Since we discussed the North American rollout of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, why not throw into the mix a special edition of the Cruze that will be coming out soon in Europe? Sure, you could say that it doesn’t apply to [...]
Since we discussed the North American rollout of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, why not throw into the mix a special edition of the Cruze that will be coming out soon in Europe? Sure, you could say that it doesn’t apply to [...]
The new Chevrolet Camaro, Take Two.
When I was in possession of my first 2010 Camaro 2LT RS back in June, I was one of the first people to be behind the wheel of General Motors’ new muscle car [...]
According to reports coming out after the Los Angeles Auto Show, it seems that Volkswagen will be bringing both a diesel version of the new, new Beetle (which will replace the soon to be old, new Beetle) and they will also [...]
Popular Ferrari tuner Novitec Rosso, as expected, just got their hands on the new Ferrari California. They’ve applied their usual touches to it, focusing on both style and performance, though the changes to the California are a bit more [...]
Ah yes, yet another ultra-rare, ultra-expensive exotic wrecked. This time it’s a Pagani Zonda F, of which only 25 were ever made. None of those came to the States since it wouldn’t be street legal (damn EPA.)
The Pagani Zonda [...]
General Motors did the North American unveiling of its new (for America) Chevy Cruze. The General says that the Cruze is a “Popular global car refined for America”. Whether that flies with the U.S. car buying public remains to be seen, but [...]
If you’ve been reading this blog for any time, you know we’re not huge fans of the four-door Aston Martin Rapide. Nevertheless, it does have its customers, so we need to cover it like any other car.
Due out early Q2 [...]
Hm, sure doesn’t look like a Hyundai, now does it? Then again, just what is a Hyundai “supposed” to look like? I guess that’s sort of the point. Now that “cheap Japanese cars” have forever moved up market, someone has to take [...]
In Hyundai’s next step to rid themselves of their boring image, they’ve unveiled a completely redone Tucson crossover SUV for 2010 at the LA Auto Show. The new Tucson CUV was designed entirely at Hyundai’s European design center in Frankfurt, [...]
Gah! Did I read that right? 555 hp and 320 km/h top speed? From a Sedan? Son of a … man, that pretty quick for something with four doors that weighs as much as a Mercedes. Since this is from Brabus, [...]
Following the debut of the new (for the States) Mazda2 compact car, Mazda shows us a few customized versions of the 2.
The first concept they call “Mazda 2Evil Special Concept.” It’s the gray one in the back and features a modified [...]
Kia’s new Forte sedan and coupe compacts are a big step forward for the Korean brand. Kia has always been seen as a bargain-basement type brand, with cheap, decent cars that never really stood up to the big players like [...]
Toyota made their North American debut for the 2010 Prius Plugin Hybrid Vehicle (PHV) today at the 2009 LA Auto Show. There have been a lot of people waiting for this car, proven by the numerous aftermarket kits made [...]
Cadillac, the standard of the world. That used to be their company slogan, back before the Second World War, and they meant it, and could rightly say it. And you could say with pretty accuracy that since the end of the second [...]
Ah yes, another installation in Scion’s Release Series line. As you may know, the RS line is a variation on Scion’s regular line-up. Each model has a RS variant come out every year with a limited amount [...]
See, I TOLD you it cold be done. I’ve been waiting for some tuning outfit or another to have a go at building up a high performance diesel, and ABT, a group that usually does high horsepower Audis, just got their hands [...]
Well, I guess we know just how far out you can take Fiat’s modernized 500 mini car. And Italian tuner outfit by the name of Romeo Ferraris has made a track special version of the little guy that puts out 360 [...]
With competitors out there like the excellent 2010 Chevy Camaro and Nissan 370Z, you’d think Ford would be as competitive as possible with the ultra-popular Mustang. The Chevy Camaro’s 3.6-liter V6 engine, for example, produces 304 horsepower, while [...]
ENCO Exclusive is a relatively unheard-of exotic car tuner, but the young German outfit just made one hell of an impression with their newest creation. The donor car - a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 - received a serious overhaul [...]
Ford’s modern recreation of their GT40 racer from the 1960s might have finished its production run, but the tuners sure aren’t through with it. Geiger, a German tuning firm has given the race car for the road a once over. Not [...]
