Jaguar is a sports car company, pure and simple. That’s how it got its start over 60 years ago, and all its most iconic vehicles have had speed in mind. Under the Ford umbrella, that core trait seemed to dull, however. While the XK is a fantastic GT, the company’s focus has been to build large luxury sedans. Now, with Tata pulling the strings, there are several encouraging things coming from the big cat, starting with the incredible C-X75. However, at the Frankfurt Auto Show, Jag showed us something nearly as enticing, a compact sports coupe to take on the likes of the Porsche Cayman. The C-X16 is meant to be a suggestion of Jaguar’s future design and technological intent. However, with Jag’s intent to build the 75, it would be ludicrous to think it would pass on a much more marketable class such as this. A compact, rear-wheel drive two-seater, underpinned by a strong aluminum architecture and perfect 50:50 weight distribution, the C-X16 shows huge promise with its mind-numbing beauty. With a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 producing 375 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque, power is increased with a hybrid system controlled by a steering wheel-mounted ‘Push to Pass’ button boosting output by 94 hp and 172 lb-ft. Top speed is 186 mph, 0-100 km/h comes up in 4.4 seconds, and CO2 emissions are 165 g/km. With that kind of performance, Porsche better look to dump a GT3 engine in the Cayman soon, or flirt with becoming inconsequential.

Bugatti Galibier Not Special Enough To Build

The Bugatti Veyron is a truly special and unique automobile, so much so that Bugatti has been building special editions long after the production of the run-of-the-mill, if you can call it that, Veyron ceased years ago. However, to be called a proper car maker, Bugatti need to step up to bat with more than just one offering; even Tesla has done that, as mentioned. The car that was supposed to continue the Bugatti name in the industry was to be the four-door Galibier, an ultra-exclusive executive sedan that would round out the Bugatti stable nicely. Bugatti has shown off several Galibier concepts, and looked ready to make it a reality. That was until Bugatti CEO Wolfgang Durheimer put the whole project on hold. Apparently, Mr. Durheimer doesn’t think it’s ready. Why not? It’s not wild enough. The 800-horsepower engine needs more power, rear space and an extra dose of luxurious comfort. Durheimer believes the Galibier should be the car that serves as an “argument stopper,” meaning there is no further discussion with regards to its position as best car on the planet.

Subaru Names Its Coupe; Is It Coming to Canada?

We have been overloaded with photos, tech and information about the forthcoming Scion FR-S for the last year and a bit; however, we’ve heard very little from the FR-S’s twin brother which will sport a Subaru badge on the hood. Well, Subaru is starting to speak up now, and it has come up with a name for its sporty coupe, calling it the BRZ. Along with the new name, Subaru has finally enticed us with a precious few photos of another concept car that will be officially debuted at the L.A. Auto Show, the “Subaru BRZ Concept – STI.” While the BRZ might be used to unveil a new 2.0-litre direct-injection four-cylinder engine, Subaru’s history and common sense would say that the STi version would likely follow with a high-strung turbocharged version of the flat four. There is still no word from Subaru Canada whether or not the BRZ will make it to Canada, despite suspiciously choosing L.A. to launch the STi concept. All we know is, we can’t wait to drive a RWD Subaru, and hopefully we won’t have to go overseas to do so.

Motorsport Loses Three Great Talents

It used to be that death was an inevitable part of motorsport, but over the last few decades, massive improvements in safety have made fatal crashes a rare event. However, the sad fact is, motorsport is still an inherently dangerous affair, and sadly the racing gods took three great talents from us in October. Within a span of seven days, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon, 33, was killed in a 15-car crash at the final Indy Car race of the year in Las Vegas. A week later, Marco Simoncelli, 24, was killed in the MotoGP race in Malaysia when he lost control of his bike and slid into the path of two approaching riders. Between the time when both Wheldon and Simoncelli died on the track, off-road racer Rick Huseman, 38, was involved in a plane crash near Barstow, California, that killed he and two other passengers, one of them his brother Jeff. We at RPM would like to offer our condolences to the friends and families of these great racers, and may they all continue to lap the great race track in the sky.

Russia Approves Bering Straight Tunnel

It’s a bold engineering undertaking that has apparently been in the works since 2007. It’s an idea that has been around since the days of Czar Nicholas II, when, in 1905, he intended such an undertaking. However, just last month, the Russian government gave the green light to a massive project to link Siberia with Alaska with an ambitious tunnel that would run under the Bering Strait. The project, about 103 km long, would be twice as long as the Channel Tunnel linking England to France, and is forecast to cost around $97 billion. It would pass under Big Diomede and Little Diomede islands that sit either side of the International Date Line. There’s no date yet set for construction to begin, but the latest plans represent the best hope yet for the project to finally reach fruition.

Musk Bets Neil $1-Million That Model S Will Be Out On Time

We love Tesla head Elon Musk’s uncanny ability to make news. What with the departure of Bob Lutz, we’ve been left with few shoot-from-the-hip company heads that haven’t been muffled by their respective PR departments. The latest musing comes with a disagreement between Musk and eccentric automotive journalist, Dan Neil, known as a co-host on Speed’s The Car Show. It appears that Neil figures Tesla won’t be able to get its Model S four-seater EV out by the end of 2012 as promised. Well, Musk took Neil’s discouraging thoughts to heart and bet Neil a million dollars that the Model S would be out on the market on time. Neil in turn, gave the following terms, that paying customers should receive their vehicles before the end of 2012, the Model S must be NHTSA certified with a four- or five-star safety rating, and it needs to be priced at $57,400 USD with a 160-mile range. With Musk just announcing that the 2012 batch of the Model S is now sold out, we’ll be back in a year’s time to see what dramas ensue.

Gordon Murray Joins Lotus

Lotus is making more waves in the automotive world by announcing the appointment of Gordon Murray to the Lotus Advisory Council. Murray will work alongside automotive industry icons Bob Lutz, Tom Purves, Prof. Dr. Burkhard Göschel and Frank Tuch to advise Group Lotus on current and future development. The purpose of the Lotus Advisory Council is to give advice and guidance on strategic issues such as product strategy, technology, quality, brand, marketing and distribution for Group Lotus. During his time in F1, Murray was responsible for designing many Grand Prix-winning cars and was heralded by many as leading the way in terms of innovation and pioneering new technologies. More recently, Murray established Gordon Murray Design to develop an innovative and disruptive automotive manufacturing technology trademarked iStream. The design and prototyping of the T.25 Petrol and T.27 Electric Ultra Compact City Cars has been central to both the development and validation of this process.

Ironman Trades In R8 For Fictional Acura Lookalike

As car enthusiasts, we hate to see the selling out of Hollywood to PR-hungry auto makers in the name of exposure. We won’t get into the whole Bumblebee being a Camaro fiasco, but it seems that Tony Stark, yes, the Ironman, has traded in his Audi R8 for an Acura concept. Acura has bought the rights to be the official vehicle of S.H.E.I.L.D., the fictional international superhero enforcement agency that makes use of many comic book heroes such as Ironman. Ironically, the Acura concept recently shot by photographers on set reveals a sporty mid-engine vehicle with a very familiar silhouette and stance that Mr. Stark is used to, but featuring a distinctly Acura’ish front nose. As expected, Acura says that the car is a concept only, and there is no chance of a production version making it to the showrooms. With rumours abounding of a new NSX sporting a V10 making it as far as the race tracks of Japan in the form of a front-engine prototype-only SuperGT car, we’re thinking that Mr. Stark’s exotic is a one-time dream vehicle.

Kyle Busch Likes the LF-A, Enough To Lose License

Racing star Kyle Busch may still be driving in the NASCAR racing series, but he needed a ride from the courthouse in Iredell County last August, as he was given a 45-day suspension to his license and a $1,000 fine. Turns out Mr. Busch got caught doing 128-mph in a 45-mph zone on rural roads near Mooresville, N.C. in his flashy new Lexus LF-A. Busch was also placed on a year of unsupervised probation and ordered to do 30 hours of community service with the B.R.A.K.E.S. (Be Responsible and Keep Everyone Safe) program that he already had committed to with NHRA star Doug Herbert.

Saab Hitting Troubles Once Again

Just when we thought the quirky automaker from Trollhattan, Sweden, was getting back on its feet, Saab gets sucked down into the murky waters of the business world once again. Bought by a Dutch exotic car maker with Russian funds, financial issues have since come up that has meant that Saab could not pay its suppliers and was asking the government for a hefty loan. In its fragile state, Chinese Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. reached an agreement to buy Saab Automobile from its Dutch owner for $139 million. They plan to return the Swedish carmaker to profit in 2014 by investing $3 billion into it over the next five to six years. However, the deal needs approval from third parties such as the European Investment Bank, the Swedish national debt office, China’s National Development and Reform Commission, NDRC, and former owner General Motors Co. As both the current 9-3 and 9-5 are built on GM platforms, GM can deny the necessary licensing to use those platforms to the new buyers. So, the Saab story continues on as the company pushes its way through the financial maze.

Reports out of BMW are currently suggesting that the its two futuristic and eco-conscious i-series vehicles, the i3 and i8 shown here, may soon be joined by two additional models said to be the i4 and i5, a smaller coupe and a family-focused four-door. Both models will employ the i-series design language and will be based around the carbon fibre-reinforced plastic “Life” structure to efficiently control weight, using variations of the drivetrains fitted to the i3 and i8. The i4 will supposedly be based on the i3′s architecture, but will become a two-seater with a sloping coupe style roof, wider track and a more aggressive stance. Power will likely come from a variant of the i3′s electric motor, with the same optional range-extending engine mounted out back. BMW wants to have at least one affordable i-branded two-door within the next five to six years, and considering the i8 will likely crest $100,000, the i4 will be a more attainable entry point for the marque. Less is known about the i5 aside from the fact that it will be a more traditional four-door sedan with a sleek profile and power provided by the same plug-in hybrid drivetrain as the i8. That could mean up to 400 lb-ft of torque when the turbo 1.5-litre and electric motor work in unison. Sounds to us like the i5 could be a Fisker Karma/Tesla Model S fighter.

