Tag: official

Official: 2014 Corvette Stingray does 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, 1.03g on the skidpad

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet

When pricing of the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray was announced back in April, Chevrolet promised that ‘Vettes equipped with the Z51 Performance Package would be able to hit impressive figures that include “0-60 mph in under four seconds and more than 1g in cornering,” and now it has backed these numbers up. While metrics for a stock Stingray weren’t released, checking the $2,800 Z51 box will get you a 0-60 time of just 3.8 seconds and a skidpad number of 1.03g.

Between its 460 horsepower and now its 3.8-second 0-60 time, the Stingray Z51 is positioned directly in between the new Porsche 911 S and Turbo models while costing significantly less than both. In addition to this, Chevy is promising a quarter mile time of 12 seconds and 60-0 braking in just 107 feet.

As an extra little bit of bragging rights, Chevy says that an almost-stock Z51 (with a racing seat, harness and fire extinguisher added inside the car) with Magnetic Ride Control was able to lap the Virginia International Raceway Grand Course in 2:45.78. Wondering how that compares with other known hi-po models? So are we…

Although there are no official VIR lap times to compare against, we did find that FastLaps.com has an unofficial collection of times for the track that places the new Stingray in the number two spot, just behind a 2008 Corvette ZR1. If accurate, that’s mighty impressive. Scroll down for the official press release.

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2014 Corvette Stingray does 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, 1.03g on the skidpad originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Jun 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: PGO launches Cévennes Speedster in Europe

Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Europe, Specialty

2013 PGO Automobiles Cevennes

Now, from the “weird little French car” file, we give you the 2013 PGO Automobiles Cévennes speedster. Powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter BMW four-cylinder engine mounted midship, the little roadster serves up a healthy 181 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. The modest muscle gets to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. Consider our interest piqued.

PGO Automobiles says the new model tips the scales at a scant 2,200 pounds and features a theoretical top speed of 140 miles per hour. That’s plenty fast enough to get you in trouble or get you dead. Fortunately, engineers also managed to bolster the car’s rigidity by 15 percent and a new MacPhereson strut setup front and rear helps the car handle the twisties with a bit more composure than previous efforts from the automaker.

As you may recollect, PGO Automobiles got its start manufacturing kit cars modeled after the Porsche 356. Its clear the company’s designers have held on to some of their favorite elements from that car. Rounded fenders front and rear as well as familiar-looking headlights all harken back to the little German droptop, but elements like the smallish windshield and variety of air inlets clearly identify the car as French. We dig it.

PGO launches Cévennes Speedster in Europe originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Aston Martin unveils new Gulf livery for Le Mans

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Europe, Aston Martin, Design/Style, Racing

Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTE Gulf Livery

Aston Martin has pulled back the sheets on the company’s new Gulf livery for this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Penned by Jonathan Wesley, the Number 97 Vantage GTE will wear the colors throughout race week as the car prepares to compete in the 90th 24 Hours of Le Mans. Darren Turner, Stefan Mucke and Peter Dumbreck will all take turns behind the wheel of the car. Wesley said he designed the livery using the four Gulf corporate colors arranged from lightest to dark, with the right side painted white and the left painted dark blue to symbolize the change in race conditions from daylight to dusk.

Fans chose Wesley’s design from a spate of others as part of a Gulf contest. As a result, the designer will spend Le Mans weekend as a VIP guest with Aston Martin. The company says the No. 97 car will compete along with four other Vantage GTE bruisers, but will be the only one to carry the special livery. You can read the full press release below for more information.

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Aston Martin unveils new Gulf livery for Le Mans originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Mazda announces live-streaming vehicle intro on Xbox

Filed under: Mazda, Toys/Games

XBox logo

In April, Mazda introduced a marketing campaign titled “Game Changers” to showcase how certain people have made significant impacts in their respective sports, and now it’s the Japanese automaker that is changing the game by creating an innovative way to launch a new product. Mazda is teaming up with Xbox to offer a first-of-its-kind live-streaming global debut of a new product. Mazda didn’t say which model will be debuted, but our guess is that it will be the next-generation Mazda3.

