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Filed under: SUVs , Euro , Porsche Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Porsche Cayenne diesel Porsche made it all official today. New European regulations that result in tax credits for diesel vehicles have spurred the automaker to drop an oil-burner under the hood of the Cayenne starting in February, 2009. Audi's 3.0L TDI V6 gets the call and will give the Cayenne diesel 240 horsepower, a peak torque rating of 405 lb-ft and a 25 mpg fuel economy number. The all-important (in Europe) CO2 emissions number is 244 g/km. There are no visual indicators to distinguish the diesel from the gas-powered base Cayenne. You have to look under the hood, where the engine cover is emblazoned with "3.0 V6 Turbo Diesel Injection" if you're hell-bent on finding some branding. While the diesel Cayenne is a Europe-only model for now, Porsche pretty much says that other markets and countries are to follow. Will that include us? Who knows. You can bet that Stuttgart's going to keep tabs...
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Filed under: SUVs , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , BMW Click above for high-res gallery of the BMW X1 Concept In a move that marks a significant departure from its current direction, BMW will offer both all- and rear-wheel drive versions of its upcoming BMW X1 model. Up to this point, consumers have only been offered all-wheel-drive mechanicals under the skin of the BMW X6 , BMW X5 and smaller BMW X3 . The German automaker cites weight savings and gains in efficiency as the reason why its newest and smallest SAV loses its front driveshafts, but be assured that it's also a cost-saving maneuver as automakers squeeze to keep prices down. As the models will appear virtually identical from the outside, BMW will offer the rear-wheel-drive version with a special "sDrive" badge to differentiate it from the xDrive-equipped all-wheel-drive model (of course, you'll have to squint to discern the badge differences between a rear-wheel-drive "BMW X1 sDrive28i" and the all-wheel...
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Filed under: SUVs , Euro , Crossovers/CUVs , Ford , First Drive Click above for high-res gallery of the Euro-spec Ford Kuga The grass, they say, is always greener on the other side of the fence. Though that often appears to be the case, most of the time it isn't. Dearborn's new "One Ford" initiative promises that we'll soon be able to stop gazing longingly across the ocean at what the company offers overseas buyers, as Ford endeavors to integrate its global product line-up into one cohesive range for every market around the world. In the case of the new Fiesta, that's a good thing. Less so with regards to the Kuga. Follow the jump to read why. Gallery: First Drive: 2008 Ford Kuga Photos Copyright (C)2008 Noah Joseph / Weblogs, Inc. Continue reading First Drive: Ford Kuga (Euro-spec) Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: SUVs , Euro , Audi Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Audi Q7 V12 TDI The Audi Q7 V12 TDI is set to launch (but not here in the U.S.), and it's just the thing to give that annoying neighbor with his fancy VW Touareg V10 TDI a debilitating inferiority complex. 500 horsepower and approximately enough torque to counter-rotate the Earth (758 lb-ft) come standard on Audi's diesel monster. 21-inch wheels mask carbon ceramic brakes, LED running lamps help light the way, and the interior is a festival of dead cow, TV screens, and Alcantara, all trimmed neatly in aluminum and carbon fiber. If we were, say, Russian gangsters, we'd totally be driving one of these. (Except Neff, who would undoubtedly, stubbornly continue rolling in the Alero.) In conjunction with the launch, Audi dumped a slew of new pictures on its media site, so here they are. Click away. Gallery: Audi Q7 V12 TDI [Source: Audi] Continue reading Pics Aplenty: Audi Q7 V12 TDI Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Economy , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Euro , Plants/Manufacturing , Ford click above to view more high-res shots of the Euro-Focus News flash: small cars like the Ford Focus are selling beyond expectations (ours anyway) while trucks and SUVs are sitting on dealer lots much longer than auto manufacturers would like. For this reason, Ford is moving as quickly as possible to switch a few of its truck plants into car plants, including its Michigan Truck plant where behemoth SUVs like the Expedition and Navigator were being built. The switchover is going to cost the automaker since these are not flexible manufacturing facilities, with the first bit of retooling ringing the registers to the tune of $75 million bucks -- and that's just for a new bodyshop. The total cost to retool the plant will be in the hundreds of millions. As they say, it takes money to make money. While the plant is being refurbished, workers will be shuffled to the nearby Wayne plant to build even more Focuses...
