Tag: official

Official: Toyota Hilux Invincible sounds as robust as it looks

Filed under: Truck, Europe, Work, Off-Road

Toyota HiLux Invincible

The Hilux might not be the only Toyota product that we Americans don’t get, but with respect to our collective want for JDM jewels like the Alphard, Aygo and of course the noble Crown, it’s the forbidden-fruit pickup that we most lust after. As you’d suspect, announcing a new Invincible trim-level for the truck doesn’t make us want the thing any less, either.

Toyota Europe announced some specifics of the HiLux Invincible in a press release today, noting that the new grade adds a does of style to match the trucks hard-won reputation for toughness. Chrome accents, two-tone alloy wheels and an all-black leather package don’t exactly scream “indomitable” to us, but the Hilux does look pretty spiffy.

In terms of function, the Invincible should still prove plenty rugged. The truck can be had with two-or four-wheel drive, manual or automatic transmissions and with the buyer’s choice of a 2.5-liter or 3.0-liter diesel engines. Follow on to find a brief press release from Toyota Europe.

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Toyota Hilux Invincible sounds as robust as it looks originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Aug 2013 10:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Jeep Cherokee configurator up and running

Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Crossover, Jeep, Off-Road

2014 Jeep Cherokee configurator screencap

Production delays aside, Jeep is steaming towards its September on-sale date for the 2014 Cherokee. The reborn midsizer’s configurator has just gone live, meaning you can fiddle with different options, colors and trim levels to your heart’s content.

The cheapest model available is the 4X2 Sport, which starts at a reasonable $22,995. On the high end, the Cherokee’s builder allowed us to indulge our passion for ludicrously priced vehicles by outfitting the top-end Trailhawk, which already starts at $29,495, with $8,610 in options. The resulting car, which you can see above, would retail for $39,100 after the $995 destination is factored in.

Head on over to Jeep’s build-it-yourself website and have a look around.

2014 Jeep Cherokee configurator up and running originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Aug 2013 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Smart Fortwo Electric Drive lease now $139/mo

Filed under: Car Buying, Convertible, Coupe, Budget, Smart, Electric

Electric cars seem to be getting more affordable by the day, and the latest to get a price drop is the 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. With sales currently limited to only a handful of states, the Smart Fortwo ED is preparing for its nationwide rollout by offering a 36-month lease of the Fortwo ED Coupe for as low as $139 per month – or the same price as the non-electric Fortwo. The previous Fortwo ED leases started at $199 a month.

Available until September 3, conditions of this lease include a down payment of $1,999 and signing up for the Battery Assurance Plus battery-lease program, which is a separate lease for the battery at $80 per month. This means that lessees are actually driving the Fortwo ED for just $59 each month, although a mileage cap is set at 30,000 miles. There has been no price drop for those interested in purchasing a 2013 Fortwo ED, however, as has been the case with rival EVs like the Ford Focus Electric, Nissan Leaf and, most recently, the Chevy Volt.

As an added bonus, Smart is also giving its dealers a $2,000 incentive on the Fortwo, which can be used in any way the dealer wishes – local advertising, lowering the asking price for consumers, etc. AutoblogGreen‘s Sebastian Blanco has put together quite a bit more info on the Smart Fortwo ED lease, click thru to read more.

Smart Fortwo Electric Drive lease now $139/mo originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Toyota promises Hybrid-R concept for Frankfurt

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Hybrid, Technology, Toyota

Toyota Hybrid-R Concept badge

Toyota will be bringing a new concept car to the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Dubbed Hybrid-R, Toyota says the concept will feature the same Toyota Hybrid System-Racing tech found in the automaker’s latest endurance car, the TS030 Hybrid.

That car took second place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with a gas-powered, 3.4-liter, naturally aspirated V8 and a capacitor-based hybrid system. The result was 530 ponies from the engine and an extra 300 horsepower from the electric motor and batteries.

