Geneva 2009 - Aston Martin Lagonda Concept

Another day, another change in the winds surrounding the Aston Martin Lagonda. After last month's revelation that the high-riding Aston would remain nothing more than a bad dream for fans of the brand, Ulrich Bez, Aston Martin CEO, recently let it slip that the crossover had been given the green light. The luxury utility is slated to ride on the Mercedes-Benz GL platform, but the company is keeping drivetrain details to itself for the time being.

The Lagonda Concept debuted at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show and has since existed under a hail of disparaging comments from journalists and enthusiasts alike. Last month, Aston Martin owner David Richards officially announced that the project would be scrapped. And while there was much rejoicing at the time, it appears the Bez sees dollar signs in the mega-buck crossover market, pedigree be damned.

He may not be far off of his mark, either. Porsche famously stepped into the SUV market with its Cayenne and has been laughing its way to the bank ever since. It wouldn't surprise us if Bez and the rest of the Aston Martin crew are hoping for a similar performance.

2011 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup

As many Porsche 911s as you think you might see at the golf course, yacht club or shopping mall, that's nothing compared to the legions regularly running around racing circuits worldwide. Aside from the myriad open GT grids dominated by Stuttgart machinery, the iconic German sportscar is the spec racer of choice for various national Porsche Carrera Cup championships and the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup that supports F1 races around the year. Those series use the versatile 911 GT3 Cup. With over 1,400 sold since 1998, Porsche maintains that it's the best-selling racing car of all time, and it has just announced a new model for the 2011 season onward.

Whereas the outgoing Cup racer was based on the street-going 911 GT3, the new model starts life as the harder, faster and sharper GT3 RS. That means a wider body that can accommodate bigger wheels, tires and brakes. It also carries the larger 3.8-liter flat-six with 450 horsepower – 30 more horses than the outgoing model coming from 200cc of added displacement. It also looks more like the RS, with an aggressive aero package and LED lighting for when tracks go dark and dreary.

The 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup will make its track debut at the opening round of next season's Porsche Carrera Cup GB Championship, but you can delve into the details right now in the press release after the jump and in our high-res image gallery below.

Paris 2010 - Saab e-Power

Unlike so many other electric vehicles introduced at the Paris Motor Show and throughout the year, the Saab 9-3 ePower doesn't look like its vanity plate should read "Buck Rogers," and it isn't powered by dark matter or black holes or Neptunian vapor. It's a 9-3 SportCombi with a plug in the back. That's all.




But that means a lot for Saab. The ePower is a testbed for a 70-car fleet that will be evaluated next year in Sweden in preparation for a production electric vehicle. The aim is a 120-mile range in a car that provides real-world wagon convenience. Up front is a 184-horsepower electric motor, 26 hp less than the ICE in the production 2.0T, powered by a 35 kW lithium-ion battery pack. That gets the estate from zero to 62 miles per hour in 8.5 seconds and on to a 90-mph top speed.



Trials in Sweden will put the air-cooled batteries' 30-degree Celsius operating temperature to the test, which Saab claims is ten degrees colder than other battery packs can manage. The 70 families invited to drive the car over the next two years will put its other attributes to the test. If all goes well, Saab wants to turn the knowledge it gains into a high-performance electric vehicle. There's more to know in the press release after the jump, and plenty of high-res images in the gallery below.
 

2011 Volkswagen Passat

Volkswagen was so eager to unveil its new Passat that it revealed the car a day before the Paris Motor Show actually begins. It's received the Jetta treatment to some degree, but the softer looks may actually work better on the Passat than for its smaller brother.

The all-new Passat is intended for an older demographic and the styling seems to reflect that. We look forward to seeing it on our shores. Speaking of which, the 2011 goes on sale in the United Kingdom this October and VW plans to announce North American availability in the very near future.

Dodge Durango 2011 - Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle

Dodge Durango 2011 - Full-Size Sport Utility Vehicle


The third generation of Dodge Durango is be built along side of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Jefferson Ave. The new Durango will not only share the assembly line with the Grand Cherokee, but also the running gear, powertrains, and chassis parts.

The new Durango will feature two engines. The base engine is a new 3.6-liter V6 engine pumping out 290 hp (220 kW; 290 PS) and 260 lb·ft (350 N·m) of torque @ 4,800 rpm; 90% of peak torque is available from 1,600 to 6,400 rpm. The Pentastar V6 is attached to the Mercedes W5A580 five-speed automatic, with Chrysler’s controls and the driver-interactive control. The 5.7 L Hemi VVT V8 returns with 360 hp (270 kW; 360 PS) and 390 lb·ft (530 N·m) of torque, which also features the 5-speed automatic found in the V6.


The wheelbase of the new Durango will be longer than that of the Grand Cherokee. It will feature three rows of seating compared to the Grand Cherokee's two rows. It will also plug the gap at Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealers that is left with the discontinuation of the Jeep Commander.

The 2011 Dodge Durango is expected to enter production period in late October to early November, with production starting in December 2010, and dealership inventory starting to acumulate around January 2011.

