motivemag.com

Next Generation 7-Series Breaks Cover

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:56:25 PST

Although the following press release was scheduled for Saturday, July 5th, several other news reporting agencies have broken the embargo placed upon them. This is the first official information on the next 7 Series, which will officially debut at the Paris Auto Show in October. Click the picture above to read the full story about BMW's next-generation of luxury flagship.

Viva Obscurity! The Car Badge Game

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:25:01 PST

As everyone begins filing out of their offices and trudging home and towards a weekend of beer, explosions, and sunburn in inconvenient crevasses, we at Motive wish you the safest and happiest of times; free from the iron grip of law enforcement, mercifully absent of any traffic snarls, and without any unplanned trips to hospitals.

Since everyone — ourselves included — is winding down, we thought we'd present a game. Scratch that, a challenge masquerading as a game: Everyone knows a Dodge ram head from a Pontiac arrowhead, but how many of you think the above logo is an early Volkswagen? How many think could describe, much less identify, the family crest that became the Buick tri-shield? Click through to our forums for the Car Badge Game, where our readers try to stump each other mightily with logos and emblems from the dark corners of our collective consciousness. Interest piqued? Just a little curious to test your mettle? Click through to the forums to see if you've got the stuff.

The Return of the Mustang Turbo - Fact or Crap?

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:40:14 PST

The blogosphere is positively dripping with rumors today, most of them about the return of the Mustang SVO for 2010 — in the form of a 300-horsepower, 2.3-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder model that would replace the current three-valve V-8 GT and be five hundred pounds lighter, thanks to high-strength steel and the smaller engine. Which would be smashing — except it's not exactly truthful.

"There is no 'SVO' team," says one Ford PR rep. "SVT is going strong." As for the demise of the V-8? "Ford is committed to. . .deliver what Mustang customers want," says Ford's Alan Hall. "And for the foreseeable future, that is V-8 power." On the topic of Mustang receiving an EcoBoost engine, Hall says "Our strategy is to migrate [EcoBoost] technology to across a range of vehicles - from small cars to large trucks - where it makes sense."

So while there may be a turbo Mustang in the future and it might use an EcoBoost engine, there aren't any plans for it to supplant the V-8 powered Mustang any time soon.

NHRA Shortening Top Fuel Dragster Runs to 1000'

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:34:16 PST

Following Scott Kalitta's fatal crash last month at Englishtown, the National Hot Rod Association has decided to shorten the length of top-fuel dragster races from a full quarter-mile (1320') to one thousand feet. Shortening the distance of the run will not only give drivers more run-off at the end of the track, but it also limits top speeds to ensure that there will be less kinetic energy to scrub off in the first place.

The move is interim while the NHRA analyzes potential safety upgrades and evaluates the underlying causes and failures that resulted in Kalitta's crash.

You Say You Want a Revolution? Too Bad, Here's Your 2009 7-Series Instead

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:35:13 PST

Thanks to the miracle of Flickr and free email accounts, we can now present to you the first tiny pictures of the all-new BMW 7-series, sent across the vast expanse of the Internet well in advance of its offical reveal this Saturday morning.

Riding atop BMW's new F01/F02 (SWB/LWB) architecture — the first of many new Bimmers to drop the Exx nomenclature — the new 7 has integrated cues first seen on the Concept CS, including its snub nose, larger kidney grilles, and reverse-raked front fascia. Its side profiles have more complicated, yet less overwrought, surface detailing, and the rear loses the controversial "overbite" trunk cutline in favor of a traditional opening. Check out more pictures in our forums, and look back for the high-res photos and full press release from BMW once we have to go-ahead to post everything.

Toyota Throws Its Weight Behind Its... Houses?

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:04:37 PST

As one of our readers said, Toyota building prefab housing was only a matter of time after Toyota got into NASCAR. Except it's not.

Since 1975, Toyota has been building pre-fabricated, steel-framed, typhoon-resistant houses. The venture isn't that big in Japan — it accounts for only $1.3 million of Toyota's nearly $262 billion in revenue last year — but the company is trying to promote it as a green alternative by tying them in with the next generation of Toyota Motor's plug-in hybrids.

The plug-in hybrids, due in 2010, will not only smart-charge during off-peak hours to keep utility bills down, but the car's on-board charger can serve as a generator to power the house in the event of a blackout.

Revenge of the Tuner Culture: The Japan-only Corvette S-Limited

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:33:53 PST

American cars have always been square pegs in Japan, and the only way they'd let us into their round holes was if there were serviceman registrations in the glove box. As if to prove this point, GM Japan has released the Corvette S-Limited for the low, low price of ¥7.9 million. What does your Big Bag O' Yen™ ^{Patent Pending} get you? Bragging rights to one of only 30 cars produced, lots of grille mesh, a set of special wheels, and a lip spoiler. You can see the full set of specs here if you know your kanas from your kanjis.

