To say that the reception for the North American market 2012 Honda Civic was cold would probably be the understatement of the year. Pundits were very harsh on their comments for the New York Motor Show-revealed sedan and coupe models, making negative remarks about its stale styling and its cheap interior plastics.
Consumer Reportsgave it the final blow: in a recent report, the publication described the 2012 model as “insubstantial” and with an interior that “feels cheap, a letdown from previous Civics”.
As a result, the 2012 Civic ranked second to last in CR’s report and lost its “recommended” tag for the first time in, well, as long as we can remember.
Adding to a long line of leaks these past few days, the specification sheet along with a few more brochure shots of the JDM 2012 Toyota FT-86 made their way onto Japanese forums revealing new details on the firm's rear-wheel drive coupe.
Cutting to the chase, the FT-86 measures 4,240mm (166.9-in.) long, 1,775mm wide (69.9-in.), and 1,285mm (50.6-in.) tall, while riding on a 2,570mm (101.2-in.) long wheelbase.
In its home market of Japan, the FT-86 is powered by a Subaru-sourced 2.0-liter flat-four churning out 200-horses at 7,000 rpm and 205Nm (151.2 lb-ft) of peak torque at 6,600 rpm. It is very likely that the output numbers will remain the same for the global Toyota FT-86 and the North American Scion FR-S.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave these past few months and were completely cut-off from the outside world, you’ll surely have heard of the European economic crisis that started with the Greek debt and is now threatening to engulf many more European countries.
For the past two years, Greece taken extremely severe austerity measures to reduce its debt – though their implementation has left a lot to be desired. Italy and Spain are considered by many analysts to be next in line.
Yet the Italian Ministry of Defense recently ordered 19 range-topping Maserati Quattroporte limousines for government officials!
After Toyota, Honda is the next Japanese carmaker to announce significant production cuts at its North American plants due to component shortages caused by three months of disastrous flooding in Thailand.
And is the case with Toyota, the production cuts for Honda come just as the company was recovering from the effects of the March earthquake and tsunami.
Honda said that as the flooding in Thailand continues, a number of its suppliers in Asia are currently unable to maintain parts production to its assembly plants in the U.S. and Canada.
It's all about fun and games when it comes to Kia's 2011 SEMA Show displays as the Korean manufacturer has arrived in Las Vegas with a roster of six sports-themed vehicles.
These include the Surfboard Rio and Hockey Forte hatchbacks that we showed you earlier today, plus the golf-themed Soul, Rio 5-Door B-Spec Racer, USTCC Optima Hybrid Pace Car and the “Slam Dunk” Blake Griffin Optima Hybrid featured here.
MINI's marketing team wants to bring an international flair to the new Coupe and Roadster models with its latest advertising campaigns.
Much like the first video of the helmet-roofed Coupe that was shown driving through various parts of Brazil, Iceland and Hong Kong, the Roadster's first action footage takes us on a trip to the streets of Turkey.
Toyota has had more than its fair share of problems in 2011, from the devastating March earthquake to the rising yen and the recent Thailand floods that have curtailed the brand's production.
However, despite all these setbacks, the troubled Japanese carmaker still has a couple of reasons to celebrate these days. The first of course is the eagerly awaited FT-86 RWD coupe.
The second reason is that last Friday, October 28, the two millionth Yaris rolled off the Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) plant in Valenciennes, France.
A traffic camera located at an intersection in the small Russian town of Timashevsk in the Krasnodar region captured a terrifying accident involving a Mercedes-Benz ML350 SUV.
The driver of the German luxury crossover blew right through a red light at speed and was hit on the rear passenger side by an oncoming Daewoo Nexia, which sent the Mercedes rolling over towards a pedestrian on the sidewalk.
Amazingly, the alert woman saw the Mercedes-Benz SUV coming her way and she instinctively jumped to safety literally at the last moment. The ML350 came to a stop on an electric pole with the video showing the careless driver jumping out of the car, apparently unhurt.
The Fiat Group may be constantly delaying Alfa Romeo's return to the U.S. market but at least it's keeping its word with the 500 range.
After the regular three-door hatchback and the rolling soft top 500C, Fiat is now introducing the most stimulating (from a driver's perspective) version of the series, the sporty Abarth model, which will be making its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show on November 18.
Mercedes' big hardtop roadster model is entering its final development phase as we near closer to the next generation SL's launch date in the second half of 2012.
The current iteration of the SL, codenamed R320, has been in production since 2001 having received two facelifts, one in 2006 and another, more extensive makeover, in 2008.
The next SL will be brand new from the bottom up sporting a new platform architecture while sharing certain key components such as the suspension bits and electrical systems with the SLS AMG.
On Monday, Swedish Automobile presented the restructuring plan of Saab Automobile to the company's creditors at a preliminary meeting in Vanersborg, Sweden.
Saab’s management informed the creditors about the key points of the reorganization process, which has the support both of the administrators who are overseeing the process as well as future owners Pang Da and Youngman.
Less than 24 hours before the doors open at the 2011 edition of the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) Show and Kia Motors has revealed a pair of tricked concept models that will make their debut in Las Vegas.
Both the Rio 5-Door Surf and the Forte 5-Door Hockey were built in partnership with Antenna magazine.
Starting with the 2012 Rio, the surf-themed tuning project features a sunset-metallic golden-brown paint along with a custom body kit with a front splitter made of wood that matches the surfboard on the roof, and rear fascia with center-mount exhaust. A set of 17-inch three-piece gold wheels and a Thule roof rack that holds the surfboard complete the look.
