A sedan car is a four-door vehicle, with a separate hood covering the engine in the front, and a separate trunk for luggage at the rear — the achetypical 3-box car. However, other variations of the body style exist as well, including two-door and hatchback/fastback models.
The revised 2013 Honda Civic sedan lives up to the “Better” advertising hype. Then again, “Better” is not exactly a lofty goal or a proud boast from the top compact car in U.S. sales. Is chrome on the grille and trunk lid enough to banish the memories of last year’s poverty-spec Civic sedan?
Despite being a total snooze to sports car enthusiasts, the Civic sedan packs the most diverse powerplant options of any passenger vehicle ever sold commercially, including: gasoline, hybrid and CNG
This little econobox is singlehandedly preparing for the diverse energy mix we all have in our futures. The Civic’s hybrid system finally matches Toyota’s third-gen Prius for sophistication and economy, while the CNG option is looking more enticing than ever thanks to America’s natural gas revolution pushing prices to record lows.
Additionally, Honda has taken a number of complaints about the 2012 Civic to heart, such as the unacceptable road noise and harshness, negative amounts of road style, and an interior full of unusual shapes jammed together like a losing Tetris game. Can the 2013 Honda Civic sedan pivot from mediocrity with blankets of NVH material, some LEDs and infotainment tech from the new Accord?
Click past the jump for the full review of the Honda Civic Sedan.
The Japanese market received yet another special edition from BMW: a 7 Series V12 Bi-Turbo. The model will be limited to only 52 units and can be ordered starting today (May 23rd) through the end of August. Customers will start receiving their cars in October 2013. Pricing for the special 7 Series V12 Bi-Turbo starts at ¥22,600,000 (about $223,000).
The model is powered by a 6.0-liter twin-turbo V-12 engine equipped with VANOS technology and features twin turbochargers, high-precision direct injection, and intake and exhaust variable valve timing. This engine delivers a total of 544 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque.
For the exterior, customer can choose between Silverstone II and Singapore Gray paints combined with dark chrome on the kidney grille and the exhaust pipes. The model is also equipped with an M aerodynamic package and will be offered with standard 21-inch alloy wheels in a V-spoke design.
On the inside, the only addition is a 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system that delivers 1,200 watts.
Click past the jump to read more about the BMW 7 Series.
Stick a fork in `em, because Fisker’s about as cooked as it can get. As much as it saddens us, we have to admit that the once promising brand is set to be sold or head into bankruptcy. So far, Fisker has two interested parties, per a report from Reuters, that are looking to buy it out.
The most aggressive team is headed up by Bob Lutz’s VL Automotive and China’s Wanxiang Group, as they reportedly put in a bid of $20 million for the spiraling company. $20 million may sound like a big number for a nearly bankrupt company, but it is a far cry from the $2.2 billion valuation given to Fisker in the spring of 2012.
Of course, no one involved in the process is confirming the report of this super-low bid, but folks close to the situation are claiming that it is true and that Fisker is considering the offer.
There is one other team that is interested in purchasing the company outright, but there aren’t any reports of them bidding. However, there are reports that a third investment group is interested in buying out DOE’s $171 million interest in the company, which came as a result of the loan Fisker received in its infancy that was later frozen.
This is all we have for now, but we’ll keep an eye out for more reports as time goes on.
Click past the jump to read more about VL Automotive’s interest in Fisker
The 2014 CTS Sedan has definitely grown on a lot of people. Actually, it’s become quite popular in the years that it’s been around, so much so that Cadillac has decided to send the first performance version of the new CTS, dubbed the CTS VSport, to the auction block.
The car will be donated by General Motors to the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE) Foundation where it will then be auctioned off at a Barrett-Jackson auction later this year.
The proceeds of the auction, which we expect to be quite significant for a CTS VSport, will then head to the foundation’s outreach programs.
GM and Cadillac decided to donate the car after its own senior VP for product development, Mary Barra, was bestowed with the prestigious Industry Leadership Award, becoming the first woman in the SAE’s history to be given such an honor.
Click past the jump to read about the Cadillac CTS VSport
Last month, the 2014 Audi A8 was caught testing for the first time on the public roads in Germany. Today, the car changed landscapes and went for high-altitude testing in the Alps.
Just like in the previous testing session, Audi chose to heavily camouflage this A8 prototype; but even so, we expect to see the same updates that we have seen in all of the recently launched Audi models.
These updates will include: new headlight units; new grille; and small changes to the bumper. On the rear, the revisions include: new taillights and a revised bumper. The interior will also receive some small updates, plus an updated infotainment system.
Under the hood, Audi will focus on reducing fuel consumption and lowering CO2 emissions.
We expect the revised Audi A8 to be unveiled in September at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Click past the jump to read more about the Audi A8.
The Kia Quoris or K9 was unveiled by the South Korean automaker in 2012 as a replacement for the Opirus sedan in its home market. The Quoris is already sold in many countries around the Globe and it looks like the U.S. will be next.
