Automotive Einstein

Autoblog SUV

Autoblog SUV

Lamborghini kinda sorta confirms SUV concept coming in April Friday, 3 February 2012, 8:31 pm

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Crossover, Lamborghini, Beijing Motor Show

Rumors typically have a limited shelf life. Either they come to fruition, or they just die off. But not this one. The automotive press has been anticipating a follow-up to the Lamborghini LM002 (pictured above) for decades now, but with anticipation building, they appear to finally be coming to a head this year.

Although not quite an official confirmation, a spokesperson for Lamborghini’s parent company Audi has indicated that all the speculation regarding the imminent arrival of a new Lamborghini crossover are, essentially, true. The concept version is expected to debut at the Beijing Motor Show in April with a retuned version of the V10 engine in the Gallardo and an eye on the likes of the Maserati Kubang and BMW X6 – only likely higher-end in its market position.

The decision-making process in Sant’Agata Bolognese was reportedly to build either a crossover or a sedan (previewed by the Estoque concept at the 2008 Paris Motor Show) as a third model line, but the current speculation suggests that Lamborghini could build both, with the four-door sedan to follow a couple of years down the line.

Lamborghini kinda sorta confirms SUV concept coming in April originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog SUV | Noah Joseph

Alonso and Massa get a pair of Ferrari-red Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s Thursday, 2 February 2012, 9:28 pm

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, SUV, Jeep, Ferrari, Celebrities

There’s no end to the perks of being a Formula One racing driver, especially if you happen to drive for Scuderia Ferrari. As if piloting one of the fastest F1 cars on the grid weren’t enough, Ferrari has gifted each of its gifted drivers his own 458 Italia, Abarth 695 Tributo Ferrari and Maserati GranCabrio, to name just a few. And something tells us that if either Fernando Alonso or Felipe Massa wanted anything else from the expansive Fiat-Chrysler product range – say, a Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, for example – that would hardly pose a problem.

That’s exactly what the talented duo got the other day at the Fiorano test track at Ferrari headquarters in Maranello, where the first two examples of the new SRT8 in Europe were delivered to the pair of stars. Certainly, the Grand Cherokee SRT8 has plenty to love, what with its 6.4-liter Hemi V8 and 5-second dash to 62 mph, but Fernando And Felipe got more than that.

These two unique examples were decked out in Rosso Corso , with matte black front grille, a black offset racing stripe, black roof, carbon fiber trim and white accents. Ride height was lowered by 1.5 inches on unique forged and painted 20-inch alloys, and the interior has similarly been decked out in red leather accents and top-stitching and even yellow dials on the instruments.

Nice work if you can get it. All you have to do is convince the most victorious team in motorsport that you’ve got what it takes to be world champion, and you can have one too. Otherwise you can follow the jump for the press release and scope out the high-res images in the gallery above.

Continue reading Alonso and Massa get a pair of Ferrari-red Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s

Alonso and Massa get a pair of Ferrari-red Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog SUV | Noah Joseph

Lamborghini’s next model to be "LB 736" SUV instead of Estoque? Tuesday, 31 January 2012, 9:29 pm

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Crossover, Lamborghini, Rumormill, Luxury

It was hinted not long ago that Lamborghini would be bringing a couple of brand new baubles to the Geneva Motor Show. Speculation was that one would certainly be the Aventador Roadster, but the other was more difficult to predict – the standard cries being a production version of the Sesto Elemento, a new sedan or a crossover. Well, we still can’t be sure what else is coming to Geneva, but if the magazine scan at the Teamspeed forum can be believed – it comes from Italian mag Quattroroute – a new crossover will be heading our way shortly after the Switzerland expo.

According to the article, Lamborghini will be getting an SUV based on the Audi Q7 platform (just like sister-brand Bentley is expected to do), and it will be revealed at the Beijing Auto Show in April. The ostensible codename is LB 736, and while the official engine spec hasn’t been nailed down just yet, we hear it’ll be a V10 or electrically assisted V8 with somewhere around 700 horsepower.

The body is reportedly standard Lamborghini-issue aluminum and carbon fiber, with aims of a curb weight under 2,000 kilograms (4,400 pounds), and the completed project will go on sale in 2015. There’s a suggestion that it might also come to Geneva instead of Beijing, but since the image is a Photoshop – and, frankly, most of this is speculation – don’t be suprised if what we see now is not exactly what we ultimately get… whenever it debuts.

Lamborghini’s next model to be “LB 736″ SUV instead of Estoque? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog SUV | Jonathon Ramsey

NACTOY changes truck award to "Truck/Utility of the Year" Tuesday, 31 January 2012, 6:00 pm

Filed under: SUV, Truck, Etc., Crossover

This year’s selection for North American Truck of the Year was something of a sign of the times as the pool of nominees didn’t really fit the traditional definition of “truck” – beasts of burden with features like a low range, open bed and/or body-on-frame construction. Not only were all three finalists crossovers (including the winning 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque), but so were the other four on the short list of nominees.

The jury has been monitoring the market’s shift from body-on-frame SUVs to unibody-based crossovers for years now, and detailed discussions about whether to alter the name of its Truck of The Year award have been a staple conversation among members of the voting pool for perhaps half a decade. Those debates have finally bore fruit. Beginning with next year’s award, instead of North American Truck of the Year, the hardware will be awarded as the North American Truck/Utility of the Year.

