Automotive News

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupes, Chevrolet, GM

While the concept car and the original Camaro were both hardtop coupes, the production version of the 2010 Camaro will gain a B-pillar. It may seem like a betrayal to some, and Rick Wagoner did pledge to make the production car virtually identical to the concept, but in the end, it’s no big deal. Actually, a B-pillar is a plus. The chassis will gain rigidity with the pillar there, and it’ll be easy enough to disguise. Paint it black, it’ll blend right in. Class rival Challenger has met the same fate - there will be no pillarless ponycar revival.

[Source: Inside Line]

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Buy any word or phrase on this site and thousands of others using Phrase Links™

Filed under: Spy Photos, Minivans/MPVs, Euro, Ford

One of the intrepid editors at Motor Trend snapped off a few shots of a manufacturer plate-equipped Ford S-Max making the rounds in Los Angeles. Yes, it is the exact same S-Max that Autoblog reader Ku Kim snapped back in late July. So, what does this mean? Currently: nothing. But we do know that Ford CEO Alan Mulally is hot on bringing some Euro-only models here to the States as a way to spread development costs. And a few of us around the Autoblog offices have maintained for a while that the S-Max would be a prime candidate for a people-mover revival here at home. We’ve even been told that it’s an entertain steer, something that the Freestar could never be accused of.

[Source: Motor Trend]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Filed under: Convertibles, BMW

Click on above image for the hi-res gallery of the 2007 BMW 1-Series Convertible

Though the 1-Series will be BMW’s smallest and cheapest model, the Bavarian brand isn’t skimping on the car that huge numbers of people are anticipating. A portion of those people can’t wait for a drop top version, and BMW has just released all the pics and info of its newest cabriolet.

Just like the couple, it will come in 128i and 135i flavors, the former offering 215 HP and the latter 306 HP and 300 lb-ft. The drop top descends in just 22 seconds, and to make sure you stay just as comfy when it’s down, the climate control system comes with a convertible mode. Plenty more innovations await in the car slated to arrive early next year, follow the jump to read all about them in the full press release. And be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res images, as well.

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading Officially Official: BMW 1-Series Convertible

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Filed under: Concept Cars, LA Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Etc., Mazda

Mazda’s taking a line out of Peugeot’s playbook and enlisting the help of budding automotive artists to design the 2018 Mazda3. The “Mazda Design Challenge” is turning to the Facebook community to send in a rendering and a 150-word description of their concept for selection. Ten semi-semi-finalists will be selected, and over the course of a week Facebook users will be asked to vote, narrowing down the selection to five semi-finalists that will spend time with a Mazda designer to hone their vision.

From there, a second round of voting will commence, with the winner getting a cool $1000 and a flight to Los Angeles for the LA Auto Show, where they’ll spend time with Mazda’s N.A. design team, headed by Franz von Holzhausen, where the concept will be rendered live during the show.

For those of you too good for MySpace, you can head on over to Mazda’s Facebook page, check the rules and enter your design. Good luck!

Mazda’s full press release is posted after the jump.

[Source: Mazda]

Continue reading Calling all artists: Design the 2018 Mazda3

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Buy any word or phrase on this site and thousands of others using Phrase Links™

Filed under: Concept Cars, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki, Motorcycles

Click image to enlarge

From the two-wheeled side of the business, Suzuki will present the Biplane concept motorcycle in Tokyo next month. If you’re looking for a bunch of technical details, all we can tell you for certain is that it’s powered by a V4 of undetermined size. Beyond that, this particular design study is aircraft-inspired in that the intent is to give the rider the same feeling as being in an open-canopied biplane. Seeing as how all motorcycles put the rider close to nature, we’re not sure how the Biplane’s different than any other bike in this regard. The styling’s neat, though. Looks like something freshly torn out of a Hot Wheels blister pack!

[Source: Suzuki]

Continue reading Tokyo 2007 Preview: Suzuki Biplane

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on the Worlds largest Blog Advertising Network

Filed under: Etc., Euro, Marketing/Advertising, Subaru

Click the image above for a high-res shot.

