development Archives

Report: Toyota again hints that a new Supra is under development [w/video]

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

Now that the NSX is on its way back, the list of sports car revivals most yearned for by US enthusiasts is probably down to the Mazda RX-7, Nissan 240SX, Lotus Elise and Toyota Supra. There’s been a lot of talk about that last one over the past year especially, with rumors of an all-wheel-drive coupe utilizing a CVT last May, a Toyota engineer declaring he was instructed to develop a new Supra in November (and another MR2 in case you’re wondering), a tie-up with BMW in January of this year that highlighted a “mid-size sports vehicle” and the incoming company chairman saying he wants something “comparable” to the Supra just two months ago. Oh, and there was Toyota UK going on a public stroll down Supra History Lane last month.

This week, Bloomberg spoke to Toyota USA Sales CEO Kazuo Ohara on a variety of topics, from pickup trucks to US hybrid sales to the value of the yen, then opened up the Supra issue in the last 40 seconds. While making sure to start his answer with the fact that nothing is confirmed, Ohara’s reply to the resurrection of the coupe was “We have several options… and a kind of Supra successor is one of the options we have.” That doesn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know, but Ohara’s last line was, “In the future we can give you better news.” We don’t know if “better news” means confirmation of a Supra, or the announcement that they’ve confirmed something at all. So if you thought you could get off the edge of your seat, well, not just yet.

You can watch the complete Bloomberg interview below.

Continue reading Toyota again hints that a new Supra is under development [w/video]

Toyota again hints that a new Supra is under development [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Aug 2013 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Toyota again hints that a new Supra is under development [w/video]”

Report: VW agrees to halt next-gen rally car development to help others stay in WRC

Filed under: Motorsports, Hatchback, Volkswagen, Racing

Volkswagen Polo R WRC - dead on front view

Volkswagen has petitioned the FIA to hold on to the current specifications for cars in the World Rally Championship, according to Autosport.com. The move is evidently an effort to keep as many competitors in the sport as possible, despite the fact that using the current spec racers may actually hurt Volkswagen’s chances at winning. The three factory teams currently competing in the WRC are at the end of a three-year homologation cycle at the end of 2013, and new cars are expected to bow next year. But developing new racers could cost as much as $4.7 million.

That price tag would put M-Sport (which fields Ford racers) out of the WRC game for 2014 and would put Citroën participation in question as well. VW has already begun work on the next iteration of its Polo R WRC, and the hatch has nabbed four wins in six rounds this season. Now it appears that car won’t bow until at least 2015. The FIA has officially agreed to freeze homologation of new WRC cars until the end of next season.

VW agrees to halt next-gen rally car development to help others stay in WRC originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Jun 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: VW agrees to halt next-gen rally car development to help others stay in WRC”

Jaguar reportedly confirms 3 Series rival, XFR-S under development

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Jaguar, Luxury

2010 Jaguar XFR in motion

Jaguar XFR – Click above for high-res image gallery

Eager to show it’s at the top of its game, Jaguar has been promoting a raft of new technologies, models and variants under development of late. We’ve recently confirmed a new four-cylinder diesel for the XF (earmarked towards European buyers) and reports of an all-wheel-drive variant of the XJ flagship (targeted for North American consumption), but new reports give us some more to anticipate from the Leaping Cat marque.

First up, word out of the UK indicate that the long-rumored 3 Series rival – possibly (and counterintuitively) to be called XS – has been confirmed by Jaguar’s global brand director, Adrian Hallmark, who justifies that in order to compete with other European luxury marques, it needs to do so on all fronts.

Potentially more exciting, however, is the development of an even hotter version of the XFR (pictured above). The project reportedly transplants the upgrades in the XKR-S to the XF to make for a 550-horsepower super-sedan capable of taking on the likes of the forthcoming BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG.

Gallery: First Drive: 2010 Jaguar XFR

[Source: PistonHeads]

Jaguar reportedly confirms 3 Series rival, XFR-S under development originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Jaguar reportedly confirms 3 Series rival, XFR-S under development”

Tesla lets us peek in on Model S development

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Hatchback, Tesla, Electric

Tesla Model S Development Facility

Tesla Model S Development Facility – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s not every day that an automaker invites you inside its R&D center. In fact, it’s rare for any OEM to allow journalists into a room that hasn’t been swept floor-to-ceiling for any hint of what’s around the corner. Then again, Tesla isn’t exactly your average automaker.

