Carscoop

Carl-Peter Forster Leaves Opel, Bob Lutz Rumored to Chair the German firm's Board

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:19:00 +0000

GM Group vice president and CEO of Opel, Carl-Peter Forster has left his post as the head of the company's European operations only three days after GM's decision to terminate a deal to sell its Opel unit to Magna. While neither side gave a reason for Forester's departure, the fact that the former BMW executive was an outspoken supporter of the...

Renault Confirms Production of All-Electric Twizy and Zoe Z.E., Sales Start in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Apparently, Nissan's partner Renault wasn't kidding when it said that it would go ahead and produce the four all-electric concept models that it displayed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Today, the French automaker not only (re)confirmed production of the futuristic looking Twizy Z.E. city car (for Zero Emission) and the funky Zoe Z.E....

VW Announces Race-Inspired Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:06:00 +0000

A special edition Jetta inspired by the TDI Cup race cars will be arriving at Volkswagen's showrooms across the U.S. in the beginning of 2010, the German automaker announced. The Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition gets the front bumper, side skirts and rear valance that are found on the TDI Cup race cars along with larger brakes with red calipers, 18...

VIDEO: Meet the New Porsche Boxster Spyder

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:20:00 +0000

Here's the first official video of the newest member of the Porsche Boxster family, the Spyder (click here for details and photos), that was revealed ahead of its world debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show in December. Weighing in at just 1,275 kg or 2,811 lb, the Spyder is the lightest model through-out the entire range of Porsche cars. Power...

BMW 320d E90-E93 'Superchipped' to 220 HP

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:42:00 +0000

The easiest way to get some extra ponies out of today's cars is to update the engine software and that's precisely what Superchips proposes for the latest generation BMW 320d (E90-E93) with the 2.0-litre, 175bhp turbo diesel powerplant. The firm's remapped ECU for the diesel bimmer adds an extra 44bhp and 103Nm to the four-cylinder unit,...

2011 Audi A8 Spied in Southern California by Carscoop Reader

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:02:00 +0000

We've been reporting for some time that Audi is getting ready to swipe the covers off its next-generation A8 luxury sedan, and now an alert Carscoop reader has sent us these photos of this psychedelically camouflaged Audi prototype. Robert H, who captured the sedan with his iPhone in Southern California, told us that the test car was similar in...

In Pictures: The BMWs of the 2009 SEMA Show

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Even though its more obvious than a wedding pimple that BMW isn't much of an enthusiast of the yearly Specialty Equipment Marketers Association (SEMA) show, nevertheless, many modified Bimmers made their way to the Las Vegas Convention Center this week. We'll let you be the judge on their unsightliness or beauty after you check them all out in our...

Fiat 500 to Hit Chrysler's U.S. Showrooms in 2010 Followed by Convertible in 2011 and Abarth in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:21:00 +0000

Chrysler intends to sell all three available versions of the Fiat 500 in the USA, including the base hatchback, the rag-top convertible and the sporty Abarth, according to the Detroit automaker's five-year business plan that was revealed to the press on Wednesday. As was the case with BMW and the launch of its MINI brand in the turn of the 21st...

Ford Presents World's First Automotive Inflatable Seat Belts

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:05:00 +0000

Air bags of every type and size are continuing to make their way into our cars and from what we gather, it won't be long before we make the chubby Michelin man look under inflated with all those bags surrounding us in our vehicles. The latest development in the field of air bags is the introduction of the world's first automotive application of...

Quiz: What's 'Ironically Similar' About the Chrysler 300 and Lancia Thesis?

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:59:00 +0000

We found this photo hidden somewhere between a family portrait of Olivier Francois, head of both Chrysler and Lancia brands, and a picture of the Detroit automaker's nifty new brochures in the presentation slides released by Chrysler at the unveiling of the company's five-year business plan on Wednesday. The slide is titled "Ironically Similar"...

Suzuki Releases Pricing for New Kizashi Sedan, Starts at $19,734

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:13:00 +0000

Suzuki has announced detailed pricing on its all-new Kizashi mid-size sedan that will begin arriving in dealer showrooms in the States in December 2009. Prices will range from $19,734 for the based Kizashi S with a manual gearbox to $27,484 for the top-of-the-line SLS with an automatic transmission (CVT) and AWD. All Kizashi sedans are powered by...

Photo Gallery: The 2010 Chevy Camaros of the SEMA Show

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:02:00 +0000

Black Camaros, yellow Camaros, winged Camaros, insanely powerful Camaros, convertible Camaros even Pontiac Trans Am conversions of the Camaro; if you're a die-hard fan of General Motors' reborn pony car then SEMA is the place to be as the 2010 Camaro is a dominate force at this year's aftermarket 'carnival' in Las Vegas. If you hit the jump you...

Hyundai Moves Up in the World with Times Square Billboard

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:26:00 +0000

Continuing its high-profile advertising initiatives this year which included the launch of its new Genesis Coupe during the Super Bowl coverage, Hyundai has moved into Times Square in Manhattan, New York with a new outdoor campaign. The cube shaped billboard has three display faces, the front of which has LED screens showing a continuously updated...

