top Ten Top Gear Top Super Cars Lap Times.
[Source: Top Gear]
Continue reading Unseating Koenigsegg: Ascari A10 sets new Top Gear lap record

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: James Bond keeps his Aston Martin DBS

Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Aston Martin

Click image for DBS photo gallery

Ever since Ford sold Aston Martin earlier this year, there was speculation as to whether the marque would provide James Bond's company car again when the 22nd installment of the movie series hits theaters next November. Speculation over. Aston Martin announced today that its flagship DBS would return to play the hero car alongside Daniel Craig as 007 in the still-untitled film (Bond 22 is the working title). Since Ford still has one flick left on the three-picture deal it signed with the producers, we expect to see cars from the Oval populating the screen as well. In any case, we're glad that Bond's keeping his wheels. They suit him.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Gallery: 2008 Aston Martin DBS

Continue reading James Bond keeps his Aston Martin DBS

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Canada may become most expensive place to build a car

Filed under: Chevrolet, Ford, GM, UAW/Unions

Until Detroit automakers signed landmark deals with the UAW that shifted retiree health care costs to the union, it was cheaper to make vehicles in Canada. Government health care saved automakers about $6 per work hour, a savings of over $12,000 a year per worker. Since Ontario produces more vehicles than any state in the Union, that represented huge savings for the Detroit Three. However, after the new deals were struck with the UAW, that advantage has disappeared. To make the situation worse, the loonie has made huge advances over the dollar. At one point you needed $1.61 in Canadian cash to equal one greenback, but new oil wealth for our northern neighbors coupled with a growing US credit crunch have brought the two currencies neck and neck. With Canada's higher taxes and unfavorable contracts, the northern frontier could soon be the world's most expensive place to build cars and trucks.
Wards Automotive thinks the CAW will soon start to feel the pinch of Canada's new economic reality. The publication sees Ontario losing 600,000 units per year by 2012, while Michigan will gain 100,000 units during the same period. With the CAW contracts expiring in 2008, it looks like another opportunity for US automakers to cut labor costs. Since CAW health care is already free, however, there is no magical fund to cut labor costs without taking cash out of worker's pockets.
[Source: Detroit News]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: 2007 Holiday Sweepstakes Day 2: The Bourne Ultimatum DVD

Filed under: Contests

"Get some rest Pam, you look tired." I've been saying that line to my girlfriend ever since I saw The Bourne Ultimatum in the theater, and I can't wait to hear it again at home when I get the movie on DVD for Christmas. Are you afraid Santa or a disgruntled spouse won't let you watch Jason Bourne tear up the Big Apple on your flat screen this Christmas? We've got you covered. The prize for Day 2 of Autoblog's 2007 Holiday Sweepstakes is The Bourne Ultimatum DVD, and we've got 5 copies to give away. This movie is worth a watch for the car chase alone, and the DVD also includes a special feature on how the chase was done.

How to Enter: Just leave a single comment on this post (if you leave two or more, all will be disqualified).Simple Rules:

• 5 winners will be randomly selected at 12:00PM EST Wednesday, 12/12/07
• You may enter today's sweepstakes only once
• Only residents of the United States are eligible
• You must be at least 18 to enter

Click here to view official rules and come back every day this week around noon to see what else we're giving away. Happy Holidays from your friendly neighborhood Autoblog!

NOTE: We have already randomly chosen 10 winners for yesterday's sweepstakes and will be in contact with them shortly. Feel free to enter today's sweepstakes if you're eligible, and if you happen to be one of yesterday's winners, your entry in today's sweepstakes will automatically not count.
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: BREAKING: Aston Martin shoehorns V12 into Vantage RS

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Aston Martin

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Aston_Martin_shoehorns_V12_into_its_Vantage_Pure_Porn'; Good keeps getting better over at Aston Martin, who never seem to tire of making their sports cars faster and faster. The latest in the speed wars from their new headquarters in Gaydon is this adrenaline-dripping special-edition V12 Vantage RS.

Into what could very well prove to be the fastest, hottest Aston Martin yet, the newly independent British automaker has dropped the V12 reactor not from the recently demised Vanquish, not from the road-going DB9 or Bond-tastic DBS derivative, but from the DBRS9 race car. With somewhere in the neighborhood of 600 horsepower (!) pushing 3500 lbs, the V12 Vantage RS is anticipated to clock a 0-60 time in the 3's on its way to a 200-mph top speed. Performance target: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. That's highly ambitious, considering that the Fiorano is widely acclaimed as one of the most competent supercars on the planet, but with that kind of juice in such a brilliant package as the Vantage's, it might not be so far-fetched.
At the time of writing, AutoWeek was the only source carrying the information, and we hope to have more details soon on the special Vantage which was unveiled earlier today on the occasion of the company's new design center. Although it was launched as a concept, sources suggest it could very well find its way into limited production and slot into the Aston Martin line-up above the current flagship DBS. We certainly hope so.
[Source: AutoWeek]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: GM creates design studio to work on future electric vehicles

Filed under: Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Tech, Chevrolet, GM


More Volt news: yesterday was the teaser pic, today is news that GM has devoted an entire design studio to work solely on The Next Big Thing. On October 1, forty-five interior and exterior designers moved into an abandoned auditorium at the GM Tech Center in Warren, MI and have what sounds like a pretty complete studio operation, from workstations to clay modelers.

