We've seen the mystery Corvette concept (who some dare to believe may be named "Hot Rod" from the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen movie three times already. The first photo was a blurry camera phone shot from far away. The second shot was of the folks at Saleen busily painting the new movie star up and making him all silvery-looking. The third shot showed the mystery Transformers Corvette concept and a buddy about to be loaded up to roll out. Now, thanks to an e-mail tipster, we have the fourth and fifth shots as it gets close enough to the camera to see the "GM Design" logo on the rear end. Is it a prototype for a "C7" Corvette? Is it some hot Rodimus action? We guess we'll have to wait and see. (Hat tip to Anonimus Prime!)

via jalopnik 

Listen up muscle car fans - the Chevrolet Camaro is here in all its production-ready glory.

The Camaro will come in LS, LT and full-on SS specs and be available with 6-speed manual and auto transmissions. Under the bonnet sit fuel-efficient 296bhp 3.6-litre V6 and 416bhp 6.2-litre V8 engines, which can run on fewer cylinders to improve economy.

It shouldn't just be a burnout king either, handling should be pretty good thanks to an all-independent suspension setup and a StabiliTrak stability control system. 4-pot Brembo brakes front and rear shed the speed on the SS. Weight balance is split 52/48 front/rear too, but the Camaro is a porker, weighing in at more than 1,700kgs. 

The interior gets cool LED lighting, leather seats on posher models and dials and gauges inspired by 1969 Camaros. The US gets the car in early 2009, while we’ll get it some time after that. Super.

via tribes.cartribe 

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 11:18AM CDT

Vamphite of the Don Murphy Boards and Seibertron.com member SDL bring us some new spy photos from the set of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen at Edwards Air Force Base, where shooting has resumed this past weekend.

The photos show the Transformers vehicles being transported, and we can clearly see Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Ironhide (behind Ratchet) the Chevrolet Beat and Trax, 2 Can-Am Spyders and a clear shot of the mysterious silver concept car (rumoured to be a new Corvette) seen in earlier spy photos.

via seibertron 

Are you ready for a four-cylinder full-size pickup? Sources say Ford is planning to offer a version of the F-150 with a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine by 2013. The move is a response to rapidly rising gas prices and new federal standards that raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy for light trucks to 28.6 mpg by 2015. Lending credibility to what we’ve heard from our sources, Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president for Product Development, has told Automotive News that Ford is considering this option.

Ford EcoBoost engines use high-pressure direct gas injection and turbocharging to get better performance and up to 20 percent better fuel economy compared to larger displacement engines. V-6 engines are said to perform like V-8s, and four-cylinder engines are said to perform as if they had six cylinders.

In an appearance before the Motor Press Guild, Dan Kapp, Ford’s director of powertrain research and advanced engineering, told journalists that "in probably the most extreme cases (using EcoBoost engines), we’re going to be downsizing on the order of 40, 50 percent. That would take, for example, a three-liter V6 down to a two-liter 4-cylinder engine. A 2.5-liter 4-cylinder could be something on the order of 1.5-liters."

Kapp also said, "With these factors (smaller displacement and turbocharging) in the equation, an EcoBoost 6-cylinder engine can produce like an 8-cylinder and a 4-cylinder engine like a 6."

For 2009, Ford is offering only V-8 engines for the F-150. The company is eliminating its legacy 4.2-liter V-6 for the F-150, officially saying the 4.6-liter V-8 delivers more horsepower and torque with the same fuel economy numbers as the outgoing V-6. According to EPA estimates, a 2008 Ford F-150 4x2 with a 4.2-liter V-6 is rated at 14/20 mpg city/highway. Ford says a new EcoBoost V-6 will debut for the F-150 in 2010. It’s expected to have a 3.5-liter displacement and sources say it will be rated at more than 350 hp and 390 lbs.-feet of torque. Paired with the F-150’s new six-speed transmission, fuel economy ratings are expected to be better than 16/22 mpg city/highway.

Final displacement hasn’t been determined but the four-cylinder EcoBoost is expected to be around 2.5-liters with power ratings greater than 260 hp and 300 lbs.-feet of torque. It will likely be available only for the two-door Regular Cab F-150 4x2 and 4x4, where it would work best for light-duty commercial applications. The same engine is also expected as an option under the hood of the upcoming F-100...

via  pickuptrucks

Are you ready for a four-cylinder full-size pickup? Sources say Ford is planning to offer a version of the F-150 with a four-cylinder EcoBoost engine by 2013. The move is a response to rapidly rising gas prices and new federal standards that raise Corporate Average Fuel Economy for light trucks to 28.6 mpg by 2015. Lending credibility to what we’ve heard from our sources, Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president for Product Development, has told Automotive News that Ford is considering this option.