Uh-oh, the Euros are messing with our Corvettes. Seems there’s a tuning outfit in Germany (fancy that!) that goes by the name of LOMA-Performance, and they’ve taken a crack at that most American of cars (no, not the minivan), the Corvette, and [...]
The Need for Speed team has always put out great arcade-style racers for all main platforms, my favorite being Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 on PS2. After that game, they started NFS Underground which focuses on the late-night import-tuner Fast & [...]
Drum roll please: The NEW BMW 5 Series for 2010. Ta-dah! I’ve noticed of late, that when it comes to German manufactures, it’s their mid range cars that get all the focus. Oh sure, they hold up the S-Class or the 7 [...]
GM just announced that Koenigsegg backed out of their deal to purchase Saab. Not much information about it was given, and there is no word from Koenigsegg regarding why they decided not to purchase the GM subsidiary.
GM President and CEO, Fritz [...]
Here at Automoblog.net, we are all car enthusiasts. We like driving fast, sometimes too fast, sliding around, and generally having fun in our sports cars. We write a lot about fast cars and their various high-speed abilities, but rarely talk [...]
There’s a lot to be excited about in the new Mercedes E500. The same excellent quality that we have come to expect from Mercedes has been coupled with a well-designed and good looking interior delivering a faultless finish.
As far as [...]
See, it’s not all bad news about bailing out Chrysler. Here’s a good example: we get goodies like the Alfa Romeo 169 sedan. There’s a lot to like here, if you’ve got a penchant for Italian cars. Now I’m not a [...]
Next week, Infiniti is holding an event in Beverly Hills, CA to unveil the 2011 M sedan and talk about the new technology going into it and other upcoming Infiniti models. The event will broadcast live from Infiniti’s Facebook [...]
Oops, looks like the December 2009 delivery date for the Aptera 3-wheeler just got pushed back into 2010. The Aptera has been a highly anticipated car from the green set, and this delaying move is bound to make some people nervous. [...]
Lexus is no stranger to hybrids. Their GS and LS sedans, as well as the RX SUV come in hybrid variants. Problem is, the least expensive Lexus Hybrid sedan sets you back around $67,000, and the few other luxo-hybrids [...]
File this under “It’s about frickin’ time!”, but it looks like BMW is finally bringing some of their diesel engines over to The New World. This is something that the Bavarians have long implied but, BMW has finally revealed that four-cylinder [...]
See that cop car in the picture? You better memorize the way it looks, because that’s the brand-new Ford police interceptor for 2010, and if you’re like most gearheads out there, that’s the car that will be keeping its beady little eyes [...]
Mazda is set to unveil an all-new subcompact for the North American market at the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show next month. Following the same naming convention as most other Mazdas, the new compact will be called the Mazda2.
The Mazda2, otherwise known [...]
So, not only is the Buick Regal nameplate returning to the American market after a long absence, but there are growing rumors that Buick will be bringing back a 325 Horsepower GS version of the Regal. Great news to me. The Grand [...]
If you ask me, Alfa can’t get back into the North American market quick enough. Why? Well check out this car here. THis would be a Prodrive modified version of Alfa Romeo’s stunning Brera S 3.2 that has the added benefit [...]
Since yesterday’s Ford street rod was so well received, I think it’s time to give Chevy their due. The General Motors division, in addition to bringing along a raft of custom Camaros to this year’s SEMA show, also produced along a [...]
Dropping a new mill into and old car has been going on since the new models first started rolling out more than a hundred years ago. Shoot, that’s what made the hot rod craze what it is when it started back [...]
Looks like the on again/off again sale of General Motor’s long held Euro-brand Opel is now definitely off, and The General will not be selling the company off to Magna. What makes this really odd is that the deal was nearly [...]
The Leaf, Nissan’s big jump into the pure electric vehicle world (a la Tesla, Fisker et al) will not only becoming to America, but also looks to be headed south of the border as well. OK. Not all of Mexico, but at [...]
Once upon a time, there was an Auto Journalist named Chris. Chris went for a walk to the local car dealer. Pretty soon, he came upon three sports cars in the dealership and decided to take a look.
