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New York 2011: Subaru looking at XV Concept for US, but wouldn’t be called Outback Sport

Filed under: Concept Cars, New York Auto Show, Hatchback, Subaru, Shanghai Motor Show

Subaru XV Concept – Click above to view high-res image gallery

At the 2011 New York Auto Show, we asked Dominic Infante, Subaru’s U.S. product manager, about the XV Concept revealed at the Shanghai Motor Show. “It’s probably not for us,” he said, “but we’re looking at it. And if it did come, it probably wouldn’t be called Outback Sport.”

That’s because the Outback Sport is an anomaly in Subaru’s U.S. line-up that the brand’s marketing arm would like to correct – an Outback in name only, it is actually based on the Impreza platform. But it sells so well, Infante says, “that the sales guys don’t want them to change anything. They’re like, ‘Don’t mess it up.'”

What do you think? Should Subaru bring a production version of the XV to the States, or is it too much like the Outback Sport to matter? Make yourself heard in our poll below.

View Poll

Gallery: Subaru XV Concept

New York 2011: Subaru looking at XV Concept for US, but wouldn’t be called Outback Sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Austin U.S. F1 track to officially be called Circuit of the Americas, also play host to MotoGP

Filed under: Motorsports

We’ve all known that Formula One racing is coming to Austin, Texas. Now we know what to call the track that will play host to the 2012 U.S. Grand Prix. Called the Circuit of the Americas, this 3.4-mile racetrack features 20 turns, 133 feet of elevation change and a 10-year F1 contract.

Circuit of the Americas won’t simply play host to four-wheeled machines, though. The two-wheeled action of MotoGP will also be coming to the Texas track. Beginning in 2013, CotA starts a 10-year contract with the motorcycle racing series.

[Source: Autoweek]

Austin U.S. F1 track to officially be called Circuit of the Americas, also play host to MotoGP originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate called into service as F1 medical car

Filed under: Motorsports, Wagon, Mercedes-Benz, Police/Emergency, Racing

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate F1 Medical Car

2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate F1 Medical Car – Click above for high-res image gallery

When Mercedes-Benz unveiled the updated 2012 C63 AMG Estate at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, we saw a super-hot revision of Merc’s power wagon – complete with the 6.2-liter V8 and all the trimmings of the old model, but with a new front fascia and Speedshift MCT transmission. The version that will debut in Australia this weekend, however, adds emergency lights, four individual bucket seats with six-point harnesses, two integrated dashboard monitors, a communications radio and a boot full of emergency medical equipment. That’s because this isn’t an ordinary C63 – this is F1’s new medic car.

Joining the SLS AMG that acts as safety car and replacing the old C63 wagon that served in this capacity previously, the new C63 AMG Estate Medical Car will debut at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix to kick off the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship (after the Bahrain round was canceled due to civil unrest).

The specially prepared wagon is otherwise stock, comes with the optional performance package for increased output and will sit on standby in case of a severe crash. We love seeing the C63 wagon speeding around the track, but in this case, we hope it stays put. See the medical hotness for yourself in the high-res image gallery below, and follow the jump for Mercedes-Benz’s official press release.

Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate F1 Medical Car

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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2012 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate called into service as F1 medical car originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW’s new eco sub-brand to be called “i”

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Marketing/Advertising, Technology, Hatchback, BMW, Electric, Diesel

BMW ‘i’ sub-brand – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve known for some time that BMW has been hard at work developing a range of high-tech green vehicles, from the oft-mentioned MegaCity runabout to a production version of its Vision EfficientDynamics eco supercar. But up until now, we didn’t know how the Bavarians intended to name these very different new models.

We do now. BMW has just announced that its new sub-brand will be called “i.” The i family will house the German automaker’s “sustainable vehicles and mobility solutions” when it arrives in 2013. The first two models will be the as-yet unreleased i3 and i8, otherwise known as the MegaCity and VED production cars (both are teased in the rendering above). While BMW isn’t saying where the i3 will be built, it has confirmed that the smaller-volume i8 supercar will be assembled in Leipzig.

In addition, the automaker has founded BMW i Ventures, a holding company based in New York City with $100 million in backing. The company’s goal is to propogate ‘vehicle-independent services’ – things like smart phone apps. BMW i Ventures has already started staking other businesses, including My City Way, a company whose self-titled app provides details on public transportation, parking and entertainment in more than 40 cities in the U.S.

We can’t help but note that in the accompanying press release (available after the jump), there is almost no discussion of preserving BMW’s reputation of being ‘fun-to-drive’ and a leader in dynamics. (“Sustainable vehicles and mobility solutions” certainly isn’t terminology to set the enthusiast’s heart alight.) That said, if the production i8 can preserve the promise of the Vision EfficientDynamics showcar, driving entertainment will almost certainly be a part of the program for that car, and hopefully the i3 will be a lightweight and nimble little thing when it hits the market.

