Category: Auto Industry

Video: Porsche 911 GT3 dukes it out with MP4-12C on track and GT-R on spectacular roads

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Nissan, Porsche, UK, Comparisons, McLaren

EVO tests Porsche 911 GT3 vs Nissan GT-$

The Porsche 911 GT3 has always been a favorite among auto journalists and car enthusiasts alike, but with the introduction of the new 991-generation GT3, which is the first GT3 with electric power steering and no manual gearbox option, how does it stack up to the competition from McLaren and Nissan?

Evo‘s Jethro Bovingdon attempts to answer that question by pitting the rear-engine Porsche against the mid-engine McLaren MP4-12C on a racetrack and the front-engine, all-wheel-drive Nissan GT-R on some amazing, twisty European back roads. We won’t give away the victor of either comparison, but we will say that, in Evo‘s test, the McLaren’s 141-horsepower advantage doesn’t give it as much of an edge over the Porsche on a racetrack as one might think, and the lack of a manual gearbox and the inclusion of electric power steering on the GT3 isn’t detrimental to enjoying the car on a back road.

Watch the video below to find out which car Bovingdon prefers on road and track – we think you’ll be happy to see him drift around turns every chance he gets.

Continue reading Porsche 911 GT3 dukes it out with MP4-12C on track and GT-R on spectacular roads

Porsche 911 GT3 dukes it out with MP4-12C on track and GT-R on spectacular roads originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: What caused this parking lot accident?

Filed under: Etc., Videos

car crash caught by dashcam video

By this point, we shouldn’t be surprised by the oodles of random dashcam videos floating around the Internet, but this car crash definitely caught us off guard. As the video shows, a vehicle slowly navigating through a tight parking lot, and then we see what appears to be a Hyundai Getz pulling into the lot with a full head of steam before hitting our camera-mounted driver head-on.

Now it’s completely unknown what caused the crash, but, purely speculating, we’d have to guess either a major distraction or some sort of medical condition is the culprit. Either way, the woman obviously wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, and the many pedestrians (and the Kia driver) should feel fortunate they weren’t involved as well. On top of the crash itself, it’s also amazing how nonchalant the driver who was hit and some of the pedestrians were nearly run over reacted to the incident. Scroll down to watch the video.

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What caused this parking lot accident? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Infiniti Boss De Nysschen: EVs ‘absolutely’ coming, just not right away

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Infiniti, AutoblogGreen Exclusive

Johann de Nysschen with Infiniti Emerg-E

“There absolutely will be EVs in Infiniti’s future” – Johan de Nysschen

Despite being closely connected to the electric vehicle pioneers at Nissan, Infiniti is taking the slow road to bringing an EV to market. Last month, the first Infiniti EV – to be based on the LE concept from the 2012 New York Auto Show – was delayed to add better tech. Infiniti president Johan De Nysschen wants to make it perfectly clear that this delay is both intentional and in no way a cancellation.

Speaking with AutoblogGreen at a media event in Newport Beach, California this week, de Nysschen was blunt: “First and foremost, I simply must state that there absolutely will be EVs in Infiniti’s future.” The first Infiniti EV was delayed, in part, to give the brand room to grow in all directions. De Nysschen, who took over Infiniti in June of 2012, told us:

We have a massive journey ahead of us. We have to diversify our product portfolio, we have to enter a bunch of new market segments, we have to enter new geographies, we have to invest in new production capacity. And all of these things together amount to a massive investment in the brand. When it comes to EVs, that is another area that would require very huge investments and it is simply, for us, balancing the investment amounts with the short-, medium- and long-term profitability requirements and the role that all these various cars will play as we shape and reposition the brand.

As Infiniti gets ready to become a global player, one thing company representatives made clear is that the big goal, a plug-in car, is not at the top of the “To do” list. It’s on there, sure, but not what’s driving the company in 2013. Plus, as de Nysschen said, when the Infiniti EV arrives, it must have the latest and greatest tech.

