Nissan has named the latest addition to its line up of quirky crossovers, as well as releasing the gloomy teaser shot you see here. Inspired by the Qazana concept shown in Geneva last year, and following in the footsteps of the hugely successful Qashqai, the 'Juke' is designed to offer customers a funky alternative to the traditional small hatchback.
From this dimly-lit photo it's clear that the concept car's swollen wheels arches have been carried over, along with the narrow, elongated headlights and oversize fog lights underneath. It appears the 370Z-inspired rear boomerang lights will also make production, while the windscreen and roofline have taken on a more angular profile.
Slotting in between the Note and Qashqai, the Juke will expand Nissan's broad range even further. And when it goes on sale in October, it should provide a welcome boost for the UK car industry too - it will be built alongside the Qashqai and Qashqai+2 at Nissan's Sunderland plant.
Full details on the newcomer will be realeaed at the global media unveiling on February 10th, but it's public debut won't be until the Geneva Motor Show in March.
There are now so many Car of the Year awards given out that the whole idea of one vehicle being honored above all others has lost its impact. But when the giver of said award is Playboy Magazine, well, the honor means a little more. Why? Because Playboy doesn't pick a winner based on such tangible criteria as horsepower, miles per gallon or MSRP. They don't care so much about the fastest, greenest or most significant car in its segment. They care about cool. Which car is going to get you to that VIP event and make all eyes turn towards you on arrival? For 2010, Playboy says that car is the Porsche Panamera.
We can absolutely understand where Playboy is coming from here. You just have to imagine yourself as Hugh Hefner: Porsches are both cool and fast, but a Porsche that can accommodate me, my smoking jacket and three bunnies is worthy of a place in the Playboy Mansion garage and perhaps an X-rated car wash in the driveway.
Playboy gave out eight other awards in such categories as Best Horsepower Value (Nissan 370Z), Best Mean and Green (Ford Fusion Hybrid) and Best Reborn Beauty (Ford Taurus SHO) among others. You can check them all out in the press release after the jump, and while we're not sure how many automakers will place their new Playboy awards front and center in the corporate trophy case, we're sure behind close doors they're... well, let's not talk about what they're doing behind closed doors.
Honda’s new GT race car, the HSV-010 is the center of attention these days because it is the successor of the legendary NSX. Powered by a 3.4-liter V8 developing 500hp, the HSV will be competing in this season of Japanese SuperGT. Recently the car’s been scooped at Suzuka race track flexing its muscles a bit, showing off an awesome look. Check out that single central exhaust pipe! If Honda make a road going version of this car, it’ll be a Lexus LF-A killer!
Skeptics will say, “Here we go, again,” as General Motors Co. taps its German subsidiary Adam Opel GmbH for product to rebuild one of its brand’s showrooms in the U.S.
Clearly, it didn’t work for Saturn or Cadillac a decade earlier. But with the new-for-’11 Buick Regal, GM finally may have found the right home and, more importantly, the right strategy for injecting some Germanic soul into its American cars.
The new sports sedan arrives stateside in second-quarter 2010 after highly successful launches late last year in China and in Germany as the Opel Insignia.
The Insignia is drawing rave reviews on its home turf, where it ranks as the best-selling sedan in its class and since last November has racked up more than 30 awards, including European Car of the Year.
In China, the locally built Regal launched in December and has sold some 64,000 units. Young Chinese particularly are captivated by the Regal, keeping the average age of its buyers around 35 years – astonishingly low for Buick.
GM shows the U.S.-bound Regal to the public at the Los Angeles auto show this week after unwrapping the car earlier to journalists in Detroit and to Buick enthusiasts in L.A.
But before the Regal hits the full show circuit and ahead of formal testing next year, GM offered a handful of media several hours behind the wheel and, for comparison, its sister the Insignia. The Regal’s principle target in the U.S. is the Acura TSX.
Waterfall grille one of few Buick cues on new Regal.
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Driving pre-production Regals along rural roadways outside of Detroit here makes it easier to understand why GM backed out of a deal to sell a majority stake in Opel to Canadian parts maker and contract vehicle-assembler Magna International Inc. In short, Opel makes a fine car.
The U.S.-spec Regal leverages the same Epsilon II platform, which also underpins the new-for-’11 Buick LaCrosse that launched in North America in September, but with subtle mechanical and design differences between its Chinese and German iterations.
For example, the engine is federalized to meet U.S. regulations, as are items such as the mirror glass and the guts of the headlights. But little differs in styling between the Insignia and Regal. Aside from the Buick grille and 3-shield badges, sheet metal is exactly the same.
