CARSCOOP

New Volvo Concept Estate is Too Pretty to Remain a Study

Posted: 27 Feb 2014 12:04 AM PST

Here's our second and more detailed look at the new Volvo Concept Estate after photos of the Geneva Motor Show-bound study were published online.

The short story is that, Volvo's third study after the 2013 Concept Coupe and 2014 Concept XC compact crossover is the shooting brake version of the former, with the press details given focusing on the look and technology of the interior that will be first applied on the XC90 SUV.

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Abandoned Car Dealership with Mazdas, Hondas and Saabs Uncovered in Switzerland

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 06:55 PM PST

For a race of beings who think that they've discovered everything here on earth and are looking into the stars for new findings, there sure seem to be plenty of spaces lost in time like this abandoned auto dealership in Switzerland. Read more »

1926 Woodie Hotrod is a Different Kind of Surf Wagon

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 06:20 PM PST

The beauty of doing up a car from around the 1930s is that you can interchange parts with other cars from the period without necessarily (negatively) altering the look, the desirability or the cool factor of your creation. Read more »

BMW to Expand Use of Carbon Fiber and Green Tech in Non-i Models Too

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 05:52 PM PST

BMW is very proud of the carbon construction techniques (showcased via this cool bobsled too), and it currently uses CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced plastic) to create the backbones and hard shells of the i3 and i8 eco cars. Read more »

Autoblog's Sharon Carty and Other AOLers Take Offense in Mommy Blogger Reference

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:03 PM PST

Hell hath no fury like "professional journalists" scorned or…satirized. A post that was meant to be all about John Neff's retirement from Autoblog.com and his successor, Sharon Silke Carty, turned ugly when the AB's new EIC took offense to my satirical/lighthearted title "Autoblog.com Loses John Neff, Gains a Mommy Blogger at its Helm – Chillax; We Just Kid About the Latter…" which was based on her own Twitter profile.

Do note that, the last part in the title was included in the original post. However, Carty and her comrades from AOL, along with a couple unidentified commentators pulled their worded guns and fired calling me a "sexists" first, and then "disrespectful" and a "nobody" who writes at a site no one has ever heard about. I'll get to that later on.

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2011 Sonata’s Poor Reliability Relegates Hyundai to 27th Place in J.D. Power’s 2014 Survey

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 03:18 PM PST

Problems reported by owners of the 2011 Sonata were the main reason for which Hyundai slid to 27th out of 32 places in J.D. Power and Associates' 2014 Vehicle Dependability Survey. Read more »

Would You Give the Delivery Guy Electronic Access to Your Car? Volvo Says You Should

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:38 PM PST

As long as long as you live in a country where crime rate is low, and trust among the people is commonplace, then Volvo's new "Roam Delivery" system could save you a lot of hassle. It involves granting delivery services access to your car boot via an electronic key that greatly limits the way in which they can interact. Read more »

Rolls-Royce Teases Ghost Series II Ahead of Geneva Debut

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 02:12 PM PST

Rolls-Royce has released the first teaser photo of its facelifted Ghost sedan, or Ghost Series II as the British carmaker elegantly calls it. Rolls-Royce is known for not operating major styling changes when its models reach their mid-life, and that was confirmed two years ago when the Phantom Series II models were introduced. Read more »

Wanxiang to Restart Fisker Production by End of 2014, Continue Atlantic Development

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:40 PM PST

The new Chinese owners of Fisker, Wanxiang, have recently made statements that they are looking to restart production of the Karma sedan by the end of 2014, after it paid $149.2 (€108.5) million to gain full control last month. On top of this, they also want to finish developing the company's second model, the Atlantic. Read more »

Volvo's New Estate Concept Steps Out of the Dark and Reveals Itself

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 01:58 PM PST

"Hej vacker" – that's "hello beautiful" in Swedish, I think…and it applies to Volvo's third consecutive concept model based on their new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform.

Seen for the first time in these leaked photos, courtesy of Jalopnik, the Swedes call their newest creation the Concept Estate, but in my eyes, a Shooting Brake moniker would have been more appropriate.

