Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Cadillac CTS coupe.

This past Saturday in Monterey, Cadillac invited a select group of journalists to see the production version of the CTS coupe. Naturally, cameras weren't allowed inside the Caddy tent to keep images leaking out ahead of the coupe's official unveiling this November at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

However, a lack of pictures hasn't stopped InsideLine from going into detail about what the CTS coupe will look like when it rolls onto the stand in LA. According to the report, the coupe is virtually unchanged from its conceptual predecessor, with everything ahead of the A-pillars pulled directly from its sedan counterpart. The massive C-pillars have remained, along with the vertical taillights and steeply raked rear window. Thankfully, Cadillac saw fit to include a back-up camera to make up for the lack of rearward visibility.

Production will begin next summer at GM's Lansing Grand River plant, and while GM execs remain mum on engine choices, expect the same duo of V6s available on the sedan and sport wagon to carry over to the coupe, along with the CTS-V's 550 hp, supercharged 6.2-liter V8 later down the line.



[Source: InsideLine]

Click above image to enlarge

Note to the Lexus SC430: it is now beyond over for you. Infiniti, Nissan's BMW-hunting luxury brand, has unveiled the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible, a retractable hardtop 4-seater that preserves the Coupe's good looks even with its 3-piece folding metal roof neatly tucked out of sight, as you can see here. Power from the 3.7L V6 will be in excess of 320 horses, and numerous comparos against the BMW 335i convertible are inevitable. You can practically hear the buff mags reserving track time as we speak. Sunny Los Angeles will be the venue for the car's formal unveiling in November, and likely a fertile ground for sales when the time comes.

[Source: Infiniti]

A forum member at VWVortex caught a mildly disguised Nissan 370Z on the freeway, and the two shots give us clearer glimpse of what to expect when the new Z debuts in Los Angeles this November.

It's been widely reported that the 2010 370Z will be shortened by four inches and will ride on a slightly widened track, but without a profile shot, it's hard to tell. The rear three-quarter view shows reworked rear windows that are slightly smaller, with the bottom edge angling steeply towards the roofline. The rear glass of the hatch is sunken in, and incorporates a small spoiler into the trunk lid, while the fenders appear wider than the outgoing model and the tail lamps are equipped with LEDs.

Up front, the restyled headlamps are obscured by the camouflage, but the redesigned front fascia is easily identifiable, as is the tweaked hood, which features a slight power bulge flanked by two accent lines stretching from the windshield to the bumper.

It's nothing radical, but it should be interesting to see how Nissan implements some of its new styling cues from the Maxima and GT-R into new Z.

Thanks for the tip Ross!

[Source: VWVortex]

Taking a hint from Ferrari and its California GT Countdown, and not wanting the Camaro and Challenger to get all the attention, Ford has launched its own 2010 Mustang countdown. While the new 'Stang won't hit the streets until next spring, 96 days separate us from its official unveiling at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

In the run-up to the launch, Ford has invited fans of the original Pony Car to recount related stories on its new website, the2010mustang.com. Starting August 27, the site will give visitors the opportunity to share their tales, with the most compelling story winning the writer his very own 2010 Mustang, along with a trip to LA to see the wraps come off. In the meantime, you can sign up for email updates as Ford continues to tease us for the next three months.


[Source: Ford]

This November's Los Angeles Auto Show is shaping up to be Mecca for enthusiasts. The 2010 Ford Mustang is due to be revealed in the City of Angels, Volkswagen will supposedly unveil a mid-engine roadster to rival the Elise and it's been all but officially confirmed by Nissan that the 370Z is on its way – two of them, no less.

So with all that rear-wheel-drive hotness on display, the redesigned Mazda3 sedan might have to struggle for attention. Then again, it might not. As suspected, spied and rendered, the next Mazda3 will be taking cues from the recently released Mazda6, including flared wheel arches, swept back headlamps and a gaping air dam. The illustration above (courtesy of AutoCar) is yet another derivation of a reoccurring theme we've seen before, and with the same C1 Ford Focus chassis, the 2010 Mazda3 will have the looks to back up its performance.

As for engines, European consumers will get a choice of gasoline powerplants ranging from 1.4- to 2.0-liters, along with 1.6- and 2.2-liter oilburners. In the U.S., we can expect engines ranging from 2.0- to 2.5-liters, while the Mazdaspeed version is expected to be packing the turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder from the Focus ST. The five-door will debut at the Bologna Motor Show in December, and sales are expected to begin in Europe and North America early next year.


