Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Hatchback, Honda, Australia, Off-Road, Racing

Honda took a Mugen-powered Jazz (better known as the the Fit here in the U.S.), sent it to Italy to be engineered for rallying by JAS of Milan, then flew it to Australia to be prepared for Oz’s 2012 rally series. Honda’s been competing in the series with Civic Type R racers for the last two years, but this year, it decided to press the Fit into service for G2 class spec.

Up front is a 245-horsepower Mugen powerplant with 142 pound-feet of torque. Honda says this “may well be the fastest Jazz in the world,” and it will start challenging the six rounds of this year’s championship in March with driver Eli Evans and co-driver Glen Weston. You can read about it in the press release and watch it kick up dirt in the video after the jump.

Continue reading Mugen-powered Honda Jazz rally car looks Fit for the purpose

Mugen-powered Honda Jazz rally car looks Fit for the purpose originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Sedan, Hyundai

According to research by Edmunds.com, the $19,711 average transaction price of the 2012 Hyundai Elantra is besting that of its chief rivals, the Toyota Corolla by $1,500 and the new Honda Civic by $500. The great big cherry on top of that sundae for Hyundai? Elantra sales were up more than 40 percent last year.

The sales success of the Elantra wasn’t much of a surprise even before the car went on sale, the transaction-price story is an eye-opener. We don’t have a breakdown on model mix, but a base Elantra with a six-speed manual is $17,220 and the Limited is $21,320 (both prices include $725 destination). The Elantra’s small-money options, like an iPod connector, match those of the competition, and even its three upmarket packages, two for the GLS and one for the Limited, contain features mostly available on the Corolla or Civic.

Point being, the Elantra doesn’t have a single killer app to explain its position. But all of its touches – one extra gear on the manual, two extra on the automatic, its newness and its design, its competitive gas mileage and its rearview camera that can’t be had on the competition, for instance, appear to be the cause. There’s also the fact that dealers don’t have to put much (if anything) on the hood since the factory still can’t make enough of them to satisfy demand.

Nor is this only a tale of the Elantra; the Sonata has narrowed its average transaction price to within $900 of both Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. And according to Hyundai CEO John Krafcik, we aren’t anywhere near the end of the company’s aspirations: “We’re in the middle of a very long journey.” Indeed, even new Elantra itself hasn’t reached top speed yet – a new Coupe and five-door GT are on the way to round out the family for 2013.

Customers paying more for Hyundai Elantra than Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Porsche, First Drives, Luxury

A Soft Top Worthy Of The Best 911 Ever

Gran Canaria is a volcanic nexus of disconnected associations, a bit of everything from a bit of everywhere. Geographically and geologically, this third largest of the Canary Islands belongs to Africa. Climatologically, it belongs to the Macaronesia Ecoregion. Its name is said to have come from an ancient Mauritanian king who, according to Pliny the Elder, named it Islas Canarias – Island of the Dogs – because of the numerous canines upon it. Politically, Gran Canaria belongs to Spain, which is why the tallest mountain in Spain is on neighboring island Tenerife. Linguistically, however, the Canarios dialect can be challenging for Spanish speakers to understand.

The island occupies just 600 square miles, but it’s otherwise all over the map. Yet it shares one crucial thing with the 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet that we flew there to drive: purpose. You have to want to get to Gran Canaria – it doesn’t just happen.

Such is the case with Porsche’s latest top-dollar droptop – neither luck nor accident could have created it; the men responsible wanted this very car. The 991 Cabriolet is the sum of 30 years of 911 convertibles, and for proof of purpose, you need only know that a team of engineers has been devoted to the roof – and just the roof – on this car since 2004. For that effort they would like that their creation, and the car beneath it, earn the same the accolade bestowed on the hardtop for three months now: the best ever.

It is. But there’s more to it than a little extra fabric…

Continue reading 2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet [w/video]

2012 Porsche 911 Cabriolet [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Europe, GM, Renault, Opel, Citroën, UK

Automotive News is reporting that stories in two other papers, France’s La Tribune and England’s The Financial Times, assert that General Motors and PSA Peugeot Citroën are “in advanced talks about an alliance.” Neither maker would comment on the stories, but it has been well documented that both are looking to turn around their European operations. Peugeot’s parent announced 6,000 job cuts late last year and the immediate cessation of Le Mans racing this year. Opel lost hundreds of millions last year and took on a new CEO with a near-vertical climb ahead based on the prognosis for the European market.

If the talks are concluded in the way reports indicate, Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot would cooperate on projects from developing engines and transmissions to complete models that each could sell. Peugeot already has partnerships with several other automakers, but none are as involved as this one could potentially be. It’s understood that no shares in either company would change hands, but a partnership this intense would still require the approval of the Peugeot family.

