Categories: Car News

Every year the gods over at Agoura Hills speak and the auto manufacturers quake in their... boots. I’m talking about the research and survey firm J.D. Power and Associates. They publish The Power Report, a monthly newsletter targeted towards the auto industry. Besides the usual business-oriented articles, the company also conducts a number of surveys and their best known one is the J.D. Power and Associates’ Initial Quality Survey.

After the Alfa Romeo 4C debuted in that captivating candy apple color in Geneva, I would have thought there's no way they could match that beauty. Especially not with a color as plain as silver. But the "fluid metal" 4C that showed up at the Frankfurt Motor Show actually gives the Geneva version a run for its hotness money. I still prefer the red, but this one is a close second.

Edmunds and HubPages report some contradictory information regarding Jeep’s recent plan to bring the Fiat Panda stateside, but both sources suggest that we can expect a Jeep version of Fiat’s AWD Panda in the near future. While HubPages offers a much narrower time window, Edmunds notes that the new Jeep model probably will not arrive on US soil until 2013 as a 2014 model.

At best, most of the information regarding a joint-venture between Jeep and Fiat is mere conjecture. Neither Fiat nor Jeep has officially announced final plans. Yet, some sources indicate that Jeep plans to label their Italian adoption ‘Phoenix’ and we can assume that Phoenix specs will resemble those found on the currently available European Fiat Panda. Pricing should be somewhat north of the current US version of the Fiat 500.

This wasn’t the only Mitsubishi Mecum Auctions offered in last weekend’s St. Charles sale, though neither T278 (a one-owner red-and-black 1987 Starion bid to $4,500) nor F5/F308 (a white-over-black ’98 300GT SL 5-speed bid to $1,250 then sold at $3,500) were—to my knowledge—sold to benefit any charity.

Listed as Lot S100, this "one-of-a-kind 2012 Eclipse Coupe SE—the very last production Eclipse that rolled off of the assembly line at the company's manufacturing plant in Normal, Illinois"—was auctioned on Saturday at no reserve (that means the high bid “wins” no matter what it is) to benefit the Japanese Red Cross. When the gavel fell it had garnered a top bid of—and, therefore, sold for—$35,000.

I’m sure the charity would have appreciated any amount, but it bears noting that this “Last Eclipse” didn’t sell for much more than the car would get if it was parked on a dealer’s lot. Why? Here’s what I think…

Yes, it’s true: The car you loved to hate when the cops were using it—and probably never thought of UNLESS the cops were using it—has ended its long production run. The last of Ford’s Old Grey Ladies had its newborn rump spanked into life at the company’s St. Thomas (Ontairo, CAN) Assembly Plant on Sept. 15^th, signaling an end to both car and factory.

[Incidentally, that white-over-tan car—VIN 2FABP7CW8CX104292—is Saudi Arabia-bound and lined with the signatures of the people who built her. You’d think that Ford or someone HERE would want a keepsake like that. Apparently not.]

I ask now for a moment of silence for the dearly-departed. Believe it or not, this model holds a special place in my heart (and just maybe—if you’re honest—in yours, too). So let’s not mourn the passing of a great model. Instead, let’s celebrate a life well-lived with a (semi)brief history of the Ford Crown Victoria….

Toyota has the Lexus LFA. Nissan has the GT-R. Currently, the only member of the Japanese Big 3 to not have its own flagship sports car is the one that boasted the top Japanese sports car a short decade ago. Back in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Acura NSX was the supercar from Japan. And not too long after its discontinuation in 2005, rumors of a successor began popping up regularly. Now, Honda has confirmed that it is indeed working on a new flagship sports car.

According to Autocar, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito confirmed that the automaker is working on an NSX successor on the night before the Frankfurt Motor Show began.

Around this time last year, Jaguar stole the Paris Motor Show with its ultra-awesome C-X75 concept. Not only was the concept a sexy hybrid supercar with jet turbine technology, and not only was it Jaguar's first supercar since the ever-lust-ible XJ-220, but it kind of came out of left field and overshadowed more anticipated debuts, like the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento. It was show car through and through.

This year, Jaguar expands the C-X hybrid concept family with the C-X16. A look at a future entry-level sports coupe, the C-X16 isn't quite the show-stealer that the C-X75 was, but it's a car that more of the world has a chance at owning. And it's pretty sexy in its own right.

It’s true: the global financial crisis is not only over, it’s been drawn, quartered, salted, burned, and cast to the winds. How else could ultra-luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce have not only hit its maximum plant capacity, but exceeded it?

Here’s their PR department's typically understated (read: "English") way of saying it: “The Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood in West Sussex is to expand in the months ahead. The news follows significant growth in worldwide sales over the last 18 months and a greater demand from customers for highly personalised Rolls-Royce Ghost and Phantom models.”

Or: Makin’ a killin’ is their business, and business is GOOD….

Back in 2007, Hyundai unveiled the company’s first i30 which was released exclusively in Europe. In 2010 alone, the i30 attracted 115,000 buyers—making Hyundai history as the largest-selling brand vehicle in Europe, totaling more than 350,000 units from 2007 to mid-2011. So, what’s the big deal about the next generation i30 to be premiered at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show?

Although this latest i30 will be available only to European buyers, it is a car which perfectly represents Hyundai’s ability to adapt to new markets and prosper, a symbol of the company’s incredible success both abroad and in the United States, and a firm statement that funky-practical vehicles don’t need a ridiculous nametag.

Back when the 2012 Chevy Camaro ZL1 was unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, Chevy said that it produced an "estimated" 550 horses from its 6.2-liter supercharged LSA engine. When we heard that little caveat, we assumed that it was going to be slightly lower, since we figured Chevy would want to project the highest output possible. But, between then and now, something else happened: rumors about the 2013 Mustang Shelby GT500 offering around 600 horses hit the interwaves, and Chevy decided to move that "estimated" figure right on up the scale. 

The Camaro ZL1 recalls the 1969 engine of the same name and will be the most powerful Camaro ever. Its 580 hp will come at 6,000 rpm, and its 556 lb-ft of torque will come at 4,500 rpm. The LSA engine offers 24 horses and 5 lb-ft over its Cadillac CTS-V application. In short, the ZL1 means business.

We've heard Kia will introduce two V-8-powered, RWD sports cars within the next few months, and we knew the first was coming at the Frankfurt Motor Show. What we didn't know is that a whole bunch of pictures of it were going to leak a little early. A handful of pictures of Kia's sporty concept have leaked, providing views from nearly every angle.