CARSCOOP

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• Future Cars: Rendered Evolution of the 2014 BMW X5 SUV
• Every Day is a Fun Day in the Republic of Tatarstan
• Scoop: New Porsche 918 Spyder Shows its Monotone Shades on the Snow
• Chris Harris Drives the US$300K+ Singer 911 with Classic Looks, Modern Hardware
• Poll: What do You Think the Original 1966 Batmobile will Fetch at this Weekend's Auction?
• GM President Says EVs Are Not Dead, Next Volt Will Cost “Thousands Less”
• The Real Italian Job with Three Tuned Lamborghini Aventadors
• eBay: This 1996 Corvette Convertible has Only Been Driven for 622 Miles
• Remember What Mom Said? Always Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Road…
• Fisker Looks for Strategic Partners in China, Hasn’t Built a Car in Six Months
• One for the Cold: New 2013 Chrysler 300 Glacier Edition
• Alfa Romeo 4C will Arrive in the U.S. by the End of 2013, Says Marchionne
• South African Motorist Pulls Over Policeman and Arrests Him for DUI!
• New 2014 Subaru Forster Priced from $21,995*, Turbo Starts at $27,995*
• General Motors Begins to Ship New Buick Encore Crossovers to U.S. Dealers
• Chinese-Israeli Qoros Brand to Debut GQ3 Cross Hybrid and Estate Concepts in Geneva
• What Goes Up on a Steep, Icy Road, Must Come Down…
• Updated 2014 Chevrolet Malibu to Provide More Rear Space as Well
• Rolls-Royce Names Ghost Coupe the New Wraith, Debuts at the Geneva Salon
• Mazda and Fiat Sign Deal for New Alfa Romeo Spider, will be Made in Japan from 2015

Future Cars: Rendered Evolution of the 2014 BMW X5 SUV Posted: 18 Jan 2013 06:32 PM PST Evolution is a great process for refining most things we see in life; from science to technology and industrial design just to name a few. Examples of this in the automotive industry can be seen in the internal combustion engine, aerodynamics and styling; speaking of which, one company does this better than most - Porsche. Its iconic 911 symbolizes the pinnacle of design evolution (although some say it's because they can't be bothered) from its humble beginnings as a squashed and streamlined VW Beetle to the current 911 Carrera; making it arguably one if the most recognizable pieces of automotive sculpture around the globe. Porsche isn't the only brand taking this approach; evolutionary examples can be seen in the VW Golf, Range Rover, Mazda Miata and various BMW's. The Hofmeister kink and twin-kidney grill are the most recognizable aspects of BMW's design DNA, but things are also getting familiar with surface styling too. Read more »

Every Day is a Fun Day in the Republic of Tatarstan Posted: 18 Jan 2013 04:57 PM PST Did you know that the Republic of Tatarstan is a constituent republic of the Russian Federation located in the eastern part of the country, about 1,000 kilometers (600+ miles) miles east of Moscow? Well, maybe you did (in which case, good for you), maybe you didn't (nobody's perfect), but one thing is for certain; regardless if you can't find the republic on the map or don't understand a word they're saying, this video showing the humorous side of driving in Russia will offer you more than a few laughs. Although we're going to admit that, some incidents do look staged… Read more »

Scoop: New Porsche 918 Spyder Shows its Monotone Shades on the Snow Posted: 18 Jan 2013 02:59 PM PST Porsche engineers have once again been caught on camera testing the upcoming 918 Spyder, which evidently, is in its final development stages, as production will begin in September with first customer deliveries to arrive early next year. The camouflage-free testers of Porsche's first supercar model since the demise of the Carrera GT in 2007 were dressed in two of the many optional films that will be available along with a pallet of colors at a cost that will likely rival that of a small car. Read more »

Chris Harris Drives the US$300K+ Singer 911 with Classic Looks, Modern Hardware Posted: 18 Jan 2013 02:13 PM PST If you're a Carscoop regular, or if your memory is strong enough, you may recall the Singer 911 we featured back in 2011. It's a custom-made 911 built by Los Angeles-based Singer Vehicle Design that wanted to create the ultimate air-cooled Porsche. In spite of starting with the classic 911 chassis, which was manufactured until 1989, Singer decided to switch to the more modern 964 that replaced it – and that meant a whole lot of development. Read more »

