Travel on cars

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupes, Supercars, Audi

click above to view more images of the 2008 Audi R8

Audi has already publicly revealed it will be showing two vehicles at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit. One it called a “stunning” concept car and the other is a new production car making its world debut. One of the two cars will reportedly be an Audi R8 powered by the brand’s V12 TDI diesel engine, this according to German mag Auto Motor und Sport. While the R8 TDI is likely destined for production, it’s probably not the production car that Audi will debut in Detroit. If it’s the “stunning” concept, consider us stunned. The car is projected to have around 500bhp/738 ft-lbs of torque, accelerate to 62 mph in 4.2 seconds and return 28 mpg, presumably on the highway. That’s truly outstanding fuel economy for a supercar, though Corvettes are known to get above 30 mpg while lazily cruising this nation’s highways, as well. That said, the equally as powerful 2008 Corvette Z06 is rated by the EPA as 15 city/25 highway mpg. Back to the R8 TDI, Auto Express also reports that since the V12 TDI is much larger than the standard car’s 4.2L V8, it will gobble up all available luggage space just to fit. The R8 TDI’s appearance in Detroit certainly isn’t confirmed by Audi yet, so we’ll have to wait until January 13th to see exactly what the German automaker brought to town. We think, however, that it is a safe bet. (more…)

Filed under: UAW/Unions, Autoline on Autoblog

John McElroy is host of the TV program “Autoline Detroit”. Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers.

HOW THE UAW WILL GET IN THE TRANSPLANTS

For years, there’s been a drumbeat of media reports about sliding union membership. Today fewer than 12% of American workers belong to a union. Twenty years ago it was close to twice that. And this is why a number of auto industry experts believe the United Auto Workers union is a spent force. (more…)

Filed under: CES, I.C.E., Tech, Ford

Though GM’s Rick Wagoner nabbed the honor of giving this year’s keynote address at next week’s 2008 CES Show in Las Vegas, Ford may grab the headlines with a suite of new in-car entertainment, navigation and communication technologies that it plans to implement across its brands in the near future. First up will be the second version of its popular SYNC interface, details of which are scant. Considering that the SYNC system’s capabilities are already robust, we’re not sure what else they can add to it and are eager to find out. (more…)

Filed under: Etc.

View Larger Map

We haven’t actually found a proper use yet for Google Street View, the Google Maps’ function that lets you drag an avatar around a Google Map and get an on-the-street 360-degree view of the location. So far we’ve used it to spot a really fugly Buick, and that’s about it. Not many of us live in locales that have already been mapped by a battalion of Google Street View cars, though.

It turns out our friends over at Jalopnik haven’t found a good use for the technology yet, either. Like us, they’re more interested in the weird auto-related stuff that Google Street View cars happen to capture while cruising by. In this instance, a poor woman’s bad day in which she slammed her Mercedes-Benz into a tree has forever been immortalized by the indomitable search engine. Fortunately, the tow truck driver can use Google Maps to find her car. Unfortunately, her insurance agent can use the Street View pics as evidence of her inability to drive. (more…)

Filed under: Spy Photos, Crossovers/CUVs, Ford, Lincoln

click above for more spy shots

As we reported yesterday, Lincoln is likely to get a version of the seven-seat Flex crossover a year after it debuts with a Blue Oval badge. Here’s verifiable proof. KGP Photographers have caught a Taurus X-based mule wearing Lincoln’s new split grille that will first appear on the MKS sedan. We thought the new nose looked large on the MKS, but it’s at least a foot tall for this application. Its oversized dimensions make the mule in these pics look like a humpback whale that’s beached itself on an Arctic coast. Quick, somebody feed it some krill before it dies. (more…)

Filed under: Coupes, Sports/GTs, Marketing/Advertising, Ford, Celebrities

Click image for a gallery of the GT500 in I Am Legend

Product placements in films get a lot of virtual ink here at Autoblog, probably because we all like cars (obviously) and are, for the most part, movie buffs. The carmaker placement king over the last year was unquestionably Transformers, which did more to expose (and evangelize) the new Camaro to the masses than GM’s marketing department could ever have hoped. The Bond films are always good for some car-related water-cooler discussion, and last year also saw VW use The Bourne Ultimatum to shill for the Touareg 2. Ford’s been kind of off the blockbuster radar since Casino Royale, but makes a tidy comeback in the new Will Smith thriller, I Am Legend. (more…)

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Chevrolet

click to enlarge and view the Camaro prototype in various colors

While we were grateful that Bob Lutz ordered the removal of camouflage from all of the Camaro prototypes running around in view of the public, the teaser image that GM provided was a bit too eency weency for our tastes. TheGMSource, however, found a larger version, or artfully blew up the small one, that shows a lot more detail. We can see the faux vents ahead of the rear wheels, as well as the surfacing of the Camaro’s rear with its faux diffuser (at least we think it’s faux). Whoa, this thing’s got a lot of faux parts, but don’t expect it to be a poser on arrival. Chevy is no doubt infusing the Camaro with enough mechanical fortitude to hang with the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger from day one. (more…)

Filed under: Etc., Euro

Automobile flamb

Filed under: Etc., Ford

click above for more images of the new KITT

Wouldn’t you like to believe that the producers of the new Knight Rider series saw something in the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500KR that evoked the essence of what it is to be KITT? Yeah, that’s not what happened. According to AdAge, Ford snagging the role of KITT had more to do with timing and a certain boat load of money that was exchanged hands. As we’ve explained before, Pontiac doesn’t even have a car that would be suitable for the part of KITT, while the Camaro just wouldn’t have been ready in time. Same goes for the Dodge Challenger. That leaves the Ford Mustang, which found a new way to enjoy its time without a competitor in sight by taking some acting lessons and landing the spot. Curiously, Jalopnik reports that the article, which isn’t accessible without a subscription (natch) mentions that the Chrysler Crossfire was being considered. Not that it should have ever gotten the job, but Chrysler cancelled the Crossfire anyway. We’re sure the Corvette was being considered, if for no other reason than it would have made as much sense in the role as the GT500KR, but we guess GM didn’t think it was money well spent. Time will tell whether or not Ford’s investment was a smart one. (more…)

Filed under: Government/Legal, Driving

Not so long ago, Ontario, Canada drafted a law to curb racing and excessive speeding on its highways. Things were getting so out of hand that stretches of road were called the Ontariobahn. In a campaign they call “shock and awe,” they jacked the maximum fine up to $10,000, and threw in a 7-day suspended license and vehicle impound for anyone doing more than 50-KPH over the posted limit.

Since the traps were laid, they have been full. A recent catch was an 85-year-old man who was doing 161 kph — 61 over the limit — on roads with ice and snow. He wasn’t racing — he was simply “going to the bank and shopping,” albeit rather quickly. So he was immediately relieved of his license and his Oldsmobile.

Since the law took effect on September 30, 2007, 2,300 Canadians have met the same fate — 1,300 of them in the first five weeks. On average, every day 24 drivers have to learn bus routes, and 24 cars get parked somewhere for a week. The 85-year-old gent has the honor of being the oldest arrested so far, a 16-year old girl was the youngest, and the fastest driver was going 230 kph (142 mph). If your travels take you through Ontario while the shock and awe continues, try not to get frisky with the go peda else you’ll be down with a very different O.P.P. — the Ontario Provincial Police.

Thanks for the tip, Doug!

[Source: CTV Toronto]