Multiple 2011MY Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep Vehicles Recalled to Fix Steering Columns

A dozen vehicles from the three core Chrysler brands covering more than half of the company’s 2011 models are being recalled in the United States to fix a potential problem with the steering column.
The recall covers 11,351 vehicles and affects certain 2011 model year Dodge Journey crossovers, Jeep Wranglers, Chrysler 200s, Chrysler 200 Convertibles, Dodge Avengers, Dodge Nitros, Jeep Liberty SUVs, Dodge Calibers, Jeep Compass crossovers, Jeep Patriots, Dodge Grand Caravans and Chrysler Town & Country minivans.

Kahn’s New…Project Car: The Porsche Panamera Sports Saloon

Say what you want about the Panamera, but fact is the sports saloon model has proved to be a hit for Porsche with the company having delivered close to 10,000 units in the first five months of the year alone.
The Panamera’s success has of course caught the attention of the aftermarket industry with more and more companies jumping on the tuning bandwagon. This here proposal comes courtesy of Afzal Kahn and his crew.

Fail: BMW 1-Series Driver Mistakes Shop for…Parking Garage

A pair of security cameras mounted inside and outside of a store allegedly located in Mexico (according to the Youtube poster), caught an accident involving a dangerously careless driver of a BMW 1-Series hatchback on film.
The video captured the middle-aged man in the BMW as he slowly entered the parking lot. For some unknown reason, he didn’t come to a stop and continued his way as if there was nothing in front of him.
Once inside the store, the reckless driver (20 seconds into the video) –get this- adjusts his exterior mirror as he puts the car in reverse to exit the shop and almost hits the cashier in the process! Amazingly, no one appears to have been injured. Watch the video footage after the jump.

Aston Martin Cuts Back Production of Rapide Due to Poor Sales

Seems like the recession isn’t hitting just common people, but is also affecting the market for $200,000-plus supercars. One such example is the Rapide, Aston Martin’s sports sedan, whose sales are falling way off initial expectations.
According to media reports, the British carmaker is cutting back production of the Rapide to 25 cars per week, which translates to 1,250 per year, or 750 less than initial estimates.

SCOOP: Early Prototype of 2013 BMW 7-Series Facelift

With the fifth-generation of the BMW 7-Series limousine codenamed F01 entering its third year in production, it’s time for the Bavarian company to begin readying a mid-life facelift for its flagship model.
Our spies snagged a lightly camouflaged prototype of the 7-Series bearing the ActiveHybrid 7 badges while testing in Germany. Judging by the parts of the car hidden under masking tape, there should be some minor styling changes to the front and rear bumpers as well as to the headlamps and tail light graphics.

Was ist Das? Russians Create the Weirdest Audi Coupe You’ll Ever See

Sure, the new MINI Coupe is all the talk now and everyone is buzzing in his or her opinion on the two-seater model. However, if you really want a sporty coupe model that stands out from the crowd look no further than this creation from mother Russia.
Meet the ultimate Audi Coupe that blends an alarmingly shortened chassis and body from an Audi 80 with the front end of an A4 and the wider buttocks of a previous generation A6 sedan.

Locally Made Right-Hand-Drive Renault Duster to Launch in India

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is gradually expanding the availability of its Duster small SUV, originally branded as a Dacia, to more international markets. Following the recent presentation of the Renault Duster for the South American region at the Buenos Aires Motor Show, today, the French firm confirmed its launch in India.
To be sold under the Renault marque, the right-hand drive [RHD] version of the Duster will be fully produced at the Renault-Nissan Chennai plant in India and rolled out across the local market in the second half of 2012. The RHD Duster will also be available in the UK starting from next year.

MINI Takes New Coupé for a Trip Around the World in its First Promo Film

The new two-seat Coupé from MINI has just landed on the internet, but the British firm is already pushing out its new marketing campaign with the release of the first promo clip.
The campaign builds around a new slogan titled “Another Day. Another Adventure.” with the film shot in the style of a movie trailer showcasing the Coupé in exotic locations, such as Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Iceland and Hong Kong.

