CarsDampers and tuning

Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Wagons/Estates, Government/Legal, Green

Now that Toyota has sold so many Priuses that the popular hybrid no longer qhalifies for federal tax credits, and they are essentially sold out until the new generation cars show up next year, people might be wondering where to go for a high mileage vehicle. Volkswagen’s new 50-state legal Jetta TDI is going on sale around about Labor day and our good friends at the IRS have decreed that people who purchase one will be able to get a check back from the feds for $1,300. The clean diesel Jetta qualifies under the Advanced Lean Burn Technology Motor Vehicle income tax credit. That would bring the price premium for the diesel to only $700 over a comparable Jetta with a gas engine. The EPA has rated the Jetta at 29/40mpg city highway with a 6-speed DSG gearbox. Real world numbers are likely to be closer to the low 40s for most drivers, but we’ll be finding out for ourselves soon. At the first drive of Mercedes new BlueTec diesels last month, company officials expressed hope that those vehicles would also qualify for the credit. Thanks for the tip, Conner!

[Source: VWvortex]

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Filed under: Government/Legal, BMW

Earlier this year, the Bush administration surprised a lot of green activists by actually surpassing the already challenging CAFE standards for 2011-2015. While automakers like Toyota, Ford, and GM are quietly going about the business of hitting those targets, BMW is speaking up and saying that the targets are unattainable. The German automaker has asked the Bush administration for an alternative plan that helps out the hardest hit automakers, and the new rules are a punch to the gut for the Bavarian Motor crew.

While the corporate average for cars and trucks is 35.7 mpg and 28.6 mpg by 2015, BMW has to hit 37.7 mpg and 31.7 mpg, respectively. The reason for the disparity is the sliding scale the government used to account for differences in size in each automaker’s lineup. Since BMW doesn’t sell pickup trucks and it has plenty of small and midsize offerings, BMW has to hit higher fuel economy standards. What the CAFE numbers don’t take into account is the fact that all BMWs are RWD, and there isn’t a four cylinder engine to be found (in the U.S., yet). The Bush administration says its final fuel economy numbers will become public by the end of the year, and if companies like BMW don’t get special dispensations, look for there to be smaller engines on the horizion, or bigger fines.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

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Filed under: Convertibles, BMW, UK

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 BMW M3 convertible.

To signal the beginning of sales of the M3 convertible in the UK, BMW decided to release two-dozen more photos of its drop-top super coupe, and that’s enough of a reason for us to include them in a gallery with its white counterpart. Everything remains the same, including the choice of either a six-speed manual or six-speed DCT gearbox, all without that pesky roof to keep you from enjoying the 420 hp, 4.0-liter V8 when you’re sending it up into its 8.400-rpm redline.

BMW’s UK press release is posted after the jump.

Continue reading Pics Aplenty: BMW M3 Convertible

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Filed under: Hirings/Firings, Suzuki, Earnings/Financials

Suzuki’s sales in the United States have been at historically high levels the last two years. Both 2006 and 2007 saw American Suzuki Motor Corporation move more than 100,000 units - a big feat for a little brand in the U.S during these tough economic times. Despite that seemingly good news, Rick Suzuki, president of ASMC, has called the performance dismal and is stepping down in an act of seppuku. The record performance is looked upon so unfavorably because it falls far short of goals laid out by Suzuki in 2003 as part of a five-year plan to eventually sell 200,000 automobiles. Financially, ASMC is taking losses, so Suzuki has put into place a buyout plan that is expected to aid in trimming 55 jobs out of its 674-strong U.S. workforce. Employees who do stay on can expect no bonus or raise this year.

Perhaps Suzuki was caught up in irrational exuberance back in 2003 and set some overly-ambitious targets. Its automotive product line has a certain appeal, and the unveiling of the Kizashi 3 at the New York Auto Show has us excited for what’s soon to come from Suzuki. Here’s hoping the brand doesn’t go the way of Isuzu in the U.S.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req’d]

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Filed under: Sports/GTs, Videos, Nissan, Driving

Click above for high-res live gallery of the new GT-R in the wild

Right after we posted our first impressions of the new Nissan GT-R last night, we were contacted by our friends at SpeedAndMotion.com who told us that they had shot some high-def video of the car, too. There is footage of the car during a quick sprint down the road and a good bit of time spent scanning the car’s many interesting details, inside and out. The bottom video also shows a bit of crowd reaction to this all-new GT-R, just for fun. Follow the link to see the car in motion and hear some of the features explained by one of the guys who brought the car to the States for promotional purposes.