Gallery: BMW i

BMW i sub-brand

[Source: BMW]

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BMW’s new eco sub-brand to be called “i” originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW’s new eco sub-brand to be called “i”

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, Marketing/Advertising, Technology, Hatchback, BMW, Electric, Diesel

BMW ‘i’ sub-brand – Click above for high-res image gallery

Gallery: BMW i

BMW i sub-brand

[Source: BMW]

Continue reading BMW’s new eco sub-brand to be called “i”

BMW’s new eco sub-brand to be called “i” originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 10:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG called into duty for New York Fashion Week

Filed under: Sedan, Mercedes-Benz, Police/Emergency, Design/Style, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Force CLS 63 AMG

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Force CLS 63 AMG – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve seen all manner of vehicles being equipped and commissioned for police duty around the world. But this is no ordinary police car. This 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG is the ride of choice for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Force.

The fashion enforcers are out in full force this week in New York as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Fortunately for “the rest of us” Benz’s fashion cops aren’t looking for people wearing outfits that clash; instead, they’re identifying trendsetters on the street and offering them free rides to their next destinations in this specially-prepared CLS 63 AMG, which may well be the best car for the job. See for yourselves in the high-resolution image gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery: Mercedes Benz CLS 63 AMG Fashion Force

[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG called into duty for New York Fashion Week originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 15:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pagani Zonda successor to be called Huayra?

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Rumormill

2012 Pagani C9 mule

Spy Shots: Pagani C9 – Click above for high-res image gallery

It looks like we may have an inkling as to what Pagani will call its next supercar. According to the Italian web site Al Volante, the company has gone through the hassle of registering the name “Huayra.” The nearly unpronounceable moniker sticks the company’s tradition of branding its products after the famous winds of the world (not unlike many Volkswagen and Maserati models). In this case, Huayra is the word for “wind” from the ancient South American language of Quechua. Either that, or the company’s marketing department threw alphabet soup at the wall until they came up with a suitable smattering of vowels and consonants.

Until now, the next Pagani has simply gone by the internal code name C9. And while the company has been kind enough to share a strange video teaser with the world, hard facts about what we can expect from the Zonda successor are few and far between. There’s some indication that the beast will pack a mighty V12, and we’d be surprised if it didn’t have enough horsepower to melt asphalt at a whim, but otherwise, we’re completely in the dark as to what to expect. Thanks for the tip, JH!

Gallery: Spy Shots: Pagani C9

Spy Shots: Pagani C9

[Source: Al Volante | Images: CarPix]

Pagani Zonda successor to be called Huayra? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: BMW’s production Vision Concept to be called i8

Filed under: Coupe, Hybrid, BMW, Rumormill, Electric, Diesel

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

We have heard that BMW has has registered a series of “i+number trademarks (i1, i2, i3, i4, i5, i6, i7, i8 and i9) to use for its fuel efficient MegaCity range of vehicles. BMWBlog is now saying that it has heard a rumor that the combination that will be applied to the upcoming (read: 2013 or 2014) version of the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept will be i8. This makes some sense, as a BMW i8 would conjure up images of the never-seen M8 supercar, but BMWBlog is unconvinced. After all, why bring back memories of gas-guzzling supercars when you’re trying to reinvent what one can be? Plus, since the vehicle is so far away, there’s probably no name set in stone yet anyway.

Whatever BMW decides on, it’ll be better than the name that the car was given when we first saw it at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2009. Vision EfficientDynamics is just way, way too long.

Gallery: Frankfurt 2009: BMW Vision EfficientDynamics

[Source: BMWBlog via Green Car Reports]

Rumormill: BMW’s production Vision Concept to be called i8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aveo No More: New Chevrolet small car to officially be called ‘Sonic’

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM

2012 Chevrolet Sonic

2012 Chevrolet Sonic – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors has officially announced that its all-new B-segment car will be called Sonic, marking the end of the Aveo nameplate here in the United States. We first saw the 2012 Aveo at the Paris Motor Show earlier this year, and the vehicle will officially start production sometime in 2011 at GM’s Orion Assembly Center in Michigan.

The Sonic nameplate will only be used in the United States, Canada and Mexico; the car destined for other markets will retain the Aveo name. Chris Perry, GM’s vice president for Chevrolet U.S. marketing explains the reason for the name change here in North America:

“The Sonic represents a new beginning for Chevrolet in the small car segment and so we felt it was time to give it a new name. The new car is roomy, stylish and fun to drive, and Sonic is a youthful, energetic name that helps convey what this vehicle is about.”

If GM really wants to capture some youth, we suggest offering the Sonic in “Hedgehog Blue.” Follow the jump for the official press release.

Gallery: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic

2012 Chevrolet Sonic

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Aveo No More: New Chevrolet small car to officially be called ‘Sonic’

Aveo No More: New Chevrolet small car to officially be called ‘Sonic’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM completes buy of AmeriCredit, to be called GM Financial

Filed under: Etc., GM, Earnings/Financials, By the Numbers

GM logo General Motors is just about ready to start offering in-house financing once again. Its acquisition of AmeriCredit is complete, pending approval by AmeriCredit’s shareholders. The merger is officially effective as of October 1st, 2010 and is an all-cash transaction valued at $3.5 billion.

The company will be renamed GM Financial. Having a captive finance arm allows GM and its dealers to expand finance and lease options, which is good news for both The General and its customers. GM Financial has targeted first quarter of 2011 to begin its initial leasing program.

You can read the full press release after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading GM completes buy of AmeriCredit, to be called GM Financial

GM completes buy of AmeriCredit, to be called GM Financial originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 13:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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