Autoblog — We Obsessively Cover The Auto Industry

...loading

Browse posts by:

Make/Model Vehicle Style/Type

All Categories

Features Close Features

Featured:First Drive:2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom
Featured:First Drive:2011 Nissan Leaf doesn't change the game, just the players

First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jul 31st, 2010 at 12:01AM

2011 Chevrolet Cruze – Click above for high-res image gallery

Until now, General Motors hasn't exactly taken the small-car market seriously. While Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia have built their empires on the hoods of pint-sized, fuel-efficient transportation, history has shown the captains of Detroit tend to offer up parts-bin afterthoughts. Cars like the Chevrolet Cavalier and Cobalt have left a sour taste in the mouths of buyers thanks to noisy and de-contented cabins, rough engines and build quality that would make a Yugo blush. As a result, Americans have developed a sort of Pavolovian retch when we hear the term "compact car."

But a new dawn may be approaching – one heralded by a rash of new straw-weight fighters that aim to bring a global small car philosophy to the U.S. GM intends to be part of that party with the introduction of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a sedan that, for all intents and purposes, is more of a landmark model for the company than the endlessly-hyped Chevrolet Volt. To get our meaning, you'll need to throw all of your heinous memories about American-built small cars out the window beginning... now.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze: First Drive

Video: Double Bill - C/D and MT pit Cadillac CTS-V Coupe vs. Audi RS5 vs. BMW M3

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 7:58PM

Click above to watch the video after the jump

The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe has some serious performance chops. The potent angular coupe is loaded with a blown 6.2-liter V8 capable of 556-horsepower, 15-inch front and 14.7-inch rear Brembo brakes and a Magnetic Ride Control suspension setup. Impressive stats to be sure, but does Cadillac's sleek two-seater have the goods to take on the BMW M3 coupe and Audi RS5?

Both Motor Trend and Car and Driver have obviously been pondering the same question, as the competing buff mags dusted off their camcorders and cut up a pair of comparison videos featuring the three super coupes doing a ménage à trois of the automotive kind.

Make the jump to experience both videos. In the first video, MT goes all-out with its comparison, bringing both Editor-in-Chief Angus McKenzie and the spanking new CTS-V Coupe to Germany to take on the pair of well-established Bavarian competitors. The second video shows the unique C/D approach, with no first, second or third place finishers and not a single word is uttered. C/D just let the hot coupes speak for themselves with beautiful pictures and heavenly exhaust notes.

[Sources: Car and Driver, Motor Trend]

Online Find of the Day: Holy Abomination Batman - It's a customized 1985 Porsche 944!

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 7:29PM

1985 Porsche 944 Batmobile Tribute – Click above for high-res image gallery

This author will be the first to admit that he's not exactly overflowing with love for the Porsche 944, but don't expect any amused looks from this camp about seeing this car degraded into a stumpy rendition of Tim Burton's Batmobile. Sadly, that's just what seems to have happened with this particular 1985 944. According to the seller, the car still boasts the stock 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a five-speed manual cog box, so you won't be outpacing baddies anytime soon. A NOS Sniper system has been installed on the car, but thankfully, it's never been used. We're guessing hitting the go-go juice would be a heckuva lot of fun – but probably just once.

A few of the movie car's more outlandish traits have made their way to this poor Porsche, including those wild batwing fins and a pair of replica .223 machine guns that light up for effect. The car does feature the kind of sound system you'd need to drown out the riotous laughter of those in traffic around you, so that's a plus. The seller says that the front fenders need to be finished, and as such, you can get this puppy for a song. Asking price is a mere $6,500. You can check out the full listing here. Thanks for the tip, Kris!

Gallery: 1985 Porsche 944 Batmobile Tribute

[Source: Kijiji]

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 7.30.10

by Autoblog Staff (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 7:20PM

Review: 2010 Lexus ES 350 is soft-riding royalty that's lost its crown

Lexus continues to give the people what they want, but is its aging ES still the benchmark for the class?

Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota's newest safety technology [w/video]

In our final dispatch from Japan, we get behind the wheel of Toyota's latest prototypes and simulators, and enjoy a close-up view of two Camry sedans being smashed together at Toyota's newest crash testing facility.

X Games 16 Preview: Autoblog rides shotgun with the stars of Rally Car [w/video]

The X Games extravaganza kicks off this weekend and we get some seat time with the series' most competitive drivers.

Also of interest:

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Video: The Smoking Tire gets to play with the Firebreather

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 6:57PM

The Smoking Tire drives the Firebreather – Click above to watch video after the jump

Matt Farah and the crew from The Smoking Tire just can't seem to get enough of the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible they had for this year's Bullrun. With the cross-country party over and nothing but a mountain of citations looming in the distance, The Smoking Tire set out to give the big Blue Oval one last goodbye. Of course, they couldn't spend an entire episode pouring over every last detail of a vehicle that regular viewers know all too well. Instead, the show lined up a quick stint behind the wheel of the Classic Design Concepts Firebreather.

Think of it as what the 2010 Pontiac Firebird would have looked like if the Poncho had survived the GM apocalypse and the company's designers had been on acid. If you can get past the wildly rear sheet metal and the drooping front fascia, there's a supercharged version of the 6.2-liter V8 in the Chevrolet Camaro on which it's based. The whole concoction is good for 600 horsepower, and while the car was originally worked up for an Exodus Productions movie, Classic Design Concepts will be selling genuine Firebreather models to the public. Hit the jump to see Farah wrangle the car through a canyon or two.