In fact, Buick’s signature port holes will not get stamped into the Regal’s hood until production begins in North America in 2011. GM also installs an insert to the front bumper to fill the elongated European license plate basin until U.S. production begins.
The Regal’s design proves more striking out on the roadway with some morning rain splattered along its haunches than in GM’s advanced design studio, where Ward’s first glimpsed the car a few weeks ago.
Standard motivation comes via GM’s new 2.4L 4 cyl. engine with gasoline direct-injection technology, making 182 hp and 172 lb.-ft. (233 Nm) of torque. GM pegs its fuel economy at 20-30 mpg (11.8-7.8 L/100 km) city/highway on regular gasoline.
’11 Buick Regal
Vehicle type
front-engine, 2WD 5-passenger sedan
Engine
2.0L turbocharged 4 cyl. w/gasoline direct injection
Power (SAE net)
(SAE net) 220 hp @ 5,300 rpm
Torque
258 lb. ft. (349 Nm) @ 2,000 rpm
Compression ratio
9.2:1
Transmission
6-speed automatic w/manual mode
Wheelbase
107.8 ins. (273.8 cm)
Overall length
190.2 ins. (483.1 cm)
Overall width
73.1 ins. (185.7 cm)
Overall height
54.4 ins. (138.2 cm)
Curb weight
3,314 lbs. (1,503 kg)
Base price
N/A
Fuel economy
18-29 mpg (13-8 L/100 km)
Competition
Acura TSX
Pros
Cons
Lively 4-cyl. turbo
Best motor a late arrival
European styling
Short on Buick styling
Yes! A U.S.-spec Opel
Uh-oh! A U.S.-spec Opel
However, we test drove models with the optional 2.0L turbocharged GDI 4-cyl., which does not arrive until the third quarter of next year.
Our verdict is overwhelmingly positive. Making 220 hp and 258 lb.-ft. (349 Nm) of torque, the 2.0L mill is the kind of engine that will turn Buick skeptics into believers faster than three shots of Jagermeister.
Responsive and well-behaved, the car slings its 3,600-lb. (1,633-kg) weight through the corners and over pitches in the roadway with enthusiasm.
Yes, the suspension in the Buick is dialed down from the drum-tight setup of the Insignia. But this is not your granddad’s floaty-boaty Buick; the well-sprung suspension works together with a quick, precise steering system like no other vehicle to wear the three shields.
And one test model even included a 6-speed manual transmission. GM declines to offer a timetable for the Regal’s manual transmission. But if the gearbox makes it to the U.S., it will be the first since a 5-speed manual on the ’89 Buick Skyhawk.
Another first: no volume V-6 engine for this Buick.
Both transmissions match up well. The 6-speed automatic seems content to sit in the logical gear and not hunt for something higher, while the manual shifts quickly with a hint of the “click-click” ease of its European competitors.
GM estimates fuel economy with the 2.0L at 18-29 mpg (13-8 L/100 km) city/highway. Premium fuel is recommended but not required.
Base pricing is expected to slot just below the new LaCrosse that starts at roughly $28,000, which makes the Regal slightly less expensive than its Acura TSX rival.
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GM also provides drive time here in an Insignia OPC model to demonstrate the possibilities for the Regal. The vehicle is outfitted with a 325-hp 2.8L V-6 engine, high-performance tires blacked out in NASCAR fashion, racing seats and a super-tight suspension.
It’s hardly surprising the Regal is such an impressive car, given that it is an exact duplicate of the smash-hit Insignia. In fact, not watering down the Buick to fit U.S. tastes easily ranks as its greatest attribute.
But it will take more products of the Regal’s ilk to erase Buick’s longstanding reputation for pillowy-riding large sedans with sloppy steering.
So it should hardly be surprising GM will go back to Germany for another small Buick sedan, this one based on the redesigned Delta compact car architecture shouldering the recently launched Opel Astra.
Have we seen this approach before? Sure, but this time it’s hard to argue with the results.
Car sales in Western Europe grew by 29.2% year-on-year in November according to data released by JD Power Automotive Forecasting, but the firm cautioned on the market outlook for 2010.
JD Power warned that the strong-looking November result needs to be seen in the context of weak sales last year and the continuing distortions to the market caused by government scrappage incentives.
JD Power analyst Pete Kelly told just-auto that the the seasonally adjusted annualised rate of sales (SAAR) for November 2009 stood at 14.8m units - a more 'normal' market level - but that he viewed it as 'brief reprieve' rather than marking an end to depressed market levels.
