Cars coop: 2012

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Poll: Which Chevrolet Concept Coupe Would You Like to be Built?

The 2012 Detroit Motor Show is more or less consigned to the dustbin of history, but that doesn't mean we'll stop talking about the vehicles that made their world premiere at the Cobo Center and especially the concept models.

Truth to be said, high-end sports cars such as the Acura NSX and Lexus LF-LC studies are the ones we'd really like to drive in the not so distant future, but for most of us, it's models like the two Chevrolet coupe concepts that correspond to mainstream reality.

While very different in philosophy, Chevrolet's Code 130R and Tru 140S Concepts share several attributes: both models were designed as four-seater coupes for the young at age (or young at heart); both are based on existing platform architectures and use production hardware, and finally, if they were to be built, their price would be in the low $20,000s.

Horn and blinkers? Fudge that, automatic weapons can be much more convincing and when the vehicle in front of you doesn't slow down to let you pass by just give it a slight nudge and it will work out for the guy with the largest automobile.

Welcome to what is claimed to be a Chechnya wedding tradition where drivers are supposed to get behind the car that transports the evidently, very brave bride, for good luck.

We could have sworn that we saw Jason Statham popping his head out the window at some point… Get to know Chechnya's wedding traditions a little bit better in the videos after the break.

There's nothing quite like the allure of riding a bike, but as we all know, it is not without its risks even on a paved road, which makes this motorcyclist's attempt to conquer a mountaintop astonishing, to say the least.

We don't know where the ride took place or who had the kahunas to do it, but we'll just say that even watching the biker makes you feel some vertigo… You can check it out for yourself in the video that follows after the break.

At the 2012 Detroit Auto Show that comes to an end on Sunday, January 22, Lincoln put on display the MKZ Concept to preview both the looks of its soon to be launched mid-size sedan as well the brand's new styling direction.

But FoMoCo isn't the only one to present a design concept for a future Lincoln as the Lawrence Tech University had its own proposal in the form of a quarter-scale model for a pure-electric Continental for 2025.

The study for a luxury sedan model is the work of Lawrence Tech students Colin Bonathan and Jeeho Cha and it was endorsed by the Ford Motor Company.

It all started in the summer of 2011 when Bonathan and Cha came up with plans for a Lincoln concept as part of their undergraduate degree program in transportation design. The university said that Ford officials liked the concept so much that they commissioned the quarter-scale model for display at the Detroit event.

When a bunch of drift-loving drivers in Nissan 240SX sports coupes show up at the Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey, with a crew of cameramen it can only mean one thing and no, it has nothing to do with the inhabitants of Jersey Shore.

These fellas are the Bloodmasters, as they call themselves, and they've come together to create a pretty nifty drift video, the first part of which was released this week. Buckle up and slide over the jump to enjoy a little over five minutes of punk-rocking drift shenanigans.

The official presentation of all-new Porsche Boxster roadster earlier this month afforded us a pretty good idea of what it's coupe sibling, the new Cayman, will look like, both inside and out.

There is of course a matter of proportions and the shape of the tin top, but that too can be solved with a little bit of imagination along with some help from the numerous spy shots that have circulated around the internet the last year.

In pure stock form, the Corvette ZR1 is a performance beast with its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine pumping out 638-horses and 604 lb-ft (819Nm) of peak torque. However, German tuning firm TIKT believes that there's plenty of room for improvement so it introduced a new take on the ZR1 with its Triple X package.

It all starts with the ZR1's eight-cylinder powerhouse that gets modified cylinder heads, camshafts, valve springs and compressor ratios plus a larger throttle valve, a completely modified exhaust system, a reprogramed ECU and changes to the cooling system.

Watch the Nissan Juke-R Pawn a Ferrari 458, a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Mercedes SLS AMG

There's no question that the Nissan Juke-R is wickedly fast, but is it actually fast enough to give a lesson to exotic supercars like the Ferrari 458 Italia, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, for example?

