2011 Chevrolet Cruze sails into new era of small cardom

2011 Chevrolet Cruze – Click above for high-res image gallery

Until now, General Motors hasn't exactly taken the small-car market seriously. While Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai and Kia have built their empires on the hoods of pint-sized, fuel-efficient transportation, history has shown the captains of Detroit tend to offer up parts-bin afterthoughts. Cars like the Chevrolet Cavalier and Cobalt have left a sour taste in the mouths of buyers thanks to noisy and de-contented cabins, rough engines and build quality that would make a Yugo blush. As a result, Americans have developed a sort of Pavolovian retch when we hear the term "compact car."

But a new dawn may be approaching – one heralded by a rash of new straw-weight fighters that aim to bring a global small car philosophy to the U.S. GM intends to be part of that party with the introduction of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze, a sedan that, for all intents and purposes, is more of a landmark model for the company than the endlessly-hyped Chevrolet Volt. To get our meaning, you'll need to throw all of your heinous memories about American-built small cars out the window beginning... now.

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Double Bill - C/D and MT pit Cadillac CTS-V Coupe vs. Audi RS5 vs. BMW M3

Click above to watch the video after the jump

The Cadillac CTS-V Coupe has some serious performance chops. The potent angular coupe is loaded with a blown 6.2-liter V8 capable of 556-horsepower, 15-inch front and 14.7-inch rear Brembo brakes and a Magnetic Ride Control suspension setup. Impressive stats to be sure, but does Cadillac's sleek two-seater have the goods to take on the BMW M3 coupe and Audi RS5?

Both Motor Trend and Car and Driver have obviously been pondering the same question, as the competing buff mags dusted off their camcorders and cut up a pair of comparison videos featuring the three super coupes doing a ménage à trois of the automotive kind.

Make the jump to experience both videos. In the first video, MT goes all-out with its comparison, bringing both Editor-in-Chief Angus McKenzie and the spanking new CTS-V Coupe to Germany to take on the pair of well-established Bavarian competitors. The second video shows the unique C/D approach, with no first, second or third place finishers and not a single word is uttered. C/D just let the hot coupes speak for themselves with beautiful pictures and heavenly exhaust notes.

[Sources: Car and Driver, Motor Trend]

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Holy Abomination Batman - It's a customized 1985 Porsche 944

1985 Porsche 944 Batmobile Tribute – Click above for high-res image gallery

This author will be the first to admit that he's not exactly overflowing with love for the Porsche 944, but don't expect any amused looks from this camp about seeing this car degraded into a stumpy rendition of Tim Burton's Batmobile. Sadly, that's just what seems to have happened with this particular 1985 944. According to the seller, the car still boasts the stock 2.5-liter four-cylinder and a five-speed manual cog box, so you won't be outpacing baddies anytime soon. A NOS Sniper system has been installed on the car, but thankfully, it's never been used. We're guessing hitting the go-go juice would be a heckuva lot of fun – but probably just once.

A few of the movie car's more outlandish traits have made their way to this poor Porsche, including those wild batwing fins and a pair of replica .223 machine guns that light up for effect. The car does feature the kind of sound system you'd need to drown out the riotous laughter of those in traffic around you, so that's a plus. The seller says that the front fenders need to be finished, and as such, you can get this puppy for a song. Asking price is a mere $6,500. You can check out the full listing here. Thanks for the tip, Kris!

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The Smoking Tire gets to play with the Firebreather

The Smoking Tire drives the Firebreather – Click above to watch video after the jump

Matt Farah and the crew from The Smoking Tire just can't seem to get enough of the 2011 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 Convertible they had for this year's Bullrun. With the cross-country party over and nothing but a mountain of citations looming in the distance, The Smoking Tire set out to give the big Blue Oval one last goodbye. Of course, they couldn't spend an entire episode pouring over every last detail of a vehicle that regular viewers know all too well. Instead, the show lined up a quick stint behind the wheel of the Classic Design Concepts Firebreather.

Think of it as what the 2010 Pontiac Firebird would have looked like if the Poncho had survived the GM apocalypse and the company's designers had been on acid. If you can get past the wildly rear sheet metal and the drooping front fascia, there's a supercharged version of the 6.2-liter V8 in the Chevrolet Camaro on which it's based. The whole concoction is good for 600 horsepower, and while the car was originally worked up for an Exodus Productions movie, Classic Design Concepts will be selling genuine Firebreather models to the public. Hit the jump to see Farah wrangle the car through a canyon or two.

