Autoblog

For all the problems it faces, Chrysler has to be happy with this: the Dodge Challenger rollout has gone about as well as anyone could have hoped. Everyone wanted this car to happen from the moment it appeared as a concept back in 2006. Back then, the S197 Mustang was still new and demonstrating that retro done right can be a very good thing. Flash forward to today and following a brief, SRT8-only 2008 model year run, the Dodge Challenger is now available in three distinct trim levels. We've already reviewed the stylish and value-priced, six-cylinder SE model, and we'll soon give you our take on the top-tier knuckle-dragger, the SRT8. That leaves the mainstream muscle – the R/T. We recently welcomed a silver example equipped with the hotly-anticipated six-speed manual gearbox into the Autoblog Garage. But is it something you'll want to welcome into your garage?


Photos Copyright ©2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

That is a phrase you will never, ever want to hear again after watching Nissan's promo video for the 370Z. It's repeated ad infinitum by a synthesized voice on top of some techno music while a series of images showing off the new sports car flicker by on the screen. It goes on for almost two minutes, after which you'll either want to go place an order for the Z or maybe become a serial killer. Follow the jump to watch.


[Source: Luxvelocity]

If automaker-produced kitesurfer-in-distress videos are your thing, VW's got your back. While you wait for the production version of the Concept Pickup the automaker unveiled back in September, how about checking out VW's promo film starring the truck, a pair of lifeguards, and yes, a kitesurfer in distress. Will the guys use the in-dash GPS? Yes! Will we see the pickup drive semi-urgently through sand? Yes! Will she make it? Duh! Will we have a demonstration of how well a collapsed kite fits in the bed? Yes again! Am I alone in thinking it's weird that the lifeguards dive into the water wearing helmets? Anyone? In all, a serviceable vanity film for the pickup. Needs more yellow, though. And Hoff. The video's embedded after the jump.


[Source: VW via GlobalMotors.net]

It's been no secret that a facelifted VW Golf Plus has been in the works for a while. It's just that the Euro-market hatch wasn't supposed to be formally revealed quite yet. The car will be introduced on Wednesday with the usual fanfare at the Bologna Motor Show, but media at this week's Essen Motor Show got a sneak preview when they picked up the Golf Plus brochure at the VW stand. The error was apparently corrected in short order, but once something's out, it's out. Dutch paper De Telegraaf, which was also the first outlet to run official Panamera photos a week or so ago, was among those who grabbed a copy of the new Golf Plus materials. Their scan is what's shown above. As you can see here, it looks pretty much like the old Golf Plus, except it has the new Golf's front-end theme. We'll see the whole thing when VW releases more images and specs next week. If you click the photo you can read a Babel Fish-translated version of the Telegraaf article. Thanks to Jelle for the heads-up.

[Source: AutoTelegraaf]

At the Thailand Motor Expo this week, Ford's rolling out a show truck based on the locally-produced Ford Ranger. Dubbed the Ranger Max, it's a styling exercise designed to infuse the compact pickup with some visual muscle and toughness. According to Ford, power tools were among the inspirations for the project, hence the blend of matte accents and this OSHA-friendly orange paint job. Anyway, it's pretty cool, what with the embossed "RANGER" logos on the grille and tailgate; vented, domed hood; chunky wheel/tire package; flared fenders and integrated step rails. If Ford were to (finally) replace the U.S.-market Ranger with something incorporating the main cues from this (especially the overall grille/front-end treatment), you wouldn't hear a peep of complaint from us -- we'd be too busy listening to "One Night in Bangkok" on the stereo while we cruised down that street from the Ford Flex ads. PR from Ford Asia-Pacific follows the jump.

UPDATE: Video added after the jump. (Thanks, Mike.)


[Source: Ford]

The Essen Motor Show is now underway, and one of the bigger manufacturer unveilings was Audi's official presentation of the R8 LMS, the new GT3-spec racing car aimed at privateer teams. It's seen as one of Audi's so-called "three pillars" of motorsport. The automaker will not field a factory effort in the car, but it's expected that next year, several teams will be running the R8 LMS in various European series, as well as in the Nurburgring 24-hour endurance race. The €260,000 (plus VAT) asking price gets you the track-ready R8, which makes 500 horsepower from its mid-mounted V10. That power goes to the rear wheels (in GT3, AWD is a no-no) via a six-speed sequential gearbox. As you can see, the LMS certainly looks the part , with a subtly meaner nose, a big carbon-fiber front splitter, new mirrors, a giant rear wing, and a pretty wicked rear diffuser join the ten-cylinder engine among the changes made from road car to racer. Customer deliveries begin in Fall '09. Oh, to have a deep-pocketed benefactor... Audi PR follows the jump.

