Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, BMW, Motorcycle, Racing

It takes a fast and agile car to keep pace with MotoGP racing bikes. Fortunately the BMW M division is up to the task, providing safety cars (or what we’d call pace cars on this side of the Atlantic) to the race organizers of the top-level motorcycle racing series.

The most recent vehicles to perform the duties have been the 1 Series M Coupe and the X6 M crossover, but now BMW is introducing a the new M6 coupe to the mix. It’ll debut in safety car guise as pictured above at the Nürburgring this weekend.

While it’s unclear whether any modifications have been made to the 552-horsepower twin-turbo V8, the M6 MotoGP safety car has been upgraded with new spoilers front and rear, special lighting equipment and BMW’s traditional blue, blue and red striping on a white body. And if we were betting men, we’d put our money on some upgrades to the brakes, suspension and tires, too.

BMW rolls out new M6 safety car for MotoGP originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Nissan

Nissan has released a passel of official photosd of the 2013 Nissan Altima, the sedan it “would like to make #1 if customers agree.” While the new styling might take getting used to, the other changes are all welcomed: it’s lighter, has a revised transmission, will return 38 miles per gallon if equipped with the four-cylinder, and starts at $21,500 before the $760 destination charge.

Now that the Altima and Toyota Camry are known quantities, the pending reveal of the Honda Accord will fill out the field and then we’ll have a better idea of the fight to come. Until then, have a closer look at the new Altima in the photo gallery above.

New pics show 2013 Nissan Altima from all the angles originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota

Toyota’s Huntsville, Alabama production facility, which makes the company’s four-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines, is getting a couple of big boosts: $80 million and roughly 125 new jobs. When the spending and hiring is complete, the enlarged factory and the plant’s 1,150 workers will raise engine-production capacity to more than 700,000 units, with V6 production more than doubled from 146,000 engines per year to 362,000.

Toyota’s been spending and hiring all this year, with $645 million invested in growth and 1,100 jobs added to the rolls. “This V6 line addition,” said a company EVP, “continues to reflect our growing optimism for an improving North American market.” Toyota’s press release is posted below.

Continue reading Toyota boosting V6 production in Alabama, adding 125 jobs

Toyota boosting V6 production in Alabama, adding 125 jobs originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Wagon, Mercedes-Benz

If you need to haul some stuff in a big hurry, you could do a lot worse than the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate wagon. It offers all the power of its coupe and sedan siblings, only with the added cargo space that so many European customers prefer over the betrunked versions. But if the stock 457 horsepower isn’t enough, the good folks over at Edo Competition are glad to help out with an upgrade of their own.

That upgrade, it turns out, is anything but negligible, pumping output up by nearly 150 horsepower to a stonking 600. Torque has also been boosted from 442 lb-ft stock to 501, where that extra single measure of twist makes all the difference.

The boost comes courtesy of new exhaust, headers, cats and filters, supplemented by 19-inch modular alloys riding on suitably low-profile Michelin rubber, with a slew of interior enhancements to make the Edo C63 feel all the more special.

The exterior, however, remains decidedly low-key – all the better for messing with the head of Porsche drivers on the Autobahn while hauling the whole family and all their gear. Check it out in the press release below and the high-res image gallery above.

Continue reading Edo Competition squeezes 600 HP into Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate

Edo Competition squeezes 600 HP into Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve got the cash to place on the hood (or nose cone, as it were), most any Formula One team will sell you one of their old race cars. After all, they’re not using them anymore, and it’s a good way to raise funds to develop next year’s car. But not McLaren. The team from Woking – one of the most successful in the series – doesn’t sell its old cars, though with 176 grand prix victories, twelve drivers’ championships and eight constructors’ titles, you can bet they’d fetch a pretty penny. Instead, it keeps them all warehoused at a facility, location undisclosed, simply called Unit 2.

The warehouse contains some 75 grand prix cars, an untold number of the team’s sports cars from other racing series (like Le Mans, Can-Am and Indy), and various road cars it’s produced over the years, like the legendary McLaren F1, the SLR it built for Mercedes-Benz, and the new MP4-12C. But while none of these cars are for sale, Unit 2 will soon be depleted of much of its stock.

Their destinations? The 35 global dealerships that McLaren Automotive has opened or will open by year’s end, like the one pictured above in Düsseldorf. Each showroom is to get a racing car to display alongside the road cars it has for sale, and many of them will be location-specific. The dealer in Monte Carlo, for example, will display the 1993 MP4-8 that Ayrton Senna drove to victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. The dealer in Brussels will reportedly display the 2004 MP4-19 with which Kimi Raikkonen won the 2004 Belgian Grand Prix. And the Philadelphia showroom will display the 1976 M26 that James Hunt piloted to victory at the US Grand Prix that year.

So if you want to see a piece of McLaren racing history, better call up your nearest dealership and find out when their show car is due to arrive. Just don’t go looking for Unit 2, because even if you can find it, chances are they won’t let you in.

McLaren dispersing top-secret Unit 2 collection to showrooms originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Truck, Work, Off-Road, MISC

If you’re in the market and mood for a 6.5-ton cab-over truck that also offers power to all its wheels, Fuso would like you to have a look at its new Canter 4×4. With the addition of selectable four-wheel drive, Fuso is hoping to expand the 4×2 Canter’s traditional market into unpaved uses like construction and municipal services.

