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Video: Susie Stoddart drives the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 4:56PM

Susie Stodart in the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

Susie Stoddart drives the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 – Click above to watch video after the jump

Susie Stoddart is a professional race driver who hails from Scotland, and has moved up through the motorsports ranks to arrive in the DTM world. Getting started in karting before moving on to Formula Renault and then Formula 3, Stoddart has been driving a Mercedes-Benz for its DTM team since 2006. Driving a Benz has its privileges, of course, and that's even more true when you're a factory race driver. In this case, while Stoddart's normal racecar is a DTM-prepped C-Class, she recently got to spend some time behind the wheel of the SLS AMG GT3.

In the video, Stoddart tells how she became a professional driver because of the encouragement of her father. He instilled a strong sense of determination and will, and Susie takes time to thank him. The highlight of the clip, however, is watching Susie pilot the SLS AMG GT3 around the track. She scored her first points in a DTM season this year and she has come a long way from the kart track.

If that is not enough SLS AMG – or the lovely Ms. Susie Stoddart – action for you... we also have video footage of her flogging an E63 AMG wagon. Before you jump off, however, click past the break to watch pilot the SLS AMG GT3.

[Source: Mercedes-Benz via YouTube]

Rumormill (Yet Again): Lexus GS-F is coming

by Steven J. Ewing (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 4:29PM

2010 Lexus GS 350 F-Sport by TRD – Click above for high-res image gallery

This certainly isn't the first time we've heard rumblings about Lexus working on a performance version of its GS sedan. The crew at Road & Track reports that the upcoming GS-F will serve as the range-topping trim in the GS model range, set apart from its siblings with not only a more aggressive appearance, but a serious increase in power, to boot.

Sources within Toyota have told the buff book that the GS-F will be powered by a 5.0-liter V8, just like the smaller IS-F, but that output will be increased to 465 horsepower for the larger sedan. The other key ingredient to making the GS-F a serious performer is a substantial reduction in weight. Through the use of aluminum and carbon fiber components, Toyota aims to have the GS-F weigh in at about 3,700 pounds, meaning it should be capable of ripping off 4.5-second 0-60 times.

Toyota is positioning the GS-F to compete with the likes of the BMW M5 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, with prices to start somewhere around the $90,000 to $100,000 range. No official timeframe has been given on when we'll actually see the GS-F, but R&T states that it could show up as early as 2012, after the refreshed GS range debuts.

Gallery: 2010 Lexus GS 350 F-Sport by TRD

[Source: Road and Track]

Ferrari 458 Challenge debuts at 2010 Bologna Motor Show

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 3:59PM

Ferrari 458 Challenge makes its world debut at the Bologna Motor Show – Click above for high-res image gallery

Everyone loves a special-edition, track-focused Ferrari and the time has come for the 458 to get a taste of the Maranello magic. At this week's 2010 Bologna Motor Show, Ferrari has devoted its stand to serve as storyboard showcasing the automaker's racing heritage. The newest piece of that history takes the form of the Ferrari 458 Challenge, which is finally making its world debut.

The 458 Challenge is the fifth model to get placed into a single-series racing program. The standard 458 Italia is already such a potent beast that the Challenge keeps the changes away from the engine bay leaving it with the same 570 horsepower as the standard 458 Italia. That said, the gear ratios and calibration of the dual-clutch transmission have been adjusted so that the Challenge generates more torque at lower revs.

Stiffer springs and a lower ride height help keep the body planted around the large Pirelli tires. That rubber hugs 19-inch forged alloys with a central locking nut. The brakes are upgraded to the newest setup that Brembo offers, and the system is paired with the ABS that debuted on the wild-child Ferrari 599XX.

Both the suspension and braking get a helping hand from something that has been reduced: weight. Ferrari has focused on reducing the thickness of the body panels, as well as introducing materials such as carbon fiber and Lexan.

All of the upgrades found on the Ferrari 458 Challenge result in a potent, track-ready machine that is faster than the 458 Italia it's based on. The 458 Challenge hit Ferrari's home Fiorano race track for numerous test sessions, and during the course of development, it was able to post lap times two seconds faster than the Italia. During testing, the 458 Challenge also pulled lateral grip numbers in the neighborhood of 1.6 g's. Giggity.

