Automotive News

Filed under: Aftermarket

Back in February, we reported on the financial woes of BBS, the maker of delectable rolling stock for everyone from Michael Schumacher to our friend Mike and his Wolfsburg Jetta. Unfortunately, the high cost of aluminum sent BBS into receivership and depending on when you check in, over 35 companies have made bids to buy the preeminent wheel manufacturer. According to Marc Hornung, a lawyer involved in the potential sale, a buyer is likely to be announced in the next two months.

Fortunately for enthusiasts and automakers, the company’s 830 employees have been able to continue to churn out the instantly identifiable wheels from its factory in Germany while the deal is taking place.

And here’s your auto-geek trivia for today, courtesy of Autocar: BBS was founded by Heinrich Baumgartner and Klaus Brand in the town of Schiltach back in the 70s. The combination of the first initial of each man’s last name, along with the first letter of the town is what makes up the BBS name.

[Source: Autocar]

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Filed under: Etc., Tech

We’ve told you about the DARPA Urban Challenge and previewed several of the cars that are entered, including Stanley. Stanley is the autonomous Volkswagen Passat from the same Stanford Racing Team that won the last DARPA Grand Challenge. As a reminder, the Urban Challenge takes the idea of autonomous vehicles from the last event and transposes the event from an off-road course to an urban environment.

The organizers have winnowed the list of eighty-nine entrants down to fifty-three that will move on to the next stage. Staff from DARPA will be visiting the remaining teams in June to verify that the vehicles are operable. The final event will take place on November 3, 2007, but the location won’t be disclosed until closer to the race.

[Source: Automotive Design Line]

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Filed under: Economy, Hyundai

According to an Antara News article sourced by Motor Authority, Hyundai isn’t just branching out into the wonderful world of rear-wheel drive. It’s going to make a big play on the opposite end of the automotive spectrum, by creating a budget-minded car for the masses.

The article quotes Hyundai’s vice chairman, Kim Dong-jin as saying that, “Development is under way to produce an ultra-cheap car.” The aim is to match models with Renault, whose upcoming Logan is expected to be priced far below the $10,000 mark.

A budget car for expanding markets seems like a no-brainer, especially if developments and production costs are kept in check. Whether or not we’ll see such a beast on this side of the ocean is another issue entirely.

[Source: Motor Authority]

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Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Audi

Although it’s certainly no secret, Car magazine is reporting that Audi engineers are hard at work developing the uber-5. Set to go head-to-head with its Teutonic rivals the M3 and C63; the new RS5 is expected to pack a 450 HP punch when it hits the market in the first half of 2008.

The 4.2-liter V8 currently employed in the RS4 will find a home under the hood of the “5,” but with the addition of two small, quick spooling turbos. Max horsepower will obviously see a bump, but the real news is that the projected torque figures are likely to breach the 500 lb.-ft. mark.

Naturally, Quattro will be employed to send all that power to the ground, and with a reworking of the drivetrain, weight distribution is expected to come in around 55:45. Rolling stock will be comprised of 19-inches on all four corners, framing carbon ceramic brakes pulled from the R8. It’s also expected that Audi will borrow some of the TT’s tech and use magnetic dampers to limit roll.

With its rear-bias power delivery and neutral handling characteristics, the death match between the RS5’s cross-country rivals is on. And with a price tag of about £50-large, well-to-do pistonheads will have a serious envious decision on their hands.

[Source: Car]

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Audi

The next-generation Audi A4 doesn’t come out for another model year, but the folks at KGP Photography are doing their best to get shots of Audi’s best-selling vehicle in the wild. The KGP crew got something, but it wasn’t a whole lot, as it looked more like an Enterprise commercial than a spy shot. We can see, however, that the basic shape of the vehicle is a lot like the current-generation model (surprise), but we expect the front and rear to get a more sculpted shape.

Audi is in a big hurry to become the biggest luxury manufacturer on the planet, and an outstanding execution of the A4 is key to its success. We do have to give kudos go out to the folks at Audi, for coming up with an interesting new way to cover up a pre-production model. Very stealthy.

