9/24/2012

TopSpeed Daily Update

Audi S3
Say Hello to the 2013 Maserati GranCabrio MC
Jaguar F-Type Roadster
Honda Will Release an All-New Roadster in 2014
Chrysler 200
Top Gear Gets the Guinness World Record for Most Watched Factual Show
2013 Nissan GT-R laps Nurburgring in 7:16
Video: Need for Speed Most Wanted Singleplayer explained
Car Infographics: The Impact of the Electric Vehicle
Mercedes CLS 6.3 Yachting by Kicherer

Audi S3

Posted: 21 Sep 2012 08:00 AM PDT

Audi is speeding up their unveiling process by releasing details on a second model just one day after revealing the A3 Sportback. It’s the S3 version’s turn to shine as it joins the Sportback at the 2012 Paris Auto Show. The quicker version of the A3 will go on sale early in 2013 at a starting price of €38,900, or about $51,800 at the current exchange rates (price for Germany).

The Audi S3 is powered by a 2.0 TFSI turbocharged four-cylinder engine that delivers a total of 300 HP and 280 lb-ft of torque. This power is enough to sprint the car from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and up to a top speed of 155 mph.

In terms of design, the new S3 looks a lot like the A3, except it has added elements like an S single-frame grille, a revised front bumper, new side skirts, aluminum-look mirror caps, a new exhaust system with quad tailpipes, a roof spoiler, and a different rear bumper. These elements differentiate the S3 from the A3, unless of course you add the S-Line package to the A3, which would then make them look almost identical.

UPDATE 09/21/2012: This review has been updated with the official details and images for the new Audi S3.

Hit the jump to read more about the 2013 Audi S3.

Audi S3 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 15:00 EST.

Say Hello to the 2013 Maserati GranCabrio MC

Posted: 21 Sep 2012 07:00 AM PDT

As promised, the 2013 Maserati GranCabrio MC Stradale will be making its official debut next week at the Paris Auto Show, but unfortunately for Maserati, someone couldn’t manage to keep the car a secret. We have found the first images of the next GranCabrio MC leaked onto the internet in their beautiful drop-top glory.

As expected, the GranCabrio version looks identical to the GranTurismo MC Stradale version, except for its convertible roof. These leaked images didn’t have any specifications attached to them, but we expect the GranCabrio MC to feature the same technologies as its coupe counterpart. This means that it is powered by a 4.7 liter V8 engine that delivers a total of 450 HP. Performance numbers won’t be as impressive as the coupe since the convertible adds a bit more weight, but it shouldn’t stray too far from the coupe’s 0-60 mph sprint time of 4.6 seconds or its top speed of 186 mph. Its engine will also be mated to an electro-actuated six-speed manual gearbox that can shift gears in only 60 milliseconds (0.06 seconds) thanks to its computer control and optimized gear selection.

More details on the 2013 Maserati GranCabrio MC Stradale will be unveiled next week. Stay tuned!

Say Hello to the 2013 Maserati GranCabrio MC originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 14:00 EST.

Jaguar F-Type Roadster

Posted: 21 Sep 2012 06:00 AM PDT

Last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Jaguar announced the C-X16 Concept and because the market’s reaction was so positive, the company decided to offer a production version. The new sports car will be named F-Type and will be announced later in 2012 with sales to begin in mid 2013.

The future Jaguar F-Type will be powered by a new 3.0-liter V6 engine that delivers a total of 250 HP in a normally aspirated version and 375 HP in the supercharged R version. Jaguar has also confirmed that the future F-Type will be built as a two-seater convertible and will feature all-aluminum construction. The model will be priced under the current XK, or at about $85,000.

"That car will be called the F-TYPE, and it will be unveiled in production form later this year. The core appeal of Jaguar’s cars is their sporting heart, and that heart will beat stronger than ever before in the F-TYPE. Its development is a vivid representation of the confidence and ambition of the Jaguar brand, and the desire amongst our engineers and design team to produce a world-leader in a market segment that we have been absent from for too long. But no longer – the F-TYPE is coming."

UPDATE 08/10/2012: Jaguar has officially confirmed that the new F-Type roadster will be making its world debut at the Paris Motor Show on September 27, 2012. The model will be offered with a choice of three engines: Jaguar's all-new 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine with an output of either 340 or 380 HP and the existing supercharged 5.0-liter V8. All engine options will drive the rear wheels through an eight-speed transmission and will be equipped with Stop/Start technology. Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar Cars, said: "The unveiling of the F-TYPE in Paris will be a truly significant day in Jaguar's history as it will mark the company's return to the sports car market, a market it originally helped to create."

