Autoblog

Nanjing is still hanging IV bags on the battered carcass of MG, and there's a new hatchback model coming for 2010 that the automaker hopes will breathe new life into the the brand. Based on SAIC's Roewe 550, the new hatchback is about the size of a Euro Focus, and will reportedly be built at the historical MG home of Longbridge, in the UK. The car looks a little flashier than the Roewe version, and engineers from Ricardo are lending development expertise to make sure the suspension settings are all that they should be. Inside, there's a BMW-esque instrument panel, and underhood will be a 1.8-liter four cylinder, either naturally aspirated or turbocharged. With the flurry of new activity at MG -- there's the MG TF and ZS, as well as more models coming soon -- color may be returning to the cheeks of a brand once thought as good as dead.

[Source: Auto Express]

Ferrari's 056 V8 was good enough to propel the Scuderia to the constructors' title this past season, and good enough to bring erstwhile back-markers Toro Rosso to a solid 6th place by season's end. But it wasn't enough to take Force India F1 – the latest incarnation of Jordan Grand Prix – out from the back of the field all season. Notwithstanding the unfortunate incident that saw Ferrari's own Kimi Raikkonen take Force India's Adrian Sutil out from 4th place at the Monaco Grand Prix with only ten minutes to go, Force India didn't manage a top 10 finish all season, earning a grand total of 0 championship points. So rather than stick with Ferrari, Vijay Mallya – the team's owner, chairman, director and main sponsor – has canceled the remaining year left in his contract with Ferrari and defected to McLaren-Mercedes instead.

The new deal, which was widely anticipated, will see Force India using engines, transmissions, hydraulics, Kinetic Energy Recovery System and a variety of other parts from McLaren Applied Technologies and Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines. The collaboration means McLaren-Mercedes will provide pretty much everything but the chassis, which Force India will have to design itself using its new computational fluid dynamics facility.

This new deal with McLaren tips the balance: whereas Ferrari was supplying an unprecedented two teams with engines this past season and McLaren none, in the coming season each will supply another team, while Toyota continues to supply Williams and Renault to Red Bull, leaving Honda (since the demise of Super Aguri) and BMW as the only engine suppliers not supporting b-squads.

[Source: Force India Formula One Team, Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty]

Click above to view the Brabham BT 92 in high resolution

It's hard to make a BMW M3 any more bad-ass than it already is. Fortunately Brabham Racing is up to the task, as you can see from the image above.

If the name sounds familiar, it could be because it's one of the best known names in racing. Or at least it was. Founded in 1960 by legendary Australian F1 driver Jack Brabham, the racing constructor went bust from financial liabilities in 1992, but not before winning the F1 drivers' title four times and the constructors' crown twice with such noted drivers as Dan Gurney, both Damon and Graham Hill, Niki Lauda and Nelson Piquet. Brabham's own 1966 title remains the only championship won in a car bearing its driver's name. Now after a nearly 16-year hiatus, Brabham is back, and it's starting out by modifying BMWs.

Brabham will be offering modded Bimmers for road and track, and will be showcasing a trio of street-legal Bavarian monsters at the upcoming Essen Motor Show in Germany. They will include the M5-based BT 60, the X6-based BT 70 and the M3-based BT 92 you see above. Little else is known at this point, but you can bet we'll be keeping our eyes peeled. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Brabham]

Renault plans to make a splash at the 2012 Olympics in London where the automaker will have a trio of electric vehicles on display and in action at the games. The first EV from the French automaker will be an electrified Kangoo MPV that will shuttle both Olympians and spectators from event to event. Renault's second planned EV will be based on the Megane sedan and will be featured as part of the automaker's Project Better Place rollout in Israel. Lastly, a small city car that seats five occupants is planned on a brand new platform that's not shared with any other models.

Electric vehicle charging is one current (ha ha) sticking point that needs to be addressed before we're driving with electrons, and Renault has plans on that front as well. Quick charging stations would be set up in and around the London area for the car's rollout and these could be replicated anywhere EVs are planned. Alternatively, special stations could be created that are equipped to swap out a vehicle's battery in just five minutes, providing at least 100 miles of range. Each EV would have a standard GPS navigation system with every charging or swapping station pre-programmed. Of course, the cars could also easily be charged at night from a normal power outlet.


[Source: Autocar]

No, no, NO! The transfer of styling cues from one Focus to another seems to have its polarity reversed. Apparently, we haven't been clear enough when clamoring for Ford's Euro models, as this image of the new Euro Focus certainly looks like it's cribbed some of the weird from the North American car. Check the hood, and its indented midsection -- way to make the grille look like a demented smiley face. That strake down the flanks, while better executed here, reminds us of the very same line on our extra ripe (and still good!) Focus. Huge headlamps with a post-plastic-surgery look further offend the eyes, but we hope that this rendering is a bit off the mark, and the real Focus is a little sharper.

