UK magazine CAR reports that last year’s Geneva premiere, the Mini Rocketman, has not been greenlighted for production. Same report says that BMW has recently signed off on a few new MINIs, but the Rocketman was not one of them. The Rocketman made its debut in concept form last year at the Geneva Motor Show and was initially approved for mass production. The new mini-MINI was supposed to create a new entry point for the company, with a range of three-cylinder engines on offer, lightweight materials throughout and an all-electric version in the pipeline. In concept form, the unique 3+1 seater features three doors and has length just over 3 meters, cater to the urban lifestyle in big cities. MINI Rocketman makes use of lightweight design principles and an interior geared to maximum driving fun and unbeatable variability. A carbon spaceframe construction, whose striking surface structure is visible at the front end of the car, around its doors and in the interior, forms the basis for a weight-minimizing construction. The MINI Rocketman Concept measures 3.419 meters (approx. 11 ft. 3 in.) in length, adding just a few extra centimeters to the front and rear of the brand’s founding father born in 1959. The new study is 1.907 meters (approx. 6 ft. 3 in.) wide, including the exterior mirrors, and stands 1.398 meters (approx. 4 ft. 7 in) tall. The reasons for the cancellation lay within the development costs associated with the new platform and current regulations, including stability, handling and crash performance. As a final point, CAR is also known for its speculative reports, so until we confirm these news with another source, we encourage you to take the rumors with a grain of salt. Read the original post: Rumor: MINI Kills Rocketman

You have to respect an underdog. That skinny man at the bar who stands up to the Schwarzenegger-looking ‘roid-popping dude hitting on his girlfriend. The Jamaican bobsled team in “Cool Runnings.” The Cadillac ATS. BMW have long set the bar so high in the sport/luxury sedan segment that their German and Japanese competition have had an impossible time keeping up – let alone surpassing. With the launch of the new F30 sixth-generation 3 series, BMW have once again pole-vaulted a good field ahead of the competition, and those looking at the back-end of the 3 series have a lot of catching up to do. But perhaps not as much as with previous generations. The gap is narrowing – there is no doubt. Audi have finally figured out that understeer sucks, weight should be further aft, and more power should be sent to the rear wheels. Well – in actuality all power should be sent to the rear wheels and weight should be distributed equally, or predominately over the rear axles, but at least they’re getting closer. The Japanese have mounted an honorable fight with their sport sedans, namely Infinity with their G and M class sedans. A stint behind the wheel of the G37 coupe will have you thinking, “who put wasabi on this bimmer?” as you hang the tail out through a corner. And finally the Koreans have thrown their flag in the ring with the launch of the Genesis sedan and coupe – the latter squarely aimed at stealing Infinity G37 and BMW 3 series drivers. The Americans, meanwhile, have always been about an ocean away. Have the Yankees finally stepped up with a worthy competitor in the midsize sport sedan segment? Let’s take a look at the fighter’s specs before we place a wager. Of course, we’ll need to get behind the wheel – preferably on a racetrack – before we can pass final judgment. Cadillac lands a punch or two. Maybe three. Right off the bell Cadillac lands a punch with superior power output from their 2.0 liter turbo four. BMW’s N20 unit of the same specification puts out 240 hp, while the ATS’s unit churns out 270 hp. That is a significant power advantage from an engine of the same size and aspiration. Then, a surprise left hook from the Caddy, as its sport suspension...

Minority Report –style screen manipulation seemed so futuristic just a few years ago. Since then, video-game makers have released gesture- and motion-sensing peripherals, and similar in-car technology from Mercedes-Benz and Audi starred at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show . Now GM has entered the fray with a research project aimed at transforming a car’s rear windows into gesture-manipulated, interactive screens. The project, which GM has dubbed “Windows of Opportunity” (WOO), is being handled by students and researchers at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, Israel. The Bezalel team was given free rein to come up with a variety of apps that could keep back-seat passengers—particularly children—engaged and occupied on long car trips. So far, the team has come up with four apps—Otto, Foofu, Spindow, and Pond—that it has demonstrated in a full-scale interior mock-up using motion and optical sensors. Otto is an animated, um, creature that “responds to real-time car performance, weather, and landscape.” Foofu “allows passengers to create, explore, and discover through finger drawing on window steam.” Make that virtual window steam, which is probably more reliable in Israel’s desert climate. Spindow is something of a video-conferencing app, and lets passengers converse via window with back-seat occupants in other cars. Finally, the Pond app streams music and enables passengers to share that music with and message other window users. It’s a neat idea, but we question how long anyone could stand facing sideways to operate the system. There’s also the fact that most of the apps’ basic time-killing features are available now on any number of quickly evolving smartphones and tablets. At this stage, the technology is likely more a proof-of-concept, which could become valuable later as in-car technology such as head-up displays evolve and those smartphones and tablets become more integrated with the car itself. For now, WOO is merely a research exercise; GM says the display technology won’t make it into a production car anytime soon. Read the original here: GM Researching Interactive Window Technology for Back-Seat Passengers Original post:  GM Researching Interactive Window Technology for Back-Seat...

