Author: CarBlog.co.za

We’ve seen spy images of the 2011 Ford Explorer but this is the first time we get to witness the official teaser image of the SUV.

The first images also sports chief engineer Jim Holland and that pretty much explains the reason why the upcoming model draws inspiration from the Land Rovers.

As per Holland, the 2011 model is a modern interpretation of the Explorer but the spy images rendered a different story. What is a novelty (hailing again from the Rover domain) though is a terrain management system with a total of five settings. We expect to see the 2011 explorer possibly at the LA auto show in November.

A Millward Brown survey has rated BMW as the most valuable car brand in the world, valuating it at around $21.82 billion. BMW overtook last year’s winner Toyota, which is now positioned at the second place with an overall estimated worth of $21.77 billion. It is noteworthy that both companies reflected worth was a lot lesser than last year owing to the economic downturn that hampered the global economy.

The biggest losers in this year’s survey were Porsche which was down by 31 percent and Toyota that saw a downfall of 27 percent compared to the estimated value last year. VW rose up in value by 20 percent and Ford also registered a rise of 19 percent. On the other hand, Audi, which self proclaims themselves to be the best premium brand, stood at a disappointing ninth place with an overall value of $3.62 billion.

As weird as it may sound (or not) a Ferrari F430 Spider was caught bursting into flames somewhere in Singapore. The exquisite Spider reportedly caught fire on April 28th at 11:56 am (local time) and until now, there are no specific details available as to how the commuter charred to ashes. Luckily there was no one injured in the mishap but despite quick efforts by the Singapore Civil Defense Force to save it from burning completely, the final result was the same. Brings tears to our eyes.

Saab has lined up a couple of interesting new models, with the new 2012 Saab 9-5 Wagon, also known as the SportCombi, the most interesting to make it to the market. A fresh image of the commuter has surfaced courtesy of a sales presentation and the leaked image reveals the sleek design with a distinctive profile. It gets sloping C pillars which will, by all means, reduce the luggage capacity of the estate wagon and it will hold 540 liters of cargo with the seats folded down. The wagon will share the engine from its sedan variant which runs on three options — 162 kW turbocharged 2.0-liter petrol, a 118 kW 2.0-liter turbodiesel, and a turbocharged 2.8-liter V6 with 221 kW output. The 2012 Saab 9-5 Wagon will probably break cover at the Paris Motor Show later this year.

Toyota will be heaving a huge sigh of relief knowing that other famous brands will also recall some of their vehicles. Joining the bandwagon, Porsche is going to recall 11,324 Panameras (2010 models) as the automobile manufacturer discovered a seat belt related flaw during internal testing. Porsche detailed that accelerating and reversing repeatedly could cause the seat-belt to release. While this is no major problem, Porsche intends to fix the Panameras when they are taken to a dealership for scheduled maintenance. I think we can start making bets to find out who’s next in the recall saga. Who do you think they are?

The Nürburgring circuit is always flocked with test mules and the latest coming from the spy photographers is the upcoming Audi RS3 that sports an unique orange color scheme. Compared to the A3, the new Audi RS3 is a pretty different looking commuter — a visible difference in these spy flicks are the larger air intakes on the modified front bumper. The RS3 is indeed directly comparable with the S3 Sportback in terms of body. While there are no official specs for the RS3, it is widely believed that it will come with the same 340 PS 2.5 liter, turbocharged 5-cylinder engine as in the Audi TT RS. We expect to see a finished version of the Audi RS3 at the Paris Motor Show in September. [via WCF]

It’s not only Michael Schumacher who’s looking for an F1 comeback, the likes of 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve are also eyeing their return to the circuit. Villeneuve is still practicing to make his dream come true which is why he is maintaining his fitness condition by using a bespoke EUR400,000 machine which has been conceived by his famous trainer, Erwin Gollner. Villeneuve almost made it back to the F1 circuit with the Serbian outfit Stefan GP but sadly the Zoran Stefanovich headed unit was not granted an entry in this year’s competition. He also mentioned that he is ready to replace any current driver in the ongoing season and he is confident that there is still place for experienced contenders on the circuit.