Well, there's a lot to take into consideration including the place and the person driving (let's not forget that any car is as fast as its driver is), but for whatever reasons, this time the Juke-R came out as the winner.

In the video clip from Carsandspeed that follows, we see the 485HP-strong Juke-R winning a race against the three aforementioned supercars on a tightly designed makeshift track in Dubai as part of a promotional event on the sidelines of the local 24hrs Endurance Race, in which it took part as the official pace car.

We managed to find out that the man behind the wheel of the Juke-R was 26-year old Lucas Ordoñez from Spain who was the winner of the 2008 PlayStation GT Academy competition.

It’s a very busy time for Porsche as the world's bestselling sports car brand has several new models in store for us including the soon-to-be launched Boxster roadster, the next generation of the Cayman coupe, the production version of the 918 Spyder and the all-new Cajun compact crossover.

And that's not all as Porsche is also working on a facelift for the Panamera sports sedan that has been captured once again by our team of spy photographers during some winter testing in Europe.

The parts of the car that are wrapped in camouflage include the entire front end and the rear bumper, therefore indicating where the styling changes will take place.

Of course, Porsche being Porsche, don't anticipate any shocking alterations just newly designed bumpers and headlamps that will freshen up the Panamera's looks and bring it in line with more recent models like the Boxster.

You know they say that Chuck Norris is so tough that when he fell off his bike, he broke the road. We can't say whether or not this motorcyclist in Asia (we're not sure about the country) is as tough as Chuck, but he might as well star in one of his movies after what he accomplished here…

Don't believe us? Well then just flip over the jump and land your mouse on the video player button.

All ends well for General Motors as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced today that it is officially closing the safety defect probe into the post-crash fire risk of the Chevrolet Volt.

The federal safety agency stated that after an eight-week long investigation and following a fix announced by GM to reduce the potential for battery intrusion from side impacts, it concludes that "no discernible defect trend exists".

"Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles," the agency said in a statement.

NHTSA had opened the investigation on November 28, 2011, after some Volts either caught fire or started to emit smoke and/or sparks in the days or weeks following a crash test.

How many times have you heard or read about a car's overall appearance or a particular section reminding people of something? The answer is probably too many times to count.

Well, here's one more for your list that comes courtesy of a reader over at Reddit. The photo shows a first and third generation MX-5 parked together in a garage with a humorous comment about each model's fascia. If you can think of a better quote (s), the comments section is all yours.

Exactly a week ago, we brought you the first spy shots of the third generation of the BMW X5 SUV spotted on the road.

While it's too early for the prototypes to start shaking off the heavy camouflage, our man with the long lens was able to snag another round of pictures, this time while the crossover was trying out the snow in Germany.

Like many other carmakers lately, Mercedes-Benz is preparing consumers for a new model debut through a dedicated app for smart phones. In the German firm's case, the new model is the upcoming 2012 A-Class premium hatchback, which will make its global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March.

To make things a bit more interesting, we learn that Mercedes will put several camouflaged 2012 A-Class hatchbacks in circulation in various German cities as part of a competition that will see one contestant winning a trip to the car's unveiling in Geneva.

While not many in numbers, Wald International believes that some owners of the Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe would like to give the luxurious convertible a more bespoke tuner look.

The Japanese firm's offering is a styling package is named "Black Bison Edition", which starts off with an assortment of aero parts made of carbon fiber.

On Thursday, General Motors reported global sales of 9,025,942 units in 2011, up 7.6% over 2010, which makes it the world's largest automaker in terms of volume.

Earlier this month, the Volkswagen Group announced that it sold a total of 8.16 million vehicles, up 14.3 percent compared to the previous year, which puts the German automaker in second spot - or so we thought.

You see, today, Volkswagen is questioning GM's numbers and of course its crown as the bestselling automotive group in the world. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the German company argues that unlike GM, it's numbers don't include sales of its affiliates such as MAN SE and Scania AB, in which VW has majority-ownership stakes.