We heard, and Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik confirmed, that the Korean automaker will supply Chrysler with six-speed automatic transmissions for use in the new Dodge Dart. While it’s not uncommon for a manufacturer to source components from an outside supplier, it does seem a bit peculiar to see Chrysler and Hyundai pairing up again so soon after the recent split of the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA), a joint manufacturing concern the pair shared with Mitsubishi. World Engines, Worldly Transmissions But that peculiarity may only be on the surface. As a result of that now-dead partnership, the Dart’s updated 2.0- and 2.4-liter engines—the ones that use the six-speed automatic—are very similar to engines that Hyundai continues to use. (The Hyundai Sonata, for instance, uses a turbocharged 2.0 and a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter, both of which evolved from the GEMA program.) We suspect that Chrysler needed to quickly source a pile of six-speed autos for the sake of fuel economy—the four-speed units paired with the old versions of these engines wouldn’t have cut it—and so went with the Hyundai transmission, which should easily link up with the engines. Chrysler won’t confirm the purchase arrangement, and Hyundai isn’t offering any specifics on exactly which transmission it will sell to the Italian-Americans. The Calibration Game We’ve also heard that Chrysler is having some difficulty with final calibrations of the Hyundai gearbox. This got us wondering how the automaker has already arrived at the Dart’s “unadjusted combined fuel-economy rating” of 40 mpg, a miserly number that happens to be one of the metrics needed to trigger Fiat’s recent automatic five-percent ownership increase in Chrysler. It’s possible—and, again, Chrysler is staying mum on the subject—that the 40-mpg unadjusted number comes from a 2.0- or 2.4-liter Dart with a six-speed manual, or the turbocharged 1.4-liter model and its dual-clutch automatic. And the calibrations in question could be those more specifically focused on drivability, which wouldn’t affect emissions or economy, therefore allowing the company to lock in its mileage number. If it is indeed the Hyundai-sourced ’box used to achieve the 40-mpg number, the latter scenario...

BMW got a lot of attention this past December with their “The Fastest Christmas Card In The World” web video. It featured the new M5, stunt driver Urs Inauen and Illustrator Gavin Patterson. What ensued was a Christmas card unlike we’ve any we’ve seen before….the result of 560 horsepower, says BMW. We caught up with Swiss stunt driver Urs Inauen to ask him a few questions about the shoot, the new M5 and his career in stunts. When did you first start working with BMW? Well, normally what I do is stunts for movies and stuff. I started working with a few different promotional and advertising agencies, and got in contact with an agency that does work for BMW here in Switzerland. I’ve done some other work with them, such as on the MINI Eat Snow Campaign. So how did you get involved with this particular shoot, it is something the creative team came up with? Yeah. The business is short call, which means you have to be ready on short notice and they needed a highly trained professional stunt driver for that job, so they selected me. They first let me know about the shoot a week before we shot it, and the location a day before. The track [Circuit de l’anneau du rhin] is in France, about 30 minutes from the border and 2 1/2 hours from where I live. It is 3 kilometers long. The experience was a lot of fun. It was fun working with an artist next to me, and interesting because the idea was to display the power of the car on camera and show the viewer how much G forces that car can take. The car (BMW M5) is a beast (in a good way) with its 560 horsepower, and really good at drifting. It also is very smooth and elegant when you drive it normal. Man we almost get nauseous just watching it; can only imagine if we were in the car and trying to draw…. Yes, the Illustrator (Patterson) actually was getting a bit sick. I really tried to shake him, I wasn’t driving clean or within the lines or anything, aiming to shake the car and slide around. Our top speed was around 220-250 k/mh…high speed wasn’t the goal. When did you first get involved in stunt work? I started in 2007, so about four years ago. I started doing some stunt work here, and then I went out to California [Los Angeles]. A friend helped out and I went into training,...