[Source: Straightline]

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Filed under: Japan, Subaru

The good folks over at NASIOC procured the blurry (intentional?) shot above, along with some specs on the Japanese market Impreza. Thankfully, it looks like the de-chromed grille has made another appearance, which, by many accounts, is far better than the one shown on the production car unveiled in New York.

Aesthetics aside, according to the poster, the JDM market Impreza will dispatch the WRX moniker in favor of “S-GT.” Why? We have no idea. But it strikes us as odd that Subaru would replace the highly praised three-letter designation.

Additionally, flyinpig posted specs on this body kit-equipped model, citing front brake sizes up to 16-inches (?), 15-inch solid discs in the rear and an AVCS twin-scroll turbo mated to the EJ20X boxer. Output on the revised four comes in at 250 HP and 246 lb.-ft. of torque, routed through the same five-speed manual found in the USDM vehicle, albeit with a final drive of 4.11 versus the 4.44 currently used.

You can check out all the information by following the ‘Read’ link below.

[Source: NASIOC via Straightline]

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Filed under: Green, Tech, Toyota

Toyota has done a terrific job the past few years of saturating its dealerships with plenty of Prius hybrids, with sales expected to grow by 40-percent to 280,000 units in 2007. The boys and girls from Aichi, Japan have plenty of other hybrids in the fold also, with a grand total of 430,000 units expected to leave Toyota and Lexus dealerships this year.

To date, Toyota has already put one million hybrids on the road, and it’s just the beginning. Three of the biggest obsticals for hybrid technology are cost, availability, and Lithium Ion technology, and Toyota is expecting all those dominos to fall within three years. Relentless cost reduction efforts lead Toyota to speculate that their margin on hybrids will equal that of petrol-only vehicles by 2010, and by 2020, Toyota expects that all of its vehicles will have the hybrid synergy drive system. The next Prius is expected to utilize Lithium Ion technology, which would be a big step forward in the chronology of hybrid powertrains.

Toyota has pubically voiced its displeasure of a potential mandate that automakers increase fuel economy by 20-percent across the board by 2020, but with every vehicle in its lineup expected to feature hybrid technology within 13 years, we don’t think they’re really sweating 35 MPG all that much.

[Source: autoindustry.co.uk]

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You would think, as an automotive journalist, that it would be easy for me to buy a new car. Well, sorry to dissuade you, but it’s actually tougher.

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Filed under: Euro, Supercars, Audi

click above image for gallery

KTM isn’t waiting for rivals Ariel and Caterham to catch up to its track day special X-Bow racer. The original X-Bow is still not yet availalbe to purchase until the end of year, but KTM is already planning a more powerful version using the 2.0 TFSI engine found in the Audi S3. That motor makes 265 hp in the S3 thanks to larger injectors and intercoolers, but Autocar expects it will be producing around 280 hp when stuffed in the X-Bow. The regular X-Bow will still be powered by a version of the Audi/VW 2.0 TFSI producing 220 hp. Considering that KTM claims the less powerful motor will get the X-Bow to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the S3’s mill should make the car capable of sucking the enamel off your teeth.

[Source: Autocar]

Gallery: KTM X-Bow

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Euro, Cadillac, HUMMER, Saab

It’s been a tough time for Cadillac in the UK. The abject failure of the Saab-derived BLS, partnered with slow sales of the CTS sedan, has left dealers across the pond with a backlog of 200-300 vehicles lying stagnant in storage. Even more disappointing is the fact that since the relaunch of Caddy there in 2004, only 600 vehicles have found homes in consumer garages.

In an effort to take back control from Kroymans, the UK distribution company for Cadillac, and Pedragon, the firm tasked to setup dealerships, GM has decided to get its hands dirty and make an attempt at turning around the ailing marque abroad.

The plan is to consolidate Saab, Cadillac, Corvette and HUMMER sales into one outlet, reducing the effort’s overall expenditure while establishing GM’s brand identity overseas. From there, GM execs plan to expand the sales network across the country, beyond its current 19 dealerships. Thus, in the short term, Saab dealerships in the UK will likely become very crowded with Caddies, Vettes and big HUMMERs.

[Source: just-auto.com - sub. req’d]

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