The new 2014 Camaro Z/28 may have been Chevrolet's little attention getter during the 2013 New York Auto Show late last month, but we mustn't forget that the rest of the Camaro range also received some pretty substantial updates for the new model year. So for those of you who might not have had the chance to soak in all of the 2014 Camaro SS' goodness, Chevrolet has released this video, in which Camaro marketing manager John Fitzpatrick gives us a proper walkaround of the refreshed coupe.
Fitzpatrick says that with the update, Chevrolet wanted to better differentiate between the V6 and V8 models, as well as giving the RS package a little more flair. Here, he shows us a number of features on a red SS RS coupe, including things like the revised front fascia with functional foglamps and the newly designed rear deck with the RS' exclusive LED taillamps.
Scroll down to watch the video, and be sure to check out our full 2014 Camaro SS coverage, here.
The Subaru WRX Concept was the only concept car to be mentioned among our Editors' Choice favorites for New York Auto Show debuts this year - snagging the No. 3 spot nonetheless - due to what it could mean to the future of Subaru if it indeed becomes a reality. Now that we've caught our breath from walking countless miles through the Javits Center, Subaru has released a brief video of design boss Osamu Namba describing some of the exterior styling elements of the sporty concept sedan.
While this video is just your basic walkaround that gives no mention of the concept's inspiration or what we can expect from the next-generation WRX, it is still fun to watch Namba explain many of the car's design elements including the more aggressive face, the quadruple exhaust outlets and the signature flared wheel arches and side outlet fender vents. If you liked the WRX Concept as much as we did, scroll down to watch this short video.
Standing on the corner of 7th Ave. and 33rd St., I stared up at the blue sky while patiently waiting to cross and head west. The screeching brakes and boisterous honking of midday NYC overwhelmed my ears when from out of the din, I heard a singular engine accelerating through the last seconds of the green light; my breath caught, heart quickened, and my eyes immediately shot down to earth to glimpse the back end of a Maserati disappearing in traffic. Exhaled. Amongst the highest-end luxury brands jockeying for sales and notoriety, the iconic Italian brand stands apart.
While the sixth generation Quattroporte debuted this past January in Detroit, it had yet to be seen outside of COBO and on the ground in New York City. As New York International Auto Show had the city focused on all things automotive, Maserati of Manhattan held an exclusive unveiling of the 2014 Quattroporte for top clients and admirers alike. The reveal party kicked off as the sun set down over the two draped models in the Tribeca dealership.
Two versions of the Quattroporte were uncovered. The first to be revealed was the Q4; a 3.0 liter twin turbo V6 engine powers this four door sedan, and the Q4 system equalizes the torque from rear-wheel drive to a 50/50 balanced all-wheel drive for better traction. The larger, lighter 4-door has a roomier interior, the quiet 5-seater cabin exudes comfort with leather seats and carbon fiber accents. A touch control screen is to the right of the steering wheel, and it’s equipped with wi-fi and reverse cameras, as well as adjustable pedals. The Maserati trident is embossed into the leather seats, lights up on the instrument panel, and, of course, crowns the concave grille.
An 8-speed automatic 3.8 liter twin turbo V8 Quattroporte GTS – which goes from 0 to 62* in 4.7 seconds – was revealed next. With a longer nose, this generation Quattroporte might be bigger, faster, and have better mpg than its predecessor, but retains the dangerous curves that Maserati is famous for. The Maserati Powertrain-designed engine is actually assembled in Ferrari’s Maranello plant, and both the GTS and Q4 are produced in Maerati’s new plant in Torino, Italy. This version of the V8 had the four-seat configuration and wood-accented interior. The spacious back seat featured view screens and fold-out trays on the back of the front seats, with a control panel and storage compartments between the seats, all for a base price of approximately $135,000.
Maserati sales in North America have doubled since 2009, and with the newly in-house-designed Quattroporte with all of the modern tech and more conservative fuel economy, Maserati is aggressively looking to continue this upward trend.
*Data originally given by Maserati as 0-100 kilometers in 4.7 seconds. Changed to miles for this piece because Americans most frustratingly refuse to convert. Sorry.
One of the idiosyncratic stars of the 2012 New York Auto Show, just about one year ago, was the Terrafugia Transition. Proposing to bring the long-dreamed-of flying car to the masses - well, "masses" of people that can pick up a $279,000 check, at any rate - news about the Terrafugia has been pretty thin in the intervening 12 months. The good news, we hear, is that the paucity of press releases has been a result of the company working hard on bringing the Transition to market.
AOL Autos reports that the folks at Terrafugia are hard at work with the dual certification process that makes the vehicle such a complex one to bring to market. Having already cleared the hurdle of obtaining a VIN from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as well as an N-number from the Federal Aviation Administration (both achieved by way of the Transition prototype), the company must now have the vehicle completely certified by NHTSA. The FAA doesn't require certification for craft that fall into the "light sport" category, like the Transition, but the company is prepping for likely audits of its manufacturing and risk-management processes, nevertheless.
Terrafugia won't discuss exactly when its flying car might start actual production; at least not until the certification process has been completed. With that goal post still being a year or more out, don't expect to see your neighbor winging home in his Transition anytime soon. When production does begin (fingers crossed), the company expects to ramp slowly, building just two or three vehicles per month in the early going. Scroll down to watch the original debut video of the Transition.
In one of the most interesting roundtable discussions we've seen in quite some time, the boys from Motor Trend, along with pro racing driver Randy Pobst, sat down with SRT head honcho Ralph Gilles to discuss the 2014 Viper. And the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, naturally. As you may remember, Motor Trend has filmed two videos pitting the latest Viper from SRT against the standard-bearing ZR1, with the Viper losing the first battle but barely eking out a victory with the upgraded TA model in the second.
A few interesting tidbits sneak out regarding the Viper, such as the fact that an ACR model isn't ready "yet," as well as the story of how the TA model came into existence after the first test by Motor Trend. Apparently, that test also resulted in a slight softening of the regular Viper's suspension for production. Interestingly, Gilles doesn't seem ready to admit defeat even in that first testing session, saying that the Viper used by MT was a pre-production model and that it had been out of alignment - that said, he does offer up an apology of sorts for "throwing gas on the fire" on social networks after the video hit the web.
Moving away from the Viper toward the end of the discussion, Gilles touches on the new Camaro Z28 and mentions that "the Challenger is under the knife as we speak... and we're going to come with an answer to [the Z28] and an answer for our friends at Ford." That sounds mighty intriguing... though Gilles also admits that a Cuda isn't coming "anytime soon," but that it is "a couple years out" on a different platform than the Challenger. Fortunately, it sounds like the next-generation of the Challenger SRT will make an appearance in New York in 2014.
There are plenty more interesting tidbits in the video, so we suggest you take about 20 minutes of at the end of your day to watch it yourself. Scroll down below to watch it, along with the two MT videos comparing the Viper and ZR1 at Laguna Seca.
New York Auto Show, Jim Farley interview, 2014 Chevrolet Silverado fuel economy, Ford fuel economy app challenge
Episode #327 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Jeff Ross talk about this year's New York Auto Show, Chevrolet's latest assault in the pickup truck fuel economy battle, and Ford's reward for developing a better fuel economy app. Dan also has an interview with Ford's Jim Farley about the future of Lincoln. We wrap with your questions and emails, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
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