Filed under: Performance, Wagon, Hatchback, BMW

2012 BMW M5 Touring - Click above for high-res image
Master photochopper Jon Sibal has put digital pen to virtual paper to render up the next BMW M5, but unlike his previous F11 'chops, he's applying his skills to the yet-to-be-confirmed Touring version of the mid-size bahn-burner.

As Sibal points out in his post, BMW has an on-again, off-again history when it comes to five-door versions of the M5, with the E28 and E39 only available sans-hatch, while the E34 and outgoing E60 have been available in five-door form.

There's a good chance that the F11 version will be made, nixing the current model's V10 powerplant in favor of a 570-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 pulled from the X6 M. However, the chances of the hi-po hatch making it to the States is virtually nill, as the 5 Series Gran Turismo is set to take the standard Touring's place in the U.S. market. So does that mean a M5 GT could be in the works? Here's hoping, and maybe Sibal will render one up in the meantime.

Gallery: 2011 BMW 5 Series Touring

[Source: JonSibal]

Rendered Speculation: 2012 BMW M5 Touring originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Lexus, Toyota

2010 Lexus LFA racer - Click above for high-res image gallery
Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has his hands full. In addition to the day-to-day rigors of running the largest automaker in the world, Toyoda is busy combating the negative press and apologizing profusely for the massive amount of recalls customers are enduring. He's also an avid blogger and race driver, and in his most recent entry has announced that he will not, after all, be returning to the wheel of the Lexus LFA for this year's Nurburgring 24.

The embattled auto executive was one of the drivers in last year's event, where Toyota and Gazoo Racing campaigned an LFA prototype to great effect. He was even reported to have brokered the deal with Aston Martin for the iQ-based Cygnet city car at the event last year.

With the announcement that Lexus would be returning with a new LFA racer based on the production model, speculation (fueled by the official announcement) was rampant that Toyoda would return to the cockpit. But Toyoda himself has now dispelled the rumors, leaving the roster of Japanese and German drivers to pilot the car without him this year.

Gallery: 2010 Lexus LFA racer

[Source: Gazoo.com (translated) via The Truth About Cars]

Report: Akio Toyoda sitting out this year's Nurburgring 24 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Rolls-Royce, Rumormill, Luxury

Rolls-Royce Phantom - Click above for high-res image gallery
Having been introduced in 2003, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has been on the market for seven years now. That's a pretty long life-cycle for a car these days. According to the ever-churning rumor mill, that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as Rolls may be planning on keeping the Phantom the way it is for another six years or so.

According to the reports, the Phantom is set to receive a major overhaul in 2016. What that will entail is far from being known at this point. And considering Maybach may reportedly fall by the wayside, its only major competition is the Bentley Mulsanne, which is brand spankin' new.

Once the Phantom sedan is replaced, though, it would be reasonable to expect the Coupe and DHC convertible to follow suit. In the meantime, expect another few dozen special editions for the Persian Gulf crowd.

Gallery: Review: 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom

[Source: Autotelegraaf.nl (translated)]

Rumormill: Rolls-Royce Phantom to undergo major overhaul in 2016 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery
You've probably heard the Toyota Prius referred to as the "Pious." The joke is that Prius owners feel driving a hybrid means they are holier than thou. But it's just a joke made by people who wish they could get 50 miles per gallon around town, right? If you ask Canadian psychologists Nina Mazar and Chen-Bo Zhong, they'll say that environmentally conscious types are liars, cheats, thieves and just plain mean, and they're not even talking about hybrid-driving politicians.

The Detroit Bureau reports that a Mazar and Zhong study published in Psychological Science focused on the social behaviors of green consumers, and the results were surprising. The psychologists set up tests to compare the behavior of environmentally conscious types against consumers who are less likely to consider a product's environmental impact during the purchase process.

Their results show that people who buy green products may amass a stock pile of moral capital that ultimately encourages deviant behavior like lying and stealing. Think of it this way: You sacrificed what your V8-loving, tire-shredding heart really wanted and bought a hybrid for the greater good. You're owed, and you're such a good person that you don't have to play by the same moral rules as everyone else.

You can review the experiments conducted in the first source link below. The psychologists conclude that "acting upon one's values establishes moral credentials that can subsequently license deviating behavior." We think that means green buyers feel holier than thou.