Porsche and Jaguar Trying To Relive Le Mans Glory in 2014

The 24h of Le Mans just really hasn’t been the same since the glory of the GT1 days in the mid ’90s. Back then, no fewer than seven manufacturer-backed teams were vying for the top spot on the podium. Since that time, it’s been an Audi walkover, with only Bentley and Peugeot upsetting nearly a decade-and-a-half of predictable dominance. However, things are looking up for the coming years as the FIA and the ACO are starting to get along once again with a new World Endurance Championship coming to fruition, with more cost-effective regulations in place and an unsurpassed spectacle designed to let manufacturers showcase their goods. As such, more and more manufacturers are flocking to Le Mans. And not just for the GT classes, either. With Audi and Peugeot still dedicated to the sport and Aston Martin graduating from its dominance of the GT classes to the top-tier LMP1 category, two more names from the past have declared their intentions to relive the glory days of international endurance racing. Porsche has announced its impending return for 2014, Toyota is reportedly preparing an assault of its own, and now word on the street circuit has it that Jaguar is gearing up to take on the LMP1 class as well. The program reportedly has the enthusiastic blessing of parent company Tata Motors, and if it comes to fruition, would mark the first time the marque has competed at Le Mans since 1991, the year after it won its seventh 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Silk Cut XJR-12.

The World Has Lost Another McLaren F1

Now, we usually don’t report on the ongoing musings of wealthy bad drivers destroying their high-priced modern supercars in a fit of “look at me” glory. However, the world has lost one of a very few true classics left in the world, the McLaren F1 supercar, and the driver wasn’t the son of an oil tycoon trying to impress his fellow twit friends. No, the driver was none other than Mr. Bean himself, Rowan Atkinson, a well-respected racer of priceless vintage race cars and himself a car collector. According to reports, the 56-year-old Atkinson lost control of his McLaren and hit a tree, ripping the car in half, which then caught fire. Miraculously, Rowan Atkinson was not trapped in the vehicle and walked away from the crash. This is not the first time Atkinson has crashed his McLaren, previously ripping the front wheel off in an accident with an Austin Metro. In total, 106 McLaren F1s were built, starting in 1992, but that number is quickly falling with a number of recent accidents and fires.

Is Audi Jumping into the Urban Micro-car Game?

As Audi has been tempting us North Americans with the A1, it has gone and thrown us another tease with a new micro-car concept. The Audi urban concept is a 1+1-seat, ultra-light car that Audi says is for congested urban spaces and combines elements of a racing car, a fun car and an urban car into one radical new concept. Audi goes on to comment that there is onboard room for two people, their position slightly staggered and at a sporty, low level. All controls and materials are subject to the dictates of ultra-lightweight construction in order to ensure they convey a completely unique, sensory allure. The driver can adjust the steering wheel and pedals to his own body measurements. Entry to the car is via the tailgate. The roof is designed to be manoeuvrable and slides to the rear to open. Two e-tron electric motors provide the propulsion, with the aid of lithium-ion battery cells making for impressive accelerating power. It all sounds like quite an interesting package, but we’ll have to wait and see if Audi first of all builds it, and second, let us have a taste.

David Higgins Shoots Down Pastrana’s Record Run Up Mt. Washington

While the Pikes Peak Hillclimb is easily the most famed hillclimb race in the world, the Mt. Washington Climb to the Clouds hillclimb is the oldest, and some would say more prestigious. Run since 1904, the 12.2 km, tree-lined road leading to the 1,916-metre summit of eastern America’s tallest peak has seen its fair share of record-breaking performances. On June 26, 2011, Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins drove the road faster than anyone else in history, needing only six minutes and 11.54 seconds to finish the famed Mt. Washington Hillclimb. The record run was nearly 30 seconds faster than Canadian Frank Sprongl’s previous record from 1998 posted in a Group B-spec Audi Quattro. Higgins also beat the unofficial record of 6:20.47 set by Travis Pastrana last year. Higgins, who made similar headlines only a few short months ago when he  cracked the lap record for a four-wheeled automobile around the Isle of Mann TT circuit, broke the Mt. Washington record behind the wheel of his factory prepared Subaru WRX STi rally car.

NHTSA Tells Pagani, “No Airbags, No Importation!”

Those pesky safety rules have seen the demise and the turning away of several very cool vehicles. We lost the Land Rover Defender, and saw many a supercar, like the McLaren F1, have to undergo massive restyling in order to meet North America’s high levels of safety legislation. The latest car to fall victim to the bureaucrats is the new Pagani Huayra. If you are one of 15 lucky North Americans who have their deposit accepted by the Italian supercar builder, you may want to ask for a refund. As the Huayra is not produced with airbags, the boffins over at the NHTSA are none too pleased. In the past, a few low-volume manufacturers like Tesla and Lamborghini were given exemptions. Pagani applied for a similar pass on the grounds that it didn’t have the financial resources to develop such a system, but the administration has denied its request. So until a system is built for the car, which Pagani estimates to be a $5.7 million investment, or someone offers an aftermarket re-engineering package like the McLaren had to go through, the Huayra is forbidden from North American consumption.

KTM Concepts Electric Three-Wheeler

KTM, the Austrian motorcycle maker well known for building high-quality enduro off-roaders that have dominated the Dakar Rally for the last decade, has added a second vehicle to its car lineup. Joining the track day sensation, the X-Bow, KTM is currently working on an electric-powered three-wheeler dubbed the KTM E3W electric vehicle concept. As part of a collaboration between KTM and the Austrian Institute of Technology, the pod-shaped three-wheeler is fully electric and its main construction is made entirely of plastic. KTM says that the plastic construction helps keep the vehicle’s overall weight down to a mere 500 kg, making the 15 kW electric motor and lithium-ion battery pack much more efficient, giving the E3W a range of 100 km. KTM is looking to build 50,000 E3Ws per year at an estimated price of $7,000 to $11,000 apiece, and plans to begin production sometime in 2013. An enticing bit of kit indeed; however, by the looks of the concept vehicle, Canadian safety regulations mean this thing won’t get anywhere close to a Canadian showroom without major redesign and a price hike.

GM Signs $7.5 Million Deal with Sunlogics PLC

In an effort to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, GM has announced an equity investment of $7.5 million in Sunlogics PLC, a vertically-integrated global solar energy systems provider specializing in solar project development and installation. GM also signed commercial agreements with Sunlogics for the installation of solar charging canopies at Chevrolet dealerships and GM facilities, as well as an agreement to install large-scale solar arrays at GM facilities and to purchase the energy produced by these arrays. Sunlogics will use some of the funding to establish its corporate headquarters and open a manufacturing facility in suburban Detroit, and to set up a manufacturing facility in Ontario. The facility in Southeast Michigan will create 200 jobs and the Canadian facility will support 110 jobs.

Hagerty Announces Classic Vehicle Valuation Tool Ahead of $230 Million Auction Week

Hagerty has announced a complimentary new web service developed to help collectors better understand the classic car marketplace. “Collector Car Portfolio” joins two other Hagerty web tools – “Value Your Car” and “Market Trends” – which can be accessed at www.hagerty.com/valuationtools. The announcement came before five major collector car auction houses begin business in Monterey, Calif. the week of August 15. Hagerty expects the auctions to have grossed $230 million in sales from August 18th to August 21. The project involved more than five years of research by Hagerty’s team of valuation experts, and combines the following tools. Collector Car Portfolio: A collector can create a portfolio containing their cars – or their dream garage – and the tool creates a chart showing how the group and the individual vehicles have performed during the past. The tool also enables one to track their portfolio against the value performance of the Dow Jones industrial average, S&P 500, Gold and NASDAQ markets. Value Your Car: Simply input the year, make and model of a classic vehicle, and the site outputs a chart showing its current value and five year trend. Market Trends: This tool displays the value of several Hagerty-created classic car indexes and can assist collectors in deciding when to buy, sell or hold from different genres of classics.

Mitsubishi Opens Solar Charging Station For iMiEV

Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Motors North America have debuted a solar-powered charging station for electric vehicles at the Mitsubishi NA headquarters in Cypress, California. Mitsubishi comments that the charging facility symbolizes MMNA’s commitment to electric vehicle readiness, and will help kick off the preparations as certified Mitsubishi dealers become EV-ready in anticipation of the scheduled launch date of Mitsubishi i. The charging station is powered by 96 175W photovoltaic modules from Mitsubishi Electric. This charging station will help support CHAdeMO-compatible electric vehicles such as the Mitsubishi i, which will arrive in showrooms in November of this year. Able to charge up to four vehicles at once, the station features three types of chargers with different voltages: standard level 1 voltage (110v) will deliver a 100 percent charge in 22 hours on the new Mitsubishi i; level 2 (220v) which can charge the vehicle in six hours; and level 3 CHAdeMO Quick Charger, which can charge to 80 percent battery capacity in 25 minutes.

Emphatically… Yes! But it will be missing a key ingredient. We here at RPM have been quite happy with the recent trend of putting super cool concepts into production, even if it is limited production. With Porsche announcing the building of the 918, and Lamborghini putting very few examples of the Sesto Elemento on sale for $2.7-million apiece, we now get word of the news we really wanted to hear. Jaguar will be building its turbine-powered electric supercar concept, the C-X75. Jaguar says that the production car will stay true to the concept’s design and will offer up to 250 units at a staggering price of £700,000 GBP. The C-X75 will be developed in association with Williams F1 which will provide its engineering expertise in areas including aerodynamics, carbon composite manufacture and hybrid technologies. It will be built of carbon, capable of 0-60 mph in three seconds, with a 200-mph top speed and a range of 50 km of pure electric travel. But there’s an issue – the production version will get its battery power generation from a highly-boosted turbo gasoline engine rather than those super-cool twin Bladon Micro-Jets. So while the design is still very attractive, the change in drivetrain makes it look more like an exotic Volt. Nevertheless, it’s great to see the cat is back in the supercar market.

VW Jumping Into the WRC

While automakers are getting out of the high-priced world of Formula One, the WRC has seen a recent spike in interest as the top-spec cars have been reduced to 1.6L turbo engines to help cut costs. As a result, Mini has now joined Citroen and Ford in the Championship, and now VW has announced its intentions to get dirty in the forests as well. After three consecutive victories at the Dakar Rally, Volkswagen has set itself new aims in top-calibre sport. By 2013, the Wolfsburg-based brand will develop a near-300-hp rally vehicle with a 1.6-litre TSI engine and four-wheel drive based on the Polo. VW hasn’t been involved in the sport directly since the mid ’90s when 2WD Golfs competed in the UK, but VW Motorsport isn’t jumping in with its eyes closed. Along with the success of the Dakar vehicles, VW-owned Skoda has nearly a decade of experience in the WRC, currently with a successful S2000 program with its Fabia. With all these resources, VW looks to be able to get up to speed relatively quickly in the high-tech championship.

