Audi’s Quattro system is 30 this year, introduced on the Ur-Quattro at the 1980 Geneva Motor Show. To celebrate, Audi has a full year of activities planned, including a special exhibition at the Audi Forum Ingolstadt, a place at the Techno Classica in Essen, and Audi Tradition hauling momentous examples of Quattro to shows around Europe.

It’s interesting to ponder where Audi would have gone without Quattro. In America the tech and halo associations that emanated from the marque’s Group B rally eating monsters helped it go from being perceived as a maker of really nice VWs to a luxury line with a unique, finessed brawn. We do wonder, though, what the original Quattro would say to a TT… Follow the jump for Audi’s press release and a glimpse of where you can find vintage Audis and Auto Unions throughout the year.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading Audi Quattro celebrates 30 years of gravel spitting performance

Audi Quattro celebrates 30 years of gravel spitting performance originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends — whichever best describes your significant other, today’s the day to go do something special. And by that, we mean keep Hallmark in business, overpay for flowers, endure long waits at restaurants that normally don’t have one, and help candy execs earn their annual bonuses. Or maybe, since it falls on a Sunday this year, you and that special person ought just climb into your machine, hit your favorite roads, and take a nice, long drive just to enjoy each other’s company. Whatever your plans, Happy Valentine’s Day from us here at Autoblog. Have fun.

Image: 01Steven | CC BY-NC 2.0

Happy Valentine’s Day from Autoblog originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spyker-Saab is reportedly passing “Go” and collecting $547 million while they’re at. According to Automotive News, the €400 million loan courtesy of the European Investment Bank (EIB) has received final approval. There’s even more good Saab-related news (that almost feels weird to type) – Spyker shareholders have approved the “we’re buying Saab” deal. The large loan is especially big news to Holland-based Spyker and Saab’s worldwide legion of rabid fans, for it was essentially the last piece of the puzzle standing in the way of – as Reuters of all publications points out – “[combining] two money-losing enterprises.”

Now that they have the loan and the shareholders’ blessings, Spyker-Saab is looking to get their fledgling company list on both the London and Stockholm stock exchanges. Spyker CEO Victor Muller was asked if listing the company on the two new exchanges would make it easier to raise cash (duh), Muller replied that the end goal was to be “closer to investors.” If we were flip, we might modify that to read “closer to investors’ wallets,” but we’ll just leave it alone and hope that all this money goes into making the next 9-3 the very best Swedish hatchback it can be!

One last thing – perhaps we’re getting ahead of ourselves by referring to the new company as Spyker-Saab. According to the Dutch supercar company’s press release today, they have postponed changing their name from Spyker Cars N.V. to Saab Spyker Automobiles pending a trademark discussion with aircraft manufacturer Saab AB. That issue is expected to be resolved at the company’s next annual meeting on April 22. Official press release after the jump.

[Sources: Reuters, Spyker, Automotive News - sub. req.]

Continue reading Saab-Spyker is Go: EIB reportedly approves 400M euro loan, Spyker shareholders agree to Saab purchase

Saab-Spyker is Go: EIB reportedly approves 400M euro loan, Spyker shareholders agree to Saab purchase originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Some of us – okay, one of us – here at Autoblog may disagree, but there’s no shortage of people who think the Maserati Quattroporte is one of the most beautiful four-door works of automotive art this side of a Toyota Prius. All the more so after having driven it in Austria. So why, then, do so many coachbuilders seem bent on ruining it?

We’ve seen Quattroportes covered in shattered glass, dipped in 24-karat gold, and wrapped in Burberry tartan. We’ve seen ‘em stretched beyond recognition, tweaked into touring cars, turned into station wagons – twice, actually – even an old one transformed into a fire truck. Yes, a fire truck. And now this: A Maserati hearse.

Modified by Intercar Modena – a company that offers funerial conversions of everything from Ssanyong Rextons to BMW sidecar motorcycles – the Quattroporte hearse is, well… there’s really not much to say about it other than it’s a hearse. Based on a Quattroporte. And while there aren’t many worse things you could do with a Maserati, there are worse ways to go.

[Source: Maserati-Alfieri.co.uk via autoblog.nl]

Ouch, that Hearse! Maserati Quattroporte works the graveyard shift originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There aren’t a lot of positives about being overweight, but a study by the University of Michigan shows that there could be one reason for the chunky among us to celebrate. U of M studied 300,000 traffic fatalities obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration between 1998 and 2008, and it has reportedly found that overweight people had a 22 percent lower fatality rate than underweight people. However, the story changes for the worse if you’re a man with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 to 50 and you are not wearing a safety belt. The study shows that obese men are 10 percent more likely to die in an accident if they don’t buckle up.

There was reportedly no statistical evidence that showed that females were affected by their weight in a crash. Unfortunately, there was evidence that women were 1.1 times as likely to die in a car crash then were men. And everyone is safer when buckled up, as evidenced by the not-so-surprising observation that those who do not fasten their safety belts are 2.1 times more likely to die in a car accident. U of M says that the study does show that the large mass of some men shows that airbags and seat belts may need to be redesigned in the future because their larger size could possibly be overwhelming the safety equipment. Maybe we won’t have that extra pastrami on rye after all.

