Category: Auto Industry

Official: Nissan’s Dacia Duster-based Terrano revealed

Filed under: Spy Photos, Budget, SUV, Nissan, India

Nissan Terrano - front three-quarter view

The new Nissan Terrano has appeared in production form after an apparent August 20 launch in India, but the small sport utility vehicle remains sadly aloof from the US market. We’ve had our eyes on the Terrano ever since we learned it would be produced as an upscale alternative to the Dacia Duster on which it’s based, but currently Nissan has no plans to import it here. Blame safety and perhaps emissions laws – the Duster was never designed for our market.

Even with these less-than-high resolution images, it’s clear that the beyond the obvious badges, Nissan’s signature trapezoidal grille and a slightly altered rear end with new taillights are the biggest visual clues that this is the Terrano, but those with astute eyes will also notice a slightly redesigned hood and blacked-out door pillars instead of the Duster’s body-colored items. Either way, it looks to be a handsome, low-cost little brute – the sort of simple and rugged SUV that’s hard to come by in today’s marketplace.

Nissan’s Dacia Duster-based Terrano revealed originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Crowdsource funding push on to save historic Ford buildings

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

Ford Highland Park Plant

Detroit has no shortage of old, abandoned buildings, both within the city and in the surrounding communities. Few, though, have the historical significance of the old Ford Highland Park facility. Home to the very first moving assembly line, Highland Park was designed by the legendary Albert Kahn, and was one of the homes of the Model T.

Now, the Woodward Avenue Action Association is attempting to buy both the 40,000-square-foot admin building, which is located off the historic Woodward Avenue, and an 8,000-square-foot garage. The WAAA’s goal is to convert the buildings into an automotive heritage center. The Detroit News spoke to the interim director of the WAAA, Deborah Schutt, who commented, “[Metro Detroit has] not been very good at telling our own story. So we’ve decided, let’s pull everything together and tell our story.”

The WAAA made an offer of $550,000 to buy the two buildings, and has $400,000 from the Michigan Department of Transportation and another $15,000 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. It’s trying to raise a further $125,000 through crowd-sourcing, starting a campaign called “Five Dollars A Day,” after old Hank Ford’s $5-per-day wage for line workers.

The WAAA has until September 19 to collect the money and purchase the building, which is a National Historic Landmark. Those interesting in donating can go here or call 248-288-2004.

Crowdsource funding push on to save historic Ford buildings originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Porsche 911 Carrera 4S named Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Porsche, Racing, Comparisons

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Best Driver's Car video

Motor Trend has named the 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S its best driver’s car for 2013. The annual
competition for the title included some of the best performance cars that have gone on sale in the past year. The new C4S follows the 2012 Best Driver’s Car award winner, a two-wheel-drive Carrera S.

Determining the winner of the coveted title isn’t easy. Each vehicle is pushed through Motor Trend‘s normal battery of instrumented tests. Editors then spend time with each car over a 500-mile tour of mixed conditions before a final batch of testing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with pro racer Randy Pobst at the wheel.

The video below features one of the Carrera’s hot laps with Pobst at the wheel, providing commentary on just what the car is like at its limits. Also, there’s plenty of that sweet, distinctive, Porsche flat-six howl. Take a look below for the full video.

Continue reading Porsche 911 Carrera 4S named Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car [w/video]

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S named Motor Trend Best Driver’s Car [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Volvo CEO to shell out nearly $700k to settle MAN corruption investigation

Filed under: Government/Legal, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Work, Specialty

Hakan Samuelsson, CEO of the MAN AG, Europe's third largest truck maker, attends the annual shareholders' meeting in Munich on Friday, April 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Uwe Lein)

Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson will be making a rather large charitable donation – 500,000 Euros ($668,000), according to Bloomberg. This is not, however, a move out of the goodness of his heart. It’s part of an agreement the exec made after a court case in Germany. Samuelsson spent nine years at truck manufacturer MAN, with his last four years as the boss. During his tenure, though, MAN was accused of illegal conduct, now understood to be bribes, in its Slovenian operations.

