Archive for January, 2008

Rumormill: Suzuki to unveil V8-powered Kizashi 3 at NY show

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Suzuki
Click image for hi-res gallery of the Suzuki Kizashi
Hyundai is quickly proving with its Genesis luxury sedan that a lower-end Asian automaker can play in the V8-powered big leagues, and if the reports are to be believed, Suzuki wants in. The Japanese carmaker’s Kizashi concepts, unveiled in […]

Audi counting down to new era that starts at kickoff

Filed under: Convertibles, Marketing/Advertising, Supercars, Audi

Audi has updated its U.S. website with a short video that features a counter ticking the time away “until the moment of truth.” The seconds flying by lead up to the date and time of Super Bowl XLII this Sunday. Below is a short message that says, “On February 3, […]

Spy Shots: ROUSH puts on a bow tie, supercharged Silverado snapped

Filed under: Aftermarket, Trucks/Pickups, Chevrolet
click above for more high-res images of the ROUSH Silverado
It was a big enough shock last May when ROUSH announced that it would begin making performance parts for a select few General Motors’ vehicles. Long associated with Fords, in particular the Mustang and F-150, ROUSH initially began offering just its Power […]

Rumormill: Dodge Challenger SS Drag package weeks away

Filed under: Motorsports, Sports/GTs, Chrysler, Dodge
Dodge Challenger Super Stock shown from 2006 SEMA Show
Just like in the ’60s, some people will take their new 2008 Dodge Challengers to the drags. Chrysler is reportedly ready to make this very easy for new Challenger owners. Allpar is reporting that within a few weeks, there will issue forth […]

Gil de Ferran coming to ALMS with his own Acura-backed team

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings, Acura

Gil de Ferran hasn’t had quite enough of winning just yet. The accomplished former racing driver and team manager announced today that he’s coming out of retirement to contest the American Le Mans Series. With Team Penske, de Ferran won back-to-back CART titles in 2000 and 2001, the Indy 500 in […]

Spy Shots: baby Rolls-Royce, this time without the snow

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedans/Saloons, Rolls-Royce
The newer, smaller Rolls-Royce, which will still be quite large as cars go, has been spotted running around in warmer climes quite a ways south of its previous sighting in the arctic tundra. Expected to roll into 5-star showrooms before the end of 2010, you will need about £175,000 to […]

Japanese TV show determines “Parking Champions”

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Videos, Subaru, Toyota

While we’re stuck with Knight Rider and a bunch of really crappy game and reality shows during the writers strike, in Japan, reality/game/variety programs manage to turn generally mundane tasks into TV gold. Maybe we should import their shows during this time of need — stuff like TV Champions, […]

Rejected Renderings: Mercedes-Benz CLCs that didn’t make the cut

Filed under: Euro, Hatchbacks, Mercedes Benz
click above for more rejected renderings of the Mercedes-Benz CLC
The new 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLC is the Stuttgart-based automaker’s second recent attempt at making a hatchback version of the C-Class sedan work. The first-gen model was sold in the U.S. in small numbers, but we’re not expecting the newly renamed CLC […]

BMW rolls out 5 millionth 5-Series

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Plants/Manufacturing, BMW

Get out the beer steins and lederhosen: the Bavarians are celebrating! Yesterday the 5,000,000th BMW 5-Series rolled off the production line at its factory in Dingolfing (yes, Dingolfing) less than an hour’s blitz down the autobahn from Munich. The original E12 5-Series was launched in 1972 with a design penned by […]

Packing on the pounds: UK-spec RS6 Avant will cost £77,625

Filed under: Car Buying, Wagons/Estates, Euro, Audi, UK
click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi RS6 Avant
There are a lot of different figures to get caught up in when discussing Audi’s UK-spec RS6 Avant, and most of them concern the wagon’s performance. Let’s start with power. The RS6 produces 572 hp and 479 lb.-ft. […]