Category: Auto Industry

Autoblog Podcast #341

Filed under: Podcasts, Hyundai, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen

Ram 1500 wins Consumer Reports comparo, Lexus RC Coupe spied, Long-Term Garage update

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Episode #341 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and the crew this week is Dan Roth, Steven Ewing and Michael Harley. We cover the Ram 1500 winning a Consumer Reports comparison test, the spy shots of a Lexus RC coupe and what more coupes could mean for Lexus, and we also come up to speed on how the Autoblog Long-Term Garage is faring. Like always, we start with the garage and end with your questions and comments. 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 #341:

Topics:

  • Ram 1500 wins Consumer Reports comparo
  • Lexus RC Coupe caught
  • Long-Term Garage updates

In the Autoblog Garage:

  • 2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI
  • 2013 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
  • 2013 Nissan Juke Nismo

Hosts: Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, Michael Harley

Runtime: 01:36:13

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Autoblog Podcast #341 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: VW Phaeton coming back to US, could be revealed in Detroit

Filed under: Sedan, Volkswagen, Luxury

Since its ignominious departure from the US car market in 2006, there have been any number of on-again/off-again rumors about the Volkswagen Phaeton returning to our shores. With that said, VW’s aggressive goals in terms of worldwide sales dominance would seem to countenance all manner of new product; taking a second stab at a halo-luxury car for the US, included.

At least that’s the gist of a new report from Bloomberg, which dangles the idea of a new Phaeton potentially being “shown to US consumers in January,” or just in time for the 2014 Detroit Auto Show.

Short on specifics and citations, the Bloomberg report seems to rely on the expansionist behavior of VW as a whole over the last few years, and a few statements of positivity from VW CEO Martin Winterkorn. The publication quotes Winterkorn as saying, “A brand as large as Volkswagen needs a halo project in the upscale segment.” Bloomberg also states that Winterkorn was “confirming” the Phaeton’s return to the US.

The supposedly Detroit-bound Phaeton demonstrator could come in concept form, as a way of better judging public reaction to the reintroduction of the sedan. Pending a greenlight, the next-gen Phaeton is likely to share architecture with the Audi A8, with the potential good for a hybrid version, as well.

VW Phaeton coming back to US, could be revealed in Detroit originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Hyundai mulling new small CUV under Tucson

Filed under: Budget, Crossover, Hyundai

2013 Hyundai Tucson - front three-quarter view, silver

Hyundai maintains it can barely build enough of its core models to satisfy North American consumers, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t keen to expand its offerings to capture developing segments of the market. According to Edmunds, one of those expanding niches could be the burgeoning subcompact crossover segment. The website quotes Hyundai North America president and CEO John Krafcik as acknowledging his company is “very under-represented” in crossovers, the market’s hottest vehicle type.

With the discontinuation of the Veracruz, Hyundai is down to two CUV nameplates, Tucson (pictured) and Santa Fe, the latter of which covers two segments with a two-row Sport and long-wheelbase three-row model. And while Hyundai commands seven percent of the US sedan market, the company estimates it only has two percent of the truck segment.

And while Krafcik stops short of confirming a new model, he acknowledges “a new segment is emerging” underneath the Tucson and says, “I think it’s something to look at.” At the moment, the subcompact softroader segment remains small and somewhat amorphous, with tiny CUV offerings like the Buick Encore, Nissan Juke, and now-discontinued Suzuki SX4 illustrating that there are a lot of different ways to package and market such a vehicle.

Edmunds expects a new Tucson sometime around 2015, so with Krafcik admitting that the company has no firm plans but is starting to look into the matter, it’s likely that we won’t see a smaller CUV from Hyundai until sometime after that.

Hyundai mulling new small CUV under Tucson originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quick Spin: 2013 Mercedes A45 AMG 4Matic [w/video]

Filed under: Performance, Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury, Quick Spins

United States customers desiring one of the new smaller AMG models from Mercedes-Benz will really enjoy their 2014 CLA45. It’s swift, authoritative, more alive in your hands than any other AMG model has ever been, and it’s the only compact practical AMG you’ll ever be able to get anyway.

Little ghost-like leaks keep on happening from some apparent “source” in Germany, telling young cub reporters from the US that the A-Class hatchback range is also coming to the land of hashbrowns. The way we read it, the A-Class, however, will never come to the States, folks, at least not in this decade, anyway.

More’s the pity, because, as we and all others noticed at the recent drive event in Germany, for both the A45 and the CLA45, it’s the hatch that truly pulls no punches on dynamism. The CLA has clearly been massaged to be just a touch to be more civil than the excitingly bratty A45.