Every year during the Superbowl we can all agree with the fact that the commercials are sometimes just as intense as some of the highlight plays of the game. Most notably, car commercials make up a large portion of these “spectacular” 30 second to 1 minute spots where vehicle manufacturers dump-out millions of dollars in hopes to captivate a large audience with their latest and greatest vehicle. Lexus, who has never had a presence in the lineup of multi-million dollar Superbowl commercials, will enter into the arena with their all-new 2013 Lexus GS in a 30-second spot. As an early kick-off, Lexus has provided an exclusive teaser of the commercial below. Not only will Lexus have a prime commercial spot during the Superbowl this year, but they will kick-off a new social media activation tool called “TweetDrive Engineered by Lexus” on NBCSports.com. This will give NFL fans then chance to socially engage themselves in a social-media test during the Playoffs ultimately giving them a chance to win a trip for two to any NBC Sports Premium Event. The rest is here: Lexus Teases Their Superbowl XLVI Commercial See more here:  Lexus Teases Their Superbowl XLVI Commercial

Many time BMW drivers are often regarded as impatient and slightly obnoxious on the road, a stigma that some of us would like to balance off with appropriate behaviors in respect to other drivers. But our efforts might be in vain. A survey conducted in the United Kingdom by Onepoll for the webuyanycar.com website, of 2000 motorists revealed that 53 percent of BMW drivers admit to using their horn at least once on every trip, nearly three times the national average of 18 percent. So who are the most polite drivers on the road? Nissan owners whom according to the survey are the least likely to use their horn with 95 percent saying they never do or only as intended. Next in line after BMW drivers are the Jaguar owners (45 percent), followed by Fiats (43 percen), Audis (39 percent) and surprisingly Saab drivers at 29 percent.   Go here to see the original: Survey: 53% of BMW drivers using their horn at least once on every trip

Small light-weight compact cars are attempting to make a big impact on the American car culture. Many brands are injecting what they consider to be “the best offering” when it comes to a subcompact. Chrysler and Fiat has made a fair attempt at this endeavor in the all-new 2012 Fiat 500. The Italian Fiat 500 has been welcomed by many in the European market. For them, 2012 Fiat 500 nothing new under the sun. Now, the American market gets our own version of the Fiat 500, which is not sway too far away from the sense of the current European-spec Fiat. The all-new 2012 Fiat 500, surprisingly, is a competent subcompact car. Of course naturally everyone will compare the new Fiat 500 to the MINI Cooper or the new Scion iQ. In retrospect, the new Fiat 500 Sport is a nice blend of a MINI Cooper hardtop and Scion’s new iQ. Having driven the convertible Fiat 500C just a few months ago, stepping into the new Fiat 500 Sport brings on a surprising better drivability factor. This ‘factor’ could legitimately compete head-on with a standard version of the MINI Cooper hardtop provided the Fiat 500 had a bit more power. Maybe the answer is in the 160-horsepower Abarth version of the Fiat 500. The Fiat 500 Sport is much lighter on its feet with the 5-speed manual transmission. Having the 5-speed manual transmission gives the driver more usable power to the pavement. The Fiat 500 two-door subcompact hatchback comes in three trim levels, Pop, Sport and Lounge. The convertible Fiat 500C is available in only two trims, Pop and Lounge. My Fiat 500 Sport two-door includes larger 16-inch wheels (15-inch standard on Pop trim), sport suspension, roof spoiler, sports seats, fog lights, heated front seats, automatic climate control and re-tuned steering. The new Fiat 500 Sport is powered by 101 horsepower and 98 ft. lbs. of torque 1.4-liter 4-cylinder engine. Fiat’s new “MultiAir” system variably controls the valves for optimal output and fuel economy. It is obvious that you can get much more “optimal” than 101 horsepower, but there is still an eagerness from the ‘little-engine-that-could” at full-throttle. I have to say, fuel economy was pretty good considering I had to rev the 1.4-liter engine to infinity and beyond to keep things moving well on the highway. After the...

