report Archives | Page 7 of 80

Report: Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept bows in Australia

Filed under: Concept Cars, Truck, Australia, Tata, Diesel, Off-Road

Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept - front three-quarter studio view

Following the cancellation of the Melbourne Motor Show, it would appear that automakers in Australia are looking for creative new ways to show off vehicles to consumers. Enter the country’s National 4×4 and Outdoors Show and Fishing and Boating Expo. India’s Tata Motors has used this weekend’s festivities to reveal an off-road concept version of its Xenon pickup called the Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept.

In a land where midsize trucks are still a popular segment, the Tuff Truck Concept looks like a good way to create some excitement, and it is, without a doubt, an attention-grabbing rig. As is often the way with such things, the Australian-designed Tuff Truck Concept is not intended for production, but the Oz authorities at GoAuto.com say Tata might consider building a production version in the future.

For this concept, Tata started with a standard Xenon and then fitted it with everything needed to help it traverse Australia’s rugged Outback, including features like bigger wheels with meatier tires, an intake snorkel, LED running and off-road lights and a flush rear bumper with integrated D-rings. For more wow factor, it has all been finished off with a matte gray paint color apparently borrowed from corporate cousins Jaguar and Land Rover. The menacing look was conceived of by none other than Julian Quincey, chief designer at Holden Special Vehicles, a.k.a. HSV.

Tata will launch itself in Australia on the back of the Xenon pickup, but the standard truck won’t offer all the toys seen on the Tuff Truck. However, it will feature a 2.2-liter turbodiesel offering 148 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque paired exclusively with a manual transmission. Tata is reportedly considering selling passenger cars in Oz as well, but the Nano is not expected to be a part of the program.

Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept bows in Australia originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Tata Xenon Tuff Truck Concept bows in Australia”

Report: C7 Corvette won’t spawn new Cadillac XLR [w/video]

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Videos, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, Design/Style, Luxury

Between the new 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray and the even newer Cadillac Elmiraj Concept shown off at Pebble Beach, we were already expecting some sort of chatter of a Cadillac XLR redux. During an in-depth C7 Corvette discussion with Tadge Juechter, the car’s chief engineer, Fox News asked if a Corvette-based, Bowling Green-built Cadillac will be built off the C7. Non-spoiler alert: the answer is no.

Juechter says that General Motors has “no intent” on transforming this car into a Cadillac product since the C7 has been optimized for the Corvette buyer, a consumer that’s generally a different sort of person than a Cadillac intender who might also be cross-shopping a Mercedes-Benz SL-Class or BMW 6 Series.

While we’re not ready to write off a future XLR altogether, we assume that the Corvette Cadillac experiment is most likely never going to happen again. The interview with Juechter is posted below, but the XLR discussion comes in at the 9:00 mark.

Continue reading C7 Corvette won’t spawn new Cadillac XLR [w/video]

C7 Corvette won’t spawn new Cadillac XLR [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: C7 Corvette won’t spawn new Cadillac XLR [w/video]”

Report: Google invests $250M in Uber ride-share service

Filed under: Technology

The number of people who haven’t yet heard of the transportation/technology startup Uber is shrinking by the minute. Uber produces a mobile application that is used to connect passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire, typically luxury vehicles – kind of a high-tech, high-zoot taxi calling service.

Use of the app may be spreading gospel of Uber within urban centers, but the company is also generating tremendous buzz for sourcing massive investment, including a reported $250 million sourced from Google Ventures. Google’s quarter-billion makes up the better part of a $360-million investment round, with a resultant company valuation set at a staggering $3.5 billion.

So, what does Google, famous researcher into autonomous car technology, want with Uber’s popular ride-sharing software? Our wandering minds immediately leap to fantasies about driverless limousines and taxis as a logical next step. And, while that type of service might be possible down the road, a recent article from Forbes indicates that the road in question is a long one.

The reality may be a bit less theatrical than robot cabs, but is interesting nevertheless. Forbes believes that Google likes the concept of repurposing Uber tech to work with its own blooming Google Shopping Express play in the near term, along with all kinds of on-demand delivery in the not-distant future. The core idea of Shopping Express is to create a near-seamless way to go from a one-click purchase on your laptop to the knock of a delivery driver at your front door. Imagine combining the depth of Amazon’s shopping experience with the instant gratification of ordering Chinese food, and you get the idea. Google would seem to believe that Uber’s app, technology, and engineer brains are a fast step forward in that direction.

Google invests $250M in Uber ride-share service originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Google invests $250M in Uber ride-share service”

Report: Porsche 918 Spyder to birth stretched 2+2 version?

