Each week, our German correspondent slices and dices the latest rumblings, news, and quick-hit driving impressions from the other side of the pond. His byline may say Jens Meiners, but we simply call him . . . the Continental. This edition of The Continental is brought to you from Detroit, where I spent a week following the New York auto show, attending a wonderful and touching memorial service for David E. Davis, Jr. (followed by a splendid gathering of many of the industry’s great names) and generally catching up with my colleagues at Car and Driver in Ann Arbor. It also provided a nice opportunity to sample some vehicles not sold in Europe, such as the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor (needs to be louder) and the Infiniti M56 (rough around the edges, but really fast). The trip to and from New York was undertaken in Car and Driver ‘s long-term Nissan Juke , a car that I liked a lot less than most of my colleagues. It is quick, but it doesn’t sound sporty at all, its gearbox is notchy, and the interior looks and feels downright cheap. The gimmicky G-force meter, which doesn’t provide actual numbers, does not make up for the lack of real sporting qualities. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini made a brief appearance in a speech delivered by UAW chief Bob King in front of the Automotive Press Association here on Tuesday. They provided context for a diatribe against Michigan governor Rick Snyder and his attempt to cut back on the privileges enjoyed by the UAW. This union has arguably played a pivotal role in bringing Detroit’s auto industry to its knees, despite King’s description of the UAW plants as shining examples of quality and productivity. King now hopes to play a role in the non-unionized transplants of foreign carmakers, with whom he holds “confidential meetings” on the matter. His calculation: Should one of them fall, the “social pressure” on the others will bring them down as well. King’s vision? A seat on the board of every American automaker, such as his “brothers and sisters” in Germany enjoy. It was an interesting speech. How can you have a democracy without collective bargaining, King asked rhetorically, and went as far as likening policies that aim to liberate the industry...

Somewhere beneath the Mondeo parts and camouflage, the next-gen Fusion is taking shape. More than five years after its introduction, the Ford Fusion remains one of the Blue Oval’s most popular models, but the end is in sight for the current car. Ford is hard at work on the next generation of its mid-size sedan, which will finally ditch its antiquated Mazda-based platform and ride on bones shared with its European counterpart, the Mondeo. Keep Reading: 2013 Ford Fusion Spy Photos – Future Cars Go here to read the rest: 2013 Ford Fusion Spy Photos – Future Cars Go here to read the rest:  2013 Ford Fusion Spy Photos – Future Cars

Fiat recently announced that the relaunch of the storied, sporting Alfa Romeo marque in the U.S. would be delayed—again—until roughly 2013. This postponement was attributed to Fiat’s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, expressing dissatisfaction with the design of the upcoming Alfa Romeo models, including a new mid-size sedan. Whether you’re an Alfista or not, though, you probably know that Alfa has been teasing, hinting at, implying, and outright confirming a return to the U.S. market ever since the brand left in 1995. That retreat was made in the face of horrendously low sales and a merited reputation for rotten quality, although, to be fair, Alfa sales have always been weak here, with the company’s high being just 8201 units in 1986. To commemorate the latest delay, we’ve assembled a timeline of Alfa’s declarations of an American return; it begins in 2000, when the company entered into a partnership with General Motors. And for historical context, we’ve added some world events that occurred during the same time span. Read the original here: Decade of Delays: A Timeline of Alfa Romeo’s U.S. Relaunch Go here to see the original:  Decade of Delays: A Timeline of Alfa Romeo’s U.S. Relaunch

The Versa sedan and hatchback models have been good choices for shoppers who want to spend used-car money and get a new car that also happens to have among the lowest ownership costs. And given that, it provides even more comfort and space than you might think; the Versa has been slightly bigger and roomier than other subcompact offerings like the… Read more from the original source:  2012 Nissan Versa Preview