Filed under: Road Tests The RCZ is Peugeot ’s first coupe rival to the Audi TT and Volkswagen Scirocco. However, it is more than that, as this car is a return to driver’s car form, an element missing from the French brand for a while. So, this Peugeot coupe’s looks might have made it from concept to reality fairly unchanged, but what is the RCZ like to live with? I spent a week with the range-topping, £25,945 GT THP 200 version to find out. Peugeot hasn’t really produced a decent looking coupe since the 406, but the RCZ is definitely a step in the right direction. Toned down from the concept, the RCZ’s curvy design certainly looks the part. Highlights include the aluminium roof arches, double-bubble roof, pop-up rear spoiler and Citroen CX-like distorted rear window. Overall, I liked the side and rear styling best, although I’m not too sure about the mouthy frontal design, that looks too similar to a standard 308, in my view. Still, the RCZ really stands out and makes the opposition look a bit ordinary by comparison. Our test car was fitted with the more powerful of two petrol engines available for the RCZ, the 197bhp 1.6-litre turbo petrol. Despite being a torquey, powerful engine, emissions are just 154g/km, the same as the lesser THP156 and the combined fuel consumption figure is 42.1 mpg, which is only a little less considering the extra performance. Rear visibility is poor, because you sit very low. The front windscreen pillars are on the thick side too, but like the rear visibility, it is the price you pay for the original design. Front and rear parking sensors thankfully are a standard feature. The 200THP’s steering is a big improvement over the lesser THP156, feeling well-weighted, sharper and dynamic enough to match the RCZ’s looks. The dynamic feel continues in corners, as it has an uprated chassis over standard. There is very little body roll and the body control is excellent. This range-topping GT spec RCZ test car was on 19-inch alloy wheels, which equals a hard ride. However, having driven the lesser 156, this car feels more consistently damped and rides the bumps much better. The interior is borrowed pretty much from the 308, but neat touches like the large analogue clock and the leather trim...

Eight-and-a-half hours into the Dubai 24 Hours endurance race, United Autosports mechanics had a question about their Audi R8 GT3 LMS racecar. Lucky for them, a very well-connected Audi engineer was reading. More » Original post: Facebook Answers Audi Engineer’s Cry For Help During Dubai 24 Hours Race [Dubai] View original post here: Facebook Answers Audi Engineer’s Cry For Help During Dubai 24 Hours Race [Dubai]

Filed under: Formula One International reporters have scolded Fernando Alonso for his palpable bad mood during media activities at Ferrari’s pre-season event in the Italian Dolomites. Britain’s Daily Mail described the Spaniard as being “decidedly tetchy” as he fielded journalists’ questions during a press conference at the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort. Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport agreed that in 30-year-old Alonso’s “first appointment in the new year, he was unusually uncommunicative”. “Alonso is normally very clear and precise with his information,” said the magazine. Italy’s Autosprint described: “The impression was that Fernando had slept badly.” La Stampa added: “Alonso’s tone and expression throughout was downbeat, his answers were terse including many ‘I don’t knows’.” El Pais correspondent Oriol Puigdemont explained: “Alonso’s appearance ended earlier than anticipated when the questions ran out, while Stefano Domenicali a day earlier left some questions answered due to a lack of time.” Puigdemont, for instance, asked Alonso how it felt to hear Domenicali’s words of praise earlier this week. “I talk to my boss every day,” Alonso fired back. “I do not need to come here to know what he thinks of me.” French commentator Jean-Louis Moncet, in Auto Plus, wrote: “Who knows why he was in a dog’s mood, sometimes answering in monosyllables, evading questions. “I am told he was angry with Spanish journalists, especially those who wrote about his divorce and websites that had written about seeing the 2012 car and saying it was not good.”   Go here to see the original: Reporters scold foul-mannered Alonso Here is the original post: Reporters scold foul-mannered Alonso

When the Audi allroad station wagon appeared in the U.S. earlier this century, it didn’t have a great run — but it’s making a comeback. And if you happen to have an allroad in your garage, Audi wants to give you the chance to test drive the newest member of the family with an all-expense paid trip to Park City, Utah. Fans say that the Audi… More here: Audi Allroad Owners: Win A Trip To Test Drive The New Allroad