No doubt, you've probably seen at least a few videos shot from within a car originating from Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union.

Now, in the event that you were wondering why so many drivers choose to fit their vehicles with a dashboard mounted camera, we believe that the following clip will provide you with an answer...

Brand loyalty among customers is something all carmakers aspire to achieve, but sometimes that's easier said than done as proved by the results of J.D. Power and Associates' 2012 Customer Retention Study.

There's a lot to say about the survey that measures the rate at which automotive brands retain their existing customers and which is now in its ninth year, but we can't help but to start from the winner.

Amazingly, the brand that manages to keep most customers is Hyundai with a retention rate of 64%. The South Korean brand's feat is even more impressive if you consider that just two years ago it ranked below average with 47%!

The sixth generation of the Volkswagen Golf is in its final year with a replacement due to be unveiled at the upcoming Paris Motor Show this fall, yet it still managed to sell more cars than any other model in Europe in 2011 for a third year in a row, according to data provided from JATO Dynamics.

Volkswagen delivered 484,547 units of the Golf in 2011, down 1.6% over the previous year. The German company also took second spot with the Polo that sold 356,490 cars, up 0.5%, while the Ford Fiesta with 348,465 sales (-13.3%), the Opel / Vauxhall Corsa with 313,325 units (-1.7%) and the Renault Clio with 294,172 (-13.1%) complete the Top 5.

We should note that all Top 10 best-sellers came from either German (7 models) or French (3 models) brands.

JATO Dynamics says that outside the top ten, certain models performed much better than their predecessors did including Peugeot’s new 508, which saw its sales rise almost three times achieved by its predecessor, the 407, in 2010, the new Ford C-Max/Grand C-Max, Citroën C4, BMW X3 and Kia Sportage.

In what looks like some sort of a publicity stunt from Ford Malaysia, Carscoop reader Hafiz Zainal filmed the brand new Ford Ranger tugging four rivaling pickup trucks including (from back to front) the previous generation of the Ranger, the Mitsubishi Triton (called L200 in Europe), the Toyota HiLux and an Isuzu D-Max.

Both Rangers had an "On Tow" sign at the front and at the back and seemed to be just riding around - obviously to pique the interest of local buyers.

The Kia Rondo minivan and Optima sedan are included in a new recall over a faulty airbag in the United States.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] said that the recall involves 145,755 vehicles and affects certain 2006-2008MY Optima sedans manufactured from September 29, 2005, through January 29, 2008, and 2007-2008MY Rondo minivans built from September 13, 2006, through March 21, 2008.

There's always a first for everything and while sometimes that may be good, there are times you wish you weren't the one to pop the cherry (or so to speak) – like being the first private customer known to have crashed the $375,000 Lexus LFA.

There's not a lot of information going around about the incident nor can we confirm that it's the first ever privately owned LFA to crash.

However, the buffs over at Club Lexus say that this is LFA No 142 that was originally delivered in Orlando, while the folks at Lexus Enthusiast add that according to the CarFax report, the accident occurred on October 8, 2011.

Every time Nissan makes some model year changes to the GT-R it's not only the horsepower numbers that go up as its price does as well…

The introduction of the 2013 model year GT-R sees the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 engine's output lifted by 30HP to 545-horses while the Japanese firm's engineers also refined the transmission and retuned the suspension.

The new model year also brings equipment upgrades such as the standard RearView Monitor and a new dry carbon fiber rear spoiler for the Black Edition.

You've no doubt heard by now about the U.S. indictment against the owners of the popular file-sharing site MegaUpload, which was shut down by feds on Thursday and which triggered a massive cyber-attack from Anonymous on a number of government websites including the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Today we also learn that the police seized a number of assets from the founder of MegaUpload, Kim Schmitz, aka Kimble, aka Kim Dotcom, including an amazing collection of automobiles with some rib-tickling license plates from his estate in New Zealand.

