Autoblog

Audi's five-door S3 and its Sportback sibling will now be able to benefit from the S tronic dual-clutch transmission. Mated to the 2.0-liter TSFI, you'll seamlessly shift from first all the way to sixth, with 265 hp on tap and 258 lb-ft. available from just 2,500 rpm. You'll also get even better gas mileage, with both cars registering 28 mpg, not to mention hitting sixty two-tenths of a second faster than would with a manual: 5.5 or 5.6 seconds depending on whether you're piloting the three- or five-door. The DCT is available now, and for better gas mileage, quicker shifts, and a quicker car... why wouldn't you?

It may be time to stop holding your breath. The planned deal between Chrysler LLC and the Chery Automobile Company to bring a Chrysler-badged Chery to our shores seems to be completely over... no, really this time. While there was nothing inherently wrong with the concept of importing the small fuel-efficient cars to North America (even if there were near insurmountable obstacles to overcome in the area of safety and emission standards), both companies have been crushed by the economy. According to a former Chery executive, "I wouldn't place much hope on it... both companies have their own problems to deal with, and both have run out of money." As neither company ever offered a public timetable for the arrival of the cars after the initial announcement early last year, the news is unlikely to come as a surprise.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Hermes has decided to continue its recent trend of modifying iconic cars and celebrating their birthdays. First it was the Bugatti Veyron Fbg by Hermes, followed by a special commemorative edition of the Citroen 2CV for its 60th anniversary. Now, Hermes has taken on the smart fortwo, issuing a special edition of the diminutive city car, which has now been on the market for a decade. As you'd expect, the Hermes fortwo sees its interior swathed in leather along with a special canvas called Toile H. These two unique textures cover everything from the seats to the car's tridion safety cell. On the inside, the Hermes signature orange is a nice color option, as are nine others including indigo, gold, lime and, uh, pink. High fashion never comes cheap, and the Hermes Smart is no exception coming in at $48,500 in U.S. dollars or 38,000 euros and on sale now in both hardtop and convertible versions. Hey, at least you get a standard umbrella. Thanks for the tip, JW!


[Source: Sybarites]

With all the news surrounding General Motors and Chrysler's slicing and dicing to profitability, it's a breath of fresh air to hear that Ford is taking a different tack. The Blue Oval is betting the farm on new models that will lure consumers into showrooms rather than reworking existing models and cutting back development spending.

Speaking with the Detroit News, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said, "We're only going to be in business if we create products that people really do want and value. This is the essence of creating a viable Ford."

Part of the automaker's plan is to invest in the development of small cars in the U.S. and to make those models as profitable as their European counterparts. The recently renegotiated contracts with the UAW should help, but offering the features U.S. consumers crave in a small, inexpensive packages could prove difficult. And new products are only part of the solution.

Ford plans to cut back on advertising spending, reduce salaried payroll by 10% and cut executive bonuses to net between $8-9 billion. All that, along with asset sales and working with Ford Credit, could bring things back into the black (hopefully) and more compelling products have to be part of the plan.


[Source: Detroit News]

Any guesses on what car Japanese jurors might pick as their Car of the Year? Guess again; and again. That's right, the Nissan GT-R only managed to snag enough votes to garner a bronze finish in Japanese COTY voting. Wondering what epically amazing machinery bested the mighty Godzilla? That would be the miniscule Toyota iQ. Once again, it is clear just how far the priorities for transportation have changed. Supercar levels of acceleration, on-board supercomputers and remarkable handling prowess just aren't enough to woo the top pick from judges in Japan. Not only was the iQ the top overall choice in a landslide victory, the Citroën C5 managed to garner enough votes to steal second place from the mighty GT-R.

Don't get us wrong, the Toyota with the funny name is a vehicle deserving of all the recognition it gets. A packaging miracle, the smarty-pants iQ manages to cram four real human beings inside a footprint that's pretty darn close to that of the smart fortwo, a car that seats just two people including the driver. These days, exceptional fuel economy, low emissions and intelligent packaging are apparently the way to a Japanese heart, and likely many from the rest of the world, as well. What do you think? Is the Toyota iQ the, ahem... smart person's COTY?


