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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , LA Auto Show , Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Volkswagen Automotive News is reporting that Volkswagen has moved the debut of its mid-engine roadster from this month at the LA Auto Show to January at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The only reason given for the move is that VW expects there to be more interest for the concept two-seater in Detroit than LA. We would hazard a guess that it's also got something to do with budgets being trimmed back, but what do we know. There's still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the VW mid-engine roadster, like what size four-cylinder will be installed behind the seats and whether or not the platform will make extensive use of aluminum to keep weight down. Though the car debuting in Detroit will be a concept, a production version is expect in 2011 if things go according to plan. Because a two-seat, mid-engine roadster is anything but a volume seller, however, this...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Convertibles , Coupes , Hybrids/Alternative , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Green , Crossovers/CUVs , Lexus , Australia Click above for a high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A Roadster concept. Lexus Australia's chief executive, John Roca, gave up a number of product details to The Australian in an interview this past weekend, including the addition of an "F" variant of the GS sedan and possibly a full-size LS limo. Both models are aimed to attack luxury stalwarts Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz by offering a number of high-performance variants and also developing a new model that would slot in below the IS sedan to take on the BMW 1-series and the Audi A3. That model is still a few years away, but it will be an integral part of Lexus' commitment to reach one million global sales in the next two to three years. The other element includes offering hybrid versions of every vehicle it sells, plus the introduction of a hybrid-only model that will...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Convertibles , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Crossovers/CUVs , Supercars , Buick , Cadillac , Chevrolet , GMC , HUMMER , Saturn , Celebrities Last Saturday night before the Press Days began for the 2008 edition of the Detroit Auto Show, the 2nd annual GM Style event took place in a huge tent set up in a parking lot near the Renaissance Center headquarters of General Motors. Like last year's event, this runway show featured cars and fashions, but the feel of it was a bit different this year. This time last year, GM had yet to make its big design comeback breakthrough, for instance. Also, the cars were almost secondary to the celebrities last January. This time around, a year after the CTS, Malibu and Volt debuted in the days following the first GM Style event, the red carpet was gone and the fashions were worn by anonymous models, with musical accompaniment from Mary J Blige, Maroon 5 and Kid Rock. For 2008, the cars were the real stars...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Trucks/Pickups , Supercars , Audi , Cadillac , Chevrolet , Ford Here's a way to create content long after an auto show has ended, dream up a list of editorial favorite picks. Well, what the hell, we might as well be meta and report on the anti-news. Here we go blithely. AutoWeek handed out its Editors' Choice awards for the North American International Auto Show at its Design Forum on Wednesday. We can debate the relevance, but we'd rather just talk about the cars. The four vehicles that AutoWeek thought were the bee's knees are as follows: Most Fun: Audi R8 V12 TDI Best Concept: Cadillac CTS Coupe Most Significant: 2009 Ford F150 Best of Show: 2009 Corvette ZR1 As Linda Richman would say: discuss. [Source: AutoWeek] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sports/GTs , Tech , Supercars , Chevrolet Yea, we know - the automotive press has featured a whole bunch of Corvette ZR1 content lately (including us!), and readers are probably getting a bit tired. However, we figure that a cutaway of the mighty supercharged LS9 should be interesting enough to justify yet another post on the revived King of the Hill. Painted in monochrome silver as GM is wont to do, this particular display isn't particularly photogenic. Still, we were able to capture some details that aren't easily observed in 2D drawing or press releases, so click through the jump for a variety of shots. Gallery: 2008 Detroit: Corvette ZR1 LS9 engine cutaway Continue reading Detroit 2008: Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 - supercharged LS9 cutaway display Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Coupes , Sports/GTs , Supercars , Chevrolet click above for a gallery of gorgeous high-res Corvette ZR1 images We've had a few looks now at the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 . First we were introduced to GM's new supercar at the Michigan Design Center last week, then again at the GM Style event just before the show, and yesterday we observed its innards on the show floor. Most of us hadn't seen the car up close on the showroom floor, and so we paid the GM display a lengthy visit to explore the car up close. A few things caught our eye, including the massive carbon ceramic disc brakes both front and rear, as well as the beautiful carbon fiber front splitter , roof, and side skirts. We are still unsure what we think of the glass window covering the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 , but we did enjoy the "Take No Prisoners" skull on the intake inspired by the Bad Boy Vettes C6R livery . We won't go too much into an analysis of the car - a search...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sports/GTs , Tech , Supercars , Audi With Audi's introduction of the Audi R8 V12 TDI , we got to look at the most unique aspect of this supercar - its diesel engine. Compression-ignition motors may be commonplace everywhere else in the transportation world, but they haven't yet infiltrated the supercar segment. This is no accident, as until now, diesels have offered a poor ratio between power output and weight - not a big problem for cruise ships and the like, but definitely an obstacle to recruiting a high-performance customer. So, how did Audi get around this problem? We've got a gallery full of shots showing the naughty details (you can access it by clicking the photo above or the link below), and if you go below the fold, we'll walk you through what we observed of the engine on display. Gallery: 2008 Detroit: Audi V12 TDI cutaways Continue reading Detroit R8: Deciphering the Audi V12 TDI Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sports/GTs , Etc. , Videos , Bentley click above to view more images of Bentley's artisans at work We love Bentleys because of their exquisite sheetmetal and meticulously crafted interiors, but few understand the incredible amount of work it takes to make a Bentley a world class GT. We were able to spend a few minutes with a couple of Bentley artisans at the Detroit Auto Show, and they explained how the storied automaker creates some of its impressive interior components. Needless to say, we were amazed with what we saw. It takes over three hours just to create one steering wheel, for instance, and the wood interior finishes come straight from our own forests in the USA. You can watch videos of both a steering wheel and some wood veneer being painstakingly crafted after the jump and view some of their handiwork in the gallery below. Gallery: Detroit 2008: Bentley Factory Artisans Continue reading Detroit 2008: Bentley factory artisans demonstrate their...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sports/GTs , Tech , Supercars , Chevrolet As gorgeous as the 2009 Corvette ZR1 may be on the outside, it's what is under the skin that gets our blood pumping. Fortunately, GM stripped down its new supercar to the bare essentials and put it on display here at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. You can access our gallery of ZR1 chassis photos by clicking on the photo above. We've also got commentary on what you're looking at after the jump. Gallery: Detroit 2008: Corvette ZR1 chassis display Continue reading Detroit 2008: Corvette ZR1 chassis display Permalink | Email this | Comments
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Economy , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , SUVs , Green , Chrysler , Dodge , Jeep Click image for a hi-res gallery of Chrysler's concepts We're back from the Chrysler press conference that saw the Detroit Auto Show debuts of the Jeep Renegade , Dodge ZEO , and Chrysler ecoVoyager . As we have mentioned already, each is born out of the automaker's ENVI program, the focus of which is on new, environmentally-friendly electric propulsion. As such, all the concepts share the same 200 kw (268 hp equivalent) electric motor powered by a currently nonexistent lithium-ion battery pack and augmented by a secondary "range-extender" in the Renegade and ecoVoyager. That includes a vaporware fuel-cell in the latter. It's all okay, though, because as Chrysler's Frank Klegon pointed out, these are "pure concepts." He then went on to say that these "pure concepts" would be seen "in future production vehicles...