Chevrolet loves milestones, and the storied brand has had many of them, including its 100th anniversary this year. Next up, two ways consumers can commemorate the Corvette reaching the six-decade mark. Starting next summer, Chevrolet will offer a 2013 Corvette 427 Convertible Collector Edition and a 60th Anniversary package. Both serve as a final send-off for the current-generation (C6) Corvette, as sports car enthusiasts anxiously await the next chapter for the “plastic” legend. An exercise in parts-bin engineering, the Corvette 427 Convertible combines hardware from the high-performance Z06 and ZR1 models to create what Chevrolet calls “the fastest and most-capable convertible in Corvette’s history.” The first production Corvette stuffed with a 427-cubic-inch V8 debuted in 1966. Since then, big-block Vettes have become coveted collectibles, commanding massive premiums for their sound, torque, and exclusivity. This 2013 Corvette 427 promises to follow suit. In modern parlance, the engine is a 7.0-liter V8 with 505 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque. It will be built solely with a six-speed manual transmission. Chevrolet claims this special Vette will rocket 0-60 mph in 3.8 seconds and blaze the quarter-mile in 11.8 seconds. Performance in the company’s most-powerful convertible in history is helped by weight savings, such as the carbon-fiber hood, fenders, and floor panels. The result is a power-to-weight ratio that bests the Audi RS 5.2 RSI Spyder, Ferrari California Convertible, and Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, according to Chevrolet. The 427 Convertible is not a one-size-fits-all model; it will be offered in 2LT, 3LT, and 4LT trim levels. The 60th Anniversary package will be offered on all 2013 Corvettes, including the 427 Convertible. Each 60th-edition car will be finished with an Arctic White exterior and a Blue Diamond leather interior. Convertibles will have a blue top. These cars will be further distinguished with abundant badging and logos, ZR1-style rear spoiler, and gray-painted brake calipers. If this is too subtle, an optional package adds racing stripes, plus special stitching for the cloth top on convertible models. The first 427 Convertible will be sold for charity on January 21st Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale...

The Buick Encore paves the way for a new market segment: The very-compact upscale SUV. The Encore is smaller than the Chevrolet Equinox . In fact, it is 13 inches shorter than a Toyota RAV4 . When it launches next year, the Encore may be the first vehicle of its kind in America. The BMW X1 and Audi Q3 are its natural competition, but the Buick is expected to beat them to market here, assuming those Germans even make it here at all. The Encore fully utilizes the global nature of GM’s vehicle development system. Developed in the United States, the Encore will be built in South Korea. Although the Encore is expected to sell modestly here, Opel and Vauxhall variants will likely ring up more sales in Europe. And given the popularity of Buick in China, the Encore is expected to do well there. I was able to sit in the Encore for a bit while filming our auto show video. It’s a bit odd–like sitting in an Enclave that was squeezed out of a tube. You sit up high, but the cabin feels really narrow. Rear-seat leg room is surprisingly decent, but the dramatic upward sweep of the beltline reduces the rear glass area to the detriment of visibility. The Encore’s 1.4-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine is shared with the Chevrolet Cruze and Sonic . If the Encore’s curb weight sticks to the claimed 3,300 pounds for an all-wheel-drive version (just a bit more than the Cruze), it should have reasonable performance. Active noise cancellation, a Buick first, aims to help the Encore achieve the quietness that’s always been a brand hallmark. But how will the Encore do when cross-shopped with other small SUVs? Directly on the other side of Cobo Hall from the Buick booth were several 2013 Ford Escapes . This Escape has a nicely-done interior with much more room, and it also can be had with a small-displacement turbo engine. No pricing was announced on Encore (or Escape yet), but it’s likely that the Encore and Escape will overlap in price. Then there is that new RDX that was also introduced in Detroit . It all comes down to price, and whether American shoppers are looking for the premium attributes the Encore offers, yet not coveting space that is available in competing models. We’ll see how this new direction for Buick works when we...

The BMW Youtube Channel was just updated with an interview featuring Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, President of BMW M. Dr. Nitschke is giving a review for the successful year 2011 and also offers a preview of BMW M for 2012. As announced earlier, BMW will create a “New model category with emphasis on sporting characteristics combines exclusive engine line-up, enhanced agility, precise chassis tuning and emotional design,” or in other words, a line of vehicle sitting between a regular BMW and M products. This new line of products can also be compared against the Audi S line and will spread across multiple BMW products. Here are some of the BMW M Performance products that will appear in the next two years: X6 M50d, 5 Series M550d, M135i, M750d, M650d in Coupe, Convertible and Gran Coupe form. See the original post here:  Video: Interview with Dr. Friedrich Nitschke, BMW M boss