Ford EcoBoost engines use high-pressure direct gas injection and turbocharging to get better performance and up to 20 percent better fuel economy compared to larger displacement engines. V-6 engines are said to perform like V-8s, and four-cylinder engines are said to perform as if they had six cylinders.

In an appearance before the Motor Press Guild, Dan Kapp, Ford’s director of powertrain research and advanced engineering, told journalists that "in probably the most extreme cases (using EcoBoost engines), we’re going to be downsizing on the order of 40, 50 percent. That would take, for example, a three-liter V6 down to a two-liter 4-cylinder engine. A 2.5-liter 4-cylinder could be something on the order of 1.5-liters."

Kapp also said, "With these factors (smaller displacement and turbocharging) in the equation, an EcoBoost 6-cylinder engine can produce like an 8-cylinder and a 4-cylinder engine like a 6."

For 2009, Ford is offering only V-8 engines for the F-150. The company is eliminating its legacy 4.2-liter V-6 for the F-150, officially saying the 4.6-liter V-8 delivers more horsepower and torque with the same fuel economy numbers as the outgoing V-6. According to EPA estimates, a 2008 Ford F-150 4x2 with a 4.2-liter V-6 is rated at 14/20 mpg city/highway. Ford says a new EcoBoost V-6 will debut for the F-150 in 2010. It’s expected to have a 3.5-liter displacement and sources say it will be rated at more than 350 hp and 390 lbs.-feet of torque. Paired with the F-150’s new six-speed transmission, fuel economy ratings are expected to be better than 16/22 mpg city/highway.

Final displacement hasn’t been determined but the four-cylinder EcoBoost is expected to be around 2.5-liters with power ratings greater than 260 hp and 300 lbs.-feet of torque. It will likely be available only for the two-door Regular Cab F-150 4x2 and 4x4, where it would work best for light-duty commercial applications. The same engine is also expected as an option under the hood of the upcoming F-100.

via pickuptrucks 

Just minutes after the official photos of the 2009 BMW 3 Series Sedan and Wagon facelift were posted, some higher resolution photos were released to the media. If you would like to see the new 3 Sedan and Wagon in more detail, then click through the gallery.

Everything stays the same as we mentioned in the previous article, but it is worth pointing out that the many people believe the dual-clutch transmission will be available for the U.S based cars as well.

via bmwblog 

MOLSHEIM, France — Bugatti plans to publicly unveil its long-rumored Veyron Targa in mid-August at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, company sources confirmed to Inside Line, with production scheduled to begin in 2009.

IL reported early details on the Veyron Targa two years ago.

The Targa will get a removable hardtop, as well as an expandable fabric cover that clips into place. The chassis will be reinforced, and top speed will be limited to 217 mph.

Beginning next year, the Targa will be assembled in very small numbers alongside the existing Veyron coupe.

There is no official word yet on price or volume. But with the Veyron coupe now selling for upwards of $2 million, the Targa is expected to fetch a premium of at least $250,000 above that. Production is expected to be limited to no more than 75 or 80 units.

via edmunds 

There’s been a good deal of curiosity lately about when we might begin building our Prius Hybrid here in North America. Now we can satisfy that curiosity.

As part of a sweeping set of changes that reflect the state of the automobile business in the United States, Prius production will begin here in late 2010 at a brand-new plant currently under construction in Blue Springs, Mississippi. Prius thus will join the Kentucky-built Camry Hybrid as the second Toyota hybrid produced in North America. This important step will allow us to better respond to increased demand for hybrid vehicles.

Production of the Highlander midsize SUV, originally scheduled for the new Mississippi plant, will shift to our Princeton, Indiana plant. That change becomes effective Fall 2009.

With Highlander’s move to the Princeton plant, production of the Tundra will be consolidated at our San Antonio, Texas plant, effective Spring 2009.

Part of what’s driving these changes is the declining market for fullsize pickups and SUVs. Because of that declining market, Toyota is temporarily suspending Tundra and Sequoia production beginning August 8th. Production is scheduled to resume in November. Production of V8 engines at our Huntsville, Alabama plant also will be suspended.