It’s the year of the electric car in New York . Or at least the latest year of the EV. The Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt launched this year to a lot of fanfare. Soon they will be joined by at least three other pure electric vehicles from major automakers, and potentially several more from startup car companies. Among the electrifying announcements made last week during press days at the New York International Auto Show: • Nissan North America Chairman Carlos Tavares announced Nissan would bring production of its first all-electric car to the United States next year and add a faster charger, which will cut charging time from about seven hours to four hours on a 240-volt, Level 2 charging station. • Mitsubishi announced pricing of its upcoming “i” electric car : $27,990 before taxes. A federal tax rebate will bring that down to $20,490 when the car goes on sale on the West Coast next January. Pre ordering on-line started last week. President of Mitsubishi North America Yoichi Yokozawa said the company will introduce five more plug-in cars between now and 2015, two of which will come to North America in the next two years. • BMW showed the ActiveE , its second-generation all-electric car based on the 1 Series coupe. The company plans to lease the car to 800 American households starting this fall for $450 a month, a lot cheaper than the Mini E lease that preceded it. Its electric powertrain will be the prototype for BMW’s first dedicated electric car, the carbon-fiber-bodied i3, expected in 2013. • On the hybrid front, Porsche debuted the 380-hp Panamera S Hybrid , which costs $95,000 and Porsche says go 0-60 mph in less than six seconds. The Panamera S Hybrid promises to be the most efficient Porsche on the road. The company claims a European cycle fuel efficiency of 6.8-liters per 100 miles, or about 35 mpg, though the car hasn’t been tested on the EPA cycle, yet. These electric cars come on top of a host of announcements of new hybrids (such as the Lexus LF-Gh ) and traditional cars that get better mileage unveiled in New York this year, such as the Honda Civic , Hyundai Accent , Nissan Versa , and Subaru Impreza . As Americans face tightening oil supplies and increasing gas prices, these alternatives can’t come...

Penske Automotive is one of the largest car retailers in the world. With 172 mainly premium and import dealerships in 17 states, Penske is the second largest auto dealer in the U.S. As a result, this publically-trade, Fortune 500 Company acts as a barometer for car dealers around the country and the world. Good news: Penske experienced a surge in… Read more: Penske Automotive: First Quarter Retail Sales Increase 18-Percent in U.S.

Every sound a car makes in movies like Fast Five starts here. California City is one of those places with no apparent reason for being. It’s stuck out in the middle of the Mojave Desert where it’s brutally hot in the summer and windstorms will sandblast the paint off your car any time of the year. Fewer than 15,000 people live here, and if they didn’t have jobs at Hyundai’s nearby proving ground, a lot of them would leave. But California City has an airport. And since that airport is never, ever busy, it’s the perfect place for Peter Brown to record car sounds. Keep Reading: The Sound and the Fury: How Hollywood Gives Vehicles a Voice – Feature Continued here: The Sound and the Fury: How Hollywood Gives Vehicles a Voice – Feature See the original post:  The Sound and the Fury: How Hollywood Gives Vehicles a Voice – Feature

The end is here. The California Mille participants have completed the four-day, 1000-mile journey, wrapping up yesterday in downtown Sonoma. All but one entry completed the challenging route—the lone exception being a stunning 1939 Jaguar SS100 that suffered a blown head gasket halfway through the journey. Unsurprisingly, none were in stock at the local Kragen. Cooling and electrical problems affected several Alfa Romeos and Jaguars, but were deftly remedied by the two master mechanics along the way. Wednesday’s open track session at Thunderhill Raceway was a highlight of the run, with most of the participants taking to the track for spirited touring laps. This rather unlikely track session pitted the likes of a Peking-to-Paris-modified 1936 Chrysler Imperial Airflow against Alfa Romeo Giuliettas, the Airflow leaning precipitously through the off-camber corners in its attempts to match the lap times of the smaller, nimble European sports cars. Much to the dismay of some participants, the Toyota support vehicles (a Sienna and an Avalon) handily passed most of the vintage sports cars—a testament to the incredible capabilities of modern cars when compared with their decidedly less-able predecessors! The Mille’s route culminated in a stunning scenic tour down Ridgecrest Boulevard, offering crystal-clear panoramic views of the Pacific as well as the San Francisco skyline. Photos can be found in the gallery below. [Show as slideshow] [View with PicLens] 1 2 3 ► Read the original: We Hit the 2011 California Mille Classic Car Rally – Part 3 Read more: We Hit the 2011 California Mille Classic Car Rally – Part 3

Letters and emails about the 2011 Consumer Reports annual auto issue have been pouring in. There are many good questions and challenging criticisms, often with similar themes and even rants year after year. We take all feedback seriously, as we strive to create the most informative publication on the newsstand to empower our readers to make the smart buying decisions. Some “fan mail” can be a bit harsh, even leaving us without words for addressing. Below, we share some interesting, and at times entertaining, highlights: “CR is biased against the domestic car industry.” • “…there is miniscule information about American vehicles [in the issue].” • “Perhaps you could dedicate an issue to American cars only, so as to give us adequate info.” • “I and many others will buy American, but it will not be based on information provided by Consumer Reports. If this bias does not change, I will no longer subscribe to your magazine or contribute to your cause.” • “If you keep going against American cars, this is only going to make the U.S. fall farther into recession and then one day your company will fail also along with all of the other American businesses that have already closed.” • “Your liberal, anti-American bias shows on a regular basis…but when I see what you’ve written about the Chevrolet Volt, I am now completely disgusted with you.” • “How dare you not to consider anything American made. I cannot believe that you cannot find one American car to list in your top 10 — everything is foreign.” • “I am an American and proud of it…apparently your whole organization is not.” • “I think it borders on criminal when an organization with as much influence as yours constantly touts foreign cars over American models that are equally good or superior in performance as well as price. I suppose it is due to high advertising dollars received by the former companies.” • “Maybe the Japanese government, who makes all the profit from the cars you promote and reinvests it in its own country, should also pay your salaries.” • “There absolutely has to be some thing wrong with your procedure, or you have...