On the second day of the Targa New Zealand race, competitors and viewers alike witnessed a rather unusual spectacle: a sports car racing against a helicopter.
The vehicle in question was a Stillen R-35 Nissan GT-R driven by Steve Millen while acrobatic racing pilot, Leigh Hopper, controlled the Eurocopter “Squirrel”.
Now, this isn't the first time a sports car has lined up against a flying machine. But this spontaneous road-and-sky-racing during a pit stop was unexpected – especially as they made two runs instead of one.
Niki Lauda may have been wrong in our opinion about Michael Schumacher’s return to Formula1, but as far as the latest world champion is concerned, his predictions appear to be spot on.
The Austrian had said that, given the right circumstances, Sebastian Vettel has the potential to match and even surpass Schumacher who so far, has broken nearly all records in F1.
On Tuesday, New Yorkers will get their first taste of the Big Apple's new taxicab, the Nissan NV200 minivan, at a special exhibition that takes place from November 1 to 5 on the pedestrian plaza across from the Flatiron building at Broadway and Fifth Avenue.
We'll remind you that the NV200 was selected as the exclusive cab of New York City for the next 10 years, starting from late 2013.
Today, Nissan organized a special event for a host of New York City officials, including Taxi & Limousine Commissioner David Yassky, to preview the vehicle's interior design.
Remember the XL1 Super Efficient Vehicle (SEV) diesel-electric hybrid concept that Volkswagen unveiled at the Qatar Motor Show this past January? Martin Winterkorn, CEO of the VW Group, told to Autonews Europe that development plans for the ultra-efficient two-seater model are proceeding.
"We will start small series production by 2013 – in Germany," Winterkorn told the publication.
The freakish October snowstorm that hit the northeast this weekend took its toll on Carscoop as we were among the many millions of people without power or internet access since Saturday. Fortunately, power was just restored in our area so we're back to our normal schedule...
The sports car traces its roots to early 20th century touring cars. These raced in early rallys, such as the Herkomer Cup, Prinz Heinrich Fahrt, and Monte Carlo.
The first sports cars are considered to be (though the term would not be coined until after World War One) the 3 litre made in 1910 Vauxhall 20 hp (15 kW) and 27/80PS Austro-Daimler (designed by Ferdinand Porsche).
These would shortly be joined by the French DFP (which became sporters after tuning by H.M. and W. O. Bentley) and the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. In the U.S. (where the type was variously called roadster, speedster, runabout, or raceabout, there was Apperson, Kissel, Marion, Midland, National, Overland, Stoddard-Dayton, and Thomas among small models (which today would be called sports cars), while Chadwick, Mercer, Stutz, and Simplex were among large ones (which might today be called sports sedans or grand tourers).
In 1921, Ballot premiered its 2LS, with a remarkable 75 hp (56 kW) DOHC two liter, designed by Ernest Henry (formerly of Peugeot's Grand Prix program), capable of 150 km/h (90 mph); at most, one hundred were built in four years. This was followed by the SOHC 2LT and 2LTS. The same year, Benz built a supercharged 28/95PS four for the Coppa Florio; Max Sailer won.
Simson in 1924 offered a Paul Henze-designed 60 hp (45 kW) DOHC 2 liter four, the Simson Supra Type S, in a long-wheelbase 120 km/h (60 mph) tourer and 115 km/h (71 mph) twin-carburettor sporter; only thirty were sold, against around three hundred of the SOHC model and 750 of the pushrod-six Type R. Duerkopp's Zoller-blown two liter in 1924, as well.
There was a clear cleavage by 1925. As four-seaters were more profitable, two-seaters increasingly turned over to specialst manufacturers, led by Alvis, Aston-Martin, and Frazer-Nash, with shoestring budgets, fanatic followers, and limited sales (today exemplified by Aston and Morgan): between 1921 and 1939, 350 Astons were built; 323 Frazer-Nashes in the period 1924-39.
By the end of the 1920s, AC produced a 2 liter six, the 3.5 liter Nazzaro had a three-valve OHC (only until 1922), while French makers Amilcar, Bignan, Hispano-Suiza, and Samson had the typical small four-cylinder sporters and Delage, Hotchkiss, and Chenard-Walcker the large tourers. Benz introduced the powerful SS and SSK, and Alfa Romeo, the Vittorio Jano-designed 6C.
Two companies would offer the first really reliable sports cars: Austin with the Seven and Morris Garages (MG) with the Midget. The Seven would quickly be "rodded" by numerous companies (as the Type 1 would be a generation later), including Bassett and Dingle (Hammersmith, London); in 1928, a Cozette blower was fitted to the Seven Super Sports, while Cecil Kimber fitted an 847 cc Minor engine, and sold more Midgets in the first year than MG's entire previous production. Sports Cars Sports Cars Sports Cars Sports Cars Sports Cars Sports Cars Sports Cars Sports Cars
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster definition is more limiting, "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving."The term generally refers to 2-door rear wheel drive family-style 4+ passenger mid-size cars (and, by some, full-size cars) equipped with large, powerful, V8s, and sold at an affordable price for mainly street use and sometimes both formal and informal drag racing.
As such, they are distinct from two-seat sports cars and expensive 2+2 GTs intended for high-speed touring and road racing.
Building on the American phenomenon and developing simultaneously in their own markets, muscle cars also emerged in their own fashions in Australia, South Africa, the UK, and elsewhere.
