Tag: car

Toyota Avensis touring car debuts ahead of BTCC season opener

Filed under: Sedan, Toyota, UK, Racing

Toyota Avensis BTCC

Toyota Avensis BTCC – Click above for high-res image gallery

Touring car racing is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance as of late. DTM is growing from a German national series to a proper international championship, while the World Touring Car Championship is living up to its name by expanding outside Europe. V8 Supercars are as popular as ever Down Under, just as Super GT is in Japan. But arguably the most resurgent is the British Touring Car Championship.

Title-sponsored by Dunlop, this year’s BTCC will feature no fewer than 27 competitors – and all-time high for the series – fielding 13 different models from 10 manufacturers, representing Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Proton, Seat, Toyota, Vauxhall and Volkswagen. That could very well be higher and more varied participation than any other major racing series in the world.

When the BTCC launched its Next Generation Touring Car formula, it was Toyota’s British subsidiary that kicked it off with the new Avensis racer, which has finally made its public debut at Silverstone – a little behind schedule, but still a week before the series gets under way at Brands Hatch. The car will be campaigned by Dynojet Racing and Speedworks, with Frank Wrathall, Jr. and Tony Hughes behind the wheel of each, respectively. The cars are built atop frames rolling right off the assembly line at Toyota’s Burnaston plant, and powered by a turbochagred 2.0-liter four with over 300 horsepower. Check out the full press blast after the jump for more.

Gallery: Toyota Avensis BTCC

[Source: Toyota]

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Toyota Avensis touring car debuts ahead of BTCC season opener originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samuel Hubinette to field two-car Formula Drift team for 2011

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Dodge, Racing

Samuel Hubinette Racing 2011

Two-time Formula Drift champion Samuel Hubinette is fielding a two-car team for the 2011 season, calling on European Pro Drift champion Dean Kearney as his second driver. The two will compete in a Dodge Motorsports Challenger and a Dodge Viper SRT-10. Kearney will wheel the Viper, while Hubinette will pilot the Challenger.

The two will drive for Hubinette’s own team, Samuel Hubinette Racing, and will get sponsorship from Dodge and V-LEDs Federal. Hubinette is sticking with longtime crew chief Brad Manka to lead both efforts.

Hubinette managed two Formula Drift championships in his first three seasons in the sport, and hopes to groom 22-year-old Kearney into the next Formula Drift champion. Kearney, a native of Ireland, won the 2009 European Pro Drift Championship. Watch for Hubinette and Kearney when the Formula Drift season kicks off April 8-9 in Long Beach, California.

[Source: Chrysler]

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Samuel Hubinette to field two-car Formula Drift team for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Car stereo prices set to soar

Filed under: Aftermarket, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Technology

Alpine

According to CE Outlook, the price of car stereo components may be on the rise. The report says that even before Japan suffered its earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters, manufacturers responsible for automotive audio equipment were already beginning to increase MSRPs. The main source of that surge came from steeper prices for metals like aluminum and copper, which are used in heat sinks and connectors. Rockford Fosgate and JL Audio both increased their prices by March 1 of this year after the cost of materials increased six to eight percent. Manufactures say they expect another increase of similar severity by the end of 2011.

Meanwhile, the tragedy in Japan has delayed or stopped business completely at several suppliers responsible for building car audio components. CE Outlook reports that Alpine has already announced that a number of its suppliers have suffered substantial damage. That damage may lead to delays or additional price increases as manufacturers scramble to find interim replacements.

[Source: CE Outlook]

Report: Car stereo prices set to soar originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 11:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stalk your old car like your old girlfriend with Check My Ride

Filed under: Technology

1976 BMW 2002

I found it. After more than four years and 3,000 miles, my 1976 BMW 2002 is currently residing in Newberry, Florida, just east west of Gainesville. How did I track it down? A new website that allows you to plug in your long lost love’s VIN (that’s Vehicle Identification Number for those acronym averse) and spits out its last registered location.

Check My Ride from AutoCheck is a social network for cars, allowing you to build a profile, add vehicles, find your old hoopties and connect with their current owners. You can also import some of the data into Facebook and get a free history report on your current car.

Admittedly, AutoCheck is a big buggy at the moment (it took several tries to get the info on some of our past rides), but we’re currently scouring our file cabinets for old maintenance folders and I’m trying to track down the VIN for my very first car, a (God help me) 1991 Plymouth Horizon. After that, I’ve gotta find the 1984 Supra, the 1970 510, the 1972 2002, the E36 318i…

[Source: Check My Ride via Wired]

Stalk your old car like your old girlfriend with Check My Ride originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 17:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia Wants To Control Your Car

Filed under: Safety, Technology

And Why That Could Be A Good Thing

Nokia Terminal Mode

Word came down from on high that a handful of automakers, a few consumer electronics manufacturers and two suppliers had joined forces to create the Car Connectivity Consortium. The underlying purpose: to begin standardizing in-vehicle connectivity solutions ranging from Nokia’s awkwardly-named “Terminal Mode” to Near Field Communications (NFC) and wireless charging capabilities.