Things aren't rumored to get any better inside, with an iDrive-like interface to "improve ergonomics." Higher quality materials will also fill the cabin, so at least it will be a more hospitable place to pass the hours swearing at the inscrutable electronics. At least it'll carry Ecoboost engines underhood, of which we have nothing snarky to say.

[Source: AutoExpress]

The Dodge Avenger wasn't exactly selling like hotcakes here in the US, even before the auto market took a nosedive. We can't imagine the Avenger ever sold well overseas as an export to the UK, and the under-developed Dodge's newest incentive supports our assertion. Car-buyers in the Kingdom can pick up a nicely equipped Avenger SXT 2.4 saloon at the MSRP of £18,255. As a reward for taking the Avenger off the dealer's hands, they'll get a second Avenger free of charge. Broadspeed.com is offering the buy one, get one sale with the aim of easing the massive amounts of stock dealers are carrying right now. The problem isn't exclusive to the Avenger, though, as many dealers are sitting on six month inventories due to slow sales on the island. Given the massive problems selling cars in the UK, the deals on the Avenger still stand out as incredible. Maybe Dodge dealers here in the US will take note, though we're sure there are plenty of people that think the only thing worse than owning an Avenger would be having two. Thanks for the tip, everyone!


[Source: AutoCar]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Caterham R500

Caterham is making a new sportscar. But we can't tell you what it is, because you haven't designed it yet.

The British sportscar company has made its name by producing the Super 7 of Lotus fame long after Lotus had moved on. They've made a whole basketful of versions since, but it all boils down to that bare-bones, long-nose, cabin-over-rear-axle design. The format has legions of faithful fans around the world, but Caterham is preparing to move on with a second range to accompany the 7, and is opening up the design process to user submissions. The project is being undertaken in conjunction with Project Splitwheel, an open-source collaborative project that seeks to combine the efforts of gearheads around the world into one resource. Interesting idea, and Caterham is committed to producing at least a working prototype of the final design. The project kicks off in January, with the first prototype scheduled to debut sometime in 2010. Follow the jump to watch a brief explanatory video, or the link to Splitwheel's website for more info.

[Source: Project Splitwheel via Autocar]

Click above for hi-res gallery of the McLaren F1 LM

Now that Lewis Hamilton has secured the Formula One championship, supercar fans around the world are asking when he'll get his hands on that rare McLaren F1 LM. The incredibly valuable supercar – initially reported at $4 million but now apparently worth closer to 8 – was promised to the budding young driver if he won the title. However, the condition was that he win both the drivers title and, together with team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, lock up the constructors' title for the team, as well. Although he won the drivers' championship, the constructors' crown went to arch-rivals Ferrari, but since McLaren chief Ron Dennis is such a good sport, he's renegotiated the terms.

If Hamilton manages to repeat his title victory with a hat-trick – that is, take another two championships – he'll get his hands on the bright orange supercar. That's quite a challenge, but Dennis called it a "small price to pay for three world championships." Indeed, but by then McLaren will have a whole slew of supercars on the market for Lewis to choose from. In the meantime, he'd better keep his head down and focus on the prize.

[Source: F1-Live]

In case you thought the world needed another supercar that looked like every other supercar, which all look like something Mattel dreamed up years ago for Hot Wheels, CAR magazine has gotten official renderings of the Arash AF-10. CAR says its images came directly from the data used to create the body panels for the actual cars, supplied by Arash Farboud. The AF-10 will be powered by either an LS3 or LS9 V8 plucked from GM's parts bin, either of which should offer exhilarating performance in a car that's targeted to weigh in at 2600 pounds. The first AF-10 chassis, bonded together from 12 pieces, is under construction and the first completed car should emerge around Christmas, with production ramping up further in 2009. If you absolutely must have one of these things, they'll go on sale in Summer 2009 for £170,000.


[Source: CAR]

Caterham has revised its best-selling Superlight R300, dropping the old Rover mill in favor of a Ford Duratec and pulling a few tricks from its range-topping R500.

The new R300's 2.0-liter four-pot is putting out 175 hp at 7,000 rpm and 139 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels through a six-speed gearbox. With only 1,135 pounds weighing the R300 down – giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 339 hp per ton – it can scoot to sixty in 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 140 mph. Available in both build-it-yourself form for £24,995 (or £27,995 complete from the factory), the kit includes everything you need to get on the road, along with a flush-button dash and keyless ignition system pulled from its big-bro the R500. Avon CR500 tires are wrapped around Superlight aluminum wheels, and for those destined for the track, you can option the R300 up with a Stack data logging system, dry-sump oil kit and limited-slip differential.

Caterham has also revised its Roadsport 175 model, a more tame version packing a five-speed transmission with longer gear ratios, 14-inch wheels and a heater. The cost of entry for the 175 comes in at £21,995 in kit form and £24,995 built at the factory. Both models can also be had in "wide chassis" guise for an additional £1,750. We'll take one of each, equipped with the LSD option.