UPDATE: Video added after the jump!


[Source: Audi]

That bitchin' Members Only you've kept alive since the 80's? It can finally be retired. Lorinser -- yes, the Lorinser that does stuff like this to Mercedes-Benzes -- has blown your MO into long-overdue obsolescence with the release of its Men Jacket. Yes, that's right -- the Men Jacket. It's black, and in addition to the all-important shoulder epaulets, a formidable Lorinser shield patch on the sleeve proclaims your Eurotrashery in no uncertain terms. Wear it out if you dare, but be advised: instead of the unlikely scenario depicted above, you may just get your ass kicked...by dudes rocking some Members Only. Unintentionally hilarious press release follows the jump.


[Source: Lorinser]

So, the Essen Motor Show is coming up. For those of you unaware, it's basically a Euro SEMA. All the tuners will be there, showing off stuff that's both decent and dreadful, proving that yes, Europeans can do bad taste as well as anyone this side of the Atlantic. ABT is entirely capable of serving up either dish, but in the case of their Scirocco, they manage to stay on the better side of decent. You know the drill: body kit, wheels, suspension, brakes. They have power upgrades, too -- bumping the wee 1.4 TSI to 200 horses, and the 2.0 TSI to 240. Unfortunately, a look 'round back indicates that this whole stacked-tailpipes thing recently adopted by Lexus and Ferrari is on its way to becoming a fad. We love this shade of green, which looks to be the same as that used on the original VW IROC concept, but ABT's car wins because it doesn't have a face that looks like it was inspired by something on a Pokemon card. Still interested in reading more? The PR's pasted after the jump.


[Source: ABT Sportsline]

The Audi R10 TDI is dead. Long live the R15. That's the moniker given to the next-generation Le Mans prototype set to wear the interlocking rings. The car will make its race debut in March at the 12 Hours of Sebring, and by the time the 24 Hours of Le Mans rolls around in June, Audi will have three of the cars ready to defend the trophy won by the R10 earlier this year. Details on the new car are very limited at the moment. All that's known is that it'll have a smaller, lighter, more efficient TDI motor, will once again be a roadster, and is a more significant change than Audi undertook when it went from the R8 to the R10.

The car will be publicly revealed closer to the Sebring race. According to the ALMS website, Audi Motorsport honcho Wolfgang Ullrich was quoted as saying, "It was clear to us that we must develop a new car if we wanted to continue to be successful in Le Mans." We read that as code for, "Those Peugeots were f**king fast this year. Here's our answer." By the time the cars hit the grid at Circuit de la Sarthe, the hype's going to be at a fever pitch. Bring it. Thanks to Ashutosh for the tip!


[Source: ALMS]

Well, here's one car we'll all be able to cover in Detroit come January. BMW has officially announced that the second-generation MINI Cabrio will make its debut at the North American International Auto Show. No need to wait to place orders; you can do that now. The Cooper ragtop is priced at $24,550 while the Cooper S convertible costs $3,000 more. Customer delivery kicks off on March 28.

So, what's new? Well, for one, the new Cabrio looks like the current-gen Cooper. Likewise, it shares the hardtop cars' 1.6L engines -- 118 hp NA for the Cooper, and 172 hp turbo for the Cooper S. The Euro-market cars get BMW Efficient Dynamics features including brake regeneration and stop/start. The U.S.? Not so much. Out back, the fold-down tailgate's hinges are now internal, giving the car's tush a smoother look. The fixed roll hoops of the current car have been replaced by a pop-up system behind the back seat. This makes for a good-looking, clean top-down profile and should improve rearward visibility for the driver. Speaking of the top, it can be operated at speeds up to 20 mph or so, and it fully disappears in just 15 seconds. The sliding sunroof feature can be utilized at even higher speeds -- up to 60 mph or so. Stability control is standard equipment.

Inside, the current MINI instrument panel is employed, and drivers with a hankering for extraneous gimmickery can order up the "Openometer", a secondary gauge that mounts next to the tach. It monitors how much time you clock with the top down. Yeah, yeah -- useless. You know people are gonna eat it up. Follow the jump for a video and MINI's full PR (now updated with the U.S. version).


[Source: MINI]