Category: Auto Industry

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG spied with minor changes

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertible, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Roadster spy shots - front three-quarter view

Despite looking fresh and fancy as ever, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is nearly four years old now. Its design was first shown to the world at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, and judging by these spy photos, it looks like a couple of small changes are in order for Merc’s gullwing baby (or not, seeing as how the test car spied this time around happens to the the Roadster). The timing of the update is interesting, seeing as how Mercedes introduced a new GT model that effectively replaced the standard car last June. The SLS AMG GT didn’t receive much in the way of optical attention, however, so perhaps this is just the Three-Pointed-Star keeping things fresh.

The only real camouflage on the test car seen here is found up front, where it looks like the SLS’ fascia has undergone a slight nip/tuck. The grille shape has been modified a tiny bit, and it appears that the lower lip gets the majority of the changes. Our spy shooters tell us that we shouldn’t rule out more changes down the road, possibly to the headlamps and taillamps. Of course, there could be further massaging under the hood or inside the cabin, but it’s unclear if any of that is going on based on these photos.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG spied with minor changes originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Read This: PickupTrucks.com’s latest test results in a familiar winner [w/video]

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Nissan, Toyota, Ram

2013 PickupTrucks.com Light Duty Challenge

PickupTrucks.com has gone and thrown the latest batch of half-ton pickups into a cage match to see who would come out on top. The site put the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500, GMC Sierra 1500, 2013 Ford F-150, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan through a battery of tests. Those included 0-60 miles per hour acceleration, 60-0 mph deceleration, fuel economy, a hill climb, and payload and towing. They even threw the rigs on an autocross course to evaluate overall handling. Each truck was given points based on how it scored in each evaluation.

Who came out on top? Somewhat surprisingly, the 2013 Ford F-150 walked away with the gold, though fewer than 50 points separated first and fourth place. Head over to PickupTrucks.com to read the full evaluation and the final results. You may be shocked to see exactly where some of the segment’s newest additions placed. You can also watch a video on the test below.

Continue reading PickupTrucks.com’s latest test results in a familiar winner [w/video]

PickupTrucks.com’s latest test results in a familiar winner [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Aston Martin unveils new Gulf livery for Le Mans

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Europe, Aston Martin, Design/Style, Racing

Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE Gulf Livery

Aston Martin has pulled back the sheets on the company’s new Gulf livery for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Penned by Jonathan Wesley, the Number 97 Vantage GTE will wear the colors throughout race week as the car prepares to compete in the 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans. Darren Turner, Stefan Mucke and Peter Dumbreck will all take turns behind the wheel of the car. Wesley said he designed the livery using the four Gulf corporate colors arranged from lightest to dark, with the right side painted white and the left painted dark blue to symbolize the change in race conditions from daylight to dusk.

Fans chose Wesley’s design from a spate of others as part of a Gulf contest. As a result, the designer will spend Le Mans weekend as a VIP guest with Aston Martin. The company says the No. 97 car will compete along with four other Vantage GTE bruisers, but will be the only one to carry the special livery. You can read the full press release below for more information.

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Aston Martin unveils new Gulf livery for Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Study: New J.D. Power Initial Quality Study puts Porsche, GM in spotlight

Filed under: Car Buying, GM, Porsche

Porsche Emblem

J.D. Power and Associates has released its annual Initial Quality Study, and this year, Porsche and General Motors took the spotlight. The study, which asks new car owners to report problems experienced during the first 90 days of ownership, found that overall, the industry averages 113 problems per 100 vehicles.

Porsche managed a score of just 80 problems per 100 vehicles, while GMC took the second spot on the podium with 90. Lexus filled out the top three with 94 problems per 100 vehicles, followed by Infiniti at 95 and Chevrolet at 97. The study also looks at specific models, and found the Lexus LS to enjoy the best initial quality at 59 problems per 100 vehicles.

Interestingly enough, the report found that around two-thirds of most owner problems experienced in the first 90 days are attributable to vehicle design instead of mechanical failure. Specifically – echoing a refrain we’ve been hearing for the last few years – owners are having a hard time figuring out how to use the technology present in their new vehicles. Head over to the J.D. Power site for more information, or scroll down below for the company’s related press release.

