Autoblog

With both Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa contracted with Ferrari through next year, reports are circulating that the Scuderia may bring on board both Fernando Alonso and Robert Kubica for 2010.

After Kimi and Felipe, and with Lewis Hamilton firmly in place at McLaren, the pairing of Alonso and Kubica in Maranello would provide a formidable team against the rest of the field. Alonso, of course, is a two-time world champion and one of the only drivers to repeatedly beat Schumacher to the title, while Kubica has proven himself a competent driver of the highest degree. Whether the reports are accurate, and whether Ferrari would just dump Kimi and Felipe like that remains to be seen.

[Source: Tuttosport via Axis of Oversteer, Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty]

The Jaguar XF has been a shot of adrenaline for the perpetually struggling leaping cat, as sexy lines and ample performance are adding new customers to the brand. We love the balance of the naturally aspirated V8 and the ample bite of its supercharged sibling, but we'll always be agreeable with the prospect of more power. Spy photos have shown us that an even more vicious feline is on the horizon with a blown 5.0L V8 that cranks out north of 500 ponies.

The folks over at Auto Telegraaf are reporting that the XFR will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next January, which would give Jaguar a big introduction at North America's biggest auto show. We liked what we saw when the XFR made its cloaked debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (that graphic on the side should so be an option), and we're looking forward to seeing Tata's most powerful vehicle when it hits Detroit.


[Source: Auto Telegraaf]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Lexus LF-A concept.

Lexus sales have been down every month so far this year, which may be due in part to its SUV and crossover-heavy lineup. It also seems that Toyota's luxury division doesn't quite have redesigns of its sedans ready yet. According to Automotive News, the automaker's smallest car, the IS, won't be redesigned for another few years. While the SC coupe/convertible is set to go the way of the Dodo, expect to see a coupe and convertible iteration of the IS sometime soon. Some sales help is also likely forthcoming from the Lexi-fied version of Toyota's next-gen Prius.

In a blow to high-performance sedan lovers, however, the rumored GS-F performance edition of the marque's rear-wheel drive mid-size sedan has been put on hold with fears that the sinking economy will shrink the market for gas-guzzlers too much to make it worthwhile. In more bad news, the $200K-plus LF-A supercar is also being delayed, reportedly in part for failing to meet its desired performance targets. Could that have anything to do with the recent Nissan GT-R and Corvette ZR-1 'Ring lap times? You bet'cha.


[Source: Automotive News]

Rumors have been circulating that CVC, the commercial rights holders to Formula One, have considered selling the series. But before that could happen, they would have to give Bernie Ecclestone the boot.

The reports were fueled by comments made by Max Mosley, the embattled president of the FIA, who related to reporters that conversations about the subject had taken place with executives at CVC. According to Mosley's conclusion, CVC would consider selling Formula One if a huge offer were made – possibly by an Arab consortium – but Ecclestone would need to be replaced because "the whole business depends on a man who is 78 years old". However, CVC issued a strong statement at this past weekend's race in Hungary that it had no immediate plans to sell F1 and was pleased with its performance as well as that of Bernie Ecclestone.

[Source: Autosport, Photo by Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty]

Rumors from various European motorcycle mags indicate that BMW is considering getting back into the scooter game. The Bavarian company's last foray into scooterdom resulted in the C1. Being that this was BMW Motorrad, its scooter would need to be different from everyone else, and indeed it was. Featuring a full roof, roll bars and seat belts along with ABS brakes, BMW claimed that C1 riders were safe enough that they did not need to wear a helmet. Unfortunately, though, not everyone agreed and low sales numbers resulted in the innovative machine's cancellation in 2002. Now, BMW is said to be considering a three-wheeled machine, which could allay some of the safety fears which ultimately led to the demise of the C1.

Rotax is also rumored to be involved, offering an 80 degree, four-valve per cylinder, liquid-cooled, V-Twin engine in three different sizes and ranging from 33 to 75 horsepower. The machine is said to retain the C1's windshield and roof and add BMW's paralever rear suspension design. BMW: You've got our attention, now please don't disappoint.

[Source: Visor Down]

Click above for a gallery off the original Lotus Carlton.

Of all the sleepers in automobiledom, the Lotus Carlton holds a special place in our hearts. Based off the Vauxhall Carlton sold in Europe, Lotus stroked out the 3.0-liter inline-six of the standard car to displace 3615 cc, added a couple of Garrett turbos and sent the resulting 382 hp and 419 lb.-ft. of torque through a six-speed ZF transmission pulled from the original Corvette ZR-1. In short, it was the ultimate low-flying aircraft, with room for four, a 0-60 time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of over 175 mph – in 1990.