Toyota’s press release came with but one image, a new Hybrid badge which is a far cry from the Hybrid Synergy Drive label found on the automaker’s other offerings. There’s really not much else to go on yet, but the news that Toyota is already adapting its racing tech for a concept bodes well for the future of exciting, hybridized offerings from the automaker. We’ll be at Frankfurt live, and will be sure to bring you all the news on this new concept as it becomes available.

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Toyota promises Hybrid-R concept for Frankfurt originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Toyota Tundra gets five grades priced from $25,920*

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Work, Toyota, Off-Road

2014 Toyota Tundra front three-quarter view

Toyota has announced pricing details for its refreshed 2014 Tundra, with the fullsize pickup offered in five grades. Naturally, that doesn’t include the buyer’s choice of three cab styles, the option of two- or four-wheel drive, and a choice of a 4.0-liter V6 base engine or 4.6-liter and 5.7-liter V8s.

The base SR starts at $25,920, while the volume SR5 model starts at $29,465. Toyota notes that all SR5s ordered with the big V8 hold the line on pricing from 2013 while including a further $650 in standard equipment. The first of three high-end trims, Limited, starts at $36,940, while the Platinum and 1794 Edition both start at $44,270, with all prices subject to a $995 destination charge. Also noteworthy on the cost-savings front, Limited CrewMax 4×4 models are priced $2,000 less than their 2013 equivalents, (4×2 buyers save $1,900).

As is typical for a model as as customizable as a pickup, Toyota’s pricing structure is far from simple. Adding the 5.7-liter V8 at one trim level can cost several hundred dollars more or less than another trim level – the same goes for adding four-wheel drive. So, rather than break out the Enigma Machine to try and decipher what options cost what on which trim, we’ve just rolled the whole pricing chart in. Scroll down for a look, including Toyota’s full press release, and then check out our recent First Drive feature of the truck.

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2014 Toyota Tundra gets five grades priced from $25,920* originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: 2014 Nissan Altima gets updated equipment, prices

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedan, Nissan

The 2014 Nissan Altima Sedan is available in seven well-equipped models ? the 2.5, 2.5 S, 2.5 SV and 2.5 SL featuring a 182-horsepower 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder and the 3.5 S, 3.5 SV and 3.5 SL with a standard 270-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine. Every 2014 Altima is equipped with a standard Xtronic CVT? (Continuously Variable Transmission).

The fifth-generation Nissan Altima is heading into its second year, and to mark the occasion, it’s getting updated pricing, some visual and tactile enhancements and new option packages. First up are the physical changes: All 2014 Altima models will have chrome exhaust tips, revised seat cloth (when not fitted with leather) and better noise isolation. Check the option box for the new Sport Value Package, and the Altima also will come equipped with 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels, a rear spoiler and remote engine start.

But those aren’t the most important updates for 2014. Nissan is showcasing the expanded functionality of its NissanConnect system, which works with Android and iPhone handsets. Applications will be introduced in the fall and launch with Google search and Facebook, later to be joined by iHeartRadio and Pandora. NissanConnect with navigation system (separate from NissanConnect applications) will be capable of running SiriusXM Travel Link for data including weather, fuel prices and movie times. In addition, there are changes to other option groups, including a revised Technology Package and a new Display Audio Package, the specifics of which can be found in the official release.

As for pricing, the changes are pretty minimal, with the base 2.5 CVT starting at $21,860 and the full-boat 3.5 SL CVT topping out at $30,660 before options and a $790 destination fee. You can compare those figures with 2013 pricing here, and see the full rundown of all the trim level prices by scrolling below.

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2014 Nissan Altima gets updated equipment, prices originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Lamborghini Gallardo Squadra Corse will cost $260K* and only come in yellow

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Lamborghini, Racing

2014 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Squadra Corse
If you live in America and want one of the 15 Lamborghini Gallardo Squadra Corses slated for our shores, you’ll be happy to know you can have it any color you want, so long as it’s yellow. Seems a bit odd, we’ll agree, but Lambo’s Giallo Midas is kind of a trademark for the brand.

