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Fiat reportedly set to raise stake in Chrysler

Filed under: Etc., Chrysler, Earnings/Financials, Fiat

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, has reportedly indicated that the Italian automaker is interested in raising its stake in the Auburn Hills automaker. Currently, Fiat owns 20 percent of Chrysler and it wants to raise that figure to 35 percent by the end of 2011. Fiat has had a strong third quarter, earning around $236 million.

According to the Detroit Free Press, in order to increase its ownership stake by 15 percent, Fiat has to hit three specific targets that are worth five percent apiece. The first goal is to launch the 1.4-liter MultiAir engine being built at Chrysler’s plant in Dundee, Michigan. That engine is slated to go into the upcoming Fiat 500.

Second on the task list is for Chrysler to produce a car that achieves 40 miles per gallon. Marchionne believes this vehicle will enter production towards the end of 2011. It will be a compact hatchback branded as a Dodge.

The final five percent will be earned when Chrysler increases its sales outside of the US. Specifically, it will focus sales efforts to increase volume in South America. Per Marchionne, this last objective will prove the most difficult because of the way Brazil regulates its dealer networks. In fact, Fiat is looking for alternative ways to earn the final five percent stake it seeks from Chrysler.

Thirty-five percent is a hefty piece of the Chrysler pie, but much more can be made available in the not-too-distant future. Once Chrysler is able to repay both the Canadian and U.S. governments for the $8 billion in loans it received, the Italian automaker will be able to raise its stake to 51 percent.

[Source: Detroit Free Press | Image: Massimo Pinca/AP]

Fiat reportedly set to raise stake in Chrysler originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Bumblebee accidentally T-bones a real cop car on TF3 set

Filed under: Etc., Chevrolet, GM, Celebrities, Specialty

Transformers 3 Bumblebee Camaro crash

Autobots, roll out… No, wait! – Click above to watch videos after the jump

You know how they say some movies are cursed? It seems that may just be the case for the folks working on Transformers 3. The movie has had its share of crashes, with a few of them being of the “unplanned” variety. The latest incident takes place in Washington D.C. and involves a certain yellow Camaro that Transformers fans know better as Bumblebee.

As a scene was being filmed, a real police vehicle was responding to a call and cut quickly across the set. The two cars collided and the police officer driving the SUV was taken to a nearby hospital, but it appears there are no serious injuries – except to the Camaro, which was covered up and taken away.

Earlier this year, production came to a screeching halt when Gabrielo Cedillo had to be rushed to the hospital. Cedillo, an extra, was driving a car when a cable from a camera vehicle broke loose, smashed through her windshield and hit her in the head. She underwent emergency surgery but her stint in the ICU is up, and her condition is improving.

A trio of videos of this latest accident can be seen after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Mark!

[Source: TMZ, Youtube]

Continue reading Video: Bumblebee accidentally T-bones a real cop car on TF3 set

Video: Bumblebee accidentally T-bones a real cop car on TF3 set originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ferrari World opening date set, ticket prices revealed

Filed under: Etc., Ferrari, Event Alert, Middle East

Ferrari World

Ferrari World Abu Dhabi – Click above for high-res image gallery

The Tifosi are trembling. Ferrari World has announced the opening date, as well as ticket prices, for its Abu Dhabi-based theme park. Get your plane tickets and pack your bags, because gates open October 27th, 2010 at 7PM. Standard tickets cost 225 United Arab Emirate Dirhams (about $61 USD) for visitors over five feet tall, and 165 AED (about $45 USD) for shorter folks. Premium tickets, which provide access to an exclusive lounge with refreshments as well as other as-yet unannounced benefits, cost 375 AED (about $102 USD) for the five foot and up crowd or 270 AED ($74 USD) for more diminutive Ferrari aficionados.

Both ticket levels provide unlimited access to all rides and attractions. Note that the October opening is considered a soft launch, and only exterior features will be available to visitors. A full-blown grand opening will follow this December, when the full park will open up to the public.