Chris really liked [...]
The Jetta TDI Cup “street version looks to be finally heading to dealers. This, a sporting version of economical cars, is something I’ve long been a proponent of. And in Volkswagen’s case this looks to be a car that’s both fun, and [...]
For the European market only comes a highly modified version of BMW’s excellent M3 Coupe. Meant for Clubsport events, the new M3 GTS Coupe has significant changes included that many owners would likely do themselves if they planned on attending [...]
Here’s something unexpected: Porsche will be showing something called the Boxster Spyder at the upcoming Los Angeles Auto Show. Not only does the car look interesting, and what Porsche has said about it continues that interest, but also it is said to [...]
Ford has been doing a lot of factory approved drag racing recently. They’ve been selling lots of “for the strip only” cars, and now it looks like veteran Ford guy, and NASCAR super-team owner Jack Roush is getting into the act, [...]
Looks like Reeves Callaway is still around, just ask Rick Hendrick. Yes, that would be the same Callaway that made factory authorized twin turbo Vettes back in the late 80s. And then started making his own Vette based [...]
Elizabeth James had to drive into the river to stop her Toyota Prius
I knew this day would come. The movies warned us, and we didn’t listen. The robots have developed a mind of their own and are targeting [...]
Lamborghini and Tag Heuer teamed up for a new limited edition luxury cell phone. With a design based on the strikingly sexy Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640, the MERIDIIST looks about as cool as a cell phone can look. Only [...]
Although Porsche has seen its share of trouble recently, from the back and forth, who’s going to own who take over bids with Volkswagen (VW won that round) to the critical panning of the Panamera, that doesn’t mean Porsche isn’t forging ahead.
As [...]
Remember when Fiat bought into Chrysler, and there was all that speculation about which models, if an, Fiat would be bringing over to America. More than a few people, me included, were hoping that Fiat would bring in their new 500. A [...]
The 2009 Toyota Venza is quite an interesting vehicle. According to Toyota’s comparison website, the Venza’s main competitors are the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord, but the Venza is obviously no mid-size sedan. It looks more like a small [...]
German body shop custom builder and highly recognized nameplate Karmann has been having a rough time of it lately. Really rough, as a matter of fact. Last I was reading, it looked like Karmann was going down for good. Now comes word [...]
Sad news today out of England that Graham Nearn, the man most responsible for keeping the Lotus 7 flame burning bright has passed away. Nearn, who was 76, started out as a “dealer” for the immortal 7 back when they first hit [...]
On the last season of Top Gear, F1 Champ Michael Schumacher took the top of the list on the Top Gear lap times, completing the track with his personal Ferrari FXX in 1 minute, 10.7 seconds - nearly seven seconds faster [...]
OK all you Civic fan boys with large checkbooks and connections to the home market, get your browsers ready, because there’s going to be a whole lot of JDM parts for you to order up. At this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, Honda [...]
The Honda CR-Z might just turn out to be the darling of this year’s Tokyo Motor Show (apart from the Lexus LF-A, that is). Sort of a spiritual successor to the CRX of years past, the CR-Z promises to be light [...]
Ah, the Nissan GT-R, much beloved by the … well, pretty much everybody but cops and insurance agents I’d guess. To hear some guys tell it, the Nissan GT-R is about as perfect as a car can get; fast, techy and [...]
To celebrate the milestone of 100 million copies of Need for Speed sold over the last 16 years, the team is giving anyone a 25% coupon code for any Need for Speed title, including the new and excellent NFS: Shift and NFS [...]
To launch the all-new 2010 GTI, VW teamed up with Firemint, the creators of the excellent iPhone racing game Real Racing to produce a free game based off of Real Racing, but with the 2010 GTI the only drivable car. The [...]
Audi finds itself in a bit of a bind when it comes to available products to sell, versus market perceptions here in the U.S. They make a great range of cars, from large to small, but they’re not perceived as a small [...]
Normally, station wagons don’t do much for me. But station wagons that are tricked out by STI (Subaru’s skunk works/racing arm/rally parts bin) and trimmed out in WRC blue … OK, I might be interested, sure. Anyway, the wagon you see [...]
