CARSCOOP

Chris Harris Finds the BMW Alpina B3 Biturbo the Perfect Everyday M3 Alternative

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 05:01 PM PDT

Many consider the understated BMW Alpina B3 Biturbo the discreet man's M3, and the comparison certainly makes sense when numbers are taken into account. Its twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six engine develops 404hp (410PS) and 600 Nm (442 lb-ft) of torque, allowing for a top speed of 190 mph (306 km/h) and a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) sprint of 4.2 seconds. Read more »

German Sports Car Manufacturer Gumpert is Insolvent…Again

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 04:32 PM PDT

According to German news sources, including T-online and Otz, local sports car manufacturer Gumpert, makers of the Apollo, has gone under. The information comes not very long (at all) after another fairly-renowned maker of sporty cars from the country, albeit with a different flavor, Wiesmann, also announced its insolvency. Artega is another name that closed its doors last year. Read more »

Chris Bangle Says Current Car Design is Stuck, Lacks Innovation

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 02:01 PM PDT

Chris Bangle is perhaps the best-known and most influential car designer of the 21st century and this is no doubt due to the radical transformation of BMW's design language that took place under his leadership in the 2000s. Although he quit BMW and auto design altogether in 2009 to set up his own independent design studio in Turin, Italy, his voice is still an important one in the industry. Read more »

A British Road-Rage Tale of Two Foul-Mouth Peckers [Positively NSFW]

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 01:29 PM PDT

Welcome to another wild episode of road-rage videos. You've seen plenty here on Carscoops, from hot-headed lawyers and Marine sergeants in the U.S., to the usual crazy stuff from Russia and even from the UK and Australia, but something tells us that you have never seen an incident like the one posted below the jump. Read more »

Land Rover Takes its Prototype Hybrids on 16,000km Silk Trail Expedition

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT

Three Range Rover Hybrid prototypes have embarked on an epic "Silk Trail 2013" expedition that will take them from Solihull, UK, to Mumbai, India. Over the course of 53 days, the vehicles will tackle a marathon 9,950 miles (16,000 km) endurance drive that will see them crossing 12 countries before reaching their final destination. Read more »

BMW Files Patents for New M4 Coupe

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 12:35 PM PDT

The word "concept" often loses its meaning when it comes to the auto industry these days, as many carmakers choose to use the label on upcoming models with few, if any noteworthy changes, over their production counterparts, none more so than BMW… Read more »

Bulleta RF22 is a Lotus Evora-Based Sports Car from California with 505 HP

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 11:49 AM PDT

If you go to Bulleta.com, the official site of Bulleta Motors, you'll find the company description that reads "a premium manufacturer of exclusive, hand built, exotic supercars" based in Irvine, California. Regarding its first model, the RF22, they say it's "a world class supercar. Its pedigree is instilled in racing, and possesses the light, agile, and tactile feedback that is missing from many lesser modern sport cars" – sounds quite promising. Read more »

Speedy Driver Smacks a Ferrari 458 Italia on a Rocky Hillside

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 11:24 AM PDT

It would be interesting to find out what percentage of high-end sports cars end up in the wrecker, as despite selling in low numbers, it seems like we're hearing about a crash every other day or so – and that concerns only the ones we learn about on the internet… Read more »

See the Work that MT Put Into Making a Spot for the Jaguar XFR-S

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 10:53 AM PDT

Jaguar apparently asked MotorTrend's Mind Over Eye division to create a video spot for their hot XFR-S. It takes some work to make a spot worthy of being shown to other discerning individuals, and aside from having a numerous team and some money to get the job done, such an effort needs coordination and especially a great idea. Read more »

Jeep Introduces 2014 Compass Facelift in the UK

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 10:19 AM PDT

The mildly refreshed 2014 Jeep Compass has reached UK shores and is now available for order. Leaving aside the minor styling tweaks on the exterior and interior trim, the most important changes are the new six-speed automatic transmission for the 2.4-liter petrol engine, and the addition of a new North grade that joins the existing Sport and Limited trim levels. Read more »

Ford Begins Production of the Fusion for the First Time in the U.S.

