Section: Future Vehicles
Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 13th, 2008 2:05 PM
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Nissan released a statement today regarding the company’s financial position for 2007, as well as outlining a corporate plan for the next five years. In between reporting on the company’s great success in Europe last year (sales up 17.9 percent) and bold declarations for its future products (a leading zero-emissions vehicle by 2012), the release managed to sneak in some broad hints about vehicles we can expect in the coming year.
While some new products like the not-for-North America Qashqai+2, the new Z, and the Cube were already on our radar, Nissan was nice enough to confirm a few rumored vehicles as well. The Infiniti G37 Convertible is said to be a go, though it’s unclear if it’s destined to be a retractable hard top or something more conventional. More intriguing still is the “mini SUV” item, which may be the recently reported “1-series fighter” we’ve been hearing about. Check out the full Nissan press release below the jump and tell us what you think of the five-year plan, in comments.
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 13th, 2008 10:00 AM
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Ford has released images of its new 2009 Focus coupe along with an announcement that it plans to show off the car to the wider American public during tomorrow’s episode of the hugely popular American Idol. The Ford brass should cross its fingers that Paula doesn’t accidentally call it a Chevy.
The new coupe version of the surprisingly popular Focus offers most prominently a restyle, inspired in part by Ford customer feedback. Thankfully the ungainly chrome fender vents from the standard Focus have been eighty-sixed, with the coupe offering a less cluttered, if slightly slab-sided profile. There’s also a new front fascia, a pair of fog lamps, and a set of really nice 17-inch “Dark Chrome” wheels.
Under the hood the Focus coupe will offer drivers a bit more power thanks to a sport-tuned exhaust. That boost with a new final drive ratio (in the SES automatic) will make the coupe faster to 60 mph from a standstill, while still being rated for 35 miles per gallon. Have a look at the new car in our gallery below or click through the jump to read the Ford press release.
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 13th, 2008 9:15 AM
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With Ford’s Ranger compact pickup truck on its way out the door and Americans quickly moving away from the immoderately thirsty full-size truck segment, the news that The Blue Oval is looking at a “baby” F-Series may not be a surprise to many.
New reports say that Ford may be looking to reanimate the F-100 nameplate, last used by the company way back in 1983, for a medium-size pickup based on the future F-150’s body-on-frame platform. This new, smaller truck will reportedly be about nine-tenths the size of an F-150 and share platform components with its larger sibling, something the Ranger really didn’t do.
The F-100 would offer substantial weight savings over the F-150 by using thinner gauge, high strength steel in its frame rails, and aluminum in its hood and tailgate. Engines on offer are likely to include a couple of V-6 options, naturally aspirated and twin-turbo flavors, as well as one V-8. No word yet on whether Ford will let buyers spec the box-fresh light duty 4.4-liter diesel motor.
+ PickupTrucks.com: Rumors That Ford Is Thinking Smaller With New F-100 Pickup, Based on the F-150
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 13th, 2008 7:30 AM
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Ferrari has added yet another chapter to its sporting saga today by revealing the latest in the line of “new generation” cars, the Ferrari California.
The California, or F149, is the Italian automaker’s first retractable hard top convertible and puts an effectively modern spin on the California rag top models of the past. Fittingly then, the California takes it styling cues from not only some of the marque’s current range (we see a bit of 612 around the edges), but also from the convertible models that have helped to make Ferrari one of the most lusted after brands on the planet.
(Click on the thumbnails below to browse a Ferrari California gallery or through the jump to read more, including the official press release.)
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 12th, 2008 2:30 PM
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With the small car market in the U.S. as hot as it’s ever been, Kia Motors seems to be making a solid move by announcing it will bring its new compact Soul to the U.S.
An unidentified source within Kia has said that the company will begin exports of the Soul to both the U.S. and China by March, though Korean analysts have said they expect the car to hit American shores in the early part of 2009.
First shown as a concept at the Detroit Auto Show in 2006, the Soul is a five-seat small car built to take on the likes of the Honda Fit and the Toyota’s Scion products. The car appeared again in Geneva in a trim closer to production and sporting a new-look “tiger nose” grille.
+ Automotive News: Kia to bring small car to U.S. (subscription required)
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Written By: David Yang
May 9th, 2008 10:35 AM
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Compared with Roewe, we haven’t heard much from the MG brand ever since the SAIC-Nanjing Auto merger. It seems the MG guys finally decided to make some noise by bringing two new cars to the Chinese dealers at the end of this month.
As the first made-in-China roadster, the rear-drive MG TF, offers two transmission options along with its 1.8 DOHC four burner: the manual MT and a CVT. The 1.8-liter MT accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 8.2 seconds, hitting a top speed of 133 mph. It takes the 1.8-liter CVT 9.7 seconds to make the 0 to 62 mph dash, and it will reach a top speed of 124 mph. As it has almost no competitors in its class, the mid-engine roadster will likely be priced around 300,000 RMB (roughly $ 42,860 USD).
