AUTO CARS 2011

Lotus city car confirmed for 2013

2011-02-14T05:45:00.000-08:00

Lotus unveiled a flurry of new concept models earlier this year at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. Five brand-new concepts took center stage, but there was a sixth vehicle unveiled that got far less press – the Lotus City Car. According to CAR Magazine, Lotus head Dany Bahar says that the City Car will arrive in production form for an October 2013 launch date.

The City Car rides on a platform developed for a range-extended hybrid powertrain. A 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine powers electric drive motors, which are mated to a single-speed transmission. This means that around town, the Lotus City Car will be able to run solely on battery power, while the gasoline engine can kick on for needed assistance if necessary.

Volkswagen opens floodgates on 2011 Passat

2011-02-14T05:43:00.000-08:00

Fresh after the 2011 Volkswagen Passat unveil at this year's Paris Motor Show, VW has unleashed a deluge of information and photos of the new sedan and its wagon counterpart. As with most manufacturers, Volkswagen seems bent on giving buyers all the tech they can stand. The 2011 Passat will ship with goodies like a fatigue detection system, the VW equivalent of the Volvo City Safety system and adaptive cruise control, among other tricks. Volkswagen says that it has also made the new Passat as quiet as can be thanks to in the dash and doors to keep exterior noise at bay.

The 2011 Passat will launch with a variety of engines depending on the market, including three diesel mills and four gasoline plants. The company also says that two DSG gearboxes will ship along with those mills in both six- and a seven-speed configurations. For those that prefer to row your own cogs, a six-speed manual will also be available.

Have you been waiting for Chrysler's long-promised Ram hybrid pickup truck? Bad news: Speaking to PluginCars.com, Ram Trucks CEO Fred Diaz firmly put that notion on ice when he bluntly said, "Truckers don't want to buy hybrids." We're not sure truck buyers are so much anti-hybrid as they are unwilling to cough up the necessary bucks to bring meaningful hybrid technology to their pickups. Either way, General Motors' full-size hybrid trucks have failed to set the market on fire, and there's little indication Chrysler's would either, unless the automaker were to offer them at an extremely favorable price point. That seems unlikely. For now, it seems that the only hybrid pickup trucks Ram will offer are the recently announced plug-in models that were developed using federal stimulus funds via a $48 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant and a separate $5 million grant from the Canadian government. A total of 140 PHEV Ram trucks will be offered to fleet customers within the next several months.

2011-02-14T05:41:00.001-08:00

We were a bit surprised when Lotus rolled out a total of five new concepts at this year's Paris Motor Show. Lotus unloaded its lightweight guns in an effort to showcase the automaker's future direction, but the question on our minds concerns which of these concepts will actually see the light of day. According to Autocar, only one of the five concepts is actually undergoing engineering work: the Esprit.

Autocar quotes Lotus insiders who say that the future range-topping Esprit is the only vehicle being fully developed at the moment. The Esprit would be the first of the next-generation Lotuses to grace our presence, sometime around 2013. The Esprit will reportedly adhere to the Lotus mantra of lightness and simplicity, with a curb weight of around 3,300 pounds motivated by a 550-horsepower supercharged V8. No, 3,300 pounds isn't exactly lightweight by any means, but with 550 supercharged horses on deck, the power-to-weight ratio will still be what we've come to expect from Lotus.

Ram Trucks will not offer hybrid pickup to consumers

2011-02-14T05:38:00.000-08:00

Have you been waiting for Chrysler's long-promised Ram hybrid pickup truck? Bad news: Speaking to PluginCars.com, Ram Trucks CEO Fred Diaz firmly put that notion on ice when he bluntly said, "Truckers don't want to buy hybrids."

We're not sure truck buyers are so much anti-hybrid as they are unwilling to cough up the necessary bucks to bring meaningful hybrid technology to their pickups. Either way, General Motors' full-size hybrid trucks have failed to set the market on fire, and there's little indication Chrysler's would either, unless the automaker were to offer them at an extremely favorable price point. That seems unlikely.

For now, it seems that the only hybrid pickup trucks Ram will offer are the recently announced plug-in models that were developed using federal stimulus funds via a $48 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant and a separate $5 million grant from the Canadian government. A total of 140 PHEV Ram trucks will be offered to fleet customers within the next several months.