[Source: The Smoking Tire]

One-off SR-71 Mustang sells for $375,000 at EAA AirVenture

by Drew Phillips (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 6:30PM

2011 Ford Mustang SR-71 Blackbird - Click above for high-res image gallery

Generous giving can be a sign of how the economy is doing, and if the auction of the custom SR-71 Blackbird Mustang at the EAA AirVenture show yesterday is anything to go by, then things are looking up. Built in collaboration with Ford, Roush and Shelby, the one-off pony car was sold for $375,000 to benefit the EAA's Young Eagles program – that's significantly more than $250,000 the AV-X10 'Dearborn Doll' Mustang raised last year at the event.

Of course, the winning bidder was likely motivated by a little more than charity during the bidding. The one-of-one 2011 Mustang features an exterior designed after the legendary Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane, and it includes black and gray matte exterior paint, custom front and rear fascias, performance wheels and a unique screen-print glass roof. Performance has also been boosted thanks to a Whipple supercharger system and a slew of Ford Racing Performance Parts. Follow the jump for more details on the car or check it out in our gallery below.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Mustang SR-71 Blackbird

[Source: Roush via MustangsDaily.com]

Porsche confirms 2011 launch of Panamera S Hybrid

by Autoblog Staff (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 6:01PM

2010 Porsche Panamera 4S – Click above for high-res image gallery

Buried within Porsche's recent announcement regarding its plans to test three electric Boxsters, the company openly confirmed that the launch of the Panamera S Hybrid is on track for 2011. Though perhaps not as innovative or as those racy electric vehicles, the Panamera S Hybrid still hails from Stuttgart and, therefore, is bound to be one exhilarating ride.

The upcoming Panamera will borrow the hybrid hardware found in the current Cayenne S Hybrid. That means it will sport a 329-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 engine mated to a 46 hp electric motor. Like the Cayenne S Hybrid, the Panamera's parallel hybrid setup boasts the ability to operate at low speeds under electric power alone. When the production Panamera S Hybrid takes to the streets in 2011, it will become the company's second model to sport a hybrid powertrain, a remarkable achievement considering that few people associate Porsche with fuel efficiency. Follow the jump for more info on Porsche's fuel-saving plans.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Porsche Panamera 4S

Photos copyright ©2010 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: Porsche]

Gooding to auction 1995 McLaren F1 in Monterey

by Drew Phillips (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 5:27PM

1995 McLaren F1 to be auctioned by Gooding & Company – Click above for high-res image gallery

Gooding & Company's auction coinciding with this year's Pebble Beach Concours is coming up in a few short weeks, and the lineup of available cars is shaping up to be quite impressive. Already dozens of incredibly compelling and valuable collector cars are scheduled to make their way across the block, but the car that has caught our attention the most so far is a 1995 McLaren F1.

The F1 is singularly special in its own right, but this particular car is even more attractive to buyers in the United States since it's one of the few examples actually registered in the country. The car was sold originally to Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, who was one of the sponsors of McLaren's race team back in the mid-1990s. This F1 comes finished in classic Magnesium Silver paint with a black interior and comes with its factory-delivered luggage and tools. The estimated price? A mere $2.5 to $3.5 million. Follow the jump for full details in the press release from Gooding, and be sure to check out the images below.

Gallery: 1995 McLaren F1 - Gooding & Company

Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota's newest safety technology [w/video]

by Sam Abuelsamid (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 4:56PM

Inside Toyota's Higashi-Fuji tech center – Click above for high-res image gallery

Sitting in the shadow of Mount Fuji, Toyota's Higashi-Fuji technical center is part proving grounds and part engineering center. But unlike most facilities, Higashi-Fuji includes an array of engineering and research offices employing over 3,000 employees, and an assortment of non-track test facilities.

The Higashi-Fuji campus opened back in 1966 and has grown to encompass nearly 2.7 millionsquare feet of facility floor space. We were given the rare opportunity to visit the facility where we witnessed one unique crash test, tried out one of the world's most advanced driving simulators and sampled an assortment of new safety features, including a brake override system, enhanced pre-collision braking, pedestrian detection and updated ABS calibrations for the Prius. Make the jump for the full report.

Gallery: Inside Toyota's Higashi-Fuji tech center

Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy

by John McElroy (RSS feed) on Jul 30th, 2010 at 4:32PM

Car Prices Will Climb For Years

Have you've been watching car prices lately? They seem to go up every month. Forget everything you've been reading about sales incentives, bargain leases or low-cost financing. They just mask the fact that automakers are quietly bumping up MSRP's every chance they get.

In other words, they quietly raise the price of a car and then loudly announce the deals they're offering. Sure, you get a discount. But that discount comes off an ever-higher price.

I've said it before and I'll say again. By 2015, the average new car in the American market is going to cost about $35,000. I'm not talking about the MSRP, which is already at an average of $33,000. I'm talking about the transaction price, what people actually pay for a car.

There are a variety of reasons why this is happening. But it basically comes down to this: even though car sales are very weak, we're actually in a seller's market. The planets are in alignment for automakers to raise their prices, especially for General Motors, Ford and Chrysler. And it's only going to get worse.

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.

Popular
Breaking
Featured

View all

Autoblog Podcast #**188 - With Mike Spinelli of 0-60 magazine**

Chris, Alex and Dan are joined by 0-60 magazne editor-in-chief Mike Spinelli to talk about the 2011 Ford Explorer, the Audi A7 Sportback, Hyundai's US launch of the Equus, hybrid/electric Porsches and the possibility of a new Ford Ranger, plus questions and more!