The 2012 Hyundai Veloster Concept has evolved thoroughly since the first time it was showcased three years ago at the 2007 Seoul Motor Show. The hatchback variant that is headed to the production floor and will start selling next year, was spied (again) testing and the cameras managed to get a shot of the interior along with the heavily clad exterior that hardly revealed anything.

Despite the heavy camouflage, the lighting units the center-mounted exhaust and the sloping roofline were all evident. On the inside the spy images reveal a symmetrical dash with a prominent center stack. The 2012 Veloster features a Dimension audio system, heated seats, a push-button ignition, chrome door handles, a large LCD display and a smallish steering wheel.

Engine speculations for the Veloster include a naturally-aspirated 1.6L four-banger capable of churning 121hp and 155Nm of torque. A turbocharged variant will also be offered and that will render 175 horses. [via WCF]

Former F1 driver David Coulthard isn’t pleased with Michael Schumacher’s apparent criticism as he believes that Schumi should be give more time in this season to gain a firm footing.

David believes that it is not Michael’s fault and Mercedes should be blamed for not offering him the kind of car he likes to drive.

Schumi is 40 points behind his own teammate Nico Rosberg in the first four races and the revised Merc package for the Barcelona GP is being touted as his last chance to avoid being written off.

Coulthard thinks that Schumi should be given more time (at least half a season) before being assessed.

As per him, the current car Schumi is driving was originally made for Jenson Button who switched to McLaren making room for Schumi in the rebranded Brawn team.

Coulthard is hopeful that the seven time world champion will have to wait for Mercedes to develop the right kind of car.

Ford has been one automobile outfit that has withered the storm of the credit crisis in the best possible manner, compared to other giants from this arena. The Blue Oval posting a profit in the first quarter of 2010 therefore does not come across as a huge surprise. What is a surprise though is the quotient of the profit against the expected profit for Q1, 2010.

While analysts thought that Ford will make around $1 billion in profit in Q1, the actual profit at the end of the first three months for 2010 sits at a whopping $2.8 million. The biggest reason for this successful quarter is Ford’s largest quarterly gain (2.7%) in the US market since 1977. Ford Europe though was a bit of a disappointment as the pre-tax operating profit posted was a modest $107 million despite Ford being the best selling brand with a hefty market share.

BMW and Audi, the two German premium brands have their daggers drawn at each other and no one is in the mood to spare the other. The already popular ad campaign war between the two has now headed to Hong Kong where BMW is a tiny bit ahead after buying a huge ad space — where they display the new BMW 5-series — directly above the Audi showroom in Hong Kong.

And from what we can tell, this board effectively displaces the Audi dealership from viewing. Those following this battle closely will remember the two premium German brands competing with billboard adverts in the US, too, in California. Considering the ongoing battle, this sure is an impressive move by BMW while Audi needs to figure out the source that gave BMW the ad space. We wonder what will be their next step.

Volkswagen is using some brains to ensure that the upcoming multi-media platform in VW cars will be a certain success. VW has announced an open innovation contest dubbed the ‘App My Ride’ where it is going to challenge developers to create new software applications for its multi-media platform.

As there are €14,000 in cash and non-cash prizes available, VW can be rest assured of some stunning entries which is definitely going to help the brand in the longer run. This ‘App My Ride’ project draws inspiration from the booming Smartphone industry which is well assisted by amazing applications. What is great is that there is a separate prize for student participants so even the fresh talent is not being ignored by VW. [via devicemag]

UK admirers of the Ford Fiesta will get to savor a limited edition model of the Fiesta dubbed the Fiesta S1600. The special edition will be a sportier variant of the Fiesta and its production will be limited to 650 models only. Based on the Fiesta Zetec-S, the S1600 body kit will include an all new front bumper, side skirting, a spoiler and a rear diffuser.

