Automotive News

Filed under: Motorsports, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford

General Motors still hasn’t announced whether the factory GT1 Corvette C6Rs will be return to the American Le Mans Series in 2008, but there will be ‘Vettes on the grid next year. Riley Technologies is building a pair of GT2 C6 Corvettes that will be run by Lou Gigliotti’s team. GM has approved of the program, but they are not directly involved. They aren’t the only new entrants in the GT2 class. Primetime Race Group will be preparing a customer Dodge Viper with factory support that is expected to debut at Sebring and Doran Racing is prepping a Ford GT. The GT2 class looks like it might the series to watch in 2008 with Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes, Vipers and a Ford GT.

[Source: American Le Mans Series]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Tech

The mousetrap and mouse are locked in a constant battle for supremacy. The same is true with laws prohibiting texting while driving and the drivers who simply must text behind the wheel. Enter the capitalists: Microsoft and Nuance. Nuance makes voice recognition software and, combined with the Microsoft Sync system available in many Ford models, the driver would be able to dictate a text message to the car, and perhaps eventually do the same with e-mail.

A Nuance spokeswoman said “We are aiming for natural communication between car and driver, which will have benefits for concentration and safety.” The way things are going, there are simply so many more things you can do in a car that we wonder how the increased ability to multitask, even if by voice, will ultimately aid concentration on actual driving. But we’ll wait to see how it all shakes out before issuing judgment…

[Source: Auto Express]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Create Instant Buzz

Filed under: Sports/GTs, Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan

Will it ever stop? Between spy shots, Goodwood hill climbs and GT5 previews, we’re almost to the point of GT-R overload. Then we start thinking about the next generation ATESSA all-wheel drive setup, the stroked 3.8-liter motor, and the two turbos hanging off the exhaust manifold, and we come to our senses. Godzilla’s making a comeback, and it’s just over two weeks away.

This newest shot comes courtesy of CAR, and although we’ve seen the Nissan GT-R in profile before, some of the more subtle elements caught our attention. The deeply drawn panel aft of the front wheels, the headlamps that almost stretch halfway across the quarter panel, the subtle front lip — it all spells kick-ass in our lexicon, and we absolutely can’t wait for its reveal in Tokyo.

[Source: CAR]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Filed under: Etc., Porsche

While comparing Porsche to General Motors is beyond a stretch, we couldn’t help but think about last week’s UAW strike against the General while reading about Porsche giving away $7,350 in bonuses to over 8,000 full-time employees. Must be nice to be part of a profitable automaker - even if it’s from sales of the Cayenne.

The automaker hailing from Stuttgart sold 97,515 cars during its fiscal year, ending on July 31. Those sales rose over the same period by 3.4-percent, bringing total income to $10.5 billion for the year. When the accountants finally get done doing the math, it’s expected that Porsche will make a pretax profit that’s considerably more than the approximately $3 billion it made last year. Good news for everyone involved, and it’s certainly nice to see an automaker passing along the profits to its workers.

[Source: IHT]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Filed under: Concept Cars, Tokyo Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Honda

The Scooper of Cars seems to have it on good authority that during Honda’s press conference in Tokyo, the Big-H plans to take the wraps off a new compact, rumored to be a successor to the CRX.

Originally, it was thought that the Remix concept that debuted in L.A. would foretell the future of Honda’s hatch revival, but due to the chilly reception afforded both it and Geneva’s Sports Coupe Concept, Honda designers were sent back to their respective cubicles to hone the shape further.

We’ll be on hand in Tokyo when Honda rolls out its debuts, but until then, we’re still looking for a yellow 1989 model, preferably with an Si logo on the glass hatch.

[Source: Carscoop]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Filed under: Green, Tech, Saab

With stricter European emissions controls looming, expect to see Saab jump on the “less is more” (or, at the very least, “less is equal”) bandwagon, joining companies like Renault and Volkswagen, which have begun implementing smaller engines that provide power comparable to larger units. In an interview, Saab Great Britain’s managing director Jonathan Nash stated that smaller-displacement turbocharged E85 engines are likely to appear in the near term. Look for them to ape the success of the currently-available, larger BioPower engines that are top-sellers in Sweden. Those motors make more power on Ethanol than gasoline, and Saab feels it can go smaller without forcing drivers to accept a performance penalty. For consumers to take full advantage, their markets need to have readily-available E85 of course. Longer term, Nash says that the Biofuels and hybrid technology are probably the future of Saab, and you might remember that this combo was previewed last year in the Saab BioPower Hybrid concept.