[Source: Psychological Science via The Detroit Bureau]

If you're green, are you more likely to be mean? A new study suggests you are... originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Subaru

Subaru Ice Racing School - Click above for high-res image gallery
John Haugland, the man tasked with turning us flacks into ice racers, advised us to do several things the night before our instruction. For whatever reason, being "water positive" stuck with me the most. So before heading to bed I chugged a bottle and a half of water, woke up in the middle of the night, downed the other half and then drank another bottle before heading out to the makeshift circuit. When the time came to man-up in one slightly modified Subaru WRX, I had to liberate some liquid... badly.

Exacerbating my bursting bladder was the near-freezing temps of Park City, Utah, but despite the mid-30s weather and an early morning departure, by the time I rolled up to the staging lights, a fair amount of the course had succumbed to the sun. The result was a circuit comprised of equal parts snow and ice, with a few mud pits thrown in for dramatic measure.

But no matter the state of terra firma, sliding is sliding, grip is grip and opposite lock antics were mine for the taking, so after a quick trip to the port-o-potty I dialed in a few thousand revs, dropped the clutch and sped my way towards the first chicane. It took all of two turns and several muffled orders from Haugland to begin to see the allure of ice racing and understand what our man Tim has been proselytizing in his ongoing series.

My first go-round was suitably slow and occasionally sideways, but for the most part it was an exercise in anticlimactic understeering. And then... epiphany!

Gallery: Subaru Ice Racing School

Continue reading There Will Be Mud: An express course in ice racing with Subaru

There Will Be Mud: An express course in ice racing with Subaru originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Minivan/Van, Government/Legal, Work, Ford

Ford Transit Connect - Click above for high-res image gallery
Ford scored a big deal this week for its new Transit Connect when Canada Post chose the compact commercial van to replace its current fleet of mail carriers. The Canadian post office went through a competitive bidding process to select a new vehicle that included total lifecycle costs, which favored the relatively fuel efficient Transit Connect that's rated 22 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway by the EPA. One of the key selling points of the Transit Connect is its fuel efficiency advantage over full-size vans.

Canada Post will buy 1,175 Transit Connects this year as part of its fleet modernization effort, which makes it the largest single order yet for the Transit Connect in Canada. Canada Post currently uses the same small box vans as the U.S. Postal Service.

Gallery: 2010 Ford Transit Connect

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Canada Post to replace fleet with Ford Transit Connect

Canada Post to replace fleet with Ford Transit Connect originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, MISC, Racing

McLaren MP4-12C GTR Longtail renderings - Click above for high-res image gallery
When a world-championship racing team unveils a new supercar, some inevitable questions are bound to follow. In the case of the McLaren MP4-12C, people want to know if the company plans on racing it. Seems like logical enough a question, especially considering that McLaren's racing experience extends beyond Formula One, most notably the 1995 24 Hours of Le Mans where a McLaren F1 GTR pipped the prototypes to claim overall victory.

According to McLaren chief Ron Dennis, the company is not planning their own racing campaign for the MP4. But having learned from the F1 project, which was never designed as a race car but was later adapted to the purpose following demand from racing teams, Dennis suggested that the company could offer and support competition spec versions of the car for privateer entries.

While it remains a question mark as to which series the car might be best suited, neither the FIA GT1 World Championship nor Le Mans (and its associated series around the world) would seem out of the realm of possibility. Maybe those renderings of long-tail MP4-12Cs weren't so far-fetched after all.

Gallery: Rendered: McLaren MP4-12C GTR

[Source: Autosport]

McLaren could develop racing version of MP4-12C for privateers originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Hatchback, Alfa Romeo, Rumormill

2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Click above for high-res image gallery
Coach Sergio Marchionne has asked his temperamental star player, Alfa Romeo, to raise its game. Working to help that happen, the coach hasn't stopped tinkering with the gameplan, trying to get Alfa out of another quasi-bust sales cycle. It's been said the Giulietta has will "reinstate the marque's reputation for fine handling and performance," and if it does, a properly handling sports car accessible by the masses ought to help restore Alfa's reputation and coffers.

The Giulietta given the task is one implanted with a the 1.75-liter, turbocharged TBi engine with Multiair. However, that engine currently makes 200 horsepower in the Alfa 159, but for the Giulietta application, Autocar is reporting that it will be additionally boosted to 235 horsepower. Getting that power down in a front-wheel-drive car is likely to be a trick, so plans reportedly call for the Alfao to be aided by a new electronic differential and active dampers, as well as a dual-clutch transmission.

Will all of this make a car that can truly challenge the Volkswagen Golf/GTI - or the Ford Focus family? Fiat claims the current hatch already bests those other two, not that that matters - Alfa has to actually make this spicier variant and let the customers decide which one has the chops. We will gladly admit that right now, though, it at least looks good on paper.