In an interview with Automotive, one Kia official confirmed that the Quoris will arrive is the U.S. in 2014 and will be priced somewhere between $50k and $70k. If you are wondering how a company can sell models with such a wide price spectrum, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Michael Sprague, has the answer: "How is that any different than Mercedes-Benz selling cars from $30,000 to $150,000?"
While we await the Quoris arrival, Kia will remain busy by unveiling seven refreshed or all-new vehicles, plus slightly updated 2014 Kia Sedona minivan that Kia hopes will help improve sales.
Click past the jump to read more about the Kia Quoris.
For all of you that have a Mercedes CGI turbocharged engine in your late-model Mercedes – engine codes M270, M271EVO and M274 – Carlsson has announced that it now offers CB kits to help bump power by up to 28 percent.
The base CB kit is an adapter plug that goes between the vehicle wiring harnesses and the factory ECU. This little nugget of joy communicates with the various electronic systems within your Benz, assessing the driving situation and conditions, and making adjustments to optimize power.
There’s no need to worry about reliability when you install this kit, as it includes safety checks that help prevent damage that some other tuning kits may cause. First, the CB kit waits for the engine oil temperature to reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) before the performance boosts activate. Secondly, the CB kit closely monitors the limits of the CGI engine (oil temperature, coolant temperature, etc.) and drops the ECU to its normal performance if these limits are reached.
This kit’s improvements range from a 24-horsepower gain in the A 180 and B 180 to a 42-horsepower gain in the A 250 and B 250.
For those that want some extra power from the M271EVO engine lineup, the CBS kit is available too, which adds a larger and freer-flowing intercooler to the base CB kit. The power increases from the CBS kit range from 35 horsepower in the C 250, E 250 and SLK 250 to 45 horsepower in the C 180.
When you purchase this kit, Carlsson further shows its dedication to keeping your Benz running by taking over the manufacturer’s drivetrain warranty for two years or 100,000 km (62,137 miles).
Click past the jump to see the full specification sheet
The Toyota Corolla hasn’t been a model to get excited about since it migrated from the econo-performance rear-wheel-drive model into the front-wheel-drive pure-economy car. Granted, the S model has always added a little flair and it performs respectably for its class, but still, it’s not the type of model that we stand up and take notice of.
However, it is still year in and year out one of the most reliable cars on the roads and one of the best-selling models in its class. Well, with five years passing since its last redesign and three years since its last refresh in 2011, it looks as if a new-generation Corolla is set to debut on June 6, 2013, thanks to the teaser image that Toyota posted on its Facebook wall with the text “Prepare to meet the NEW 2014 Corolla. Get excited for June 6, really excited…” to go along with it.
There is no auto show scheduled for June 6th, so we can only assume that the Corolla will launch with far less fanfare than the 2013 Avalon did – thankfully. The teaser image doesn’t show too much, but it does confirm that the S model will continue into the next generation and that all-new taillights are part of the redesign package. These taillights are very similar to the 2013 Corolla Furia Concept, so we expect to see a lot of the Corolla’s design coming from this design exercise.
If it carries some of the aggressiveness that the Furia did, we definitely hope the `Yota puts a little something extra under the hood, but we really doubt we will see anything more than a 130-horsepower, or so, four-cylinder engine.
Stay tuned for more.
Click past the jump to read more about the 2014 Corolla
When Aston Martin announced the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S we were pretty impressed by the company’s ambitions to enter a hydrogen-powered car in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring. However, it looks like the company did more than just enter the race, as the Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S made quite a splash at the race where it managed to become the first race car to complete emission-free laps in an international automotive race. Even more so, there were moments when the car hit a top speed of 160 mph, while running just on hydrogen.
The Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S was the only car to enter a special E1-XP2 race classification. The car needed only 30 seconds to refill, with the hydrogen being stored at 350 bar (5,076 psi) of pressure.
After the race, Aston Martin said that the new racecar "has showcased the most practical technology available to fundamentally address the challenge of global emissions without disrupting the automotive industry."
Click past the jump to read more about the 2013 Aston Martin Hybrid Hydrogen Rapide S.
After being caught testing in many times, the revised BMW 5-Series lineup made its world debut today before being put on sale later in July. As no surprise, BMW is offering no major updates on the car’s exterior and look, but it did added a new model to the lineup: the 518d, plus a more powerful V-8 powertrain.
In terms of design the 5-Series sedan received different structured lower air intakes, a modified front apron and more sharply contoured taillights. For the first time the 5-Series is being offered with two new package: BMW Luxury Line and BMW Modern Line packages, both adding exclusive design and equipment features.
For the interior BMW is offering additional chrome trim, more room on the storage compartments, and of course new upholstery colors and interior trim elements.
Updated 05/21/2013: BMW U.S.A announced pricing and release date for the revised 5-Series lineup.
Click past the jump to read more about the BMW 5-Series.
