BMW Gran Coupe Concept design studio photos released
BMW has released a behind the scenes glimpse at how the Gran Coupe Concept (GCC) was designed.
While the company declined to release additional information, BMW has previously stated the GCC was created to blend the “exclusivity of a Gran Turismo with the fascination of a high-performance sports car.” Key design features include a “forward-tilted shark nose” front end, headlights with LED technology, a gently tapered roofline, frameless doors, and the iconic Hofmeister kink.
As you may recall, the Gran Coupe Concept was unveiled at last month’s Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in China. It previews the next-generation 6-Series and a possible four-door coupe competitor to the Mercedes CLS and Audi A7.
Casino valets give Ferrari F430 to wrong owner, let him drive away
As if we needed another reason to steer clear of valets everywhere, a report from The Herald Sun claims that a casino in Australia has handed over an F430 to someone other than the owner. This week, professional poker player Van Marcus stopped into the Crown Casino with some friends for a little recreation. Adam Ramsey was there at the same time, though when it came time to leave, Ramsey approached the valet stand claiming that he had lost his ticket. The guy points to the drop-head Ferrari F430 in the parking lot and says it’s his. The valet crew asks the gentleman to fill out a form with his personal information, which he does, and hands him the keys to the Prancing Horse.
When Marcus discovers his car is missing, he’s none too happy, and calls the police. It took the law a mere six hours to lay its hands on the car after Ramsey stopped for fuel. Now, typically, we look down on car theft in the biggest way possible. After all, you just don’t mess with another person’s vehicle. But you’ve got to admire the cajones on good Mr. Ramsey. He’s currently pleading guilty to charges of vehicle theft.
First Drive: 2011 Infiniti QX56 overcomes the odds
Ask any braniac elementary school student what happened to the dinosaurs, and they’ll tell you they turned into birds. While the mechanics are a bit more complicated than a momma T-Rex hatching a brood of yellow finches, modern science would seem to agree with the concept. When we were in school, the common perception was that those massive lizards parted ways with terra firma courtesy of a jumbo-sized meteor smack. Our Earth Science books called it a mass extinction, and they accompanied the definition with helpful illustrations that depicted contemplative Brontosaurus and Triceratops herds looking off into the distance as a chunk of orange sky plummeted toward the horizon.
So you can’t really blame us for thinking that the SUV would follow a similar natural path. When fuel prices shot up, many rejoiced at the thought of global body-on-frame extinction. This was the event some had been patiently waiting for since the high-riding people movers first supplanted the minivan as the family cruiser of choice. And while we’ve certainly seen weaker species succumb to the heat of pressure from more efficient breeds, the strong continue to soldier on, slowly adapting to a world grown hostile to anything big and thirsty. If you believe Infiniti, that’s exactly what the 2011 QX56 has done – evolved.
Categories: Auto Review, Car Review, Infiniti, SUV Tags: Infiniti
2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe U.S. pricing starts at $38,990
Cadillac has announced pricing information for the 2011 Cadillac CTS coupes.
Priced from $38,990 ($40,890 for AWD), the CTS coupe is powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine with 304 hp (227 kW / 308 PS) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque. It comes nicely equipped with a six-speed automatic (a six-speed manual is optional), 18-inch alloy wheels, rear park assist, a Bose audio system, remote starting, and power seats.
The CTS Coupe Performance Collection starts at $43,430 ($45,330 AWD) and features all the aforementioned equipment as well as HID Xenon headlamps, adaptive forward lighting, leather upholstery, and a Bose 5.1 audio system with a 40GB hard drive and USB connectivity. If that’s not good enough, the $47,835 ($49,735 AWD) Premium Collection adds a rear-view camera, a sunroof, interior ambient lighting, heated and vented front seats, a heated steering wheel, wood trim, and GPS navigation.
First Drive: 2011 Jaguar XJ L Supercharged
With the modern automobile’s mass generally increasing year by year, it is often said that the mark of a good vehicle is its ability to shrink around the driver — to drive like a smaller, lighter car than its lengthy list of standard equipment and safety features would suggest. Here, on the impossibly tight and windy sections of Malibu, California’s famed Mulholland Drive, the 2011 Jaguar XJ L Supercharged — Jaguar’s newest flagship luxury sedan — does exactly that.
More than 4000 pounds and 206 inches of luxury sedan isn’t exactly in its element hustling the fine, treacherously narrow line between jagged, rocky canyon walls and perilously steep drop-offs, but the Jaguar is sure-footed and well-composed. The winding ribbon of well-traveled gray asphalt seems custom-made for a 7/8ths scale car — a diminutive Lotus Exige, perhaps. Still, the long-wheelbase, aluminum-framed Jaguar XJ is up to the task, turning in with precision and quickness decidedly against the norm for the executive transportation class. But then, Jaguar has never been enamored with the norm.