Bob Boniface, the design team director, cited the necessary speed of development for the creation of the studio. Once the team sorts out the car's powertrain, they'll work on applying it to other compact models in GM's fleet (hybrid Beat, anyone?). Boniface also said, "For this car to have popular appeal, and for buyers to embrace the new technology, it must look good." An interesting statement only because the Prius doesn't look good and we know how it has sold. However, we for one will be happy to see a clean-sheet hybrid with some good looks to boot.

We're also glad to see -- at least, by the looks of it -- GM devoting the time and resources to getting this car done, and done right. GM has to know how chickens will be needed in order to lay all the eggs its face will be covered with if the Volt isn't delivered as promised and pretty close to on time. It's not exactly a fair standard, but this isn't exactly the usual car, and after all the big talk it took to get here, GM goods to deliver. And it look like they're doing it.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]
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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Aston Martin building new design center

Filed under: Sports/GTs, Euro, Plants/Manufacturing, Supercars, Aston Martin

Aston Martins rank highly among the most beautiful cars on the road. Granted, they all look pretty much the same - evolutions on a common theme that has ranged from the DB7 through to the upcoming production Rapide four-door - but each one is a study in elegance and sophistication.
Future models, however, are set to be conceived and designed at a new facility which the now independent British sportscar marque is in the process of establishing in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England, at the site of its complex there (pictured above) which the company built to replace its historic home at Newport Pagnell.
The new design center is part of an ambitious program being undertaken by Aston Martin, under the leadership of CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez and chairman David Richards, to dramatically expand its market reach. We can't wait to see what the boys at Aston cook up next at its fancy new facility.
Our thanks go out to Mikkel for the tip.
[Source: BBC]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: VIDEO: Alex Roy interviews Gran Turismo's Kazunori Yamauchi on Garage 419

Filed under: Driving


var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/playstation/Gran_Turismo_used_for_driver_s_education_Hell_yeah'; The newest episode of Garage 419 is up and The Driver, Alex Roy, had a chance to sit down with the inimitable director of Gran Turismo, Kazunori Yamauchi. The topics of conversation range from new cars, weather modeling, vehicle dynamics, plans for damage ('bout time), Mr. Yamauchi's favorite track (hint: it's in Germany) and that fact that he plays Gran Turismo every day. Can you say dream job?

Towards the end of the interview, Herr Roy and Kazunori-san discuss the merits of simulators in driver training and the abysmal education standards for drivers here in the U.S. Both of them agree that Gran Turismo would be a great tool for beginning drivers and veterans alike. It would sure beat the Hell out of sitting through some of the utterly useless traffic schools courses we've been forced to endure.

Check the video after the jump - we're going to hook up the steering wheel to our PS3 now.Continue reading VIDEO: Alex Roy interviews Gran Turismo's Kazunori Yamauchi on Garage 419

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Suzuki to show A-Star Concept at New Delhi Motor Show

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hatchbacks, Suzuki, Misc. Auto Shows

Click image for photo gallery

Next month at the New Delhi Motor Show, Suzuki will unveil the A-Star concept, which foretell's the automakers next global compact car. Why India? Well, local interests, of course. The production version of the car, likely the new Alto according to World Car Fans, will be built in India at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant beginning in October 2008. It will be sold globally (read: Europe, India and other non-US markets), and Suzuki plans to keep the vehicle's price low. Technical details are sparse, but reports state that the production version will be powered by a 1.0L Euro 5 emissions compliant engine. If you can read Japanese, you can check out Suzuki's official announcement here.

[Source: Suzuki, AFP, IHT]

Gallery: Suzuki A-Star Concept


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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: From the Prancing Horse's Mouth: no truck, no V6 from Ferrari

Filed under: SUVs, Crossovers/CUVs, Ferrari

Like a family of cockroaches living behind your kitchen cabinets, some rumors just won't die. No matter how ridiculous, they just won't go away. And so we waste our cyber-space reassuring our loyal readership of that they're nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
Here we're talking about the prospect of a sport-utility vehicle from Ferrari. We've seen different renderings and projections, and although we're not sold, apparently some people still think it could happen. Leave it to the Dutch, then, to get it right from the source. Holland's automotive magazine AutoWeek spoke with Ferrari's general manager Amadeo Felisa, who firmly denied that the company is developing - or even considering - an SUV. And we'll take him at his word, even if we have our doubts when they continue to refute the development of an entry-level model.
On that front, in lieu of the usual mantra that the company is not building a successor to the Dino, Felisa specified that Ferrari was not developing a six-cylinder model, which doesn't rule out the possibility of a new model to slot in below the F430 with any other type of powertrain configuration... say, a V8 for example.

[Source: AutoWeek.nl via Motor Authority]

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[monkeyboy]

Autoblog: Spy Shots: 2009 Chevrolet Camaro spied in Australia

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Chevrolet
Spy photogs finally caught a Camaro-bodied mule undergoing testing in the Land Down Under and it's obvious that development of Chevy's 2009 hotness is well underway.

The camo unfortunately obscures the front clip and back end, but the B-pillar is present and accounted for and the rake of the roof plummeting down into the rear window remains true to the concept. The vinyl on the rear end is covering a rather subtle spoiler that extends a few inches over the taillights, while the front seems to have a slightly less pointed grilled compared to the concept shown in Detroit.

We're sure more shots are forthcoming and according to the crew that snapped the pics, the Camaro was hanging around with a couple of Mustangs. So if it wasn't obvious enough, we know what the Camaro is gunning for when it goes on sale in 2009.

[Source: Straightline]

Gallery: Chevy Camaro Concept


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