Autoblog

Calling your retrofitted little runabout a tender is apparently all the rage these days. The yacht-based theme was recently adopted by BRABUS, which paired a smart fortwo with one of its warp-enabled SLRs. Now, Castagna does the same with Fiat's retro-fied 500. In fact, this isn't the first time that the Milanese coachbuilder has created such a machine, using the MINI Cooper platform just a few years back in the same exact way. In its transformation from sporty little coupe to a larger vessel's dinghy, the roof, tailgate and top are jetisoned in favor of a canvas covering with which to escape the heat. On the inside, the normal guts are removed and replaced with teak wood and wicker trim along with all new seats. As a concession to emissions, the gasoline powerplant is yanked in favor of sails a new electric motor and batteries that are supposedly capable of powering the tender some 80 miles at speeds up to 86 miles per hour. No rowing required.

[Source: Channel 4]

Vandals who mess with other people's cars are scum -- bottom-feeders who are beneath contempt. It doesn't matter what the vehicle being damaged is. Cars are a major purchase, there's often an emotional connection to them, and most importantly, they generally represent the owner's primary source of mobility -- getting him or her to work, to the store, to pick up the kids, and so on.

SUV owners know the deal, and it sucks. Stories of drivers (and dealers) finding trucks partially or completely trashed in the name of saving Mother Earth are nothing new, and now it seems that Prius owners are getting their own taste of this nonsense. Inside Line reports that a recent Los Angeles case in which one of the Toyotas was burned to the ground has been determined to be the result of arson. In Petaluma, CA, meanwhile, seven Priuses were vandalized over a two-week period in April. One poor woman had her car attacked twice, and then when it was in for repairs, the Prius rental she had also got worked over. The conventional wisdom suggests that the Prius is a juicy target because it's a poster child for the environmental movement. And seriously, is this at all surprising? Some sort of anti-eco blowback like this was probably inevitable. People get fed up, so just as the HUMMER and other SUVs are targeted by greens looking to send a message, it was only a matter of time before the anti-HUMMER started getting the same kind of attention from the other direction.

What's it all prove? Nothing, except that asshats are readily found on both sides of every issue. If you don't like a particular car or truck, feel free to talk as much trash as you want (it's practically a sport in the comments section around here). Think the HUMMER represents some sort of rolling apocalypse? Fine. Ditto if you feel that the Prius is nothing but a snob capsule for tree huggers. Just don't turn those thoughts in to actions, because when you willfully screw with another person's car or truck, you're just another stupid criminal, and whatever message you think you're advancing just falls on deaf (and angry) ears.

[Sources: Inside Line, Prius Owners Group]

Lexus has some changes in store for most of its model lineup in 2009, though there doesn't appear to be anything in store for enthusiast drivers to rejoice over. Also cause for jeers instead of cheers: price increases from .8 to 1.1 percent, depending on model. The IS 250 and 350 do get revised suspension and steering tuning to go with exterior styling tweaks and the revised interior carries a new center cluster and an off switch for the VDIM stability control. The IS F über-IS also gets a new interior rendered in terra cotta and black that's termed "sporty."

The only news in the GS department is a 40% increase in trunk space for the GS 450h hybrid, which sounds fantastic but only amounts to 10.6 total cubic feet. The big LS sedans stay largely the same, though some new variants join the party. AWD versions of the LS 460 and LS 460 L tuck a Torsen differential onto the transmission's output shaft, which then marshalls torque between front and rear axles. Slick. The AWD LSes come standard with air suspension, variable-ratio steering, and adaptive suspension. Hit the jump for the full press release with detailed pricing info.

[Source: Toyota]

Click above for high-res gallery of Nissan's Paris Motor Show lineup

Nissan is bringing a trio of vehicles to the city of lights for the 2009 Paris Motor Show: a new concept called the Nuvu, an all-new production car car called the Pixo and a revised Note. We don't have an image of the Nuvu yet, but Nissan says it's a compact all-electric city car with 2+1 seating. It takes its green theme seriously with solar panels shaped like tree leaves on the roof that channel the sun's power through a "tree trunk" conduit in the center of the vehicle.

Next up is the Pixo, a new production car for the city with four-doors and a rear hatch that's powered by an eency-weency 1.0L three-cylinder engine. Built in collaboration with Suzuki, the new A-class car will obviously be geared towards fuel economy and low emissions when it goes on sale in Europe in the spring of 2009.

Finally, Nissan will have a revised version of its Note compact car that features a new, sleeker front end. New wheels, colors, a revised suspension and an available 1.5L dCi engine round out the changes. The Note also gets Nissan's new in-car nav/infotainment system called Nissan Connect. It comes with everything the market demands including a touch-screen navigation system, connectivity for digital audio players and Bluetooth connectivity.


[Source: Nissan]

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The upcoming Paris Motor Show is going to show us some very nice green rides. To wit: the new Honda Insight, aka Prius-fighter (alternate name: the Prius-lookalike), the Mazda Kiyora concept and the Hyundai i20 i-blue. What's your top pick from the City of Lights?

