2014 Archives | Page 12 of 13

Second Spin: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion

Filed under: Europe, Technology, Hatchback, Volkswagen, First Drive, Electric

Wolfsburg Questions Its Own Wisdom With EV Golf

Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion

2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion – Click above for high-res image gallery

Yes, we know. “2014” sounds so impressively future-y, doesn’t it? When we’re testing a car and the R&D people involved look at us and say it won’t be on the market until 2014, our eyes dilate, too. “Wow,” we say to ourselves while keeping a straight face in front of the mega-powerful board member, “That’s like space travel and everything!”

So yeah, we get emotional.

It’s understandable, too, because we’re in the mothership for what seems like half of the world’s significant automotive brands. It’s the Volkswagen Group’s Wolfsburg HQ on the vast verdant lowlands of northern Germany in the region of Lower Saxony. There is no Upper Saxony, by the way. We looked.

We’re here to get a personalized infotainment-filled test of the already much commented-on Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion. It’s coming to the United States in… 2014.

Continue reading Second Drive: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion…

Gallery: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion: Second Spin

2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion

Continue reading Second Spin: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion

Second Spin: 2014 Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Chevy Impala to soldier on with new V6, replacement delayed until 2014

Filed under: Sedan, Chevrolet, GM

2011 Chevrolet Impala

2011 Chevrolet Impala – Click above for high-res image gallery

When discussing the current W-body Chevrolet Impala, the phrase “long-in-the tooth” is an understatement. And while Chevrolet’s biggest retail sedan was scheduled to get a complete overhaul in 2013, a report from GMInsideNews states that the next Impala has now rescheduled for the 2014 model year.

In an effort to keep the elderly Impala passably fresh until its new Epsilon-based replacement arrives, General Motors is reportedly ready to outfit the big sedan with its 3.6-liter V6 engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Both the current 3.5- and 3.9-liter V6 engines have been canned, and because of the W-body architecture, adding a six-speed automatic transmission to the existing engines would not have been feasible.

No other updates are scheduled for the 2012 model year as of this writing, but we’re sure that the Impala will continue to be a fleet queen until a more consumer-worthy replacement arrives.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Impala

2011 Chevrolet Impala

[Sources: GMInsideNews, Motor Authority]

2012 Chevy Impala to soldier on with new V6, replacement delayed until 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: 470-hp 2014 Cadillac ATS-V?

Filed under: Performance, Cadillac, Rumormill, Luxury

Cadillac ATS mule spy shots

Spy Shots: Cadillac ATS mule – Click above for high res-image gallery

Cadillac has made it clear it plans to enter the rarified air generally reserved for such finely tuned machinery as the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with the same verve and gusto it’s done with its CTS. And the vehicle it hopes will earn them entrance into the hotly contested market is the upcoming ATS.

We know General Motors will attack the small end of the premium market with a multi-tiered approach, including engines packing four, six or eight cylinders. A new document that surfaced on Cheers & Gears seems to indicate just such an approach, culminating in a fire-breathing ATS-V with a 6.2-liter pushrod V8 engine sending 470 horsepower and 438 pound-feet of torque through either a six-speed automatic or manual gearbox.

Moving down a notch will reportedly get you the same 3.6-liter direct injected V6 engine that powers the bulk of Caddy’s CTS models; 330 horses and 280 lb-ft will be routed through an eight-speed automatic transmission. According to the supposed spec sheet, that combo should net 20 miles per gallon in the city and 30 on the highway using regular-grade gas.

Finally, the rumormill swirls with talk that a turbocharged four cylinder displacing 2.0 liters and putting out 270 horsepower and 250 lb-ft will serve as the base engine for the ATS, mated up to an eight-speed automatic. Naturally, that combo will serve as the fuel mileage leader, managing an estimated 22 city/32 highway rating, though it’s likely to require premium gas.

Certainly, all of this information is to be taken with a suitably sized grain of salt (mayhaps the whole shaker?), but it is in line with what we’ve been hearing for the last year or so. In any case, we ought to find out all the details in due time – Cadillac’s ATS is expected to hit the market no later than the latter half of 2013 as a 2014 model.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Cadillac ATS or XTS?