Another to hit the Chinese market later this month is an MG crossover called the 3SW. The new model has two engine options: a 1.4-liter four and a 1.8-liter four. The 1.4-liter generates maximum power of 102 horsepower and of maximum torque of 91 pound-feet while the 1.8-liter engine produces maximum power of 118 horsepower with max torque of 118 pound-feet. The price of 3SW will range from 80,000 – 120,000 RMB (roughly $11,428 - 17,142 USD).
(Have a look at the brace of Chinese MGs in our gallery below.)
If you’ve got an idea for Question of the Day, a funny photo for Caption It, or just want to share a news tip, let us know at windingroadtips@gmail.com
Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 8th, 2008 3:35 PM
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Opel has officially pulled the sheet off of its new Insignia, which is liable to come to the U.S. after its European launch as the newest version of the Saturn Aura. While we thought that we had seen all there was to offer on the sleek four-door sedan, our friends at CarPix have delivered up a few images of a brand new variant to the range, a five-door hatchback.
The totally undisguised hatch, possibly to be known as the CombiCoupe or Fliessheck, mimics the lines of the sedan everywhere but the rear section. The liftgate of the new Insignia looks to be of good size, and promises to add a measure of utility to the car that won’t be possible with a mere truck. Why doesn’t everyone offer a five-door?
No word of course about whether this configuration could make it to American Saturn dealers, though the GM brand’s recent willingness to stock its showrooms with straight Euro copies is encouraging. Tell us what you think of the car, after browsing our gallery below, in comments.
Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 8th, 2008 9:15 AM
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MG fans will be happy to hear that new Chinese owners Shanghai Automobile Corporation (SAIC) seem to be moving along at full speed towards the goal of producing an all new TF roadster.
Auto Express has used what it calls “insider information” to develop these renderings of the new model, which is said to be targeted at such European droptops as the Alfa Romeo Spider and the Audi TT, as well as the dominating Mazda MX-5. The new TF will be slightly larger than the Mazda but is said to be shooting for a very similar price tag, along with the hearts and minds of the roadster-crazy British public.
The new car will be based on the Roewe 550 compact hatchback, though its driven wheels will be in the back, and will be powered by either a 1.8-liter turbo or a 2.5-liter V-6. The MG TF could be available through a new Roewe dealership network in the UK by 2010. Click through the link to see a few more images of the new convertible and then let us know what you think, in comments.
+ AutoExpress: Reborn MG TF is ready at last!
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 2nd, 2008 8:00 AM
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Exciting new reports from Infiniti insiders have that company planning a small vehicle to rival the likes of Audi’s A3 and BMW’s 1-series. Infiniti claims that the new small model will be different from anything else in the segment however, opening up a wide range of possible configurations.
Some speculation has the Nissan brand contemplating a new small crossover type car, which would slot in under the EX35 (above), though a convertible coupe is also on the table. Obviously it’s going to take a bit more information before we can nail down just exactly what the new car will look like, but we are told that it will be launching sometime in 2010.
(A pint-sized version of this might not be such a bad thing, check out the FX35 below.)
+ Autocar: Infiniti: ‘We want a 1-series’
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
May 1st, 2008 10:20 AM
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Former leading mind at Britain’s TVR, engine designer Al Melling, is planning to release a back-to-basics sports car this year that sounds like it would be right up our alley.
Focusing on simplicity and light weight, the Markham 450 is a rear-driven two-seat roadster, powered by a Chevy-sourced 5.7-liter V-8, and built around a steel spaceframe chassis. The big Chevy motor will be tuned to produce around 450 horsepower (hence the name), and should offer old-school thrills in a sexy convertible package.
Melling wants the 450 to be a relatively accessible package and one that’s easy for future owners to modify as they see fit. Autocar reports in the April 16 issue of its print magazine that the car will have a target price of around 40,000 pounds and could be on sale by the end of 2008.
+ Autocar
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Written By: Winding Road Staff
April 28th, 2008 11:00 AM
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We celebrate spring break driving the Audi R8 TDI Le Mans. Will they build it? Can the South Beach mob stop looking at itself long enough to care?
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Written By: Seyth Miersma
April 23rd, 2008 8:00 AM
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Members within the Volkswagen group seem to be getting pretty excited about the possibilities for the rear-engined Up! city car, but none more than Czech subsidiary Skoda.
The VW faction is wrangling to get a brand new factory within the Czech Republic that would be able to pump out up to a quarter of a million cars per year. British weekly Autocar is also reporting in its April 9 issue that VW is considering a low-cost version of the Up!, seemingly tailor-made for markets like Eastern Europe, which could push production at the theoretical Skoda factory to 500,000 units per year.
Refresh your knowledge of the VW Space Up! concept in our gallery below.
+ Autocar
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Lamborghini Picks L.A. for U.S. Headquarters