Hispania Racing Team F111 debut rounds out Formula 1 preseason

2011-02-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

We know this looks like an F1 car. But you know what it actually is? It's the end of the beginning. Because after Ferrari, Lotus, Renault, Sauber, Mercedes, Red Bull, Toro Rosso, Williams, McLaren, Virgin and Force India all unveiled their new Formula 1 cars for the 2011 championship, Hispania Racing Team has joined the action with the F111, marking the end of the preseason debuts.

The new car bears all the hallmarks of the new F1 regulations, but the first thing you're likely to notice is its livery. With little in the way of sponsors, HRT brought in Daniel Simon - the former VW Group designer responsible for, among other things, the light-cycles in Tron: Legacy - to pen the car's dynamic paint scheme. The result is considerably more attractive than last year's gray car, leaving open spots for future sponsors (currently held by "this could be you" and "your logo here" lettering). Simon's Cosmic Motors design firm gets its own logo on the sidepod wing plates, joined only by Tata Motors, which came to the team with Narain Karthikeyan.

Mauro Lecchi's Lamborghini yacht under construction, with Fenice Milano interior

2011-02-14T05:35:00.000-08:00

When we first brought you Italian designer Mauro Lecchi's vision of a Lamborghini power yacht, we were suitably intrigued, but didn't imagine it would actually ever hit the water. Color us surprised, because apparently it is.

The design, "heavily contaminated by stretched lines", according to the press release, takes its cues from Lamborghinis old and new and applies them to the 50-foot form of an express motor yacht. Available propulsion options range from an available pair of 550-horsepower V12s from Motori Marini Lamborghini, and ultimately top out at twin 950-horsepower Seatek turbodiesels. The first example of the Lamborghini-themed yacht is apparently now being built, incorporating lightweight carbon-Kevlar construction that promises to be significantly lighter than the usual fiberglass or even aluminum.

2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe set for Geneva Motor Show debut

2011-02-14T05:34:00.000-08:00

Still puzzled as to why Mercedes-Benz killed off the CLK a couple of years ago? Puzzle no more, friend, for your answer is here. You see, the CLK was designed to slot in between the C-Class and E-Class sedan and wagon ranges, and was both preceded and succeeded by the E-Class Coupe. When Mercedes went back to the old formula, it made room for the vehicle you see here: the 2012 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe.

The subject of many spy shots and leaked photos, the new C-Class Coupe has finally been officially revealed by the factory ahead of its official debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. There, the new Benz coupe will arrive with two engine options: The Mercedes-Benz C250 coupe gets the 1.8-liter direct-injected turbo four with 201 horsepower, while the C350 coupe is equipped with the 304-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6. Both are mated exclusively to Mercedes' 7-speed automatic transmission, which drives the rear wheels. 4Matic all-wheel drive will not be offered on the C-Class coupe. (The AMG version of the coupe is tipped to come along in another month at the New York Auto Show.)

Report: Toyota to cut management board in half

2011-02-14T05:32:00.000-08:00

Toyota is in the process of reevaluating the structure of its highest level of management. Eight years ago there were 58 board members running the show before Toyota cut the group down to 27. Now Toyota is planning to reduce its board further by dropping its membership to 17.

After a 2010 filled with recalls and court dates, Toyota is preparing to re-focus its efforts and cutting the number of board members will allow for decisions and actions to be realized far more quickly. The automaker will reportedly announce the cuts ahead of its April shareholders meeting.

Rumormill: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 details emerge

2011-02-14T01:48:00.000-08:00

The last Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 was one heck of a muscle truck, but it was somewhat encumbered by being based on the last Grand Cherokee. The new model, however, is a different beast entirely, billed as the kind of vehicle that could help turn Chrysler's fortunes around. So what's next? The new Grand Cherokee SRT8, of course. And rumormill reports of its specifications are beginning to pour in.

According to insiders, the new GC SRT8 will bow at the upcoming New York Auto Show in April. And when it does, it is expected to pack the new 6.4-liter Hemi V8 with around 470 horsepower and just as much torque. That'll be mated, according to the rumors, to a five-speed automatic equipped with paddle shifters – an SRT first. Couple that to a new adaptive damping suspension, 14-inch Brembo brakes and 20-inch alloys wearing Pirelli rubber and you can start to see where Chrysler's Italian cousins are starting to pitch in. Heck, Chrysler is even said to be working on boosting the towing capacity, so the next SRT8 should be a more well-rounded vehicle to live with, as well. Thanks to all for the tips!