Continue reading New J.D. Power Initial Quality Study puts Porsche, GM in spotlight

New J.D. Power Initial Quality Study puts Porsche, GM in spotlight originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Korres Project 4 is an on- and off-road Corvette-powered juggernaut [w/video]

Filed under: Aftermarket, Coupe, Performance, Europe, Videos, Specialty, Off-Road

Korres Project 4

It looks as if the Local Motors Rally Fighter will soon have some competition. The Korres Project 4 boasts a 7.0-liter LS7 V8 lifted from the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. With 505 horsepower shoved into a 3,527-pound package, the creation should have no trouble covering ground very quickly. Dimitris Korres, the Greek architect behind the Project 4, says his creation can clip to 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 186. That’s all par for the course, but it’s the machine’s innovative suspension that makes it stand out from the crowd.

Capable of increasing or decreasing its ride height as necessary, the Project 4 can cover all sorts of terrain at speed. With locking differentials front, center and rear, the creation has the potential to be very impressive. You can check out a pair of videos below for a better look. Note that the photos in the gallery show the bruiser with its body panels removed for a better look at its innovative suspension and bare aluminum chassis, and check out this link for more.

Continue reading Korres Project 4 is an on- and off-road Corvette-powered juggernaut [w/video]

Korres Project 4 is an on- and off-road Corvette-powered juggernaut [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Next Chrysler minivan to be Town & Country only, fueling Dodge closure rumors

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Dodge

​2013 Chrysler Town & Country S - front three-quarter view

Recent reports have suggested that Chrysler may soon phase out its long-running Dodge brand, and while the company remains mum on the subject, you can’t blame analysts for thinking that’s the direction the Pentastar’s everyday brand is heading. After all, Chrysler has shown a willingness to shutter brands, having killed off Plymouth back in 2001, and it’s putting big dollars behind its bid to build Fiat into a North American force. Chrysler also recently took the step of spinning off its trucks into the stand-alone Ram brand and relocated its halo Viper supercar under the SRT banner.

Couple that with long-held gossip that the full-size Dodge Durango utility vehicle and the Avenger sedan are both living on borrowed time, and you’ve got a dwindling product portfolio. That would leave Dodge with the Dart compact (a model that isn’t selling particularly well), the Charger (which has a mechanical twin in the Chrysler 300) and the Challenger, which could be supplanted by a rumored Chrysler/SRT Cuda. On the people-mover front, Dodge offers the aging Journey and the Grand Caravan, which is the twin to the bigger-margin Chrysler Town & Country.

Stories for some time have pegged Chrysler as only moving forward with one minivan, though there has been some waffling as to whether the next-generation MPV would wear the Town & Country badge or that of the Grand Caravan. A new report out of Canada – where the vehicles are built – says that the winner in the sippy-cup derby is the next Chrysler Town & Country, which will carry a 2016 model year designation. In addition, sources report that T&C production at the Windsor Assembly Plant will be joined by an as-yet-unnamed large near-luxury crossover for 2017, another long-rumored model that could be similar in concept to the long-defunct Pacifica. The brand for this new model? You guessed it – Chrysler.

Next Chrysler minivan to be Town & Country only, fueling Dodge closure rumors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Jaguar F-Type Coupe proves sexy can’t be disguised

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Jaguar, Luxury

Jaguar F-Type Coupe spy shots

Jaguar’s new F-Type is a pretty potent little pouncer. And while we do love a good roadster, many of us at Autoblog are perhaps more excited about the upcoming hardtop version of Jag’s stylish new entry-level sports car. Why? Because even here in heavily camouflaged prototype form, the thing looks really, really good – the sleek roofline blending rather nicely into the F-Type’s shapely rump, allowing for better distinction of its pronounced hips over the rear wheel wells.

Mechanically speaking, the F-Type Coupe should be identical to its droptop sibling. That means the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 and 5.0-liter V8 engine lineup should carry over unchanged, though we’ve heard rumors about a four-cylinder application as well. There’s also talk of hotter R, R-S or R-S GT models coming down the pipeline, and based on what we’ve experienced in things like the XKR-S, we certainly can’t deny the allure of such a model.