Scion Tuner Challenge

Kicking off its inaugural Canadian Tuner Challenge earlier this year, Scion announced a competition for tuners to submit their world-class designs for the ultimate customized 2011 Scion vehicle. Of the initial entries, three regional teams of Canadian tuners have now been selected to move on to the next phase of the contest. Over the next few months, the three teams will take their skills for creating stylish, performance-driven and unique vehicles to new heights, as they get to work modifying one 2011 Scion vehicle each. The chosen teams are SR Auto Group of Richmond, B.C., tasked with customizing the xB, Camo Customs of Lachine, QC, which will take control of an xD, and Team TDS of Toronto, ON, starting work on a tC. Each team will receive $10,000 to finance their builds along with unlimited access to Scion-authorized accessories and the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) catalogue of accessories for their modifications. They have three months to build their cars. They’ll then show off their creations at Importfest – first in Toronto on August 27 and then in Montreal on October 1 – where the team with the best modified Scion vehicle, as chosen by a panel of judges, will be crowned champion.

Saab Announces New President

We haven’t heard a whole lot from Saab after being saved from death from supercar maker Spyker. However, with the launch of the new 9-5 and 9-4X, Saab Cars North America has also announced the appointment of a new president and chief operating officer, Mr. Timothy Colbeck. The announcement comes as Saab has embarked on its biggest-ever product offensive with four all-new products since 2010 – the all-new Saab 9-5 Sedan, Saab’s first crossover – the 9-4X, the 9-5 SportCombi and the 9-3 Griffin range. Effective Monday, May 9, Mr. Colbeck will oversee Saab’s largest market, North America and will report directly to Saab Automobile AB vice president, Matthias Seidl. Mr. Colbeck joins SCNA with 25 years of automobile industry experience in the United States with Subaru of America. Most recently he was the senior vice president of sales. Under Tim’s direction, Subaru of America achieved record sales and market share in the last two years and was the only brand to achieve sales increases in each of the last three years.

Subaru Smashes New Record, Not The Nurburgring

So they say that records are made to be broken, and as such we’ve had a lot of news lately of brave drivers piloting high-performance machinery to greater heights everywhere from the Nurburgring, to Laguna Seca, to the frozen ocean off Finland. However, now we have something even more interesting coming from Subaru, as its top rally driver, Mark Higgins, has just smashed the old lap record for a four-wheeled automobile around the Isle of Man TT course. For those not familiar with the TT, it is a collection of particularly quick madmen who race motorcycles around a 25-km racing circuit that circumnavigates the Isle of Man and utilizes public public roads to do so. As a result of the dangerous roads, 231 racers have lost their lives on the course since its beginnings in 1907. If there was ever a rival to the Nordschleife, this is it. Back in 1990, the late Tony Pond, also a British rally driver, completed the course in 21 minutes in a Rover 827 Vitesse. The record had stood up until recently, when Higgins posted a blistering lap time of 19 minutes and 56.7 seconds, translating to an average speed of 182 km/h. The peak speed achieved during the lap was 261 km/h. What’s even more impressive is that the car Higgins used was a stock Subaru Impreza WRX STi only fitted with a safety rollcage, harnesses and fire system. With Subaru’s new record, we wonder whether the TT course will become the new Nurburgring, for manufacturers to prove their products.

Nutcase Audi A1 Highlights Wörtherseetour

For those not familiar with the Wörtherseetour, it is a rather important car show in VW owners’ hearts, based in Reifnitz, Austria. The 30th edition of this major meeting for Audi, Seat, Skoda and VW fans saw a rash of new concepts from all four brands including one special appearance by a tough little Audi. The Audi A1 clubsport quattro is a one-off vehicle built to the limits of technology utilizing a five-cylinder engine displacing 2.5L with turbocharging and direct fuel injection. Compared with the version used in the Audi TT RS and RS 3 Sportback on which it is based, the output of the TFSI has been increased dramatically to 503 hp and 486 lb-ft of torque. Another area where the A1 clubsport quattro shines is its overall weight of just 1,390 kilograms (3,064 lb). The powerful engine catapults the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds. From 0 to 200 km/h takes just 10.9 seconds, while the car goes from 80 to 120 km/h in fourth gear in just 2.4 seconds. The numbers are all impressive, but we have to admit, this angry little A1 looks the part. Lets hope we see something like this soon on this side of the pond.

Nismo Testing Leaf Race Car

The world of motorsport is in a massive state of change these days, as alternative power is starting to make its way to the upper echelons of the sport. With diesel being the fuel of choice for the top running teams at Le Mans, and everything from natural gas to butane being used in the American Le Mans Series, is motorsport ready for its first top-level EV racer? Nissan, makers of the Leaf EV that is soon to be on sale here in Canada, is currently testing a prototype racer based on the battery-powered hatchback. The NISMO RC, the first-ever zero-emission racing spec production vehicle, was unveiled at the 2011 New York International Auto Show in April and garnered considerable consumer attention throughout the show. Testing of a working example had been taking place in Japan for several months prior to the vehicle being unveiled in demonstration laps at the iconic Le Mans event earlier this month. So far, the NISMO RC is a racecar without a racing series, and while there is talk of Nissan starting up its own one-make championship for the car, no serious racing efforts are currently planned for it.

Fisticuffs and Lawsuits

When mixing brawling and motorsport, one automatically looks to NASCAR to be the culprit of such acts, and maybe sportscar racing or even amateur racing. However, it’s not very often we hear of a brawl breaking out in the tightly-wound world of Formula One. Regardless, Force India driver Adrian Sutil is facing charges of Grievous Bodily Harm and a lawsuit from the CEO of Genii Capital, Eric Lux. Reports say that Sutil was celebrating at the Shanghai nightclub, M1NT, along with Lewis Hamilton after the Chinese GP, when an altercation took place. Genii Capital is the corporate owner of one of the few front running teams, Renault F1. Few details are available as to exactly what transpired, but Genii Capital CEO Eric Lux was seen afterwards with scars on his neck. Word has it Lux had to get stitches and broken glass removed following the incident. Looks as though Sutil, who races for one of the slower teams in the F1 field, can kiss goodbye any chances of racing for one of the faster teams, at least not the one owned by Genii.

GPS Stranded Penticton Couple

The couple from Penticton, BC, who became lost and stranded in the wilds of northern Nevada are said to be the latest victims of what Consumer Reports is calling “Death by GPS.” In this case, however, the story has somewhat of a happy ending as the woman managed to stay alive for nearly seven weeks on trail mix and water, although her husband who left the stuck van has yet to be found. However, it does bring up the case of “Death by GPS.” Anyone who’s used a GPS system knows that settings for fastest or shortest routes often take drivers on an unconventional trip through unknown and often unused roadways. As Consumer Reports says, the issue is becoming more and more of a danger as society becomes complacent and puts blind faith in modern technology. While GPS navigation is a helpful tool, remember to have a back-up plan and use your common sense when traveling in an unknown area.

Chrysler Pays Back Government Loans In Full

Chrysler Group has repaid $7.6 billion in outstanding U.S. and Canadian government loans following the completion of new refinancing transactions. The original loans were repaid in full, more than six years ahead of schedule, along with the payment of accrued interest and additional consideration. The company made payments of $5.9 billion to the U.S. Treasury (UST) and $1.7 billion to Export Development Canada (EDC) to retire the loans granted when Chrysler was going through a nasty bankruptcy back in June 2009. So where did the money come from? The Chrysler Group has seemingly procured the funds via new term loans and newly issued debt securities. Some of the payoff amount will also come from Fiat as a portion of the stock purchase.

Building replicas of famous movie cars is nothing new. After the second version of Gone in 60 Seconds came out, the streets soon filled with Eleanor lookalikes. However, it’s taken a good long time for a replica of the most famous Mustang of all to take shape. The Steve McQueen thriller Bullitt features a Mustang so iconic that Ford has released two separate special edition models taking the movie’s name to pay homage for what McQueen has done for the name. But you just don’t see any classic Bullitt Mustangs driving around. Well, Gateway Classic Mustang has something to say about that as they have partnered with the Steve McQueen Estate to produce a modern rendition of the 1968 Ford Mustang featured in the movie. Each car will start out as an original ’67 or ’68 fastback and is fitted with a 450-hp V8, Keisler five-speed transmission, Baer brakes, coilover suspension front and rear and American Racing wheels. Gateway Classic Mustang is currently taking orders for the vehicle, but prospective buyers will have to contact them for pricing.

Kia reports best ever month

For the first time in its eleven-year history, Kia Canada Inc. exceeded the 6,000-vehicle sale mark with 6,777 Kias being sold in April. Led by the Forte line-up, including the sedan, 5-door and Koup, Kia experienced a 34-percent growth versus last year’s sales, as well keeping its industry-best sales streak alive and well at 28 months. Along with setting company-best sales records, April turned out to be a big month for Kia in other areas as well, with the debut of the 2012 Kia Rio sedan and the 2012 Kia Soul urban utility vehicle, plus the North American debut of the Rio 5-door, at the New York International Auto Show. Both the Rio and Soul will feature Gasoline Direct Injection that offers more power and increased fuel economy, while resulting in less-harmful emissions.

First Look At The Next M5

With the old V10-powered BMW M5 now at the end of its production life, BMW has decided to tease us, as they always like to do, with a couple of renderings of the 2012 BMW M5 concept that was shown at the Shanghai Auto Show in April. While its muscular good looks ensure that this is an M-division vehicle, sources say that under that bulging bonnet lurks a high-revving V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo Technology that generates 578 hp, directed to the rear wheels. The full official specs and details on the M5 have not been released as of yet, but we should get a little more insight on the car soon.

Lexus LF-Gh

With BMW showing off its new M5, Lexus didn’t want to be left out in the cold. While Lexus has a competitor to the M3, the GS350 is no match for the pomp and circumstance of the M5. So Lexus has a unique-looking creation that was unveiled at the New York Auto Show, dubbed the LF-Gh. With “LF” in front of the “G”, one would surmise that this vehicle would be an ultra-high performance four-door rocket based on the GS-Series sedan, with LF-A flair and performance. However, while the LF-Gh is quite the looker, like it or not, the real beauty is in the details. Lexus General Manager of Design, Kengo Matsumoto, describes the vehicle as a “study of characteristics that are contradictory and difficult to execute together.” In that mind, designers aimed to perfectly blend style, performance, efficiency, and environmental compatibility in a premium, grand touring sedan while trying to leverage advanced, new technologies. As a concept, don’t expect to see one on the street any time soon, but Lexus says that design cues such as the spindle-shaped grille will likely make their way to production units across the model line.

