Autoblog: News Thread

Autoblog: Autoblog is headed to CES 2008

Filed under: Gadgets, CES
It's the biggest collection of gadget geeks in the world, with 1.7 million square feet of display space and one entire hall full of automotive accessories. It's the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and Autoblog has it covered.

The big draw for gearheads this year, of course, is the keynote address given by General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner next Tuesday. It's the first time a GM CEO has spoken at CES and we're still wondering what he plans to say.

But we're also looking forward to seeing what Alpine's far out tuner car will be this year. In 2007, it was the, uh, interesting, Mercedes RLS, but we're told that this year will be different. Our only hint is that Alpine's products don't require wheels.

And, of course, we'll have full coverage of all manner of custom cars, eardrum-ripping sound systems and in-car LCD screens, just like last year. And although Engadget has already spilled the beans on Garmin's new nav systems, we'll do our best to get one-on-one time with them ourselves.

We also expect to meet with Audiovox, Pioneer, Dolby, Delphi, THX, JBL and Clarion to hear what they have planned for your vehicle in 2008. BMW's F1 Sauber race team will be there, too, entertaining the CES crowds.

The coverage begins soon after we land in Vegastown, so stay tuned.
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Autoblog: 2007: The year in truck sales

Filed under: Car Buying, Trucks/Pickups, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GM, Nissan, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

While the big news story surrounding 2007 sales is that Toyota passed Ford as the No. 2 best-selling automaker in the U.S. last year, there were plenty of interesting battles happening between individual models, as well. The truck segment, though shrinking, is still the most competitive in the U.S. market, and 2007 saw the most serious challenge yet to the domestics' market dominance with the introduction of the 2007 Toyota Tundra.

While the F-Series pickup retained its title of Best-Selling Truck for the 31st year in a row (also the Best-Selling Vehicle in the U.S. for the 26th year in a row), its sales fell 13.2% to 690,589. And to think, the F-Series' best-selling year ever was just three years ago in 2004 when it sold 939,511 units. Give the F-Series credit, however, for retaining its No. 1 position despite a brand new Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra on the market. GM's new GMT900 trucks did help the automaker mitigate a similar sales slide, with sales falling only 2.8% to 618,257 for the Silverado and 1.2% to 208,243 for the Sierra in 2007. The Dodge Ram also did well despite the shrinking market, with sales off just 2% at 358,295.

The Toyota Tundra, however, is the story the year...

Follow the jump for more analysis and the raw sales numbers for trucks sold in the U.S. last year.

[Sources: Ford, GM, Chrysler LLC, Toyota, Nissan]Continue reading 2007: The year in truck sales

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Autoblog: Chrysler gives details on 5,000-worker job cut

Filed under: Hirings/Firings, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, UAW/Unions


Last year Chrysler announced that it intended to significantly reduce its workforce by 2009 as part of its Recovery and Transformation plan. The exact focus of the planned reductions was not revealed at the time. Now, however, Chrysler has publicly released information detailing the locations of nearly 5,000 job cuts set to occur between now and the end of March. The layoffs will span five North American plants and the numbers consist of all hourly workers (i.e. union workers) and stem from the eliminations of extra production shifts. 900 workers will be gone from the Jefferson North Assembly Plant and 1,140 from the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, both in the Detroit area. The Toledo North Assembly Plant loses 780 jobs and the Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario will cut 1,000 employees. The Belvedere Assembly Plant in Illinois will be excusing 1,096 workers, with around 600 of those coming from temporary positions. Our condolences if you're one of the 5,000. We hear that Audi is hiring, though.

[Source: The Detroit News]
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Autoblog: Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

Filed under: UAW/Unions, Autoline on Autoblog
John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.

HOW THE UAW WILL GET IN THE TRANSPLANTS

For years, there's been a drumbeat of media reports about sliding union membership. Today fewer than 12% of American workers belong to a union. Twenty years ago it was close to twice that. And this is why a number of auto industry experts believe the United Auto Workers union is a spent force.

Sounds logical. The Detroit automakers have been shrinking their workforce for nearly two decades and got rid of over 100,000 employees just in the last two years. Meanwhile, foreign automakers invested billions to build dozens of factories and hired tens of thousands of Americans to work in them. Then they successfully slapped aside every effort by the UAW to organize those plants.