Filed under: Sedan, Performance, Porsche, Earnings/Financials, Specialty, Luxury

Porsche is known for its ability to spin off a litter of variants from a single model, and according to a report in Automobile the 918 Spyder (pictured here) might not be spared the house trick. Having taken too many brains and too much money for too much time, company chiefs are said to be examining ways to get more for their development euro out of the supercar, and Plan A is apparently otherwise known as Plan 984. That would be a four-seater, rear-wheel drive supercar that uses a stretched mold of the 918’s carbon fiber tub, keeping the V8 in the same mid-mounted place and costing around 350,000 euro.

That would be less than half the MSRP of its inspiration, but the details don’t sketch out a car that’s just half as good. Automobile speculates it would get something like 700 horsepower in order to best the coming 911 GT2, and about 440 pound-feet of torque. The 984 is quite a ways short of being confirmed; even though a full-size study is said to exist, it’s like the 918 would need to become a bigger sales hit for the 984 to happen.

The 984’s fortunes don’t change those of the 960, the supercoupe Porsche is building to challenge Ferrari. Its potential specs haven’t changed since the last report in January, power coming from a 5.0-liter, twin-turbo, eight-cylinder boxer engine with something like 650 hp pushing a curb weight of roughly 3,100 pounds. The means a suspected 0-to-60 mile-per-hour time of 2.5 seconds.

And there’s even more than that coming from the Stuttgart fold. You can read the rest at Automobile, and you can register your reaction to a supercar version of the Panamera in Comments.

Porsche 918 Spyder to birth stretched 2+2 version? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Porsche 918 Spyder to birth stretched 2+2 version?”

Report: Ecclestone says 2014 Grand Prix of America is dead

Filed under: Motorsports

The United States of America will not be getting a second Formula One race next year. The troubled Grand Prix of America, which was slated to run on a street circuit on the shores of the Hudson river and in the shadow of the New York City skyline has been shelved, following the failure of the race’s organizers to come up with the requisite $100 million in funds demanded by F1’s tempestuous maestro, Bernie Ecclestone. The problematic Grand Prix was already pushed back once, from the 2013 season to 2014, and Ecclestone has also torn up at least one contract.

At the helm of the US race is Leo Hindrey, a multi-billionaire and a managing partner at InterMedia Partners, and Chris Pook, an ally of Ecclestone’s and the former boss of the CART. The two placed Swiss financier and bank UBS in charge of putting together the $100 million. While UBS has only been on the case since June, according to the CNN report, that’s apparently long enough for Ecclestone, who told the news channel, “It’s not on the cards for next year. They haven’t got any money.”

Ecclestone followed up, saying the GPoA “is like Donington all over again,” referring to the race at the UK’s Donington Park. The UK track was meant to take the British Grand Prix from Silverstone in 2010, but was dropped before a single race could be ran, due to its failure to come up with the $210-million race fee. Despite the lack of funds, the organizers of US race remain confident that they’ll still be on the finalized calendar to be released by the FIA at the end of the year.

Ecclestone’s decision regarding this second US race is a telling one, though, as CNN points out. Running a race with the NYC skyline has been a dream of the F1 boss for year, and while that dream may be in tatters, there’s still a spot on the F1 calendar that will need to be filled. It’s unclear what will happen if the US race organizers can come up with the money before the end of the year. Click over to CNN for the detailed rundown of the Grand Prix of American and its rocky history.

Ecclestone says 2014 Grand Prix of America is dead originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Ecclestone says 2014 Grand Prix of America is dead”

Report: Jeep Grand Cherokee in headliner fire probe

Filed under: SUV, Safety, Jeep

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is launching an investigation into 146,000 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs from the 2012 model year, The Detroit News reports. This comes as the result of the government safety agency receiving three complaints from owners who cited fires inside the Jeep’s cabin.

According to the report, NHTSA says:

“The customers reported a burning odor and visible smoke coming from the headliner while the vehicle was being driven. This was followed by flames from the headliner itself. Customers lowered the windows in an effort to clear the smoke but this increased the fire’s intensity. All three vehicles had to be extinguished with a fire extinguisher or by the fire department as they continued to burn after the vehicle was turned off.”

And it gets worse. In one incident, the fire apparently caused the sunroof to shatter, and in another, the fire spread to the passenger seat because the burning sun visor fell from the headliner. A Chrysler spokesperson tells The Detroit News that the automaker will be fully cooperating with NHTSA’s investigation of these Grand Cherokee models. Chrysler is reportedly investigating this problem itself, as well.

Depending on the results of the investigation, a recall may be issued to prevent future fires from occurring in other Grand Cherokees. If that happens, hopefully it won’t create as much controversy as the last time NHTSA requested that Jeep vehicles be recalled.

Jeep Grand Cherokee in headliner fire probe originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Jeep Grand Cherokee in headliner fire probe”

Report: Holden VF Monaro coupe would look like this

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, Holden, Australia, Design/Style

Holden VF Monaro speculative rendering

Let us make one thing abundantly clear – the car you see above has virtually zero chance of making it into production. None. Zilch. Nada. Zip. That said, we certainly wish it were going on sale. This is the VF Coupe, a rendering put together by a pair of off-the-clock Holden designers and Dsine International. It’s meant to show what a VF Monaro, a two-door version of the beloved Commodore, could look like if it were to enter production.

