Ford is recalling 11,500 of its new 2013 Escape SUVs because a defect in the fuel line could cause a fire. The automaker is telling owners to stop driving the vehicles until the problem is repaired.
From Autoblog: Official: Aspid unveils menacing new GT-21 Invictus hammerhead
Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Europe, Specialty, MISC
Aspid has finally gotten around to revealing the production version of the GT-21 Invictus. This funky-looking sports car delivers 450 horsepower to the rear wheels thanks to a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter V8 engine paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox or six-speed manual. That’s a far cry from the supercharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder found in the Spanish company’s first offering. Aspid says the GT-21 Invictus can lay waste to 60 mph from a standstill in under three seconds on its way to a top speed of 189 mph. Even better, the creation’s suspension can serve up 1.6 g on the skidpad.
The company has managed to keep weight to a mere 2,182 pounds thanks to composite body panels and a spaceframe chassis. Interestingly enough, the GT-21 Invictus is also available with a slew of on-road safety equipment, including adaptive airbags, stability control and anti-lock brakes.
Inside, there’s a 2+2 seating configuration, which suggests there’s actually room for two adults and their luggage for a weekend trip. Aspid is currently aiming to start building its newest model in 2014, but there’s no word on pricing yet. Scroll downto watch a dramatic – dare we say Batman-esque – official video below.
from Autoblog
From Autoblog: Official: 2013 Ford Focus ST gets 23 mpg city, 32 mpg highway ratings
Ford has released the official Environmental Protection Agency fuel economy ratings for its 2013 Focus ST. The hottest of Blue Oval hatches will manage 32 mpg highway, 23 mpg city and 26 mpg combined from the turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission. Ford notes those numbers best both the Volkswagen GTI five-door at 21 mpg city and 31 mpg highway and the MazdaSpeed3 at 18 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. At 252 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque, the Focus ST also bests the Volkswagen in power, but loses that fight to the Mazda.
Judging by our recent first drive, that doesn’t stop the machine from being plenty entertaining, however. With a conservative 0-62 mph time of 6.5 seconds and a top end of 155 mph, this is about as far from a rental Focus at the Hertz lot as one can get. For comparison’s sake, the base, naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder Focus is capable of up to 40 mpg highway with a special fuel economy package, but it also delivers 92 fewer horsepower and far fewer thrills. Check out the full press releasebelow.
from Autoblog
From Autoblog: Official: BMW ActiveHybrid 3 is an efficient use of 340 hp
Filed under: Hybrid, Sedan, Performance, BMW, Luxury
We’ve learned to expect that hybrid vehicles will produce lower emissions and fuel-consumption scores than their standard gasoline-burning siblings. What we generally don’t expect, however, is for that same hybrid to be quicker to 60 than its turbocharged brother or for it to make more overall horsepower.
Such is the case with the BMW ActiveHybrid 3, which offers up 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque from its 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline six and electric motor combination – useful gains from the 300 hp and 300 lb-ft in the 335i. Those added ponies allow the Hybrid 3 to hit 62 miles per hour in just 5.3 seconds, a .2-second improvement, according to the automaker, over the thirstier 335i.
BMW says the Hybrid 3 can travel up to 2.5 miles on electricity alone at speeds of up to 46 miles per hour, though not at the same time, of course, and fuel efficiency of about 40 miles per gallon on the EU test cycle. Expect the U.S. EPA figure to vary from that figure.
A lithium ion battery pack resides in the trunk, and it’s made up of 96 individual cells with a rated output of 675 Wh. Power is sent to the rear wheels from the dual drivetrain through an eight-speed automatic gearbox that shares its outer casing with the 55-hp electric motor. Naturally, there’s a rather prominent badge on the C-pillar displaying the car’s fuel-saving credentials, as you can see in our image gallery above.
Full details can be found in the press release below, but there’s still no word on when we can expect to see the ActiveHybrid 3 in the States or what it may cost if and when it arrives.
from Autoblog
From Engadget: Carnegie Mellon smart headlight prototype blacks out raindrops for clearer view of the road
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon have developed a prototype smart headlight which blots out individual drops of rain or snow — improving vision by up to 90 percent. Made with an off-the-shelf Viewsonic DLP projector, a quad-core Intel Core-i7 PC and a GigE Point Grey Flea3 camera, the Rube Goldberg-esque process starts by first imaging raindrops arriving at the top of its view. After this, the signal goes to a processing unit, which uses a predictive theory developed by the team to guess the drops’ path to the road. Finally, the projector — found in the same place as the camera — uses a beamsplitter like modern digital 3D rigs. Used in tandem with calculations, it transmits a beam with light voids matching the predicted path. The result? It all stops light from hitting the falling particles, with the cumulative process resulting in the illusion of a nearly precipitation-free road view — at least in the lab. So far, the whole process takes about a hundredth of a second (13 ms) but scientists said that in an actual car and with many more drops, the speed would have to be about ten times quicker. That would allow 90 percent of the light located 13 feet in front of the headlights to pass through, but even at just triple the speed, it would give drivers a 70 percent better view. To see if this tech might have a snowflake’s chance of making it out of the lab, go past the break for all the videos.
from Engadget
From Autoblog: Quick Spin: 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe
Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Hyundai, Quick Spins
Fashionable And Fun – In That Order
It’s an interesting time for the compact car class. On one hand, we’re seeing the rise of the hatchback. On the other, we’re seeing the compact coupe market dwindle. Think about it: When the Chevrolet Cobalt became the Cruze, the coupe bodystyle went away. And when the Ford Focus was redesigned for 2012, the two-door died, but the five-door returned.
That said, it came as no surprise that when Hyundai replaced its Elantra Touring with the stylish new GT, it took on a more traditional five-door shape. But that isn’t the only new addition to the model range for 2013. We now have this, the Elantra Coupe, which the Korean automaker hopes will appeal to a younger set of buyers desiring something that’s more fashionable than all-around useful. Call it, “cheerleader chic.”
With its attractive design and affordable price point, the Elantra Coupe certainly appears to be a hit with that younger, more style-conscious demographic. We donned our best sunglasses and hit the coast of California to see what’s what.
Continue reading 2013 Hyundai Elantra Coupe
from Autoblog
From Business and financial news – CNNMoney.com: J.D. Power: Top quality cars
These cars are best-in-class when it comes to working right and meeting owners’ expectations right from the very start.