Poll: What do You Think the Original 1966 Batmobile will Fetch at this Weekend's Auction? Posted: 18 Jan 2013 01:48 PM PST After keeping the original 1955 Lincoln Futura concept-based Batmobile from the 1966 television series in his personal collection for more than six decades, legendary customizer George Barris has decided it's time to let go of the iconic car offering it up for sale at this weekend's Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The famous bat car will cross the auction block alongside Barrett-Jackson's 5000 Series on Saturday, January 19th from 5:00pm to 9:00pm. It is anyone's guess how high bidders will value the original version of the 1966 Batmobile (Barris had also built a few more fiberglass clones during the 1960s, some of which were used in the series), but feel free to speculate by casting your vote in our online ballot, while you can also be more specific in our comments area. Read more »

GM President Says EVs Are Not Dead, Next Volt Will Cost “Thousands Less” Posted: 18 Jan 2013 01:02 PM PST Despite predictions that plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles would increase rapidly due to climbing gasoline prices, in 2012, their sales were a mere 52,172 units according to the Automotive News Data Center. That's a drop in the ocean when viewed in the light of total new vehicle sales in the U.S. market, which surpassed 14.5 million last year. On the other hand, that figure accounts for a three-fold increase compared to 2011. Read more »

The Real Italian Job with Three Tuned Lamborghini Aventadors Posted: 18 Jan 2013 12:43 PM PST It might be selling like hotcakes for a V12-powered Lamborghini, but how often do you seen one, let alone three examples of the Aventador LP700-4 on the road? Unless you live or hang around very glamorous places, the answer is probably never, which is why we just had to share this video that comes courtesy of supercar spotter "Shmee150", who dropped the link along with the following message into our email box earlier this morning: Read more »

eBay: This 1996 Corvette Convertible has Only Been Driven for 622 Miles Posted: 18 Jan 2013 12:08 PM PST Among the many events that took place in 1996, Democratic incumbent Bill Clinton won his second term as President of the United States; Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, was born, while the British Government formally announced that Bovine spongiform encephalopathy had likely been transmitted to people. It was also the year that this silver-colored Corvette C5 Convertible was brought into life and handed over to its new owner. What happened over the next 17 years remains a mystery, but the Detroit sports car was rarely used during this period having covered a mere 622 miles or about 1,000 kilometers. Read more »

Remember What Mom Said? Always Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Road… Posted: 18 Jan 2013 11:31 AM PST Even as kids, we're taught by our parents and schoolteachers that we should always look both ways before crossing the road and never take chances. Better safe than sorry, as they say. Sadly, some adults still don't understand the concept. A young woman in the city of Astrakhan in the southern European part of Russia, tried to dash across the road at the same time that a bus was coming from the other side. Read more »

Fisker Looks for Strategic Partners in China, Hasn’t Built a Car in Six Months Posted: 18 Jan 2013 11:07 AM PST The Karma might look gorgeous but things aren't looking very good for its maker, Fisker, right now. In 2012, despite having delivered some 2,000 Karmas, it's had its federal loan frozen, issued a number of recalls on the Karma, saw its battery supplier, A123 Systems, go bankrupt and 16 of its cars being destroyed by hurricane Sandy and, to top it all, it hasn't built a single car in the past six months. So the company is looking for partners and investors. And what better place to turn to than a country that wants to acquire high-end EV technology? That would be China; according to a report from Reuters, Fisker's top executives are trying to find a strategic partner that would help them get things started again. Read more »

One for the Cold: New 2013 Chrysler 300 Glacier Edition Posted: 18 Jan 2013 10:21 AM PST Chrysler's never-ending run of special edition models continues with the new 2013MY 300 Glacier, which follows the 300 John Varvatos Luxury Edition, 300 Motown Edition, 300S with Beats by Dr. Dre, and even a series of concept editions at car shows, including in Detroit with the Turbine Edition, just to mention a few of the most recent unveiling. Read more »

Alfa Romeo 4C will Arrive in the U.S. by the End of 2013, Says Marchionne Posted: 18 Jan 2013 09:54 AM PST We won't blame you for being dubious about Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne's latest reference to Alfa Romeo's return to the United States, but fact is, the Italian-Canadian executive told reporters after an InForum breakfast on Friday morning that the Alfa Romeo 4C should land in the country before the end of 2013. "We're finalizing the car now, so it should be here by the end of the year," said Marchionne, according to a report from the Detroit News. "It's ready in the sense of all the work with architecture and types of models." The mid-engine 4C was introduced as a near-production concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and was recently spotted testing in Michigan. Alfa hinted at the presentation of the final production model at the end of last year, likely pointing towards the Geneva Motor Show in March for the big reveal. Read more »