So what’s preventing a reborn Monaro? Well, for one, the Chevrolet Camaro, a car that already shares a platform with the VF Commodore and by default, the car you see above. As Drive points out, while a Monaro would no doubt sell well in Australia, it’d struggle in the US market, which is home to the aforementioned Camaro, not to mention the Corvette Stingray and the upcoming SS sedan. There’s simply not room for another reasonably priced, 400-plus-horsepower, rear-drive vehicle in GM’s stable.

What would make sense, though, and what no one is mentioning, is selling the Camaro in Australia (an idea that’s been toyed with before). Clearly, the existence of this rendering indicates a willingness among some to revive the Monaro badge. Meanwhile, Ford is bringing a right-hand-drive Mustang to the Australian market as a performance replacement for the Falcon sedan. If the Mustang succeeds, we could see there being a solid business case for a next-generation Camaro that’s been badge engineered as a Monaro in Australia.

Holden VF Monaro coupe would look like this originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 23 Aug 2013 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Holden VF Monaro coupe would look like this”

Report: Geely to release models developed with Volvo in 2015

Filed under: China, Volvo, Geely

The Geely logo is shown at the North American International Auto Show Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 in Detroit. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Geely and Volvo will finally team up for a jointly developed vehicle, more than three years after the safety-minded Swedish brand was gobbled up by Geely’s parent company, according to a report in Automotive News Europe. The story quotes Geely’s CEO, Gui Sheng Yue saying, “We have entered into actual research and development stage and I believe we can see the new product in the year after next.”

That means 2015, which is a mighty ambitious timetable to bring a vehicle to market. But as Geely’s CEO explains, life isn’t going to get any easier in the Chinese market, “Competitive pressure on domestic brands in the China market should increase considerably in the coming years as most major international brands are strengthening their presence,” he told ANE. Those statements also tell us that we shouldn’t expect to see Geely on American shores any time soon. The brand is simply too focused on topping the Chinese market, at least among CDM brands.

Geely to release models developed with Volvo in 2015 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 18:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Geely to release models developed with Volvo in 2015”

Report: VW pushing lawmakers to go easier on diesels

Filed under: Government/Legal, Volkswagen, Diesel

The push for more diesel vehicles in North America is finally starting to pick up momentum from non-German automakers like Chrysler, General Motors and Mazda, but there are still hurdles automakers face in winning over American car buyers. To combat this, The Detroit News says that Volkswagen is attempting to get government officials to help level the playing field and even create incentives to promote diesel vehicles.

Aside from trying to get the federal diesel fuel tax lowered, VW is looking to get additional credits for diesel vehicles in the stricter 54.5-mpg fuel regulations and trying to get the EPA to adjust how it calculates its combined fuel economy rating. The current ratio takes into account 55-percent city driving and 45-percent highway driving, which a VW exec claims does not “reflect real-world driving.” Diesels perform better on the highway, so on paper, altering the formula could provide a boost for diesel vehicles in the form of a better combined mile-per-gallon rating. This all comes after recent news that VW is working on its next-generation EA 288 TDI engine, a powerplant expected to further increase highway fuel economy to the tune of at least 45 mpg.

VW pushing lawmakers to go easier on diesels originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: VW pushing lawmakers to go easier on diesels”

Report: Court puts kibosh on apartheid lawsuit against Ford, Daimler

Filed under: Government/Legal, Ford, Mercedes-Benz

Ford and Daimler logos Ford and Daimler have scored a major victory in a long-running lawsuit filed in US federal court by unnamed South African nationals. The suit alleges that both manufacturers and their subsidiaries sold their vehicles to the South African military, despite knowing that they’d be involved in violently putting down anti-apartheid protesters.

According to Reuters, South African plaintiffs filed the case under the 223-year-old Alien Torts Statute, a law which allows foreign nationals to file charges in US courts for perceived breaches of what was originally international law, but now more closely relates to violations of human rights.

And while the case – which also involves computer manufacturer IBM – has been tied up in federal courts for years, a recent case from the Supreme Court struck down a similar suit against Royal Dutch Petroleum (Shell), arguing that the ATS doesn’t apply to corporations or to conduct if it occurred outside the US. In short, the law applies to individuals, but not corporations like Ford or Daimler. A US appeals court ruled that the conditions apply in this case, potentially drawing this long-running saga to a close, as the defendants will now be allowed to request that the case be dismissed in district court.

Court puts kibosh on apartheid lawsuit against Ford, Daimler originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Aug 2013 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Continue reading “Report: Court puts kibosh on apartheid lawsuit against Ford, Daimler”