But the UAW is likely to get a legislative gift that could make it much easier to get all those workers in the transplants to join the union.Continue reading Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

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Autoblog: Detroit '08 Preview: V12 diesel-powered Audi R8 TDI to be unveiled

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupes, Supercars, Audi

click above to view more images of the 2008 Audi R8

Audi has already publicly revealed it will be showing two vehicles at this year's North American International Auto Show in Detroit. One it called a "stunning" concept car and the other is a new production car making its world debut. One of the two cars will reportedly be an Audi R8 powered by the brand's V12 TDI diesel engine, this according to German mag Auto Motor und Sport. While the R8 TDI is likely destined for production, it's probably not the production car that Audi will debut in Detroit. If it's the "stunning" concept, consider us stunned. The car is projected to have around 500bhp/738 ft-lbs of torque, accelerate to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds and return 28 mpg, presumably on the highway. That's truly outstanding fuel economy for a supercar, though Corvettes are known to get above 30 mpg while lazily cruising this nation's highways, as well. That said, the equally as powerful 2008 Corvette Z06 is rated by the EPA as 15 city/25 highway mpg. Back to the R8 TDI, Auto Express also reports that since the V12 TDI is much larger than the standard car's 4.2L V8, it will gobble up all available luggage space just to fit. The R8 TDI's appearance in Detroit certainly isn't confirmed by Audi yet, so we'll have to wait until January 13th to see exactly what the German automaker brought to town. We think, however, that it is a safe bet.

[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via Carscoop, Auto Express]
Gallery: 2008 Audi R8


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Autoblog: Man follows GPS directions, runs into passenger train

Filed under: Etc.

Sometimes you come across a story that makes you say, "I get it... But I don't get it..." A computer consultant in a rental car recently showcased his unflagging trust in technology, and just barely lived to tell the story. Following the instructions the GPS was giving him -- religiously, in this case -- he was told to make a right turn... onto train tracks. And he did it.
We can't ever imagine a case in which making a right turn onto train tracks could be an acceptable course of action, no matter who's giving the command. Especially in light of some of the places our own GPS has tried to lead us. And not only did the driver make the turn onto the tracks, but he got stuck there -- just as a passenger train was coming. Not being known for their ability to stop on any amount of coinage, and in spite of the man's waving, the train plowed into the car in a "fiery crash."
No one was hurt in the crash -- the driver got out of the way in time. However, the 500 passengers who were stranded for hours probably wanted to do unkind things to him once they found out he was all right. Yet if he's not hurting now, the bill he gets from the rental car company might change that. Even if he checked the comprehensive option, we can't imagine that a train and 250 feet of damaged railroad tracks are covered in the rental company's Loss Damage Waiver.
Thanks for the tip, Brian!

[Source: MSNBC]

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Autoblog: In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited Convertible

Filed under: Car Buying, Garage, Convertibles, Chrysler, Driving

click for more images of the 2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited Convertible

On paper, the Sebring seems to have what it takes, including three engine choices, an optional six-speed automatic, a sedan and convertible, and nifty cup holders that keep your drink hot or cold. We gave a top of the line Limited Sebring Convertible one week in the Autoblog Garage win us over, but things didn't go as planned. Read about what happened after the jump.
Gallery: 2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited Convertible


All photos Copyright (C)2007 Chris Shunk / Weblogs, Inc.
Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited Convertible

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Autoblog: Ford fun in I Am Legend

Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Celebrities

Click image for a gallery of the GT500 in I Am Legend

Product placements in films get a lot of virtual ink here at Autoblog, probably because we all like cars (obviously) and are, for the most part, movie buffs. The carmaker placement king over the last year was unquestionably Transformers, which did more to expose (and evangelize) the new Camaro to the masses than GM's marketing department could ever have hoped. The Bond films are always good for some car-related water-cooler discussion, and last year also saw VW use The Bourne Ultimatum to shill for the Touareg 2. Ford's been kind of off the blockbuster radar since Casino Royale, but makes a tidy comeback in the new Will Smith thriller, I Am Legend.

Over the holidays, I managed to slink away from the wife and kids for a couple of hours to catch the film with some friends. As a movie it's imperfect but very entertaining, with a nice performance by Will Smith. The Ford stuff is very noticeable if you're aware of this sort of thing, and for the most part the cars are used well.

NOTE: Since I'm going to reference some scenes and elements that are spoilerish in nature, including the film's ending, I'll give the rundown after the jump.
Gallery: Shelby GT500 in I Am Legend

Continue reading Ford fun in I Am Legend

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Autoblog: Spy Shots: Ford Flex-based crossover for Lincoln

Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossovers/CUVs, Ford, Lincoln

click above for more spy shots

var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Lincoln_s_next_big_thing_caught_by_spy_photographers_pics'; As we reported yesterday, Lincoln is likely to get a version of the seven-seat Flex crossover a year after it debuts with a Blue Oval badge. Here's verifiable proof. KGP Photographers have caught a Taurus X-based mule wearing Lincoln's new split grille that will first appear on the MKS sedan. We thought the new nose looked large on the MKS, but it's at least a foot tall for this application. Its oversized dimensions make the mule in these pics look like a humpback whale that's beached itself on an Arctic coast. Quick, somebody feed it some krill before it dies.

