Category: Auto Industry

Video: Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Scion, Subaru, Toyota, UK, Racing, Comparisons, McLaren

Autocar pits a Toyota GT86 Turbo against a McLaren MP4-12C on track.

The Toyota GT86, in all of its forms, is one of the best-handling cars money can buy, a trait that can put a smile on the faces of all but the most jaded car enthusiasts. But if good handling isn’t what they’re looking for, then what is? Our first guess would have to be more power, something the 200-horsepower Toyota would benefit from. Autocar tries out that theory by driving two turbocharged GT86s on track, then pitting the more powerful one against the 616-hp McLaren MP4-12C in a track battle.

The first GT86 turbo Autocar‘s Steve Sutcliffe drives makes around 255 rear-wheel horsepower and a bucket-load more torque than the stock car. That’s plenty of power to either have a lot of fun or get into a lot of trouble. But the GT86 that Sutcliffe tails in the McLaren is race-prepped, stripped to the bone and wears slicks to harness a heavy-hitting 335 hp at the wheel. Weighing in at under 2,500 pounds, the Toyota can’t overcome the MP4-12C’s power-to-weight ratio of 5.3 pounds per horsepower, but it comes pretty close.

Enjoy a lot of chasing and drifting fun in the video below!

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Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read This: Project Ugly Horse alive and kicking at Road & Track

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Budget, Performance, Ford, Read This

project ugly horse ford mustang zach bowman road & track

The hallways of the Autoblog campus are much quieter now that Zach Bowman has taken his prose, along with his welders, wrenches and hammers, over to the digital pages of Road & Track, but that doesn’t mean our favorite project Mustang is gone forever. Project Ugly Horse is still coming along, and Zach has gifted us another update on his unfoxy Fox Body.

Last we saw of the Ugly Horse, Zach was strengthening up the ’89 Mustang’s chassis as he prepares to stuff the turbocharged, direct-injected EcoBoost engine of a Ford Focus ST under the hood. First things first, the old mill must go. Head on over to Road & Track to catch the latest chapter of Project Ugly Horse.

Project Ugly Horse alive and kicking at Road & Track originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: You might be held responsible if a driver you’re texting causes an accident [w/poll]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety

texting while driving

There’s no question that driving and texting at the same time is dangerous and illegal. But a lawsuit in New Jersey filed by a couple who were the victims of a texting accident blamed not only the distracted driver who caused it, but also the person who was texting him at the time, CNN reports.

Kyle Best, who was 18 at the time of the accident in 2009, was driving on a rural highway when Shannon Colonna, the 17-year-old girl he was dating, sent him a text. Best allegedly was reading the text when he crossed the double-yellow line and drifted into a lane of opposing traffic. He hit David and Linda Kubert, who were riding a motorcycle. They were injured and lost their legs.

The Kuberts filed suit against Best and Colonna and argued that if she knew that Best was driving when she texted him, she also was responsible for the accident. The Kuberts ended up settling with Best and lost to Colonna, which they appealed. Apparently they left an impression on three appeals court judges who agreed with the principle behind the Kuberts’ appeal, but prosecutors couldn’t prove that Colonna knew Best was driving when she texted him, so she was free to go.

Here’s what the court reportedly said: We hold that the sender of a text message can potentially be liable if an accident is caused by texting, but only if the sender knew or had special reason to know that the recipient would view the text while driving and thus be distracted.

For what it’s worth, this is the state that just rejected a vanity license plate application that read “ATHEIST.”

New Jersey governor Chris Christie disagrees with the appeals court judges who said a text sender like Colonna could be held accountable for a car accident. He says it’s the driver’s responsibility to keep his or her hands on the wheel and pay attention to what’s happening on the road. We have to agree with Christie on this one.

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You might be held responsible if a driver you’re texting causes an accident [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: BMW M4 spied in coupe and convertible form

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Coupe, Performance, BMW

BMW M4 coupe spy shots

BMW M4 Convertible spy shotsFrom the sound of it, we’ll have to wait until the Detroit Auto Show to see the production version of the BMW M4, but spy shots show the new hi-po BMW testing recently in both coupe and convertible form. Showing a lot more skin than recent spy shots, these M4 prototypes look very similar to the M4 Concept we saw at Pebble Beach.

Carryovers from the concept car include the funky mirrors, bulging hood and the slotted front fascia vents, but the rear fascia seems to be missing the added flair of the concept and, as expected, the carbon fiber front splitter and exhaust tips are also missing from these M4s. Like the current M3 Convertible, the drop-top version of the M4 will utilize a retractable hard top.

BMW M4 spied in coupe and convertible form originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Peugeot bringing 30 models to Frankfurt

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Coupe, Hybrid, Crossover, Hatchback, Peugeot, Diesel

Peugeot will be bringing 30 models to the Frankfurt Motor Show to show off its successful products, new concepts and powertrains, and at least one concept we’ve seen before that will reaffirm its commitment to moving upmarket. Among the most important centerpiece will be the new, lighter 308 and its i-Cockpit, launched in May but getting its world premiere with a showcase of nine variants in Germany.

Elsewhere will be the refreshed 3008 and 5008 spearheading the use of the new BlueHDi diesel engines. A new hybrid powertrain that uses compressed air, slated for introduction in 2016, will be shown on the 2008 HYbrid Air Concept, and a Le Mans-derived hybrid powertrain developed with the aid of oil company Total is showcased by the 208 HYbrid FE demonstrator. Another newcomer in the concept corner will be the 270-horsepower 308 R concept, and while the Onyx concept isn’t new, we’ll have no complaints about getting another look at it.