[Source: The Smoking Tire]

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One-off SR-71 Mustang sells for $375,000 at EAA AirVenture

2011 Ford Mustang SR-71 Blackbird - Click above for high-res image gallery

Generous giving can be a sign of how the economy is doing, and if the auction of the custom SR-71 Blackbird Mustang at the EAA AirVenture show yesterday is anything to go by, then things are looking up. Built in collaboration with Ford, Roush and Shelby, the one-off pony car was sold for $375,000 to benefit the EAA's Young Eagles program – that's significantly more than $250,000 the AV-X10 'Dearborn Doll' Mustang raised last year at the event.

Of course, the winning bidder was likely motivated by a little more than charity during the bidding. The one-of-one 2011 Mustang features an exterior designed after the legendary Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane, and it includes black and gray matte exterior paint, custom front and rear fascias, performance wheels and a unique screen-print glass roof. Performance has also been boosted thanks to a Whipple supercharger system and a slew of Ford Racing Performance Parts. Follow the jump for more details on the car or check it out in our gallery below.

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Porsche confirms 2011 launch of Panamera S Hybrid

2010 Porsche Panamera 4S – Click above for high-res image gallery

Buried within Porsche's recent announcement regarding its plans to test three electric Boxsters, the company openly confirmed that the launch of the Panamera S Hybrid is on track for 2011. Though perhaps not as innovative or as those racy electric vehicles, the Panamera S Hybrid still hails from Stuttgart and, therefore, is bound to be one exhilarating ride.

The upcoming Panamera will borrow the hybrid hardware found in the current Cayenne S Hybrid. That means it will sport a 329-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 engine mated to a 46 hp electric motor. Like the Cayenne S Hybrid, the Panamera's parallel hybrid setup boasts the ability to operate at low speeds under electric power alone. When the production Panamera S Hybrid takes to the streets in 2011, it will become the company's second model to sport a hybrid powertrain, a remarkable achievement considering that few people associate Porsche with fuel efficiency. Follow the jump for more info on Porsche's fuel-saving plans.

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Gooding to auction 1995 McLaren F1 in Monterey

1995 McLaren F1 to be auctioned by Gooding & Company – Click above for high-res image gallery

Gooding & Company's auction coinciding with this year's Pebble Beach Concours is coming up in a few short weeks, and the lineup of available cars is shaping up to be quite impressive. Already dozens of incredibly compelling and valuable collector cars are scheduled to make their way across the block, but the car that has caught our attention the most so far is a 1995 McLaren F1.

The F1 is singularly special in its own right, but this particular car is even more attractive to buyers in the United States since it's one of the few examples actually registered in the country. The car was sold originally to Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, who was one of the sponsors of McLaren's race team back in the mid-1990s. This F1 comes finished in classic Magnesium Silver paint with a black interior and comes with its factory-delivered luggage and tools. The estimated price? A mere $2.5 to $3.5 million. Follow the jump for full details in the press release from Gooding, and be sure to check out the images below.

Autoblog gets seat and simulation time with Toyota's newest safety technology

Inside Toyota's Higashi-Fuji tech center – Click above for high-res image gallery

Sitting in the shadow of Mount Fuji, Toyota's Higashi-Fuji technical center is part proving grounds and part engineering center. But unlike most facilities, Higashi-Fuji includes an array of engineering and research offices employing over 3,000 employees, and an assortment of non-track test facilities.

The Higashi-Fuji campus opened back in 1966 and has grown to encompass nearly 2.7 millionsquare feet of facility floor space. We were given the rare opportunity to visit the facility where we witnessed one unique crash test, tried out one of the world's most advanced driving simulators and sampled an assortment of new safety features, including a brake override system, enhanced pre-collision braking, pedestrian detection and updated ABS calibrations for the Prius. Make the jump for the full report.

Ferrari trots out past and future at Nürburgring

Retired Ferrari F1 cars take to the Nurburgring – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you're lucky wealthy enough to own one of Ferrari's retired works Formula One machines, the automaker's F1 Client department takes care of maintenance and preparation of your historic racer, whether it be Nigel Mansell's ex-F190, Michael Schumacher's championship-winning F2001 or any number of pedigreed prancing ponies.

This week, the crew brought 10 of its most prized possessions out to the Nürburgring so current owners could spend some quality time behind the wheel. And the open wheelers weren't the only exotic wares in Germany. Four of the Enzo-based FXXs and 15 of the newer 599XXs were on hand, each track-only variant equipped with cutting-edge technologies that the Maranello boffins are experimenting with for future products. The "owners" of these XX models are essentially paying for the privilege of being Ferrari beta testers, but to our eyes, there are worse ways to spend a few days at the Green Hell.

