Autoblog

Porsche No. 1 sets out for Pebble Beach

2008-08-07T14:59:00Z

Filed under: Time Warp , Sports/GTs , Porsche , Misc. Auto Shows Click above to view Porsche No. 1 in hi-res If you're a regular Autoblog reader, you'll be familiar with the saga of Porsche's take-over of Volkswagen. But back in the late '40s when Germany lay in post-war shambles with its industry crippled, VW had been re-commissioned by the allies and Porsche was just getting started. Based on the mechanics designed by his father, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche led a team that crafted the...(read more)

Early Look: £1million Aston Martin One-77

2008-08-07T14:23:00Z

Filed under: Paris Motor Show , Supercars , Aston Martin Aston Martin has released the first image of its newest flagship - the limited edition One-77. Details are scarce, but the One-77 will be powered by a hand-built 7.0-liter V12 nestled inside an aluminum and carbon fiber chassis. 0-60 times are estimated at 3.5-seconds, with a top speed cresting 200 mph. 77 examples of the £1 million coupe will be produced and customers will be able to customize the bespoke supercar to meet their individual...(read more)

Ford F-100 put on hold

2008-08-07T13:56:00Z

Filed under: Trucks/Pickups , Plants/Manufacturing , Ford Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Ford F-150 Ford's plans to manufacture the F-100 pickup , its answer for consumers who want a more fuel-efficient pickup, have been shelved (for now). A proposed smaller and lighter sibling to the popular F-150 pickup , the F-100 would have been built at the Michigan Truck Plant in Wayne, Indiana. Instead of designing a new small truck, one that consumers may not have warmed up to in the first...(read more)

Transformers mystery car revealed as Corvette Centennial Design Concept

2008-08-07T13:24:00Z

Filed under: Concept Cars , Coupes , Chevrolet , GM Jalopnik's Auto Insider has gotten the scoop on the Corvette-like concept that's been floating around the set of the new Transformers flick, Revenge of the Fallen . According to their sources, the design study will debut sometime next year ahead of the Transformers sequel, but won't foretell the future of the next-generation C7 Corvette. Rather, it called the Corvette Centennial Design Concept and was developed to celebrate General Motors'...(read more)

Switzerland considers banning sportscars SUVs everything

2008-08-07T12:59:00Z

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green Switzerland is not the most car-friendly place on earth. (Odd, then, that after Monaco, the mountainous country is one of the most popular residence choices for F1 drivers.) But this just puts it over the top. The Swiss Green Party is proposing legislation that would effectively ban supercars. Most sportscars, actually. And SUVs. More than a few luxury sedans, too. Even some small hatchbacks. The proposed regulations would ban any vehicle over 4800 lbs in weight...(read more)

Flickr Find: FNF4 Subaru WRX STI

2008-08-07T12:30:00Z

Filed under: Etc. Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso...(read more)

In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG [w/VIDEO]

2008-08-07T11:58:00Z

Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage , Sedans/Saloons , Tech , Videos , Mercedes-Benz , AMG Click above for high-res gallery of the AMG S63 There was a time when what we might call super-sedans were largely the province of a dedicated cadre of aftermarket tuners. Companies like Brabus, Alpina and, of course, AMG would generally start with mid-sized German sedans and transform them into something truly special. AMG in particular came to the forefront in 1987 after two decades of building special Mercs...(read more)

VW planning new Golf GTI and R variant

2008-08-07T11:30:00Z

Filed under: Hatchbacks , Volkswagen Click above for high-res gallery of the VW Golf VI In what may be the least shocking news you will read today, Volkswagen will indeed be launching a revised GTI model shortly after its recently revealed sixth-generation Golf (or, Rabbit, as it's known in the U.S.) hits the market. According to Autocar , the next GTI will steer even closer to its original hot hatch mission, with VW reportedly giving the new model a "harder edge" than the current GTI...(read more)

Lexus leads J.D. Power dependability for 14th straight year

2008-08-07T11:00:00Z

Filed under: Maintenance Click above for results 2008 J.D. Power Dependability Study J.D. Power and Associates has just released its 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study that attempts to measure vehicle quality throughout the first three years of owning a vehicle, and for the 14th year in a row Lexus leads all manufacturers with a rating of just 120 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). This year's runner up, surprisingly, is Mercury, though it's a distant second at 151 PP100. Cadillac (155 PP100...(read more)

Honda considering offering JDM models in the U.S.

2008-08-07T10:27:00Z

Filed under: Economy , Green , Japan , Honda Much attention has been paid to Ford's decision to bring six Euro Fords over to the States, but the Blue Oval isn't the only automaker that has good looking, fuel efficient vehicles overseas. Honda has a variety of petrol-sipping vehicles in its Japanese home market, and is now studying whether those are worth selling here in the U.S. The Japan-to-U.S. formula has already worked well with the stylish, sporty and efficient Fit, sales of which are...(read more)

Industry in trouble when Toyota writes down leases

2008-08-07T10:00:00Z

Filed under: Toyota , Earnings/Financials Due to a miserable U.S. car market, Detroit automakers are losing billions from lower than expected residuals on leased vehicles. Since the residuals on Motown metal are traditionally below that of the Japanese competition, many industry insiders thought that Toyotas in this country world were immune to the trend. It appears that's not the case. Toyota announced it had to "set aside major reserves for its first quarter to cover losses from vehicle...(read more)

Ford meets salaried cuts

2008-08-07T09:27:00Z

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs , Ford For white collar workers that still work at the Ford Motor Company: congratulations, you've officially made the cut. Ford's President of the Americas, Mark Fields, announced at a media event that the Blue Oval has successfully achieved its targeted cuts, at least for now. Fields told reporters that Ford would "continue to look at our structure and evaluate that versus the external environment," which is fancy executive talk for "if...(read more)

Andea Pininfaina killed in motorcycle accident

2008-08-07T08:52:00Z

We're saddened to convey the latest reports from Italy on the untimely passing of Andrea Pininfarina . Andrea Pininfarina, head of the eponymous design studio, was the son of Sergio Pininfarina and grandson of the carrozzeria's founder Battista "Pinin" Farina. According to the announcement by Confindustria, the industrial association over which Sergio once presided and of which Andrea served as vice-president, Andrea was killed in a motorcycle accident in Turin, not far from the...(read more)

Owners refute rumors of firing Ecclestone and selling F1

2008-08-07T08:32:00Z

Filed under: Motorsports , Hirings/Firings/Layoffs , Earnings/Financials , Rumormill Rumors have been circulating that CVC, the commercial rights holders to Formula One, have considered selling the series. But before that could happen, they would have to give Bernie Ecclestone the boot. The reports were fueled by comments made by Max Mosley, the embattled president of the FIA, who related to reporters that conversations about the subject had taken place with executives at CVC. According to Mosley's...(read more)

Daimler considering cancelling hybrid 'ute

2008-08-07T07:56:00Z

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative , SUVs , Government/Legal , Green , Mercedes-Benz Click above to enlarge the Mercedes-Benz ML 450 Hybrid Batteries are an integral part of any hybrid automobile. No batteries means no electric assist, which means no point in lugging around all that extra hardware. So Mercedes-Benz is in a world of hurt as it alleges that Cobasys, the chosen battery supplier for the upcoming ML 450 hybrid SUV , has decided not to fulfill its obligation to the German automaker. You...(read more)