Tag: official

Official: Honda Factory Performance pack now available for Accord V6 Coupe

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Honda

2013 Honda Accord HFP - front three-quarter view, blue

When the Honda Factory Performance package debuted for the 2013 Honda Accord at SEMA last year, we were told it would come as optional fitment for both the four-cylinder and V6 Accords. Now that Honda has put it on sale, however, it’s only for the V6, at least for now.

The upgraded coupe will be limited to just 500 copies, and it will be known by its 15-millimeter-lower ride height thanks to a sport suspension, exclusive 19-inch wheels on summer tires, ground effects all around the car and HFP badging. Interior updates will be limited to red illumination and HFP floormats.

Honda says the package will cost $4,620 – a $30 drop from the price announced at SEMA – not including installation, and it come with a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty if you have it put on when buying the car new. The press release below can tell you more.

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Honda Factory Performance pack now available for Accord V6 Coupe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Altima Coupe dead as Nissan charts the changes for 2014

Filed under: Car Buying, Coupe, Nissan

The 2014 model year brings plenty of new designs and updates from Nissan – including the next-generation Rogue – but the Altima Coupe has been discontinued. The current generation of the Coupe won buyers over with sharp styling and, at one point, a 270-horsepower naturally aspirated V6 – the heart of the more upscale Infinity G37. It’s unlikely that Nissan plans to make another one, but keep in mind the current Coupe was released to the public about a year after the sedan hit dealerships.

The vehicles joining Nissan’s lineup for 2014 include the Versa Note hatchback, the NV200 Compact Cargo van and the next-generation Rogue compact SUV. Also new for 2014 is the Pathfinder Hybrid, but that will be added to the lineup in the fall.

Other models that are receiving enhancements are the sedan version of the Altima, which now comes standard with the CVT transmission and gets revised option packs; the Frontier, which gets updated option packs, enhanced navigation system functionality and a sliding middle rear window; the GT-R, which receives a bunch of small performance enhancements and, more importantly, initially will be offered in three versions (Premium, Black Edition and Track Edition), with another, limited special-edition model coming late in the year; the Versa sedan, all versions of which get 60/40-split fold-down rear seats and revised steering and suspension tuning; and last, but not least, the 370Z NISMO will have exterior accent color updates and a new steering wheel and tachometer.

There are plenty more details to be gleaned about Nissan’s model lineup for 2014, so be sure to read the press release below.

Continue reading Altima Coupe dead as Nissan charts the changes for 2014

Altima Coupe dead as Nissan charts the changes for 2014 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Ford hybrids getting update to improve fuel economy

Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Hatchback, Ford

Ford has announced that it is introducing “calibration updates designed to improve on-road fuel economy for owners of the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid, 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2013 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid.”

We can speculate that these changes are at least due in part to lawsuits over mileage claims of hybrid vehicles. The automaker is enhancing 2013 models starting in August by raising their electric cruising speed to 85 miles per hour from 62 mph, optimizing the use of active grille shutters and the climate control system, shortening the engine warm-up period by 50 percent and reducing electric fan speed to minimize the fan’s energy consumption.

It bears mentioning that Ford is doing pretty well in the US electrified vehicle market this year. The company claims to have grown its share in the segment by 12 points to 16 percent while taking a high number of Toyota Prius trade-ins in the process. Conversely, Toyota has experienced a five-percent drop in new-Prius sales over the same period. Additionally, Ford states that it has increased its share of the US vehicle market by one percent this year, more than any full-line automaker.

We’re sure Ford will be monitoring the fuel mileage of its hybrid fleet closely with the hopes of seeing significant improvements, though the automaker offers the expected ‘Your mileage will vary” disclaimer, which you can read all about in the press release below.

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Ford hybrids getting update to improve fuel economy originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Sin R1 is a Corvette V8 in a German wrapper

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, MISC, Racing

The Sin R1 made quite a showing in its Goodwood Festival of Speed debut. The Munich-based outfit made its public driving debut on the Earl of March’s driveway, after an initial debut at the 2013 Autosport International show.

As a boutique supercar manufacturer, Sin kind of has carte blanche when it comes to parts. The R1’s engine, for example, is a 6.2-liter V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette. Situated in the back, the American engine is mated to the transmission from a Porsche 911 GT2. With 525 horsepower on tap from the LS3, the R1 has a claimed top speed of over 200 miles per hour and can hit 60 in just 2.5 seconds.