The agreement stems from a desire to avoid a lengthy trial for Volvo’s new CEO. As Samuelsson himself points out to Bloomberg, “I would have preferred to go through with the trial as I don’t have any doubt about my innocence. But this wouldn’t have been compatible with my role as Volvo CEO, and I want to leave Germany with passably positive impressions.”

It’s important to note that Samuelsson was not directly accused of bribery, unlike a certain elderly racing executive. Instead, the former head of MAN’s auditing department testified that Samuelsson was merely aware of “possible corrupt practices.” MAN as a whole was fined 150 million Euros in a 2009 inquiry, while several blue and white-collar workers were indicted, according to Bloomberg. Samuelsson will also pay 1.2 million Euros ($1.6 million) to MAN, which the company says will be “in recognition of his corporate-governance responsibility as the former CEO.”

Volvo CEO to shell out nearly $700k to settle MAN corruption investigation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read This: A look into how Ron Howard’s Rush got financed

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Celebrities, TV/Movies

Rush movie

Producing the upcoming 1970s Formula 1 movie Rush wasn’t like the old days, when a mid-budget film could be pitched with a good chance it would be financed by a major production company. No, even after famed director Ron Howard jumped on board the F1 biopic of legendary drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, he couldn’t use his clout at Universal Studios to persuade the company to finance it, Variety reports. Universal cited the film’s biopic elements and F1’s low profile in the US as reasons not to produce it, but the company did agree to handle US distribution.

So how did Rush get an injection of $50 million when the heavy hitters wouldn’t touch it? You’ll have to read Variety‘s article, which details British screenwriter Peter Morgan’s convoluted quest to fund the movie – a pioneering example of how mid-budget films increasingly could be funded as major production companies look the other way.

When you’re done reading, be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes featurette of Rush to hold you over until its September 27 release.

A look into how Ron Howard’s Rush got financed originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Teased: Nissan says next Rogue coming September 10

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Crossover, Nissan

2014 Nissan Rogue teaser

The Nissan Rogue has been around since 2007, and after nearly seven years on the market, it’s about due for replacement. Which is just what Nissan has announced is coming up next down the pipeline.

The Japanese automaker didn’t reveal much to go with this teaser image of the headlight and front fender, saying only that “the all-new 2014 Nissan Rogue will push the envelope of CUV design starting on September 10 when it is unveiled.” That’s the day on which the Frankfurt Motor Show opens its doors for press previews, so it’s pretty safe to say that we’ll be seeing it at the Messe.

The news follows the spy shots we brought you two weeks ago. Expect the design to follow the lead set forth by the Hi-Cross concept from Geneva last year, with production to take place in Tennessee.

Continue reading Nissan says next Rogue coming September 10

Nissan says next Rogue coming September 10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer shows its fresh face ahead of Frankfurt debut

Filed under: Frankfurt Motor Show, Spy Photos, Performance, Wagon, Europe, Opel

Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer - front three-quarter

Drive down the Autobahn and there’s any number of vehicles likely to pass you, and most of them are produced locally. But if you’re wondering how that Opel left you in its dust, look closely (and quickly) enough and you might make out the letters OPC on the back.

They stand for Opel Performance Center (the German counterpart to Vauxhall’s VXR line) and they adorn performance versions of the Corsa, Astra and Insignia. The latter is undergoing a bit of a refresh and is expected to debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in a couple of weeks, but you don’t have to wait that long as our intrepid spy photographers have caught it in the flesh outside an Opel facility in Germany.

Spied here completely undisguised in Sports Tourer (read: wagon) form, the Insignia has had a few nips and tucks performed, but we’ll be more intrigued to see what it’s got under the hood. The current model packs a 2.8-liter twin-turbo V6 driving 325 horsepower to all four wheels, but rumors suggest that the OPC (yeah you know me!) could have as much as 400 hp up its sleeve. That would make this one heck of a sleeper – especially in wagon form – and only make us pine for a more potent version of its twin Buick Regal to roam our highways, too.