Team members at all three facilities will be provided employment during this period.

These changes are intended as a way to minimize – for us, at least - the effects of the economic influenza that has swept through the ranks of the automotive industry, and to be sure that we have the right factories producing the right products

via blog.toyota

The 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 is not sold out after all.

The retro-looking muscle car can still be found through some Chrysler LLC dealers, including one in northern Macomb County that has 19 Challengers for sale. That's a surprising number considering the automaker has said the entire production run of the vehicle was sold even before the first ones rolled off the assembly line in May.

In truth, customer names were attached to the vast majority of the 6,400 limited-edition Challengers as they were built in Brampton, Ont., said Curtrise Garner, a Chrysler spokeswoman. But a quarter of the cars were set aside for dealer orders.

While only two hard-to-find Challengers were in the lot at Dick Huvaere's Richmond Chrysler Jeep Dodge on Wednesday, more are expected. The dealership didn't take any customer pre-orders.

General Manager Jim Simpson is hoping to create a little excitement by stocking his lot with the Hemi Orange, Silver Metallic and Brilliant Black Challengers.

An ad in The Macomb Dailythis week touted that the dealership had nine black, eight orange and two silver Hemi-powered coupes available for sale.

"People just love these cars," Simpson said. "I wish I had 50 of them."

So far, Simpson has sold just one, even after inviting about 20 interested customers to view the first Challenger to arrive. Along with the two on the lot now, four should arrive within days, and the remainder delivered later this month.

Despite several inquiries from customers, Simpson did not take preorders. In the past, as was the case with the Dodge Viper, preorders resulted in constant calls from anxious fans and cancellations when customers decided the vehicles weren't what they expected or cost more than they could afford.

The dealer is hoping to score a premium price on the rebirth of the 1970s classic. On its Web site, Huvaere priced the Challenger at $45,145, plus applicable taxes -- about $7,000 more than the manufacturer's suggested retail price set late last year. As independent businesses, dealers may charge more than the suggested price.

"We're negotiating each price with the individual customer," Simpson said. "We're not getting a huge amount over sticker."

In other parts of the country, Challengers are nearly impossible to find.

"There's not a dealer up and down the coast here that has a Challenger," said Jon Meyers, owner of Naples Dodge in Naples, Fla. He took pre-orders for just three days and sold all eight Challengers he was allotted before they hit his lot.

Van Dyke Dodge in Warren has two Challengers left. Owner Carl Galeana said he pre-sold 16 Challengers and ordered five more to be used as demo cars, as vehicles for politicians to ride in Fourth of July parades, and to draw attention to his store.

"I have just a couple left," he said "And I might need to buy one for myself."

You can reach Eric Morath at (313) 222-2504 or emorath@detnews.com.

via detnews 

The Corvette ZR1's Nürburgring lap time of 7:26.4 last month has indelibly cemented the fact that this is the fastest Corvette ever produced by General Motors. Driven by GM Development Engineer Jim Mero, the Corvette ZR1 ran a blistering lap with speeds approaching 180 mph on the 12.9 mile, 100 corner Nordschleife besting the previous fastest Corvette, a Z06 driven in 2005 by Jan Magnussen by nearly 17 seconds. The video of this historic run was released this afternoon by GM and can be viewed after the jump.

Despite the nearly flawless run by Melo, who felt afterwards that there were a few places he could have gone faster, many Corvette enthusiasts are wondering why GM didn't turn to its ranks of factory Corvette race drivers for the assault on the 'ring. Despite Corvette's Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter claim that "Nürburgring lap times were not an over-riding priority in the development of the ZR1", besting all other manufacturers on this track would have been the ultimate crown for Chevrolet's newest super car.

Juechter claims that the Corvette ZR1 used at Nürburgring is "exactly like the cars that will be built in Bowling Green." The tires were production Michelin Pilot Sport 2’s. Chassis alignment and vehicle height were set to factory specs. Likewise, the engine calibrations were absolutely stock, emissions compliant and the car ran on pump (not racing) fuel.

And unlike the Nissan GT-R V-Spec, whose much ballyhooed 7:25 run was unofficially timed by bystanders at the track, the Corvette ZR1 was electronically timed and confirmed by two hand-help stopwatches.

via corvetteblogge