Every single year cars continue to get closer and closer to being completely autonomous, but that’s still a distant goal. In today’s world, automakers are simply trying to make getting lost a thing of the past with new integrated navigation systems. Chevy has taken this a step further by announcing that it is planning to release a new type of navigation system in the fall of 2012.
Chevy has dubbed this new system GogoLink and will debut it at the 2012 New York Auto Show. What’s weirder than the name itself is that it is a smartphone application. Yup, this application loads into any smartphone and offers a fully functional navigation system with live traffic updates. This system works through the MyLink infotainment system installed in the upcoming 2013 Sonic and 2012 Spark via Bluetooth or cable connection, and displays the navigation system on MyLink’s 7-inch LCD touch screen.
But why on Earth would Chevy put a smartphone app as its navigation system? Well, Chevy claims that 90% of Sonic and Spark buyers own a smartphone and that these higher-end customers are accustomed to using their phones for everything. We honestly think it is a cheap way for Chevy to say “Even our entry level cars have navigation systems,” but we’re skeptics.
Due to the fact that GogoLink will likely not debut in time for the release of the 2012 Spark, Chevy dealers will quickly upload GogoLink onto the MyLink system on your new Spark once it becomes available. For now, we’ll reserve judgment until more details come about, but we can certainly see a large number of Spark and Sonic customers complaining because they used up their entire smartphone data plan running GogoLink (See iPhone billing nightmares). However, if you happen to have an unlimited data plan, which we would assume most smartphone users would, this could be a pretty cool system to help get you around town.
Click past the jump to read the full press release and list of features.
Ford has not been shy with new high-performance models in its 2013 lineup. First came the newly redesigned Fusion with an optional 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, then the Focus ST with the same 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. So what’s next for Ford? We think Ford may have tipped its hand with a recent video.
In this video (above) you can see a teaser of what’s to come. From what it looks like, Ford will be announcing a high-performance model of the 2013 Ford Explorer on Wednesday, March 28th. It is all speculation as of yet, but with the ominous sounds of an engine reaching high rpm, what else could it be?
We may be reading way too much into the video, but if you watch carefully at the 0:10 mark, you will see a speedometer on the left. Count the seconds it takes for this thing to reach 60 mph. By our estimation that Explorer hits 60 mph just shy of 5.5 seconds. Now, that could be just a sped up video of a standard Explorer, but if it’s authentic, that is one mean midsize SUV. That isn’t quite in the Grand Cherokee SRT8’s range, but it’s still impressive.
Most rumors in the industry are saying that this model, which may be dubbed an SHO, will feature the same 365-horsepower, 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6 connected to an all-wheel-drive system as the 2013 Taurus SHO. This would be a welcome addition to the existing 2013 Explorer lineup, which already includes a standard 290-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 and an optional 240-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine.
The video says “Coming 3-28-2012,” so we will simply wait and see what the specifics are. As we type this, it just rolled over to 12:00 a.m. on the 28th and still no details… Sheesh, Ford, take your time why don’t ya. In all honesty though, Ford has a live chat with its SUV Marketing Manager and Chief Engineer on its Facebook page setup for 2:30 p.m. EDT, so details are likely to be revealed at that time.
Toyota Avalon has been firstly unveiled in 1994 and until know we have seen three different generation. Today, at the New York Auto Show Toyota has unveiled the fourth generation Avalon, a model that comes with a progressive and emotionally styled exterior design, improved dynamic performance, a greater degree of refinement, and a highly spacious, comfortable interior.
The model has been designed to attract younger buyers and features a sleek and expressive profile with a longer, sloping roofline, flared front fenders, and reduced front and rear overhangs. The car’s interior combines comfort, convenience and technology. Toyota opted to combined premium materials with smoked chrome-metallic accents. The new Avalon has been crafted with innovative technologies such as advanced capacitive touch switches, a three color display screens that support the multi-information display, the audio/navigation interface, and the climate control panel.
Toyota did not offered any details on the car’s engine just yet, but we expect to see the same 3.5-liter V6 engine maybe with improved output and fuel economy.
