First Drive: 2011 BMW Alpina B7 breaks the luxo-barge mold

Alpina has made a business out of taking the best vehicles from one marque and making them substantially better than anything rolling off the assembly line. The Alpina B7 is easily the best 7 Series we’ve driven.

Tesla reportedly raises $226 million with IPO of 13.3M shares

Tesla reportedly raised $226 million with its IPO, or 13.3 million shares at $17 per. The $226 mil total went above and beyond the high-end figure of $16 per share. *Update:Shares are now trading some 40% higher than initial price.

Autoblog Long-Term Garage Introduction: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition

Welcome the newest entrant to the Autoblog Long-Term Garage: the 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition. Follow the TDI’s progress here and follow us at Twitter #ablongterm.

Also of interest:

• Terrafugia Transition flying “car” gets special FAA exemption, sees clear skies ahead?
• PSA: Ford Mustang to make NASCAR Nationwide debut Friday night
• Report: Final PT Cruiser to roll off Chrysler assembly line on July 9
• Spy Shots: Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera Spyder caught testing?
• BMW offering carbon fiber components for M3
• BMW recalls over 15,000 motorcycles

Browse our archive of Daily U-Turn posts or subscribe to the RSS feed

Daily U-Turn: What you missed on 6.29.10 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Chevrolet, GM, Rumormill

According to Motor Trend, which is citing unnamed sources within General Motors, the next-generation Corvette will come with a brand-new engine. Despite rumors to the contrary, it seems that Chevrolet’s halo vehicle will continue using its trademark V8 engine and not a V6. Still, the C7′s powerplant will be downsized from its current 6.2 or 7.0 liters.

It’s likely that this new engine will be the first application of GM’s next-gen small block family, and we’d expect it to sport direct injection, E85 capability and a new combustion system design. One thing not to expect, though: overhead cams. You can bank on the fact that The General will stick to its tried-and-true overhead valve design, which serves to lower manufacturing costs and allows for comparatively small overall engine dimensions.

All of these technologies should make the venerable V8 more fuel efficient and cleaner, but also sufficiently powerful to uphold its sportscar heritage. In fact, Motor Trend reports that the C7′s V8 will displace 5.5 liters while hammering out 440 horsepower. Though that significantly smaller in displacement, the power figure would actually be up from the current 430 ponies. We can hardly wait… but we’ll have to anyway. We don’t expect the next Corvette to bow before 2012 at the earliest.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Report: Next Chevrolet Corvette to get 440-hp 5.5-liter small-block V8 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: 3% [?]

Criminal groups make 2.5-billion euros

More: continued here
Powered by SmartRSS

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Chrysler, Dodge, Earnings/Financials

It’s not every day that someone actually wins the lottery, but that day has come for nineteen American factory workers. And it’s come in a big way as two lottery clubs have claimed multi-million-dollar jackpots in the Powerball and Mega Millions drawings, scoring a jaw-dropping $96.6 million and $36 million respectively.

What does this have to do with cars, you ask? This is an automotive news site, after all, so we’ll tell you: the “Lucky 13 Plus One” lottery club that won the nearly $100M Powerball jackpot is comprised of workers at the Chrysler‘s Jefferson North Assembly plant in Detroit that reports claim builds the Dodge Viper. (The Viper’s actually built at Connor Avenue, while Jefferson builds Jeeps, so clearly something’s amiss here, but we digress.) The Mega Millions jackpot, meanwhile, will be split between five factory workers in Kalamazoo whose names and employer remain unpublished.

As for the winning Viper crew, might we suggest either buying the rights to the car you build to either ensure its survival or farm them out to Devon Motorworks. Or maybe buying back the Mercedes SLS program and turning it back into the next-gen Viper. Of course, there is a certain group of automotive journalists who’d be happy to help you invest, so be in touch, won’t you?