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Filed under: Tuners , SUVs , Euro , Audi Click above for a hi-res gallery of the ABT Q5 Every time a new Volkswagen or Audi is released, German tuner ABT Sportsline can be relied upon to come up with performance and appearance packages to enhance them. The latest ride to get attention is the Audi Q5, and as you can see in the renderings ABT sent out, the body kit helps matters, because the showroom-trim Q5 is actually pretty vanilla-looking . The new visuals are backed up by a modified suspension, a 20" wheels, more braking power, and power packages for each available engine. Depending on which mill is nestled underhood, horsepower in the ABT-tuned Q5 ranges from 240 horsepower for the 2.0 TFSI all the way up to 310 horses for the 3.0 TDI with the Power S package. Gallery: ABT Sportsline Audi Q5 [Source: ABT Sportsline ] Continue reading ABT Sportsline tweaks the Audi Q5 Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: SUVs , Euro , Mitsubishi , Misc. Auto Shows Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport. Like every other automaker under the sun, Mitsubishi is in the process of expanding its reach into Russia. In 2007, the automaker offloaded over 100,000 vehicles in the world's largest country (size, not population) and is looking to sell approximately 140,000 units this year. Not surprisingly, it's chosen the Moscow Auto Show in August to unveil the next generation Pajero Sport SUV, before sales begin in South-East Asia, South America, Australia and the Middle East later this year. The new Pajero Sport (or Challenger, depending on the market) is packing all the "active lifestyle" accoutrements you'd expect, including water-repellent seats, 2- or 3-row seating that can accommodate between five and seven passengers, and a waterproof luggage compartment that will come in handy after you've hiked through the volcanoes of Kamchatka. Power...
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Filed under: SUVs , Euro , Jeep , Military Click above for a photo gallery of the Jeep J8 Unless you're a foreign military, government, or humanitarian organization, you're not getting your hands on the Jeep J8 , a vehicle we think a number of Jeepers would be all over in about two seconds if it were to be offered in neighborhood dealerships. Available as a two-door pickup (above) or a four-door (like the civilian Wrangler Unlimited), the J8 goes on sale this month and was officially revealed at Euro Camp Jeep '08 in Germany. Power comes from a 150-horse turbodiesel with 295 lb-ft of torque, with that juice going to all four wheels via a five-speed auto and Jeep's Command-Trac 4WD. The J8's built to be a workhorse, with a Dana 60 rear, leaf springs in back, upgraded brakes, and a revamped intake that lets it ford 30 inches of water and handle a sandstorm lasting up to five hours. Its max payload is 2,750 pounds, and it has a towing capacity of over 7,700 pounds. Because...
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Filed under: Time Warp , SUVs , Euro , Land Rover , UK , Special/Limited Editions Click above for more renderings of the Bell Aurens Longnose Few things define British motoring better than a Land Rover and the classic roadster. So, why not combine the two? While the vehicles share nothing in common except their status as iconis, two German Brit-car aficionados have melded the two vehicle classes into the Bell Aurens Longnose Land Rover. The end result is somewhat reminiscent of a Willys Jeepster , though it's far more serious in intent. Custom bodywork sits atop a classic Land Rover Series chassis, to which V8 or V12 power is added -- it's up to the buyer. Four-wheel-drive and low-range gearing assure that the Landie's off-road credentials are left fully intact. Based on the rendering above, the vehicle certainly looks long and low, with no protection from the elements to speak of. Its lengthy bonnet leads to a passenger compartment fronted by folding windscreens. A choice of...
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Filed under: Coupes , Sedans/Saloons , SUVs , Trucks/Pickups , Euro , Plants/Manufacturing , Crossovers/CUVs , Hatchbacks , Ford For reasons that everyone is aware of, American carmakers have been shutting down and idling plants that make trucks and SUVs. According to AutoSavant, however, Ford is not going to simply shutter plants, it is going to retool some of them to build its Euro-market cars for the American market. If this is true, we're so giddy we don't even want to paraphrase it, so we'll just quote directly: " Our sources at Ford say that Mr. Mulally has already made the decision to convert at least three truck/SUV production facilities in North America as soon as possible to produce Ford models currently sold in Europe.... The timeline Mulally prefers, according to insiders, is 'yesterday'. " The reasoning is ostensibly that with the American market going to more frugal cars, it's time for Ford to start spending the money to provide them -- even...