Toyota Surpasses 3-Million Mark in Hybrid Sales

Just after Honda launched the Insight back in 1999, Toyota brought the Prius to Canada in 2001, and since then has never looked back, as Toyota quickly took a dominating lead in the hybrid market. Today, Toyota’s hybrid technology can be found on no fewer than eight Toyota and Lexus models, with Nissan licensing the technology for its Altima Hybrid. The Prius is also getting its very own line of new vehicles with Toyota’s new Prius family coming soon, and Toyota has announced that it plans to add ten new hybrid models by 2012. It therefore comes as no surprise that Toyota is leading the way in hybrid vehicles, and to punctuate this, it has just announced that it has sold over three-million units world wide. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced global cumulative sales of its hybrid vehicles have topped the three-million mark, with more than 3.03 million units sold worldwide as of February 28, 2011 (52,995 of those sold in Canada).

Canadian Supercar Company Ready

It wasn’t so long ago that we were reporting on a Canadian-bred supercar, the HTT Plethore LC-750. Well, Canada now has a second competitor in the supercar market, and it’s ready for the street. The brainchild of Vancouver based, Korean businessman Jahong Hur, the De Marcoss GT1 is ready to take on the likes of Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Pagani. Built by Multimatic in Markham, Ontario, the GT1 employs the standard array of highly sought-after and expensive materials meant to lower the vehicle’s weight and increase speed. One such bit of technology the GT1 features is the same Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve dampers that Multimatic cooked up for various F1 teams including this year’s Red Bull RB7. The four-way adjustable pieces can crop the vehicle’s ride height by over an inch to allow for both a street and a track set-up. While most start-up supercar builders automatically reach for a GM LS-series V8 to handle the power, the GT1 gets its motivations from a 5.4-litre supercharged V8 engine, loosely based on the Ford GT mill, mounted amidships and mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. It’s expected to produce 800-plus horsepower, 700-plus pound-feet of torque, a 7,000 rpm redline and a 0-100 km/h run in the 3.5 second range.

VW Thinking of Building the Bulli/Microbus; Will We See It?

The VW Bus was an icon of a vehicle. No other minivan on the planet holds such a dedicated cult following than the old rear-engined Bus. As a result, VW created the rather popular Microbus concept back in 2001 to help bring back the character of the long-since extinct van. However, last March, VW pulled the wraps off another distinctly flavoured concept minivan, this time named the Bulli. Despite the odd name, there is word out of the UK, where Autocar Magazine is saying it believes the Bulli could be headed to production in the near future, re-designated as the Microbus. Word has it that the Microbus production vehicle would be built on the third generation Audi A3 platform and would have the Scion xB, Mazda5 and Ford C-Max in its sights. VW Canada comments that the vehicle is being studied for the North American market and time will tell if there is a right fit. The concept vehicle is powered by a 113-horsepower electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack, which can reportedly be charged in less than an hour. Whether or not the electric drivetrain also makes it to production is not known, but let’s hope VW recaptures some of its extremely popular past.

Charger Enforcer Hits the Mean Streets

The all-new 2011 Dodge Charger Enforcer has arrived, providing law-enforcement a secondary option to the Ford Taurus Interceptor we reported on several issues ago. The all-new Dodge Charger Enforcer’s suspension tuning, heavy-duty anti-lock vented disc brakes (ABS), front and rear stabilizer bars, 18-inch performance tires on steel wheels and two-mode police-specific Electronic Stability Control (ESC) calibration have been specifically tuned for the rigours of pursuit. Designed with the guidance of the Dodge brand’s Police Advisory Board, the 2011 Dodge Charger Enforcer’s mobile-command interior features a Police Interface Module for easy equipment integration, police-duty front seats, column-mounted automatic transmission with Auto Stick, red/white LED interior lighting for night-vision equipment, and more. Behind its menacing face, the Dodge Charger Enforcer offers an all-new standard E-85 capable 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine with variable valve timing and available 5.7-litre HEMI V8 engine.

FT-86 Coming As A Scion

Toyota has taken another step in the long and painful march to making the FT-86 concept become production reality with the unveiling of the latest incarnation of the vehicle. Now dubbed the FT-S, this latest concept version has made serious steps towards production-ready trim, only it won’t bear the Toyota logo, rather a Scion badge. The car pays homage to the iconic AE86 Toyota Corolla GTS, a car still as popular today as it was to Toyota performance enthusiasts back when it was considered a new car in 1985. Toyota tells us that the FT-S Concept previews a new addition to the Scion family coming in 2012. So, short of just coming out and saying it, you are most likely looking at a slightly smarter version of what will be on sale in the very near future, but enough playing around with concepts, just give it to us.

China Getting Tough With Foreign Auto Makers

The rise of the Chinese automotive market has been a saving grace for several manufacturers who have been hit with the hard times of Europe and North America. With cheap production costs and taking over as the world’s largest consumer market, China has been an important part of any car maker’s business plan. However, the Chinese governmental rules regarding the automotive sector are about to change for the worse for foreign automakers. Manufacturers who want to increase production by as much as 30 percent may be required by governmental law to sell that percentage under a new low-cost Chinese name. The move is not to create more brands, but to gain intellectual property, as the imports have had a distinct technology advantage over Chinese domestics. The new laws would see Chinese carmakers receive the fruits of each foreign manufacturer’s years of R&D. Whether or not the foreign manufacturers are willing to give up their profits for their IP is yet to be seen.

Nissan Overtakes Honda in Global Sales

It seems that in the last few years, being the biggest automaker has meant that there is only one place to go once you’re on top – down. With the Detroit Three all requiring major overhauls and Toyota and Honda losing market ground since the recession hit back in 2008, smaller manufacturers have been taking advantage to move up the ladder. With Japan’s two largest brands fading, Nissan has capitalized on strong sales increases to overtake Honda as the second largest automaker out of the land of the rising sun. In 2010, when most were trying make up for 2009 losses, Nissan did a better job than most, with global sales increasing a massive 21 percent in 2010 due in part to exploding business in China. In all, Nissan moved 4.08-million units during the calendar year. While Honda also saw a sales increase, they came up half a million units short of Nissan. Here in Canada, Nissan/Infiniti sold 83,013 units in 2010, a five-percent increase from 2009. However, it still has yet to overtake Toyota, Honda and Hyundai in total import sales.

VW Sending Mean Golf to Nurburgring 24h

For the last couple of years, Volkswagen has been taking a keen interest in the highly competitive Nurburgring 24-hour race, entering Sciroccos that burn natural gas with famous drivers from its Dakar team such as Carlos Sainz. Well this year, VW turned up the heat, building one of the meanest looking Golfs we’ve seen since the W-12 project several years ago. Unlike the 12-cylinder concept car, this, the Golf24, is a purpose-built racer, sporting a highly-tuned 2.5L inline-five cylinder engine producing 434 hp that is directed to all four wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox. The Golf24 takes over from the Scirocco in commemoration of the 35^th anniversary of the GTI. To prepare for the 24-hour race in June, the Golf24 will complete an extensive testing and development programme. After initial tests at Portimão, Portugal, back in December and further tests at Vallelunga, Italy, in February, three races in the Endurance Championship on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife are planned, among others.

Volt and Explorer Named 2011 North American Car and Truck of the Year

The North American International Auto Show is the premier show of the year for this continent, and as such, is the stage for the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards. This year saw stiff competition for both classes with the Chevy Volt, Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Leaf competing for top car honours. On the truck side, the nominees were the Dodge Durango, Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Along with winning the Green Car of the Year, the Chevy Volt took the win in the car category with the new Ford Explorer clinching the truck category. This marks the third year in a row Ford wins the truck award with the F-150 and Transit Connect winning the title the last two years.

ZF Develops Nine-speed Transmission

With the gearbox wars mirroring that of the men’s shaving razor wars of one-upmanship, ZF has now taken yet another step forward, adding one more cog to develop the first 9-Speed automatic gearbox for front-wheel drive vehicles. The new 9-speed has been developed with fuel economy in mind while also providing a smoother driving experience, and shift times are said to be so short that gear changes are nearly imperceptible to passengers, so say the folks at ZF. The new gearbox will be built in a new facility near Greenville, South Carolina, and will likely find its first home under the hood of a Chrysler product.

Renault Suspects EV Espionage, Finds $841K in Secret Bank Accounts

Renault, that funky car maker from France and owner of Nissan, has been at the centre of controversy on more than one occasion with its Formula One team being accused of espionage twice. Now however, Renault proper is the accuser of industrial espionage of the EV kind. In an official filing for judicial investigation, Renault has cited the theft and concealment and had discovered serious misconduct detrimental to its “strategic, technological and intellectual assets.” As a result, it has suspended three executives on suspicion they had leaked information about its electric car technology. While they have not named names or the source of allegations, a French government official has gone on record saying that a Chinese buyer may be behind the information leak, and laundered at least 630,000 Euros into bank accounts in Switzerland and Liechtenstein opened by the executives in question.

Next Civic Realized in Concept

The Honda Civic may not be the most exciting car on the market today, but it is a very important one, as Canadians buy more Civics than any other car. Well, Honda’s top seller has been around for quite a while in its current guise, and the company felt it was about time for a fresh new look. That new look came to the Canadian International Auto Show in the form of the ninth-generation Civic concept car. Now, if you’re looking at this photo thinking we put in the current generation Civic shot by mistake, you’d be wrong. This is the 2012 concept, and from a distance, it looks very familiar, other than some bumper and rear taillight treatments. Honda tells us that we should also expect an interior design very similar to the 2011. There is no word if new engines will be used, only that efficiency will be increased. As concepts are usually a loud and proud expression of what is possible, expect the production version of the 2012 Civic to be a slightly watered down version of what you see here, due out later this year.

Mercedes SLS is Electrifying

High-performance electric supercars seem to be a gathering trend in the auto industry. As the price of battery-powered machinery is out of reach for most, building high-profile exotic EVs is helping to drive the financial funding of the technology. As a result, Mercedes has answered Audi’s R8-based eTron with the SLS AMG E-Cell. This bright yellow masterpiece boasts 525 hp and 649 lb-ft. thanks to no fewer than four synchronous electric motors, mounted near each wheel. Mercedes tells us the E-Cell will launch to 60 mph in a mere 4 seconds, and makes use of a 48-kW lithium-ion battery pack, mounted in front of the firewall, along the transmission tunnel and behind the seats to optimize balance and promote a low centre of gravity. Along with lots of other high-tech goodies, the E-Cell uses a temperature management system just for the battery array to make sure that charging and discharging occurs in the best environment possible. Mercedes says the vehicle could be available sometime next year.