The name change should not only be a bit cleaner when it comes to including the market’s ever-diversifying pool of crossovers, it will also afford room on the other end of the spectrum for the inclusion of heavy-duty full-size trucks, a segment of vehicles that previously weren’t eligible. The change reflects another shift in the market, where vehicles like the Ford F-Series Super Duty and Ram 2500 HD are no longer being considered solely for purchase as work trucks – more and more everyday consumers are looking to them as capable daily drivers. The jury had previously considered only light-duty trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Toyota Tacoma for the award.

With the crossover segment mushrooming in popularity and diversifying rapidly, it’s become difficult to readily classify what constitutes a crossover vehicle as opposed to a car. Branches of the U.S. government classify the exact same vehicle as a car and a truck, automakers invent new terminology to trumpet, journalists call them one thing and consumers end up labeling them another. The NACTOY jury will thus look to indicators like overall height and capability to help funnel eligible vehicles into the Car of the Year or Truck/Utility of the Year category.

NACTOY changes truck award to “Truck/Utility of the Year” originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog SUV | Noah Joseph

Next Land Rover showing up pixel by pixel Monday, 30 January 2012, 9:00 pm

Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, SUV, Europe, Land Rover, Luxury

Our spy photographers have snagged a few fresh images of the 2013 Land Rover Range Rover as engineers put the SUV through its paces during a little winter testing. The prototype looks identical to the bruiser we say playing around on the Nürburgring last year. Details were scarce then and they remain so now, though this batch of photos show the big Rover’s interior for the first time. From the looks of things, the cabin doesn’t seem to have received much in the way of an update, though there’s no way to tell if this particular tester is fitted with a full production-spec interior.

The next-generation Range Rover is expected to bow with a gently sloping roofline and a more aggressively raked rear window. Word has it that the vehicle will ride on the same underpinnings as the Jaguar XJ, though the luxury utility will likely undergo a serious diet before it debuts. Land Rover has made it clear that reduced mass is a top priority as governments around the world continue to push more aggressive fuel economy and emissions targets.

Next Land Rover showing up pixel by pixel originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog SUV | Zach Bowman

Blaser outfits special edition Land Rover Defender for hunting Friday, 27 January 2012, 1:59 pm

Filed under: Aftermarket, SUV, Land Rover, Off-Road

The Land Rover Defender may be nearing the end of its line, but over the course of its lifetime it has become the go-to vehicle for any number of off-road applications. They’re used on safaris and expeditions, by military forces and humanitarian organizations. And yes, they’re used by hunters. That’s why German firearms manufacturer Blaser has outfitted this special edition Defender for just such a market.

The Blaser edition Defender includes roof rack, underbody skid plates, trailer hitch, power winch, spotlight, snorkel intake, custom-embroidered leather seats and more. It’s decked out in what’s called Keswich Green, but to us looks more like Panzer green, and packs a 2.2-liter turbodiesel four with 122 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque on tap. But the party piece is the custom armory built into the back that can carry as many as five hunting rifles plus ammunition. Only 60 examples will be made available exclusively in Germany, each carrying a €49,500 ($64,400) price tag.

Blaser outfits special edition Land Rover Defender for hunting originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog SUV | Noah Joseph

Brothers make tribute video for mom who died in Explorer rollover Friday, 27 January 2012, 12:59 am

Filed under: SUV, Etc., Government/Legal, Videos, Ford

It is with mixed emotions that we share this particular video, which stars two young boys who lost their mother, Nicole Miller, in 2004 after the Ford Explorer she was riding in blew a tire and rolled, causing her fatal injuries.

A sad story indeed, and we’re quite certain everyone involved wishes that Mrs. Miller were still alive and that her boys would not have had a reason compelling them to make the tribute video in the first place. Certainly, the powers-that-be at the automaker hate seeing the Blue Oval’s name brought up again in connection to older Explorers and the well-known lawsuits lodged against it after a number of owners reported rollover accidents.

While acknowledging the tragic loss of life, it’s important to remember that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated the Ford Explorer and found it just as safe – or just as dangerous, as the case may be – as any other sport utility vehicle of the same era, which, importantly, was before stability control had hit the market in real numbers (and long before it became federally mandated, which was only recently). Independent tests were also carried out, none of which found the Ford Explorer to be particularly unsafe. Vehicles with high ground clearance and four-wheel drive are often afflicted with a higher center of gravity, making them easier to roll than passenger cars that sit closer to the ground.

For what it’s worth, Firestone did recall 14.4 million tires starting in August, 2000 after Ford and Firestone negotiated a very contentious agreement between the two companies, including the ones fitted as standard equipment on many Ford Explorers built between 1991 and 2000, due to “a safety-related defect” (read: tread separation). Ford later agreed to replace 13 million tires mostly on Explorers that weren’t covered by the original recall. But it isn’t Firestone that the Miller boys’ video targets, it’s the Ford Motor Company.

In response to a query from The Huffington Post, Ford spokesperson Marcey Evans said that the automaker was “familiar with this tragic accident and our sympathy goes out to the family involved.” Evans added, “We believe it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time as the family has brought a lawsuit against Ford, which is coming up for trial later this year.”

In any case, we’ve included Ryan and Gregory’s video after the break. It’s a heartstring tugger that sets new lyrics to Vanessa Carlton’s hit song A Thousand Miles. It is worth noting again here that the kids’ assertions that Ford should recall all the remaining Explorers from that era are understandably emotionally driven. What the kids know about the cause of the accident is probably supplied by the family lawyers. Still, grab the tissues and Ford should hope the jurors never see it.

Editor’s note: Some additional reporting concerning the recall of Firestone tires was added to this story after its original posting.

Continue reading Brothers make tribute video for mom who died in Explorer rollover

Brothers make tribute video for mom who died in Explorer rollover originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog SUV | Jeremy Korzeniewski