[Source: 4Car]

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Blog advertising

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Mercedes Benz

E-Class Bluetecs have been available for about a year, where they account for 20-percent of sales. Now Mercedes’ Bluetec-engined cars will be available for purchase in Europe by the end of this year. E-Classes with Bluetec will go on sale in December in all but the UK. Right-hand drive versions are expected at some point in the future, but it is unknown when.

“Bluetec” describes Mercedes diesel engines that utilize it’s AdBlue reductant and DeNOX particulate filter. The engines get better gas mileage and produce fewer emissions. Though E-Class Bluetec’s will join the European market soon, and the GL-, M-, and R-Class Bluetec’s will also join the US market soon, similarly-equipped C-Class, won’t appear in any markets until 2009. The C250 is claimed to get 57.7 mpg, while a C300 Bluetec hybrid gets a claimed 61.4 mpg.

The hybrid wars have been going on in the US for some time now, and when asked why launch the Bluetec in America first, a Mercedes UK spokesman said “The focus has been on the big prize which is converting America.” If those mileage claims are proved in real-world use, then Mercedes conversion efforts should get a huge push when the C arrives.

[Source: Merecedes-Benz]

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on the Worlds largest Blog Advertising Network

Filed under: Motorsports

FIA stewards have decided not to penalize Hamilton for erratic driving at last weekend’s F1 Grand Prix at Fuji. The stewards watched new footage of the incident taken by a fan and posted on YouTube, then deliberated for hours. Their decision stated “what has become apparent is the view clearly expressed by all drivers and team managers alike that the conditions at Fuji were exceptionally bad and worse than those experienced when the race starts behind the safety car. Because of those views, the stewards accept that it may be inappropriate to impose the penalty normally applied for an offense such as this.”

Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel, who was so busy watching Hamilton’s driving that he crashed into the back of Red Bull driver Mark Webber, was also spared. The stewards formerly imposed a 10-position grid penalty on the 20-year-old German for the incident, but rescinded that in place of nothing more than a formal reprimand.

[Source: Daily F1]

Editor’s Note: We would have embedded the video of the crash after the jump, but according to YouTube, Formula One management has deemed the amateur video copyrighted material. L-A-M-E.

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

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

Filed under: Motorsports, Spyker

After losing 13m euros in the first half on 2007 and making limited progress in this season’s championship bout, Spyker has finally decided to offload its F1 team to a consortium of Indian investors. Orange India Holdings, headed by Vijay Mallya, chairman of the UB Group, purchased the company for 88m euro — 14m euros more than Spyker initially paid for the team last year.

Rumor has it that with Mallya heading up the team, Narain Karthikeyan, an Indian test driver for Williams, may take the helm of the newly founded F1 team next season. Something that would really draw out the crowds if India hosts a race in 2009.

[Source: Spkyer]

 

Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Create Instant Buzz

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, BMW

click above image to view 28 pics of the 2008 BMW M3 Sedan

We’ve been waiting a long time for BMW to snap out of its haze and bring us a four-door version of the venerable M3 coupe. That time has officially come. And it turns out the leaked photo from earlier today was probably from BMW itself, as even though it wasn’t included in the official batch of images released tonight, it’s the same car you’re looking at here.

On the outside, the M3 sedan gets plenty of work done to its front and rear fascias, leaving everything between the A-pillar and C-pillar intact from the base 3-Series sedan (sorry, no carbon fiber roof for the sedan). The front end is a complete carryover from the M3 coupe, with wide fenders, a dramatic front clip, bulging hood and vented quarter panels. Out back, a small lip spoiler sits atop the trunk, while M-specific quad pipes let Bimmer cognoscenti know that they’re behind something special.

Naturally, the M3 sedan benefits from BMW’s new 414 (SAE) HP 4.0L V8, allowing the 3,531-pound four-door to reach 60 MPH in 4.9 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 155 MPH. In a move that should make family-oriented speed freaks burst into tears, BMW will only be offering a six-speed manual version at launch. Although, according to previous reports, BMW’s dual-clutch M-DCT gearbox should be available at a later date. The chassis, suspension and interior also benefit from a host of upgrades, all available to read about in the press release after the jump and view in our gallery below. Look for the M3 sedan to debut in Los Angeles next month.

[Source: BMW via Motive]

Continue reading 2008 BMW M3 Sedan unveiled!

 

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

---

Click here to advertise on the Worlds largest Blog Advertising Network