The actual reveal will take place at 9 pm on June 26 during a live concert from the band Metric in New York City, but there will be other live events preceding the concert in Melbourne, St. Petersburg, Istanbul and London. Mazda will be promoting the event on social media using the hashtag #GameChanger, and there is also a contest on Xbox where one winner will receive $2,500 to attend a music event of their choice. Scroll down for the full details of the contest and vehicle debut event.

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Mazda announces live-streaming vehicle intro on Xbox originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra 4.3-liter EcoTec3 V6 nets 18 mpg city, 24 highway

Filed under: Truck, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

2014 Chevy Silverado towing Summerland camper

There is no doubting that fuel economy has become an important factor in the highly competitive fullsize truck market, with the Ford F-150 EcoBoost V6 and Pentastar V6-powered Ram 1500 setting quite a precedent in recent years. Now it’s General Motors’ turn. The General has just announced that the new base V6 used in the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 models will return an EPA-estimated 18 mpg city and 24 mpg highway in two-wheel drive trim, regardless of cab configuration.

While these figures don’t go so far as to earn GM any “best-in-class” fuel economy claims (thanks to the 25-mpg Ram 1500 HFE), this new 4.3L EcoTec3 V6 does edge the F-150 and Toyota Tundra while boasting best-in-class numbers for torque, payload and towing capacity among six-cylinder rivals. This all-new engine produces 285 horsepower and 305 pound-feet of torque, and it gives the 2014 Silverado and Sierra the highest towing rating among standard V6 models with a 7,200-pound towing capacity – besting the Ram by 700 pounds, the base F-150 by 1,100 pounds and coming within 200 pounds of the V8-powered Nissan Titan. Scroll down for the official press releases from Chevrolet and GMC.

Continue reading Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra 4.3-liter EcoTec3 V6 nets 18 mpg city, 24 highway

Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra 4.3-liter EcoTec3 V6 nets 18 mpg city, 24 highway originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante drops its mind-blowingly beautiful top

Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Aston Martin, UK, Luxury

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante - front three-quarter view, blue

Behold the 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante in all its convertible glory. Like its hard top twin, the convertible Vanquish boasts a 5.9-liter V12 engine with 565 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque. That thrust is good enough to push the car to a top speed of 183 miles per hour, and Aston Martin says the 2014 Vanquish Volante is the first of the company’s convertibles to bow with body panels comprised entirely of carbon fiber. It also offers the stiffest body structure in the history of the automaker’s droptop efforts.

The machine’s power three-layer top can be put up or down at speeds of up to 30 mph and can do its dance in around 14 seconds. Interestingly, designers went with a full-length windshield, which runs directly up to the cloth top. there is no sheetmetal (or in this case, carbon fiber) header between the glass and the roof. Very cool.

A six-speed automatic transmission handles shifting duties and a new set of springs and dampers help cope with altered dynamics of the convertible. Aston Martin claims the 2014 Vanquish Volante offers up a weight distribution of 51:49, and a set of carbon-ceramic brakes help bring the whole party down from speed. If you want one, get ready to shell out at least $297,995 for the pleasure. Deliveries are set to begin early next year. Check out the full press release below once you stop gawking at the gallery above.

Continue reading 2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante drops its mind-blowingly beautiful top

2014 Aston Martin Vanquish Volante drops its mind-blowingly beautiful top originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Volkswagen builds 30-millionth Golf

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Volkswagen

Volkswagen Golf Generations

Volkswagen has officially built 30 million Golf units since the first hatch rolled off the assembly line in early 1974. The company says the accomplishment has cemented the compact’s place as the most successful European car ever built, though we imagine the original Beetle might have something to say about that. Even so, Volkswagen says that statistically speaking, the company has sold 2,000 Golf units for every day of production. Chew on that notion for a moment. The Golf has remained relevant over the past four decades thanks to a steady stream of generational updates, and last year, the Volkswagen Golf took the honor of being named the World Car of the Year.

A Golf TDI was the 30 millionth unit produced, and Volkswagen says the machine will be on display at the automaker’s Wolfsburg facility. You can read the full press release below for more information, including a generational breakdown of each Golf model.

