Volvo to Refresh 2010 C30

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  • Toyota To Put 2010 4Runner Through The Baja 1000 Wringer

    Toyota To Put 2010 4Runner Through The Baja 1000 Wringer November 6th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, November 6th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 2 Comments

    Toyota To Put 2010 4Runner Through The Baja 1000 Wringer

    Toyota's involvement in motorsports has been a hot topic this week with their withdrawal from F1, and today's news is sure to draw some attention as well: the company plans to enter a near-stock 2010 4Runner in the "Stock mini" class of the SCORE Baja 1000 off-road race.

    That's a major statement of Toyota's faith in the fifth-generation version of the 4Runner. With 672 miles of abuse at speeds most people would consider somewhere between suicidal and homicidal over broken terrain, day and night, the Baja 1000 is no amateur's playground.

    Accordingly, one of the drivers of the 2010 4Runner will be Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, 22-time winner of the...

    Toyota's involvement in motorsports has been a hot topic this week with their withdrawal from F1, and today's news is sure to draw some attention as well: the company plans to enter a near-stock 2010 4Runner in the "Stock mini" class of the SCORE Baja 1000 off-road race. That's a major statement of Toyota's faith in the fifth-generation version of the 4Runner. With 672 miles of abuse at speeds most people would consider somewhere between suicidal and homicidal over broken terrain, day and night, the Baja 1000 is no amateur's playground. Accordingly, one of the drivers of the 2010 4Runner will be Ivan "Ironman" Stewart, 22-time winner of the Baja 1000 and off-road legend. He has no doubt the truck is up to the challenge. "I’m sure the Fifth Generation 4Runner will be tough enough to survive even my Iron foot,” says Stewart. Hopefully he won't discover any as-yet unnoticed floor mat design problems mid-race. In 2008, Honda's Ridgeline took the win in the Stock mini class, beating out a Hummer H3 and a Toyota FJ Cruiser. The FJ crashed out of the race just miles short of the finish while fighting for the win. The 2010 Toyota 4Runner features a new V-6 engine rated at 34 more horesepower than the old model's, plus an all-new chassis design that's built for the task of true off-roading. There's no word yet if the Baja 1000 attempt will spawn a factory upgrade package a la Ford's SVT Raptor or FR Raptor XT. For full details on the 2010 4Runner, check out TheCarConnection's preview here. Read More

  • Chrysler Brand Product Plan Wrap-Up

    Chrysler Brand Product Plan Wrap-Up November 4th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, November 4th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 1 Comment

    Chrysler Brand Product Plan Wrap-Up

    The Chrysler plan has been spilling across the web all day long now, but as it winds down into its death throes (the plan, not the company) we have the latest on how they plan to rev things back up to redline, in terms of sales, brand awareness and product interest.

    The key element, as always, will be producing stellar product. To that end, Chrysler will be tapping Fiat's product line heavily. The exterior of the cars will still strongly reflect Chrysler heritage and design, but the interiors and their underpinnings will be much more Fiat in origin.

    The first major plans include a complete reshaping of the Avenger--just short of an all-new...

    The Chrysler plan has been spilling across the web all day long now, but as it winds down into its death throes (the plan, not the company) we have the latest on how they plan to rev things back up to redline, in terms of sales, brand awareness and product interest. The key element, as always, will be producing stellar product. To that end, Chrysler will be tapping Fiat's product line heavily. The exterior of the cars will still strongly reflect Chrysler heritage and design, but the interiors and their underpinnings will be much more Fiat in origin. The first major plans include a complete reshaping of the Avenger--just short of an all-new model--for the fourth quarter of 2010. An all-new Sebring will follow in 2013. Also coming in the fourth quarter of 2010 will be the updated 2011 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. For 2012, a new compact sedan, sourced from Fiat and intended to fill the C-segment slot vacated by the PT Cruiser, which ends its long run in 2010. 2013 sees the addition of a B-segment small car imported from Europe and built by Fiat Group operations, designed to target the premium small-car segment. That same year, a midsize crossover will join the ranks, also sourced from a Fiat platform but built in the U.S. In the nearer term, a number of special-edition cars, including 300 Sport Edition sedan, a Town & Country Fashion Edition, a PT Cruiser Final Edition,  and a Sebring Ocean Edition. These cars will add a near-term sheen to the brand as the new leadership ramps up the deeper, more meaningful changes. Sometime during 2010, we'll also see the launch of the new 2011 Chrysler 300 sedan. For more on that car, read up on our coverage here. [Chrysler] Read More

