2012 Acura TL
For years, Acura approached the evolution of its vehicles with the deliberate patience of a carpenter wielding a sanding block. Rough mechanical or aesthetic edges were banished not with axe swings, but with small motions that seemed barely perceptible compared to the ranging whims of the competition.
Then the 2009 TL came along. Read more…
PETA recommends solving your Mazda’s spider problems by… donating your car
People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is offering a unique – if unlikely – solution to 2009-2010Mazda6 owners who have felt the bite of the company’s recall to chase away gas-loving spiders. They want you to donate your ride to them. The animal-rights group is soliciting donations from any of the 52,000 affected Mazda customers who would rather see the spiders saved than murdered at the hands of mechanics.
Once they’ve chased the itsy-bitsy spiders from the car’s evap pipe, PETA says they’ll use the donatedMazda sedans to champion their cause. PETA says that this won’t be the first time they’ve received cars from animal loving donors: a PETA member who was terrified of mice once donated a brand-new Jeep to the organization after she found a mouse living in it. The mouse was saved, just as the spiders will be. Read more…
Categories: Daily Car, Mazda Tags: by…, donating, Mazda’s, PETA, problems, recommends, solving, spider
Alfa Romeo 4C headed to American showrooms, Abarth version to follow
We’re still feeling the aftershocks from the unveiling of the tempting Alfa Romeo 4C Concept in Geneva, and reports about its production – and distribution – are already beginning to surface.
When Alfa CEO Harald Wester unveiled the 4C Concept, he indicated that production possibilities are not only being carefully considered, but that the 4C could make it to the United States to spearhead the marque’s return to these shores.
Of course, that’s what Alfa said about the 8C Competizione, with sales totaling 84 coupes and 35 roadsters across the United States. That was it – no additional (read: more accessible) Alfa models followed. Could the production 4C pick up where its big brother left off? Read more…
Categories: Alfa Romeo, Daily Car Tags: Abarth, Alfa, American, follow, headed, Romeo, showrooms, version
Ferrari Four hits the dunes, invites us inside
Ferrari’s unprecedented FF marks a startling new direction for the Italian automaker. The first all-wheel-drive Ferrari is also the first factory shooting brake, picking up where coachbuilt specials like Drogo’s 250 GTO Breadvan and Chinetti’s 365 GTB/4 Panther left off in the 1960s.
Until now, we’ve seen the FF from the studio, we’ve seen it powering through snow drifts and we’ve seen it in person on thefloor of the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. But to coincide with its public debut, Ferrari has hit us with another batch of images, apparently shot in Abu Dhabi around the grounds of the Ferrari World theme park. Among the fresh shots are also the best views we’ve gotten yet of the meticulously-crafted bovine graveyard that is the FF’s commodious interior. Read more…
2011 Dodge Grand Caravan gets new $23,995 base MSRP, now least expensive minivan in U.S.
Chrysler has announced that the 2011 Dodge Grand Caravan will get lob $1,000 off of its base MSRP, making it the least expensive minivan in the United States. This savings applies to the base Express model, which is now priced at $23,995, not including the $835 destination charge.
The slightly higher-grade Mainstreet model (no, the naming structure doesn’t make sense to us, either) also benefits from a bit of cost savings, taking $250 off of its base price. The mid-range minivan now wears a $25,745 sticker price.
Both the Dodge Grand Caravan and its Chrysler Town & Country twin were substantially refreshed for the 2011 model year. In addition to the higher-quality, more comfortable interior, both minivans now use the automaker’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which produces 283 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. We still aren’t sure if either of the Chrysler vans are the best-in-segment players, but with a new ultra-low MSRP, the Grand Caravan should now be a bit more attractive to prospective buyers. Read more…
Categories: Daily Car, Dodge Tags: $23995, 2011, base, Caravan, Dodge, expensive, gets, Grand, least, minivan, MSRP, U.S.