Sounds About Right: San Francisco spending $25M to determine how much parking should cost

If you reside or frequent a large metropolitan area, you're probably all too aware of the cost to park your vehicle. In cities like New York or Chicago, you can pay upwards of $30 or more for a full day of parking. To make matters worse, even with astronomical costs many drivers can't even find an open spot.

San Francisco is looking for a permanent solution to its parking problems by going high tech and paying big bucks to do it. Frisco is investing $25 million on a new electronic parking system that will constantly gauge demand for spots and raise or lower pricing accordingly. So why go to all this expense and trouble to set parking prices?

Parking that's too cheap may lead to spots getting filled too quickly, which will lead to cars circling around waiting for spots, clogging streets with unnecessary congestion. The goal of the $25 million project is to make parking cheap enough for people to afford it while at the same time expensive enough to ensure spots are always available.

The electronic parking system will work as a network, setting prices between a quarter and $6 per hour depending on demand. The high-tech solution will start with 190 new meters in the Hayes Valley area of San Francisco and in two years end with 6,000 metered spaces and 12,250 spots at the city's 15 parking garages. The system will eventually make it possible for advanced planners to go online to find where the most spots are located. Distracted driving aficionados will be able to search for spots on their smartphone, making it easier for multi-taskers to park and harder for pedestrians and other drivers to avoid getting hit.

Man spends nearly $200,000 to win right to park truck in his own driveway

Man pays nearly $200,000 to park truck in his own drive – click above to watch the video

Beware of the home owner's association. Considered this country's most basic, ruthless unit of government, HOAs are typically organized and manned by retirees with little better to do than tell you what to do with your property – something A.J. Vizzi recently learned the hard way. When Vizzi purchased his home in Odessa, Florida, he was told he would be allowed to park his Ford F-350 Super Duty in his home's driveway, even though the neighborhood's rules forbade keeping vehicles anywhere other than the garage. The truck didn't fit in the home's garage.

The local HOA soon changed its mind, and before long a lawsuit ensued. In 2008, a judge ruled in Vizzi's favor, but the association quickly appealed the decision. In March, a second judge sided with Vizzi, and the courts awarded him $187,000 in legal fees to be paid by the HOA. In total, the association claims that the ordeal has cost over $300,000, including the cash it now has to pay to Vizzi. Take a look after the jump to watch a local news report on the legal battle. Thanks for the tip, Sea Urchin!

Unlikely Pacer: Ford Fiesta to lead the field at CarFax 400

Sure enough, the upcoming Sprint Cup Carfax 400 will bepaced by none other than the Blue Oval's tiny 2011 Fiesta Sedan. With less than a third of the displacement of the tube-frame beasts lapping Michigan International Speedway, we wouldn't quite expect lightning-quick pace laps, but hey – safety first. While pace cars are typically some sort of performance product, manufacturers aren't past parading less than muscular new hardware in front of the captive audiences of the raceway.

If Ford was looking for a way to bring its marketing for the Fiesta out of the social media realm and into a more mainstream American venue, they could have hardly done better than the Sprint Cup. On average, the series races net 7.9 million viewers. On Sunday, August 15, each and every one of those souls will get to watch a maroon four door fiesta lead the pack, complete with a massive Blue Oval decal down the side. Talk about cheap advertising. Check out the gallery for a few shots from the car's unveiling.

Nissan reveals new object detection, rear-collision avoidance systems

Nissan object detection and Forward Collision Avoidance Assist Concept – click above for high-res image gallery

Vehicles from an increasing number of automakers are becoming more aware of their surroundings than the drivers that operate them. The latest is Nissan, which has announced several new safety technologies set to be added to its lineup, including a Forward Collision Avoidance Assist Concept. The system works like similar systems from other manufacturers including Acura, Lexus, Ford and Mercedes-Benz, but evolves the concept even further.

A front-mounted radar sensor detects when the vehicle is closing too quickly and first warns the driver and then applies the brakes automatically to avoid or minimize the effects of a crash.

Additionally, the moving object detection uses the surround-view camera system to determine if there are pedestrians or other objects moving in proximity of the vehicle. Unlike pedestrian detection systems from Volvo and Lexus, this system only functions at very low speeds and doesn't apply the brakes. Instead, the driver gets an audible and visual warning of anything moving around them. No specific vehicle applications or timing have been announced, but it's safe to assume we'll be seeing this tech featured on Infiniti's wares sometime next year.