The electric upstart, with its roots firmly entrenched in the Wild West idealism of Silicon Valley, is in the process of developing and testing its all-new electric sedan – the Tesla Model S – before series production begins next year. So in the Valley’s spirit of openness and transparency, Tesla threw open its doors, corralled a few engineers and execs, and let us poke around its Palo Alto powertrain facility to see how development of the Model S is coming along.

Gallery: Tesla Model S Development Facility

Tesla Model S Development Facility

Continue reading Tesla lets us peek in on Model S development

Tesla lets us peek in on Model S development originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Tesla lets us peek in on Model S development”

Honda Performance Development unveils new ARX-01e LMP1 racer

Filed under: Motorsports, Acura, Honda, Racing

Highcroft HPD ARX-01e

Highcroft HPD ARX-01e – Click above for high-res image gallery

After four years of dominating the LMP2 class in the American Le Mans Series, Highcroft Racing is stepping up the big leagues this year, and this is the car with which they aim to do it.

The new ARX-01e uses the same basic chassis and engine as the LMP2 car on which it’s based, but features a heavily revised aerodynamics package for a significantly different form. The 3.4-liter V8 engine now also benefits from a larger air restrictor for more power.

Developed by Wirth Research, the ARX-01e ditches last year’s Acura branding for Honda Racing Development (HPD). And with former sponsor Tequila Patron stepping up to title-sponsor the ALMS series as a whole, Highcroft’s ARX-01e is being used by Michelin to promote its latest performance street tires.

The car recently underwent its first shakedown at Sebring, which it’s set to take on later this week at the famous 12-hour race. Check out the high-resolution images in the gallery below for a closer look and the details in the press release after the jump for more.

Gallery: Highcroft HPD ARX-01e

[Source: Highcroft Racing]

Continue reading Honda Performance Development unveils new ARX-01e LMP1 racer

Honda Performance Development unveils new ARX-01e LMP1 racer originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Honda Performance Development unveils new ARX-01e LMP1 racer”

Development on next-gen Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon underway?

Filed under: Budget, Truck, Etc., Work, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

Chevrolet Colorado

2010 Chevrolet Colorado – Click above for high-res image gallery

Ford may have given up on the Ranger here in the United States, but it looks like General Motors has big plans for the mid-size pickup market. According to PickupTrucks.com, The General is currently hard at work on the next-generation of both the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon. The current generation Colorado/Canyon is slated to end production by mid-2012, and from what we hear, GM is likely to base the next-gen pickup on the GMI 700 body-on-frame global small truck platform. Those bones are set to get an unveil at this year’s Thailand International Motor Show in Bangkok.

PickupTrucks.com reports that GM had originally planned to dead-end Colorado and Canyon production altogether after this generation, but those plans seem to have changed. Even so, it looks like it’ll be at least two and a half years before the newest versions of the General Motors mid-size pickup shows up, which means there may be a bit of a gap in production between the time the old line dies and the new one gets up and running.

Gallery: 2010 Chevrolet Colorado

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

Development on next-gen Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon underway? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Development on next-gen Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon underway?”

Report: Honda confirms NSX development has restarted

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Japan, Honda, Rumormill, Luxury

Honda HSV-010

Honda HSV-010 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Heads up, Hondaphiles – it looks like the NSX has been dug out of storage and plopped back on the table as a candidate for production. Company president Takashi Ito has announced that he’s jump-starting development on the supercar. As you may recall, the beast was unceremoniously put to bed after the global economy gutted itself back in 2008. At the time, the project sailed under the HSV-010 moniker, and Honda even went so far as to campaign a version of the machine in the Japanese Super GT series.

Since then, the supercar segment has all but exploded with new metal. Mercedes-Benz jumped into the action with its SLS AMG, Lexus came to the party with the high-tech LFA and old-timers like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and Nissan GT-R have been enjoying their own slice of supercar territory. We’re all for the notion of a resurrected Honda fighter, but we’re still going to treat this one with a healthy dose of skepticism.