Honda Begins Sales of Euro-Built Civic Type R in Japan

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Sales of Honda's UK-produced Civic Type R 3-door model have begun in Japan after the first examples of the car were shipped from Southampton. Japan is the third market after Australia and South Africa to receive a hatchback version of the latest generation Civic this year as the three- and five-door body styles of the compact car were originally...

Kia Forte Koup to Enter Grand-AM Koni Challenge Racing Series

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:20:00 +0000

At this week's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Kia unveiled a racing version of the new Forte Koup with which it will compete in the 2010 GRAND-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge Series in the Street Tuner (ST) class, thus marking the firm's first ever racing efforts on U.S. soil. The Korean automaker has teamed with the Kinetic Group to build and campaign two...

2011 BMW M3 GTS: New Hardcore Version with 450HP 4.4-Liter V8 and Almost 200kg / 440 lbs Lighter!

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:50:00 +0000

[UPDATE: HIGH-RES PHOTOS ADDED] This is it; the BMW M3 that we've all been waiting for after the demise of the E46 M3 CSL. The hardest ever production M3 that gets the GTS moniker is a track-focused yet completely road-legal, limited edition model and it comes with many weight saving measures, more power from a larger capacity V8 engine and lots...

Porsche Boxster Spyder: New Lightweight Model Unveiled Ahead of LA Auto Show

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:31:00 +0000

Porsche has released the first photos of a new, lightweight version of it mid-engined Boxster roadster called the Spyder that is scheduled to make its world debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in December. Following a similar formula to the iconic 550 Spyder of the 1950s, the new model replaces the standard Boxster's retractable soft-top and all...

2011 Dodge Charger Teased in Official Document?

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:04:00 +0000

While reading the Chrysler Group's five-year product plan (see details here) on the Dodge brand's future model line-up, we found these two photos that appear to be depicting the profile and the instrument panel of the new 2011 Charger rear-wheel drive sedan that will be launched onto the market sometime next year. We don't yet have...

SpeedART to Unveil Porsche Panamera-Based PS9-650 at Essen Motor Show

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:36:00 +0000

The Essen Motor Show, which runs from November 28 to December 6 and is best described as Europe's answer to SEMA, will see Porsche tuning shop, SpeedART, revealing its take on the Panamera. The PS9 package for the German sports saloon ups the ante with numerous aero add-ons and a bevy of performance upgrades. The tuner offers a power kit with...

Stealthy Audi A4 Avant Black Arrow by AVUS Performance

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:04:00 +0000

Continuing its love affair with blacked-out Audis, German tuning boutique Avus Performance swiped the covers off its latest pumped up model, the A4 Avant Black Arrow. The car displayed here is equipped with a 2.7-liter turbo diesel engine that has been enhanced with a Stage 1 ECU upgrade boosting output from 190bhp and 295 lb/ft of torque to...

Video Teaser of the New Hardcore BMW M3 GTS

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:56:00 +0000

BMW's M division unwrapped a more hardcore roadgoing version of the M3 Coupe called the GTS today, and this is the first video of the car that will go on sale next year. There's no action footage available yet as the video teaser is limited to a speedy presentation of the new M3 GTS inside and out, but we do get a sample of the upgraded V8's...

Chrysler and Fiat Group Reveal 2010-2014 Product Plan, Many U.S. Models to be Based on Fiat Platforms

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Today, the Chrysler Group LLC and it's Italian parent company partner Fiat presented the firm's long-awaited five-year business plan that's supposed to show how Fiat will turn the U.S. automaker's fate around and save the company from going down. Many interesting thing were said and shown at the eight-hour long press conference including...

Honda Shows Off Accord CrossTour Accessorized with Factory Parts at SEMA

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:02:00 +0000

Even though the 2009 SEMA Show is still under way, we can't wait for next year's event to see how the tuning industry and Honda will react to the new 2010 Accord CrossTour. But for now, we'll have to do with this factory accessorized version of the Japanese automakers much criticized for its looks, crossover model. Among other parts, the SEMA show...

BMW Accessories Quiz: How Can a Duffel Bag that's Priced $68 Online end up Costing $112 at the Counter?

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Yes, you read correctly: if you buy a small duffel bag from BMW's online shop, which by the way, points to your nearest dealer, and have it delivered to your home, it will cost you $68 (plus taxes and delivery fee), but if you decide to pay (...) a visit to your local dealership, the same exact gift may cost you much more - up to 63.4 per cent...

SEMA Show Debut for Subaru's Bling-Bling Legacy VIP Concept

noreply@blogger.com (John @ Carscoop) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:20:00 +0000

The SEMA Show was never about subtle or elegant tuning projects but we reckon that Subaru kinda overdid it with its Legacy 2.5GT VIP concept car. A mishmash of body parts from the Japanese domestic market (JDM), and custom-made / SPT accessories, the Legacy 2.5GT VIP is one of those creations that can spark a feisty conversation over its looks on...