Lotus head Michael Kimberley told Autocar, that he would "like the company to build another car in the mould of the Lotus Carlton." What could form the basis of the sleeper sedan's revival? The recently unveiled Vauxhall Insignia is the modern equivalent of the Carlton, and with a modified 2.8-liter V6 packing a set of turbos and sending power to all four wheels, GM could have a serious performance package on its hands. And if the General decides to bring over the Insignia to the U.S... Lotus Aura has a nice ring to it.

Check the gallery below for more shots of the original Lotus Carlton and make the jump to watch Tiff Needell work his magic with the boosted sedan.


[Source: Autocar]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the Citroen 2CV

Resurrecting the cars that put automakers on the map seems to be all the rage in the industry these days. Volkswagen brought back the Beetle a few years back and, more recently, Fiat resurrected the 500. Porsche... well, the 911 never really went away. But you get the idea. One iconic turning-point of an automobile that has yet to be awakened is the Citroen 2CV.

Launched after the end of WWII in 1949, the Citroen 2CV (so named because of its two-steam-horsepower equivalent rating) grew extremely popular due to its low cost and versatility. It could go anywhere, consumed little gas, and was extremely simple both to build and to maintain. By the time the last one rolled off the production line in 1990 – now that's one heck of a run – over 3.8 million units were built, and the 2CV gained iconic status and a cult following. Next year Citroen will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 2CV. Given the momentous occasion, the coincidence of the show's alternate location in Paris this year and how poised the current economic climate would be for such a vehicle, it would seem an ideal time for PSA to give us a new 2CV that could put the French automaker back on the map with a low-cost vehicle to rival the Tata Nano, only with more character. Whether Citroen actually has any such plans is of course pure speculation at this point, so we'll just have to sit back and wait until October to find out.

[Source: Auto Unleashed]

Click on the above image for our 2009 Hummer H3T high-res gallery

Taking heed of lessons learned when it shed the Oldsmobile brand, General Motors is quietly negotiating with HUMMER dealers to prevent lawsuits if the brand is sold or extinguished. Even though confidentiality agreements have been signed, HUMMER dealers are reporting heavy discussions with GM to buy back stores and compensate owners. GM has even paid second- and third-quarter bonuses (averaging six figures) in advance. June delivered gloom to HUMMER as the brand's sales fell 59.3 percent (to just 2,072 units) as near $5-per-gallon fuel prices began flowing through pumps. If that weren't bad enough, the rugged off-road brand was hit with another mass exodus of sales on GM's announcement that HUMMER might be sold. With sales falling, experienced dealership staff leaving, and fuel prices still up in the air, GM's Jeep-fighting brand has literally fallen off the road.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd, Photo by Scott Olson/Getty]

We've been following the developments of Renault's revival of the Alpine marque since earlier this year, and its been confirmed that the first of several new models will debut sometime in 2010. From the beginning, Renault made it clear that Alpine would benefit from dedicated models, rather than rebadged or re-engineered Renaults. Earlier reports suggested something mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive and similar in size to the Mazda Miata or last-generation Toyota MR2, but a new report suggests that Nissan might be tapped to provide a platform and drivetrain.

The director of Renaultsport supposedly sat down with CarTribe to discuss the future of the automaker's high-performance offerings and when asked if a new Alpine model could be based off the Nissan GT-R, he denied it, instead hinting at the use of Nissan's FM platform that underpins the G37 coupe, G35 sedan and upcoming Nissan 370Z. The new model could be more geared towards track duty, with a serious diet and some tweaks to the drivetrain.

While the revival of Alpine is primarily a way for Renault to capitalize on its participation in F1, a Nissan-based model would all but negate such an effort. Then again, with 60 new models expected to come from Renault and Nissan in the next four years, the automaker will use any platform it can get its hands on to expand its lineup.

[Source: CarTribe]

We were encouraged by the last bit of news on the upcoming return of Knight Rider as a series this fall from an interview with the show's producer Gary Scott Thompson. In it Thompson revealed that Turbo Boost would be back and KITT's Attack Mode de-winged. Unfortunately, the news is not so good out of San Diego today where the cast of the Knight Rider series held court at a Comic Con panel. According to io9, they were late because they were stuck in traffic (oh, the delicious irony) and what they had to show were boob-driven clips of impossibly attractive people acting badly. And Val Kilmer, the voice of KITT, has apparently develop a lisp. Sigh. A new side of KITT was gleaned from clips seen at the panel discussion where the autonomous talking car actually transforms into a pickup! We can tell you exactly why this has happened. Ford wants to promote pickups because nobody is buying them right now, so what better way to do so than have KITT grow a bed. We also learn that KITT will have a nemesis in another evil car of some sort, possibly another version of KITT himself or a 1987 Camaro IROC-Z (we kid). Any way you parse it, the news coming out of Comic Con for the return of Knight Rider is not encouraging, though we still plan on tying Alex to a couch and forcing him to liveblog every episode. Thanks for the tip, Brett!


[Source: io9.com]