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 09:54 AM PDT

The Flat Rock assembly plant in Michigan used to make the Ford Mustang (from 2005 onward) and the previous-generation Mazda6. However, now that the Japanese sedan went out of production on U.S. soil last year, there was room for one more model at the factory. Read more »

Sleepy Hollow: Passenger Cars Colliding Into Trucks

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 09:01 AM PDT

How can one possibly miss a truck on the road and smash into it? While there are many answers to that question, the most usual culprits are drivers falling asleep or being momentarily distracted – and it is under these conditions that modern safety aids like Active Brake Assist and Lane Departure Warning systems try to help prevent collisions (they don't always succeed, though…). Read more »

Toyota Outlines Next Generation 2015 Prius Hybrid, will be Roomier Yet More Fuel Efficient

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 08:41 AM PDT

Close to two decades ago (a concept was presented in 1995, and the production car followed in 1997), Toyota launched what was largely considered at the time as an geeky experiment for a hybrid model using both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor for its motivation, the Prius. Today, most automakers are following in its footsteps – even supercar brands like Ferrari have employed the technology in their vehicles.

Now, the Prius is currently in its third iteration with Toyota actively developing its successor that will launch in 2015. While it's too early for Toyota to tease the appearance of the next Prius, the Japanese carmaker has outlined technical details and even targets for fuel economy, with the company stating that it expects to continue its practice of reducing fuel economy by around 10 percent with each new generation of the Prius.

Read more »

Maserati's New Quattroporte and Ghibli Help Triple Brand's Orders

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 08:14 AM PDT

Maserati is on a roll following the launch of the all-new Quattroporte and the entry-level Ghibli sedan earlier this year. It looks like Maserati's €1.2 billion investment in new models is starting to pay off, as the Fiat-owned luxury automaker has received about 17,000 orders worldwide in the first seven months of this year, almost three times more than its total 2012 sales. Read more »

Toyota Releases Short Film Showing Inner Workings of Le Mans Team

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 07:45 AM PDT

Toyota is nowadays one of the key players in the top LMP1 category for the Le Mans 24 Hours race. This year, they conceded the first spot to Audi, but took 2nd and 4th place. That doesn't mean that they skimped on the hard work this year, and in fact, they seem to be working harder than ever to get their hybrid TS030 racing car (now in its second year of competition) further up the tables. Read more »

Autocar Cheekily Tries to Pass Independent Study for New Seat Ibiza Cupra as a Sneak Peek

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 07:23 AM PDT

Oh, Autocar, sometimes it's better to stick to reviews than report on the news… The online edition of the British magazine posted a story on 3D models of a next generation Seat Ibiza Cupra, which it says, preview the actual model coming next year. Read more »

Hot Wheels Elite Re-Introduces 1966 Batmobile, this Time with Adam West and Burt Ward Figures

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 06:52 AM PDT

Minus a few and costly exceptions, most notably the upcoming 37-inch long 1/6th scale replica from Hong Kong's Hot Toys, the most accurate and easily obtainable scale versions of the 1966 Batmobile from the classic TV series come from Hot Wheels, which over the years, has presented several editions in terms of looks, quality and price. Read more »

BMW Rumored to be Readying Z5 Roadster and Coupe with Toyota, Z3 Said to Return

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 06:20 AM PDT

An alleged BMW insider from the Bimmerpost forums is reporting that BMW's version of the new sports car project currently being co-developed with Toyota will be offered in two body styles, roadster and coupe, with both to wear the Z5 nameplate. The Z5 is said to be previewed by a concept model in the very near future. Read more »

Grandma Asks if 700hp Nissan GT-R "is a Little Like Joey's Car, the Prius?"

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 05:48 AM PDT

Besides being some of the most caring and loving people you will ever come across in this world, grandmas can also be funny and extremely cool in their own unique way. Place your grandmother in the passenger seat of a Nissan GT-R with more than 700-horsepower and take her for a shotgun ride, and you could end up with this adorable scene. Read more »

Toyota Reaffirms Commitment to Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, Production Model Coming in 2015

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 05:23 AM PDT

It's no secret that electric cars the way we know them today represent an intermediate phase in the ongoing drive to replace petroleum-derived fuel for automotive applications. Most carmakers believe that the real future is in hydrogen fuel cells. In a nutshell, a fuel cell system converts the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen directly into electricity to run electric motors with the only by-product of this conversion being water vapor.

Toyota is one of the major players in the automotive industry that is actively working to implement the technology on production cars stating that it believes Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles offer "the best solution to the challenges of energy sources and emissions, with hydrogen as an ideal, ultra-clean fuel".

Read more »

Nissan’s Lineup of EVs Set to Grow to Five, Inductive Charging Desired for Infiniti Model

Posted: 30 Aug 2013 04:43 AM PDT

Nissan's only current production electric vehicle is the Leaf, a car with an oscillating sale past that, as of the start of this year, has seen good growth around the world, and particularly in the US. Now, since production for the North American market was moved to Smyrna, Tennessee, and the price has been dropped a bit, the trend is accelerated. Read more »