Power comes from a 3.0-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel with 175 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. A stop/start system is also used to improve efficiency. Standard features include a locking rear differential, exhaust brake, approach and departure angles that are nearly doubled over the 4×2 model, and a 40,000-kilometer maintenance interval. Options are plentiful, including single or crew-cab bodies, two wheelbase choices, payload up to 3,725 kilograms, 320 millimeters of ground clearance and 100 plain, metallic and pearl-finish paint colors.

For truck fans, there’s a press release below and a high-res gallery of the Canter 4×4 in all kinds of poses.

Continue reading New Fuso Canter can canter in selectable 4×4 mode

New Fuso Canter can canter in selectable 4×4 mode originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: China, Crossover, Aston Martin, Luxury

Automakers are usually pretty decisive. They either build a car or they don’t. But Aston Martin has embarked down a bumpier road with Lagonda.

Aston bought the Lagonda marque way back in 1947, but after operating it as a separate brand for a few years, it let the brand peter out in the 1950s and 60s. The moniker was revived as a nameplate on a handful of Aston Martin sedans beginning in the 1970s, but that was pretty much the last we saw of it until the 2009 Geneva Motor Show.

That’s when the British automaker unveiled the rather unusual concept vehicle (pictured above) to revive the Lagonda name once again as a separate brand. It was meant to test the waters, and the response was not favorable. So it had appeared that AML was dropping the L from its initials and the entire project along with it. But as a stand-alone niche automaker looking to stay afloat in a rapidly amalgamating industry, Aston needs to produce more than front-engined, rear-drive, two-door GTs. And the Rapide sedan apparently isn’t going to be enough, so it looks as if that the Lagonda project could be back on the table.

According to Autocar, the real impetus, however, could be coming from emerging markets in Asia – particularly China, but also the Middle East and Russia. The timing for a high-end luxury crossover built by a company known for its exotic sports cars, however, could prove to be good timing or poor: Maserati, Lamborghini and Bentley are all entering the segment in the coming years, so if Aston wants to get a slice of that lucrative pie pioneered by Porsche, it had better get those wheels in motion.

Chinese demand could prompt Aston Martin to press on with Lagonda revival originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 May 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Kia, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

The annual “Car Wars” report by Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy predicts that, despite their seizing of U.S. market share over the last few tumultuous years, Korean brands Hyundai and Kia will give it all back and then some to companies like Ford, General Motors and Toyota by 2016.

Murphy bases his predictions not on tea leaves or crystal balls, but rather the rate at which automakers launch new products. Ford will replace 26 percent of its product line over the next four years, a number that represents 46 percent of its volume, while General Motors will replace 25 percent and Toyota 24 percent. On account of these new product launches, Murphy says Ford can expect to add 0.8 percentage points of market share, General Motors will recover 0.5 points and Toyota will add another 0.3 points.

Other automakers that won’t be so aggressive in turning over their lineups with new models include Chrysler, Honda, Nissan and the European brands, which Murphy surmises will all remain flat in terms of market share.

Hyundai and Kia, meanwhile, will be introducing fewer new models than the rest and therefore, Murphy predicts, will see a 0.5 decline in U.S. market share.

Of course, these are all just predictions and can be blown to bits with the next unforeseen economic crisis or natural disaster, just like the last three years were. And there are other factors that might affect market share for each automaker during the next three years, including the availability of raw materials, exchange rates, union contracts, recalls and a million another minor things that might grow to become big things, not the least of which is consumers deciding they actually like all those new products being launched.

Car Wars report predicts Hyundai, Kia will lose market share originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 May 2012 18:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Renault, Racing

We don’t need to tell you why rally racing – though awesome – is incredibly dangerous. As much as we love to watch turbocharged, all-wheel-drive Euro hatches being flung around on dirt, gravel, snow and tarmac, the fact that many of these races go through small towns and wooded trails leaves plenty of room for disaster.

Case in point: This Renault Clio racer went off course during the 2012 Mazowiecki Rally, leaving driver Patrick Osowiecki and navigator Maciej Wrona trapped upside-down in a lake. According to CarScoop, no race officials were near the scene of the accident, but some selfless spectators rushed in to attempt to free Osowiecki and Wrona from their racecar. Scroll down to watch the action unfold.

Continue reading Watch spectators rush to save lives of rally drivers trapped in capsized Renault

Watch spectators rush to save lives of rally drivers trapped in capsized Renault originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 May 2012 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: SUV, Etc., Videos, Land Rover, Toys/Games, Off-Road

It’s official. You really can build anything from Lego blocks. Behold a fully-functional 1:8.5 scale version of a Land Rover Defender 110. This radio-controlled machine features a five-speed transmission with reverse, a two-speed transfer case that offers both four-wheel and two-wheel drive modes and functional disc brakes on all four corners. It’s cool. We’ll wait while you pick your jaw up off the floor. The machine was also built with fully functional steering that uses the same number of turns-to-lock as the real deal. All told, there are nearly 2,800 parts in the build, including seven motors.

There’s a full solid-axle suspension underneath with long-travel springs. Top speed is around 2.5 mph. What’s more, the whole body can be removed with just four pins to see the workings underneath.

If that’s not cool enough, the machine has been picked up over at Lego CUUSOO. If it gets 10,000 votes, Lego will produce a kit based off of this creation. That’s right – this masterwork isn’t a kit – an independent Lego maniac by the name of Sheepo came up with it. Head over to the site for more information, and be sure to scroll down to check out a video of the machine.

Continue reading Lego Land Rover Defender 110 is plasticized perfection [w/video]

Lego Land Rover Defender 110 is plasticized perfection [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 May 2012 12:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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