Hyundai Veloster Breaks Cover

Along with all the high-end unveilings that took place at the North American International Auto Show, Hyundai released its latest sporty offering, the much-anticipated Veloster. The most noticeable aspect of the Veloster’s unique hatchback/coupe design is the use of three doors. Many other vehicles have employed a third door behind the passenger door, albeit with “suicide” actuation. The Veloster, however, uses a true front-hinged unit with the handle integrated into the C-pillar. Power comes in the form of Hyundai’s all-new 1.6L Gamma four-cylinder which pumps 138 hp to either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed dual clutch automatic. While Hyundai made much fuss about applying RWD to its Genesis Coupe, the Veloster keeps with the front-engine, front-wheel drive layout found in the rest of the fleet. Expect the Veloster to hit showrooms later this year.

Bentley Sets Ice Speed Record

Land speed records are most often taken care of on the flat white expanses of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. However, a Bentley Continental Supersport Convertible was recently spotted at speed in similar surroundings. Like Bonneville, the Baltic Sea, sitting off the coast of Finland, is a white wasteland during the winter months, offering up a long flat surface to find a car’s top speed. Better yet, it’s at sea level, literally, which gets the most out of oxygen-breathing engines. Bentley was there with four-time WRC rally champion, Finn Juha Kankkunen, to break a speed record on ice. Boasting a 621-hp twin-turbocharged 12-cylinder engine under the hood, Kankkunen piloted the big GT to an impressive 205.48 mph, beating his own record of 199 mph made in a Continental GT. The only modifications made to the car included a roll-cage, Pirelli winter tires, a rear parachute and some light aero mods to help with stability on the rather slippery surface.

The merger of Fiat and Chrysler has done great things for the beleaguered American manufacturer. Along with an influx of both finances and morale, the merger has seen the return of several vehicles, including the Durango and Avenger. However, there is still one very large hole left in the Dodge lineup that is soon to be filled once again. The performance flagship of the brand, the Viper, had been rumoured to be coming back to life; however, that’s all it’s ever been. Chrysler has told RPM that the Viper will live on once again, due out in 2012, although we still have to resort to rumour and innuendo for more details. The first being what will power the supercar. Dodge is keeping tight-lipped on whether the old V10 will make a return, although rumours of Ferrari power have been ruled out. In a day where platform engineering is king, there has been much talk of the new Viper being based on everything from a Mercedes SLS, to a Ferrari, to Alfa 8C underpinnings, but Dodge head Ralph Gilles told the Detroit News that the Viper will resemble the 8C Competizione, but will be based on its own platform.

TD Buys Chrysler Financial

A perfect example of how the American auto industry and the Canadian banking industry have handled the recent recession is evident in Toronto Dominion’s purchase of Chrysler Financial. With hard times still very much evident south of the border, the purchase of a financial loaning company seems a risky choice for the Canadian bank giant. However, TD has done its homework, and apparently the most stable loaning services in the US are car loans, as people are more likely to keep them paid up, then their mortgages, citing that transportation is the most important factor in keeping the money flow going.

Toyota’s New Safety Initiative

Following a year it would rather just forget, Toyota Canada is pulling out all the stops to regain both the confidence of Canada’s car buyers and the market share it used to enjoy. To that end, Toyota announces the Star Safety System, wherein Toyota Canada will include six active safety technologies as standard equipment on each and every Toyota vehicle, the first full-line manufacturer to do this. The Star Safety System includes Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and Smart Stop Technology (SST). One of the first vehicles to feature the Star Safety System as standard is the Corolla, which is significantly updated for the 2011 model year with fresh styling, more standard features and updated options packages.

Ecclestone Beaten, Girlfriend Robbed

The top man behind the Formula One circus was recently attacked while leaving his business headquarters in London, England. The 80-year-old billionaire and his 31-year-old girlfriend had $318,000 CAD worth of diamonds and jewelry stolen from them in the altercation. Ecclestone also took a beating, receiving repeated punches and kicks to the head, serious enough to hospitalize the racing czar for a short period. The attack is suspected to be part of a larger string of recent attacks on the rich and famous in and around London. This also marks the second time Ecclestone has been targeted for such an attack, as he was jumped exiting his car outside his home in Chelsea Square four years ago. That assault also saw the racing mogul separated from a sizable chunk of change.

Lotus Turns Into Two-Headed Monster

Speaking of the drama-filled sport that is Formula One racing, Lotus seems to be suffering from an acute case of identity crisis. As any racing fan knows, 2010 saw the reintroduction of one of the most historic racing teams of all time, Lotus. And while that team failed to score a single point, they had little in common with the car maker other than the name. One Tony Fernandes had bought the naming rights from Lotus owners, Malaysian car maker Proton, when creating the team early last year. However, since then, Lotus proper has been in the middle of an ambitious corporate transformation with the addition of five possible new models, and a heavy embrace of motorsport activities. As such, they want their name back from Fernandes, and have bought out Renault for control over last year’s fifth-ranked team. Problem is, Fernandes is not giving in and is even changing to Renault power for 2011. If that wasn’t bad enough, late last year both teams had declared that they would be sporting classic black and gold livery, though Fernandes has since backed off on this issue. So far it looks like there will be two Lotus teams, both powered by Renault engines, on the grid this year. Would the real Lotus please stand up?

Nürburgring in Danger

The world is a big place, but nowhere will you find a shrine to motorsport that equals that of the little village of Nürburg, in the Eiffel region of Germany. Here you will find the greatest racetrack to have ever been created, covering a total of 25.9 km with 170 turns. Since 1927, the massive track has been the focal point of German motorsport, and as an added bonus, the 20 km north loop is considered a part of the German road system, allowing anyone with a vehicle and 11 Euro burning a hole in their pocket the ability to drive the most infamous track of all time. With all the hype, several businessmen decided to turn the track into an attraction, building hotels, convention centres and a theme park, and spending millions to do it. With the site open, it seems that the adage “build it and they will come” is not so accurate, as the facilities are empty and the Nürburgring is now over 350-million Euro in debt, and officials are looking at canceling and overcharging motorsport activities to attract non-motorsport profits. As such, the freedom to drive the world’s greatest track and the resulting racing series held at the Ring are now in danger. Ring faithful have started a “Save the Ring” campaign that can be seen at savethering.org.

Former Shell Boss Predicts $5/gal Gas in 2012

It wasn’t so long ago, in the summer of 2008, when the price of oil skyrocketed, sending the cost of gasoline up to $1.48/L in some places in Canada. At that time, the value of a V8-powered truck plummeted as people began to recognize the worth of small fuel-efficient cars. What a difference a few years makes; the price of fuel is back down hovering around $1.00 and $1.19/L, and the Crossover SUV market is the fastest growing segment in Canada. Well, the good times, so to speak, may not be sticking around much longer. According to the former president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister, the price of fuel will break over $5/gallon by the end of 2012 down in the States. That means we could be looking at prices creeping up on $1.50/L here in the great white north. Hofmeister went on record talking to Platt’s Energy Week Television, citing worldwide demand to be the catalyst of the increased prices. Hofmeister’s remarks were backed up by Tom Klosa, chief analyst with Oil Price Information Service, who agrees with his numbers, but figures it will take several more years for the effects to hit.

Zagato Wishes Us Happy Holidays With a Tease

If you are unfamiliar with the Italian design firm by the name of Zagato, chances are if you’ve ever seen a Concours of any kind, you’ve seen its work. As a design studio, Zagato created automotive designs to several exotic marques such as Ferrari, Maserati, Bentley, Isotta, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Lancia, Aston Martin and, most notably, Alfa Romeo. The relationship between Alfa Romeo and Zagato has been a fruitful one, producing some of the prettiest GTs to roam the autostrada. Some of their offerings include the 8C Competizione, and the TZ series that started with the Giulia TZ (Turbolare Zagato) in 1963, the TZ2 in 1965, then returning to design the TZ3 you see here last year to celebrate Alfa’s 100^th anniversary. Well, it didn’t take them long to work their way to the TZ4, with a holiday card tease showing a redesign hidden by a bow. Unfortunately, the TZ3 was a one-off based on the 8C for a German collector; let’s hope this new version, likely also based off the 8C, will result in more than just one car.

Automakers Drawing Up Conflict Mineral Strategy

Anyone who saw the movie Blood Diamond got a good hard look at the reality of where and how precious gems are procured and trafficked. Well, diamonds are not the only precious commodities coming from conflicted regions. Many minerals such as tantalum, tin, gold and tungsten, all of which are used within the automotive industry, are mined under the condition of armed conflict, in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Minerals mined in countries like this, under these conditions, are referred to as Conflict Minerals, and with more advanced technologies and the introduction of full-electric cars now leaching into the industry, the source of manufacturers’ raw materials is now coming under scrutiny. As a result, according to Ward’s Auto, automakers, as well as automotive parts suppliers, have been tasked with proposing methods of regulating conflict minerals, and they are facing a January 31 deadline on the discussions. If a company finds that it’s utilizing materials with a source originating in a conflict region, then it’s required to disclose that information. Even if a company can’t trace the exact origin of materials they used, they will have to disclose that it’s possible that conflict materials were used.

Paris To Ban SUVs

SUVs have always been the poster boys for social overconsumption and gas guzzling inefficiency, and as such have been the target of several environmentalists’ campaigns. The latest to jump on the bandwagon is the city of Paris, which has taken the first steps to outright banning of the vehicles. Parisian officials plan to have limitations in place for separate neighbourhoods regarding the operation of SUVs and other gas-guzzling and dirty-running vehicles. Full details have not been released as of yet, however it seems as though Paris is not the only city thinking in such ways. Lyon, Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence and a handful of other French cities are joining in this movement.

AIA Canada announces new Director of Public Affairs

Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA), a national trade association representing the automotive aftermarket industry in Canada is announcing the appointment of a new Director of Public Affairs. President Marc Brazeau is pleased to announce the appointment of Joel Bernard to the position effective January 1st, 2011. Mr. Bernard, a fluently bilingual native of New Brunswick, joins AIA following a successful career in government at the provincial and federal level.

Toyota Test Driver Dies at Nürburgring
Toyota’s chief test driver, 67-year-old Hiromu Naruse, has died in a crash on highway 410 near the famed Nürburgring race track in Germany. He was driving the recently released Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition at the time of the accident, and reports say he veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with two other test drivers in a BMW. Known as the “Godfather of the LFA,” Naruse joined the company in 1963 and had a heavy hand in the development of many past sports cars from Toyota including the infamous Toyota 7 and the iconic 2000 GT. To honour its former chief test driver, Autocar has said that Toyota is working on a small, inexpensive rear-wheel drive performance car that would slot in under the upcoming FT-86, a car Naruse always wanted the company to build.