Driving Notes

  • As we said in the recent First Drive for the CLA45, the A45 is a decidedly different concoction from the usual straight-line marauders of the AMG lineup. The chassis is dramatically more alive and communicative, and we really like it.
  • From now on, AMG is putting some form of 4Matic traction under every car. That means some compromises – good and not so – will happen. In this case, the hang-on all-wheel-drive unit creates a much more capable sporting drive versus a straight front-wheel-drive setup.
  • That said, some people who talk like they’ve driven the car will shower both the A45 and CLA45 with their prejudiced derision. They’ll proclaim – no matter what we say – that these are cheapo overpriced front-drive Euro econoboxes. It also means that there’ll be more of these great cars for those of us who dig ’em.
  • While we dashed around on roads and Autobahn, our track time for this event was relegated to AMG Performance chassis-prepped A45 AMG Edition 1 units, a limited-run setup for Europe that pimps the ride out to around €57,000 base price (roughly $75,000 due to exhilarating European taxation policies and an overvalued Euro). Ride along for a spot of this action, in the video below.
  • Realistically, an A45 would need to start at around $45k in the US. The fully tricked Edition 1 as at this track, however, would bring about $60k for starters. Enough to make American blog comments go ballistic.
  • The optional matte Mountain Grey Designo exterior paint and darkened multitudinous-spoked 19-inch AMG wheelset of our street-tester A45, go together like ham and eggs. This unit had everything on it apart from the Edition 1 trickery and overly excited aero bits, and we think it’s all the better for it.
  • The experts on hand at this drive event finally admitted that the ratings of the elasto-kinematics fore and aft of the suspension were, in fact, different for the A45 versus the CLA45. The handling that is possible with the hatch is pure premium hot and it’s a sensation we’ve never had before in an AMG.
  • Mercedes conservatively claims a 0-62 miles per hour acceleration time of 4.6 seconds for the A45, but we’re certain a 4.2 will be possible and repeatable.
  • This M133 2.0-liter motor is a remarkable piece of work, and it meshes really well with the seven-speed AMG dual-clutch, with shift action that is equal to that in the SLS AMG GT. A manual six with good heel-and-toe pedal placement would have been entertaining, but the automated DCT is hot stuff.

The 2013 Mercedes A45 AMG has already gone on sale in its initial markets in Europe and it is bound to be a popular with compact-performance addicted Europeans. People can say whatever they want about the front-drive chassis, but in Europe, this is how compact sportsters roll, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this exact car on the World Rally Championship circuit by next year. The hang-on 4Matic unit is a solid solution for this niche-monger car, and we regret only that we will never drive it on our favorite Stateside highways and byways.

Continue reading 2013 Mercedes A45 AMG 4Matic [w/video]

2013 Mercedes A45 AMG 4Matic [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Euro car sales plummet to two-decade low

Filed under: Car Buying, Europe, UK

Volkswagen's car elevator and storage - overhead view

Just three months ago, as of April, the story was that the European car market registered its first gain in 19 months, consumer confidence was up “higher than average” and observers were hoping the month could be the first footstep in the trek to “legitimate recovery,” even though Europe’s four-month sales were down seven percent. The stats for June are a return to dark portents, with Bloomberg now reporting that sales for the month haven’t been this bad since 1993. As a result, investor confidence in Germany has taken a dive and Eurozone exports have fallen for a second straight month.

There were 1.18 million cars registered in June, which represents a 6.3-percent decline from a year before. The overall seven-percent decline in car sales remained on track, the half-year number of 6.44 million vehicles sold so far this year being a 6.7-percent drop from 2012 (that number also being the smallest number of cars sold since 1993). The UK market was the only bright spot, jumping by 13 percent but being more than offset by Germany’s 4.7-percent decline and France’s 8.4-percent drop.

No one expects it to get better, either, one analyst saying “I don’t think that it will get better in the very near future,” Renault, Peugeot and BMW saying they expect a five-percent decline year-on-year, and another analyst opining that perhaps the best that can be said is that perhaps things are bottoming out, but that’s “not the same thing as saying they have started to recover.”

Euro car sales plummet to two-decade low originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Limited-edition VW Beetle GSR priced from $29,995*

Filed under: Car Buying, Performance, Hatchback, Volkswagen

2014 Volkswagen Beetle GSR on show stand - front three-quarter view, yellow

Volkswagen has announced that pricing of its limited-edition 2014 Beetle GSR will start from $29,995, *not including $820 for destination. This throwback to the original 1970s “Yellow Black Racer” first debuted at the Chicago Auto Show and will be limited to just 3,500 units worldwide.

The prominent black-and-yellow paint scheme sets the GSR apart from lesser turbocharged Beetle models, and the car rides on 19-inch Tornado alloy wheels wrapped in 235/40-series tires. That same color combination makes its way inside the Bug, with yellow contrast stitching on the black leather surfaces. Additionally, there are sport seats, a sport steering wheel (with a serialized number plaque), plus a unique R-Line dash pad and GSR shift lever.

The Beetle GSR builds off the R-Line model, powered by Volkswagen’s tried-and-true 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine that puts out 210 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque in this application. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, though Volkswagen will offer the GSR with its six-speed DSG dual-clutch ‘box for an additional $1,100. Hitting 60 miles per hour takes just 6.6 seconds in the GSR, and top speed is limited to 130 mph.