We’ve heaped high praise on the new lump under the hood of Ford’s new Boss 302 , calling it “so vigorous and charismatic that its likeness ought to be carved on Mount Rushmore.” Just the thing, then, for your old, your tired, your 4.6L-motivated Mustang. Or perhaps some manner of new-age Track T with all manner of power domes sculpted into the bonnet—the Ford modular engines have always been wide boys, especially when compared to the hot-rod standard Chevy small block. So for $11,999, what do you get? From the box, you’ll get a monster with 11:1 compression, a stonking 8.5-quart oil pan designed to avoid oil-starvation under hard cornering, CNC-machined heads, sodium-filled exhaust valves (hello, Porsche 914 2.0!), forged pistons with sinter-forged rods, an engine wiring harness set up for a manual transmission, and a flywheel. What you don’t get? The powertrain control module and those zippy blue coil-pack covers. If you’re willing to sacrifice 14 hp, GM’s 6.2L E-Rod LS3 crate engine comes in at well under four thousand dollars cheaper and includes an ECU. Oh, Blue Oval children, why must your pocketbooks suffer so for a taste of glory? Read more: Tony Danza in a Box: Ford Announces Boss 302 Crate Motor Read more:  Tony Danza in a Box: Ford Announces Boss 302 Crate Motor

In Ford’s teen driving survey released earlier this week, the company found that while parents believe the key to safe driving is better training, teens rank new vehicle technologies highest on their safety list. At a Ford event earlier this week on teen driving, the company also showed off some of these latest technologies and how they can help make the roads safer and reduce highway deaths. Ford used three prototype “intelligent vehicles” for the demonstration: a Ford Escape hybrid and two Fiestas that were connected via WiFi and GPS, so that they could “talk” to each other and share information. Some of the features are already optional on certain premium model cars such as lane departure warning, collision warning, and adaptive cruise control. But what we experienced, takes technology a step further. One of the most dangerous situations for a driver is getting through an intersection. A Ford engineer showed us how by using wireless communication, vehicles can alert each other if an imminent collision is about to occur at the intersection where the view is obstructed or if a vehicle is running a light. In these situations, a sound would go off to alert the driver of an oncoming car. Another way this technology can help is during lane passing. They staged a scenario where we were behind a slow moving vehicle and want to pass on the left. An alert sounded when we tried to pass while another vehicle was approaching from the opposite direction. This technology is very useful for helping to avoid head-on collisions. To help with city driving, they simulated driving behind a vehicle that approached a car double parked and quickly moved out of the way to avoid hitting it. Our vehicle received an alert that the car in front of us was stationary—otherwise, we may not have had known that car was parked until it was too late. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that these systems could possibly help in 81 percent of vehicle crashes. NHTSA’s research arm is actively looking at these connected systems and working with Ford and other manufacturers to find out the potential for getting these technologies in all vehicles in the future. Creating intelligent vehicles is a huge task and will likely take...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has begun investigating 2005-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, and Saab 9-7X SUVs due to receiving 668 complaints about the inaccuracy of the fuel gauge. Fifty-eight of the incidents resulted in the vehicle stalling and of those incidents, 43 complaints were because the fuel level indicated there was more fuel available than what was in the tank. One vehicle was involved in a crash after the vehicle stalled and was hit from behind. NHTSA also notes that the complaints have been increasing this past year. According to The Detroit News , the complaints affect 865,000 vehicles. NHTSA’s investigation will look into the problem and the potential safety issues associated to determine whether a recall is necessary. See the original post here: Government to investigate Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Saab SUVs for stalling