Gallery: Geneva 2010: 2011 Alfa Romeo Giulietta

Photos by Noah Joseph / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Autocar]

Report: Hotter Alfa Romeo Giulietta to get dual-clutch gearbox and 235 hp originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Convertible, Performance, Maserati, Celebrities, Luxury

Fernando Alonso with his new Maserati GranCabrio - Click above for high-res image gallery
What do Formula One drivers drive in their downtime? Well, when you're a two-time world champion like Fernando Alonso, you get to drive pretty much whatever you want. That is, assuming the team you're driving for isn't owned by a specific automaker. Then you'll need to drive whatever the provide you with. And in Alonso's case, notwithstanding his solo 2001 debut season with Minardi-Cosworth, he's pretty much only driven for automaker-owned teams: Renault, McLaren-Mercedes, then back to Renault and now Ferrari.

While at Renault, Alonso drove a Megane RS that was later offered for sale on eBay. When he moved to McLaren, he got his finely-honed hands on an SLR 722. Now that he's at Ferrari, you'd expect him to be driving a new 458 Italia or a 599 GTB Fiorano, right? Almost, but not quite.

Ferrari's sister company Maserati has announced that Alonso has acquired a new GranCabrio - to be sold Stateside as the GranTurismo Convertible, lest we be confused. The Spanish driver - who's already off to a great start, having won his first race with the team to which everyone said he always belonged - picked one out in (very) dark gray with a two-tone beige and bordeaux interior with a matching canvas roof. And if you think about it, his selection makes sense: if you're driving a high-strung performance machine for work, wouldn't you want to unwind in something a little more relaxed? Press release after the jump, photos in the galleries below.

Gallery: Fernando Alonso's Maserati GranCabrio

Gallery: Maserati GranCabrio

[Source: Maserati]

Continue reading Fernando Alonso gets himself a Maserati GranCabrio

Fernando Alonso gets himself a Maserati GranCabrio originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Citroën, Design/Style

Citroen DS3 Yves Saint Laurent - Click above for high-res image
With its new premium DS range, Citroen is desperate to do the same thing to its hatchbacks as French fashion has done for clothes. But sometimes it can be a bit of a stretch.

Take for example, this DS3 crafted for Yves Saint Laurent. Citroen prepared the premium hatchback specifically for an event that looks back on the history of the YSL brand and the recently passed namesake founder, using it to shuttle celebrities and journalists around Paris. (We would have gone with a C5, but we digress.)

So what makes this DS3 different from all other DS3s? A special paint job, complete with a big Yves Saint Laurent logo on the contrasting black roof. Which may be all the fashion-forward DS3 really needs, but given the countless fashion-branded special editions (like the Fiat 500 Diesel or Versace-edition Lamborghini Murcielago) and short of the concept car which the French automaker created with GQ magazine, we would have at least expected some sort of special interior treatment for a car associated with one of the world's best-known fashion houses.

[Source: Citroen]

Continue reading Citroen creates a special DS3 for Yves Saint Laurent

Citroen creates a special DS3 for Yves Saint Laurent originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, UK

McLaren MP4-12C at company unveiling - Click above for high-res image gallery
Early this morning, at least in the U.S., McLaren Automotive had a coming out party in its home town of Woking, England. We were there in person and witnessed the unveiling of not only a new sports car company, McLaren Automotive, but also its flagship product: The MP4-12C. This will be the first of an entire range of new McLaren sports cars, and the company best know for its exploits on the F1 race circuit appears to have built a doozy of a supercar to kick things off.

McLaren F1 drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton were on hand at McLaren's technology center to pull back the sheet on the MP4-12C. The rear-wheel-drive supercar features a mid-mounted 3.8-liter V8 producing 600 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque with an 8,000-rpm redline. Comparisons with the legendary McLaren F1 will no doubt be made, but no performance numbers are available for the MP4-12C yet and, we suspect, their missions in life are not exactly the same. The MP4-12C appears to be a supercar you could live with on a daily basis, more like a Gallardo than a Murciélago (though we suspect it might leave both in the dust).

Since we were there, we also meandered about McLaren's facilities and captured stills of a bare MP4-12C chassis, rolling bodies on the assembly line, the XP11 prototype that was used for testing and various historical McLaren automobiles that were hanging out in the lobby. Check out the virtual tour of today's big event in the high-res image gallery below.

Gallery: McLaren MP4-12C At Company Unveiling

Photos by Vlad Savov / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Live Shots: McLaren MP4-12C takes the stage at company unveiling originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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