Gallery: Ferrari 458 Challenge makes its world debut at the Bologna Motor Show

[Source: Ferrari]

Leave a Facebook comment, win a copy of Gran Turismo 5!

by John Neff (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 3:30PM

We've already said our peace when it comes to Gran Turismo 5, but reports keep coming in that early adopters are having a grand old time playing Polyphony Digital's opus on their PS3s. Didn't camp out at Best Buy last week to purchase your copy at midnight? No worries, that's why you read Autoblog. We're giving away one unopened copy of Gran Turismo 5 on our Facebook page, and entering is easy peasy.

In order to enter, simply "Like" the Autoblog Facebook page (just click the button above), then check our FB page in a few minutes for this post to appear on our Wall (it's live now!). Once it's live, leave a comment on that Wall post (here's the link again) to enter the giveaway. Done. Feel free to "Like" the post itself so your Facebook friends can see the giveaway, and remember to allow direct messages in your Facebook privacy settings. So no one gets confused, we've turned off commenting on this post since only a comment on the Facebook post will earn you an entry.

To enter the Gran Turismo 5 giveaway:

"Like" the Autoblog Facebook page. Leave a comment on the Facebook Wall post titled "Leave a Facebook comment, win a copy of Gran Turismo 5!"
You must be 18 years or older and a resident of the U.S. or Canada, excluding Quebec.
Limit 1 entry per person.
The entry period ends at 3:00PM ET on Friday, December 3.
At that time, we'll select 1 winner from the eligible commenters to receive a copy of Gran Turismo 5 for the Playstation 3 valued at approximately $60.
Make sure your Facebook privacy settings allow for direct messages to receive notification in the event you win.
Standard giveaway rules apply for everything else.

What are Canada's 10 worst selling cars and trucks? Glad you asked...

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 2:58PM

Canada's 10 worst selling new vehicles of 2010 – Click above for high-res image gallery

The end of the year is typically ripe with all sorts of best and worst lists. Canadian automotive website Wheels.ca has provided us with a look at the car buying habits of our friends to the north. The list of Canada's 10 worst selling new vehicles for 2010 is not exactly filled with surprises, but the actual sales volume for each model is quite interesting. Can you guess how many Lexus GS models left the lots of Canadian dealers in all of 2010? Just 215. That number is only good enough to earn the Lexus 5th place on the list.

Click through the gallery below to see how 2010 played out for 10 cars, trucks, wagons and SUVs on sales lots north of the border. Top tip, Ben!

Gallery: Canada's 10 Worst Selling New Cars in 2010

[Source: Wheels.ca]

Big Three Have Five Years of Prosperity Until Party Ends

by John McElroy (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 2:28PM

Signs To Watch For As The Cycle Repeats

Detroit's automakers are starting to beat their chests in exultation, and who can blame them? The last 16 months have been nothing short of a miracle. Who would have believed they could recover so quickly?

Dial back the clock to last summer, June of 2009. Chrysler had just clawed its way out of bankruptcy, GM was still bankrupt. And Ford just barely avoided filing, saved only by borrowing heavily before the credit market collapsed.

The good times are just getting going. The next five years could be phenomenal.

If someone had come up to you then and said that in less than a year Ford would be earning over $7 billion and that it would surpass Toyota and Honda in quality, you would have said it was not going to happen.

If they had told you that General Motors would be earning over $6 billion in profits, you would have called them crazy.

If they had told you Chrysler would report an operating profit and come within a whisker of catching Honda in market share, you would have said they're mad.

And if they had told you that Toyota would be battered by criticism for all its defects and quality problems, you would have said that's impossible.

But here we are a year and a half later and the American auto industry has been completely transformed. The Big Three are more competitive than they've been in nearly four decades. Even more amazing, the good times are just getting going. The next five years could be phenomenal.

Continue reading...

John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit" and daily web video "Autoline Daily". Every week he brings his unique insights as a Detroit insider to Autoblog readers.

AC Schnitzer tunes up BMW's latest 5 Series Touring [w/video]

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 2:01PM

AC Schnitzer BMW 5 Series Touring – Click above for high-res image gallery

The new 2011 BMW 5 Series Touring has been subjected to the AC Schnitzer tuning machine, with the result being the "Power Treatment," making the load-lugging forbidden fruit even more desirable than before. Under the hood, horsepower jumps range from 34 extra ponies for the 520d (going from 184 to 218 horsepower) to 41 additional horses for the 530d (from 245 to 286 hp).