Categories: Auto Review, Car Review, Jaguar Tags: Jaguar
First Drive: 2010 Lotus Evora delivers performance, civility and little concession
In a move that would have impressed Harry Houdini, Lotus has made one thousand pounds of vehicle mass seemingly disappear – yet we still know it’s there. We’re high in the mountains above San Diego, challenging corners in the 2010 Lotus Evora, and the larger and more luxurious two-plus-two is emulating the moves of its lightweight race-ready Elise and Exige siblings.
What gives the Evora its supernatural powers? How does the all-new Evora fit into the Lotus lineup? And, most importantly, is this the first Lotus you can park in your garage without having to explain it to the neighbors?
Lotus has become synonymous with lightweight, no-frills sports cars thanks to its ass-kicking Elise roadster and Exige coupe – arguably two of the world’s best driver’s cars. Yet, despite their impressiveness on the track, the Lotus Elise and Exige are about as practical as a gutted Spec Miata when it comes to daily drivers.
Categories: Auto Review, Car Review, coupe, Lotus Tags: Lotus
First Ferrari hybrid on sale 2015, following government pressure
Ferrari could put a hybrid car on the market by 2015, according to the automaker’s CEO and GM Amedeo Felisa. In an interview with Autocar, Felisa says that either European Union or Italian environmental regulations could force the company to put a hybrid up for sale.
However, Felisa comes off as defensive in the interview, saying he does not see the point in Ferrari being forced to comply with lowered emissions rules. “The issue of emissions for Ferrari is more a political one than real one,” Felisa said.
“Lowering emissions of every Ferrari will not save the planet, but it will cost us a lot of money.”
Currently, Ferrari is only exploring hybrid powertrains to reduce emissions within the next ten years. The company has not ruled out the eventual use of hydrogen.
First Test: 2010 Acura MDX
It was hard to follow a trio of silver Lexus RXs on the freeway — as I did this morning — without wondering what on earth could be going through their driver’s minds. Whatever it was though, my suggestion would be they quickly see a doctor. Outbreaks of mass automotive repetition like this on our highways need to be nipped in the bud.
Fortunately, there’s a treatment for the particular strain I witnessed — medically referred to as Silver Lexus Crossover Syndrome, I think — and that’s Acura‘s latest MDX. First of all, the MDX is never, ever, seen in groups of three (let alone two, come to think of it). And while the Acura is a bit pricier than the RX (by about eight percent, comparing AWD base versions), for it you’re rewarded with a handles-like-no-other-crossover experience, made better for 2010 by a fairly comprehensive sprucing.
What’s spruced most of all is an all-new 3.7-liter V-6 engine featuring a higher compression ratio and a bigger throttle body girded by a stronger crankshaft and connecting rods, a more rigid block, and better cooling. On paper, all this revamping appears to be kind of puzzling, as its maximum power is not only identical to its predecessor’s (both offering 300 horses from 3.7 liters), but the new engine’s torque actually decreases 5 pound-feet, to 270. The riddle’s answer is that the new engine’s peak power is at 300 more rpm while its maximum torque appears at 500 fewer revs. In other words, it’s tremendously more flexible. It also gets better mileage, by 1 mpg both in the city and on the highway.
Categories: Acura, Auto Review, Car Review Tags: Acura
First Look: 2011 Audi R8 GT
These days, it’s seemingly a requirement for any supercar worth its Y-rated rubber to have a limited-edition evil twin. Names like Scuderia, Superleggera, GT3 RS, and ACR-X are all testament to the current demand for no-nonsense road monsters, sacrificing comfort and practicality for purpose and sheer speed. Audi’s R8 was billed as an everyday supercar when it was released, and the addition of a V-10 in the latest example hasn’t done anything to change that impression. But such a reputation is a double-edged sword, with some dismissing the mid-engined Audi as too soft, or without soul.
Fewer people will be saying that about the Audi R8 GT, but mind you, this is still no anorexic skin-and-Kate Moss. Consider that Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system is retained, as is the stereo and climate control system. There are no Spartan nylon door pulls or bare aluminum floor panels to be found, and the R8 GT retains the majority of its sound insulation. For the most part, the Audi R8 GT‘s diet consists of lighter materials — no easy task when the standard car already boasts an aluminum space frame and magnesium chassis.
Categories: Audi, Auto Review, Car Review Tags: Audi
It’s Not Even Out Yet: Toyota reportedly upping price on FT-86
Toyota touts its hotly anticipated FT-86 coupe as a quick, light and attractive sports car for the masses. One of its strongest selling points is a price tag that reportedly hovering somewhere around $20,000 in base form, making the rear-drive coupe an affordable option for cash-strapped enthusiasts.
However, a report from Autocar claims that higher than expected development costs could derail any dreams of a good looking, inexpensive FT-86. The British site sites unnamed Toyota sources as saying that the base price of the little coupe has shot from £13,000 ($20,000 in U.S. funds) to £15,000 ($23,000 U.S.), with a range-topper coming in at £17,000 ($26,000 U.S.). Further, Autocar reports that Toyota sports vehicle department head Tetsuya Tada says that the company has increased the targeted FT-86 age group has been bumped by a full 10 years from the 30s to the 40s.
