Automotive industry news, it feels like nothing of what they say is really important but put it together and you will get the big picture before the others.
Way back in 2008, Pininfarina – a custom coach builder – took a look at the $400K Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe Convertible and simply thought it just wasn’t good enough. So Pininfarina took this nearly half-million-dollar machine and created a one-off custom vehicle out of it. The maker then dubbed it the Hyperion, which was taken from an Ancient Greek Titan.
Much like its closest competitor, Bentley, Rolls-Royce has always been one of those car companies that you either loved or hated, mostly due to their gaudy exteriors and even more outlandish pricing. For those that love them, but just need a little something extra, there is no shortage of custom car builders that will customize them to your liking.
Despite the number of custom car builders modifying these ultra-luxury cars, none can touch the uniqueness and flashiness of the Hyperion. Pininfarina took special care to closely integrate a vintage look – taking styling cues from the 1930s and 1940s – with modern technology and feel.
This monster of a luxury car originally debuted at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. It then made an appearance at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show before going off to its rightful owner, Roland Hall.
Let’s take a look at how the 2008 Pininferina Hyperion stacks up.
A little while ago we reported that Daimler – former owner of Chrysler – was about to give up on yet another one of its brands. This time it is not the middle-class Chrysler lineup, but instead it is the extremely expensive Maybach lineup. Daimler’s not even making an attempt to sell it, it’s just axing the failing company altogether.
In light of its upcoming release, Daimler is trying to rid itself of every last one of these nearly half-million-dollar machines. It is now taking drastic measures by adding in a $100,000 rebate. We’ve heard of crazy rebates upwards of $10,000 on some high-end cars, but $100K, really?
Then again, ridding itself of the remaining $376,000 Type 57 and the $427,000 Type 62 is not going to be an easy task. Maybe cutting the price by nearly one-third and one-fourth, respectively, will do the trick. Besides, reports say that Maybach loses roughly $500,000 on every model it sells, so what’s another $100K per car?
After this whole snafu, it appears that the “Maybach” name will again remain dormant in the automotive world, which it did from 1940 to 1997, for a very long time to come. So if you want an ultra-luxury car “on the cheap,” that may soon be worth tons of money as a collectable, swing on down to Maybach, if you can find a dealer, err, “studio” anywhere, and claim your cool $100K rebate.
We’re curious to see what kind of crazy restrictions there are to getting this rebate. We all know there is some kind of catch. Missing out on a $1,000 rebate due to some weird financing requirement ticks us off enough; missing out on $100K would likely send us into a small temper tantrum.
After months of rumors and speculation, Audi has officially confirmed the acquisition of the Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. The acquisition was approved today in Hamburg and will be completed as quickly as possible once authorized by the competition authorities.
While it hasn’t been confirmed just yet, rumors say that Audi paid approximately €860 million, or $1.13 billion at the current rates, in order to buy Ducati. This is a fabulous deal considering Ducati sold around 42,000 motorcycles and generated revenue of some €480 million (about $631 million at the current rates), employing around 1,100 people.
Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, declared: "Ducati is known worldwide as a premium brand among motorcycle manufacturers and has a long tradition of building sporty motorcycles. It has great expertise in high-performance engines and lightweight construction, and is one of the world’s most profitable motorcycle manufacturers. That makes Ducati an excellent fit for Audi."
Fisker has been one of the more exciting rollercoaster rides in the automotive industry, as of late. In 2010, it was developing an extended range hybrid, then known as the Nina, and the Department of Energy was interested enough to provide the struggling company with a $529 million loan. This loan was three fold; part of it was for additional research for the Karma, part was for the Nina’s development, and the final portion was to renovate the old GM plant in Delaware.
Apparently Fisker didn’t meet the DOE’s expectations and they froze the loan in 2011, due to “unmet milestones.” Fisker then insisted that production of the Atlantic (the production name of the Nina) will commence at the Delaware plant, despite laying off 26 employees in early-February.
Well, the layoffs are still coming, as Fisker just let go of an additional 12 employees, including engineers and maintenance technicians, from its Delaware plant, which one laid off engineer called “absolutely empty.”