The RCZ R will represent what’s coming, while the 208 T16 Pikes Peak and three special 208 GTi Peugeot Sport cars that ran the Nürburgring 24-hour race will represent the recent, and successful, past. There’s a press release below with more information, and an updated gallery of 308 shots with 85 new photos.

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Peugeot bringing 30 models to Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 18:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #347

Filed under: Podcasts, Off-Road

Dan Cole from The4X4Podcast, GM mid-size diesel pickups, Alfa Romeo 4C specs

Autoblog Podcast logo

Episode #347 of the Autoblog podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth and Jeff Ross are joined by Dan Cole from The4X4Podcast. Topics include getting some off-roading insight, word that GM’s new mid-size pickups will have diesel engines, and the Alfa Romeo 4C. We start with what’s in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. You can follow along after the jump with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #347:

Topics:

  • New GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado will have diesels
  • Alfa Romeo 4C specs

In the Autoblog Garage:

  • 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited
  • 2013 Nissan Sentra SV

Hosts: Dan Roth, Jeff Ross
Guests: Dan Cole

Runtime: 01:12:23

Get the podcast:
[UStream] Listen live on Mondays at 10PM Eastern at UStream
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes
[RSS] Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly

Feedback:
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com

Review the show in iTunes

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Autoblog Podcast #347 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Strong US auto sales in August on pace to top 15.5M in 2013

Filed under: Car Buying

ford dealership lot

August sales will be announced next week, but early numbers say that it has been an exceptionally good month for new-car sales so far with two days left to go – including the kickoff to Labor Day weekend. Automotive News is reporting that forecasters are expecting this month to be the strongest single month since 2006 with retail sales projected to be around 1.27 million units.

Factoring this into the known 9.13 million sales through July, many experts are saying that annual sales in 2013 could be in the mid-15-million unit range including one estimate pushing this year’s totals past 16 million units – a mark the US industry hasn’t seen since 2007. The article states that sales could be even higher if automakers like Hyundai, Ford and Subaru were able to keep supply up with the demand of some of their popular models. Stay tuned as we’ll know for sure when we put together our usual By The Numbers post next week.

Strong US auto sales in August on pace to top 15.5M in 2013 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: New Odyssey ads feature Honda Vac, star power

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Honda, Humor

2014 Honda Odyssey HondaVac commercial

Honda has released a string of new ads highlighting its refreshed, 2014 Odyssey minivan. While the Japanese brand hasn’t started bragging about attaining the first Top Safety Pick+ for minivans, it’s all too happy to brag about another first – the world’s first van with a built-in vacuum cleaner.

In three spots, anthropomorphic children’s rubbish discusses the merits of the new minivan, only to be sucked up by the built-in vacuum, which is only available in the top-end Touring Elite model. There’s also quite a bit of star power floating around for those that watch a lot of TV. Neil Patrick Harris from Doogie Howser, MD and How I Met Your Mother voices a character in one of the spots, while Rainn Wilson from The Office stars in another. Take a look below for all three ads from Honda.

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New Odyssey ads feature Honda Vac, star power originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Uber accused of taking 50 percent of its drivers’ tips

Filed under: Government/Legal, Technology

Uber drivers file suit against the start-up transport company, claiming it steals half of its drivers tips.

Up-and-coming transportation service Uber finds itself in a sticky situation with a lawsuit filed against it by two San Francisco Uber drivers that claim the company takes 50 percent of their tips, The Verge reports. The practice of taking a share of employees’ gratuities is illegal in California, so Uber’s handling of tips could be violating California labor laws if it is established that drivers are actual employees. But Uber views drivers as contractors, and if that’s the case the tip-taking practice isn’t illegal.

This isn’t the first such lawsuit, either. Earlier this year drivers in Chicago and Massachusetts reportedly filed similar complaints against Uber.

Uber makes a mobile application with which drivers-for-hire can connect with passengers and schedule rides. Google recently invested $250 million in the company, part of an investment round totaling $360 million. Following the investment, Uber was valued at $3.5 billon.

In a statement provided to The Verge, Uber says it “values its partners above all else,” and calls lawsuits like this latest one frivolous. We’re not sure how the case is going to play out, but complaints about business operations don’t look good in the face of massive investments from major tech companies.

Uber accused of taking 50 percent of its drivers’ tips originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Jeff Gordon merch bus goes up in flames [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Celebrities

A Jeff Gordon team merchandising bus caught fire on a Georgia freeway.

A bus belonging to NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon caught fire on the side of the I-85 freeway in Georgia Wednesday afternoon as it was headed to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Avocare 500 this weekend, the West Jackson Fire Department reports. There were no injuries, and Gordon was not onboard what appears to be a team merchandising bus, authorities say.

Firefighters shut down the southbound side of the freeway while they put out the flames, and they say the fire didn’t spread to the trailer being towed by the bus.

The fire department didn’t mention what caused the fire. Perhaps somebody dropped a cigarette onto some hard liquor while sorting bobble heads? What happens on the tour bus stays on the tour bus… Check out the fire department’s press release and watch a video report below.

Continue reading Jeff Gordon merch bus goes up in flames [w/video]

Jeff Gordon merch bus goes up in flames [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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