Car sales in Germany were up by 19.7% year-on-year in the month of November and a whopping 25.4% in the year to date.
"The scrapping incentive in Germany is no longer on offer and so we expect German sales to drop off relatively sharply over coming months," Kelly said.
JD Power said that the end to government support schemes will result in the West European car market declining by around 10% in 2010 to 12.15m units.
JD Power also noted that the French car market was 'decidedly strong' in November, with the selling rate climbing to 2.8m units with French car buyers thinking they had to register their cars by year-end to take advantage of a scrappage scheme there. However, the scheme has been amended so that, as long as an order comes in by the end of 2009, it will benefit. JD Power says this will mean that the French market will start off 2010 relatively strongly as related registrations spill over into 2010.
The Spanish car market also posted a strong month in November (SAAR over 1.1m units) while the UK car market gain of 57.6% reflected a scrappage effect (plus some buyers avoiding a January VAT increase) and exceptionally weak sales last year.
Here's what we know: Caccia Custom Cars took a 2002 Chevy Camaro and a 2002 Chevy Corvette and created the Ghepardo. The car uses the Camaro's frame and the Corvette's motor and suspension. The motor is mounted amidships, albeit backwards (note the throttle body). And the House of Kolor paint is called Pagan Gold. Also, you should not confuse this SEMA all-star Ghepardo with the 2006 Bizzarrini Ghepardo concept.
As for this Ghepadro... it's not that bad looking. In fact, the longer we stare at the exterior, the more we like what we see. Obviously we can't get past the gaudy chainmail armor covering up every single vent and opening. And we'd prefer if the five-slot wheels weren't chromed. That said, in profile, it's a nice looking mid-engine coupe and the rear is quite muscular. The front even has a touch of new Lexus, which while sacriligious for a Chevy-on-Chevy mashup like this, ain't bad at all.
The interior, on the other hand, is a house of horrors. Everything is covered over in prison-grade Alcantara or carbon fiber-look fiberglass. Even the fire extinguisher!! Also, we're pretty sure a 15/16" cutting tool isn't the smartest Dremel attachment to use for a show car. In fact, in this Autoblogger's mind, the Ghepardo is now in the running neck-and-neck with the Masonry Vitesse Rose for having the worst interior ever – quite a distinction! Additionally, the Ghepardo fills our minds with the delightful image of Corvette and Camaro fans/owners beating each other to pulps with giant oversized cartoon hammers. Perhaps that's just the food around here talking...
Remember Toyota's massive 3.8 million unit unintended acceleration recall that was attributed to pesky floor mats? It appears defective floor mats doesn't tell the whole story, as the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared in a statement that "this (unintended acceleration) matter is not closed," adding "removal of the floor mats is simply an interim measure, not a remedy of the underlying defect in the vehicles."
Up to 2,000 Toyota customers claim to have experienced a sudden surge of acceleration, and some reportedly told ABC News that they didn't even have the recalled floor mats in their vehicles. Even more disturbing are the results of an ABC News investigation that reportedly found "hundreds" of accidents and up to 16 deaths as a result of unintended acceleration.
Four of those deaths occurred in August when an off-duty California Highway Patrol Officer, traveling with his wife, daughter and brother in-law, were killed after their Lexus accelerated uncontrollably. The driver's brother in-law called 911 and said that the brakes didn't work before the vehicle reached an intersection, struck another car, went into a ditch and caught fire. Some Toyota owners feel there is an electronic glitch in the system that controls the throttle and the ABC report shows that there is some anecdotal evidence which illustrates that incidents rose after the system was put into place in 2002, but so far, NHTSA has found no evidence to support those claims after six investigations.
ABC News caught up with Toyota Vice President Yukitoshi Funo (pictured second from left) and asked him if Toyota was covering anything up. Funo replied "It is not part of the Toyota culture and Toyota way to cover up anything," adding that the Japanese automaker is working with NHTSA to come up with an agreement on how to proceed going forward.
If you own a Toyota or Lexus and you are concerned about this issue, it appears that there is little that will be done in the short term other than tie down or remove the floor mats. If you do experience the acceleration issue, Consumer Reports suggests shifting your vehicle into neutral, pressing the brake and holding it down in an effort to bring your vehicle to a stop. This post and video from CR demonstrates how to effectively resolve the situation, and the risks of pumping the brakes. Turning off your vehicle could be a bad idea, as turning off the engine will also result in the loss of power steering and power brakes.
