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LA Auto Show preview: Infiniti to launch 2012 M35 hybrid

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Hybrid, Sedan, Infiniti

2012 Infiniti M35 hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery

Infiniti has officially announced plans to debut its first hybrid sedan at the Los Angeles Auto Show this November. The M35 hybrid first appeared – badged as the Nissan Fuga hybrid – at last fall’s Tokyo Motor Show, propelled by Nissan’s first in-house hybrid system. The M35 is powered by a retuned Atkinson cycle version of the 3.5-liter VQ V6 paired with a 50-kilowatt electric motor and a lithium ion battery pack that uses the same type of cells that power the Nissan Leaf.

The motor is a disc-type unit packed between the engine and the six-speed automatic transmission in a similar fashion to the systems from BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Porsche. Infiniti claims the M35 will deliver V8 performance with the fuel consumption of a four cylinder. While the Fuga is set to go on sale in Japan this fall, the M35 hybrid arrives in the U.S. next year as a 2012 model.

Gallery: 2012 Infiniti M35 hybrid

[Source: Nissan]

LA Auto Show preview: Infiniti to launch 2012 M35 hybrid originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM to show Cruze hatchback at Paris Motor Show?

Filed under: Concept Cars, Budget, Europe, Paris Motor Show, Hatchback, GM, Holden, Australia

The internets are aflame with word that General Motors will unveil a new Cruze hatchback at this year’s Paris Motor Show. According to Go Auto, the concept was worked up by none other than The General’s Down Under contingent at Holden. Now, before you start hoping for a more functional version of the Chevrolet Cruze to show up in a showroom near you, know that the production version of the car will be built in Australia and sold to, you guessed it, Australians. Chances are looking slim that the long-roof Cruze will ever make it to the Land of the Free in any official capacity.

Shucks.

GM has made it clear that it will debut no less than four new models in Paris, including production versions of the Chevrolet Aveo and Chevrolet Orlando. While the Orlando is another piece of forbidden fruit from the General, buyers in the U.S. can look forward to getting their hands on the Ford Fiesta-fighting Aveo sometime soon. From what we’ve seen of the new subcompact, the car looks galaxies better than the outgoing model – of course, that’s not hard…

[Source: Go Auto]

GM to show Cruze hatchback at Paris Motor Show? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best of Show: 1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster

Filed under: Classics

2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best of Show – Click above for high-res image gallery

Last year’s announcement of the Pebble Beach Best of Show felt almost anti-climactic. The winning Horch 853 was so stunning that we instantly thought it would be the grand champion the moment we laid eyes on it.

In contrast, this year’s show was a bit more wide open. There were literally dozens of cars that we thought had a chance to bring home the honors – but in the end it was The Patterson Collection’s 1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster that brought home the gold.

Kudos to them and the rest of the winners this year. We’ve assembled a gallery of the champion below and are working on a few more galleries showing you all of the featured classes as well. But for now, click below to see the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best of Show 1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster.

Gallery: 1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster

1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster

2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Best of Show: 1933 Delage D8S De Villars Roadster originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Look: 2011 Toyota Highlander to launch at Moscow Motor Show next month

Filed under: Crossover, Toyota, Misc. Auto Shows, Russia, Design/Style

2011 Toyota Highlander – Click above to enlarge

Toyota Europe has confirmed to Autoblog that the automaker’s popular Highlander crossover will go on sale in Russia and the Ukraine for the first time ever. Why should Statesiders care? Because the new-look model above will be unveiled at the Moscow Motor Show on August 25, and it’s almost certain to be the refreshed CUV that we will receive in North America.

From the looks of things, the 2011 Highlander will retain its strong body lines, but ditch the conservative front fascia of the 2010 model in favor of a leaner, more aggressive nose with angry looking headlamps. With appropriate helpings of chrome in all the right places, the new Highlander is downright handsome. As this is the only shot that we have, we don’t know what’s going on at the rear, but we would expect redesigned taillamps and perhaps some revamped trim. From what we can see, the Highlander’s profile appears unchanged, save perhaps for a new wheel pattern and a very discreet set of turn signal repeaters in the mirrors.

While we have no confirmation that we will receive this same model, European officials believe that it will make it to North America with “more or less the same look.” The Highlander is only built in three places at the moment – China, Japan and in Indiana, so it doesn’t seem likely that Toyota would bother to develop new sheetmetal for select European markets without disbursing it elsewhere.

Unfortunately, we don’t know too much about what’s going on under that hood or in the cabin. So far, the only thing that Toyota Europe has confirmed with us is that the hybrid version of the Highlander won’t be available in those markets. We’ll just have to wait for details from the Moscow Motor Show for more information. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

First Look: 2011 Toyota Highlander to launch at Moscow Motor Show next month originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oft-rumored Nissan Murano convertible tipped to debut at LA Auto Show

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Convertible, Crossover, Nissan, Rumormill

As much as we were hoping that it was nothing more than an elaborate internet hoax by a talented Photoshopper, we’re getting closer and closer to slotting this one away in the Silly But Apparently True file. According to Inside Line, the oft-rumored Nissan Murano convertible is indeed coming to an auto show near you, starting late this year at the LA Auto Show.

Yes, we’re serious. No, we’re not sure we get it either.