[Source: The Detroit News]

Lucky 14: Workers at Dodge Viper plant win Powerball jackpot originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here
Powered by SmartRSS

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hatchback, GM, GMC

When General Motors debuted the GMC Granite concept at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, it was a huge hit with both the media and public in attendance. A small hatchback like this would shake up GMC‘s legacy of only building trucks and crossovers, but it would be a good way to expand the brand’s lineup and better establish it as a core part of GM.

Now, the folks at Motor Trend report that the Granite has been given the green light for production, though The General is still in the process of figuring out if it can keep those nifty rear-hinged doors intact. The Granite shares the same architecture as the Chevrolet Orlando which will be produced for other markets and will likely be powered by GM’s new 1.4-liter turbocharged inline-four, possibly mated to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

It’s still unclear when we’ll actually see a production version of the Granite concept, but we wouldn’t be surprised if a few test mules start popping up outside of GM’s proving grounds within the next year. Can a tall Scion xB-like hatch exist under the GMC nameplate? Be sure to give us your opinion in the poll below.

*Update: Motor Trend is now saying that it was a bit premature in reporting that the Granite was a go. While MT still strongly believes it will be produced, it has yet to receive the official green light.

View Poll

[Source: Motor Trend]

Report: GMC Granite approved for production [w/poll] *UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: 3% [?]

Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, has been critical of US police over the handling of spy claims.

More: continued here

Popularity: 3% [?]

US general David Petraeus, who will take over the command of foreign forces in Afghanistan, has said he will consider a change in the rules for battle.

More: continued here

Popularity: 3% [?]

Spain’s highest court has granted new powers of self-rule to Catalonia.

More: continued here

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Tesla, Electric

We’ve been poring over Tesla’sIPO filing with the SEC and hidden within the indecipherable legalese is a little gem for those of us more interested in product then federal oversight.

As reported previously, the Roadster’s reign is set to end in December of 2011, although Tesla will continue to take orders for the current Roadster into 2012 if its supply of “gliders” – the rolling chassis provided by Lotus and built on the same platform as the Elise/Exige – isn’t exhausted.

Tesla has contracted Lotus for a total of 2,400 gliders and if the price is right, it could extend that contract to meet demand.

More importantly, Tesla confirms that the next Roadster won’t arrive until production of the Model S begins in 2012, so a revised Roadster isn’t in the cards until 2013 – at the earliest. Interestingly, the upstart EV automaker says that it intends to build the “next generation Tesla Roadster entirely in our own facilities.” Which leads us to believe that an all-new platform could underpin the next generation model, possibly based on the Model S’ architecture and shared by a range of new products. How much of the current Roadster carries over remains to be seen, but if Tesla wants to continue to assert its independence, it’s fair to assume that it won’t be sourcing its next chassis from another automaker.

Photos by Damon Lavrinc / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: SEC]

2013 Tesla Roadster to be completely built in-house originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: 3% [?]

Filed under: Performance, Motorcycle

When we recently got the chance to take the latest 2010 MV Agusta Brutale 990R for a spin, we didn’t find the naked bike lacking for power. With 998cc of inline-four goodness cranking itself merrily away under the rider, measuring 139 horsepower and 78 pound-feet of torque when measured at the crankshaft, the new Brutale has plenty of oomph.

If you find yourself in need for more horses, though, MV Agusta will gladly sell you the enlarged 1090RR version with 144 horsepower. And if that’s still not enough? A head examination may be in order – this is a naked bike after all – but there’s always the newly announced Cannonball Kit to feed your insatiable lust for power.

According to the Italian motorcycle manufacturer, the combination of new ECU, cylinder head, camshafts, valves and titanium exhaust system will add an additional 21 horses to the 1090RR, putting total output at 165 horsepower. It all sounds good, except for the fact that the kit is not certified for road use and we don’t know of too many Brutale owners that ride their bikes exclusively on the track…

[Source: Asphalt & Rubber]

MV Agusta announces Cannonball Kit for 2010 Brutale 1090RR originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

More: continued here

Popularity: 3% [?]