The limited edition model will adore the classic Ford color configuration with blue double stripes against a white body or vice versa. Another specialty will be the 17-inch white alloy wheels for the petrol version and 16-inch for the diesel. Talk about engine choices and the limited edition will feature a 1.6 liter Ti-VCT Duratec with 120 PS petrol and 1.6 liter TDCi with 95 PS diesel optons. The S1600 is readily available and it costs £16,665.

It is no hidden secret that all premium brands are heading to China with their long wheel-base versions of their regular sedans and Mercedes is not the one to be left behind. The LWB version of its E-Class that offers 14 cm more leg space has been unveiled at the Auto China 2010 show. The E 300 L is the first model that has been specifically designed by Mercedes for the Chinese market and the extended wheelbase variant will also be available as an E 260 CGI model. Mercedes focusing on the Chinese market is no surprise as the premium brand has registered 112 percent growth in Q1, 2010 in China.

The Citroen DS High Rider was present at the Geneva Auto Show last month but what was on the inside of the car wasn’t its final interior layout. It is now that the moniker has revealed the very fist mages of the interior which the commuter will finally arrive with. Even now, High Rider’s rear portion remains a mystery while on the inside it gets a bi-color dark brown and gold leather scheme along with the white cross stitching that covers the seat and the dash. The entire interior trim has been finished in Chrome while the door inserts get the Midas touch. The concept is just a preview of the upcoming Citroën DS4 which will likely be available by the beginning of 2011.

Zagato, the coach-building brand for Alfa Romeo created quite a stir when the teaser images of its TZ3 Corsa Race Car were first unveiled. The physical version of the car has now been unveiled at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Italy and it sure has the fanatics excited.

This race car is purpose-built to mark 90 years of collaboration between Zagato and Alfa Romeo. The race car is a two-seater and is powered by a rear-wheel driven mechanism with a mid-front mounted engine. What makes it a scorching racer is its low weight which is the courtesy of its handmade aluminum body. The TZ3 is powered by 4.2 liter V8 with 420 PS and the best part is that the engine calibration is manually adjustable. The commuter can dash from 0 to 100 km/h in a matter of 3.5 seconds.

Luca di Montezemolo has stepped down as the chairman of Fiat and he is to be replaced by 34-year-old John Elkann. Montezemolo will however continue to function as the president of Ferrari and he declined any reports of joining the Italian Politics or even forming an individual party, insisting that he will always be on the Fiat board and he will never stop heading Ferrari. Montezemolo also mentioned that he is still in favor of major teams such as Ferrari and McLaren being allowed three cars in the Grand Prix circuit. Another one of his desires is to see Rossi competing in the F1 after he wins the MotoGP for the umpteenth time this season.

Long Wheelbase premium models are fast becoming popular in Beijing amongst the multi-millionaires that hail from the growing Asian markets. Bearing this demand in mind, Mercedes is unveiling the LWB version of its Mercedes-Benz E-Class in China and one of those automobiles were spotted outside the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition. Mercedes is rolling out this LWB edition in collaboration with Beijing Auto and the model will likely be dubbed the Beijing Benz E300L. The LWB E-Class is 7mm shorter in height than the standard model but the overall length is 14-centimeters longer. [Images by auto.sohu.com]

An all new Ferrari 458 Spider and a Ferrari Enzo are already slated for a release by 2013 and the big news is that Ferrari will unveil four new models other than these two scorchers, with in the next three years.

The Ferrari buffs are already preparing themselves to receive the 458 drop-top and an all-new 612 Scaglietti with a V12 engine next year and the 612 may even surface as a hybrid option . What was also announced was a new special series Enzo which is supposed to join the all-new 599 GTB Fiorano in 2012.

The Scuderia 458 is also up for a facelift in 2013 while California M is slated to arrive somewhere around the same time. Within the next three years Ferrari is in the mood t o conquer the supercar market and the good thing is that Ferrari is also thinking about greener options.