While we can't say what the rest of the body will look like, don't expect it to share any body panels with the boxy Ford Flex. We envision a big, low-riding CUV with more flowing lines for Lincoln.

[Source: KGP Photography]
Gallery: Lincoln "MKF" Flex-based CUV - spy shots


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Autoblog: Smile! Car accident photographed by Google Street View

Filed under: Etc.

View Larger Map

We haven't actually found a proper use yet for Google Street View, the Google Maps' function that lets you drag an avatar around a Google Map and get an on-the-street 360-degree view of the location. So far we've used it to spot a really fugly Buick, and that's about it. Not many of us live in locales that have already been mapped by a battalion of Google Street View cars, though.

It turns out our friends over at Jalopnik haven't found a good use for the technology yet, either. Like us, they're more interested in the weird auto-related stuff that Google Street View cars happen to capture while cruising by. In this instance, a poor woman's bad day in which she slammed her Mercedes-Benz into a tree has forever been immortalized by the indomitable search engine. Fortunately, the tow truck driver can use Google Maps to find her car. Unfortunately, her insurance agent can use the Street View pics as evidence of her inability to drive.

[Source: Jalopnik]
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Autoblog: CES '08 Preview: Ford to show SYNC 2.0, in-dash HD and cheap gas-finding na

Filed under: CES, I.C.E., Tech, Ford
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Though GM's Rick Wagoner nabbed the honor of giving this year's keynote address at next week's 2008 CES Show in Las Vegas, Ford may grab the headlines with a suite of new in-car entertainment, navigation and communication technologies that it plans to implement across its brands in the near future. First up will be the second version of its popular SYNC interface, details of which are scant. Considering that the SYNC system's capabilities are already robust, we're not sure what else they can add to it and are eager to find out.

Ford will also be showing off its new SIRIUS Travel Link nav system, which gets updated in real time with all sorts of info from the SIRIUS satellites. Drivers can call up instant traffic data, weather, sports scores and movie showings, as well as plot a course to the gas station with cheapest fuel prices.

Finally, Ford will have its new navigation system sourced from Xanavi on display with what we believe is a ginormous 7.5-inch touchscreen and an in-dash hard drive that can store up to 2,400 songs. Hopefully it will also have the capacity to pause and rewind live radio like Cadillac's system in the CTS. We've already seen the Xanavi system's new, larger screen in images of the upcoming 2009 Lincoln MKS sedan, a car that's slated to be fitted with the gamut of Ford's new in-car technologies when it goes on sale this summer.

Keep your eyes on Autoblog early next week for when we start our coverage of the 2008 CES Show from Las Vegas. We'll have more details on what Ford and the rest of the auto industry has to offer in the way of electronics for the coming year.

[Source: Ford]
Gallery: 2009 Lincoln MKS

Continue reading CES '08 Preview: Ford to show SYNC 2.0, in-dash HD and cheap gas-finding nav

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Autoblog: REPORT: Ford bought Mustang the role of KITT

Filed under: Etc., Ford

click above for more images of the new KITT

Wouldn't you like to believe that the producers of the new Knight Rider series saw something in the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR that evoked the essence of what it is to be KITT? Yeah, that's not what happened. According to AdAge, Ford snagging the role of KITT had more to do with timing and a certain boat load of money that was exchanged hands. As we've explained before, Pontiac doesn't even have a car that would be suitable for the part of KITT, while the Camaro just wouldn't have been ready in time. Same goes for the Dodge Challenger. That leaves the Ford Mustang, which found a new way to enjoy its time without a competitor in sight by taking some acting lessons and landing the spot. Curiously, Jalopnik reports that the article, which isn't accessible without a subscription (natch) mentions that the Chrysler Crossfire was being considered. Not that it should have ever gotten the job, but Chrysler cancelled the Crossfire anyway. We're sure the Corvette was being considered, if for no other reason than it would have made as much sense in the role as the GT500KR, but we guess GM didn't think it was money well spent. Time will tell whether or not Ford's investment was a smart one.