Eyewitness Update on the Ferrari F430 Spider vs Taxi Cab Incident

Yesterday, we told you about a recent Las Vegas incident involving the drivers of a Ferrari F430 Spider and a yellow taxicab. In our original story, we wrote that the cabbie “allegedly rear-ended” the Italian exotic. It turns out though that there was no collision between the two cars with the Ferrari driver exploding simply because the cabbie cut him off.
Patrick Fritz, the person who filmed the video outside of Fry's Electronics, came in contact with Carscoop and detailed the events that eventually led to the Ferrari driver punching the cabbie.
Here’s what Patrick told Carscoop:

“I saw this altercation from the very beginning. The Ferrari was trying to leave the Fry's Electronics parking lot as the Taxi driver pulled in front of him, cutting him off. The Ferrari driver was pissed that he got cut off. There was NO collision.
The Ferrari driver then peeled out as he drove up past the cab and stopped in front of him and began yelling at him for "driving like an a$$hole". Then the Ferrari driver got out of his vehicle and approached the cab driver. That's the beginning of the video.”

New 2012 BMW M5 Sports Saloon Receives its Video Debut

This first official promo of the new F10 BMW M5 attempts to give us a more dynamic view of the Bavarian sports saloon with scenes from the track. For some reason though, BMW has masked most of the video with a dramatic but redundant music soundtrack since most of us are interested in hearing the sounds of the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine.

Nissan Working on New Hybrid System for Front-Wheel Drive Models

Earlier this month, we reported on Nissan’s plans to drop the Altima Hybrid from its lineup at the end of the 2011 model year because of poor sales in the States as well as the fact that it uses a hybrid system borrowed from its chief Japanese rival, Toyota.
On Monday, Japanese business daily Nikkan Kogyo said that Nissan has already began work on a new hybrid system for front-wheel drive cars that will be based on the firm’s rear-wheel-drive hybrid drivetrain that launched in the 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid.

New MINI Coupe Debuts in Production Trim: 65 High Res Photos and Pricing

No more hiding under conceptual suits and swirly camouflage for MINI’s all-new 2012 Coupé as the firm’s parent company, the BMW Group, officially lifted the veil off the production model on Monday. The sportiest-looking MINI to date is a coupe-flavored version of the hatchback with seating strictly for two.
The Coupé’s appearance was previewed by the 2009 concept car of the same name and is distinguished by the backwards “helmet roof” design and the more sharply raked A-pillars.
The first “three-box” MINI also sits 52mm or 2.05-inches lower than its three-door hatchback counterpart. Notably, it also features an active rear spoiler that extends automatically at 80 km/h (50 mph) to optimize airflow at highway speeds.

Vancouver Riots: Another Female Car Owner in Distress and a Few but Brave Men

As time goes by, more and more people are uploading videos from the recent Vancouver riots. Perhaps one of the most shocking and appalling incidents was the one that involved the three young females defending their BMW M5 from the mob, and which we showed you earlier in the day.
However, we discovered yet another film of a woman trying to save her vehicle (it looks like an Audi, but we’re not sure). The only difference here is that unlike the BMW incident, some men actually intervened when one of the hooligans tried to take a swipe at her.
And they weren’t the only ones to take a stance against some of the more violent and foolish hockey fans; if you follow the jump, we have a few more clips of men trying to knock some sense (literally…) into the Vancouver rioters.

VIDEO: Renault Megane RS Trophy’s Record Run at the ‘Ring

Last week, Renault upped the ante for front-wheel drive models by setting a new lap record at the Nurburgring Nordschleife with its more powerful Mégane Renaultsport Trophy.
The 265-horsepower strong special edition posted a lap time of 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds in the hands of Renault test driver Laurent Hurgon, smashing the previous record for a front-wheel drive model held by the older generation Mégane RS R26.R by nine seconds. Buckle up, sit tight and enjoy the record run in the video after the break.