New Boss at GM – Again
The top seat at GM seems to be cursed domain. When Daniel F. Akerson officially begins his tenure as GM’s chief executive officer on September 1st, he will be the fourth person to sit in that chair in less than two years. Rick Wagoner stepped down from the position at the request of the United States government and was replaced by Fritz Henderson, who then resigned in December of 2009. Ed Whitacre took the reigns in early 2010, and now Akerson will replace him as both CEO and chairman of the board by year’s end. Akerson, 61, has been a member of GM’s board of directors since July of 2009 and brings with him a wealth of business management experience. Currently he serves as the managing director for the Carlyle Group, a US buyout firm. He is one of the directors at American Express and is the former CEO of Nextel Communications as well as XO Communications. In a crucial time of reshaping and restructuring, lets hope that GM’s top seat stays a little more solid through such times.

MINI Returns to the WRC
During the 1960s, the original Mini captured the imagination of the world when the tiny car took on the might of V8-powered Fords and won what was then one of the toughest motorsport events, the 4000km Monte Carlo Rally. Here at RPM, one of our writers has been known to frequent Canadian Rally Stages, and has also been known to do so at the wheel of a classic Mini on occasion. So it was with great excitement when we heard rumour that MINI was returning to the WRC. Well, BMW has made our dreams come true and has now confirmed that the Countryman will be built into an S-2000 spec AWD rally machine by the rallying gurus over at Prodrive. Expect this angry MINI to begin testing in a few months time for inclusion in select rounds of the 2011 championship, followed up by a full-time challenge in 2012. With this announcement made, the rumour mill is now churning up news that Saab will also be joining the WRC soon as its new car could be based off a Mini platform. It’s all innuendo at the moment, but the WRC could all of a sudden see an injection of historic significance.

Infiniti Performance Line Launched
Infiniti has always had a high-performance sports car lurking under the skin of all its models, but they’ve never produced a performance flagship such as the M3, IS-F or C63 AMG. One reason was that the company has never had a performance tuning arm such as M Power, AMG or F-Sport, while Nismo primarily works with Nissan products. That now changes as Infiniti announces the creation of the Infiniti Performance Line (IPL) and the subsequent IPL G Coupe. The in-house tuner has massaged the base G Coupe nicely with racy bodywork, wheels and adjustable sport seats. Mechanically speaking, the IPL has stiffer spring rates by 20 percent in the rear and 10 percent up front, slightly upgraded brakes, short-throw shifter and a proper mechanical L.S.D. IPL also messaged an additional 18 horsepower out of the 3.7L V6 by way of an ECU tune and high-flow exhaust producing 348 ponies in total. By no means are modifications like these going to lock horns with such cars as the M3 or C63 AMG, but improving on an already excellent driving platform will no doubt gain several admirers of the project.

Porsche Green Lights the 918
Excellent news out of Zuffenhausen, Germany, as Porsche has given the green light to put the sexy 918 Spyder into production. We commented on this beauty of a concept in previous issues, and our wish to see it become a reality, along with just about everyone else who has laid eyes upon it, has come true. Reflecting the overwhelming response from the public and customers to the Concept Study, the Supervisory Board gave Porsche’s Board of Management the mission to develop a production model based on the car already presented. The uber fast, eco-wonder is based on the tub of a Carrera GT with the engine of the RS Spyder race car, while incorporating a full plug-in hybrid system, to produce a staggering 70 g/km CO2 emissions rating along with 3.0L/100km fuel efficiency. Rumour has it that the car will cost upward of half-a-million euros when it becomes available, and has already set a Nürburgring record at seven minutes and 20 seconds around the famed Nordschleife.

Californian Chevy Dealers Want Customers To Pay to be Green
Researchers from Edmunds recently got in contact with their local California GM dealership to inquire about the availability of the hotly anticipated Chevy Volt electric car. To their horror, the dealership told Edmunds that they were only getting nine Volts and therefore would be charging $20,000 over the $41,000 USD MSRP. Now, charging a premium on a special vehicle is nothing new. Cars like the Nissan GTR, Audi R8, Ford GT and Corvette ZR1 all garnered dealership mark-ups for the pleasure of owning such a vehicle. However, the thought of charging the public more than what is already a hefty price to pay for being environmentally friendly is nearing unethical treatment. Edmunds is quick to point out that this all happened before GM announced it was upping production of the Volt by 50 percent, dulling the low production feel of the car. Edmunds also sites a report from GM-Volt.com this past June, in which a GM spokesperson is quoted as saying “We also aren’t expecting our dealers to overcharge anyone for this vehicle, either, and will monitor the situation closely when we launch,” adding, “we’ll be paying close attention when the vehicle launches and do our best to strongly discourage this kind of behaviour, as we always do with any GM-branded vehicle.”

AMG Taking Orders on SLS GT3
If you are a millionaire looking to go racing in a top-flight factory-built racer in the GT category, there has never been a greater time to go racing. Audi, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Nissan, and of course Porsche, all offer factory-built top level racing versions of their supercars. And now you can add another name to the list, Mercedes AMG, which is now taking orders on a GT3-spec SLS racer. AMG has partnered with DTM associates HWA to produce this angry SLS that will feature a yet-to-be-determined power output from the familiar 6.3L V8. Power will be transferred to the rear-mounted sequential-shift 6-speed transmission, linked to the engine via a torque tube. Mercedes motorsport director Norbert Haug promises a competitive, up-to-date vehicle that will compete with series regulars. DTM star Bernd Schneider is currently putting the car through its paces, and several trial endurance events are scheduled at Nürburgring and Spa-Francorchamps to shake down the car. So if you have $450,000 burning a hole in your pocket, you’ll have to act fast, as several teams have already showed interest in the new kid on the block.

Elon Opens His Mouth Again
Outspoken chief of Tesla, Elon Musk, just can’t seem to stay out of the news lately. Last issue, we reported on his business and personal financial woes. This time, he’s been caught ripping into Nissan’s Leaf battery pack technology. Even though Nissan is supremely confident in the ability of its battery pack and offers an eight-year, 160,000-km warranty, Musk said it was a “much more primitive level of technology” than even Tesla’s first prototype. Musk also said that the Leaf pack will have temperatures “all over the place” that will cause it to suffer “huge degradation” in cold environments and basically “shut off” in hot environments, according to Earth2Tech.com. Sounds like we have a rivalry a-brewin, and in the mega competitive race to build an ideal electric car, things could get very entertaining. Anyone up for a race?

Swede Receives Largest Ever Speeding Ticket
If there is one place on the planet you don’t want to speed, it’s Switzerland! With the exception of Alpine passes, Switzerland’s highway network is a tangled web of strict enforcing speed cameras, all too willing to punch out a fine for every time you slip by north of the posted limit. If the fact that you are always being watched isn’t bad enough, Swiss law determines the cost of speeding fines by use of a formula that calculates the vehicle’s speed and the driver’s income. Back in 2002, Nokia executive Anssi Vanjoki had to pay a fine of $103,600 for going 75 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. Well, another Swede has also learned that lesson the hard way while seeing how fast his new Mercedes SLS AMG could go. Apparently, the SLS escaped being clocked by several older cameras that are limited to 200 km/h before finally being recorded by a new camera with a higher radar speed range. The final radar clocked the SLS at 290 km/h, resulting in a $1-million fine. His excuse: the SLS’s speedometer was faulty.

WeatherTech Canada, Northern Performance and Marcor Automotive are on the Move
After 33 years on Parkdale Ave. N. in Hamilton, all operations of Northern Performance, Marcor Automotive and WeatherTech Canada are moving to a much larger facility, under one roof, at 1164 Walkers Line in Burlington, Ontario. The move will allow for the necessary increases in inventory levels and a much expanded showroom. The operation will be fully functional in this new location on Sept. 7, 2010. The new facility has 75,000 square feet of warehouse and is situated on just over seven acres of land, to accommodate any future expansion. For more information please check them out on the web www.northernperformance.ca, www.marcor.ca, or www.weathertech.ca.

Ford Maximizing Sync Experience
On the topic of companies helping companies, Ford has also announced a joint venture with the Future Shop and Best Buy electronic giants. Through the initiative, both Best Buy Mobile and Future Shop Cellshop associates will help consumers get the most out of their Ford SYNC in-car communications system. Both companies’ associates will provide consumers with the advice needed to maximize the SYNC experience, from helping consumers pick the right mobile phone, to pairing it with their Ford vehicle and everything in between. Ford has also taken the SYNC technology one step further with the addition of 911 Assist. Now, in the event of a collision that causes the airbags to deploy, SYNC puts the occupant directly in touch with a 911 operator – all hands-free.

Black Book goes Online
Canadian Black Book, the recognized institution for vehicle values for almost 50 years, announced today it has launched a web site for consumers that includes access to its popular “Trade-in Value” estimator along with some new tools and advice. Car buyers and tire kickers can now visit www.canadianblackbook.com to learn the trade-in value, average retail asking price and future value of virtually every car and truck manufactured since 1997. “It’s an all new web site designed to bring qualified consumers together with dealers,” says Kathy Ward, President and CEO of the Canadian Black Book. The data drawn from a variety of real-time transactional sources provides the public with the most accurate values available. The web site will also serve up classified ads for cars and trucks from dealer inventory, plus feature articles and automotive reviews by its own industry analysts and guest experts.

F-Type Rumours Surface Yet Again
At one time, Jaguar held the world’s attention thanks to the most beautifully designed and technologically advanced sports and racing cars. In the last few years under the Tata umbrella, Jaguar has reinvented itself, now garnering attention for smartly designed luxury sedans. With the added infusion of funds and the full line sporting fresh designs, it seems as though the old F-Type rumours are popping up once again. Auto Express is reporting that Jaguar Land Rover boss, Carl-Peter Forster, has confirmed that a few new models are in the pipeline, including the F-Type sports car, which we saw in concept form back in 2000. With supercars being released from Mercedes, McLaren, Lexus and presumably soon by BMW, it only makes sense the Jaguar gets a bit of the action. It’s been a long time since the XJ220 changed the way people thought about Jaguar… hint hint.

Musk Says He’s Broke
We talked a bit earlier about the electric sports car builder, Tesla. Well, the company’s controversial head is also making some press for himself these days. With his money firmly invested in the future of alternatively-powered vehicles and clean energy, the slow progression of these industries to become mainstream in North America has taken a financial toll, with Tesla and SpaceX not making enough to be self sufficient. To make things worse, apparently Musk isn’t personally self-sustaining either, claiming that he spends $200,000 per month in expenses from his $8,255 monthly income. Information released during court proceedings sees ex-wife Justine trying to milk as many resources as possible out of the embattled entrepreneur. At any rate, Musk claims that he has had to start taking personal loans from friends to make ends meet.