[Source: Cheers & Geers via Motor Authority]

Rumormill: 470-hp 2014 Cadillac ATS-V? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: 2014 Lexus IS to ride on stretched Toyota FT-86 platform

Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Lexus, Toyota, Rumormill, Luxury

2014 Lexux IS Rendering crop If, like us, you’ve been racking your brain to figure out how Toyota is possibly going to be able to offer the FT-86 anywhere near its price target, Road & Track may have part of the answer for you. The magazine is reporting that the next-generation Lexus IS will ride on a stretched version of the low-dollar coupe’s platform, allowing Toyota to spread the development costs between the two models. With the production version of the FT-86 due in dealerships in 2012, the IS is expected to bow shortly thereafter in 2013.

Of course, this also helps explain some of the IS Coupe rumors we’ve been hearing recently, too.

An added nugget of goodness in this news is that the next-generation IS may be a sharper car in every way thanks to its shared bloodline with the sporty FT-86. Toyota head honcho Akio Toyoda has already made it clear that he would like to see his company’s products return to their sporty roots, and as a result, the new IS should be quite a bit more athletic than its predecessor. Don’t expect to see the Subaru-sourced flat four in the nose of the Lexus, though. Chances are the four-door will still get its power from derivatives of the four- and six-cylinder options currently available.

[Source: Road & Track]

Rumormill: 2014 Lexus IS to ride on stretched Toyota FT-86 platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Porsche Cajun mini-SUV confirmed, due to arrive in 2014

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Crossover, Porsche, Luxury

Porsche has officially confirmed what’s been rumored for at least three years – the German automaker will build a small SUV to slot in below its highly successful Cayenne. With the working name “Cajun,” Porsche wants the mini ‘ute to provide younger customers another point of entry into the brand.

Designer Walter da Silva has apparently taken the lead on the project, which is expected to be loosely based on the Audi Q5, and the press release (available after the jump) claims that the Cajun will have “typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility.” Here’s hoping… [Source: Porsche]

Continue reading Porsche Cajun mini-SUV confirmed, due to arrive in 2014

Porsche Cajun mini-SUV confirmed, due to arrive in 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 13:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Audi bringing plug-in hybrid in 2014

Filed under: Audi, Electric

Audi e-tron concept

Audi e-tron concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

By the year 2020, Audi hopes to be the “leading premium seller of electric vehicles,” Franciscus van Meel, the automaker’s manager for electric mobility, told AutoWeek during a recent technical workshop at the company’s headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. In addition to launching a number of hybrid vehicles (including the A8 and Q5) over the next few years, Audi plans to debut a plug-in hybrid in 2014.

Exactly what sort of plug-in hybrid we’ll actually see hasn’t been disclosed just yet, but the whole business is part of Audi’s e-tron division – the folks that gave us beauties like the R8-based e-tron supercar (pictured above) that debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Furthermore, Audi’s board member for technology, Michael Dick, says that by 2020, he wants to see the automaker’s internal combustion engines improve efficiency by 30 percent, with 5 percent of the brand’s lineup to be purely electric. That’s a tall order, indeed, but with parent company Volkswagen AG aiming to be the number one producer of hybrid and electric cars before the end of the next decade, the four-ringed automaker’s quest for electrification isn’t as far-fetched as you might think.

Gallery: Audi e-tron Concept

Audi e-tron Concept

[Source: AutoWeek]

Report: Audi bringing plug-in hybrid in 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Russia reportedly bags F1 grand prix contract from 2014

Filed under: Motorsports, Government/Legal, Celebrities, Russia

F1's Bernie Ecclestone with Vladimir Putin

Russian premier Vladimir Putin (right) has big plans to put his country on the map of world-class sporting events. In 2014, the Black Sea resort town of Sochi will play host to the Winter Olympics. In 2018, Putin hopes to be hosting the World Cup. But not before the country secures its own Formula One grand prix.

The country’s leader met with F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone on the matter and has reportedly inked a deal to host its very own race. While the Olympics are expected to cost Russia some $6.1 billion to put together, putting on the grand prix – reportedly secured for six years from 2014 through 2020 – is tipped to cost the country $200 million to build the track, and another $40 million in commercial rights each year. The plan reportedly involves building the circuit at the same Sochi location as the winter games, thereby neatly utilizing much of the same tourist infrastructure.