Updated 04/05/2012: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
There has been much speculation about the potential release of a production version of the i8 that was teased back in February. This time we are being nice and not just teasing you, BMW is releasing this hybrid semi-supercar in 2014.
This release is coming on the heels of Ferrari announcing that it will officially debut its V-12 hybrid Enzo next year, which will bear a similar, though significantly larger, gasoline engine-electric motor setup as the i8 will. It seems with all of these sporty and relatively fast super-Eco cars coming out of the wood work even the big boys are taking a turn toward the green market.
With this sudden push to the green, it may be just a matter of time until the entire supercar realm is dominated by super-electrics, and these hybrids are certainly a push in the right direction. Plus, as automakers start seeing these hybrid and electric supercars, they might decide that their own high performance vehicles, like the Camaro, Mustang and Corvette, can bear electric or hybrid drivetrains and still deliver the performance their customers require.
Subaru has always made good use of this market and has a nice following of customers. Lately, though, it seems like Subaru is really attempting to gain an edge in new markets. First, it releases the BRZ, the Japanese automaker’s first true sports car since the SVX thankfully vanished in 1997, and now it is prepared to unveil the 2013 XV Crosstek, a compact crossover SUV, at the 2012 New York Auto Show starting April 4th.
Subaru is not shy in releasing some details about this long overdue SUV, as it has released images and basic specifications prior to its debut. The 2013 XV Crosstrek, which also falls in the crossover market, will bear styling similar to the 2013 Ford Escape, 2012 Honda CR-V, and the 2012 Hyundai Tucson – all of which will be direct competitors with the XV Crosstrek.
Hit the jump for more details on the Subaru XV Crosstrek.
Every year, the New York Auto Show is home to a number of debuts for some of the greatest automobiles around the world, and at this year’s show, you could be there capturing those moments when automakers pull back the covers to reveal their latest masterpieces. As part of SnapMyLife’s auto show contest, one lucky person will be chosen as the roving photographer for SnapMyLife and will be able to attend the two press days of the 2012 New York Auto Show to take pictures of the vehicles as they are debuted. These pictures will then be streamed during the official photo stream of the New York Auto Show. The winner will also get a brand new EOS Rebel T3i Digital Camera.
So, here’s how you enter. Take a photograph of a car and submit it to SnapMyLife. Then tell your everyone you know to click on the Like button associated with your image. At the end of the contest, whichever picture has the most likes will be declared the winner.
The contest is open to anyone in the contiguous United States who is at least 21 years old, be it professional or amateur photographer. Only original photographs that have not been previously published, for which the entrant possesses all necessary rights will be accepted as valid entries. Photographs that have won awards or have been subjected to any previous form of judging process will not be accepted.
Check out SnapMyLife’s entree and photograph criteria after the jump. For full contest rules and to check out the competition, head on over to SnapMyLife, but you better hurry; contest ends March 20, 2012.
BMW has officially unveiled the third generation M6, in both coupe and convertible versions. The M6 badge has been firstly used back in 1987 and since then the model has evolved into a powerful, athletic, focused, luxurious and efficient sports car. On the US market the M6 Coupe will be the last to arrive and will go on sale in the late Summer of 2012 as a 2013 model.
As many rumors suggest it previously, the new M6 has dropped its V10 engine in favor of a new, 4.4-liter V8 equipped with with M TwinPower Turbo Technology . And despite its lower capacity the new V8 develops a total of 560 HP (an increase of 5 HP over the previous model) and a peak torque of 500 lb-ft. The engine is mated to a newly developed 7-speed double-clutch transmission designed to handle the high torque and high revving nature of the engine.
The new M6 Coupe will be immediately recognized as an elegant and sporty 6-Series. But it gets the usual M styling design cues that make it look more sporty and powerful. These elements include wider air intakes, stunningly contoured headlight units, the newly designed M kidney grille, which bears an "M6" badge and powerful 19-inch M light-alloy wheels.
UPDATE 03/07/2012: The new BMW M6 Coupe made its way to the 2012 Geneva Motor Show and we have a series of new live images of the car. Enjoy!