New Kia KV7 Crossover Blogspot

Kia is giving us our first glimpse of its all-new KV7 concept model, which will have its world premiere at next month's 2011 Detroit Motor Show. Aside from the teaser rendering you see pictured above, the Korean firm didn't really reveal any details on the funky crossover model that features a set of Gullwing-style rear doors, but if you insist, we've added the press release after the jump.

Toyota Hilux Pickup Trucks Blogspot

Roughly the same time when the Moon Regan Transantarctic Expedition used the highly specialized Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle for an epic Antarctic crossing, Toyota also sent a fleet of four Hilux pickup trucks to the South Pole, as part of an expedition carried out by the members of the Indian National Center for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR).

Kia 2011 Pro

Photos of the mildly refreshed Kia Pro_cee'd are making the internet rounds before the car's scheduled world premiere at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in early March. The most obvious visual changes concern the restyled front end that brings the three-door version of the European market Cee'd more in line with Kia's latest offerings.
Along with the new H-shaped front grille finished in black, the 2011 Pro_cee'd also gains restyled headlamps and a reworked bumper. It is also possible that Kia may have upgraded the three-door model's interior as well as its engine line-up, but we won't know for sure until we get the official press release in our hands. Until then, follow the break to check out the rest of the pictures.

Audi Rumored to be Working on New Q4 SUV to battle Range Evoque

Audi will double the number of SUVs in its range, which currently includes the recently announced Q3 (pictured in the above sketch), plus the Q5 and Q7, with the addition of three new models by 2016, according to a company insider cited by Autocar magazine. The new models will be named Q2, Q4 and Q6, and according to the magazine’s source, will enable the Ingolstadt-based carmaker to cover every niche of the popular SUV segment.
The first addition to Audi’s SUV line-up is said to be the Q4, which will be a sportier version of the existing Q5 designed to compete against Range Rover’s Evoque and to a lesser degree, sister company Porsche’s upcoming Cajun. It is expected to launch sometime in 2014 or 2015.

Mercedes Benz C63 AMG

Mercedes-Benz may have wanted to keep the C63 AMG under covers for now, but photos of the high-performance model of the recently revealed 2012 C-Class facelift have already hit the web.
The pictures, which appear to be legit, show that the C63 AMG gains a restyled fascia with new headlamps, a single-bar grille and a new bumper design. There's also a single shot of the interior, which features the same basic upgrades as the rest of the C-Class range including the newly designed center console.

Argentina Agrees to Allow Hyundai and Kia Imports for Peanuts – Literally…

Argentina’s exports for imports saga continues, with South Korean carmaker Hyundai agreeing to export peanuts, wine, biodiesel and soy flour to offset the US$91 million (€64 million) it added to Argentina’s growing trade deficit in 2010. Partner company / subsidiary Kia has agreed export white goods and plastics for their contribution.
The South American nation’s US$6 billion (€4.19 billion) trade deficit has already led to one Porsche distributor agreeing to export wine and olive products, while similar deals have been struck with carmakers Chery, GM, Peugeot-Citroen, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Fiat and Ford.

Join Mercedes GP or Team Lotus for a Day

British fans are getting ready for their National Motorsport Week, and two UK-based Formula 1 teams are each giving two members of the public the unique opportunity to join their pit crews for a day.
Mercedes Petronas GP will randomly select two winners from those who will enter an online competition. The window of opportunity opens today, Monday 20 June, and will close at midnight on Thursday 23 June.

Audi UK Launches More Frugal A1 TDI, Returns 74.3mpg with 99g/km of CO2

An updated version of the Audi A1 1.6 TDI with increased fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions has been introduced into the British market. The Ingolstadt firm’s engineers optimized the 1.6-liter turbo diesel’s fuel system and engine management software, and as a result, reduced CO2 output from 105g/km to 99g/km, and boosted its combined economy figure from 70.6mpg UK to 74.3mpg UK (equal to 3.8 lt/100 km and 61.9mpg US).