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Just Some Russian Kids Fooling with Cops – For Pete's Sake, Don't Let Them Drive in the States…

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 12:49 PM PST

Regardless if you agree with how things work in the States, one thing you should be aware of when driving in the Land Of The Free, is that, you should avoid physically fooling around or even worse, outright confronting a cop carrying a gun at all costs, as you never know when you'll stumble across a trigger-happy officer. Read more »

American Classics’ Value Depreciating in Favor of Imports

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 12:13 PM PST

In a situation known as a "bear market," widespread pessimism has negative consequences on prices and securities, yet the market still functions. The trend also needs to last longer than two months to be able to gain the aforementioned title, which was most recently applies to the American classic car scene, and in particular domestic classics from the finned and rocket-inspired 1950s (exemplified in the video below). Read more »

Bentley Drops a V8 Turbo Engine into the Flying Spur

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 11:45 AM PST

Along with the new model year Continental, another significant change in Bentley's 2014 lineup is the addition of the Flying Spur V8, which complements the Flying Spur flagship W12 model. Read more »

Top Gear Could Face the Axe, Says Former BBC Exec; But Relax, it Won't Happen Anytime Soon…

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 11:21 AM PST

We received word that former BBC Director of Communications Ed Williams is wreaking havoc on fans of Britain's public broadcaster after claiming that corporate bigwigs are seriously thinking about terminating some of its most prominent television shows including Top Gear, Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice, Dragons' Den and The One.

That's the bad news. However, don't fret about it just yet, because there's good news as well, since the BBC executive said nothing will happen overnight, but "within the next five to ten years…".

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Ferrari Sells Fewer Cars in 2013, but Posts Record Profits

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 10:18 AM PST

2012 was Ferrari's best ever year, but the Italian carmaker decided that production records are not that good for the brand. This resulted in a management shift, with Ferrari reducing the number of cars sold to maintain a high level of exclusivity and increase their value in time. Read more »

Would a Crossover-Flavored Alfa Romeo Giulietta Make Sense?

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 09:54 AM PST

At this stage, just about any addition to Alfa Romeo's stripped-out range would bring a welcome sigh of relief to the brand's dealers who have been trying to make ends meet with just two core models, the MiTo and Giulietta, plus a showpiece car in the guise of the limited run 4C, but would a Giulietta with off-road styling cues have any chance of success? Read more »

McLaren P1 Program Director Details the Hypercar’s Complex Technical Side

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 09:26 AM PST

Britain's McLaren is known for its high-tech approach to building cars, and the P1 is without a doubt, the most complex machine they have ever built – and certainly one of the most sophisticated and extreme cars ever made by any automaker. Read more »

Audi's Sonorous 4.2-liter V8 to Soldier on in Next-Gen R8 Coupe

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:59 AM PST

From the same people that landed us the news on the demise of Audi's deliciously sounding and revving 4.2-liter V8 on the next RS4, in place of which, the Germans will reportedly drop a new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 with more than 470-ponies, comes a report saying that the naturally-aspirated unit will continue life in the new R8. Read more »

Bentley Continental GT Speed Gets Styling and Power Upgrades

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:35 AM PST

Bentley has announced styling enhancements and more power for the Continental GT Speed. In addition to the new model year car, Bentley's Geneva Motor Show booth will also include luxury tailored packages for the Continental family. Read more »

There Goes the Eyeliner: 1,200HP Gallardo and the 836RWHP Corvette C7

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 08:11 AM PST

The boys who love showing us super-fast tuned cars and professional booth models at High Tech Corvette are back with a fresh pair of rowdy videos this month. Read more »

EuroNCAP Awards Nissan Qashqai Five Stars; Says It’s Safe for Kids

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:47 AM PST

The Nissan Qashqai is easily one of the manufacturer's most important models in the global context, and therefore, it needs to be solid, have mass appeal, be economical, be stylish and, of course, safe. Read more »

New Jaguar F-Type Coupe Costs How Much in Australia?

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 07:22 AM PST

We know all too well that, Aussies receive the proverbial shaft when it comes to paying for new car models, but damn… What provoked this discussion is the release of pricing information for the new and tasty-looking F-Type Coupe from Jaguar Australia. Read more »

U Design: Is This What Ford Really Wanted to do with the Facelifted Focus?

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 06:47 AM PST

Yes, that's an Aston Martin DBS inner grille piece and those are Aston Martin DBS-sourced alloy wheels, with the same coupe that has since been replaced by the Vanquish offering inspiration for the design of the front bumper's lower section that you see on this reimagined version of the 2015 Ford Focus Facelift. Read more »

Own an HHR, Solstice, Ion or Sky? You're Also Affected by GM's Mega Ignition Recall

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 06:25 AM PST

GM has announced it is expanding the recall of Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 to 2003-2007 model year vehicles including 2003-2007 Saturn Ions, 2006-2007 Chevrolet HHRs, 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and 2006-2007 Saturn Sky models. Read more »

Arash Tosses Us Some New Supercar Teasers Before Big Reveal

Posted: 26 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST

British boutique car builder Arash is almost ready for the world premiere of its new and as-of-yet, unnamed supercar that it will be releasing details on this Friday, February 28 - ahead of what we assume to be a Geneva Motor Show presentation – but we're not entirely sure as they're not really saying anything. Read more »