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Volkswagen builds 30-millionth Golf originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Chrysler resolves recall issue with NHTSA, will inspect, upgrade affected Jeeps

Filed under: SUV, Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Jeep

Chrysler made big news earlier in the month by refusing a recall request from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty. Last week, NHTSA boss David Strickland countered by defending his agency’s request for the recall of 2.7 million Jeep SUVs. Today marked the deadline for Chrysler to formally respond to NHTSA, and it seems that both parties have met in the middle with Chrysler inspecting and upgrading some of the affected vehicles without using the word “recall,” which would constitute the admission of a defect; instead, Chrysler said that it is conducting a “voluntary campaign.”

At issue on these vehicles is the positioning of the fuel tank behind the rear axle that could get damaged during a rear-end collision. NHTSA has stated that at least 51 people have been killed in rear-end collisions involving these Jeeps after the vehicles caught fire, to which Chrysler countered by pointing out that both models “met and exceeded” the requirements for fuel-system integrity.

As a compromise on the situation, Chrysler says that it will inspect all pre-2004 Grand Cherokees and pre-2007 Liberty models and, “if necessary, provide an upgrade to the rear structure of the vehicle.” According to Automotive News, this upgrade will consist of adding a trailer hitch that will presumably better protect the rear-mounted gas tank. Vehicles already equipped with a factory or Mopar hitch will not be modified. Chrysler’s official statement on the matter is posted below, but no additional information has been released, such as when the campaign will begin and how many vehicles could be affected.

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Chrysler resolves recall issue with NHTSA, will inspect, upgrade affected Jeeps originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Fiat officially introduces seven-seat 500L Living

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Hatchback, Fiat

As Fiat prepares to expand the lineup of the 500 with the roomier 500L, the Italian automaker has just announced a further addition to its enlarged hatchback offering. While the standard 500L has a five-passenger seating configuration, the new 500L Living brings a third row of seats, upping capacity to seven passengers.

Based on the specs Fiat released, the 500L Living has had its overall length stretched by about eight inches to accommodate the extra seats, while width and height stay about the same. We still have no word on the wheelbase of this new model versus the 500L. Fiat also says that the 500L Living will have a luggage capacity of 22.5 cubic feet (we assume that number is with the rear seats folded, which is smaller than that of the five-passenger 500L (12.1 cu-ft with rear seats up and 46.2 cu-ft with rear seats down).

European sales of the 500L Living will commence this summer, but there is no mention as to if or when this seven-passenger Fiat could be offered in the US, to compete against the likes of the Mazda5, Ford Transit Connect Wagon and Nissan NV200. Scroll down for the more information on this new Fiat model.

Continue reading Fiat officially introduces seven-seat 500L Living

Fiat officially introduces seven-seat 500L Living originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Buick LaCrosse to sticker at $34,060*

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Buick, GM, Luxury

Buick first showed the facelifted 2014 LaCrosse at this year’s New York Auto Show, and General Motors’ luxury-ish arm has now confirmed that pricing for the updated sedan will start at $34,060 (*including $925 for destination), a increase of $1,505 over the 2013 model.

Buyers will be treated to an updated appearance, both inside and out. On the outside, tweaks were made to the LaCrosse’s front and rear fascias, and new wheels are on offer (though the ones seen on the car pictured above seem to have been simply pulled from the 2011 Regal Turbo). Inside, there’s a much cleaner center stack layout, complete with a standard eight-inch reconfigurable touchscreen IntelliLink interface. Buick is also offering a new Ultra Luxury interior package ($2,495), featuring Tamo Ash wood throughout the cabin, black synthetic suede on the headliner and leather seats in a new sangria color. Standalone options include different wheels, Bose audio, rear seat entertainment, navigation and a sunroof.

The 2014 LaCrosse’s base powertrain is the trusty 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with eAssist, which is capable of achieving up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway. But for folks wanting more power, a 304-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 is available as a no-cost option, available with either front- or all-wheel drive.

Continue reading 2014 Buick LaCrosse to sticker at $34,060*

2014 Buick LaCrosse to sticker at $34,060* originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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