GM Rumored to Debut New Plug-in Hybrid Crossover at 2012 Detroit Motor Show

At a recent event called “Charged 2011 – EV Symposium Silicon Valley”, General Motors’ western region group manager for environment and energy communications, Dave Barthmuss, told Brad Berman from Plugincars that the company may surprise us at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show with a new model, hinting at a plug-in hybrid crossover.

Saab Production on Hold for at least Two More Weeks

Ailing Swedish car manufacturer Saab will not be producing new vehicles for at least two more weeks until it resolves the problems with its suppliers, the company said on Monday.
"There will be no normal production during weeks 25 and 26 (June 20th-July 3rd)," Saab spokeswoman Gunilla Gustavs told Reuters. "We are still negotiating with all suppliers and we need to get everyone on board at the same time. The weeks of 27-29 (July 4th-24th) are planned to be normal working weeks".

BMW to Debut New 2012 M5 Saloon at The Goodwood Festival of Speed

The all-new 2012 BMW M5 sports sedan will be making its first public appearance at The Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place in the UK between July 1 and 3, the German automaker announced today.
The most powerful production version of the M5 series to date comes with a high-revving 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 pumping out 560hp from 5,750-7,000rpm and 680Nm [501.5 lb-ft] of torque from 1,500rpm. It goes on sale this fall.

Ferrari F430 Spider Owner Attacks Cab Driver for Rear-Ending Him

A sad tale of road rage between the driver of a red Ferrari F430 Spider and a Taxi Cab driver took place in front of the parking lot of an electronics store in Las Vegas recently.
Story has it that the cabbie allegedly rear-ended the Italian supercar, but did not cause any significant damage to the vehicle – or at least non that can be seen in this amateur video that was filmed after the two cars parked on the side of the road.
Unfortunately, instead of exchanging information, the driver of the Ferrari was in the mood for some talking with his…fists. We can’t hear all that was said between the two men, but it looks like the only person going overboard here was the F430 driver. Watch the video right after the break.

Daimler Puts a Third Option on the Table: Turn Maybach into a Sub-Brand for Mercedes

The future of the ailing Maybach brand will be decided, according to reports, until the end of July. Up until now, the German firm’s parent company, Daimler, was faced with two options: either axe the brand entirely, or work with another carmaker, preferably Aston Martin, to share the development and manufacturing costs to the successors of to its not-so-well received uber-sedans.
Now, according to Automotive News, it seems that a third option is on the table: that Maybach will become a sub-brand of Mercedes-Benz.

Va Va Vooom: Renault 4 to Attempt Record Breaking Run at Bonneville Speed Week

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Renault’s iconic 4, the French firm’s first front-wheel drive family car that was introduced in 1961 and remained in production until 1992. Not surprisingly, the automaker and enthusiasts of the car alike are planning several events over the year to commemorate the Renault 4’s golden birthday.
Aside from launching a design competition for the creation of a modern-day Renault 4, the automaker is also lending a helping hand to a team of four French enthusiasts who will attempt to set a new record at the Bonneville Speed Week, which takes place in northwestern Utah from August 13 to 20.

Mercedes Drifter Sets New Guinness World Record for the Longest Powerslide [with Videos]

A Mercedes-Benz driver has smashed the world record for the longest car drift at a company event in Surrey, UK. Mauro Calo, who works at the Mercedes-Benz World venue providing driving experiences to guests and entertaining crowds with precision driving skills, powerslided a C63 AMG sports sedan for a distance of 2,308 metres or 1.44 miles, beating the previous record by 394 metres or a quarter of a mile.