[Sources: Autocar, AutoExpress]

Click image to enlarge and compare to the current Cube

It sure looks like it could be. Reader "Uncle Evan" sent us this image, which looks like it's either a scanned PR shot of the next-gen JDM Cube³ or a good photoshop, perhaps from one of the Japanese buff mags. We're inclined to think it's the latter scenario, and that this photo might have even served as its basis (look at the shapes visible through the windshield and passenger window -- they appear to be identical in both images). In any case, the car depicted here has all of the elements first seen in the leaked Nissan photo back in May, giving us a little more to chew on while we wait for the Cube's official debut at the LA Auto Show.

As seen in the original leaked image, the wheel covers have four thin slits. Body-colored a-pillars (they're blacked out on the current car) curve softly into the roof, which has a large glass section up front. The fender bulges are more pronounced on the current Cube, and the fascia now incorporates headlamps that wrap around to the front quarter panels as opposed to being fully contained in the grille insert.

Hopefully, this is a mostly accurate depiction, because it shows an evolved Cube that really keeps the good stuff intact. After driving the Japanese version, we're looking forward to seeing what the USDM version has in store for us. Thanks for the tip, Uncle Evan!

Pending white collar cuts and dismal sales data have resulted in morale problems at General Motors. That's going to put a damper on the Detroit automaker's centennial celebration, so the General plans on showing employees a near-production-ready Chevy Volt to give workers hope. The (hopefully) game-changing extended range electric vehicle will be shown internally around the September 16th centennial, and employees who see the Volt will, of course, have to check their cameras and phones at the door. That doesn't mean the public won't soon get an eyeful of the car, as GM sources report that it'll be shown in production trim at this year's LA or Detroit Auto Show. Don't forget also that it's also been rumored that Volt could show up in Paris in October.

GM has 200 engineers and 50 designers working long hours to make the ER-EV happen by its late 2010 production target, and there are another 400 people working on components. GM is also constructing a new 530,000 sq-ft facility to build the Volt's 1.4L engine and working on getting incentives for the planned construction.


[Source: Detroit News]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Ford Mustang at Road America.

You read that right folks. The 2010 Ford Mustang will make its official debut at the LA Auto Show on November 19th. According to a source speaking with InsideLine, the new 'Stang won't be shown in Detroit as originally rumored, conceivably as a response to the Camaro hype-machine we've had to endure over the last two weeks.

When the wraps are pulled off the 2010 Mustang, expect all-new front and rear fascias, including a new grille, headlamps and taillights, along with a tweaked hood and a few cues rumored to be pulled of the Guigiaro Mustang concept.

Speculation about powertrains has been running rampant for months, but a reworked V8 and V6 is part of the package, and possibly a new turbocharged, EcoBoost bent-six further down the line. Sales will begin late early next year.


[Source: InsideLine]

Click either image for a high-res gallery.

Over the past five years, Volkswagen has continued to tease us with sports car concepts that never seem to come to fruition. Back in 2003, VW unveiled the Concept R in Frankfurt to critical acclaim and two years later, the wraps came off the EcoRacer, proving that the automaker was still kicking around the idea of a lightweight, affordable roadster for the masses.

In the interim, VW had two similar concepts that never left the studio, but when the Los Angeles Auto Show rolls along later this year, a new mid-engine coupe will be revealed, and this one actually has a shot at production.

According to Autocar, this newest concept aims to be a budget alternative to the Lotus Elise, balancing performance and fuel economy in a low-cost package. Sources suggest that the coupe will feature either a 168 hp, 1.4-liter TSI gasoline engine or a 125 hp, 1.6-liter TDI mounted amidships and sending power to the rear wheels via a seven speed DSG gearbox. If and when the production version debuts in 2011, the coupe's curb weight is pegged at just over 2,200 pounds, allowing it to run to 60 in under seven seconds while still returning over 55 mpg.

If the project is given the green light, the same architecture that underpins the VW variant could form he basis for the oft-rumored and continually denied Audi R4. And with Porsche's stake in V-Dub, that means a 914 successor is just a badge and prayer away.



[Source: Autocar]

The new Nissan Cube will be unveiled the morning of November 19 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, and the automaker has begun the buildup to its arrival. The Cube now has an official website, where you can count down the days and see more on the Cube art cars that design students prepared for the '08 New York Auto Show, among other things. Nissan's covering all the bases, also getting the Cube set up on Facebook and other social networking sites in the meantime.

We like the Cube a lot, and hope the new version keeps the character of the current Japanese car intact while delivering power and fuel economy geared to appeal to the U.S. buyer. We don't think Nissan's going to botch this, so and shoppers looking to get their geek ought to have a strong candidate from Nissan. Not that it'll be without competition -- the Scion xB, Honda Element, and Kia Soul will all be vying for peoples' attention, too. Let the geekmobile deathmatch begin. Thanks for the tip, Turkey Pie!


[Source: Nissan]