The emergence of a Russian Grand Prix has been in the making for some time, as participants from the world’s largest country have been making inroads into Formula One. The Midland F1 team that followed Jordan Grand Prix and preceded the Spyker and current Force India teams was billed as the first Russian F1 team (despite being based in England), while this year Renault – which has been investing heavily in the Russian car market – brought in Vitaly Petrov as the sport’s first Russian driver. The team has twice held promotional demonstration events in the country: one in Moscow and another in the proposed site at Sochi.

[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Mikhail Metzel/AP]

Russia reportedly bags F1 grand prix contract from 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 2014 Lotus Elite loses its roof

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertible, Performance, Videos, Lotus, Design/Style, Luxury

Lotus Elite with roof down

2014 Lotus Elite goes topless – Click above to watch video after the jump

Lotus made quite a splash at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. The automaker grabbed the spotlight by showing off five new concept vehicles. One of the proposed cars is the Lotus Elite, a 2+2 grand tourer powered by a 611-horsepower, supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine borrowed from the Lexus IS-F. One surprising detail for this Lotus is its weight. The Elite tips the scales at 3,600 pounds, which is a mammoth sum for anything carrying the company badge. The reason for much of that extra weight may lie in the roof, as the Elite is fitted with a retractable folding hard-top.

Losing the roof creates a whole new perspective for both the driver and people gawking at the car as it passes by. The dramatic lines get a visual boost with the top stowed, since the eye has fewer places to wander. The result is an attractive grand touring car that aims to rival similar offerings from the likes of Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin, even if it is a heavyweight by Colin Chapman’s standards.

You can let some virtual wind blow through your hair by watching a new Lotus Elite video clip posted after the jump.

Gallery: Lotus Elite Concept

Lotus Elite concept

Gallery: Paris 2010: Lotus Elite Concept

Lotus Elite

Continue reading Video: 2014 Lotus Elite loses its roof

Video: 2014 Lotus Elite loses its roof originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: BMW X4 coming in 2014

Filed under: Concept Cars, SUV, Crossover, BMW, Design/Style, Luxury

Autoweek reports that BMW wants to add yet another small SUV to its lineup. Called the X4, the vehicle is rumored to take more than a few cues from the big-daddy X6 in both design and driving characteristics. The report says that early concept drawings show the vehicle as having the same upright nose and long, arching roof line as the biggest X as well as a very similar angled rear hatch.

Of course, nothing’s set in stone at this point, so the X4’s appearance could change considerably by the time it hits the scene in 2014. There is some speculation that the vehicle will be manufactured at the company’s Spartanburg, South Carolina facility, which would makes sense considering America’s seemingly boundless thirst for high-riding hatches.

[Source: Autoweek]

Report: BMW X4 coming in 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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J Mays: “Very cool Mustang” coming in 2014 [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Ford, Rumormill

2011 Ford Mustang

Designer J Mays on Ford’s future styling direction – click above to watch the video

The crew at Mustangs Daily has let the internets in on the first morsels of information about the 2014 Ford Mustang. As you may know, America’s pony car will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in just three years, so there’s been more than a little interest in what FoMoCo will come up with to celebrate the occasion. It turns out, the ’14 car won’t be an evolution of the current machine we all know and love. Instead, it will be something completely different. Ford is keeping exactly what that means to itself for the moment, other than to say that the next design will be a huge leap forward for the nameplate.

Here’s hoping that doesn’t mean the re-introduction of the Mustang II.

Fortunately, Ford seems pretty pleased with the way that the design is going so far, saying that we’ll see a “pretty cool” Mustang crop up in 2013 as a 2014 model. Given how far the car has advanced over the past three years, we can’t wait to see what Ford is up to with its muscle car. Listen to what else J Mays, Ford’s vice president of global design, has to say about future styling of the Blue Oval’s entire portfolio in the video after the jump.

Continue reading J Mays: “Very cool Mustang” coming in 2014 [w/video]

J Mays: “Very cool Mustang” coming in 2014 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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