Scroll down for Volkswagen’s official pricing release on this limited-edition B.

Continue reading Limited-edition VW Beetle GSR priced from $29,995*

Limited-edition VW Beetle GSR priced from $29,995* originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: McLaren P1 XP2R caught doing hot laps

Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Racing, McLaren

McLaren P1 XPR2 prototype on 'Ring - spy shot - front three-quarter view

McLaren P1 XP2R DetailColor us befuddled. This is a McLaren P1, circling the Nürburgring. Not too out of the ordinary, right? Well, direct your attention to the very last photo in our gallery of spy shots (also conveniently located to the right), and notice the graphic: XP2R Prototype Vehicle.

Is this a new McLaren that’s powered by an ion engine? Perhaps it burns refined goat milk rather than gas? The reality is likely far less spectacular. The XP2R is almost certainly the testbed for a more potent version of the already freakishly quick McLaren P1, or perhaps even a prototype of an upcoming endurance car to take the place of the 12C racer.

We’re leaning towards the former rather than the latter, simply due to the seeming lack of racing-specific bits. The windows look like glass, rather than Lexan, and the aerodynamics package looks too close to stock to be for racing. There’s also no evidence of racing-spec safety features in the cabin, although it’s difficult to tell for certain from these images.

Or maybe McLaren just trotted out an old prototype of the P1 so we’d jump all over it and some engineers in the UK could have a laugh. Whatever the XP2R is, we’re keeping our ears to the ground for any additional info and we’ll be sure to update you as soon as possible.

McLaren P1 XP2R caught doing hot laps originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Intrepid farmer plows fire line in hay field

Filed under: Etc., Videos

Colorado is in the grips of its nearly annual summer wildfires. The fast-moving fires are fed by dry conditions and high winds, and have resulted in desperate attempts on the part of some residents to save their homes and livelihoods.

This farmer in Weld County, roughly an hour north of Denver, is attempting to cut a fire line into his hay field in a bid to contain the blaze. It’s unclear if the farmer was successful, as the helicopter video contains no commentary and was taken a few days ago.

Still, this video serves as a gripping reminder of the cost of these fires and just how determined citizens are to stop them. And for those that think this isn’t a big deal, consider that what this farmer is doing is exceedingly dangerous. Without a clear mind about his surroundings, the fire could have easily overtaken and surrounded him, and with so much smoke, breathable air is at a premium. Scroll down for a closer look.

Continue reading Intrepid farmer plows fire line in hay field

Intrepid farmer plows fire line in hay field originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2014 Audi RS7 [w/video]

Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Audi, First Drives, Luxury

Stunning Sportback Gets The Performance To Match

2014 Audi RS7

Saying the 2014 Audi RS7 Sportback is not as good as the not-for-North-America Audi RS6 Avant we recently tested is a bit like saying one more strip of crispy bacon would make our Waffle House All-Star Special breakfast even more special. The RS7 goes to ten while the RS6 goes to eleven, maybe, but they both rock our world. The RS7 is meant for the far wider buying audience worldwide, not just for western European family bombing runs, as with the RS6 Avant.

But, hey, this RS7 simply hurtles down the road in a singularly sexy way. And if you really want this bodystyle – and who could blame you? – the RS6 Avant doesn’t really even matter anyway. After a full day on perfect dry and warm Swabian two-lanes driving this Audi very hard, we barely thought about it at all.

Continue reading 2014 Audi RS7 [w/video]

2014 Audi RS7 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chrysler recalls 2013 Ram pickups, 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Recalls, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram

2013 Dodge Ram 1500 - front three-quarter view

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee - dead-on front viewChrysler’s spate of successful products is about to be marred by a trio of recalls. The Pentastar is recalling 51,477 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there have been no reported accidents, injuries or deaths related to the affected vehicles.

The largest action covers the Ram 1500, which is seeing 45,961 trucks being recalled. Models built between June 26, 2012 and February 5, 2013 are being recalled due to a potential software issue in the electronic stability control. Apparently, the system can be randomly deactivated upon vehicle startup.

Chrysler is also recalling 4,458 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee models. Covering everything but the SRT models, the potentially defective SUVs were built between January 14 and March 20, 2013. This recall focuses on “premium headlights,” which means cars equipped with LED running lights. During the switch from the bright daytime running lamp setting to the low-intensity parking light setting, an electrical spike can cause one of the Jeep’s computers to go into a safe mode, turning off the LEDs. This violates Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

Finally, Chrysler is recalling 1,058 Ram 4500 and 5500 heavy-duty pickups. The action covers vehicles manufactured between January 22 and March 8, 2013 due to an incorrect bolt attaching the track bar to the frame. If the bolt breaks or falls off while driving, drivers may lose control of the vehicle.

Owners of effected models will be notified to report to their dealers for free repairs or retrofits, with all three recalls kicking off in August.

Continue reading Chrysler recalls 2013 Ram pickups, 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Chrysler recalls 2013 Ram pickups, 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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