2010 Detroit Auto Show Preview: BMW 535i Gran Turismo also gets a six pack
BMW is rounding out its Detroit Auto Show premier lineup with the North American debut of the 535i Gran Turismo. The 550i GT that’s powered by the 4.4-liter twin turbo V8 is already on sale in the U.S., but we won’t get our shot at the six cylinder model until the spring of 2010. Like the recently-announced 5 Series sedan, the Gran Turismo is getting a new version of the 3.0-liter inline six cylinder turbo.
The current 535i and 335i both use a version of the six with two turbochargers. The version in the GT produces the same 300 hp and 300 pound-feet of torque with a single twin-scroll turbocharger. The engine also incorporates BMW’s Valvetronic valve control system to reduce fuel consumption by eliminating the throttle and reducing pumping losses. The six will be mated up with the same new ZF eight-speed automatic used in the 550i and the ActiveHybrid 7. Want more details?
Categories: Auto Show, BMW, Crossover, Detroit Auto Show, Hatchback Tags: BMW, LA Auto Show
LA Auto Show 2009: Audi A3 TDI named 2010 Green Car of the Year in diesel repeat
At the LA Auto Show this morning, the Audi A3 TDI was crowned the 2010 Green Car of the Year, wresting the title away from last year’s winner, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Even though three hybrids made this year’s list of finalists, the A3′s win marks the second year in a row that a TDI diesel car took top honors in the Green Car Journal competition.
The other contenders were the Honda Insight, the Mercury Milan Hybrid (we still don’t get why this car beat out the better-selling and nearly identical Ford Fusion Hybrid) and the Toyota Prius.
Each year, Green Car Journal picks the five finalists and then hands over selection duties to celebrity jurors (Jay Leno, Carroll Shelby, and the Sierra Club’s Carl Pope, to name a few). During the award ceremony, Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan said that the five finalists are notable because they are all mainstream vehicles that are available today. They exist because that’s what the market is asking for. Whaddya think? Is the A3 TDI this year’s rightful Green Car of the Year?
Categories: Audi, Hatchback, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show Tags: Audi, LA Auto Show
LA Auto Show 2009: Porsche debuts lightweight 2011 Boxster Spyder
Porsche rolled out the 2010 Boxster Spyder, the third model in the Boxster lineup, for its world debut at the LA Auto Show, with an entirely new look and – we are led to believe – a driving personality nearly on par with the 911 GT3 RS.
Hidden deep and low in the belly of the Spyder is a tuned version of Porsche’s 3.4-liter flat-six, rated at 320 hp (ten more than the Boxster S). While the added horses are welcome, it’s the 176 pounds of mass lost that really raises our interest. To achieve these savings, Porsche has fitted the Spyder with a lightweight carbon fiber-ribbed soft top, unique rear decklid, low side windows, aluminum door skins and interior door panels with straps swapped from the 911 GT3 RS. Air conditioning, cupholders and an audio system have been left back on the factory floor (don’t worry, Porsche will let you add them back for a price). With a curb weight of just 2,811 pounds, it is the lightest model in Porsche’s lineup. With a power-to-weight ratio rivaling the Carrera S, the Boxster Spyder with a dual-clutch PDK transmission will now rip to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds.
Categories: Convertible, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, Porsche Tags: LA Auto Show, Porsche
LA Auto Show 2009: Audi R8 Spyder is shown again, this time in red
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the drop-top Audi R8 Spyder. Images were leaked in early September, and we were there in Frankfurt for its official debut. That said, its unveiling at the LA Auto Show was less than climactic… other than the fact the Spyder was sporting a flashy bright-red bodywork.
New hue aside, the new convertible variant is a looker from its carbon-fiber mirrors to polished aluminum wheels. The blades are gone and it has gained 476 pounds in the transformation, but the standard Lambo-derived 525-hp V10 will still rip it to 60 mph in about four seconds flat.