Murray’s T.25 to Come in Electric Flavour
Famed McLaren F1 supercar designer, Gordon Murray, has long been considered one of the most innovative engineers and designers of the automotive world. Separating himself from the McLaren stable, his latest project takes on a much different face, that of a high-production urban super-mini. However, Mr. Murray didn’t seem to foresee the onslaught of electric-powered vehicles. As a result, Murray has now created a second version of the T.25, the T.27. While the T.25 gets its propulsion from a small-displacement internal combustion engine, the T.27 will feature the latest in battery-powered electric drive technologies. Along with UK-based engineering consultancy, Zytek Automotive and a tidy £4.5m investment from the government-backed Technology Strategy Board, the new car looks to have a bright future. At least in the UK. The little T.27 will feature a 12 KwH battery pack mounted under the three-seater’s interior layout. Zytek has packaged the motor, single-speed gearbox and electronics all in one small unit that will sit between the rear-driven wheels. Murray claims the car is capable of up to 160 km of driving per charge.

Turkey Building Largest Dealership Ever!
Autopia Europia is destined to become the largest automotive dealership the world has ever seen. Ground has just been broken in Istanbul, Turkey for this ambitious project that will see a massive complex take up an entire city block. The complex will be more than two million square feet, and each of the five floors will be almost 20 feet high, with 200 auto sales outlets pushing new and used cars, with the addition of 56 eateries, 48 repair shops, 24 banks and 42 insurance companies. Even more impressive is the 900-car parking garage that will be needed to handle the expected six million annual visitors to the complex. And if thats not enough, the place even comes with its own test track located on the roof of the building. Who knew Turkey was such a car nation?

Flavio in More Trouble
Fashion mogul turned Renault F1 team principal, Flavio Briatore, is in trouble once again. After being banned from F1 for life by the FIA for ordering his driver, Nelson Piquet Jr., to intentionally crash to allow his teammate to win the Singapore GP back in 2008, Briatore has now enraged the Italian government. Under suspicion of tax evasion, the Italian government impounded Briatore’s $22-million yacht, Force Blue, while his wife and son were aboard. If customs authorities can prove guilt, Briatore could be on the hook for a fine of $5 million. He joins the list of luminaries such as Bank of America and Juventus soccer club dignitaries as well as dictator Kim Jong-Il all charged by a special task-force set up to investigate tax evasion.

Mazda3 Unseats Civic
One of the biggest differences between Canadians and Americans is our love for small cars. As a result the Honda Civic has enjoyed a long rule at the top when it comes to car sales. While the motoring press has been kind to the 3, the proof ultimately comes with how the general public embraces the car. Well, the Mazda3 has just unseated the Civic as Canada’s best selling car. However, its hold on sales is slim to say the least, only out-selling the Civic by 21 units in April. It seems as though we have a new rivalry in town, as Honda and Mazda battle it out for the hearts and minds of Canadians. The top five sellers are rounded out by the Civic’s old foe, the Toyota Corolla, followed by the Hyundai Elantra and Hyundai Accent.

McLaren MP4-12C Available to Canadians
They say that a McLaren F1 supercar once roamed the streets of Vancouver. Whether it be truth, myth or rumour, there are those who say they’ve seen such a car with their own eyes. While the ghost of one the world’s greatest automotive creations may or may not reside here in Canada, the fact is that we Canucks, or at least the filthy rich few of us, will have a shot at owning McLaren’s follow-up to the F1, the MP4-12C. In an announcement made by the Woking-based car builder, McLaren has decided which of the 500 applicants will receive dealerships for the supercar. On the list top heavy with Middle Eastern representation, the centre of the universe managed to procure itself an outlet. Yes, Toronto is on a list that includes London, NY, LA, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Monaco, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sydney, and 23 other outlets world wide.

Atlantic Nationals Extravaganza
Back in 1985, a group of dedicated car enthusiasts met and formed the Greater Moncton Street Rods. They hosted a series of small local car shows known as the Fun Run. The size and scope of these annual events grew until 1994 when the Club hosted the Canadian Street Rod Nationals. That event was wildly successful and drew nearly 1,000 vehicles from as far away as Ontario. With the proceeds of that Show, the Greater Moncton Street Rods started the planning stages of a fully accessible play park in Centennial Park, Moncton. The success of that event became a beacon as many more people came to the annual Fun Run Shows, which grew to a 400-car event each summer.

From their modest Fun Run beginnings, the Atlantic Nationals has grown to attract in excess of 1,800 vehicles from all ten Canadian Provinces as well as 22 US States. The event has been truly blessed with significant sponsorship from a wide cross section of companies, which has enabled us to offer one of the most extensive and diverse prize programs of any show in North America. In 2010, the major prize category will include a new 1967 Camaro-bodied car from Golden Leaf Automotive (Dynacorn) as well as a new 1932 Roadster from Rod Action. Both of these vehicles are presented by Mothers Polishes, Waxes and Cleaners, Canadian Tire and Gary Sleeves Insurance with parts from Fat Man Fabrications, General Motors Performance Parts, Shepps Transmissions, Riverview Tire/Firestone-Bridgestone, ididit, Dakota Digital, Audio Crew/Clarion, Cherry Bomb, Kwik Wire, Standard Glass and many more! In addition, there are many prizes ranging from a new GM Performance Parts engine to a $500.00 gift certificate from Action Truck Caps and Accessories. Celebrities scheduled to appear are Stacy David, car builder and host of the popular TV Show Gearz, Courtney Hansen and Gene Winfield.

The Atlantic Nationals, a truly unique automotive festival. It’s held each year on the second full weekend of July and as the organizers say… See you… At Nats!!

Canadians Go On Spending Spree in March
Politicians and bankers have been proclaiming the recession has been over for a few months now, but if car sales are any indication of Canada’s financial strength, then the recession is all but a memory. The Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada (AIAMC), which analyzes such things, reports that no fewer than seven manufacturers set records for March vehicle sales, while the industry as a whole is up 15 percent compared to last year. Breaking records were Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Nissan, Subaru and even Toyota, despite its ongoing difficulties. Seems as though the cheap gas that we have seen of late has caused Canadians to slip back to their old ways, as light truck sales increased by 21.5 percent compared to a mere 13-percent gain registered by cars.

Introducing the Lexus CT 200h
The Lexus hybrid line-up is already an impressive one, but you can add one more to the mix. Not only does the CT 200h represent a new hybrid, but it also represents an all-new vehicle to do battle in the fast-growing luxury compact segment. The new 5-door hatch features Toyota’s go-to 1.8L 4-cylinder powerplant with VVTi. Helping things along is the Lexus Hybrid Drive featuring a high-performance battery, power control unit, transmission with an electric motor, a power split device to re-allocate power from the engine and electric motor according to operational requirements. The car also boasts four drive modes allowing the driver to use purely electric power, or max power for spirited circumstances. Particular attention has been paid to the aerodynamic efficiency of every aspect of the CT 200h’s design while not compromising interior space. No official word on price or availability; however, don’t expect a long wait.

Happy Birthday VW Bus
It was a vehicle that defined an entire generation. Not many manufacturers have the ability to build such iconic vehicles, but Volkswagen did it twice, with the Beetle and the Bus. It was in March of 1950 that production of a micro-van took place in Wolfsburg, Germany. The resulting vehicle placed the driver in front of the front wheels, and the engine was hanging off the rear. That engine would be the same 1.5L air-cooled flat 4-cylinder that powered the Beetle, making for ease of manufacture and maintenance. The Bus was a hit with hippies, surfers, and all sorts of non-conventionals here in Canada. It would go on to see three more generations that survived to see our streets, including highly sought-after classics like the Westphalia camper van and Syncro 4WD. In 1983, the air-cooled engine was replaced with a water-cooled unit, but it was a little over a decade later when the iconic van’s lineage ended for us here in North America with the Eurovan. Despite a failed effort to recapture the spirit of the Bus with the current Routan, it’s been a long while since we’ve seen anything with the soul and character of the original Bus. As a testament, you’ll still see many examples beach-side with surf boards mounted to the roof. Happy 60th, Bus.

Honda 3R-C Concept Intrigues
With cars becoming as popular as cell phones, several manufacturers have been coming out with some interesting personal transportation concepts lately. The last was GM with its oversized Segway-looking device. This time, Honda is getting minimalistic with the 3R-C, a three-wheeled battery-electric vehicle concept that shows what the future of minimal urban transport might look like. The concept envisions a single occupant vehicle for zero-emission commuting, something that will no doubt become a popular answer to the ever increasing pollution, congestion and parking problems that currently exist in urban centres. The battery-electric drivetrain is mounted low in the three-wheeled chassis, therefore keeping the centre of gravity low and thus improving stability. If you can’t wait for the 3R-C to become reality, there’s always a Honda Ruckus that is the next best thing.

Lotus Jumps Back in Bed With Cossy
You nostalgia fans out there will no doubt remember the dominant Lotus-Ford pairing that led to a mass of Formula One, Touring Car and Rallying championships back in the day. Those Ford powerplants nestled into Lotus chassis were massaged by tuning giant Cosworth. With Lotus jumping back into the F1 game, Cosworth is back in the mix supplying the power in the form of an F1-spec V8. However, Cosworth has also committed to building the Toyota-based racing engines that will power both the Evora Cup cars with the V6, and the 1.8L 4-cylinder that propels the Exige Cup cars. However, it won’t just be the race cars that will receive the coveted Cosworth touch. Expect several up-and-coming high-powered special editions from the Hethel-based manufacturer.

GM selling off Olympic Fleet
The 17 day-long party that was the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is now over, and we here on the west coast are in a bit of a post-Olympic hangover. The tents and grandstands are coming down, the national houses are packing up and heading to the next party, the Germans have ended the emergency flights to Frankfurt to replenish the beer and General Motors has more than 4,600 lightly-used vehicles to find homes for. Yes, GM, the transport sponsor to the games, shipped in 4,600 vehicles to help move athletes, organizers, dignitaries, VIPs and other such important people around Vancouver and Whistler. But now, they don’t need them anymore, and that looks good for anyone looking to get into a new car. Vehicles available are: Chevrolet Equinox, Malibu (Hybrid), Impala, Traverse, Suburban & Tahoe. Buick Lucerne & Enclave. Cadillac DTS, CTS Sport Sedan & Sport Wagon, Escalade (Hybrid) & SRX. GMC Acadia, Terrain, Yukon (Hybrid models available) & Yukon XL. Olympic vehicles will have commemorative Vancouver 2010 medallions adorned with the iconic Inukshuk symbol and Olympic rings on each model. That, and all the vehicles are all “specially-priced,” says GM. Contact your local dealership for more information, as there will likely be few left by the time of printing.

