Category: Auto Industry

ALMS headed to Oklahoma City with new street race in May 2013

Filed under: Motorsports

Oklahoma City

The American Le Mans Series is planning on expanding its calendar over the next few years with a number of new races held at new venues. And the first of the new additions is set to be held in Oklahoma City.

The race is earmarked for a new street course to be carved out of the city’s Adventure District, to take place for the first time in May 2013, in between Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. That should slot the event in between Long Beach in April and the main event at Le Mans that precedes the back-to-back races in July and August.

The last time the series visited this part of the country was at the 2007 Lone Star Grand Prix in Houston, when ALMS had its busiest calendar with 12 races. The Oklahoma City race is set to be joined by other new venues currently under consideration. Check out an official statement by the ALMS about the race after the jump.

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ALMS headed to Oklahoma City with new street race in May 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2011 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red Bull drifts through downtown Atlanta

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Hyundai, Pontiac, Racing

Red Bull Peachtree Drift Battle

Red Bull Peachtree Drift Battle in Atlanta – Click above to watch the video after the break

According to the company’s slogan, Red Bull is supposed to give you wings. Apparently, all it gives Rhys Millen and Ryan Tuerck is smoke… tire smoke that is, and lots of it.

The two drivers – Millen in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe and Tuerck in his Pontiac Solstice Coupe (may it rest in peace) – were flown out to the Georgian capitol to take part in the Red Bull Peachtree Drift Battle, which, as you may have guessed, takes place down Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta.

There’s isn’t really a winner to this staged race, except for perhaps all the innocent bystanders who got a much-needed injection of excitement into their routine daily commutes. See all the tire-smoking action in the video after the break.

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Red Bull drifts through downtown Atlanta originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 20:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford’s plan to make commutes more efficient, optimize EVs

Filed under: Hybrid, Technology, Ford, Electric

Ford Google Prediction API

Android developers across the world have descended on San Francisco for this week’s Google I/O conference, and Ford is getting in on the action with its announcement to utilize Google’s new Prediction API to increase efficiency and decrease commute times.

The Prediction API has a range of location-based uses, but Ford’s plan involves tapping into your driving habits, gathering historical commute and errand data, and then optimize your route depending on traffic, weather and a host of other information.

Cutting down commute times and increasing fuel efficiency are at the top of the list, but it’s obvious Ford is primarily planning to use the tech for its future all-electric and plug-in hybrid-driving vehicles. By determining drive routes ahead of time, storing that information in the cloud and directing drivers to the most efficient roads, Ford can eliminate some of the range anxiety EV drivers have to contend with.

Tomorrow, a group of Ford researchers will be showing off concept version of the system at Google I/O, complete with a prototype use case that involves the driver opting in for the service (Ford is adamant that personal information security is of the utmost importance) and then utilizing the Google Prediction service to determine the most efficient route. The vehicle would ask the driver, “Good morning. Are you going to work?” and if the driver responds, “Yes,” the system will choose a route that’s optimized for the powertrain. This could also include EV-only zones, something that’s being experimented with throughout Europe.

We’ll have more on Ford’s implementation of the Predictive API tomorrow, but in the meantime, check out the press release after the jump for more.

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Ford’s plan to make commutes more efficient, optimize EVs originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aston Martin adds V12 Vantage to Performance Driving Course [w/video]

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Aston Martin

2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage

2011 Aston Martin V12 Vantage – Click above for high-res image gallery

Aston Martin wants you to push its cars to the limit – at least, after you’ve signed some waivers and paid $2,500. If that’s the case, you’re probably at Aston Martin’s Performance Driving Course located at the Ford Proving Grounds in Romeo, Michigan. The fleet of cars at your disposal includes the V8 Vantage, DB9, Rapide and DBS, and now Aston Martin has added its new V12 Vantage to the driving school’s list of exotic motorcars you can hoon for a nominal fee.

Click past the jump to read the full press release, and to watch a film that will make you want to remove $2,500 from your savings account posthaste.

Continue reading Aston Martin adds V12 Vantage to Performance Driving Course [w/video]

Aston Martin adds V12 Vantage to Performance Driving Course [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What you missed on 5.10.11

Review: 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG

Destiny, an alluring lass with a voice of such fine tenor we had to fight the urge to put the phone down and bow to it whenever she spoke, was in Tampa, 271 miles away. We could only credit fortune for the delivery of a 2011 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG for the purpose.

Video: BMW M5 gets sideways and leaves long trails of rubber

BMW is still testing and fine-tuning the F10 M5, but the German automaker has been kind enough to bring along a video camera.

Autoblog Podcast #229: Autoblog changes, Jaguar C-X75 and more

Editor in Chief John Neff kicks it old school with Chris Shunk and Dan Roth this week. First topic for debate: the latest Autoblog redesign, which is now being tested in beta.

Also of interest:

  • Confirmed: 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid priced from $26,500*
  • Report: Volvo confirms all-new XC90 for U.S.
  • Official: VW celebrates GTI anniversary with 232-hp Edition 35
  • Optima beats Camry, Accord in CR test, Altima still favorite; Explorer lambasted
  • Report: Bob Stempel, former GM CEO, dead at age 77

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

What you missed on 5.10.11 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 19:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ford testing 60 Focus ST models around the world

Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Hatchback, Ford

ford focus st mule

Ford Focus ST testing – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’re looking forward to getting our hands on the ST variant of the Ford Focus, and why not? We Americans have had no choice but to sit back and watch while our overseas comrades got to have all the fun behind the wheel of high-performance Focii, which made the hot hatchbacks the forbidden fruit we tend to crave.

