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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Crossovers/CUVs , Ford , Lincoln click above for more high-res images of the Lincoln MKT We first saw spy photos of the Lincoln MKT concept only a week ago, and it's now here as a concept at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. Based on the fact that a development mule was spotted already, you can ignore Lincoln when it says the MKT is a potential new vehicle for the brand. It is a new vehicle for the brand. The new premium CUV is believed to be based on the platform of the Ford Flex and follows the Explorer America concept in being powered by one of Ford's new EcoBoost engines. Like its sedan sibling, the MKS, this one gets a turbocharged 3.5L V6 that allows you to choose between either E85 or premium grade petroleum-based gasoline. The premium requirement is the result of the engine being optimized for the higher octane ratings of the biofuel. The upside is that output jumps from 340 hp/340 lb-ft to 415hp and 400 lb-ft. All of that twisting...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Supercars , Audi click above for more gorgeous high-res shots of the Audi R8 V12 TDI Today Audi brought some more of its Le Mans-conquering technology to the street in the form of the new R8 V-12 TDI. The R8 V12 TDI is a concept that melds the 6.0L V-12 diesel from last years Q7 concept with the award winning R8 sports car. The concept engine shares a cylinder count with the race-winning R10, but it's actually a completely new engine with a 60-degree bank angle instead of the 90 degrees used on the race engine. While the 500 hp is only par for the course in its class, the 738 lb-ft of torque is enough to shred all four tires with ease. While the R8 V12 TDI storms to 62mph in 4.2 seconds and maxes out at 186mph, it also manages to get 23 MPG. The combination of a 29,000-psi direct-inject fuel injection system, particulate filters and urea injection allows this beast to pass 2014 EuroVI emissions standards, too. Check out our live high-res...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Sedans/Saloons , Cadillac click above for more high-res images of the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V Now that the second generation Cadillac CTS is on the streets and garnering largely positive reviews for it's looks, performance and handling dynamics, the time has come to turn it up a notch. The 2008 Detroit Auto Show will bring us the second generation high-performance CTS-V model. Just as the original 2004 version used an engine derived from the top Corvette of the time, so too does the new model. The 2009 CTS-V leap-frogs its chief competitor - the BMW M5 - with GM's new LSA V8 derived from the LS9 in the Corvette ZR1. The goal of the CTS-V development team was to create a car with the poise and sophistication of the best luxury sedans melded with the outstanding performance of a high sports car. To achieve that they installed the supercharged 6.2L V-8 with an output of 550 horsepower and 550 lb-ft of torque into a heavily upgraded chassis and then went...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Hybrids/Alternative , CES , Green , Tech , Crossovers/CUVs , Cadillac Click on the Cadillac Provoq concept for a high-res image gallery var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Cadillac_Provoq_Concept_debuts_at_CES_2008'; Following the introductions of the Chevrolet Volt and Opel Flextreme during 2007 auto show season, Cadillac is bringing forth a third design based on the E-Flex architecture. The Cadillac Provoq concept is intended to help give the brand an image of premium sustainability by updating the fuel cell E-Flex powertrain that was shown in a Chevy Volt at the Shanghai Motor Show last year . The Provoq is a luxury crossover design that's considerably larger than the Volt. With updated Cadillac styling cues on a 180-inch long CUV body, it's stretched 10 inches longer than a Volt to allow comfortable seating for five passengers. The Provoq is built around GM's fifth-generation fuel cell stack combined with a 9kWh lithium ion battery...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Crossovers/CUVs , Ford click above for 50 high-res images of the Ford Explorer America Concept var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Ford_Explorer_America_concept_teases_next_gen_crossover'; For more than a decade the Ford Explorer was the top-selling SUV in the US with annual sales topping 400,000 units for many years. The best days of the body-on-frame SUV are clearly behind it, though, as the market has shifted toward crossovers like the smaller Escape and Honda CR-V, as well as larger vehicles like the Ford Edge. Ford has seen the light and the next generation Explorer is finally abandoning the traditional setup in favor of a new unit body design. The new Explorer America concept that Ford is debuting at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show is the first public hint of where the Explorer is going in the coming years. When the Explorer is replaced around the end of this decade, the new model is expected to look much like this concept. The...