Gallery: Ferrari World Abu Dhabi

[Source: Ferrari World via Motor Trend]

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Ferrari World opening date set, ticket prices revealed originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Oct 2010 18:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris 2010: Citroën Lacoste Concept is a fashion buggy for the white belt set

Filed under: Concept Cars, Paris Motor Show, Citroën, Specialty

Citroen Lacoste Concept at the 2010 Paris Motor Show

Citroën Lacoste Concept – Click above for a high-res image gallery

This is the Citroën Lacoste concept, which the automaker describes as “an emblem for a state-of-mind” – that particular mental state probably including sun, sand, bikinis and Speedos. The open buggy-like four-seater with floating headrests is the opposite of “always more,” powered by a three-cylinder engine that will make its pace as relaxed as its occupants.

Fashion and four-wheelers combine all around, with the golf-ball wheels outside and bench seats with a polo-shirt-like weave inside. The dash that’s as wide as the car goes in another direction entirely, with readouts in giant pixels popping up and running along its length akin to a Times Square news ticker. And although we probably won’t see it on the ~~roads~~ beaches soon, there is a chance we could see it or something like it: Frédéric Banzet, managing director of Citroën, has said he’d like to bring it to production. Ok then.

Gallery: Paris 2010: Citroen Lacoste Concept

Continue reading Paris 2010: Citroën Lacoste Concept is a fashion buggy for the white belt set

Paris 2010: Citroën Lacoste Concept is a fashion buggy for the white belt set originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Paris Preview: 247-hp 2012 Ford Focus ST set to go global

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, Ford

2012 Ford Focus ST

2012 Ford Focus ST – Click above for high-res image gallery

Earlier this year, Ford promised us a hotter version of the all-new Focus, and at this month’s Paris Motor Show, the Blue Oval is sticking to its word.

The 2012 Ford Focus ST will be the brand’s first high-performance model developed under the watchful eye of its global performance vehicle team, and while the hatch you see here is being billed as a “design study,” make no mistake – this will form the basis of the ST coming to market in early 2012.

Power is provided by an EcoBoost 2.0-liter inline four churning out 247 turbocharged horsepower, and Ford promises that the ST’s handling and aural delights will live up to the marque’s performance heritage. FoMoCo also makes it clear that the ST is bound for “all global markets from early 2012” so those of us in the States should finally get a crack at what’s traditionally been a Euro-only affair.

Joining the Focus ST in Paris will be the new Mondeo and C-Max, both powered by Ford’s new range of fuel-efficient gasoline and diesel-powered drivetrains. Make the jump for the full details.

Gallery: 2012 Ford Focus ST

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Paris Preview: 247-hp 2012 Ford Focus ST set to go global

Paris Preview: 247-hp 2012 Ford Focus ST set to go global originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Despite meeting with governor, Ford set to close Minnesota Ranger plant

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford

2010 Ford Ranger – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to The Detroit News, Ford officials met with Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty yesterday to discuss the future of the automaker’s St. Paul assembly plant. The facility, which builds Ford’s Ranger compact pickup has been earmarked for closure for some time, but despite the roundtable session, the Blue Oval says it still plans to shutter its operations.

Pawlenty’s administration had been hoping that the signing of a new state law in April allowing the government to offer Ford a series of tax breaks would be enough to keep the Twin Cities operations open, but apparently it wasn’t enough – the plant will close, although an end-date remains uncertain.