Ford promises that the U.S. will finally have a chance at the next-generation ST, which should supply at least 246 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque courtesy an EcoBoost 2.0-liter mill. The only problem is that the high-pot Focus ST is still a year away, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see test mules traveling the highways and test tracks around the world.

Ford tells us they have 60 ST models testing everywhere from California to Germany’s Nürburgring. The testers may look like last-generation ST or more pedestrian current-gen Focus models, but the big wheels, low profile and double exhaust passes will show that the mules are anything but ordinary.

Matthias Tonn, who heads performance engineering at Ford of Europe, says that the testing is needed to make the next ST shine, adding that engineers are “fine-tuning, testing, and fine tuning again many of the small but critical details to make sure it is worthy of the ST badge.”

And just because the ST will be a performance hatch doesn’t mean Ford isn’t keenly focused on fuel economy as well. Tonn says the goal is to produce class-leading fuel economy even with a performance variant. Mixing fuel efficiency and performance is no easy task, but Ford is banking on a thrifty EcoBoost engine and fuel-saving technology like a finely tuned Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS) system to do the trick.

While the Focus ST is still a way away from production, Ford provided some “spy photos” of an ST mule during testing in Germany, which you can peruse in our high-res image gallery. Hit the jump to read over the Ford press release.

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Ford testing 60 Focus ST models around the world originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 18:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Caterham lineup set to expand under Team Lotus ownership

Caterham Seven Team Lotus trio

Caterham Seven Team Lotus Special Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

It was only a few months ago that we reported on Caterham’s plans to expand its lineup. But a lot has happened since then, particularly for an automaker whose core product range is anchored in a design that goes back nearly six decades.

Since the launch of the SP/300.R, Caterham was acquired by Tony Fernandes – the same Malaysian entrepreneur behind Team Lotus F1. The new ownership is intent to keep the same management in place, but the cash injection is expected to lead to a further broadening of the company’s lineup.

Just what that will entail remains to be seen, but Autocar reports that whatever comes next down the pipeline will (arguably unlike some of Lotus’ own new products) remain faithful to Colin Chapman’s less-is-more philosophy.

The report also indicates a two-way door between Caterham and Team Lotus, the latter’s F1 cars set to feature the former’s branding while F1-derived technologies are set to trickle down to Caterham’s products. A Caterham Seven with regenerative braking and adaptive aerodynamics? Too soon to say, but the sky’s the proverbial limit.

Caterham lineup set to expand under Team Lotus ownership originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 18:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi introducing roadside assistant apps for iPhone, Android, Blackberry

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Audi

Audi iPhone App

Audi is rolling out a new roadside assistance app for owners equipped with an iPhone, Blackberry or Android device, and drivers with older Audis can get in on the action as well.

Once you’ve download the app from the corresponding store, you enter your VIN and some basic personal information, and get access to Audi’s roadside assistance program supplied by Allstate. Jump-starts, fuel delivery and towing are included in the service – free for new owners and requiring a fee for older models. The app also includes a dealer locator and taps into your smartphone’s GPS functionality to pinpoint your location.

The Curve and Bold are the first two Blackberrys supported by the app (download here), with the iPhone and Android versions available at the Apple App Store and Android Market, respectively. Full details in the press blast after the break.

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Audi introducing roadside assistant apps for iPhone, Android, Blackberry originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2011 Kia Optima Hybrid priced from $26,500*

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Kia

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’re capturing our first driving impressions of the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid this week, but we’ve already learned that the midsize fuel-sipper will be priced at $26,500 when it goes on sale in the coming months, excluding $750 for destination and handling.

Curiously, the $26,500 price tag represents an increase of $705 versus the Optima’s platform mate, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Kia tells us that the price increase is because the Optima comes with more standard equipment than the Sonata, including things like a rear backup camera, rear spoiler, auto-down front windows for the driver and passenger, a cooling glovebox, compass, and Uvo, Kia’s brand new infotainment system.

Like its Sonata kin, the Optima Hybrid uses the automaker’s 2.4-liter direct-injected four-cylinder engine, mated to an electric motor and paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. This combination expected to return fuel economy ratings of 35/40 miles per gallon city/highway, same as the Sonata Hybrid.

2011 Kia Optima Hybrid priced from $26,500* originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 17:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Valentino Balboni picks his favorite Lamborghini Countach

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Performance, Lamborghini

Valentino Balboni and the four Lamborghini Countaches

Valentino Balboni and the four Lamborghini Countaches – Click above for high-res image

We’ve seen a lot of creative comparison tests over the years. Most of them involve new cars compared against other new cars. But for its latest retrospective, Inside Line has gone a decidedly different route, comparing the various renditions of the Lamborghini Countach against each other. And they brought along Lamborghini’s veteran test driver Valentino Balboni for an inside line of his own.

Now if you think the Murcielago lasted a long time, well… it did. Eight years, in fact. The Diablo before it lasted eleven. But the Countach was around for an astonishing sixteen years – an incredibly long lifetime for any car. And over the course of the three decades it remained in production, the Countach spawned numerous derivatives, from the original production LP400 through the wide-body S and the Quattrovalvole through to the straked 25th Anniversary edition.

As the Countach ages from the chintzy and cartoonish to the iconic and historic, choosing which one stood out as the finest example was undoubtedly a difficult task, but someone had to do it. Follow the link to see what they found. It’s worth the read.

Valentino Balboni picks his favorite Lamborghini Countach originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 May 2011 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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