CarMagik

Official: New pics show 2013 Nissan Altima from all the angles

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 20 May 2012 01:01:00 +0000

Nissan has released a passel of official photosd of the 2013 Nissan Altima, the sedan it "would like to make #1 if customers agree." While the new styling might take getting used to, the other changes are all welcomed: it's lighter, has a revised transmission, will return 38 miles per gallon if equipped with the four-cylinder, and starts at $21,500 before the $760 destination charge.

Now that the Altima and Toyota Camry are known quantities, the pending reveal of the Honda Accord will fill out the field and then we'll have a better idea of the fight to come. Until then, have a closer look at the new Altima in the photo gallery above.

New pics show 2013 Nissan Altima from all the angles originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: BMW rolls out new M6 safety car for MotoGP

Noah Joseph — Sat, 19 May 2012 23:03:00 +0000

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, BMW, Motorcycle, Racing

It takes a fast and agile car to keep pace with MotoGP racing bikes. Fortunately the BMW M division is up to the task, providing safety cars (or what we'd call pace cars on this side of the Atlantic) to the race organizers of the top-level motorcycle racing series.

The most recent vehicles to perform the duties have been the 1 Series M Coupe and the X6 M crossover, but now BMW is introducing a the new M6 coupe to the mix. It'll debut in safety car guise as pictured above at the Nürburgring this weekend.

While it's unclear whether any modifications have been made to the 552-horsepower twin-turbo V8, the M6 MotoGP safety car has been upgraded with new spoilers front and rear, special lighting equipment and BMW's traditional blue, blue and red striping on a white body. And if we were betting men, we'd put our money on some upgrades to the brakes, suspension and tires, too.

BMW rolls out new M6 safety car for MotoGP originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 18:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Official: Toyota boosting V6 production in Alabama, adding 125 jobs

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:03:00 +0000

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota

Toyota's Huntsville, Alabama production facility, which makes the company's four-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines, is getting a couple of big boosts: $80 million and roughly 125 new jobs. When the spending and hiring is complete, the enlarged factory and the plant's 1,150 workers will raise engine-production capacity to more than 700,000 units, with V6 production more than doubled from 146,000 engines per year to 362,000.

Toyota's been spending and hiring all this year, with $645 million invested in growth and 1,100 jobs added to the rolls. "This V6 line addition," said a company EVP, "continues to reflect our growing optimism for an improving North American market." Toyota's press release is posted below.

Continue reading Toyota boosting V6 production in Alabama, adding 125 jobs

Toyota boosting V6 production in Alabama, adding 125 jobs originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What Is The Worst Automotive Decision You’ve Ever Made? [Question Of The Weekend]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:00:00 +0000

While it would seem more automotive knowledge would lead to better automotive decisions, from our own experience far too often the opposite is true. Misery loves company, so this weekend we want to know about the worst of your inevitable automotive blunders. More »

What Is The Worst Automotive Decision You’ve Ever Made? [Question Of The Weekend]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:00:00 +0000

The Yugo Was The Next Great Affordable Car [Video]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Every generation or so some smart guys came along who figured out how to make basic transportation at an affordable price. According to this vintage commercial the "smart guys" who created the Yugo would have you believe next in line after a Model T or a Volkswagen Beetle was the Yugo. More »

Official: Edo Competition squeezes 600 HP into Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate

Noah Joseph — Sat, 19 May 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Wagon, Mercedes-Benz

If you need to haul some stuff in a big hurry, you could do a lot worse than the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate wagon. It offers all the power of its coupe and sedan siblings, only with the added cargo space that so many European customers prefer over the betrunked versions. But if the stock 457 horsepower isn't enough, the good folks over at Edo Competition are glad to help out with an upgrade of their own.

That upgrade, it turns out, is anything but negligible, pumping output up by nearly 150 horsepower to a stonking 600. Torque has also been boosted from 442 lb-ft stock to 501, where that extra single measure of twist makes all the difference.

The boost comes courtesy of new exhaust, headers, cats and filters, supplemented by 19-inch modular alloys riding on suitably low-profile Michelin rubber, with a slew of interior enhancements to make the Edo C63 feel all the more special.

The exterior, however, remains decidedly low-key - all the better for messing with the head of Porsche drivers on the Autobahn while hauling the whole family and all their gear. Check it out in the press release below and the high-res image gallery above.

Continue reading Edo Competition squeezes 600 HP into Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate

Edo Competition squeezes 600 HP into Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Week in Review: Chevrolet SS, 40 Years of M Cars, and Accelerator Pedals That Push Back

Automotive News — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:10:02 +0000

This week began with the 2013 Ford F-150 shedding the camouflage that once covered the full-size light-duty truck’s front-end. BMW’s M branch, the performance wing of the German automaker, celebrated its 40th birthday on Wednesday and in honor of the milestone, we’ve compiled a list of the top five BMW vehicles to ever wear the [...]

This Is What A $6.3 Million Ferrari Looks Like [Car Auctions]

Tom Joslin — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:00:00 +0000

It wasn't exactly a secret this 1 of 2 1957 Ferrari 625 TRC Spider was going to command an impressive price when it crossed the block at last weekend's RM Monaco event. Even so, exceeding the high end of a pre-auction estimate by approximately $1.5 million is hardly a common occurrence. More »

Report: McLaren dispersing top-secret Unit 2 collection to showrooms

Noah Joseph — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:02:00 +0000

If you've got the cash to place on the hood (or nose cone, as it were), most any Formula One team will sell you one of their old race cars. After all, they're not using them anymore, and it's a good way to raise funds to develop next year's car. But not McLaren. The team from Woking - one of the most successful in the series - doesn't sell its old cars, though with 176 grand prix victories, twelve drivers' championships and eight constructors' titles, you can bet they'd fetch a pretty penny. Instead, it keeps them all warehoused at a facility, location undisclosed, simply called Unit 2.

The warehouse contains some 75 grand prix cars, an untold number of the team's sports cars from other racing series (like Le Mans, Can-Am and Indy), and various road cars it's produced over the years, like the legendary McLaren F1, the SLR it built for Mercedes-Benz, and the new MP4-12C. But while none of these cars are for sale, Unit 2 will soon be depleted of much of its stock.

Their destinations? The 35 global dealerships that McLaren Automotive has opened or will open by year's end, like the one pictured above in Düsseldorf. Each showroom is to get a racing car to display alongside the road cars it has for sale, and many of them will be location-specific. The dealer in Monte Carlo, for example, will display the 1993 MP4-8 that Ayrton Senna drove to victory at the Monaco Grand Prix. The dealer in Brussels will reportedly display the 2004 MP4-19 with which Kimi Raikkonen won the 2004 Belgian Grand Prix. And the Philadelphia showroom will display the 1976 M26 that James Hunt piloted to victory at the US Grand Prix that year.

So if you want to see a piece of McLaren racing history, better call up your nearest dealership and find out when their show car is due to arrive. Just don't go looking for Unit 2, because even if you can find it, chances are they won't let you in.

McLaren dispersing top-secret Unit 2 collection to showrooms originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 May 2012 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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