Pricing for the special edition Gallardo, which is limited to just 50 units worldwide, starts at $259,100, *not including the $2,100 gas guzzler tax or the unspecified destination costs. Besides the 15 cars slated for the US market, Canada will get three vehicles of its own. Regardless of where you buy your Squadra Corse, though, they’ll be individually numbered and will begin deliveries in September.

Finally, Lamborghini has released a few more images of the new car (not in yellow, oddly), which we’ve added to our gallery, above.

Lamborghini Gallardo Squadra Corse will cost $260K* and only come in yellow originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Infiniti Q30 premium compact concept teased ahead of Frankfurt debut

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Motor Show, Hatchback, Design/Style, Luxury

This year’s Frankfurt Motor Show is certainly shaping up to be an exciting (and busy) event, and now we have one more car to add to the list of unveilings. The Infiniti Q30 Concept will make its global debut in Frankfurt, giving a glimpse at a future premium small car for the brand, and the automaker has released the teaser sketch you see above to grab our interest before we see the real thing in person next month.

Seemingly headed in a much different direction than the 2012 LE Concept, the Q30 has even more aggressive styling to go with its two-box design. The Q30 is the not only the first Infiniti concept to come out under the company’s new design director, Alfonso Albaisa, it’s the first car that Sebastian Vettel, Infiniti’s Director of Performance, will help develop from the very beginning, and it could be the small car that Infiniti plans to build at its Sunderland, UK assembly plant.

Scroll down for the preliminary press release for this upcoming concept.

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Infiniti Q30 premium compact concept teased ahead of Frankfurt debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 08 Aug 2013 01:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Audi designs science fiction car for Ender’s Game movie [w/video]

Filed under: Videos, Audi, Design/Style, TV/Movies

Audi is no stranger to product placement in movies, but the upcoming sci-fi adventure movie, Ender’s Game, will be the first time the German automaker has ever unveiled a “purely virtual” vehicle design in a movie. As the movie’s star car, the futuristic Audi fleet shuttle quattro was created by Audi Design as a “vision for the future world.”

This new movie car comes almost 10 years after one of our favorite Audi movie cars ever, the Audi RSQ that was prominently used in the 2004 sci-fi action film, I, Robot. Looking back, the RSQ obviously used cues from the Audi R8, but it’s unclear if the fleet shuttle quattro has any design implications for future Audi production models.

The movie, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, stars Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield, and it premiers in the US on November 1. Audi has provided images of the fleet shuttle quattro, and Summit Entertainment has released its latest trailer for the movie, which is posted below along with an Audi press release.

Continue reading Audi designs science fiction car for Ender’s Game movie [w/video]

Audi designs science fiction car for Ender’s Game movie [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Aug 2013 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Mazda and Clemson collaborate on Deep Orange 3 concept

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Wagon, Technology, Mazda, Design/Style

Mazda Clemson Deep Orange 3 Concept Car

There are school projects, and then there’s the Mazda Deep Orange 3 Concept Car, a one-off built by Clemson University automotive engineering students and designed by Frederick Naaman from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. Clemson students unveiled the chassis at the 2012 SEMA show in Las Vegas, although this is the first showing of the car fully clothed.

Sporting a unique hybrid powertrain that can automatically switch between front-, rear-, and all-wheel drive. A gas-powered engine handles the fronts, while the rears are powered by an electric motor and a battery pack. The Deep Orange 3 also has an unusual three-plus-three layout, making it a much cooler version of your parent’s old Vista Cruiser. The exterior sheetmetal clearly follows Mazda’s established design language, and looks like it could easily pass for a five-door version of the Shinari Concept. It really is a great looking vehicle.

The Deep Orange 3 was part of Clemson’s graduate-level auto engineering program, and is a regular partnership between the east coast school and the Pasadena-based design college’s students. Clemson, Art Center and Mazda will be showing the Deep Orange 3 at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, MI, from August 5 to August 8. Click through for a press release from Clemson University.

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Mazda and Clemson collaborate on Deep Orange 3 concept originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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