Bear in mind, now, that your $75,000 doesn't even get you the 505-horsepower Z06, but the plebeian (if such an adjective can be applied here) 430-horsepower model. Meanwhile, we can buy a new Z06 for that much over here, and a new base coupe for a tick over $46,100. This, my friends, is totally what Lee Greenwood wrote that song about.

50% Shock, 50% Surprise, 100% "Holy Crap, that's a Kia"? - Kia Forte Teaser Images Land on the 'Net

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:05:08 PST

Not that we feel a small amount of schadenfreude for those who shelled out to buy spy shots of a camouflaged Kia sedan a few days ago, but... neener! Kia's released three studio shots of its upcoming Forte, the replacement for its Spectra. There are no details, but what we've seen shows an immensely handsome small car, with taut lines and the kind of detailing we'd not thought the Koreans capable of. Not the kind of fun, either, because you know that as this car hits secondary and tertiary markets, it's going to be called the "Fort", the "Fort-E" and, rhyming with Porsche, "Fort-uh." See the full set of pictures in our forums!

Perfect Ending to a Perfect Day: Death Race Production Stills

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:31:57 PST

Cheer up, campers. The news has been absurdly bleak today, but there's no reason to jump in the tub with a toaster just yet. Witness the first round of promotional pictures from Death Race, the upcoming remake of the classic 1975 David Carradine film Death Race 2000. Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (not to be confused with Paul Thomas Anderson, he of Magnolia and Punch Drunk Love fame), the movie features Jason Statham being... well... Jason Statham. And given the rest of the plot, which involves driving modified, machine-gun-toting cars around a futuristic prison in a race to the death, it appears to give Statham a perfect vehicle to show off his best renowned skills: gravel-voiced snark, pectoral muscles, and providing a receptacle for tankards of spray-on sweat.

So yes, a two-hour orgasm of explosions and Dolby Digital ear candy. As we said, there's no reason to jump in the tub with a toaster just yet. Use a hair dryer instead — they can carry far more current. But be sure to check out the full gallery of stills below first, and check out the official movie site here.

Black Tuesday: Chrysler down 36% for June, 22% for 2008

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:29:14 PST

For June:
• Passenger car sales are down 49%, truck sales are down 30%

Year-to-date:
• Passenger car sales are down 17%, truck sales are down 24%

The take-away:
The only cars that posted sales gains are the Patriot (+145% YTD), the Viper (+139% YTD), and the Spinter (+31% YTD). Times like this remind us that Cerberus was a sentry at the gates of Hell.

Black Tuesday: Honda up 13.8% for June, 4.8% YTD

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:59:04 PST

For June:

• Honda car sales up 41.4%
• Honda truck sales down 14.2%, Acura car sales down 15.7%, Acura truck sales down 17.6%

For the year:

• Honda car sales up 19.1%
• Honda truck sales down 7.9%, Acura truck sales down 13.2%, Acura car sales down 15.2%

The take away: Fit sales are up 100.5%, Civic is up 54.5% and Civic is up 23.1%. Read the full specs after the jump.

Black Tuesday: Toyota off 11.5% for June

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:30:43 PST

For June:

• Toyota Division down 10.3 percent, Lexus Division down 21.1 percent
• Big losers include Tundra, FJ Cruiser, and 4Runner, all of which posted lossed >30%
• Big gainers: Land Cruiser (+122%), Yaris (+48.1%), xB (+56.9%)

The full stats are available after the jump, plus some seriously confusing break down by division, class, and country of manufacture.

Black Tuesday: GM off 18.5% for June, 16.5% YTD

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:45:55 PST

For June:

• Car sales down 21.1%, light truck sales down 16&
• HUMMER sales down 59.3%

YTD:

• Car sales down 9.3%, light truck sales down 20.9%

Fluffy press items that the release emphasizes:
• Chevrolet car retail sales increase of 24 Percent: Malibu up 129 Percent and Cobalt up 27 • percent compared with last June
• Pontiac retail sales up 14 percent driven by G6 up 27 percent, Vibe up 24 percent, G5 and Solstice up 6 percent
• Saturn retail sales up 9 percent with Vue up 100 percent, Sky up 66 percent and Aura up 45 percent
• Hybrid sales continue to grow with more than 1,100 delivered in June
• GM market share estimated 2 points above May and up slightly compared with June 2007

Full stats are available after the jump.

Five-Door Toyota Yaris Landing in the U.S.

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:30:38 PST

Already available in Canada but never run through America's regulatory gauntlet, the five-door Toyota Yaris is coming to the United States in an effort to diversify and increase the volume of small, efficient car in Toyota's lineup. There's no official press release from Toyota on this yet, so we can't give you an ironclad guarantee of when you can buy them, but it makes sense, given the popularity of three-door Yaris hatches and four-door Yaris sedans.