This week, our esteemed Road Warrior Howard Swig is at the 2011 California Mille, a four-day, 1000-mile tour through the Golden State. The event was founded by Howard’s father, Martin, but Howard’s not just there to watch—he and his brother are piloting a 1959 Lancia Appia in the event. Below, his first dispatch from the field. Day 1 of the California Mille departed from San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill, concluding in the heart of Northern California’s Wine Country in the town of Calistoga. The 70 cars in the field completed the roughly 200-mile day with very few mechanical failures. Normally, the British entries are the ones leaving a trail of parts along the scenic backroads, but this time, it was a Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster that suffered a sheared bolt in its fuel filter assembly. Its driver was briefly stranded on the side of the road, but managed to pass the time by enjoying gorgeous views. A mid-day stop at Infineon Raceway, complete with spirited touring laps, was followed by a back road run to Calistoga, concluding with a glass of California’s finest Chardonnay at our overnight stop. Our 1959 Lancia Appia Pininfarina coupe got off to a trouble-free–if leisurely–start, relying on every one of its 53 hp to pull us up the demanding grades. With its tiny 1100cc engine, the Appia really stresses the importance of maintaining momentum at all costs! The oldest car in the field is a 1925 Lancia Lambda, also powered by a 4-cylinder engine in a “V” configuration. At the time, critics dismissed Lancia’s decision to produce V-4 engines, saying it was doomed to fail. (History has been much kinder, calling the Lambda one of the most advanced cars of its day.) With both Lancias arriving under their own power in glorious Calistoga in time for a fabulous sunset, it seems we proved the critics wrong! [Show as slideshow] [View with PicLens] 1 2 3 ► Read more here: We Hit the 2011 California Mille Classic Car Rally – Part 2 Go here to read the rest: We Hit the 2011 California Mille Classic Car Rally – Part 2

car2go announced on Tuesday that Vancouver, British Columbia, is the first Canadian city selected to launch its innovative mobility service. A newly created company, car2go Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, will also be located in Vancouver. We at BenzInsider were there at the press conference and had a chance to actually see the process in action while test driving the cars. Nicholas Cole, President and CEO of car2go Canada Ltd., and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson made the official announcement to the press as well as to business, political and civic leaders who also took this opportunity to test drive the smart “car2go edition” vehicles and learn about car2go’s unique approach to car sharing. As most of you already know, car2go was first launched in Ulm, Germany, three years ago, it was successfully rolled out a year later in North America in Austin, Texas. To date, a total of more than 35,000 customers have joined the car2go program in Ulm and Austin. There have been more than 600,000 fully automated rental transactions, averaging between 10 and 60 minutes. car2go was also recently introduced in Hamburg, Germany, and becomes operational in Amsterdam in the Netherlands at the end of 2011. As a city whose mandate is to become the world’s greenest city by 2020, Vancouver was a natural choice for the expansion of car2go in North America. “We’re very excited that car2go will be making its Canadian debut in Vancouver,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Our goal is to become the greenest city in the world by 2020, and providing cleaner transportation options is a big part of that. We want to ensure that we provide a full range of sustainable transportation options for our citizens, and car2go’s unique car-sharing model is a great fit for Vancouver.” Starting today until May 29, 2011, Vancouver residents can pre-register for their car2go membership without having to pay the registration fee (a $35 CAD value) at www.car2govancouver.com using Promo Code: VAN, or in person at the car2go office at 45 Water Street in the Gastown area of downtown Vancouver. View the entire gallery More: car2go comes to Vancouver, Canada

The guys at Brabus just can’t stop fiddling around with anything that wears the three-pointed star badge. This time, their latest performance package has been made specially for a number of Mercedes-Benz models, namely the S63 and CL63 AMG as well as the S500 and CL500. Quite a deal, considering that it fits onto four model variants each having Mercedes-Benz’s latest twin-turbo V8 engine under its hood. Of course, Brabus doesn’t stop at perking up the engine. Besides the powerplant, the tuning company has created a cosmetic and handling package to shape the look and feel of these four models in true Brabus style. For the price of 4.9k euro and 5.9k euro respectively, owners of the CL500 and S500 shall have the option of choosing between two engine programs for the 4.7-liter twin turbo V8 – one which boosts power from 435hp and 700Nm all the way up to 482hp and 780Nm, while the other setup involves a supplementary intercooler to cool all 520hp and 820Nm or resulting power. Yes, these figures are quite hard to digest at first. Perhaps a top speed of 188mph is a little bit easier to understand. That’s what the S500 and CL500 will be capable of once equipped with the more powerful kit when coupled with the Brabus Vmax Unit. Meanwhile, the CL63 AMG and S63 models are even more fortunate because once Brabus is done with them, they should easily pull 620hp and 1,000Nm of peak torque once upgraded with a water-to-air intercooler plus optimization of their ECUs. Price plays around 6k euro for this kit. Enough said, guys. Time to check out the images below. Go here to see the original: Brabus creates kits for S-Class variants