Looks to match the go-fast come by way of an aero package that affixes lower front spoiler lips that bookend a bigger air inlet, new side skirts and a revised rear end treatment. Throatier sounds come courtesy of the in-house exhaust with chromed twin pipes and rear silencer. And the new suspension and steering components will keep the 20-inch five-spoke alloys rolling straight and true. Follow the jump for the full press release and video, and you can find all the angles in the gallery of high-res photos below.

Gallery: BMW F11 5 Series Touring by AC Schnitzer

[Source: AC Schnitzer]

GM announces $4B pension fund deposit

by Jeff Glucker (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 1:29PM

General Motors continues to use its newfound cash in a manner that aims to please its accounting department. After receiving a sizable monetary infusion thanks to the largest IPO in U.S. history, GM is now focused on putting that money to good use. Its Korean subsidiary, GM-Daewoo, recently paid off a $1 billion credit that was owed, and today, The General is pouring $4 billion much needed greenbacks into its pension fund deposit.

As of December, 2009, General Motors measured its pension fund as being underfunded by an eye-watering $17.1 billion. This fund provides benefits to 688,000 participants and, while $4 billion is a far cry from 17.1, it is certainly a step in the right direction. According to The Detroit News, that figure will grow to include another $2 billion down the road in the form of GM stock.
[Sources: General Motors, The Detroit News – sub. req.]

2012 Nissan GT-R officially goes 0-60 in 2.9 seconds

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 1:01PM

What's it take to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just under three seconds flat? According to Nissan, it takes exactly 530 horsepower and 488 pound-feet of torque, coupled to a sophisticated electronic all-wheel-drive system and a dual-clutch transmission.

Put more simply in actual dollars and cents, that will cost you $89,950. For those unaware, that's the sum Nissan is asking for its updated 2012 GT-R, which recently made its live American debut at the 2010 LA Auto Show. The Japanese automaker has kindly provided a digital readout from an electronic measurement device from Digitek to silence the doubters (above). As you can ~~clearly~~ squint and see, the GT-R hit 60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds and 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) in exactly three seconds.

Your move, Corvette ZR1.

Gallery: LA 2010: 2012 Nissan GT-R

Gallery: 2012 Nissan GT-R

[Source: Nissan]

Video: Hyundai launches Save the Asterisks campaign for 40-mpg Elantra

by Jeremy Korzeniewski (RSS feed) on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 12:31PM

2011 Hyundai Elantra gets 40 mpg, no asterisks – Click above to watch video after the break

Hyundai has noticed an alarming trend: the needless wasting of perfectly good asterisks on window stickers all over the country.

The Korean automaker notes that some competitors create a special trim level for certain models that's designed specifically to score a great fuel mileage rating from the EPA, while the other volume trim levels return a few miles per gallon less across the board. Since Hyundai won't name names, we'll do it for them: Chevrolet Cruze (Eco) and Ford Fiesta (SFE). Every single version of the 2011 Elantra, however, will achieve 40 mpg, as Hyundai likes to keep reminding us. No asterisks required.

It also bears mentioning that starting with the month of November, 2010, Hyundai is the first automaker to specify the actual number of vehicles it sells that achieve or exceed the 40-mpg benchmark on its monthly sales report. For those keeping track, the figure from this past November was 192 vehicles – expect that number to rise dramatically in the coming months when the new Elantra goes on sale.

Great fuel economy is only one part of a much larger puzzle to marketplace success. Fortunately, we'll have a First Drive report of the new 2011 Elantra to share in short order, so we'll have a better understanding of what, if any, concessions were made to manage its laudable efficiency metrics. Stay tuned for that, and check out Hyundai's Save the Asterisks video after the break.

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Autoblog Podcast #206: Porsche Cajun, Nissan Leaf COTY, 10Best

Episode #206 of the Autoblog Podcast is staffed by Chris Shunk, Dan Roth, Zach Bowman and Chris Paukert. We hit the Autoblog Garage first and then cover the confirmation of the Porsche Cajun, what it means that the Nissan Leaf has been named European Car of the Year, and finish up talking about the Car & Driver 10Best. Of course, we finish with your questions at the end, and it's a breezy hour and twenty-three minutes. Thanks for listening!