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• Paris Preview: Hyundai will show new 59 mpg i20 i-blue concept
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• EPA to NHTSA: Go higher on new CAFE standards!
• Citroën to debut new Hypnos hybrid 'ute in Paris
• Paris Preview: "Clean and Pure" Mazda Kiyora concept
• Latest ploy to get people to leave the car at home: free showers
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• Our Renewable Nation: just a simple family road trip to electric car companies across the U.S.
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Click above to view gallery of the production Chevy Volt

Excitement around the production version of the Chevy Volt is reaching a fever pitch. Last week we brought you spy video and images of what appeared to be a production Volt on the set of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, and while General Motors has since revealed that what we saw was not necessarily the series hybrid's final form (and that it was actually a rebodied, gas-powered Malibu), it nonetheless proved that the Volt's design is nearing the end of its gestation. Today GM revealed to Automotive News that the production Volt will, in fact, be unveiled this month as part of the automaker's 100-year anniversary celebration. The main events for the celebration are Monday, Sept. 15th and Tuesday, Sept. 16th, so we expect the car to be unveiled on one of those two days.

Ford Motor Company celebrated its centennial in 2003 and used the occasion to debut an equally exciting yet very different vehicle: the Ford GT. Fast forward five years and the hottest vehicle on everyone's mind is not a supercar, but a series hybrid. Times have certainly changed.


[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Honda Insight Concept

Honda is reviving an old name for its new Global Hybrid that goes on sale next spring by calling it the Insight. The new five-door hatchback "Prius-Killer" will be the most direct competitor yet for Toyota's iconic hybrid. Learning from the lesson that hybrid buyers apparently prefer their cars to be recognizable as such rather than being derivatives of existing models, Honda has modeled the new Insight after its low volume FCX Clarity fuel cell car and will be debuting it as a concept at the Paris Motor Show next month before it goes on sale as the least expensive hybrid in the world in 2009. Recent comments by Honda have hinted at a price starting at $18,500 for the Insight, which goes on sale 10 years after the original. Unlike the tiny two-seater that had limited appeal and utility, this new one is expected to appeal to a much wider audience. Honda is planning for worldwide sales of 200,000 units a year with 100,000 going to the U.S. market.


[Source: Honda]

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Well, here's a good chance to get a few people riled up: bicyclists in the UK say that Range Rover drivers are the worst. Now, if you don't feel offended, then see if you made the list of the drivers who came in close to the top (BMW lovers, we're looking at you). Over in China, BYD has decided that the new F0 should be sold cheaply. So cheaply, in fact, that the company will only make $146 in profit on each car. Ouch.

• Cyclists: Range Rover drivers worst on the road
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• GM makes 9 of the 10 most efficient American cars
• Chrysler dealers to get preview of three new EVs this month
• Consumer Reports says that some hybrids do pay off - quickly
• Official leakage: The new Mégane III
• Hyper-miling couple going for trans-continental mileage record
• Smart Fortwo a good fit for Tall Persons Club member
• Audi R10 TDI clinches American Le Mans Series P1 championship
• This isn't the first scooter boom in the U.S.
• Spain will offer carpoolers lower toll booth costs
• BYD ready to sell the F0 for a whopping $146 in profit
• Lutz calls for crash test break so small cars can be brought to U.S.
• Ten years and all Smart can find is five dozen photos? Pshaw
• Inaugural VW Jetta TDI cup season half-way home
• Some politicians want to mandate 100% flex fuel capability

Toyota is the undisputed leader in the hybrid space, and the Japanese automaker is looking to expand its kingdom by adding an all-electric vehicle to the mix. While there are few details available, Toyota has said the EV would likely be an urban city-type vehicle that will be available in the "early 2010s". Hopefully it will be more accommodating than Toyota's last attempt at an EV: the eCom (above), which used the innards of the RAV4 EV to achieve a top speed of 62 mph and a range of just 60 miles. Toyota's new EV, however, will be preceded in 2009 by the arrival of the brand's first plug-in Prius hybrid.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Click above for more hi-res images of the Dodge Zeo concept

While everyone is aware of what GM, Honda and Toyota have been up to when it comes to fuel-saving technology, Chrysler has been playing it close to the chest. The Auburn Hills-based automaker, however, will show its dealers three new all-electric cars at the end of this month that are said to be production capable. Jim Press, the Chrysler exec who came from rival and current hybrid-leader Toyota, added that Chrysler's future platforms were being designed with electrification in mind and that is still has access to technology from its previous owner, Daimler.

Like General Motors, Chrysler seems convinced that its EVs need to have plug-in capability. The goal, says Press, is 300 miles of range. To make that a reality, a very good set of batteries will be necessary – likely lithium-ions – and Press assures us that his company is working with multiple suppliers. Will any of the production-ready models be anything like the concepts shown off last year in Detroit? We'll see.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]