[Source: Adage via Jalopnik]
Gallery: The new KITT - OFFICIAL PHOTOS


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Autoblog: French revelers take it easy, torch only 372 cars New Year's Eve

Filed under: Etc., Euro
Automobile flamb&eacute; is a familiar dish in France, where rioters, protesters and revelers seemingly use any occasion involving large congregations of people to torch whatever cars happen to be in the vicinity. Apparently, New Year's Eve is always good for a spike in car-burning incidents, but this year authorities were prepared. "Only" 372 cars were transformed into funeral pyres compared to last year when 397 rides met their makers. In some regions, the sale of fuel canisters was actually halted during the runup to New Year's Eve. Who wins here? We'd say it's salesmen for Peugeot, Renault, and Citro&euml;n. After all, as of Tuesday, there were at least 372 people who had to go car shopping this week. Bummer for them, bully for the French auto industry!

[Source: Reuters]
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Autoblog: Blow it up! Bigger pic of 2009 Chevy Camaro in every color

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet

click to enlarge and view the Camaro prototype in various colors

While we were grateful that Bob Lutz ordered the removal of camouflage from all of the Camaro prototypes running around in view of the public, the teaser image that GM provided was a bit too eency weency for our tastes. TheGMSource, however, found a larger version, or artfully blew up the small one, that shows a lot more detail. We can see the faux vents ahead of the rear wheels, as well as the surfacing of the Camaro's rear with its faux diffuser (at least we think it's faux). Whoa, this thing's got a lot of faux parts, but don't expect it to be a poser on arrival. Chevy is no doubt infusing the Camaro with enough mechanical fortitude to hang with the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger from day one.

TheGMSource also followed up with questions for Scott Settlemire, a member of the Camaro team at Chevy. His words are not unexpected when he says that the Camaro is about 65% production ready, and what you see in spy photos, even the one supplied by GM, does not mean you're looking at the car that will end up on dealer lots. His reference to the Camaro prototype's horrible headlamps is hilarious, and he was careful to point out that the interior shot does not necessarily show the final dash design, either.

Oh, and just for fun, we played with the larger pic in Photoshop and changed the prototype's boring white into all the various official colors that we expect will be offered on the production model. We're not very good at Photoshop, so if any pros want to try, let us know the results by emailing them to abresearch at gmail dot com.

UPDATE:
Thanks to CamaroZ28.com forum member Rampant, there are now some colorized Camaro images in the gallery that are actually good!

[Source: TheGMSource]
Gallery: 2009 Chevy Camaro - colors


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Autoblog: In the Autoblog Garage: 2007 Mazdaspeed3

Filed under: Garage, Hatchbacks, Mazda

click above for high-res images of the 2007 Mazdaspeed3

After the second or third hard right-hander, there was a noticeable lack of conversation in the car. Brad, my intrepid photog friend, grew quiet as I caned the Mazdaspeed3 through corner after corner, increasing the pace each time, braking later and laying into the throttle sooner. With the LSD working overtime, the handling bar continued to move until finally the howl coming from the front tires evolved into understeer. A quick lift off the throttle tucked the nose in without drama and then the quest to find the limits began anew.

I turned to ask my camera-clutching companion if all was right on that side of the car. He nodded in the affirmative and the fun continued. Mile after mile of twists and undulations were dispatched without complaint. When we finally pulled off to take stock, both of us were convinced that Mazda's 'Speed team is one of the best in-house tuners in the biz. Not particularly because of the MS3's prodigious power, but because its creators took the already competent 3 and created a cohesive package that ticks off all the right boxes for the enthusiast on a budget.
Gallery: In the Autoblog Garage: 2007 Mazdaspeed3


All photos Copyright (C)2007 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc.
Continue reading In the Autoblog Garage: 2007 Mazdaspeed3

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Autoblog: The funniest ad for a 1996 Volvo 850R you'll ever read

Filed under: Etc., Volvo


A guy in Washington had a 1996 Volvo 850R he wanted to sell on Craigslist. To make sure that he got noticed, he invoked the aid of Benjamin Franklin, a video game, a large Montana ranch and the Blue Angels -- just for starters -- to do it.
Anyone who's sold a high-mileage car that's been taken well care of and will run until the Apocalypse should appreciate the ad. You'll also appreciate his efforts to keep people from calling and saying, "Hmm. The miles seem high." Not only does he mention the fact that it has 218,000 miles nine times in the ad, but just to make sure, he writes, "If you don't know that Volvos go to like half a million miles without maintenance than your personal savior must be modern medicine and your ignorance would have been the death of you in the middle ages. DO not call if this is you."
But the car is still so fast it will "smoke the doors off of e30 m3's in econ mode." On top of all that, it's a bit of a chick magnet. This isn't cited as the reason for sale, but the seller got "sick and tired of getting hit on by milfs in their sexual prime because they think I'm some suave interwebs mogul as I am rearranging my golf clubs to fit more groceries in the massive trunk." Click the link to get the rest of the story on the Volvo born from space shuttles. Really.
Thanks for the tip, Mike!
[Source: Culture Garage]


