Automotive News

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Australia

Most people attending drag races expect to see cars accelerate to breakneck speeds in a matter of mere seconds. However, as sick as it sounds, there’s always the excitement one gets from seeing a car crash out of control at these same speeds. This is a rare occurrence, but every now and again, it does happen. This time, show goers at a drag meet in Brisbane, Australia witnessed a high-speed crash and we have the footage of the whole thing. As violent as it all seems, we’re glad to hear the driver walked away with only a cut on his finger.

Check out the video after the jump.

[Source: AOL Video]

Continue reading VIDEO: Drag racer crashes at over 300 MPH

 

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Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Sports/GTs, Japan, Honda

Click image for photo gallery

The Honda Civic Mugen RR (based on the new JDM Honda Civic Type R) is limited to a total production run of 300 cars. Japanese track fiends with ¥4.7million to spend on a spiffy, street-legal time attack weapon are its target audience — and a receptive one at that. On September 14th at 9:00 AM local time in Japan, reservations for Mugen’s ultimate Type R officially began being taken. By 9:10 AM, according to the Japanese enthusiast site, Carview, the 300th reservation was placed. However you want to parse the numbers (we’re sure additional reservations were taken, in case some prospective buyers bail out), one thing’s certain: all 300 cars are spoken for well in advance of the expected January delivery date.

Those lucky enough to secure the Mugen RR receive a lighter, more powerful and track-tuned Civic Type R that in the right hands is capable of lapping Japan’s Tsukuba circuit in 1:06:38. At least that’s what the folks at Mugen were able to wring out of it. We’re sure some of the car’s buyers will be looking to top that number as soon as they have a chance. With this thing, life is a driving game, and Time Attack mode is always on.

[Source: Carview]

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Economy, Euro, Hatchbacks, Ford

Our friends over at World Car Fans procured a series of shots showing the next generation Fiesta undergoing testing, but this time it’s sporting an extra set of doors. The five-door model, like its two-door sibling, will take cues from the Verve Concept that debuted last week in Frankfurt and gets an Iosis-inspired front end, complete with drawn-back headlamps and a steeply raked windscreen. The beltline moves northward in Florida-retiree style, terminating in an upswept D-pillar, while the roof-mounted wing may portend the future of a hot hatch version.

You can check out all the shots from WCF here, and compare it to its concept counterpart by checking out gallery below.

[Source: World Car Fans]

 

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Filed under: GM, UAW/Unions

Although labor talks between GM and the UAW have been going on since the union’s contract expired last Friday at 11:59 PM EST, we’ve been following the late-night negotiations from afar, waiting for something that amounted to more than the mainstream media’s perpetually boring status updates. That finally came today in an article in the Detroit News, which reports GM may be considering signing bonuses for current works in an effort to win the hearts and minds of the proletariat if the automaker drops billions of dollars in retiree health care costs.

It’s estimated that of the 270,000 retired workers and their 70,000 surviving spouses, GM will need to pay over $50 billion in health care costs - but it doesn’t have the funds. The move to offer signing bonuses to current workers was devised so that GM could lose the insurmountable health care costs that will likely go up in the coming years, and replace them with lump sums now, when the General can afford it.

The plan is to set up union-controlled trust funds that would receive stocks and cash, and would negate the need for GM to foot the bill. However, negotiations, which have been in constant turmoil, have broken down again, with the two parties conflicted on how much money to throw into the assets and what happens if health care costs exceed the amount of money stored up by the UAW.

[Source: Detroit News]

 

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Filed under: Convertibles, Tokyo Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Hatchbacks, Audi, Bentley

4Car sat down with Michael Dick, a member of Audi’s board who heads up the product engineering side of things, and came away with new insights on the MINI-fighting A1, the future of Bentley and what products are waiting in the wings.

Starting small, Audi’s new A1 will not share the all-aluminum construction of the less-than-popular A2, instead using the steel PQ24 platform that underpins the VW Polo and Skoda Fabia. It will be distinctly Audi in its design, albeit in a small package, and will feature a number of technologies - specifically the MMI setup - that’s found in the quad-ring’s luxury offerings. Don’t expect Quattro in the beginning, nor will a three-door body be offered at first, but Dick confirmed that there would be a concept debuting in Tokyo next month that hints at the A1’s styling.

Audi is also developing a new alloy structure for the A8 that will underpin the next generation of Bentleys, and will likely reduce the overall weight of both models by over 300 pounds. Also, the reworked A3 is coming next year, along with a convertible version, while the Q5 will arrive in 2008 complete with either a hybrid drivetrain or a diesel engine - both slated for sales in the U.S.

[Source: 4Car]

 

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Tokyo Motor Show, Mazda

click above image for more pics

Word from inside the pages of an unnamed Japanese auto mag is that this car will debut on the Mazda stand at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show next month. The coupe is obviously inspired by the trio of concepts that Mazda debuted on the auto show circuit last year: the Nagare, Ryuga and Kabura concepts. While we don’t know if these pics are official from Mazda or merely renderings produced by the magazine, we can tell you that at least the head on shot is a touched up version of a Kabura sketch. In fact, the entire car looks mostly like a production version of the Kabura Concept, though it features cues from all three concepts.