UPDATE 09/21/2012: The new Jaguar F-Type will be making its official debut next week, on September 27th, but since everyone is excited about the new model, Jaguar decided to show us two new teaser videos featuring the little roadster at the Nardo high speed test track in Italy and at the Nurburgring race track. Check them out by clicking through the main images above!

Jaguar F-Type Roadster originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 13:00 EST.

Honda Will Release an All-New Roadster in 2014

Posted: 21 Sep 2012 05:00 AM PDT

After the Del Sol failed to grab buyers' attention and the S2000 pretty much fizzled into nothingness after nine model years, Honda shelved its roadster-building practices for a few years. That being said, in a speech today, Honda's CEO, Takanobu Ito, has announced that the automaker will again dive into the roadster-building realm, just not as deep as it was before.

According to his statements, Honda will release a new roaster in 2014, but there are two problems here. Problem No. 1, this roadster will only be available in the Japanese market, making us wonder if an S2000 successor will ever show up. Problem No. 2 is the fact that this new roadster will be based on one of the Honda's "mini-vehicle" models. In other words, we are looking at something along the lines of a Geo Metro LSi convertible – if you even remember that slouch – not an S2000 successor.

According to Ito, this new roadster will feature "strong vehicle dynamics," which sounds promising, but could ultimately be the typical automotive lip service. From what this sounds like, Honda is planning to actually produce a version of the EV-STER Concept that has been rumored to hit 60 mph in just 5 seconds and have a total electric range of 100 miles – okay, so maybe it's a little cooler than the Metro LSi, but still not an S2000 replacement.

Given Honda's tendency to let models hover in Asia for a while before releasing them worldwide, we anticipate that this new roadster will make its way to the U.S. after about two or three successful years. If it fails in the Japanese market, Honda will simply fold it up and act like it never happened.

Now for the big question; what will Honda name this new roadster? Will it bring back the much maligned Del Sol name or maybe finally cater to the purists that want the CRX name back so badly that they can taste it? We doubt that either name will make a comeback, but it would be kind of cool to see the CRX name again. The Del Sol, eh, not so much…

Stay tuned!

Click past the jump to read the full summary of the speech.

gallery: 2011 Honda EV-STER Concept

Honda Will Release an All-New Roadster in 2014 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 12:00 EST.

Chrysler 200

Posted: 21 Sep 2012 04:00 AM PDT

When Chrysler replaced the Sebring with the 200, the world rejoiced at the elimination of the outdated and never truly impressive drop top. Unfortunately, the 200 was not a full redesign of its predecessor, rather just a nip here, a tuck there, some new headlights and basic interior changes. So, essentially, the 200's body style is in its 6th production year, making it a year overdue for a revision.

According to reports from the Wall Street Journal, this revision has been partially revealed to dealerships in a meeting in Las Vegas. The details are very scarce yet, but there are a few things of note. First is that Chrysler plans to launch the new 200 in the first quarter of 2014, making it a late-2014 model year. With that sort of release date, we should see the final model at a mid-2013 auto show.

Dealers also learned that the 2014 Chrysler 200 sedan will boast a 9-speed transmission, which enables it to get an astounding 38 mpg – an 8 mpg increase over the 2012 Chrysler 200 with a 2.4-liter. We expect to see a 4-cylinder as its base engine and possibly the elimination of the 6-cylinder model altogether, unless Chrysler chooses to develop an SRT6 model.

While Chrysler only revealed the sedan model to its dealers, we do anticipate a convertible model joining it.

We'll continue to monitor the 2014 Chrysler 200's development and get as much information as we can to add onto this review. Until then, check out our rendering of the future 200!

gallery: 2012 Chrysler 200 S Convertible

Chrysler 200 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 11:00 EST.

Top Gear Gets the Guinness World Record for Most Watched Factual Show

Posted: 21 Sep 2012 03:00 AM PDT

No true automotive junky can channel surf past Top Gear without at least stopping for a few minutes. Even if you can't stand the show; the cars are bad ass, the driving is borderline insane, and Jeremy Clarkson's snarly, sarcastic and brash attempts at humor are downright unsettling. That's pretty much exactly what we love about the show.

Well, this extremely popular show – now watched in 212 territories around the world – has officially been named the "Most Watched Factual TV Program" by Guinness World Record. As expected, Jeremy Clarkson was front and center to accept the award with the rather bland "I am very proud to be associated with such a factual program" statement. Oh Jeremy, you are man of so many words…

Regardless of the "Eh, whatever" response, we tip our hats to the empire the Clarkson and his cohorts have built since 1977.

We tried finding out who owned the record before Top Gear, but the record seems to not exist in the 2012 edition of the book… Hm, interesting… We did, however, find out that you can submit your own world record. We wonder if there is a weird publicity stunt behind all of this. Nah, they would never…

Plus, Clarkson just looks oh so happy holding that plaque in the press image.