Subaru is taking the grip-and-go driving dynamics of its new Impreza to the extreme with an ad campaign that’ll be making its way around UK roads this October. The “Subaglue” transporter features three new Imprezas sitting atop the trailer, with another three hatches mounted upside-down and likely to cause plenty of spit-takes as commuters make their way to work. While we’re still trying to figure out how they managed to mount the vehicles (flip the trailer over, drive the wagons on board and go at with some extra large bolts?) we’re even more surprised that the British health and safety crew actually let this campaign get off the ground (rim shot).

[Source: Subaru]

Continue reading Adventures in advertising: Subaglued

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Buy any word or phrase on this site and thousands of others using Phrase Links™

Filed under: Concept Cars, Wagons/Estates, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Crossovers/CUVs, Suzuki

Click Image to enlarge

The Suzuki Kizashi concept shown earlier this month in Frankfurt strikes us as little more than a ripoff of the better-looking and more interesting Citroën C-Metisse concept unveiled last year in Paris. Sure, the Kizashi was glitzy, but we felt like it was something we’d seen before, and basically, we had. For Tokyo, Suzuki has prepared the Kizashi 2, and we prefer the sequel to the original. The Allroad/Outback-style ride height and contrasting-color lower accents are a lot more realistic-looking, and the overstyled grille and lighting of the Frankfurt Kizashi have been tossed in favor of what you see above. Power comes from a 3.6L V6 mated to a 6-speed automatic (presumably GM units both), and the press release makes mention of hybrid technology. Whether that’s included on the Kizashi 2 or is simply something that could be applied to a Kizashi-esque vehicle in the future is unclear.

[Source: Suzuki]

Continue reading Tokyo 2007 Preview: Suzuki Kizashi 2

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Buy any word or phrase on this site and thousands of others using Phrase Links™

Filed under: Coupes, Economy, Hybrids/Alternative, Minivans/MPVs, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Plants/Manufacturing

The Holden Torana concept might provide a hint of the Alpha platform

After the UAW leadership sat down with regional and local leaders in Detroit on Friday to review the tentative agreement with GM, a list of future plant assignments was leaked. Part of the contract included commitments from GM to assign new work to sixteen assembly plants over the next few years. Several platforms that have been up in the air showed up on the list. One of the most important that has been the subject of some speculation recently is the Chevy Volt.

It had been thought that the Volt would be built in Lordstown, OH alongside the next-generation Cobalt, since it’s derived from the same Delta platform. The plant list shows the Volt and a Delta-based vehicle called MPV7 (seven-seat MPV?) being built in Detroit at the Hamtramck plant after the Cadillac DTS is discontinued. It also lists 2010 as Volt’s start date. Lordstown, meanwhile, is slated to get a Gamma plaform car in 2010 and an Alpha in 2011. Gamma is a small car platform that should be the basis for the next generation Opel Corsa, which is widely-expected to be offered in the US. Alpha is a compact RWD platform expected to spawn a smaller Cadillac below the CTS and possibly a replacement for the Pontiac G6. It looks 2009-2012 is going to be an extremely busy time for GM engineers with a ton of new product.

Thanks for the tip, Nadir!

[Source: Detroit Free Press, Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Filed under: Concept Cars, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki

Click image to enlarge

It wouldn’t be the Tokyo Motor Show without one of these extremely Japanese forays into the bizarre, right? All the ingredients are there: single-person trans-pods with pastel interiors, all-caps acronyms, and a geometric, omnidirectional “mothership” to haul them around. This sustainable mobility concept is called PIXY + SSC. PIXY is Suzuki’s low-speed, three-wheeled, single-passenger runabout. Two PIXYs can be driven into an SSC (Suzuki Sharing Coach), a hexagonal vehicle that resembles the downtown Miami Metromover or any number of intra-airport people mover systems. Once loaded with two PIXYs, the SSC acts as a car, transporting the pair to another location together. It looks like the lead PIXY operator becomes the driver of the SSC, whose side trim and corner markers are then illuminated in red to denote which end of the symmetrical vehicle is the rear.

[Source: Suzuki]

Continue reading Tokyo 2007 Preview: Suzuki PIXY + SSC

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Create Instant Buzz