South African Motorist Pulls Over Policeman and Arrests Him for DUI! Posted: 18 Jan 2013 09:01 AM PST Well, here's a new one. A South African civilian motorist from Pietermaritzburg is making the news in his country and around the world for stopping and…arresting an allegedly drunk police officer! Russell George from Prestbury told reporters that while driving his car on Sunday evening, he noticed a police van "swerving wildly across the road" and decided to take action. "The van turned into Victoria Road, and drove into oncoming traffic," said George, according to Allfrica. "At one stage, he stopped. I got out of my car and asked him what he was doing." Read more »

New 2014 Subaru Forster Priced from $21,995*, Turbo Starts at $27,995* Posted: 18 Jan 2013 08:21 AM PST Following up on the 2014 Forester's world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show at the end of November and before it goes on sale in the States during the second quarter of the year, Subaru announced pricing for the new generation of its popular compact crossover. The longer and slightly wider 2014 Forester will be available with a choice of two flat-four engines. Read more »

General Motors Begins to Ship New Buick Encore Crossovers to U.S. Dealers Posted: 18 Jan 2013 07:56 AM PST On Thursday, General Motors announced that it began shipping the all-new Buick Encore to its U.S. showrooms stating that in the next few weeks, test drives will be available at Buick dealers around the country. Buick's foray into the small crossover market shares its platform and body with the Opel Mokka and the Chevrolet Trax, with the latter being offered in Canada, but not in the United States. Read more »

Chinese-Israeli Qoros Brand to Debut GQ3 Cross Hybrid and Estate Concepts in Geneva Posted: 18 Jan 2013 07:20 AM PST Newly formed automobile brand Qoros has shared fresh information about its presence at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show in the beginning of March. Besides the world premiere of its first production model, the GQ3 compact saloon, Qoros will also display two new concept models named the Cross Hybrid Concept and Estate Concept, both of which are based on the sedan. "Intelligent modular vehicle platform technology allows us to create new vehicle concepts quickly and efficiently," commented Vice Chairman of Qoros Auto, Volker Steinwascher. "The Qoros GQ3 is the first of many models that will be based on this platform, and the technology will allow us to develop a complete model family in a very efficient manner." Read more »

What Goes Up on a Steep, Icy Road, Must Come Down… Posted: 18 Jan 2013 06:34 AM PST The great English physicist Isaac Newton famously described gravity by stating, "What goes up, must come down" after watching the fall of an apple from a tree, or at least that's what we're told in his biography written by one of his contemporaries, William Stukeley. Perhaps if Newton lived today and had an addiction for dashcam videos, he may have come to the same conclusion simply by observing Russians driving on steep roads during the winter season. Read more »

Updated 2014 Chevrolet Malibu to Provide More Rear Space as Well Posted: 18 Jan 2013 05:57 AM PST It's no secret that General Motors hasn't really been happy with the lukewarm reception of its latest Chevrolet Malibu sedan, nor that it is planning to do something about it by ushering in an early refresh later this year. GM CEO Dan Akerson himself confirmed the upcoming facelift to reporters last month revealing that it will include a re-done fascia. Now we're learning more details about the update thanks to a Bloomberg report shared by Automotive News, citing two people familiar with GM's efforts, who asked the news agency to keep their names secret. Read more »

Rolls-Royce Names Ghost Coupe the New Wraith, Debuts at the Geneva Salon Posted: 18 Jan 2013 05:19 AM PST We already knew that the upcoming Rolls-Royce Ghost-based coupe, which we've seen plenty of times testing out in the open, would be the fastest, most powerful and sportiest production model in the British luxury company's 107-year-long history. Now, we have a name for that car as Rolls-Royce today confirmed it as the all-new Wraith adding that its world premiere will occur at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5, 2013, with first deliveries to customers expected in the fourth quarter of this year. Read more »

Mazda and Fiat Sign Deal for New Alfa Romeo Spider, will be Made in Japan from 2015 Posted: 18 Jan 2013 04:56 AM PST Last May, the Fiat Group and Mazda revealed that they signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the joint development and production of a new roadster for the Alfa Romeo and Mazda brands. Today, the two companies announced the signing of the Final Agreement, which stipulates that the Japanese carmaker will produce an open-top two-seater sports car at its Hiroshima plant from 2015. Read more »

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