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Autoblog: 85-year-old man arrested for racing down the highway in his Oldsmobile

Filed under: Government/Legal, Driving
Not so long ago, Ontario, Canada drafted a law to curb racing and excessive speeding on its highways. Things were getting so out of hand that stretches of road were called the Ontariobahn. In a campaign they call "shock and awe," they jacked the maximum fine up to $10,000, and threw in a 7-day suspended license and vehicle impound for anyone doing more than 50-KPH over the posted limit.
Since the traps were laid, they have been full. A recent catch was an 85-year-old man who was doing 161 kph -- 61 over the limit -- on roads with ice and snow. He wasn't racing -- he was simply "going to the bank and shopping," albeit rather quickly. So he was immediately relieved of his license and his Oldsmobile.
Since the law took effect on September 30, 2007, 2,300 Canadians have met the same fate -- 1,300 of them in the first five weeks. On average, every day 24 drivers have to learn bus routes, and 24 cars get parked somewhere for a week. The 85-year-old gent has the honor of being the oldest arrested so far, a 16-year old girl was the youngest, and the fastest driver was going 230 kph (142 mph). If your travels take you through Ontario while the shock and awe continues, try not to get frisky with the go peda else you'll be down with a very different O.P.P. -- the Ontario Provincial Police.
Thanks for the tip, Doug!
[Source: CTV Toronto]

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Autoblog: Honda, Toyota most researched on Edmunds in 2007

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupes, Economy, Sedans/Saloons, SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Honda, Toyota

Each month, 13 million visitors use Edmunds to research cars and trucks, and once again Honda and Toyota dominate the site's list of top searches. The Honda Civic and Accord along with the Toyota Camry lead the hit parade, followed by six other Japanese models and the BMW 3-Series. The two Japanese juggernauts also owned the top truck searches, with the fuel efficient Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 taking first and second, respectively. The only other automaker to crack the truck/SUV/minivan category was GM, with the GMC Acadia coming in at number five, and the Saturn VUE rounding out the top ten.
It's interesting to note that the vehicles car shoppers research most aren't exactly the the ones that produce the highest sales volume, as evidenced by the Mazda3 besting the economy car sales champ Toyota Corolla by three spots. Also worth noting is that automotive stalwarts have a much larger presence on Edmunds than do new models like the Chevy Malibu or the Cadillac CTS. To check out the complete car and truck top ten from Edmunds AutoObserver, click the read link below.
[Source: AutoObserver]

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Autoblog: Chrysler to make cuts in fleet sales in '08

Filed under: Chrysler
Chrysler has looked deep into it soul and decided to join the General and FoMoCo in an attempt to reduce its reliance on fleet sales. Chrysler's Vice Chairman, Jim Press (that still doesn't sound right), alluded to the reduction during a conference call regarding December sales figures and said, "you have to stay out of the 30-percent range and into the 20s." Where in "the 20s" was unspecified, but with vehicle sales expect to continue their decline this year, any reduction of income could hurt the automaker. However, Press went on to say that he expects a "very small increase" in retail sales during '08 and a plan is underway to increase the value-per-dollar quotient of Chrysler's brands by offering more features for less cash.

[Source: CNN Money]
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Autoblog: KTM releasing Limited Edition "Dallara Series" X-Bow

Filed under: Etc., Misc. Auto Shows

Click the image above for a gallery of high-res pics of the KTM X-Bow.

KTM, the bike manufacturer turned track toy purveyor, will be showing off the X-Bow in "Gleaming White" next week at the Autosport International Racing Car Show, and has announced that production will begin in Graz, Austria later this year. Preorders have reportedly gone through the roof, but KTM only intends to build 1,000 X-Bows per year for the time being. Those that got on the waiting list early will be in the running for a limited edition model, dubbed the "Dallara Series," that will come equipped with extra kit to boost the X-Bow's prowess on the track. Unfortunately, KTM's press release (after the jump) didn't divulge what additional features the Dallara will be fitted with, but if we were to wager a guess, we'd put our money on some upgraded brake components and a few tweaks to the ECU to boost the Audi-sourced 2.0-liter TFSI mill.

Gallery: KTM X-Bow

Continue reading KTM releasing Limited Edition "Dallara Series" X-Bow

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