  • WTF Video: BMW X5 Parking Fail

    WTF Video: BMW X5 Parking Fail October 27th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, October 27th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 7 Comments

    WTF Video: BMW X5 Parking Fail

    Some things are too ridiculous, too horrendous or just too stupid to bear full explanation with words alone. The case of one North Toronto BMW X5 driver is a bit of all three, as the video below shows. Epic parking failure alert!

    Before you think me too harsh a critic, consider that the driver not only caused what appears to be fairly expensive if not significant structural damage to at least two parked cars.

    That driver--well-heeled enough to be at the wheel of an X5 entering a gym parking lot--then backs up, ponders the situation and decides to take off without leaving so much as a note on the windshields of the damaged cars. All that's...

    Some things are too ridiculous, too horrendous or just too stupid to bear full explanation with words alone. The case of one North Toronto BMW X5 driver is a bit of all three, as the video below shows. Epic parking failure alert! Before you think me too harsh a critic, consider that the driver not only caused what appears to be fairly expensive if not significant structural damage to at least two parked cars. That driver--well-heeled enough to be at the wheel of an X5 entering a gym parking lot--then backs up, ponders the situation and decides to take off without leaving so much as a note on the windshields of the damaged cars. All that's missing is the sped-up footage being set to the Benny Hill theme song. Parking fail? For sure. Humanity fail? Yes again. But humor fail? Not even close. [YouTube via BoingBoing] Read More

  • Production MINI Countryman Delayed Until Geneva?

    Production MINI Countryman Delayed Until Geneva? October 26th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, October 26th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 1 Comment

    Production MINI Countryman Delayed Until Geneva?

    MINI fans have been waiting with a mixed sense of dread and anticipation ever since the 2008 Paris Auto Show where the MINI crossover concept was introduced, but it looks today like that wait may be extended another three months. A new report says that instead of showing up at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January--after a delay from the Frankfurt show--the car's debut will be delayed again, this time until  March, 2010 in Geneva.

    Along with the report of the delayed debut comes alleged confirmation that the Countryman name is final. Previous reports have hinted at this name, so it won't be a surprise to many, but MINI has yet to release...

    MINI fans have been waiting with a mixed sense of dread and anticipation ever since the 2008 Paris Auto Show where the MINI crossover concept was introduced, but it looks today like that wait may be extended another three months. A new report says that instead of showing up at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January--after a delay from the Frankfurt show--the car's debut will be delayed again, this time until  March, 2010 in Geneva. Along with the report of the delayed debut comes alleged confirmation that the Countryman name is final. Previous reports have hinted at this name, so it won't be a surprise to many, but MINI has yet to release any official statement on the matter. Other tasty tidbits from the new report include an expected "All4"-branded all-wheel drive system for the Countryman, which will be marketed much as BMW's xDrive system or Audi's quattro, potentially opening the door for more MINI applications. Who wouldn't want to see an all-wheel-drive turbocharged, John Cooper Works version of the Coupe or standard hatchback? When the Countryman finally does arrive on the scene in production form, expect it to seat four at about 13 feet in length but with MINI's now-expected handling qualities intact. Powertrains will include both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants, though the all-wheel model may not be available at launch. Engines will include the standard 1.6-liter 118-horsepower unit, a 173-horsepower 1.6-liter four, and for Europe at least, a 1.6-liter common-rail diesel rated at 110 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. [Motoring File via Autoblog] Read More

  • Next-Gen Land Rover Defender Due In 2013

    Next-Gen Land Rover Defender Due In 2013 October 22nd, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, October 22nd, 2009 Nelson Ireson 4 Comments

    Next-Gen Land Rover Defender Due In 2013

    Few, if any, automotive icons have as wide and as immediate a recognition factor as the Land Rover Defender. Spanning the globe and over six decades of production, the classic boxy go-anywhere-mobile is finally due for an update, and according to previous reports, it's already underway, appropriately dubbed Project Icon. Now it looks like the due date for the brand-new Defender will be 2013.