Categories: Audi, Convertible, LA Auto Show Tags: Audi, LA Auto Show
LA Auto Show 2009: Honda P-NUT concept gets cracked open
Turns out that the Honda P-NUT is not some sort of twist on the UX-3 unicycle thing we saw in Tokyo recently. Instead, the concept vehicle is a three-seat thing enclosed in lots of glass and angular lines. Honda says the P-NUT is ready for one of three possible powertrains: an efficient gas engine, a gas-electric hybrid, or a pure electric set up. There’s not a whole lot of room for any of these powerplants up front because the driver’s leg room extends almost all the way to the front of the concept. Good thing the power source is intended to be mounted in the rear.
Let’s be clear, this is a pure concept car. There are no side mirrors (but there is a back-up camera). Bumpers? Bah, Honda barely put headlights on this thing. Still, the Honda ‘Personal-Neo Urban Transport’ could make for a pretty sweet ride through a city, with lots of sight lines for the three inhabitants (a driver in the front middle, two passengers arranged behind and to either side) to see out of. The P-NUT does succeed in Honda’s stated goal to get the most space out of a small footprint, and we wouldn’t mind some sort of production version BEV someday. Chances are, though, that this is the last we’ll ever see of it.
Categories: Auto Show, Concept Cars, Honda, Hybrid, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show Tags: Honda, LA Auto Show
LA Auto Show 2009: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, mass-market potential has four doors
The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze is finally coming Stateside and during a private event held earlier this evening ahead of the LA Auto Show, General Motors – 20 minutes after announcing the departure of Fritz Henderson as CEO – unveiled the U.S.-spec version of its Cobalt replacement and Toyota Corolla competitor.
Sharing much of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt’s architecture, the Cruze has the potential to be a massive leap forward for Chevy in the mid-size/compact segment. Larger than the Cobalt in almost every dimension and packing a choice of either a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder putting out 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque or a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter four-pot, fuel economy and efficiency take center stage. However, “driving enjoyment” was mentioned more than once during the presentation, so to aid both its fuel consumption (an estimated 40 mpg with the turbo’d four) and enhance the experience, buyers will be able to choose between a manual or automatic six-speed gearbox.
Categories: Chevrolet, LA Auto Show, Sedan Tags: Chevrolet, LA Auto Show
2009 LA Auto Show Preview: 2011 Ford Fiesta for America revealed, hits 40 mpg
he Ford Fiesta has proven to be a very successful small car wherever it’s sold in the world. Ford has sold 12 million Fiestas over the vehicle’s lifetime and the new-for-2009 model has moved half a million units already this year in Europe and Asia. It’s a smash hit in spite of the fact that the Fiesta is not for sale in the U.S., a.k.a. the world’s biggest car market. That all changes in the spring of 2010 as the Fiesta finally makes its way stateside.
Ford appears to be focusing its efforts in the U.S. small car market at exactly the right time, as consideration for B-Segment vehicles is at an all-time high and the trend appears to be upwardly mobile. And while Ford would love for us to believe that it was clairvoyant when deciding to bring the Fiesta to the U.S., it just isn’t true. In fact, the Fiesta wasn’t originally designed for the U.S. market, but the shock of $4 per gallon gas and a new-found interest in eco-friendly transportation led the Blue Oval to rethink its strategy. Ford didn’t start readying the Fiesta for the U.S. market until many bits and bolts of hardware were already settled, so Team Blue had to go back to the drawing board to make its small car ready for Americans. The result is a U.S.-spec Fiesta that has only 60% of its parts in common with the Euro Fiesta. Will Americans be missing out?
Categories: Ford, Hatchback, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, Sedan Tags: LA Auto Show
Porsche Boxster Spyder Revealed – World Premiere in Los Angeles
Porsche has released the first images and details about the 2010 Boxster Spyder.
Described as the “…purist form of the Porsche sports car – light, powerful, consistently open, and very efficient”, the Spyder is powered by a 3.4-liter six-cylinder engine that produces 320 hp (10 hp more than the Boxster S). Backed up by the optional PDK (Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe) transmission, the Spyder accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds before topping out at 267 km/h (166 mph) – with the roof down. If that isn’t impressive enough, the roadster consumes just 9.3L/100km (30.4 mpg) in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).
Categories: Auto Show, LA Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show, Porsche Tags: LA Auto Show, Porsche