Volvo sale to Geely to close next week

Volvo may finally part ways with Ford by the end of next week. The Detroit Free Press reports that the Blue Oval is aiming to close its $1.8 billion sale of the Swedish automaker to Geely in as little as 10 days, though Ford has merely said that its goal is to hand over the Volvo reigns by the end of the third quarter of this year. The move to send Volvo packing is part of Ford CEO Alan Mulally's strategy to slim the company down to focus on its core brands – a scheme that seems to be working so far.

In the meantime, Volvo managed to turn a profit of $53 million before taxes in the second quarter of this year. The news is a big leap from the same time last year – in the second quarter of 2009, the brand lost a heady $237 million. Ford's sale of Volvo seems to have been on glacial pace, partly due to the number of government agencies in the U.S., Europe and China that were needed to sign off on the deal. By the time the ink dries on the last document, Geely will have secured the largest overseas acquisition of any Chinese automaker so far.

More details on BMW's rumored X4 swirling about

2010 BMW X6M – Click above for high-res image gallery

The good people at AutoExpress are doing their best to fan the flames of the BMW X4 rumors. The site claims to have snagged a bevy of information on the Bavarian brand's product plans, including a more detailed account of what we can expect out of the much-rumored X4. Supposedly the new high-rider will borrow a heaping helping of design cues from the X6, so if you aren't a fan of that brute, odds are you won't like the new model, either. Unlike the big boy, the site claims that the X4 will make use of a double-gated hatch in the rear similar to what's found in the 5 Series Gran Turismo – a smart choice to help load and unload parcels.

AutoExpress also lays out drivetrain possibilities, including the likelihood of one very thrifty 2.0-liter turbo diesel mill that promises around 50 mpg. The site says that in that configuration, 0-60 is likely to click off in a somewhat loping 8.6 seconds, though there will be more potent variations available, including one powered by a turbo 3.0-liter inline-six with north of 300 horsepower.

It all sounds good, but BMW itself hasn't said word one about seriously mulling a new 'ute.

2010 Abt Audi A1

2010 Abt Audi A1 The new Abt version of the A1 comes with power upgrades (to 150 hp from 1.4 liter TFSI), aerodynamic components, graphics packages, and new wheels and suspension.

2010 Abt Audi A1

2011 JE Design Audi Q7 S-Line

2011 JE Design Audi Q7 S-Line A wide-body kit and special tuning for the S-Line raises the power output of the diesel V6 to 285 hp.

2011 JE Design Audi Q7 S-Line

2010 Mopar '10 Dodge Challenger

2010 Mopar '10 Dodge Challenger Under-the-hood features of this Mopar special edition include the HEMI® V-8 engine, a hood-venting system, a cold-air intake, a front strut-tower brace with shock caps, and a unique engine cover. Under the decklid is a rear strut-tower brace that stiffens the chassis and improves handling characteristics of the car.

2010 Mopar '10 Dodge Challenger

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR, SE, & MR Touring

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR, SE, & MR Touring The high-performance Lancer Evolution is available this year in three versions, beginning with the GSR, up to the new top-of-the-line MR Touring. Features include Super All Wheel Control, which regulates drive torque at each wheel by controlling a network of dynamic handling technologies, including: Active Center Differential 4-wheel drive, Active Yaw Control rear differential, Active Stability Control, and Sports ABS brakes.

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution SE

2010 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR Touring

2010 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT & Spyder GT

2010 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT & Spyder GT The sporty Eclipse is available in a GT version, with a 3.8 liter V6 producing 265 hp.

2010 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT

2010 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT

2010 Carlsson Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet

2010 Carlsson Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet Carlsson has an aerodynamic package for the E-Class Cabriolet, here showcased on this 350 CDi which features 20% more horsepower than stock.

2010 Carlsson Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet

2011 ArmorTech BMW X6 ARMG Coupe

2011 ArmorTech BMW X6 ARMG Coupe AmorTech has performed a number of styling changes on the X6, such as moving the B-pillar back 10 inches for a more aggressive look. Other features include new front seats and a wide range of options.

2011 ArmorTech BMW X6 ARMG Coupe

2011 Novitec Tridente Maserati Quattroporte

2011 Novitec Tridente Maserati Quattroporte Novitec has supercharged the Quattroporte's 4.7 liter supercharged V8 for an impressive 590 hp, as well as a new sport suspension, alloy wheels, and interior upgrade.

2011 Novitec Tridente Maserati Quattroporte