Closing the plant will also close the book on the aging Ranger, though Ford has confirmed that the model name will live on with other, larger models in foreign markets. Thus far, rumors of a new North American Ranger (and even an on-air slip by Ford president Alan Mulally) have amounted to nothing, and with Ford committed introducing more economical engines to its F-150 full-size pickup, it appears highly unlikely that a U.S. Ranger will receive an encore any time soon.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Report: Despite meeting with governor, Ford set to close Minnesota Ranger plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reader Spy: 2011 Dodge Charger revealed on set of The Fast and the Furious Five

Filed under: Spy Photos, Sedan, Chrysler, Dodge, Police/Emergency

Reader Spy: 2011 Dodge Charger on the set of ‘The Fast and the Furious Five’ – Click above for high-res image gallery

Thanks to Autoblog reader Jose Rosario, we can now put the speculation to rest – the 2011 Dodge Charger will indeed receive a new full-width taillamp treatment that echoes that of its two-door Challenger kin. Rosario informs us that these spy shots were taken in Puerto Rico on the set of The Fast and the Furious Five, the latest installment of the durable Vin Diesel street racing franchise.

According to Rosario, the filming appears to be using at least one prototype of the new Charger, “because it has the sides of the current model but has the new front and they added the new rear which light up all in LED lights.” The film crew is also using more complete 2011 models, all of which are dressed up as police cars. The cars were used in a chase scene in which two current-model in a matte black finish pull a bank vault along the street, pursued by the Brazilian police cars (Even though the filming is taking place in Puerto Rico, the movie is set in Brazil). Rosario sadly reports that the last scene filmed the day these images were taken were of a current model Charger rear-ending a 2011 model.

Rosario managed to not only get shots of the new taillamps and well-integrated dual exhausts, but also some shots of the front end, which he says looks “more aggressive,” including more snout-like grille, new hood, subtly but completely redone headlamps and a revised lower fascia.

As if that weren’t enough, our man in PR also scored a shot of the 2011 model’s interior, which reveals a much more cohesive look. A new three-spoke steering wheel with redundant audio controls beckons, as does what appears to be a start button. The gauge binnacle eschews the four nacelles of the current car for a more unified cluster that’s marked out by a liberal helping of silvery trim and vertically oriented air vents bookend a new infotainment screen. Immediately below the screen, the Charger maintains its simple three-knob HVAC controls (albeit redone), and a step down from there is the CD slot. In the center console, a gated PRNDL surrounded by what looks like faux carbon-fiber trim. All-in-all, it looks like a massive improvement over the dour and workmanlike instrument panel of the outgoing Dodge.

What do you think – will the reborn Dodge Charger and its Chrysler 300 twin offer enough changes to rekindle your interest? Check out our images in the high-res gallery below, and then drop your fellow reader a line in Comments. Thanks for the pics, Rosario!

Gallery: Reader Spy: 2011 Dodge Charger

Reader Spy: 2011 Dodge Charger revealed on set of The Fast and the Furious Five originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Moto Guzzi V7 Clubman reportedly set for production

Filed under: Motorcycle, Design/Style

Moto Guzzi V7 Clubman – Click above for high-res image gallery

As is the case in the automobile world, what’s old is suddenly new again. While some homages to the past may be better left right where they are, others are simply due to come back in vogue. Such is the case with the classic cafe racer motorcycle, which some might argue never actually went out of style in the first place. And we totally dig the effective use of simple touches that make Moto Guzzi’s V7 Clubman stand out from the rest of the Italian manufacturer’s lineup.

Take, for instance, the sloping single-passenger humped saddle and the tiny front windscreen and number plate, which is mimicked on either side of the rear fender. Add in a highly polished fuel tank and an upswept Arrow exhaust system and you’ve got the perfect modern reinterpretation of a classic street racer. Makes us want to do the ton on our way to the Ace Cafe just looking at it…

That dream may soon be a reality, it seems. According to Motorcycle-USA’s monthly Euro Gossip report, the handsome Guzzi is headed for production in October. The supposed additional $1500 over the standard V7 Classic seems reasonable for all those aforementioned upgrades. We’ve contacted Moto Guzzi for an official word on whether or not the bike will come to the States, but in the meantime feel free to take a look at our high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: Moto Guzzi V7 Clubman

[Source: Motorcycle-USA]

Moto Guzzi V7 Clubman reportedly set for production originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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