McLaren Opens Flagship Showroom in London, 19 Countries to Follow

McLaren Automotive will inaugurate a new flagship showroom at One Hyde Park, London, on June 21. And this is just the first of a network of 35 dealerships in 19 countries: Birmingham, London and Manchester in the UK, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich in Germany, Brussels in Benelux, Monaco and Paris in France, Milan in Italy, Madrid in Spain and Zurich in Switzerland.

Volvo to Axe S40/V50 duo from US Line-up Due to Poor Sales

Volvo will stop selling its mid-size sedan, the S40, and its station wagon “twin”, the V50, in the USA during the 2012 MY. The reason? You guessed it; poor sales. According to Volvo spokesman Dan Johnston, US deliveries of the two models were disappointingly low with the S40 down 29% in 2010, while the V50 fared even worse, with its sales dropping by more than 50%.

BMW 5-Series F10 gets the Black Bison Makeover from Wald International

We knew it wouldn’t be long before Wald International, one of Japan’s most well-known styling houses, released its program for the latest BMW 5-Series sedan, codenamed F10.
The Japanese tuner’s Black Edition Sports Line BMW 5-Series comes with an assortment of aero body pieces made from fiberglass-reinforced plastic.

Silverstone Organisers Ask: What is the Best British Sports Car of All Time?

The fifteen finalists in the Silverstone Classic’s, “Best British Sports Car of All Time” vote-in have been announced, and boy is there some choice picks. Before we get to that though, can I just point out a misnomer in using the, “of All Time” qualifier?
This assumes (prophetically?) that Britain will not be making any more sports cars in the future, whereas, “Best British Sports Car So Far” would be a far more accurate description. But enough with semantics: who are our lucky finalists?

Wetterauer Reinterprets MINI Countryman Cooper S

From the depths of Germany’s tuning industry comes our next custom build, based on the MINI Countryman Cooper S. Wetterauer Engineering GmbH, one of the lesser-known design shops, has come up with a new package for MINI’s first all-wheel drove model.
The aesthetic treatment starts with a new foil wrap in a matte brown color for the body and in carbon fiber for the roof, side skirts, front and rear aprons, exterior mirrors, spoilers and air vents. The package also gives the Countryman a matching set of 18-inch wheels from ATS shod in 225/45 R18 rubber and matte exhaust tips.

The Inspirational Archer without Arms Changes Pontiac Brakes with Feet

Matt Stutzsman is one truly gifted and talented individual whose attitude should be an inspiration to all. You see, Stutzsman was born without arms. And yet, despite all the challenges, he managed to adapt and do everything on his own using his legs and feet.
The 29-year old man from Iowa, whose birth parents gave him up for adoption when he has was just four months old because they couldn’t deal with the idea of raising a child with special needs (or so they thought), just recently qualified from the U.S. Olympic team in archery!

SCOOP: New Hot Ford Fiesta ST Caught Testing in Five-Door Trim

The last time we had news about the upcoming Fiesta ST was back in September 2010 when our spies snagged a three-door prototype in Germany. Now, we have some fresh pictures of the five-door version of the hottest Fiesta undergoing tests at the Nurburgring racetrack without much camouflage.

European Automakers Demand a Fair Deal in Emerging Auto Markets

At a recent meeting of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), industry leaders voiced their concerns over government assistance, high import tariffs and other trade barriers in newly minted auto markets such as China, India and South Korea. It’s a situation that’s made it very difficult, if not impossible, for the Euros to compete.
Dieter Zetsche, CEO of Daimler and the President of ACEA puts it well: “We are asking for a level playing field.”
Paul Everitt, CEO of the UK’S SMMT motor industry group echoes those remarks: “Our vision is for us to design, develop and manufacture high-value vehicles to export around the world. That is difficult if we don't get access.”

The King of Overkill has Found his Queen in Toronto

And by “King of Overkill” we mean, of course, the….how should we put this delicately… excessively ornamented Porsche Cayenne SUV photographed outside a dollar store in Ontario, Canada, last week by Carscoop reader Jonathan Fernando.
This blonde Swedish diva [aka a previous generation Volvo S40 finished in a yellow hue] was spotted all dressed up and ready to meet the king of her dreams at a parking lot in Toronto, Canada, by another one of our readers, James Dong.