Black Tuesday: Ford's Sales off 28.1% for June, 14.3% YTD

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:06:17 PST

For June:

• Ford, Lincoln and Mercury June sales totaled 167,090, down 28 percent versus year ago.
• Ford Focus' sales to individual retail customers were 9 percent higher than a year ago.

For Q1 and Q2 2008:

• Ford, Lincoln and Mercury first half sales totaled 1.1 million, down 14 percent.
• Cars and crossovers accounted for 59 percent of first half retail sales; retail sales for cars were up 3 percent versus a year ago and crossovers also were up (less than 1 percent).
• Retail sales fell for SUVs (down 40 percent) and trucks and vans (down 31 percent).

Read more after the jump.

Just in Time! The New 504+ Horsepower Toyota Tundra Ironman

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:50:19 PST

So powerful, it can outrun everything but the inevitable, the Ivan "IRONMAN" Stewart Signature Series Tundra is a new special-edition truck that "stands out in a crowd of 'posers'." It can lay claim to the title of the most powerful, limited production four-wheel drive truck ever offered through any dealership. Among its upgrades include scads of "IRONMAN" badges, a Toyota Racing Development supercharger, Katzkin leather interior, blacked-out headlights, and General Tire 20" Grabber AT2 All-Terrain tires on 20" forged Alcoa wheels.

"This is no pretend-race truck covered with badges and embarrassing graphics," says the press release, shortly before describing the Ironman "Stage 1" upgrade package that includes an exhaust, wheels, and stickers.

The appearance items can also be added to the FJ Cruiser and Tacoma, if you must. Read more in our forums!

July 1st, 2008 — A Date that Will Live in Infamy

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:25:22 PST

It's a new month, our rents are due, our cell-phone minutes reset, and there's more blood running in the streets outside automakers' headquarters. The analysts at Automotive News are telling us that there's not a lot of cheerful news to turn CEOs' grumpies upside down. According to the paper, analysts are predicting a nearly 21% drop in vehicle sales compared to last year. As pointed out by Jalopnik, you know things are dire when industry papers like AN use the word "carnage."

There is a scene in the Coen brothers' film The Hudsucker Proxy? where Waring Hudsucker commits suicide by dashing across the boardroom table and crashing through the top-floor window of the Hudsucker Industries skyscraper. There is also a reason why modern buildings have inch-think, laminated, shatterproof panes in them, and today's that reason. The blue letters with sales figures arrive from Ford at noon, GM at 12:45, and Chrysler later this afternoon. Results will be up here shortly thereafter. Stay tuned, kids, and be sure your crash helmets are securely fastened.

Unknown Mazda Concept Surfaces, May Show Next Mazda3

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:15:09 PST

A few images of an upcoming Mazda concept have made it out the the 'net at large, looking suspiciously like the size and dimensions as the next 3. The concept draws heavily on Mazda's Taiki, Ryuga, Hakaze, and Furai concepts, blending organic curves with sharp creases to create a unified overall shape.

Anything beyond speculation at this point is just that, so we'll hold off on the guesses and leave it to the experts (wink, nudge, grin) in our forums.

Kia Goes Coupe with Spectra Replacement

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:55:33 PST

Hatchback sales in the United States have never been particularly robust. Show a European a hatchback and they see the maximization of utility for a given footprint. Show an American a hatchback and they see something that you buy when you can't afford a real car.

Honda's twigged to this, which is why hatchback Civics (the last was described by Car and Driver as resembling "a nerd's shoe") have been slowly regressing into nothingness. Now it's Kia's turn to embrace the trunk. As Automotive News tells it, the next-generation Spectra will debut as a sedan in summer of 2009, with a coupe variant being added shortly thereafter. The five-door Kia Spectra5 will make its exit along the debut of the new car. "We believe the coupe will sell better than the hatchback," says president of Kia R&D Lee Hyun-soon.

Also up in the air is whether or not the name "Spectra" will return for this latest generation, as the model tends to shed its name (remember the Sephia?) each time it makes a jump in quality and/or value.

Merrill Lynch: Chrysler Headed for Breakup, Sale

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:42:47 PST

There was an ominous pallor hanging over Chrysler's What's New 2009 press event at its Chelsea, Michigan, test track. There were several new products on display, including the 2009 Ram pickup and Challengers equipped with stick-shifts, V6s, and smaller V8s; but as people shuffled between rows of Calibers and Sebrings, the question kept arising: where are all those new products that were supposed to arrive by the end of 2009?

That question hasn't escaped the analysts at Merrill Lynch. According to the Detroit Free Press, the investment house has stated that Chrysler, under the watchful, hydra-headed eye of Ceberus Capital Management, "severely lags the industry on a number of key metrics," and that they believe this is "an active decision by new owners to rationalize the product portfolio in advance of a breakup/sale."

Chrysler has often gotten by on its Phoenix–like seven-year cycles of implosion and rebirth — a trend that can be traced back to the fifties. But with pronouncements like this, we're watching the news wire nervously.