Twitter user Elliot Kamber was on hand to take a few shots of the cars that were seized, while we've also added a video after the break.

Among the vehicles taken from Schmitz's garage were a 2005 Mercedes-Benz CLK DTM with "Good" number plates, a 2010 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG with a "CEO" plate, a pink 1959 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible, a 1989 Lamborghini LM002 and a 2010 Maserati GranCabrio. The cars are estimated to be worth over $6 million.

Saab hasn’t made a car since last March. Its initial deal with the Chinese fell as did every subsequent overtake attempt basically because GM wasn’t willing to give away its technology to the Chinese for free.

Eventually, the company's owner Swedish Automobile ran out of cash and Saab filed for bankruptcy on December 19. The receivers walked in and made preparations to sell the silverware – or so to speak. Sad, but true: Saab has gone the way of the dodo. End of story, right?

Well, surprisingly enough, now that it is being torn apart, suitors come knocking on its door two at a time. Just hours after Youngman’s latest bid, Turkish private-equity firm Brightwell Holdings is the second company that will bid for the bankrupt carmaker.

In 1987, BMW made history with the presentation of its first ever V12 automobile (the company had made V12 engines before but they were used on aircrafts) and the first 12-cylinder German car in almost half a century, the 750i and its long wheelbase sibling, the 750iL from the E32 series.

Codenamed M70, the 5.0-liter V12 engine produced an output of 300bhp (304PS/224kW) and a peak torque of 450 Nm (332 lb·ft) and was linked to a four-speed ZF automatic transmission. The same powertrain also found its way under the hood of the 850i in 1989.

With more than two decades on its back and a hefty price tag at its time, the E32 750i / 750iL is not an easy find today - let alone in pristine condition, which makes this 1989 750iL that's up for grabs on eBay all the more interesting.

Located in Florida, the burgundy colored 750iL has only a mere 3,000 miles (about 4,800 kilometers) on its odometer, which virtually makes the car brand new!

The new Range Rover Evoque is one of those vehicles that doesn't really need a lot of styling mods to look the part, which is probably why British design house Project Kahn has kept the upgrades to a minimum.

Similar to Kahn's first take on the Evoque, this red colored example of Range Rover's compact SUV gets a new set of the firm's RS600 alloy wheels in a gunmetal finish (available in sizes 20-, 21- and 22-inches).

The very first examples of the new 2013 Chevrolet Malibu sedan for the North American market were shipped today to the GM brand's dealers across the United States.

The North American region 2013 Malibu is manufactured at GM’s Fairfax assembly plant in Kansas, though the company also plans to begin production of the car at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant later this summer.

Pundits may have had their doubts when the model first appeared in 2002, but the Cayenne has proved to be a phenomenal success for Porsche, which has just assembled the 100,000th example of the second-generation model at its plant in Leipzig, Germany.

The 100,000th Cayenne II is a V8 petrol model in a "Pure White" finish and it's being readied for shipping to Brazil, where it will be handed over to its new owner.

The production milestone comes less than two years after the market launch of the second generation of the Cayenne in May of 2010. The first generation of the luxury SUV sold 360,000 units from 2002 to 2010.

Is Infiniti getting Ready to Drag Race the M Hybrid Against the Porsche Panamera S Hybrid?

Just moments ago, Infiniti dropped an email into our inbox pointing us to a video on YouTube titled "What is the fastest accelerating full hybrid?" The short clip shows a driver dressed like The Stig entering a Porsche Panamera S Hybrid and getting ready to race the sports saloon in the desert.

Infiniti's email also notes, "Check out this teaser video and let us know where you think it’s going…. Don’t miss the results, coming January 23rd, 2012".

Since we find it hard to believe that the Japanese automaker would create a promotional campaign for Porsche and its new Panamera Hybrid we think it's all about showing the potential of the also new M Hybrid (called M35h in certain markets).