2012 Subaru Impreza could debut in New York

2011-02-14T01:31:00.000-08:00

We were smitten with Subaru's Impreza Concept from the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show. The production version will certainly be toned down for normal road use, and a report from Inside Line states that we could see the next-generation Impreza bow sooner than expected. In speaking with IL, Subaru of America's executive vice president, Tom Doll, confirmed that the 2012 Impreza will go on sale in the United States in August, meaning that an official reveal at April's New York Auto Show is very likely.

Like the current model, the 2012 Impreza will be offered in both sedan and five-door hatchback body styles, powered by the automaker's revised 2.5-liter Boxer flat-four that debuted in the 2011 Forester. We hope that Subaru keeps many of the Impreza Concept's lines intact for the production car, especially since we drool at the thought of what the STI-fettled version will look like

Geely Emgrand GE plug-in hybrid limo

2011-02-14T01:26:00.000-08:00

Another entry that Geely has planned for its new Emgrand premium sub-brand is the GE limousine. Like many of Geely's new models, the GE has a very prominent grille but the rest of the design looks otherwise well-proportioned and attractive. With a 214-inch body sitting on a 124-inch wheelbase, the GE is a big car targeted at executives who prefer to be driven rather than get behind the wheel. The Geely Emgrand GE can be equipped with either a rear bench contoured for two passengers or a single large seat flanked by extra storage compartments.

Underneath, the GE has the same plug-in hybrid powertrain featured in the GT coupe. That means it gets a 2.4-liter inline-four that producing 160 horsepower and 165 pound-feet of torque. The electric drive consists of a pair of 27.5 kilowatt, 132 pound-foot hub-motors for all-wheel-drive capability. The GE is targeted for 2015 introduction.

Video: Ferrari P4/5 Competizione laps Vallelunga during test session

2011-02-14T01:21:00.000-08:00

We've seen video of James Glickenhaus' "daily driver" Ferrari P4/5 by Pininfarina on the track and the street, and we already know that his race-prepared P4/5 Competizione is progressing nicely. While photos show the Ferrari P4/5 Competizione to be just as sexy as the Enzo-based road car that inspired it, nothing shows off a racing car's chops like actual footage of it in action.

That's now available via just-released in-car video of the Ferrari P4/5 Competizione lapping Italy's Vallelunga circuit. It's the latest exidence that Jim Glickenhaus' new machine is indeed the business. Sounds as good as it looks, too. Follow the jump to watch. Thanks to Don for the tip!

2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG called into duty for New York Fashion Week

2011-02-14T01:12:00.000-08:00

We've seen all manner of vehicles being equipped and commissioned for police duty around the world. But this is no ordinary police car. This 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG is the ride of choice for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Force.

The fashion enforcers are out in full force this week in New York as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Fortunately for "the rest of us" Benz's fashion cops aren't looking for people wearing outfits that clash; instead, they're identifying trendsetters on the street and offering them free rides to their next destinations in this specially-prepared CLS 63 AMG, which may well be the best car for the job. See for yourselves in the high-resolution image gallery below and the press release after the jump.

New Lancia Stratos reportedly attracting potential buyers at $500k a pop

2011-02-14T00:44:00.000-08:00

When Pininfarina and Michael Stoschek unveiled the new Lancia Stratos, they hinted that limited production was a possibility if there was enough demand. According to new reports, prospective buyers are already lining up at the door.

The latest rumors indicate that since unveiling the coachbuilt custom, around 40 customers in Europe and elsewhere approached Stoschek (the German enthusiast who commissioned the New Stratos in the first place) and Pininfarina, expressing their desire to buy one for themselves. The pair reportedly figure that, although it cost about €3 million (~$4m) to develop and build the first example, they could offer a quantity of the neo-retro supercar at around €400,000 ($540k) apiece, including €100,000 ($135k) for a (presumably used) Ferrari F430 and €300,000 to convert it into the New Stratos