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Hybrids/Alternative , Sports/GTs , Green , Ferrari click above to view more images of the Ferrari 430 Spider Bio Fuel Ferrari's press conference here in Detroit was rather short and to the point. They reminded us that Kimi is World Champion and that the team is busy readying his defense. They also pointed out that the F430 GT is doing a bang-up job in GT2. And then they talked about the street cars. Besides telling us that Ferrari had a record year, with sales up 8% to 6,400 units worldwide, they also showed the E85 ethanol-powered version of the F430 Spider we talked about yesterday . The F430 Spider Bio Fuel runs on the familiar mix of 85% natural ethanol and 15% gasoline, which results in a modest 10HP power bump and fuel economy that improves by 5% over the standard gas-only V8. So that means that the sweet-sounding 4.3-liter plant is now good for a true 500 HP. The bio fuel car on display in Detroit is still labeled a concept, but the company says...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Convertibles , Coupes , Sports/GTs click above for more high-res live shots of the Audi TT-S It's hard to imagine the Audi TT has been around for ten years, but the coupe has definitely come a long way. The TT-S is the first TT to be a part of Audi's 'S' series and will hopefully live up to the name with 265 horsepower and 258 lb-ft torque in U.S.-trim. Additional features include a slightly revised front fascia with larger intakes, quad tailpipes, an S-spec interior with Alcantara and leather sport seats, and upgraded brakes to handle the extra power. Buyers can opt for either 18-inch or 19-inch wheels, as well as a 6-speed manual or the S tronic dual-clutch automatic that reduces the 0-60 mph sprint from 5.4 to 5.2 seconds. You can view new live shots in the gallery from the show floor in Detroit in addition to the press shots added earlier, or you can follow the jump for the official press release from Audi. Gallery: Audi TT-S Continue...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sedans/Saloons , Sports/GTs , Cadillac Click the photo above for a gallery of live shots If you look at the picture above, you can easily imagine Maximum Bob shouting, "I told you folks that it'd be <bleeping> spectacular!" Those of course were not his exact words during the intro of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, but the sentiment was approximately the same. We've already covered the technical details , but in case anyone has been disconnected from the world for the past week, here's what is important - 550 HP and 550 lb-ft of torque from the supercharged LSA 6.2L V8, huge Brembo brakes front and rear, Magnetic Ride Control suspension, and a choice of a manual or automatic (each carrying six forward ratios). Huge Michelin Pilot radials wrap the 19" wheels, and inside are a pair of seriously sporty Recaro buckets with 14-way adjustment. If there has ever been a four-door embodiment of the Corvette spirit, this is it. We've...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Convertibles , Sports/GTs , Lexus Click above image for a high resolution gallery of photos We were left hanging yesterday with a ton of pictures of Lexus' brand new LF-A Roadster Concept , but no information to go along with them. Now Lexus has filled us in by releasing information and rather vague specifications on the car, although it's nothing we wouldn't have guessed. The LF-A Roadster is essentially based on its coupe brother that first made its debut back in 2005 in Detroit . A revised version was also shown in Detroit last year . Power comes from a V10 under 5.0 liters with something north of 500 horsepower, and shifting is done via a sequential transmission with paddle shifters. A significant change to the Roadster version, besides not having a fixed roof, is the retractable rear wing that adjusts according to the vehicle's speed. By continuing with the LF-A series, we can only hope that this means Lexus is still planning...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sports/GTs , Euro , Supercars , Lamborghini click above for more high-res pics of the Lamborghini Ad Personam program As wild as a standard Lamborghini might be, for some people it isn't enough. That's one of the reasons Lambo unveiled its ultra-exclusive, uber-expensive Reventon a while back. But those are all spoken for and there are still hundreds, if not thousands of buyers waiting to personalize their Gallardos and LP 640s. When not just any old off-the-rack Lamborghini will do, try the new Ad Personam program . Like other high-end makers including Porsche, Bentley and Aston Martin, the concept behind the program is to let customers choose their own custom colors and interiors. The Gallardo Spyder is being shown in the Reventon's flat brown color called Marrone Apus (above), while Blu Cepeus was the color chosen for both the Murcielago LP640 coupe and roadster, also in matte. The interior of the Gallardo is a rich brown Alcantara, while...
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