This is really making it look as if the Atlantic will not be produced in the Delaware plant. For that matter, it is starting to look like the Fisker brand as a whole may be in some significant trouble. The true question here is will the DOE see that Fisker’s recent progress is good enough to thaw out those loan funds and allow the company to continue its renovation of the Delaware plant and research on the Atlantic project? Or will the DOE watch Fisker squirm as it gasps for air wherever it can?
Chances are releasing the loan funds will never happen and it is looking like Fisker may fizzle out and end up amongst the heap of failed car companies, alongside Packard, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. Only time will tell, but seeing the Atlantic – an affordable hybrid sports sedan – hit the market would be a great thing for the environment and the entire hybrid realm.
As automotive journalists, we see a lot of varying racecars and racing trucks, so only a few actually make us do a double take and think “what the…” Well, the 2011 Ford “Bronco” Trophy Truck is one of those vehicles that we just cannot walk away from.
This beast was built by Marshall Madruga in honor of the classic road-racing truck, the “Big Oly.” This off-road racing version of the “Big Oly” made its debut in 2009 at the Off-Road Expo in Pomina, CA. It also made a cameo in the Bilstein booth at SEMA, in 2009 and has been in a few magazines, including DirtSports, Off Road, and Bronco Driver.
So why is this important to you? Well, the 2011 Ford Bronco Trophy Truck has just popped up for sale on Ebay. To boot, this truck is even registered as street legal in the state of California.
So how realistic is it to drive this pickup on the road? Check out the full review to see if this is a feasible mode of transportation, or just eye candy to take to the dunes every now and again.
Ford already did it before, and now it appears they’re going to do it again.
Of the five generations of the iconic Ford Mustang, the third and fourth generation Mustang came with completely different designs that were both based on a platform that we don’t see anymore: the Ford Fox.
For the fifth generation, Ford went back to the Mustang’s design roots, offering a car that paid true homage to the legendary Mustangs of the 60’s. But now it appears that Ford is once again prepared to go in a different direction with the design of the next-generation Mustang.
In a report by the Wall Street Journal, the American automaker is preparing a completely new and modern design for the next-generation Mustang, slated to arrive in 2014. That means that the retro-styling of the current Mustang will be replaced by a more modern model that is said to look a whole lot like the Ford Evos Concept.
As far as the reasoning behind the decision to drop the classic Mustang look for the next-gen model, Ford pointed to the growing "Generation Y" market that doesn’t carry as much fervor and attraction to the classic Mustang look as did the "Baby Boomer" generation. So with an entirely new market to cater to, the Blue Oval is looking at opening up yet another chapter of their iconic Mustang brand that could push for a new generation of loyal and passionate owners.
Just a few weeks ago, we teased you about Porsche bringing its popular-in-Europe clean diesel engine to the U.S., and installing it in the Cayenne. Not only is this engine powerful, boasting 240 horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque, and towing 7,716 pounds, but it is also economical, getting 28 mpg.
According to our colleagues over at Car and Driver, we are essentially just getting Europe’s hand-me-downs. Much like a big brother does with clothes that are too small for him, European Porsche drivers have grown out of the 3.0-liter V-6 diesel that we are just now getting and are moving into a larger engine, a full two cylinders larger that is.
Yup, Porsche will be adding in a V-8 diesel option to the Cayenne lineup in the “very near future,” according to Car and Driver’s report. It looks like the most likely and cost-effective diesel engine to offer is the Audi 4.2-liter V-8 that cranks out 346 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque, given Porsche and Audi are in bed under the VW umbrella. Given how well the smaller 3.0-liter diesel performs now, this engine would make the Cayenne diesel a screamer – as much as a diesel can be a screamer. It would also thrust its towing rating toward a truck-like 10,000-pound mark.
With that said, there are also rumors afloat that another VW affiliate, Bentley, may be working directly with Porsche to develop this new diesel engine.
Now, before you start getting all excited for this large diesel engine, you can forget about it. Porsche does not appear to have any plans on bringing this larger diesel engine to the U.S. This is no surprise, as the European market is easier for Porsche to distribute to, as well as the fact that Euro drivers are accustomed to buying these clean diesels than U.S. buyers are. Maybe one day the European market will outgrow this engine and we will finally get it here, but the chances are slim.