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know the Koenigsegg CCX is my all-time favorite car, above anything else. I nearly cried when I saw the picture above.
A dealer in New York decided it would be a good [...]
Ah yes, the day is finally here. For years now we’ve hearing about the ultimate Lexus supercar, dubbed the LFA. We saw the LF-A concept car at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, and have been hearing about rumors ever since.
But [...]
Here’s an interesting turn of events. It looks like congress has decided to allow DOE transportation funding to go to three-wheel “cars”. In the past, DOE cash could only go to cars, which, to the government, have four wheels. If you have [...]
Kia recently unveiled details about their latest sedan, the Cadenza. This entry-level luxury sedan is based on the Hyundai Azera, and will be replacing the aged Kia Amanti. You can see from the pictures that the Cadenza is carrying over some [...]
To pay homage to the Ferrari F430, German tuners Novitec Rosso took a 430 Scuderia and made it into quite a beast. The Ferrari 430 Scuderia, with its 510 horsepower V8, was no slouch in stock form. Novitec, however, [...]
Even in times as financially bleak as these, Ford seems to be moving from strength to strength, at least on the product front. They are able to stand on their own, financially speaking, and have not been propped up by the government, [...]
David Richert in Volkswagen Factory in Dresden, Germany
A race car driver’s perspective…
Over the last few years I have had the opportunity to experience things which many can only dream of doing. Though the path has been filled with many [...]
There was a farce comedy movie back in the 60s called “The Great Race”. It starred Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, Peter Falk, Keenan Wynn, just about anybody who was farcical comedies back then. It was a fake movie, more or [...]
When Audi rolled out the stunning e-Tron recently at the Frankfurt Auto Show, very few thought that it would see the light of production. Nor did most people realize that the e-Tron’s underpinnings would be based on a completely unknown Audi sportscar. [...]
So, Lamborghini has just announced a new “Retail Finance Plan” of low-interest loans for the 2009 and 2010 Murcielago LP640 Coupe and Roadster, their most exclusive vehicles on the market. Lambo is partnering with Woodside Credit and Volkswagen Credit Inc. to provide [...]
The luxury crossover section has been a booming market since 1998 when vehicles like the Lexus RX and Mercedes ML sprang onto the automotive market. Since then, everyone from Europe, Asia and even here in America have been trying to take over [...]
Strange rumors in these strange days: Subaru is considering the return of the SVX. The SVX, although weird, was the upmarket replacement for Subaru’s XT, a car that looked like something George Jetson would have driven (had he needed a car). Although [...]
German tuners Manhart Racing got tired of BMW not offering the M3 as a Touring model (wagon,) so they decided to create one themselves. They took the standard 3-series wagon (not available in the States,) and added their own [...]
The Apple iPhone, by design, is meant to be an all-in-one device, but who would have guessed it would be capable of doing some of the things it can? A few months ago we reviewed Rev for iPhone, which [...]
Aston Martin and Hackett London are holding a contest to win a free half-day of driving and instruction from Aston Martin’s trained instructors. Winning will allow you to spend a day at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedford, England outside of [...]
Yes, yes, I know: Austere times, not enough money to go around all that, but really GM, I think it’s possible to have a little bit of fun, even in 2009. Not that the original Buick GNX was a little fun. It [...]
Here’s an ugly thing to wake up to: There’s rumors that Porsche is going to make a convertible version of their Panamera four-door. The Panamera has gotten its fair share of beatings in the press, and most of the time, I’ve been [...]
Put this story in the “Strange Bedfellows” department, but word has it that a resurrected DeLorean Motor Company is considering keeping the Pontiac Solstice alive and bringing it back to market by 2011. No, seriously. I’m not sure if this is either [...]
So, Audi rolled out the pretty damn impressive e-Tron at Frankfurt this year. They had been rumored to be working on some sort of EV for a while, but nobody expected them to show what is, essentially, an electric powered version of [...]
With the big three auto manufacturers producing new “retro” versions of old enthusiast cars (Mustang, Camaro, Challenger,) it’s easy to overlook who seemingly started this trend. Although it’s far from a muscle car, Toyota developed the FJ Cruiser in [...]