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Filed under: SUVs , Trucks/Pickups , Euro , Plants/Manufacturing , Ford , Lincoln Ford's recent announcement to reduce its white collar workforce costs by 15% shows that Mulally & Co. are dead-serious about turning around the Dearborn, MI automaker. The newest twist in the FoMoCo saga takes the situation from serious to near desperate, as plant managers and union leadership are convening in Dearborn to discuss switching factories from truck to car production. Such a move is much easier to make in one of Toyota or Honda's flexible manufacturing plants, but Ford has plenty of facilities that are hardwired to build only one or two products. Analysts say that costs could be $250 million a year or more, which would make for a huge dent in Ford's already shrinking bank account. The good news is that Ford is looking at its European products as the vehicles it needs to build State-side. We enthusiasts have been drooling over the Euro Focus, Fiesta , Mondeo, S-Max and Kuga for quite...
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Filed under: Sports/GTs , SUVs , Euro , Porsche , Misc. Auto Shows Click image for a hi-res gallery of the new Cayenne Turbo S Porsche says that Asian and Eastern European market demand for ridiculously high performance SUVs has resulted in a new addition to the Cayenne range. After a brief respite following the introduction of the current-gen Cayenne, the Turbo S moniker returns. With it comes more power, more torque, newly-available features, and a commensurate cost of entry. Updated engine management and a new exhaust system raise peak output to 550 horsepower and 553 lb-ft. Channeled through a 6-speed Tiptronic S gearbox, that's enough to rocket Stuttgart's new über-ute to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and give it a top speed of 174 mph. Reining in those horses becomes even easier if buyers pony up for the optional, massive ceramic composite brakes (16" front / 14.5". rear), now available on Cayenne for the fist time. Exclusive "Lava Gray" paint, the requisite...
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Filed under: Spy Photos , SUVs , Euro , Audi Our sources indicate this rendering from OmniAuto.it is very close to what Audi's upcoming Q5 will look like. Although this looks like a photograph on an Italian web site, it is really a rendering that looks nearly identical to the Q5 spy shots we showed you in February . When it debuts later this month at the Beijing Motor Show , expect the engine to be a longitudinal (north-south) mount, to allow a variety of powerplants including V8 and TDI derivatives. Thanks for the tip, Andrea! [Source: OmniAuto ] Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: SUVs , Euro , Land Rover , UK Click above for 28 new hi-res photos of the Defender SVX Companies can crow about the ability of their SUVs, but for a great number of people, the land Rover Defender is the epitome of the SUV concept. As iconic as the original Jeep, the Defender does its thing, and does it better than just about any other vehicle in its class. Wagon or convertible, new or old, the Defender will happily wade into whatever slop its driver points it at and come out the other side no worse for wear. As we reported late last year, Land Rover is building a limited run of 1,800 Defender SVX models to celebrate the marque's 60th anniversary. The SVX kit dresses up the Landie with flashier trim on the grille, side steps and roll cage; a swankier set of wheels; special badging and decals; plus interior appointments including Recaros, a Garmin GPS, and that all-important iPod hookup. Glitzing up a Defender seems akin to a mud wrestler putting on Harry Winston jewelery...
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Filed under: Motorsports , SUVs , Euro , Porsche Click above for a gallery of the updated Cayenne S Transsyberia Last year, Porsche built a series of race-ready Cayenne S Transsyberia SUVs for use in the rally event bearing the same name. Lessons were learned, and so for the 2008 running of the Transsyberia, Porsche is offering the teams who bought the trucks last year a conversion package that features a number of upgrades. These include a new sump guard, a beefier tire package, tweaked air suspension, a shorter final drive ratio (same as the new Cayenne GTS), plus updates to the transmission programming, dynamic chassis control and traction management systems. Driving from Moscow to Mongolia is no picnic, and these upgrades should make the already-robust Cayenne S Transsyberia even better-suited to handle the rough-and-tumble 4,400-mile course. You can check out the full specs after the jump, and see last year's post on the truck's unveiling for a peek at many of the other modifications...
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