Mercedes F800 Shows Glimpse of Hydrogen Technology
Mercedes-Benz showed up to the Geneva Auto Show ready to show something special. The F800 is said to preview the lines of the upcoming CLS redesign, and packs an electric punch as a plug-in electric hybrid. The concept, at this time, comes with a 272-horsepower gasoline-fed V6 engine, which, with the electric motor, is said to be good for over 400 horsepower, and incorporate an electric-only range of 18 miles. Benz also says that the F800 Style could incorporate a fuel cell powertrain. The F800 also shows a future derivation of Benz’s COMAND all-in-one interior control system that includes a touchpad console which shows a transparent image of the user’s hand, for some reason. But the F800 does give us a glimpse of an evolution of the company’s Distronic Plus system that is optimized for use in traffic jams as well as a 360-degree implementation of its Pre-Safe system that monitors for rear impacts.

Is the LF-A Worth the Hassle?
Exotic supercar manufacturers have been finding ways to make their cars more special and exclusive for years. This usually means building a limited number of cars, charging a huge sum for them, then having the customer meet several prerequisites to be worthy. Lexus seems to be taking a new direction with its introductory supercar, tying potential customers up in bureaucratic red tape. A customer in LA currently trying to prove his worth to Lexus for a shot at one of 500 LF-As has publicized the hoops he’s needed to jump through. First of all, you can’t buy the LF-A, only lease it. If Lexus feels you’re worthy, you have ten days to put down a $10,000 deposit and submit to a credit check. Once cleared, and an additional $50K deposit is handed over, Lexus starts building your LF-A. Production doesn’t start until December, so who knows when you’ll get it, but once you do, you must submit to another credit check. This is because Lexus wants the entire 24-month lease paid upfront. At $12,398.44 USD per month, that’s $237,562.56 due, minus your $60K in deposits. Oh, but there is also a $700 acquisition fee. Then, after the two-year lease is up, if you still like the car, $93,750 is what it will cost to keep the car for yourself. I think we’ll keep dreaming of an R8.

Saab and Spyker CEOs to Pilot Saab 93 in Mille Miglia
The Saab deal is complete, seeing the quirky Swede go to a much more interesting and open automaker, Spyker. Well, the relationship is off to a great start as both companies have announced that Spyker CEO Victor Muller and Saab CEO Jan Åke Jonsson will take on Italy’s famed Mille Miglia road race piloting two 1957 Saab 93s. The 93 was a well-known competitor in rallying during the ‘50s and ‘60s, and the cars both men will compete in are replicas of the car that won the Finnish 1,000 Lakes Rally in 1957. The 93 will be tuned to Group 2 specification featuring an adrenaline-pumping 55-horsepower, 750cc three-cylinder. The historic Mille Miglia event takes place in May, after the time of writing, so let’s hope they did well.

Saab Lives
Last issue we talked to you about the latest in the ongoing dramas to keep Saab alive. Saab drivers, while a small bunch, are intensely loyal to their unique little Swedish rides. However, Saab’s quirky trademarks were soon watered down once the company came under GM rule, and when the company went bankrupt and started killing off entire brands. With Saab holding such a low segment share and losing money, Saabophiles saw that the end was near after negotiations broke off with both Koenigsegg and Spyker. With GM ready to kill the brand, negotiations were reopened and an agreement met. Spyker says that it wants to rebuild Saab’s global reputation, repositioning the brand as “an independent performance-oriented niche car company with an industry-leading environmental strategy.” The new Saab Spyker companies will retain separate identities, allowing Saab to keep full control, which means the new 9-5 will be due out this year, a new 9-3 is due out in 2012, the 9-4X will go into production while a smaller 9-1 concept has received the green light.

Fusion N.A. Car of the Year
Welcome to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) issue of Starting Lines, meaning there is no shortage of newsworthy items. As North America’s largest auto show, Detroit always has an abundance of new cars, new announcements and of course awards. Detroit is also where Canadian and American Auto Journalists vote on the North American Car of the Year Awards. Ford scored a historic doubleheader, capturing both the Car of the Year and Truck of the Year awards for the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Ford Transit Connect, respectively, at the NAIAS. It is only the third time in 17 years that one manufacturer has won both titles.

Volkswagen Shows Compact Coupe Concept
NAIAS was also the venue Volkswagen chose to reveal its New Compact Coupe concept, or NCC. While the Eos somewhat fills the sporty two-door gap in the Volkswagen lineup, it’s been a long while since we’ve seen a true sports coupe from the Wolfsburg automaker. The NCC concept features a 1.4L TSI inline-four, with 150 horsepower and 110 lb-ft of torque. Volkswagen has also jumped into the hybrid game with the car offering a 20-kilowatt electric motor drawing from a lithium-ion battery that boosts output to 177 horsepower and an equal amount of torque. Fuel economy is estimated at 5.2L/100km and it can reach 98 km/h in eight seconds. Like the Jetta and Golf, the NCC incorporates the same handsome looks of its siblings. Of course, this is a concept car, so VW says it has no production plans at this time, but with a design that is more production-looking than the usually extravagant designs of normal concepts, don’t be surprised to see more of this car in the future.

First Look at Honda’s CR-Z
Honda has been flaunting this one for a while now, leaking brochures and pictures, but we finally got a look at its latest hybrid. Honda claims the CR-Z will bring back the kind of driving joy that hasn’t been felt since the CRX last saw our streets back in 1991, saying it’s the first hybrid designed to maximize style and fun. Set to go on sale in late summer, the CR-Z is powered by a 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine with Honda’s compact and lightweight Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid-electric system. The two-passenger CR-Z introduces a new three-mode drive system that delivers a combined peak output of 122 horsepower and 128 lb-ft.

Euro and N.A. Focus Unite Once Again
With the Fusion and Transit Connect sweeping the Car of the Year Awards at NAIAS, Ford pulled the covers off its next big hope, the new Focus. Back in 2000, it was the all-new to North America Focus that took that crown, as the European-designed car changed the way we thought of Ford’s C-segment offerings. Since that time, the Focus has seemed to stray, losing focus so to speak, as the NA car broke its lineage from its Euro sibling. That lineage has been reconnected, as the next-gen Focus due in showrooms early next year is built on the platform of the popular Euro Focus as part of Ford’s globalization program. With only slight changes for the NA consumer, the new Focus is designed to provide class-leading new technologies, features and fuel-efficiency.

Röhrl Competing in 24h Nurburgring with Standard 911 GT3 RS
Porsche has been building some of the world’s most competitive and reliable cars to ever race. They prove such a dedication to racing that anyone can simply buy any level competition car straight off the factory floor. Well, along with adding to the competitive offerings with the new Porsche 911 GT3 R, Porsche will send it’s famed test driver, 62-year-old double World Rally Champion Walter Röhrl, to compete in the Nurburgring 24-hour Race in a road-going 911 GT3 RS. The RS he will be piloting will be the same motorsports-inspired GT3 RS found on Porsche showroom floors around the world, featuring a 450-hp 3.8L engine. Hartmut Kristen, Head of Porsche Motorsport, commented, “ I’m very pleased to see one of our Weissach-developed road-going vehicles competing parallel to the thoroughbred racers and proving its suitability for long distance competition.”

Third Edition of Audi’s e-tron
Audi has been teasing us with two very sporty Battery Electric Vehicles in recent months. During the Frankfurt Show, it took the wraps off the e-tron, a battery-powered version of the R8. In Los Angeles, Audi improved on the e-tron, showing a slightly modified second evolution sporting new paint. Well, in Detroit, we got a glimpse of the best looking e-tron of the lot, the the Detroit showcar Audi e-tron. This third evolution, while not wider, is a much shorter version of its two brothers and features an ASF-design aluminum space-frame, carbon fibre body panels, as well as two electric motors putting out a total of 204 horsepower and 1,955 pound-feet of torque through the rear wheels. It cracks off 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, has a range of 250 km, and can fully charge in 11 hours with a 240 v outlet. With a name like that, you know this is strictly a concept car; however, Audi says it will have a production version available to the public in 2012.

XTS Poised to Replace STS/DTS?
Cadillac has made large headway in recent years, designing cars that can take the fight to their German and Japanese rivals. Vehicles like the CTS, Escalade and now the SRX have bold new designs, updated technology and a tight ride, despite those of the old-school who enjoyed Cadillac’s floating characteristics. However, their larger sedans, the STS and DTS, have not enjoyed the same success, and are due for a makeover. Cadillac introduced the XTS Platinum concept at NAIAS, a car that dimensionally fits in between the STS and DTS. The XTS showcases the progression of Cadillac’s Art and Science design, concentrates on technological and communication features and offers a Plug-in hybrid system matched with a 3.6L V6 and all-wheel drive. Again, the car is but a concept at this time, but will likely take over as Cadillac’s flagship which is due for 2012 production.

BMW 1-Series ActiveE Hits the Streets
As we reported earlier last year, MINI has been field testing the MINI E, a battery electric vehicle, in the U.S. to help develop BMW’s EV technology. As part of project i, the cars have already provided important insights into the demands required of future production electric vehicles. As a second step, project i has begun development of a second trial fleet of electric vehicles based on the BMW Concept ActiveE. These vehicles are likewise intended for everyday use by private and select fleet customers as part of a large-scale field test. The insights gathered in the process will be fed into the development of an electrically-powered serial production vehicle which the BMW Group will put on the market under a sub-brand of BMW in the first half of the next decade.

Challenger Goes Plum Crazy
There is no doubt that Dodge was trying to relive its glory days when re-introducing the Challenger. Well, it has added another great chapter to the retro resurgence by offering an exclusive production run of the 2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Classic and SRT8 featuring the classic Plum Crazy Pearl Coat exterior colour. “The new Plum Crazy R/T Classic and SRT8 feature more than just memorable blast-from-the-past design cues and HEMI engines; both models exude the very core of Dodge Challenger’s roots,” said Ralph Gilles, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dodge Car Brand and Senior Vice President – Product Design, Chrysler Group LLC. “Our new Plum Crazy limited-edition models pay homage to Challenger’s heritage while delivering the passion and excitement Dodge fans and customers demand.” Both Plum Crazy models are available for ordering now at Dodge dealerships