Since its inception midway through the 1964 model year, the “original” pony car, the Ford Mustang, has remained an America-only model. The last Ford overseas we recall seeing was the four-cylinder 1967 ‘Stang from Tokyo Drift, and we almost cried at the sight of that monstrosity of ricer meets muscle. There are now rumors floating around – mostly sparked by our friends at Popular Hot Rodding – that the Mustang is heading overseas.
We are all well aware of the fact that the Mustang is being redesigned for the 2015 model year. Apparently, a part of the releasing of the Mustang in Europe is that this redesign is turning the beloved Mustang into a car that meets the European Union pedestrian safety regulations. According to Popular Hot Rodding, this means that a redesign rivaling the Mustang II may be afoot, which is being dubbed the “Mustang III.”
This is a scary moment for Ford and it really needs to tread carefully, as the Mustang II nearly killed off the Mustang name altogether. It was to a point that the Ford Probe – yeah, remember that thing – was slated to be the replacement for the Mustang. Fortunately, the Mustang pulled through and is now thriving as a muscle car again.
This Euro-inspired redesign comes on the heels of the U.S. government possibly raising the average fuel economy requirements to an astronomical 56.2 mpg by 2025. This doesn’t mean that the Mustang needs to hit 56 mpg, but that the average of all Ford vehicles sold must be at least 56.2 mpg by 2025. This also puts the V-8 Mustangs that Ford has worked so hard on lately on the chopping block during this redesign.
Could this mean the return of a turbocharged four-cylinder to the Mustang lineup, or maybe even a transplantation of the EcoBoost 3.5-liter V-6 engine from the Taurus to the Mustang? It very well could, and that could spell disaster for the Mustang. Ford definitely needs to tread carefully with this redesign, or we could end up with the Mustang II all over again.
By our count, the Need for Speed gaming franchise has produced 18 video game titles, making it the most successful racing game franchise in history. With their success in video games firmly entrenched, recent rumors are suggesting that Need for Speed might be interested in crossing over to Hollywood.
Word has it that Electronic Arts, the publisher of the NFS gaming franchise, has tapped a pair of writers, George and Joel Gatins, to develop a script based on the Need for Speed games. The Gatins boys recently penned the script for the Hugh Jackman movie, "Real Steel," so these guys have some serious credibility.
Adding more credence to this report is word that a number of big-time studios are already in the hunt to acquire the rights to the prospective movie, including Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, and Paramount with the last one considered the favorite to land the rights to the movie.
While the thought of a Need for Speed movie has us salivating, it’s important to keep a level head and not get too caught up in all the talks, especially considering that the whole project is still in the script-developing stage.
Alright folks, grab the salt shakers and put a great big grain of salt in your hand, `cause we’ve got rumors. Recently, our colleagues over at Motor Trend had a little powwow with someone in the know about the upcoming Infiniti G sedan. Some of the rumors are a little ho-hum and others are flat out awesome, we’ll stick to the latter ones for now.
First off, the next-gen Infiniti G is through its design phase and production is ready to begin. According to the mole in Infiniti, the new G sedan will be based on a slightly stretched version of the new Mercedes C-Class’ platform, with other modifications. The leaky informant also let it be known that the new Infiniti G sedan will be in showrooms by the end of the summer in 2014 and the coupe will come later.
According to the informer, the new G will look nothing like the current model. From the front end, in particular the headlights, it will have the appearance of the Etherea concept car that Infiniti teased us with at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. The G will again come in a sedan or coupe, so no surprises there. However there are talks of a crossover model.
Now onto the good stuff: the Infiniti G’s engines. First, the rumors of a diesel engine are true, per Motor Trend’s source, but not for the G sedan. The 2.1-liter Mercedes diesel will only see use in the European and Korean Infiniti M. The only information he shared on the G’s engine was that the all-new IPL performance model will feature a 530-horsepower, twin-turbocharged 3.7-liter V-6. Last, the price of the Infiniti G IPL model was discussed and the informant says it will hover in the 10 million Yen range, which is about $123,000.
So there we have it. We can’t necessarily validate these rumors, but they certainly do add a little more excitement to the waiting game. We just have to wait and see if these rumors are true.