As an official sponsor of the London 2012 Olympic Games that kick off on July 27, the BMW Group is trying to squeeze every ounce of publicity it can from the event, including the launch of special edition models.

Today, it's Mini's turn to present a pair of bespoke editions, the Bayswater and Baker Street models, both of which are based on the three-door hatchback and will be offered worldwide this spring.

Perhaps this large truck in the frozen Russian city of Vladimir got tired of waiting on the side of the road for its driver to return and decided to stretch out a bit in reverse, or maybe something went wrong. Who knows what happened, but we sure wouldn't want to have been in one of the cars behind it.

Take a look at the footage from a nearby surveillance camera in the video that follows below.

Did you know that Chevrolet produced only 69 examples of the original 1969 Camaro ZL1? Well, even if you didn't, Chevrolet makes sure this is the first thing you read about its new 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 on the official brochure that made its way into the internet, courtesy of the folks over at the Camaro5 forums.

Chevy premiered the 2012 Camaro ZL1 nearly a year ago, revealing all specs of its muscle car that will go on sale this spring with a base price of US$54,995. A real bargain considering that it packs 580-horses from its 6.2-liter supercharged V8 allowing the Camaro to complete the nought to 60mph sprint in just 4.0 seconds en route to a top speed of 180+ mph.

We don't know how it will perform or if it will be ergonomic, but the new Level 10 Mouse penned by the BMW Group's DesignworksUSA will surely grab some attention with its stripped out looks, which for some reason, kind of remind us of a robotic part that fell from the Terminator.

The BMW design consultancy created the computer mouse for Thermaltake and its Level 10 series.

It's just another day at the mother of all highways, the German Autobahn – which of course means cars reaching top speeds that in any other country around the world would probably get your buttocks thrown in jail and your car confiscated.

But not on the Autobahn where a member of the GTBoard forums took a G-Power BMW M5 Hurricane RR up to a top speed of 357km/h or 222mph.

As a refresher, when G-Power introduced the BMW M5 E60-based Hurricane RR a couple years back, it claimed at the time that it was the fastest saloon in the world – we don't know if it still holds the crown today.

The refreshed Renault Twingo will cost from £10,350 on-the-road when it arrives in dealerships in Britain this February, the French automaker announced today.

Renault added that all new Twingo models will eligible the firm's 4+ programme worth £900, which includes four-year/100,000 mile warranty, free routine servicing for four years/48,000 miles, four years roadside cover and up to four years finance.

Declaring bankruptcy doesn’t necessarily mean that you close shop – just ask GM and Chrysler. But when the receivers walk in begin selling off your assets, though, as is the case with Saab, it would take a miracle (to say the least) to survive.

Then again, perhaps miracles do happen. Reuters reports that Chinese group Youngman, which had originally agreed with Saab's owner, Swedish Automobile, to buy the brand and had even injected some cash into it but saw the deal fall apart due to GM’s refusal to let its intellectual property fall into the hands of its rivals, is ready to make a comeback.

The big daddy of all racing circuits, the famed Nürburgring in Germany, is a must for all auto enthusiasts. It comprises of two racetracks, the modern Grand Prix Circuit built in 1984, and much longer old Northern loop (Nordschleife) which was nicknamed The Green Hell by three-time F1 world champion, Jackie Stewart.

The racetrack is open to all including automakers that often test their cars as well as the public that can take a risky shot at fame.

The folks at CarBuzz in the UK put together an infographic that shows us many interesting facts and numbers about the notorious Nürburgring, and which you can check out in detail after the break.

The Renault Group may be holding back information and pictures on its new Dacia Lodgy MPV until we approach closer to the Geneva Motor Show that kicks off in March, but it can't stop readers from filming its cars on the road.

Captured here on film in Romania, were several examples of Dacia's new entry in the compact minivan sector, affording us a better view of the car.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Friday, January 20, 2012

Thursday, January 19, 2012