Continue reading Infiniti Boss De Nysschen: EVs ‘absolutely’ coming, just not right away

Infiniti Boss De Nysschen: EVs ‘absolutely’ coming, just not right away originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Geely to release models developed with Volvo in 2015

Filed under: China, Volvo, Geely

The Geely logo is shown at the North American International Auto Show Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Geely and Volvo will finally team up for a jointly developed vehicle, more than three years after the safety-minded Swedish brand was gobbled up by Geely’s parent company, according to a report in Automotive News Europe. The story quotes Geely’s CEO, Gui Sheng Yue saying, “We have entered into actual research and development stage and I believe we can see the new product in the year after next.”

That means 2015, which is a mighty ambitious timetable to bring a vehicle to market. But as Geely’s CEO explains, life isn’t going to get any easier in the Chinese market, “Competitive pressure on domestic brands in the China market should increase considerably in the coming years as most major international brands are strengthening their presence,” he told ANE. Those statements also tell us that we shouldn’t expect to see Geely on American shores any time soon. The brand is simply too focused on topping the Chinese market, at least among CDM brands.

Geely to release models developed with Volvo in 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: VW pushing lawmakers to go easier on diesels

Filed under: Government/Legal, Volkswagen, Diesel

VW TDI

The push for more diesel vehicles in North America is finally starting to pick up momentum from non-German automakers like Chrysler, General Motors and Mazda, but there are still hurdles automakers face in winning over American car buyers. To combat this, The Detroit News says that Volkswagen is attempting to get government officials to help level the playing field and even create incentives to promote diesel vehicles.

Aside from trying to get the federal diesel fuel tax lowered, VW is looking to get additional credits for diesel vehicles in the stricter 54.5-mpg fuel regulations and trying to get the EPA to adjust how it calculates its combined fuel economy rating. The current ratio takes into account 55-percent city driving and 45-percent highway driving, which a VW exec claims does not “reflect real-world driving.” Diesels perform better on the highway, so on paper, altering the formula could provide a boost for diesel vehicles in the form of a better combined mile-per-gallon rating. This all comes after recent news that VW is working on its next-generation EA 288 TDI engine, a powerplant expected to further increase highway fuel economy to the tune of at least 45 mpg.

VW pushing lawmakers to go easier on diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Petersen Museum undergoing stunning design overhaul [w/video]

Filed under: Classics, Etc., Videos

Petersen Automotive Museum exterior renovation plans

If you were alarmed when the Petersen Automotive Museum starting selling off large and significant parts of its venerable collection, fret not: the museum isn’t in trouble. In fact it’s about to embark on what could be its most ambitious rebirth since the late Motor Trend publisher Robert E. Petersen and his wife Margie founded the museum nearly 20 years ago.

The plans announced at Pebble Beach this past weekend revolve principally around an architectural renovation of the former department store that houses the museum by the corner of Wilshire Boulevard at Fairfax in Los Angeles. The project is being undertaken by Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (no relation) and calls for flowing bands of stainless steel enveloping three sides of the red structure, giving the building a fresh look without requiring any structural changes. The steel ribbons will be backlit by LEDs day and night, and remind us of a blend between a hot rod flame job and cartographical topography. But the renovation isn’t just a facade: the project will also add another 15,000 square feet of display space inside, with new galleries and digital displays focusing on cars and car culture in South California and around the world.

The overhaul will also encompass a “refined and upgraded” collection as well as rotating displays, although few details were given at this point as to what exactly that will entail. Scope out the video clip and the press release below for more.

Continue reading Petersen Museum undergoing stunning design overhaul [w/video]

Petersen Museum undergoing stunning design overhaul [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Bare-breasted woman’s motorcycle crash caught on cop dashcam

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Motorcycle

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it now: it’s not that stranger things are happening now, it’s just that the interwebz allow us to spread them to the world at the speed of fiber optic light. The latest incident captured on America’s version of the Russian dash-cam, which is the policeman’s dash-cam, is a woman just outside Milwaukee riding erratically down the highway on a motorcycle.

Sure, that’s pretty thin. But this woman had unbuttoned her shirt, was screaming, her breasts bared, slowing down to 10 miles per hour and “kind of assaulting people with her motorcycle,” and speeding up again.