[Source: AnnArbor.com | Image: Lili Nelson]

Study: Want to improve your odds of surviving a crash? Have another sammich originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hyundai has decided to release a single rendering of its i-Flow concept ahead of its big reveal at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. To our eyes, the i-Flow looks to be the logical evolution of the Korean automaker’s recent “fluidic sculpture” design philosophy, as seen on the new 2011 Sonata and sister-company Kia’s Ray concept, which is currently being shown off at the Chicago Auto Show.

Actual details on the i-Flow are still pretty hard to come by, but Hyundai says this concept will preview its new D-segment car that will go up against the likes of the Ford Mondeo in Europe. As such, we certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see some sort of diesel powertrain, or possibly even a hybrid system assisted by the i-Flow’s BASF-supplied solar cells.

We’ll have live photos of the new Hyundai i-Flow concept come March 2nd, but in the meantime, click on the image above to see it in high resolution and click past the break to read the official press release.

[Source: Hyundai]

Continue reading Graceful Hyundai i-Flow rendered ahead of Geneva sheet-pulling

Graceful Hyundai i-Flow rendered ahead of Geneva sheet-pulling originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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To clarify, Bob Lutz is specifically talking about General Motors‘ top 25 execs. They are the ones who have seen their salaries decline by 31%, and their total remuneration packages go down by more than 20%. Said Lutz, “given the rigors of the job and demands and the accountability, I would say we are being paid way, way, way below market.”

Some would say that the company Lutz works for is lucky to be around at all. Still, he’s got a bit of a point – the “market” decides who gets paid what, and then decides who’s going to go where. If GM’s salaries can’t keep up with their rivals’, then GM knows it’s going to have to make do with what it can get. Or, heaven forbid, get really creative with the massive talent and resources it does have…

To be fair, Lutz knows the score and is only looking for the end of the tunnel, acknowledging, “You can’t go through Chapter 11 and come out the other side and expect to have all of the same perks and comps as you did before. We just hope it doesn’t stay this way too long.” We say that it’s only fitting that how long the situation lasts – until GM repays its loans – will be decided entirely by Mr. Lutz and those 25 pay-restricted executives.

[Source: The Detroit News | Source Image: Bill Pugliano/Getty]

Lutz: Auto execs are underpaid originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BMW is hell-bent on incorporating its EfficientDynamics systems into every model in its line-up, and the latest recipient is the M3, which will come equipped with Auto Start Stop this spring. According to BMW, the system, which cuts the engine when the M3 comes to a stop, reduces emissions and fuel consumption by up to eight percent.

BMW will also begin offering a Competition Package for the M3 coupe and sedan in Europe, which includes 19×9-inch wheels, a suspension lowered by 10mm and a revised Sport traction control setting. A carbon fiber rear spoiler and front apron flaps are included in the package, and can be ordered separately for older M3s.

A new M Sport package for the X5 will debut alongside the Competition M3 at the Geneva Motor Show, comprised of a 19- or 20-inch wheels wrapped in specially developed tires, a new front fascia with larger air intakes, “satinized aluminum” window surrounds, M leather steering wheel, footrest and a few interior tweaks. All the details, along with new Individual packages for the X5 M, X6 M, 5 and 7 Series sedans, are available in the press release below the fold.

Continue reading BMW announces start-stop system and Competition package for M3, M Sport for X5

BMW announces start-stop system and Competition package for M3, M Sport for X5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a dealer communique sent out today, Toyota has announced the voluntary recall of some 8,000 2010 Tacomas that could suffer from a defect in the front propeller shaft.

Pickuptrucks.com reports that a crack can form in the rear joint, causing the driveshaft to come loose from the truck. Obviously, this defect will only affect four-wheel drive models, so standard two-wheel drive Tacomas are left out of the recall.

According to Brian Lyons, Toyota’s head of safety communications, “Most of the vehicles [included in the recall] are in the pipeline in Toyota’s distribution system or on dealer lots.”

Affected owners can contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 for more information, and Toyota dealers will perform a ten minute visual inspection of the trucks. Naturally, if they find a fault with the prop shaft assembly, it will be replaced free of charge.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]

Report: Toyota recalling 8,000 2010 Tacoma 4WD pickups over driveshaft defect originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last month RM Auctions offered up the 427 Cobra prototype at its annual auction in Phoenix, and although it failed to meet reserve price, the final bid of nearly $1.5 million signified the importance of the car. Fortunately for car collectors who still want to add a notable Shelby to their garage will have the chance at RM’s auction next month. A 1964 Shelby Cobra, chassis CSX2557, will be crossing the block during the sale coinciding with the Amelia Island Concours on March 13.

Just one of 42 289-powered racecars and one of only six “cutback door” factory team cars, CSX2557 was built to race in the U.S. Road Racing Championships (USRRC). Much of the design foreshadowed the later 427 Cobras like the widened fenders, larger intakes and side exhaust pipes. Although this particular car had a limited race history in the hands of Shelby, it is one of the most original examples in existence and is in excellent condition thanks to a restoration in the mid-1990s. You can read more about the history of CSX2557 and the other Cobra racecars after the jump.

[Source: RM Auctions]

Continue reading 1964 Shelby Cobra factory race car up for sale at Amelia Island

1964 Shelby Cobra factory race car up for sale at Amelia Island originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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