Helped along by a low curb weight of just 2645 pounds, the R1’s speed shouldn’t be a huge surprise. With aerodynamics (including a very meaty wing) producing upwards of 550 pounds of downforce and a 40/60 weight distribution, this is bound to be a car that can dance, so long as it’s in a very talented pair of hands.

All that said, the Sin R1 is still something of a question mark. This is the only one we’ve seen, and there’s no mention of pricing or availability. Sin made a name for itself building racing cars, but this is its first road-going model. It has the name-brand parts, with a steering wheel and seats from OMP, wheels from AP Racing, and Braid wheels. Only time will tell, though, if it’s the next Koenigsegg or Pagani, or just another one-off that never found an audience.

Sin R1 is a Corvette V8 in a German wrapper originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Nissan announces limited-edition 2014 GT-R in Midnight Opal

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Nissan

2014 Nissan GT-R Special Edition

Nissan has unveiled the 2014 GT-R Special Edition. Finished in Midnight Opal paint, the GT-R SE will be limited to just 100 units worldwide, with 50 earmarked for the US.

With sales slated to start this fall, the Special Edition of the 545-horsepower GT-R tacks $6,000 on to the $105,590 price of a GT-R Premium. The hand-applied Midnight Opal paint isn’t the only special item, though. Forged RAYS wheels are included in a ten-spoke design that’s never before made it to American shores, and there’s a dry carbon-fiber rear spoiler, similar in design and appearance to the one found on the GT-R Black and Track Editions. Finally, a gold-plated plaque has been fitted to single out the GT-R Special Edition from the very fast herd.

US sales of the GT-R SE are slated to begin in September. Scroll down for the official press blast.

Continue reading Nissan announces limited-edition 2014 GT-R in Midnight Opal

Nissan announces limited-edition 2014 GT-R in Midnight Opal originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Ram 1500 wins Consumer Reports fullsize truck test

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Work, Ram

Vehicles that perform well in road tests by some of the most popular automotive publications, such as Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Automobile, don’t always score well in in Consumer Reports’ more regimented, practical test procedures, so the Ram 1500’s climb to the top of CR‘s scoreboard is a boon for the well-received pickup truck, which CR also put on its “recommended” list.

To start off with, the freshened 2013 Ram 1500 has a lighter, stiffer chassis than before, and the four-wheel-drive Crew Cab that CR bought and tested performed flawlessly and achieved class-leading fuel economy (15 miles per gallon) with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 – the most popular engine choice for the 1500 – and the new eight-speed automatic transmission. The unique-in-its-class rear coil spring setup endowed the truck with “one of the best rides of any pickup,” CR reports. That helped it earn its class-leading road-test score of 78, well ahead of the nearest competition still in production, the Toyota Tundra (69) and the Ford F-150 (68). It’s worth noting, however, that the Chevrolet Avalanche outscores the 1500 by two points (80), but production of that vehicle ends after the current 2013 model year.

About the only things the publication could find wrong with the truck were a heavy tailgate and a high step up into the cabin. Get ready for the next round later this summer when CR is finished testing the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, which is doing well so far in the publication’s tests.

To see what we think of the 1500, head over to our First Drive review of the Ram 1500 SLT with the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6, and feel free to take a look at the Consumer Reports press release below.

Continue reading Ram 1500 wins Consumer Reports fullsize truck test

Ram 1500 wins Consumer Reports fullsize truck test originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 16 Jul 2013 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Fangio F1 car sells for record $29M at Goodwood auction

Filed under: Motorsports, Auctions, Mercedes-Benz, UK, Racing

Rare gems of automotive history are always popping up at the Bonhams auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but the racecar you see above just made a little more history. This Mercedes W196R was driven by Juan Manuel Fangio to wins in the 1954 German and Swiss Grand Prix races, and when the hammer fell at auction yesterday, the $29.65 million price it fetched made it the most expensive car ever sold at auction. It’s also earned the honor of being the most expensive F1 car ever sold and the most valuable Mercedes-Benz in the world.

Still battered by racing and time, this car in an important piece of history to both Formula One and Mercedes-Benz alike. According to Bonhams, Fangio’s wins gave Mercedes its first back-to-back post-war Grand Prix victories, and it introduced F1 cars to fuel-injection, tubular spaceframe chassis and inline eight-cylinder engines. Robert Brooks, Bonhams Chairman, called this car the “most important historic Grand Prix racing car ever offered for sale.”