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Filed under: Motorsports, Motorcycles

Click above for more shots of the Roland Sands 450 Super Single

Amateur motorcycle racers are about to get a low-cost and highly competitive new class to consider using race-spec motorcycles built from 450cc motocross bikes. In past years, the 250cc 2-stroke was the most desirable and fastest off-road bike to have, but recently the class has been overtaken by 450cc 4-stroke machines, which are reliable, lightweight and extremely fast. It turns out that they also make an excellent foundation for a road-racer, and Roland Sands, past AMA 250GP champion himself, is ready to begin selling 450 Super Single bikes to kick-off the new racing class specifically designed for these $15,000 bikes. Sands’ bike is based on Yamaha’s WR450F, but kits are expected to be available for the Honda CRF450X and Kawasaki KX450F. What’s more, manufacturers such as KTM, Suzuki, Husqvarna, Husaberg and even ATK also offer similar machines that could likely also be used for this racing class. This is truly exciting, and if the racing class proves successful, a slew of street-legal bikes could be introduced using the same set of components. Win on Sunday, ride to work on Monday… has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say?

[Source: Roland Sands Design]

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Filed under: Car Buying, Government/Legal, BMW, Mercedes Benz

Due to a slumping greenback, the Canadian Loonie and the U.S. dollar are worth roughly the same amount, but the price of most new cars in Canada haven’t made the adjustment. Two leasing companies are suing the Canadian government, BMW Canada Inc., Mercedes-Benz Canada Inc. and Mercedes-Benz USA LLC for a cool billion dollars, but not because of the uncompetitive pricing in the United Province.

The leasing companies have filed suit because strict import rules are preventing the companies from buying cars in the U.S. and selling them in Canada. The many fees, procedures and restrictions allegedly resulted in a 20-30% increase in the sale of more expensive Canuk cars. One example is a $350 admissibility charge to import a Bimmer, and a far more ridiculous $500 fee will be levied for bringing over a BMW that has received a recall repair in the States. The leasing companies allege the all those fees and fines enable BMW and Mercedes to sell vehicles that cost between 20% and 35% more than similar US models.

Rather than these two leasing companies, it seems like customers in Canada are the ones who are losing out the most with high vehicle prices. At least the Canadians still have plenty of other cars and trucks that they can import from the U.S.

[Source: Report On Business via Winding Road]

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Ferrari

Our friends over at Carscoop have managed to - you guessed it - scoop another car. This spy shot was taken by a reader visiting Maranello and reveals a Ferrari test mule under heavy camouflage. The most intriguing element are the headlights, usually the first part disguised on a developmental test vehicle going out into the public domain, that bare a striking resemblance to those of the iconic Ferrari 365 GTB/4, better known as the Daytona.

The car was first spotted running laps around Ferrari’s private Fiorano test track and then again on the road. The tester closely resembles the one we brought you earlier this month, and judging by the short wheelbase, front-engine layout and heavily bolstered roof, we’d have to assume this is the upcoming “entry-level” model, known tentatively as the GT California, whose existence Ferrari has been denying up and down for years.

[Source: Carscoop]

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Filed under: Videos, Celebrities

Click above to view Iron Man official trailer

We get very fidgetity if there’s not an auto-related movie, TV show or spoken word poetry slam album to talk about here on Autoblog. So while the upcoming superhero flick Iron Man does not have a plot that revolves around our four-wheeled friends, it certainly does feature a good number of them and the movie enjoys some nice Audi R8 product placement, as well. The official trailer for Iron Man has just been released; it’s the one you’ll be seeing in theaters while waiting for Spiderwick Chronicles to start. The story focuses on Robert Downey, Jr.’s character Tony Stark, the multi-billionaire weapons contractor for the U.S. government who builds an exo-skeleton out of iron and opens a few cans of Grade A whoop ass on the baddies. He chooses to paint the iron suit in the appropriate hue of Hot Rod Red, though a Shelby Cobra gets destroyed in the prototype testing process. See? Plenty of car stuff there to talk about, so expect another eight posts on Iron Man before midnight.

[Source: IGN via Jalopnik]

Continue reading VIDEO: Cartastic Iron Man movie trailer now online

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Filed under: Garage, Hybrids/Alternative, Sedans/Saloons, Green, Lexus

Click the image for the full LS600h L review at AutoblogGreen

Sam Abuelsamid recently spent a week behind the wheel of the very expensive, very luxurious Lexus LS600h L. The über-Lexus has the V12 offerings from Audi, Mercedes, and BMW in its sights — lofty targets, to be sure, but based on Sam’s account, the big hybrid might well have a missile lock on its competition this time around. Follow the jump for a video review of Lexus’ mega-cruiser, and head over to AutoblogGreen for Sam’s detailed rundown. If you thought the “hybrid penalty” on mass-market hybrids like the Prius or Altima was a tough financial pill to swallow, you’re going to need the Heimlich maneuver performed once you look at how the LS600h’s numbers work out.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]

Continue reading VIDEO: AutoblogGreen reviews the Lexus LS600h L

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