[Source: Inside Line]

Go figure. Nissan's playing the debut of the revised and now U.S.-bound Cube very, very close to the vest. We say this because there are photos of the new 370Z all over the place -- released by Nissan, no less. The Cube? Not so much. We posted leaked imagery, and were subsequently forced to pull them down, so we know they were accurate. (No worries, scraped copies of that post are all over the web. Click away.) Aside from that, the only other views of the redesigned Cube came courtesy of Tomica's new die-cast. So it was with excitement that we opened this new Cube teaser video released by Nissan (view after the jump), only to find that it shows absolutely nothing except the logo. We're waiting like everyone else for the car's debut next week at the LA Auto Show. In the interim, you can pass the time by reading our review of the current JDM model.



[Source: Nissan]

The world's largest automaker is looking to join Tata Motors and Renault's Dacia brand as purveyors of cheap new cars. Toyota has cultured a company model by building high-quality, reliable cars, and has gone upmarket with its Lexus brand to compete at the high end of the automotive spectrum. More recently, the automaker has attempted to target a younger crowd with its Scion subsidiary and now a fourth brand is being considered to cater to emerging markets wihtout sullying the Toyota's hard-fought image. The new car would be targeted at the Indian and Brazilian markets, and would likely be made at Toyota's plant in Bangalore. Toyota is rumored to be partnering up with Daihatsu, another subsidiary of Toyota, that specializes in Japanese Kei cars for the new inexpensive model. If it indeed does happen, expect the new vehicle to make its debut by 2015.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Less than 2 months ago the headline here was GM ramps up Cobalt production to meet demand. It's amazing how quickly things change in this crazy environment. Just months after adding a third shift at the Lordstown, OH assembly plant where the Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G5 are built, on Friday GM gave 1,100 employees at the facility layoff notices. The company isn't getting rid of the third shift but, it is slowing the build rate in line with current sales demand. Earlier this summer, GM was selling Cobalts as fast as they could build them and now all of a sudden, those sales have dried up. The spike was triggered by $4 gasoline, and even though gas prices have dropped to half that level, you might not expect sales to fall so fast. The real problem is the lack of available credit for financing. Most of the inherent customer base for cars like the Cobalt simply can't afford to pay cash for a new car. With credit increasingly hard to get, car sales have crashed almost across the board in October. Even the Honda Civic that sold 53,000 copies in May got just under 19,800 in October. Expect to hear more about slowdowns at other carmakers, including mighty Toyota and Honda, very soon.

[Source: Vindy.com]

Cheap, efficient transportation is highly desirable right now, and Nissan has stepped and delivered a super base Versa that will run you under 10 large. But what do you get for that rock-bottom MSRP? Well, you still get four wheels, four doors and six airbags, but things get thin from there. Nissan started with a one-two punch of crank windows and no air conditioning, making the economical sedan a bad choice south of the Mason Dixon line. A five-speed manual is standard fare, with automated cogs available for $1,000. Our friends over at Kicking Tires note that you also have to add A/C to the option box to get that slush box, and that'll run you a second $1,000. Nissan also saves coin by using cheap black plastic for the side mirrors and door handles, and the wheels have shrunk to 14 inches. Wait, where's the radio? Oh, there isn't one, at least not as standard equipment. Nissan provides the speakers and the wiring, but an aftermarket setup is required to hear anything other than road noise. Out the door pricing for a Versa with A/C and an automatic transmission will cost you at least $12,935 with destination. So much for being the cheapest car in the U.S.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

In Fall of 2007, Volkswagen unveiled a series of three mini car concepts called the up!, Space up! and Space up! Blue. Apparently the German automaker has determined that the tiny "four seat" up! just isn't small enough and is planning an even smaller machine to take on the Smart ForTwo directly. The goal is to create a two-seater that can achieve a fuel consumption rating of 2 L/100 km or 117.6 mpg! According to Auto Motor und Sport, the smaller car will be based on the up! architecture with power coming from a 1.0L three-cylinder diesel making 50 hp. VW has been testing a two-cylinder engine, but is unlikely to go that route. A twin would have to work too hard to provide any mileage benefit, so the slightly larger engine is likely to find a home in the new car. The first of the up! models are expected to debut in 2010 with larger models, and now smaller ones, to follow. Thanks to Christian for the tip!


[Source: Auto Motor und Sport via German Car Blog]