Next-gen Ford Mustang will have global design input
Automotive News is reporting that Ford will turn to its global team of designers for the look of the nextMustang. Styling themes will be served up from studios in Australia and Europe as well as other places around the world. Ford says that the practice is now standard operating procedure for most of the automaker’s new products, and that the global design approach was taken on board three years ago. J Mays, the company’s global design chief, and the rest of the vehicle’s design team will then select amongst the proposals for the design that best fits the next-generation Pony Car.
In the past, the company’s U.S. design studio was solely responsible for the vehicle’s image, but Ford has seen plenty of success from soliciting ideas from all over the world. The design of the global Ranger, for example, was submitted by artists in Australia with pointers from the company’s designers in Europe.
Right now, Ford is keeping its lips sealed about when we can expect to see the next-gen Mustang touch down, though Automotive News reports that there’s some indication that the vehicle may be as far off as 2014 or 2015.
Kia K9 sedan spied, upscale cues include Maserati-style side vents
Remember the proposed Kia K9 luxury sedan? Apparently, it’s a reality, as spy shots of the Kia flagship have hit a web forum in Korea. As you can see, the K9′s camouflage (which sneakily includes Hyundai Genesiswheels) doesn’t obscure a set of Maserati Quattroporte-style fender ports. Just how upmarket is Kia shooting with this? Well, according to the tipster who sent them to us, the K9 is expected to slot into the market space between the Hyundai Genesis and Equus sedans.
If those two are anything to go on, Kia might be on to something. From these photos, it looks like the K9 will not only sport Quttroporte-referencing vents along its fenders, but long, angular headlights and a protruding grille, leaving impressions of the BMW 5 Series and Jaguar XJ – lofty benchmarks, indeed. Read more…
Xenatec reveals Maybach Cruiserio Coupe ahead of Geneva debut
Xenatec is using the Geneva Motor Show to unveil its one-off Cruiserio Coupe, a customer-ordered hyper-luxury car based on the Maybach 57S. The coupe was designed by Fredrik Burchhardt to a customer’s exact specs, then hand-built by the Xenatec team.
Outside, the Xenatec Cruiserio Coupe is swathed in a two-tone matte finish that’s designed to give a brassy shimmer in the light. Xenatec says the paint was hand-applied in several stages to get the look just so.
The big coupe’s interior is another Xenatec one-off, featuring hand-stitched natural, undyed buffalo leather and espresso-colored Nappa hides. To take things to the next level of ludicrous opulence, Xenatec lined the footwells of the car with blackberry Alcantara. Read more…
Categories: Daily Car, Geneva Motor Show Tags: Ahead, Coupe, Cruiserio, debut, Geneva, Maybach, reveals, Xenatec
Swedish designer reinvents the Jaguar E-Type
The Jaguar E-Type turns 50 this year, and we continue to pine for its classic lines to this day. Bo Zolland, a car designer from Sweden, is clearly also a fan of the iconic E-Type shape. Unlike most of us, though, he has the tools and skill to generate a vision of what the E-Type might look like were it to come back to life in the 21st century.
Zolland calls his rendered Jaguar homage the Growler E 2011 Concept, and it clearly takes design cues from the original version. We also spy some 240Z and Chevrolet Corvette, though you could just as easily say those cars learned their lines from the E-Type. Read more…
2011 Audi A8
I have to admit losing track of how many times my hapless copilot uttered this – and countless other unpublishable phrases – from the passenger seat during our drive. But if I’m being honest, it doesn’t hold a candle to the endless string of explicatives running through my own mind.
The reason? I’m piloting a 2011 Audi A8 through a particularly tortuous stretch of California tarmac running between the Monterey Valley and the Pacific Coast, and for the better part of 20 miles, the driver of the tunedBMW 335i in the lead hasn’t seen anything other than the A8′s massive slatted grille in his rearview mirror. Just as impressive – if not more so – is the pair of worked-over E36 M3s that are having a hard time keeping up. And these guys are locals. They’ve been running this road for over a decade, only to have me show and spoil their ragtag rally in Audi’s latest luxo-bruiser. Read more…