UPDATE 04/06/2012: The BMW M6 Coupe will go on sale shortly after its convertible brother, and on the US market prices will start from $106,995 (including destination and handling).
When you talk about muscle cars, the name "Mustang" comes up a lot. And when you’re a car guy, you either love the Mustang or you hate it. Camaro fans almost always despise the Mustang, and likewise, Mustang fans curse the day the Camaro was born. I am one of the few, though, that is a fan of American cars in general. I love Chevrolet, Ford, and Dodge. America would be a very boring place for gearheads if these three brands did not create the muscle cars that they did. This is especially true for the Mustang.
On March 9, 1964, Ford’s assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan started production on a car that would change the entire industry. Just over a month later, people at the New York World’s Fair laid eyes on the very first pony car ever built. This new class of car spawned the birth basically every American muscle car from that point on. And now, 48 years later, the 2013 Ford Mustang GT is a work of art.
The battle for the title of “World’s Fastest Production car” has just heated up – again. And this time its round two of the classic David vs. Goliath encounter: diminutive Shelby Super Cars taking on the might of VW-owned Bugatti. American one man show SSC, forced the world to take them seriously after the original Ultimate Aero snatched the title away from the Veyron with a run of 256mph, recorded on a four-mile-long Texas single carriageway that featured a dogleg bend that needed to be navigated at “just” 210mph. The man at the wheel was 71 year old Chuck Bigelow who had no racing experience and refused to wear even a crash helmet.
Hitting back, the Veyron Super Sport took to VW’s ultra-modern, ultra-smooth and wide Ehra Lessien test track, with a pro driver at the wheel and crowd of engineers at their beck and call. The result was an impressive 267mph from the 1200HP special edition.
Considering all that Bugatti have at their disposal compared to Jerod Shelby and his band of 16 engineers – that work from a garage behind his house – you begin to realize the magnitude of their accomplishments. Now they have unveiled their new creation, a 1350HP RWD beast that’s yet to be officially named. For convenience, we’ll just call it the Aero II.
UPDATE 10/18/2011: SSC continues to characterize a few last sub-assemblies from the Ultimate Aero for transfer into the final Tuatara performance package. Their latest video shows the car making 0 to 200 mph sprints in order for engineers to test new gear ratio specs on the transmission. SSC was surprised at how quickly the Ultimate Aero reached 200 MPH, but more importantly, the team has now determined what they feel is the perfect gear ratios for the new 7-speed Tuatara transmission.
UPDATE 11/11/2011: SSC has finally unveiled the official details on the Tuatara’s exquisite interior. Full details can be found after the jump, but you can check out the new images, as well as the new video, for a quick tutorial!
UPDATE 12/06/2011: Despite Tuatura’s huge $1.3 million price tag, Shelby Supercars has managed to sell an impressive 10 units during the 2011 Dubai International Motor Show. So, $13 million in just five days? Not bad for Shelby. Financial crisis? What crisis? (Gulf News)
Mercedes has caused history to repeat itself as they have come out with a roadster version for one of their popular coupes. This trend was seen in the SLR McLaren and will now repeat itself with the SLS AMG coupe version. The SLS AMG Roadster will be revealed in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but right now the car is under extreme testings.
In terms of design, the roadster version will remain faithful to the coupe version. However, it will drop the gullwing doors in favor of more traditional units. The SLS Roadster will be offered with Mercedes’ traditional retractable soft-top which can be opened and closed electrohydraulically while on the move up to 30 mph.
The Mercedes SLS AMG roadster version will be powered by a 6.3-liter V8 engine with 563 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque. However, being a much heavier model, it will rocket from 0 to 60mph in 4.0 seconds before topping out at approximately 192 mph.
In Europe, prices will start from € 195,160, or about $278,000 at the current exchange rates. The Mercedes’ US debut will be made later this fall.
UPDATE 11/07/2011: Mercedes has unveiled a new video presenting the history behind the SLS AMG Roadster photo shoot with Michael and Ralf Schumacher.
Hit the jump to read more about the new Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster.