We’ve been burnt before.

Gallery: Honda HSV-10 GT

[Source: Japanese Nostalgic Car]

Report: Honda confirms NSX development has restarted originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Honda confirms NSX development has restarted”

Toyota taking “devil’s advocate” approach to product development

Filed under: Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota, Design/Style

Toyota engineers discussing the design of a seat

If you don’t get pinched by the wiper arm on the new Toyota Yaris, you have the company’s new “devil’s advocate” product development philosophy to thank. The approach entails a team of engineers doing things with the car that Toyota wouldn’t normally be able to fathom. The events of the past year have shown that people will do wacky things with their cars, like making floormat layer cakes, and this spurred management changes like more local authority for North American operations.

Toyota has installed more executives in its American plants and given the U.S. arm of the business its own decision-making power on recalls, rather than waiting for word from the home office. A single database of internal and external vehicle quality discussions is also being put together to make Toyota’s reaction more nimble.

There are critics of the efforts. Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety doesn’t find a new attitude in Toyota’s response to quality complaints much of a departure from the past, calling it “pretty much the same-old, same-old.” Sean Kane of Safety Research & Strategies opines that Toyota is “biding their time” and still tends to blame the victims rather than solve issues like the ones recently plaguing the company.

Whether Toyota’s reactions are percieved critically or complimentary, there is at least the indication of a desire to rectify a damaging situation, and you can now be sure that many engineering mules are undergoing strange experiments deep in the bowels of some Toyota R&D bunker to quantify the effects of ECU pins shorted by a french fry.

[Source: Advertising Age]

Toyota taking “devil’s advocate” approach to product development originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Jan 2011 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Toyota taking “devil’s advocate” approach to product development”

Emotionally sensitive satellite navigation systems in development?

Filed under: Etc., Technology

Navigation system

It’s one of the great ironies of our age that many of the devices that were crafted to make our lives easier are more prone to catapulting us into fits of blinding rage. Anyone who’s been led astray by satellite navigation knows exactly what we’re talking about. But what if your devices knew that you were upset with them and could alter their behavior accordingly? Researchers at Cambridge University are working on new technology that could create emotionally-sensitive robotics to reduce driver distraction and curb road rage.

The tech uses a range of sensors to detect everything from facial expressions to hand gestures and even the user’s tone of voice. Researchers are hoping that in the future, vehicles will be able to uses similar data to decrease the volume of the radio or mute cell phone calls if they sense that the driver is upset or agitated. Still, don’t expect your next new car to be able to sense your emotional state. According to The Daily Telegraph, mainstream application of the tech is still long way off.

[Source: The Telegraph]

Emotionally sensitive satellite navigation systems in development? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Emotionally sensitive satellite navigation systems in development?”

Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Mercedes-Benz, Reviews, Luxury

As Subtle As Dropping A TV Set From A Hotel Balcony

2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package – Click above for high-res image gallery

Roger Daltrey has gone on record as saying that in the Who’s early days, they were paid ₤75 to ₤150 a show, yet they would bust-up around ₤250-300 worth of gear every time they took to the stage. That’s bad math. Similarly, Mercedes-Benz asks those willing to pay $57,350 for its least expensive AMG model – the C63 AMG – to pony up a further $5,950 for the new-for-2010 P31 AMG Development Package that adds 30 horsepower, uprated brakes and a passel of miscellaneous hi-po gear.

From the perspective of a rational consumer, this too, fails to add up, as the standard-issue C63 is already a hooligan’s hooligan, a car from which no sane individual would walk away wishing for bigger stones. But as with Daltrey’s Who, the C63 is a fantastically overachieving beast of rather pedestrian roots, and when it comes down to it, adding the Dev Pack promises to be like dropping off Pete Townshend in the brand-new lobby of a mid-’60s Holiday Inn. With a set of Marshall stacks. Drunk and fresh off a painful breakup. In other words, it might not make a whole lot of sense or be a particularly wise financial decision, but it’s also a brave call with the glorious potential for unbridled mayhem.

Gallery: Review: 2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Performance Pack

2011 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Performance Pack

Continue reading Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package

Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Review: 2010 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG w/P31 Development Package”