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Tech , Ford var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Ford_announces_EcoBoost_engines_to_give_20_mileage_boost'; Ford is using the 2008 Detroit Auto Show to kick off the transition of a significant portion of their engine lineup to what they are calling EcoBoost technology. EcoBoost consists of smaller displacement engines with direct fuel injection and turbocharging (GDTI) to provide a fuel economy boost without any loss of performance. Ford first showed the idea in the 2007 Lincoln MKR concept when it was called Twin-Force. The Twin-Force name has been set aside in favor of one that emphasizes the efficiency aspects of the technology. Thanks to the combination of small low-inertia turbos, the direct injection and variable valve timing, the new engines should have no lag and a much fatter, flatter torque curve. The first EcoBoost engine out of the gate is the 340hp 3.5L V-6, This will be the optional engine in the Lincoln MKS starting in 2009 in place...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Crossovers/CUVs , Saturn Click the Two-Mode Vue for a high-res gallery var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/GM_introduces_Saturn_Vue_Two_Mode_hybrid'; In 2006, the Saturn Vue Green Line became General Motors' first production hybrid vehicle when it debuted with the company's mild hybrid system. In fall 2007, a updated BAS-equipped Green Line version based on the second-generation Vue went into production. GM has now added the second of three hybrid variants to the Vue lineup with the2009 Saturn Vue Green Line 2 Mode. The 2 Mode Vue is based on the same technology used in the award-winning Tahoe and Yukon full-size SUVs. The Vue has the first transverse mounted front-wheel drive application of the 2 Mode system. The 2 Mode transmission is paired up in the Vue with GM's 3.6L twin-cam V6 equipped with direct fuel injection. Like the big SUVs, the engine is equipped with a cylinder deactivation system that allows...
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Filed under: Concept Cars , Detroit Auto Show , Hybrids/Alternative , Trucks/Pickups , Toyota click above to view more images of the Toyota A-BAT Concept Perhaps in response to the criticism that Toyota has received over the past year from environmentalists for its ever larger and thirstier trucks, the Japanese automaker is switching direction with its 2008 Detroit concept - the A-BAT hybrid pickup concept. Toyota and Nissan pioneered the idea of modern compact pickup trucks in the U.S. market, but Toyota has largely left it behind over the past decade. The new A-BAT concept pickup is 27 inches shorter than an extended cab Tacoma and nine inches shorter than the regular cab model. In profile, the uni-body truck looks somewhat like a shorter Honda Ridgeline with rounder contours. The A-BAT is the first Toyota to have a mid-gate allowing cargo longer than the standard four-foot bed to extend into the cab. With the tailgate down, drivers can pack the proverbial 4x8 sheet of plywood. Power...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Supercars , Chevrolet Click the ZR1 for a high-res photo gallery of the new King of the Hill var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/autos/2009_Corvette_ZR1_first_official_photos_and_details'; The King of the Hill has returned! The new Corvette that has been variously known as the "Blue Devil" and SS for at least the past five years has now been officially designated as the ZR1. The new monster from Bowling Green has revived the ZR1 designation for the first time since the C4-based original faded away in 1995. Stories and spy photos of this mythical machine have been circulating the web and print media since well before the current C6 generation Corvette debuted in 2005. The program has reportedly been killed and revived several times, but it is now very much alive and we have all the details of the fastest, most expensive production 'Vette of all time. Given the recent developments with fuel economy regulations (35 mpg fleet average by...
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Filed under: Detroit Auto Show , Hybrids/Alternative , Green , Chevrolet , GM Click to enlarge the teaser shot of the production Chevy Volt var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Production_Chevy_Volt_teaser_image'; The Chevy Volt concept was undoubtedly the star of the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, with most people who saw it clamoring for it to be built. However, it didn't take long for Bob Lutz and other GM officials to make it clear that a production version would have to change. At the LA Auto Show last month, Lutz reiterated that the production version would be different but still recognizable as a Volt. Now in the runup to the Volt's first birthday, GM is giving the world its first glimpse of the production Volt. From this first shot, it looks like the Volt will be keeping it's low roofline proportions, but the main portion of the now-standard Chevy grille is now blanked off and flush to optimize the aerodynamics. Cooling air will now enter through the intake below the...
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