    The Land Rover team is hard and secretly at work on the project despite the somewhat distant deadline, aiming to update the classic Defender with modern design principles while keeping its simple, brutally efficient capability intact. Unlike most of its...

    Few, if any, automotive icons have as wide and as immediate a recognition factor as the Land Rover Defender. Spanning the globe and over six decades of production, the classic boxy go-anywhere-mobile is finally due for an update, and according to previous reports, it's already underway, appropriately dubbed Project Icon. Now it looks like the due date for the brand-new Defender will be 2013. The Land Rover team is hard and secretly at work on the project despite the somewhat distant deadline, aiming to update the classic Defender with modern design principles while keeping its simple, brutally efficient capability intact. Unlike most of its current stablemates, the new Project Icon vehicle is expected to eschew aluminum for a dependable and rugged steel chassis borrowed from the soon-to-be-replaced Discovery and Range Rover Sport models, reports Autocar. The news of the 2013 due date comes from a report out today by the Detroit Free Press. Like its predecessor, the Project Icon truck will be made in myriad form factors to suit the mission, and though initially built only in England, there are thought to be plans to send it to China, Russia, India and elsewhere in knock-down form for final assembly down the road. Upgrading the Defender to the T5 chassis will mean independent suspension, hard or soft tops and a choice of steel or air springs depending on the application. Power will most likely come from the company's existing lineup of four- and six-cylinder diesels. Americans, however, aren't likely to see the new vehicle, just as we haven't seen the Defender since their last brief stint here in the mid-1990s. Read More

  • Report: HUMMER To Resume H3, H3T Production In November

    Report: HUMMER To Resume H3, H3T Production In November October 16th, 2009 By Nelson Ireson's avatar Nelson Ireson, Author, October 16th, 2009 Nelson Ireson 1 Comment

    Report: HUMMER To Resume H3, H3T Production In November

    If one thing is certain, these are uncertain times, especially when it comes to the sale of former GM brands. While the HUMMER-Tengzhong deal doesn't look to be headed to the rocky fate of Saturn's sale to Penske, it still hasn't passed final regulatory approval in the U.S. or China, but already reports of the resumption of HUMMER H3 and H3T production are emerging.

    The news comes none too soon for dealers that are nearly out of inventory to sell, though according to the report they'll still have to wait about a month before new HUMMERs arrive on their lots.

    Once the sale to Tengzhong is complete and production can get back underway, there...

    If one thing is certain, these are uncertain times, especially when it comes to the sale of former GM brands. While the HUMMER-Tengzhong deal doesn't look to be headed to the rocky fate of Saturn's sale to Penske, it still hasn't passed final regulatory approval in the U.S. or China, but already reports of the resumption of HUMMER H3 and H3T production are emerging. The news comes none too soon for dealers that are nearly out of inventory to sell, though according to the report they'll still have to wait about a month before new HUMMERs arrive on their lots. Once the sale to Tengzhong is complete and production can get back underway, there should be little or no delay in sourcing parts because production for non-U.S. markets has taken place within the last several months, meaning suppliers are still tooled and ready to send parts to the factories. The HUMMER H2, on the other hand, would take 3-4 months to get back online, since production of that model has been down for some time. The deal with Tengzhong, rumored to have cost the Chinese buyer just $150 million, is signed with GM, but must still meet approval from the Chinese government before it can be finalized. Once that is done, however, progress should happen rapidly, as the company plans to keep on the current HUMMER executive management team and will contract production directly from the existing HUMMER plants through June 2011. Once production on the H3 and H3T does resume--assuming the sale moves forward as expected--a new E85 flex-fuel version will be first on the docket under Tengzhong's guidance, as the Chinese hope to push the HUMMER brand into previously unknown green territory. [HUMMERGuy] Read More

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