Though it’s not known whether it would be front- or rear-wheel drive, the article is reported to mention that it would be powered by the next generation of Mazda’s rotary engine, the RENESIS(2), which itself will incorporate the first increase in displacement of a Mazda rotary engine from its famous 1.3 liters since 1974.

Regardless of whether or not these are official pics, one thing’s for sure is that they show a car we’d want to buy. Ever since seeing the Nagare, Ryuga and Senku concepts, we’ve wondered how those radical concepts might translate into a production car, and we might have our answer in a few weeks.

Thanks for the tip, Michael!

[Source: Rotarynews.com]

 

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Tuners, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Porsche

Click the pic above for more high-res images of the EDO Competition 911 GT2 R.

Don’t be deceived. Although the front clip of this EDO-tuned GT2 may look like the 997 variant that debuted last week in Frankfurt, it’s actually a carbon fiber replica that makes use of the headlight design employed on the new breed of 911s. Obviously, there’s much more to the EDO Competition GT2 R than just a facelift, as evidenced by its massive fender flares, extreme body kit and Chicago-style deep-dish wheels.

The GT2 R gets a series of upgrades, beginning with the engine, which benefits from a new exhaust and a retuned ECU bumping power output to 542 HP and 557 lb.-ft. of torque. The stock suspension has been ditched in favor of KW adjustable coilovers, while the brakes have grown to 380 mm up front and 350 mm in the rear, clamped by 4-piston fixed calipers.

The rolling stock is comprised of 18-inchers at all four corners, measuring 10-inches wide up front and a massive 13-inches in the rear. All four wheels are shod in top-of-the-line Michelin Pilot Sports, sized 235/45 in front and 335/30 out back.

Top speed: 205 MPH. 0-62: 3.8 seconds. 0-124: 11 flat. Bad-ass factor: immeasurable.

[Source: EDO Competition]

 

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising

My father used to stripe parking lots as a side business, and while still with us, he will nonetheless find a grave, hop in it, and roll over after learning that his beloved lines are now being taped over with advertisements. Parking Stripe Advertising, a three years young agency from Colorado, is responsible for this scheme that covers those long yellow and white lines with a heavy-duty tape bearing promotional ads. The advertisements themselves cost about $40 per stripe and are made using a heavy-duty tape that’s recyclable with adhesive that breaks down over time.

A current promotion advertising the return of ABC’s Desperate Housewives is running concurrently in California and New York, and it appears to be a hit with the parking crowd, though store owners have reported a few complaints. Otherwise, consumers and advertising analysts alike think the idea is brilliant for the way it captures one’s attention in a new and unique way.

[Source: Daily News via Kickingtires.com]

Continue reading Parking stripe ads assault the senses from beneath your feet

 

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Hatchbacks, FIAT

Before you overlook the Fiat 500 Abarth SS as just another sporty hatch that will be sold in a few select European markets, note that it could be sold in the U.S. as well as Asia-Pacific as an alternative to cars like the MINI Cooper. In July, Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne hinted that selling the 500 outside of Europe was a definite option, although nothing has been confirmed.

Abarth is now a performance line for Fiat models and the new 500 Abarth SS and its larger Fiat Grande Punto Abarth SS sibling are set to arrive in European showrooms early next year. These new spy shots depict the Fiat 500 Abarth SS, a hot little hatch with a 1.4L turbocharged engine developing a rumored 180 HP, the same amount as the larger and heavier Punto version. There will also be a sports handling pack to make sure owners can take advantage of the extra bump in power, with stiffer springs and wider tires than the base 500.

To differentiate it from the 500 minicar on which it’s based, developers have also added new bumpers with larger air intakes, a set of hood scoops, a roof mounted spoiler and dual exhaust pipes.

[Source: Auto Motor Und Sport]

 

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Filed under: Economy, Euro, Hatchbacks, MINI

What could possibly be smaller than a MINI? We’re likely to find out in a few years as Motoring File reports that BMW is in the early stages of developing an even smaller model to join the MINI lineup around 2011 or 2012. The Bavarian automaker needs a new ultra small car to improve its corporate average CO2 emissions, but such a vehicle wouldn’t jive with the BMW brand image. Enter MINI, which is now adding the larger Clubman model to its lineup, but will likely find itself with an even smaller car to help out its parent company. Motoring File surmises such a car could cost as little as £8,500, or about £2,000 to £3,000 less than the least expensive MINI on the market now, the MINI One.

A smaller MINI may actually move the retro brand closer to the car from which it sprung, the original MINI Cooper. The current car resembles the original in appearance, but is considerably larger, even more so since the second gen. debuted. The original MINI developed by Sir Alec Issigonis (on a napkin, no less) was only as large as it absolutely needed to be. It would be great to see today’s MINI pumping out vehicles that adhered to that standard again.

[Source: Motoring File]

 

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