Not surprisingly, she got the attention of the authorities pretty quickly, who followed her until she crashed. Her only injury: a cut on the chin. Her only lapse: riding while under the influence of prescription drugs. For the second time, since she’d been busted for it before.

You can watch the video subtitled “Just another day in America” below. It is totally SFW.

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Bare-breasted woman’s motorcycle crash caught on cop dashcam originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Court puts kibosh on apartheid lawsuit against Ford, Daimler

Filed under: Government/Legal, Ford, Mercedes-Benz

Ford and Daimler logosFord and Daimler have scored a major victory in a long-running lawsuit filed in US federal court by unnamed South African nationals. The suit alleges that both manufacturers and their subsidiaries sold their vehicles to the South African military, despite knowing that they’d be involved in violently putting down anti-apartheid protesters.

According to Reuters, South African plaintiffs filed the case under the 223-year-old Alien Torts Statute, a law which allows foreign nationals to file charges in US courts for perceived breaches of what was originally international law, but now more closely relates to violations of human rights.

And while the case – which also involves computer manufacturer IBM – has been tied up in federal courts for years, a recent case from the Supreme Court struck down a similar suit against Royal Dutch Petroleum (Shell), arguing that the ATS doesn’t apply to corporations or to conduct if it occurred outside the US. In short, the law applies to individuals, but not corporations like Ford or Daimler. A US appeals court ruled that the conditions apply in this case, potentially drawing this long-running saga to a close, as the defendants will now be allowed to request that the case be dismissed in district court.

Court puts kibosh on apartheid lawsuit against Ford, Daimler originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Lexus to open stores with branded accessories [w/video]

Filed under: Car Buying, Japan, Marketing/Advertising, Lexus, Design/Style, Luxury

Lexus Intersect

Trying to build a boutique buying atmosphere with a large-volume premium brand isn’t easy, but Lexus is attempting to do just that by introducing its new Intersect By Lexus dealership experience. This aspect of Lexus retailing has nothing to do with cars and everything to do with luxury lifestyle accessories. Intersect By Lexus is effectively an all-in-one shopping destination for high-quality, hand-crafted designer products, many of them created specifically for the marque, right down to their “Crafted for Lexus” branding.

The first Intersect By Lexus store will open at the end of this month in Tokyo, with other stores planned for New York and Dubai. Going over the first store’s initial product list, it seems that each store will offer wares that reflect its location. Some of the products available at Intersect By Lexus Tokyo include a $400 minimalist LED desk light, hand-sewn $286 tablet cover and a $133 drip coffeemaker and cup set handmade from the ash of Japan’s Sakurajima volcano. Scroll down for a short video showing how some of these products were made.

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Lexus to open stores with branded accessories [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: VŪHL says it has enough orders to put 05 roadster into production [w/video]

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, MISC

Vuhl 05

If we had a nickel for every independent sportscar project started by people we’d never heard of and that never came to fruition, well… we might actually have enough money to put one of them into production. But every once in a while we end up pleasantly surprised. And we just might be by the VŪHL 05.

The project, as you may recall, is the brainchild of a pair of Mexican brothers based in Detroit, and calls for a lightweight track car along the lines of the Ariel Atom, KTM X-Bow or BAC Mono. VŪHL Automotive launched the 05 just last month at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where it was driven up Lord March’s lawn by F1 driver Esteban Gutierrez. Its featherlike 1,500-pound curb weight is motivated by a 2.0-liter turbo four sourced from Ford and mounted amidships, driving 285 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque through a six-speed manual to the rear wheels for a claimed 0-62 time of 3.7 seconds.

The numbers sound impressive enough, and have apparently impressed enough customers that VŪHL is putting it into production as planned. The initial run will consist of twenty Edition One models, which VŪHL will start building in November for delivery next spring. In the meantime, the Echeverria brothers will be taking their creation to London to rub shoulders with supercars at the Salon Privé. Scroll down to watch the video below, where you’ll also find a press release.

Continue reading VŪHL says it has enough orders to put 05 roadster into production [w/video]

VŪHL says it has enough orders to put 05 roadster into production [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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