KTM Announces 2011 X-BOW R Model with 300HP

Austrian motorcycle specialist KTM is hard at work on the 2011 model year version of its X-BOW track-focused sports car, which will gain a higher performance R model.  The original 790 kg (1,742 lb) X-BOW is powered by an Audi-sourced 240HP 2.0-liter TFSI. Around 500 have been sold worldwide since it was launched into the market in 2008.

The R model will have an additional 60 hp (45kw) over the standard model thanks to the adoption of the more powerful 2.0 TFSI from the Audi S3, which features changes to the engine electronics and peripherals to bump output to 300-horsepower.

It will be available in two equipment packages: a road legal / homologated "Sport" package and a more track orientated "Race" pack.

Many of the parts that go into the R will be available through X-BOW's PowerParts, so owners can tune their existing X-BOW to Sport and Race specifications.

Pictured in our gallery is a prototype version of the 2011 X-BOW R with the new parts installed undergoing testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost Desert Racer

Ford announced today that the 2011 F-150 EcoBoost will enter the prestigious long-distance desert endurance race, the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. What is really interesting is that the car will be powered by a stock version of the new 3.5-liter EcoBoost truck engine, which will make its debut in the 2011 Ford F-150 next year. The engine delivers 365 hp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque (up to 90 percent is available from 1,700 rpm to 5,000 rpm).

Furthermore, the car will be fueled with regular pump gasoline, which means that this race will act as an endurance race for the engine. The race will be perfect to test the engine, because in those conditions, the temperature will swing from just above freezing to well above 100 degrees.

“The engine going into our race truck for the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 is the same engine going into the 2011 Ford F-150 that customers can purchase starting next year,” said Eric Kuehn, chief engineer of the 2011 F-150. “No special blocks or structural upgrades. We are fully confident that because of the strict testing the 3.5-liter EcoBoost truck engines underwent before we started manufacturing, it will take anything the desert can dish out.”

2011 Jeep Patriot gets Tweaked, Proves it's all in the Details

Jeep has released images of its freshened-up Jeep Patriot, and it looks like...the Jeep Patriot. Although front and rear fascias have been facelifted, the differences are only noticeable upon very close inspection.

Outside, the Patriot gets a new body-colored grille, standard fog lamps, new 17-inch wheels, lower rear bumper, and a total of four new colors. On the off-road side of things, the 4X4 models receives a one inch increase in ride height.

Underneath, the suspension system has been modified for more comfort with increased damping/rebound rates and a new rear sway bar. Steering was also tweaked.

Like the recently-teased Chrysler 200 sedan that replaces the Sebring, more soft-touch materials will be found within, as well as a new, thicker-rimmed steering wheel with integrated audio / trip controls. The Uconnect Voice Command system will be available across the board, and top-range Latitude X models will get standard automatic climate control.

Jeep President and CEO Mike Manley says, "For 2011, Jeep Patriot is even more appealing to consumers, thanks to rugged new exterior styling, interior enhancements and refinements to the suspension and steering systems."

The 2011 Jeep Patriot will be built at Chrysler's Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois, and consumers will begin to see it populating dealer lots in the fourth quarter of 2010 (aka starting next month). Even though it's only been tweaked a little here and there, the Patriot seems to be shaping up as an interesting compact offering from Jeep.

2011 Honda Odyssey

Honda did something silly during the launch of its all-new 2011 Odyssey  minivan. The automaker built a large autocross-type "track" in the parking lot of San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium and invited journalists to take its latest eight-passenger family hauler for hot laps. It was an interesting "fish out of water" introduction to Honda's fourth-generation people mover.

Designed, developed and manufactured in the United States, Honda considers the 2011 model an "American Odyssey." The domestic development team, owners of 46 Odysseys between them, labored to deliver a minivan with distinctive style, greater interior versatility and improved fuel economy. Did Honda build itself a worthy successor and how did it fair on the autocross?

Ducati to pull out of World Superbikes at the end of 2010

Ducati issued a press release yesterday, announcing that they are pulling out of World Superbikes at the end of this year. ‘Ducati, having participated with a factory team in every edition of the World Superbike Championship since it began in 1988, winning 16 Manufacturers’ world titles and 13 Riders’ world titles along the way, has decided to limit its participation to the supply of machines and support to private teams,’ says the press release.

‘This decision is part of a specific strategy made by Ducati, the aim being to further increase technological content in production models that will arrive on the market in the coming years. In order to achieve this objective, the company’s technical resources, until now engaged with the management of the factory Superbike team, will instead be dedicated to the development of the new generation of hypersport bikes, in both their homologated and Superbike race versions,’ says Gabriele Del Torchio, President and CEO of Ducati.

With this, it seems Ducati’s primary focus will now be on trying to win the MotoGP world championship next year, with Valentino ‘The Doctor’ Rossi. With his legendary skills, The Doctor will also be helping Ducati with development work on the 1198’s replacement, which is due to come out in 2012.