Pontiac Solstice gets an Engine Transplant from a Toyota Supra

In the world of engine swaps, anything goes but it’s always nice to see people experimenting with different kind of builds. For Car Lounge forum member ‘Phlow’, the patient was a Pontiac Solstice roadster with a weak heart - or so to say.
While most physicians would prescribe a local LS V8 transplant, this doctor went for something more exotic, to be precise a 2JZ, which is a code name for the Toyota Supra’s twin-turbocharged inline-six.

Kia Reunites Joyride Characters for New 2012 Sorento Ad

Though not as successful as their music-loving hamster counterparts, Kia’s oddball cast of life-size children's characters from last year’s Joyride commercials are back for a new advertising campaign.
Muno, Sock Monkey, MR. X, the vintage robot and teddy bear will star in two new 30-second TV spots for the 2012 Sorento CUV. As with the original campaign, "Joyride 2" was created by David&Goliath, KMA's advertising agency of choice. The first commercial begins airing today and will be followed up by the second spot next month.

Goodwood Festival of Speed: Win a Ride in the MINI WRC

One very lucky person will have the opportunity to enjoy a ride in the MINI John Cooper Works WRC at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, which takes place at the estate of Lord March on the 1st - 3rd July this year.

Mazda and Sumitomo to Open New Plant in Mexico, Sales Company in Brazil

Mazda Motor Corporation announced today that it is opening a new production facility in Mexico, and a sales company in Brazil, both in collaboration with Sumitomo. The Japanese manufacture proceeded with these moves in order to strengthen its presence in the rapidly growing Central and South American markets.

Honda Launches New Fit Shuttle Small MPV in Japan

After briefly postponing the presentation of its all-new Fit Shuttle due to a variety of problems that arose from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Honda on Thursday officially launched its mini MPV.
While keeping the five-seat layout of the regular Fit (called Jazz in Europe), the Shuttle is longer and taller, with the extra space benefiting both the rear passengers and the cargo area.

Jeep’s Drive Your Track Lets you Plan World Road Trip from Your Music

I’ve been trying out Jeep’s Drive Your Track website for their Wrangler model’s Infinity Sound System. You start by uploading a song from your hard drive: I chose Gary Numan’s, “Cars” for reasons that should be readily apparent.
It takes a few minutes to load your song, and then the sound waves are somehow mapped to certain geographical features from around the world.
You end up with eight or so places, which for me included the Appalachian Mountains, the Himalayas, the Andes, the Ural Mountains and Colorado Rockies.

Hofele-Design Rocks the New Volkswagen Touareg II with Royal GT 470

And the train of Volkswagen Touareg tuners continues to grow. The latest to join the German SUV’s tuning fan club is Hofele-Design with its new Royal GT 470. The upgrade package is comprehensive and includes modifications to the exterior, interior as well as the chassis and the available V6 diesel.
The tuning shop’s aero kit comprises of a new front apron with integrated LEDs on both corners, matching wheel arch extensions, side skirts and a rear apron housing a diffuser and a choice of two different sets of exhaust tail pipe designs. A hood scoop, Hofele-Design’s bespoke front grille and 20- or 22-inch alloy wheels complete the changes.

Lexus Wants to Target Younger Buyers with New 2011 LS 460 Touring Edition

How do you attract younger buyers into your showrooms? The easy to say, but evidently hard to follow-through, answer would be to design a vehicle(s) from scratch that caters to the needs of the all important 35-to-55-year-old male demographic.
So what happens when you want to do something about it…yesterday? Well, obviously, the most cost and time efficient method is to enhance the range of your model with a sport trim level. And that is exactly what Lexus is attempting with the latest addition to its top-end model.