Top Gear Gets the Guinness World Record for Most Watched Factual Show originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 10:00 EST.

2013 Nissan GT-R laps Nurburgring in 7:16

Posted: 21 Sep 2012 02:00 AM PDT

It looks like the Nissan-Porsche war is far from being over. Just yesterday, Porsche announced that their upcoming 918 Spyder supercar had lapped the Nurburgring in an amazing 7:14, and today, Nissan is coming out with their own lap time. The fastest, official Nurburgring lap time of the current Nissan GT-R was 7:24, but it looks like the 2013 GT-R is working with something even better, scoring a Nurburgring lap time of 7:16!

No official details on the time have been released just yet, but according to Bridge to Gantry, a 2013 GT-R with Nismo lightweight wheels and carbon-ceramic brakes (yes, like those seen on the Track Pack) was testing at the Green Hell. The best part is that Toshio Suzuki, the record-breaking test driver of Nissan, was behind the wheel.

We expect to see an official confirmation of these results soon, as sell as a video of the event. Stay tuned!

gallery: 2013 Nissan GT-R

2013 Nissan GT-R laps Nurburgring in 7:16 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 09:00 EST.

Video: Need for Speed Most Wanted Singleplayer explained

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 09:00 PM PDT

Electronic Arts (EA) has released a new video about Need For Speed that details the Most Wanted Single Player campaign, as well as the Fairhaven City. This is the home of the 10 Most Wanted drivers, who stand in your way of becoming the Most Wanted. With all of the cars being available at the start, if you can find it, you can drive it.

The game comes with an Easy Drive system that allows for truly seamless driving experience with no pausing necessary. This system will offer the players the possibility to drive or go directly to a race’s starting line, and swap cars and performance mods without having to leave gameplay or leave the open-world behind.

The all new features of Autolog 2 will help you earn Speed Points which contribute to unlocking performance modifications and secure your rank on The Most Wanted List.

Hit the jump to watch Need for Speed Most Wanted Multiplayer Trailer.

Video: Need for Speed Most Wanted Singleplayer explained originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 04:00 EST.

Car Infographics: The Impact of the Electric Vehicle

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 07:00 PM PDT

The electric vehicle revolution – if you can call it that – has been long in the making. Actually, the EV predates the internal combustion engine, but unstable power grids and dangerous charging stations effectively rendered it a deadly venture. It then saw a brief revival in the late 1990s with the colossal failure that was the EV1, which cost GM $1 billion dollars to research, build, market, and sell 1,117 models at a deflated price of $33,000 each.

Now in 2012, we have a plethora of full electric vehicles from the big automakers – Ford Focus Electric, Nissan Leaf, Chevy Spark, Honda Fit EV – and even a full-line EV builder in Tesla. There are some people that are completely against EVs, because they are driving up the cost of cars and power, but then there are the ones that are 100 percent for EVs. Other than those two groups, you get all of us folks in the middle.

We middle-ground buyers will ultimately be the ones that make or break the EV revolution and we need to know truly what impact the EV has on the world and our Eco system. We have managed to get an infographic that really puts into perspective exactly how the EV will affect the world over time.

A key point on this graphic is the actual environmental saving. On a dirty grid – coal or oil-powered – you'll see that the CO2 footprint is still pretty high, as you are creating CO2 indirectly while charging the vehicle. For clean grids – dare we say "nuclear" power – the environmental savings are significantly higher. The big task at hand on the clean-grid side is finding a safer alternative to nuclear, which scientists are working on every day.

So open up your mind a little, regardless of where you stand on EVs and have a look at the actual impact it will have. It may ultimately change your stance or reaffirm where you stand right now. Either way, you have become a more educated EV buyer.

Hit the jump for the full infographic!

Car Infographics: The Impact of the Electric Vehicle originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 21 September 2012 02:00 EST.

Mercedes CLS 6.3 Yachting by Kicherer

Posted: 20 Sep 2012 12:00 PM PDT

Kicherer has already impressed us with some of the most amazing tuning packages for the Mercedes AMG models, so it seem fitting that they would continue that trend with yet another package. Based on the CLS 63 AMG model, the new 6.3 Yachting benefits from interesting exterior updates and a power bump from the standard 518 HP up to 625 HP.

The exterior changes for the CLS include the addition of a new set of wheels, sized 20" on the front axle and 21" on the rear, combined with an electronically adjusted chassis and a high performance braking system with steel flex brake lines. The sedan has also been wrapped in a very cool full-cover star-graphite film. For the interior, the tuner is offering a combination of leather, Alcantara, and carbon-fiber.

Under the hood, the 5.5 liter Bitubo engine has been updated to deliver an impressive 625 HP and 634 lb-ft of torque. The speed limiter has also been removed, allowing the car to hit a top speed of 186 mph.