In a world where platforms, devices and vehicle software runs the gamut from bleeding-edge (your smartphone) to bled-out (your two-year old, OEM-supplied navigation system), The Consortium has the potential to meld ease-of-use with constant connectivity. But there’s a problem: two of the biggest names in mobile technology – Apple and Google – aren’t in on the party. So is The Consortium dead before even it issues its next press release?

Continue reading Nokia’s Plan To Control Your Car…

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Nokia Wants To Control Your Car originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videos: Cadillac documents return to racing with CTS-V Coupe race car

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Videos, Cadillac, GM, Racing

cadillac cts-v coupe scca race car

Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Race Car comes to life – Click above to watch the videos after the jump

Cadillac is pretty excited to head back to the race track. It’s no simple task, however, to go from luxury sports coupe to competitive racer in a short amount of time. Thus, the automaker is spending plenty of time making sure its got the CTS-V Coupe race car completely dialed in before heading off to compete in various SCCA events.

Cadillac is documenting this return to racing with a series of YouTube episodes titled Refueled: Return of the CTS-V. We have the trailer and episodes one through three waiting for you after the jump, showing the race cars’ origins, the build process and the Cadillac race team testing out on the track.

[Source: YouTube via 0-60mag.com]

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Videos: Cadillac documents return to racing with CTS-V Coupe race car originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 20:59:00 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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Would you wait to buy a Japanese car? [w/poll]

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota

Honda Civic Si

It may be some time before consumers in line for a new Japanese car get their hands on their new ride.

Besides killing thousands of people, shocking the nation’s infrastructure and setting off the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, the Japanese earthquake disaster has halted car production on the island indefinitely. Added to that, the tsunami resulting from the quake destroyed thousands of cars and trucks awaiting export.

With production halted and parts supplies drying up, waiting lists for new Japanese cars are mounting. According to CNW Research, those in line for new Japanese cars are, on average, willing to wait 90 days for the delays to end.

Only eight percent of Honda buyers would look elsewhere after a 90-day wait, with the figure climbing to 13 percent for Subaru, 14 percent for Toyota and 19 percent for Nissan.

Those may not seem like huge numbers, until you compare them to comparable American brands. Ford would only lose six percent after 90 days for its cars, and a scant 2.8 percent of truck buyers would bail. Jeep buyers proved most-loyal, with 97.2 percent of their customers sticking around after 90 days.

Would you stand in line for 90 days or more for your new Japanese car of choice? Let us know by voting in our poll.

View Poll

[Source: CNW Research via The Detroit Bureau | Image: Drew Phillips/AOL]

Would you wait to buy a Japanese car? [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Joke: Jaguar to call next small car XS?

Filed under: Concept Cars, Sedan, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Jaguar, Rumormill, Luxury

2011 Bertone Jaguar B99 Concept

2011 Bertone Jaguar B99 Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Jaguar is scheduled to release more details about its upcoming small car, which won’t look like the Bertone B99 Concept above, at the 2011 AutoRAI in Amsterdam. The details will include the car’s name, which is rumored to be XS.

The name fits into Jag’s current naming convention, but it seems more than a little cutesy to call your small car “XS.” Whether Jag meant the coincidence or not, word is they’re sticking with the moniker.

Jaguar is aiming the XS at the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3-Series and is working hard to make sure the new car isn’t as bad as its ill-conceived X-Type. There are rumors circulating about an XS-based roadster and coupe as well, but we wouldn’t hold our breath on that front, as Jaguar hasn’t yet released the sedan’s shape.

Gallery: Jaguar B99 Concept by Bertone: Geneva 2011

Photos copyright (C)2011 Drew Phillips / AOL

[Source: MotorAuthority]

No Joke: Jaguar to call next small car XS? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: U.S. car dealers raising prices because of Japan disaster

Filed under: Car Buying, Japan

Tsunami damage

The problems facing automakers in the wake of Japan’s deadly earthquake and the resulting tsunami are already manifesting themselves in the form of higher transaction prices on some Japanese cars, as U.S. dealers show less willingness to negotiate downward from the number on the window sticker, according to an AP report.

Automakers like Toyota, Honda and Nissan all say they have a sufficient supply of vehicles in the U.S. that had already been imported from Japan before the disaster struck. So, if there are still plenty of Japanese cars on Stateside lots, why the hardening prices?

It’s a simple case of supply and demand, explain some dealers polled by The Associated Press. “We’re going to run out of cars. We had five [Prius hybrids] on the ground yesterday, and I don’t know when I’ll get another,” says Dave Conant, owner of a Toyota dealership in San Diego, CA. “The market has shifted pretty quickly and dramatically.”

Of course, some people believe dealerships are just using speculative vehicle shortages to make a few extra bucks. We suspect the truth may be a little bit of both.

[Source: The Associated Press via ABC News | Image: Kiyoshi Ota/Getty]

Report: U.S. car dealers raising prices because of Japan disaster originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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