It’s unclear exactly when Jaguar will show the production F-Type Coupe (at the Frankfurt Motor Show, perhaps?), but the car is expected to go on sale sometime in 2014. Check it out in our latest spy gallery, above.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe proves sexy can’t be disguised originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Watch Porsche’s 918 Spyder break a sweat while hot weather testing

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Videos, Porsche

With five months left until the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder enters production, Porsche engineers are still putting the hybrid sports coupe through a battery of last-minute tests. To give us new reasons to ogle over the car – as if we needed any more – Porsche has released a short video showing the 918 Spyder undergoing shakedown tests in the hot Nevada desert. And you can’t drive through Nevada without visiting Vegas, too, right?

Although there’s really nothing new to see in this video, it’s still fun to watch as Porsche approaches one million test miles logged on this exciting new high-performance model. One interesting part (at around the 0:37 mark) shows the car taking off under electric power and then transitioning to engine power, which results in a mix of whirs and growls as the 918 Spyder switches from a 127-horsepower electric vehicle to an 887-hp hybrid supercar. Scroll down to watch – and hear – Porsche’s latest creation in motion.

Continue reading Watch Porsche’s 918 Spyder break a sweat while hot weather testing

Watch Porsche’s 918 Spyder break a sweat while hot weather testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 12:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2014 Fiat 500L

Filed under: Wagon, Hatchback, First Drives, Fiat

Unexpectedly, This Opposite Attracts

2014 Fiat 500L

Back in 2007 when the Fiat 500 was launched, I was unrepentantly nuts about the thing. From the first time my eyes clapped on the Nuevo Cinquecento at the Geneva Motor Show that year, I wanted one. Since there were no plans for a North American model at the time, I had to settle for purchasing a 1/18th-scale diecast at the expo. When Fiat finally returned to the US and the Cinquecento went on sale in 2011, I was no less excited.

And then I drove one, and the bloom was off my little Italian rose. Oh, I still appreciated its size and high style, but I found it wholly unsatisfying to drive, something that wouldn’t be rectified until the Abarth arrived. It wasn’t that the standard 500 was slow – I expected that – it was that its wonky driving position, lackluster transmissions and ropey steering all stood in the way of appreciating its other virtues. The Abarth’s characterful powertrain would eventually come along to alleviate most of those pains, but not all of them.

Now with the advent of the 500L for 2014, it appears I’m living the same scenario, albeit in reverse. My first encounter with this new, larger Fiat was also at the Geneva show, only this time, when the sheet was yanked off its flanks in 2012, I didn’t like what I saw. The Italian marque hadn’t just name-checked the Cinquecento with this larger five-door, it attempted to appropriate its amusing and iconic design by repeating key styling elements like its circular light fixtures and simple chrome bar grille (collectively known as the “whiskers and logo face”), along with rounded interior forms painted in body colors. To my eyes, the design just didn’t work, yet I was still intrigued about the promise of a larger 500 and more polished driving experience.

Continue reading 2014 Fiat 500L

2014 Fiat 500L originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Mazda announces live-streaming vehicle intro on Xbox

Filed under: Mazda, Toys/Games

XBox logo

In April, Mazda introduced a marketing campaign titled “Game Changers” to showcase how certain people have made significant impacts in their respective sports, and now it’s the Japanese automaker that is changing the game by creating an innovative way to launch a new product. Mazda is teaming up with Xbox to offer a first-of-its-kind live-streaming global debut of a new product. Mazda didn’t say which model will be debuted, but our guess is that it will be the next-generation Mazda3.

The actual reveal will take place at 9 pm on June 26 during a live concert from the band Metric in New York City, but there will be other live events preceding the concert in Melbourne, St. Petersburg, Istanbul and London. Mazda will be promoting the event on social media using the hashtag #GameChanger, and there is also a contest on Xbox where one winner will receive $2,500 to attend a music event of their choice. Scroll down for the full details of the contest and vehicle debut event.

Continue reading Mazda announces live-streaming vehicle intro on Xbox

Mazda announces live-streaming vehicle intro on Xbox originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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