We wonder if Opel/Vauxhall and Peugeot can do together what each can’t seem to achieve alone. Sure, Opel could lower its development costs and with a joint model Peugeot could gain less expensive access to wider markets, but can the two different cultures create cars that would serve their respective brands? Suggestions are that talks are far enough along that an agreement, if achieved, could be announced at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

GM, Peugeot in “advanced alliance talks” originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Feb 2012 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Japan, Videos, Porsche, Specialty, Luxury

Akira Nakai is the man behind the tuner RWB – Rauh-Welt Begriff, which is loosely translated as “Rough World Concept,” and he doesn’t often climb out from under one of the 930 or 964 Porsches he’s working on. His original shop in Japan is now 20 years old and he still works in the same building, even though his tuning ethos has caught on hot enough to provide other shops around the world.

He’s a car nut, simply, and he makes nutty – in a good way – cars. The guys at eGarage got him away from a project long enough to say a few words about what he does, what he thinks, and what he’ll be doing until he dies. Even though he speaks a different language, he sums all of us up nicely. Check him out in the video premiering exclusively on Autoblog after the jump.

Continue reading eGarage interviews Akira Nakai of RWB in latest video

eGarage interviews Akira Nakai of RWB in latest video originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Crossover, Infiniti, Luxury

The first example of a given model to roll of the production line is called “Job One,” and the Infiniti is celebrating just that for its 2013 JX: A seven-seater crossover in Emerald Green – mated with its 265-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 from Decherd, TN – has rolled off the production line. Infiniti expects numerous JXs behind it to be the second most popular model in the company’s lineup, bested only by the G sedan, coupe and convertible range.

The $41,400 (including $950 destination) three-row crossover and its liberal suite of configurations and technologies goes on sale in March, but you can register your interest or play with the configurator right now. There’s also a press release after the jump with more details.

Continue reading 2013 Infiniti JX production underway

2013 Infiniti JX production underway originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Ferrari, Luxury

A year-and-a-half-ago we heard that the model to replace the Ferrari Enzo was peeking over the fence at the Bugatti Veyron for inspiration. Then we heard, nearly one year ago, that this Ferrari would also be a hybrid. Add those two ingredients to a 7.3-liter V12 and stir in Ferrari’s talk of light weight, and the resulting supercar will be a 920-peak-horsepower celestial stallion that weighs just 2,500 pounds, according to a report in Automobile.

The V12 will be responsible for 800 of those horses, 100 more than the 599 replacement, the F620, that will use a 6.2-liter version of the same V12 and that we’ll see at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. The supplemental 120 hp will be provided by a KERS hybrid setup.

The carbon fiber body is expected to hold largesse down to around 2,500 pounds, which – if all of these numbers come true – would mean a supercar that weighs 500 pounds less than 651-hp Enzo, and about the same as the 2,546-pound, track-only FXX, but that has about 100 more ponies. If all goes to plan we’ll see it in the fall – until it starts moving, at least, when we’ll just have to listen for the sonic booms.

Ferrari Enzo successor to churn out 920 horsepower, weigh 2,500 pounds originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Videos, Toys/Games

The ladies and gentlemen at Turn 10, the studio behind Forza Motorsport 4, take their cars just as seriously as their gaming. They’re not the only gamers to invest heaps of time rendering metal into pixels, but you might be surprised just how much travel, how many microphones, how long on the dyno and what kinds of owners go into gathering the selection of rides.

If you’ve wondered what goes into taking a Bugatti Veyron, or even a Honda Civic Si, from the parking lot to the game’s custom Bernese Alps track, then there’s a video just for you after the jump.

Continue reading How Forza Motorsport 4 gets its cars

How Forza Motorsport 4 gets its cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Technology, Videos, Crossover, Mazda

Mazda hasn’t turned its back on “Zoom-Zoom” in the least, but from now on the double onomatopoeia takes its orders from the company’s SkyActiv technologies. Mazda has been prepping us for the suite of engineering innovations that it plans to use to make its cars, like the 2013 CX-5, more Earth-friendly but just as much fun to drive, and company CEO Takashi Yamanouchi got big into it during the LA Auto Show.

The first commercials to publicize SkyActiv are here, in 30- and 60-second flavors, and you’ll find them along with a press release after the jump.

Continue reading Mazda debuts “Revolution” ad to promote new Skyactiv tech

Mazda debuts “Revolution” ad to promote new Skyactiv tech originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Crossover, Mazda

Aston Martin has the chap Bond, Acura has its Avengers and now Mazda has its own movie vehicle, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax. The computer-generated film from Universal will feature a “Seuss-ified” Mazda CX-5 rolling through a forest of lollipop-like truffula trees.

It’s a slightly strange movie for a car company to call its own, since the original book was a enviromentalist tale and the Lorax – who spoke for the truffula trees against the industrial ambitions of the Once-ler – complained even more when trucks began rolling into the forest. The case is aided by the fact that Universal got rid of that storyline almost completely, and Mazda’s Skyactiv credentials are what’s really in play here.

Follow the jump for Mazda’s 45-second commercial for the CX-5 and the movie, as well as a press release on its donations to the National Education Association.

Continue reading Mazda CX-5 joins the cast of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax

Mazda CX-5 joins the cast of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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