So out comes this new study that shows (or purports to show) who, by type of job, are the drivers most likely to stack it up. Short answer: Computer engineers. Now, I can’t speak for ALL of them, but are they [...]
It has been said that Porsche really only made one car, at least they made a good one. The 911 is it. Sure, the 944 was impressive, and a lot of the more vintage rides, like the 550 Spyders, sure are [...]
Looks like McLaren is pretty serious with its new, in house, MP4-12C sportscar. Announced scant weeks ago, the McLaren MP4-12C is the grand prix teams second entry into building road cars that people like you and I could buy if we [...]
Here’s some numbers that will warm the heart of almost any gearhead out there: 270HP and Four-Wheel drive. That’s what the new Golf R from Volkswagen is cranking and how it’s putting that power to the ground. That translates into the fastest [...]
The Lexus LF-Ch Compact Hybrid is an odd little car. Or, to be more exact, it’s odd that Toyota would badge a car like this as a Lexus. The hybrid part makes sense, but making a small hatchback as a Lexus, even [...]
Long rumored, the new “Gullwing” is finally here. Officially dubbed the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, the ‘Gullwing’ name still fits. It has those doors that have been copied by every wanna-be tuner as well as folks like Briklin and DeLorean. And since [...]
With the iPhone’s accelerometer controls at their disposal, developers have been making all sorts of racing games for the platform. The ability to simply tilt your iPhone right and left to steer is an incredibly useful feature, and game [...]
Here’s something that has been a long time coming, even if it is only a prototype/design study from a German Technical college. Rolled out at this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show, the E-Wolf e1 is an all electric formula style racer that [...]
When Toyota Motor Company introduced Scion to the American car scene in 2004, it had one goal in mind: Sell inexpensive, yet funky cars to the young Generation Y driver as a way to develop their loyalty to the brand. There was the [...]
It looks like one of consequences of VW buying Porsche is that the controversial Porsche Panamera is likely to become some sort of permium, high end VW product. If not ending up a VW, the four-door coupe’s platform might end up with [...]
With nearly every manufacturer offering at least one mid-size sedan, buyers have more choices than ever to haul a family from A to B with varying levels of cost. Some are luxurious and comfortable, while others are sporty, and [...]
If you know even just a little bit about off-roading, or, for that matter, hauling loads over anything but pool table smooth roads, the news that GM will not be making unibody pickups will be greeted with a sigh of relief. [...]
Here is yet another hot Alfa to covet: The MiTo Quadrifoglio Verde with 170HP 1.4-liter turbo engine. This is Alfa’s answer and a half to BMW’s Mini Cooper, think of it as being sort of bigger than a Fiat 500, yet [...]
It looks like Mercedes Benz is really going ahead with its plans to have hybrids and eco-friendly cars across its entire product range. And here’s a prime example of that: the Mercedes S500 Vision Plug-in Hybrid. Yup, that would be a [...]
Dunno, maybe I’m jus going soft in the head, too many exhaust fumes or something, but the idea of AMG dumping the majority of its parts catalogue into a wagon strikes me as a great, if somewhat insane, idea. Wagons are so [...]
Now that small crossovers have become the best selling SUVs, GM seems to be in a difficult position. They’ve always excelled at producing big, heavy trucks and SUVs, but the Japanese automakers like Toyota and Honda are where it’s at [...]
VW showed their L1 Concept at Frankfurt this year. It’s an updating of a similar design from a few years back. Essentially it’s a 1+1 diesel powered city car-esque design study that will get the greenies all up in a fine lather [...]
So much electric cars being over glorified go-karts. There were rumors flying all over the place before this years Frankfurt show that Audi was up to something. Audi had a micro-site up about ‘the future being electric’ and the [...]
The Lamborghini Reventón hit with a considerable splash when in debuted in 2007. Once the show goers from the ‘07 Frankfurt show caught their collective breath, the next thing on their minds was ‘when do we get the convertible version’? [...]
Miss out on your chance to pick up a Ferrari FXX? German tuning firm Edo Competition’s got your back. It may not be identical to the FXX, but it’s clearly what they’re going for in their latest iteration of [...]
Tony Borroz, Chris Burdick, Nicholas Borgia, Guest