If there’s any truth to this rumor, we can expect the droptop crossover to hit the market as a 2012 model equipped with the same 3.5-liter V6 engine and continuously variable automatic transmission as the standard-issue Murano. The switchover to convertible status will reportedly include the removal of the rear doors and may even come with a Chrysler PT Cruiser-esque hoop that’s ostensibly there to boost rigidity and act as some sort of roll bar in the unlikely event of a tipover. We’re sure it’ll be just the thing for unstable homecoming queens come parade duty.

Gluttons for punishment are free to see the complete retina-roasting rendering here at Inside Line. Hey, don’t blame us… we warned you.

[Source: Inside Line]

Oft-rumored Nissan Murano convertible tipped to debut at LA Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: 2012 Porsche Cayman Clubsport headed for LA Auto Show

Filed under: LA Auto Show, Coupe, Performance, Porsche, Rumormill

2010 Porsche Cayman S – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to Porsche enthusiast site Planet-9.com, a hardcore version of the Cayman, dubbed CS or Clubsport, will be shown at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show in December. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard rumblings of a lighter, more powerful Cayman, but now that Porsche has successfully launched the Boxster Spyder, it’s only fitting that the same sort of package be offered on its harder-core hardtop sister.

Expect the Clubsport to produce around 333 horsepower from its 3.4-liter flat-six, an increase of 13 hp over the Cayman S. From there, lightweight 19-inch wheels will be standard, as will fabric door pulls, aluminum body components and a slightly revised front fascia that we’ve seen on the Boxster Spyder. Obviously, the real goal with a Clubsport model is lightness, and Planet-9 reports that the CS should be about 162 to 184 pounds lighter than the stock Cayman S.

If the LA Auto Show reveal stands true, the Cayman CS should be hitting the road sometime in 2011 as a 2012 model, priced from around $66,300. Fingers crossed, everyone.

Gallery: 2010 Porsche Cayman S

[Source: Planet-9]

Rumormill: 2012 Porsche Cayman Clubsport headed for LA Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Prince Charles planning eco-friendly motor show in London?

Filed under: Hybrid, Misc. Auto Shows, UK, Electric

Prince Charles drives a Saab 9-3 BioPower

While fire-breathing performance cars and hot rods are car-show fixtures, there aren’t many environmentally-friendly car shows out there, so Prince Charles is having one in his front yard. The Prince of Wales will open his gardens at Clarence House to the public from September 8-19 (neighboring gardens at Lancaster House and Marlborough House will also open their respective gardens) for what’s being dubbed “The Garden Party to Make a Difference.” Proceeds from the event will support the Prince’s Charities Foundation, whose aim is to help people “lead more sustainable lives and to show what a more energy efficient, cleaner and healthier future could look like.”

The garden party will feature a number of eco-friendly vehicles, music, comedy acts and a race from Glasgow to London pitting the sustainable stallions against the Prince’s royal train, which runs on waste vegetable oil. Entry to the gardens costs £15 (about $23 USD), but the display of green cars is free. Is a green car show worth a trip across The Pond? We’re thinking no – unless of course we can burn some rubber racing Charles’ choo-choo – all in the name of environmental responsibility.

[Source: Auto Express | Image: Saab]

Prince Charles planning eco-friendly motor show in London? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Salon Privé 2010 fires up as Europe’s largest luxury and supercar show

Filed under: Classics, Misc. Auto Shows, UK, Design/Style

Jaguar D-Type at the 2010 Salon Privé – Click above for high-res image gallery

We can officially add the Salon Privé to the gearhead bucket list. The fifth annual automotive exhibit at London’s tony Hurlingham Club has established itself as a mecca of high-end metal, old and new, and while this year’s event lacks the major unveils and sneak peeks of 2009, it’s still packing more luxury and performance metal per square acre than just about any other show on the planet. For 2010, manufacturers from around the globe have rolled out their best and brightest, both from their past and present portfolios. Highlights of this June 21-23 gathering and concours include the always wicked-looking Veritas III, as well as the Lexus LFA, Lotus Evora and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

The new tin is cool and all, but we’re more interested in the smattering of old-school supercars in attendance. Want to get within sniffing distance of a McLaren F1? No problem. How about a Bugatti EB110 or a Ferrari F50? The Salon Privé will be happy to oblige. Check out our massive high-res gallery for a cross-section of the awesome in attendance.

Gallery: 2010 Salon Prive

[Source: Salon Prive]

Salon Privé 2010 fires up as Europe’s largest luxury and supercar show originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Smart to reveal electric scooter at Paris Motor Show

Filed under: Paris Motor Show, Smart, Motorcycle, Rumormill, Electric

When you’re already known for producing what basically amounts to the smallest vehicle currently available for public consumption, what do you do for an encore presentation? Go even smaller, of course. In the case of the Smart brand, that means cutting the total wheel count in half. That’s right, a scooter.

According to Autocar, Daimler’s littlest auto brand is planning to debut a new plug-in electric scooter at the upcoming Paris Motor Show. According to a “senior Mercedes-Benz official”:

Smart was originally established to tackle the need for improved mobility, especially in congested city environments. Up to now we have concentrated our efforts on four-wheel solutions. The next stage is to look at how to expand beyond this with other environmentally friendly vehicles.

If true, this electric scooter may be seen as a response to longtime German rival BMW’s efforts in the two-wheeled arena. In fact, BMW recently showed off an electric scooter concept of its own called the C1-E, which was based on its previous production C1 covered scooter.

Just one last question: What are the chances this electric scooter will be called the ForOne?

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Smart to reveal electric scooter at Paris Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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