Opel Insignia OPC Sports Tourer shows its fresh face ahead of Frankfurt debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: Americans who consider drunk driving ‘a serious threat’ declines 21% in 3 years

Filed under: Safety

The

Alternate titles for this story could have been “American drivers growing stupider,” “Number of boneheads on the road increases,” “Natural selection having greater influence on American drivers.” We don’t mean to make light of the latest study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, but it’s so darn disturbing that we aren’t really sure what else to do.

AAA compiled the results of three years of surveys, and found that Americans aren’t nearly as concerned about seriously bad behaviors while driving as they were a few years ago. It’s no wonder there was an estimated 5.3-percent increase in annual traffic fatalities last year. The infuriating thing is that we’ve gone seven years without an increase in fatalities.

In 2009, 90 percent of the AAA survey respondents thought drunk driving was a “serious threat.” 71 percent were opposed to drowsy driving. 87 percent considered working a smartphone while behind the wheel to be a bad thing, while 21 percent admitted to texting while driving. 77 percent took issue with people that ran red lights.

Fast-forward to 2012, and we’re going to see a rather radical shift in feelings. Only 69 percent of people find drinking and driving to be an issue, while 46 percent are opposed to drowsy driving. 81 percent think a smartphone and driving don’t mix, while 26 percent have texted while behind the wheel. Also baffling, 70 percent of people are against running red lights, with over a third admitting to flying through a red in the past month. For those that don’t feel like looking at the paragraph above for comparison, fewer people are concerned with bad behind-the-wheel behaviors.

Take a look below for the full press release on the AAA study, and please, please be safe behind the wheel.

Continue reading Americans who consider drunk driving ‘a serious threat’ declines 21% in 3 years

Americans who consider drunk driving ‘a serious threat’ declines 21% in 3 years originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Followup: NHTSA rebuffs ‘best ever’ crash test claim by Tesla [w/video]

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Videos, Tesla, Electric, Luxury

Tesla Model S after crash frontal crash testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administraion

In response to Tesla’s claim that the Model S is the safest car ever tested, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a statement clearing up how it rates cars. While not denying that the Model S is a very safe car, the agency said that its rating system is only between one and five stars – nothing higher and nothing lower.

This means that, unlike honors classes in college and high school, there is no way to score above the highest rating, and Tesla says that it received a 5.4-star rating (although there is no indication where it got this information). Also, NHTSA made no mention of any broken equipment it suffered while testing the Model S; another claim made by Tesla. Scroll down for the Model S crash video courtesy of ABC News as well as NHTSA’s brief statement.

Continue reading NHTSA rebuffs ‘best ever’ crash test claim by Tesla [w/video]

NHTSA rebuffs ‘best ever’ crash test claim by Tesla [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: The story of NASCAR’s Richie Parker asks you to leave your excuses at the door

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

ESPN: Richie Parker video

This is Richie Parker. He’s a number of things: car enthusiast, engineer, employee, son. He’s a normal guy for his age, working a job in a field he loves. Oh, he also happens to have no arms. After watching this video from ESPN, we can’t help but think that Richie might describe himself in just such a way, with his birth defect a secondary part of his life, scarcely worth mentioning. His story is a remarkable one, about not letting bumps in the road stop you and about finding ingenious solutions to problems you or I have never thought about.

Richie was born with bilateral amelia, a non-genetic birth defect in which limbs aren’t formed. While the idea of not having any arms might be terrifying to many, as shown in the video, having dealt with it since birth has lead Richie to develop a number of interesting solutions. He can ride a bike, open the fridge and microwave on his own, use a computer and drive a car with his feet – virtually everything we can do (and take for granted) Richie can do with a bit of determination and creativity. Not surprisingly, finding those interesting solutions to everyday problems teamed with his love of cars led to a job at one of the finest NASCAR teams in the country. Take a look at the full video from ESPN, embedded below.

After that, perhaps you’d be interested in hearing a bit about some more people who have managed to overcome similar issues in equally impressive ways.

Continue reading The story of NASCAR’s Richie Parker asks you to leave your excuses at the door

The story of NASCAR’s Richie Parker asks you to leave your excuses at the door originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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