Based on our own records, the Mercedes W196R came close to almost doubling the prior record holder for the most expensive car sold at auction, a 1957 Ferrari 250 TR Prototype that sold for $16.39 million at Gooding & Company’s Pebble Beach auction in 2011. The Mercedes even came kinda-sorta close to the record price for a car sold privately, the current big seller being a 1962 Ferraro GTO built for Sterling Moss that went for a reported $35 million in a private sale last year.

Scroll down for more information about the Mercedes W196R F1 car, and be sure to check out the trio of images (including one of the car in action).

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Fangio F1 car sells for record $29M at Goodwood auction originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 13 Jul 2013 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Toyota brings TRD Griffon GT86 to Goodwood [w/video]

Filed under: Concept Cars, Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Toyota, UK

In the midst of the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed, there’s a particularly special Toyota running up the hill. This special entry is a GT86 (the cousin to our Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ) that’s been poked, prodded, and tweaked by the minds at Toyota Racing Development. The result of TRD’s fettling is a nearly race-ready car.

Starting with the body, the hood, doors, trunk lid, and wings are all made of carbon fiber. The lightweight treatment doesn’t end there, though. The bumpers, fenders, and diffuser all feature carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, while the windows are now made of polycarbonate plastic.

Under the hood sits the same 2.0-liter boxer engine found in the standard GT86, but its six-speed manual gearbox features a shorter final drive ratio for improved acceleration. The coilover suspension has been firmed up, and a TRD mechanical limited-slip differential replaces the Torsen unit. The TRD Griffon rides on TWS 18-inch wheels and Yokohama Advan tires. To bring proceedings to a stop, TRD has fitted its own mono-block caliper kit, complete with more robust racing pads.

Finally, the cabin features a TRD seat, shift knob, ignition button, auxiliary gauges, and a Momo steering wheel. A Takata harness keeps the driver in place.

To see what all that looks like on the move, Toyota has produced a rather stylish video.

Continue reading Toyota brings TRD Griffon GT86 to Goodwood [w/video]

Toyota brings TRD Griffon GT86 to Goodwood [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 19:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: The 100,000th EV sold in the US is… a Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Filed under: Hatchback, Mitsubishi, Electric

The news here isn’t that 100,000 EVs have been sold in the US, although that’s quite the accomplishment. It’s that the 100,000th car is a Mitsubishi i-MiEV – a car that takes nearly a full day to recharge on a standard outlet and can only travel about 62 miles per charge (according to the car’s Monroney).

Jabs at the Mitsubishi aside, the fact that US dealers have moved 100,000 electric cars is made more impressive in that it’s only been done since the latest generation of EVs arrived, typified by the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric and aforementioned i-MiEV. Chronologically, that means roughly the last two years. It’s a number that we can only expect to climb, as EVs gain a stronger foothold among manufacturers and consumers.

Plug In America, an EV advocacy group, crunched the numbers for a contest called #PIA100K, to find the lucky buyer, who would be given a ClipperCreek Level 2 charger (which takes the i-MiEV’s recharge time down to just seven hours). The winner, Rich Salmon of Grand Bay, Alabama, picked up his i-MiEV from Pete Moore Mitsubishi.

Continue reading The 100,000th EV sold in the US is… a Mitsubishi i-MiEV

The 100,000th EV sold in the US is… a Mitsubishi i-MiEV originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Bentley releases official Continental GT3 details [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Bentley, Racing

It’s been almost a year since we first laid eyes on the Bentley Continental GT3, but this race-bred Continental GT is finally ready to show off its moves. After debuting last year at the Paris Motor Show, the Continental GT3 makes its racing debut today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed before competing in the FIA Blancpain Series next year.

While Bentley released some of the car’s details last month, we now have all we need to know about this car such as its curb weight of less than 2,866 pounds, its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 packing 600 horsepower and four-way adjustable suspension dampers. The exterior of the car stays true to the design of the Continental GT but has been given a once over to improve aero, and the interior has been stripped down to the bare essentials for racing. This doesn’t mean that all luxury was thrown out the window, though, as the Continental GT3’s steering wheel, door pulls and seat are all covered in hand-stitched leather. Scroll down for the official press release as well as a video showing the car in action.

Continue reading Bentley releases official Continental GT3 details [w/video]

Bentley releases official Continental GT3 details [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Jul 2013 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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