Europe Auto News

Posted Sep 30th 2008 4:56PM by Chris ShunkFiled under: SEMA, Trucks/Pickups, FordIf the super-tuned F-350 Striker diesel dually doesn’t float your boat, the specialty tuners at Performance West will have a tire shredder of smaller proportions for you at SEMA next month. The F-150 Striker R will be unleashed on attendees of the Las Vegas tuner spectacular with Shelby GT500KR-inspired styling similar to its big brother and a power story all its own. Our friend Mike Levine from Pickuptrucks.com gave us the low-down on the Striker R’s power numbers, and they’re pretty impressive. It gains motivation from Ford’s 5.4L V8 mated to a massive 2.4L Kenne Bell Blowzilla supercharger and intercooler, giving it a healthy 500 ponies. (Read the full post about ‘SEMA Preview: Performance West goes smaller with F-150 Striker R’…)

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Posted Sep 30th 2008 11:58AM by Frank FilipponioFiled under: Time Warp, Cadillac, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Misc. Auto Shows, Ferrari, Saleen Click above for huge high-res gallery from the concours To celebrate its 26th year as Orange County’s most prestigious classic car show, this year’s Newport Beach Concours d’Elegance moved from its recent home in Irvine to the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point. Still not Newport Beach, but much closer to the ocean at least. Benefiting the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital and the Assessment and Treatment Services Center, the event featured Cadillac as its honored marque to commemorate GM’s 100th birthday this year. (Read the full post about ‘Autoblog attends the 26th Annual Newport Beach Concours d’Elegance’…)

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Posted Sep 30th 2008 12:28PM by Jonathon RamseyFiled under: Sedans/Saloons, Etc., VolkswagenThe VW Jetta TDI has proven to be quite popular in the short time it’s been on sale here in the U.S.: it has put sales of the Tiguan in the cooler and the ones that are available are very hard to get. Now the fairest Jetta of them all has set a Guinness World Record by traversing the lower 48 U.S. states while returning 58.82 mpg thanks to John and Helen Taylor. The Taylors took 20 days to cover the 9,419 miles in a counter clockwise direction, and this wasn’t a hypermiling slow-as-you-can-go affair – they stayed within 5 mph of the speed limit. (Read the full post about ‘VW Jetta TDI sets Guinness World Record of 58.82 mpg’…)

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If you’ve ever been to New Jersey, then you understand the allure of leaving. But it seems the state that is the butt of many jokes is not doing anything to help its image. Road signs in the Garden State with the satanic reference “666” are disappearing at a rapid rate.

One of the more popular signs is the 66.6 mile marker on the New Jersey Turnpike. It seems that it is located in a remote enough area that people really have to know where it is to make an attempt at taking the satanic sign home.

(Read the full post about ‘Just one more example that hell is the New Jersey Turnpike’…)

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Posted Sep 30th 2008 9:55AM by Sam AbuelsamidFiled under: Sedans/Saloons, Paris Motor Show, Supercars, Lamborghini Click above for gallery of Lamborghini “Urus” teaser shots The trickle of images from Sant’Agata continues today as Lamborghini has shipped yet another teaser of the new car that it will show on Thursday at the Paris Motor Show. This time around we get a frontal image of the headlight area. Unlike the last two production models, the Gallardo and Murcielago, the orientation of the light cluster has been switched from vertical to horizontal. There is also a large vent visible implying that the engine is up front this time around. We only have one more day to wait for the full reveal, so it will be interesti (Read the full post about ‘Paris Preview: Drip, drip drip, Lambo teaser #4′…)

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Posted Sep 30th 2008 8:32AM by Chris ShunkFiled under: Government/Legal, GMOver the past few weeks, we’ve heard how badly Detroit automakers needed $25 billion in government-backed loans, but very few of us know exactly who gets the money. GM CEO Rick Wagoner got in front of a camera to answer some of those questions, and to talk about some of the challenges the General faces. Some of the interesting comments from slick Rick include the fact that the $25 billion is available to all automakers and suppliers that invest in the US, not just the Detroit companies. Wagoner also explains that the loan money was part of the bill passed in 2007 to increase fuel economy by 40% over the next decade, and not just some handout from Washington. (Read the full post about ‘VIDEO: Wagoner attempts to explain gov’t loans to automakers’…)

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Posted Sep 30th 2008 10:57AM by Jonathon Ramsey
Filed under: Sports/GTs, Paris Motor Show, Supercars, Citroen, Toys
Click the image above for a high-res gallery of the GT by Citroen

In a move more “Um, yeah…” than “Oh yeah!”, Citroen has released the sixth teaser image of the car that will, one of these days, be revealed entirely to the world, all at once, front and back. We aren’t even sure if this qualifies as a tease, since getting a glimpse at a front end we’ve already seen doesn’t really ring the bell. What we can say is that one of our commenters appears to be right: the car does look like it’s only 10 inches high. (Read the full post about ‘How you say “enough” in French: Citroen releases sixth GT teaser’…)

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Carlos Ghosn, President and CEO of Renault
PARIS - September 30, 2008: This Thursday, October 2nd, The Auto Channel will be presenting the Renault Press Conference live from the 2008 Paris Motor Show, right here on TheAutoChannel.com.

The event will commence at 10AM local Paris time (that’s 11AM London, 4AM New York, 1AM California).

(Read the full post about ‘2008 Paris Motor Show: Watch the Live Renault Press Conference Right Here - VIDEO FEATURE’…)

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Now that the Volkswagen Golf is on its sixth generation, it means that prices go down on previous generations, leaving more room in the budget for performance parts. This may be why JMS revealed today its new tuning parts for the Golf IV. The new kit includes a front bumper with 3 big cutouts, the customer can choose black or silver vents, new side skirts, a new roof spoiler and a new rear bumper featuring 3 big cutouts with integrated exhaust cutters.

Also, a new coilover system from H&R was installed as well as a new set of Eta Beta 19 inch alloy wheels fitted with 225/35R19 tires.

(Read the full post about ‘VW Golf IV by JMS’…)

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Lamborghini revealed today the fourth teaser of its mystery concept that will debut at the Paris Auto Show. First believed to be called Urus, and now Estoque, the new concept will preview a four-door luxury sedan that will compete with Aston Martin Rapide and Porsche Panamera.

Official unveiling will be made on October 1st.

Tags: Volkswagen, toyota, exotic cars, Nissan

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