Autoblog

Click the photo for a high-res gallery

Just as photos of the production version of the Camaro popped up on the web last week ahead of tomorrow's unveiling, Ford decided to trot out the 2010 Mustang this weekend. Unlike the fully-revealed Camaro, the '10 Mustang remained heavily camouflaged as it acted as the pace car for the Kohler International Challenge vintage race at Road America. The prototype 'Stang lead a plethora of ponies from throughout the nameplate's lineage around the natural terrain course at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The Saturday Mustang Corral also was treated as a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Mustang GTP that won in its debut race at Road America. We won't be seeing the updated Mustang in its birthday suit until Ford drives it onstage at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. In the meantime, you can check out the photos that Ford took of this event in the gallery below.


[Source: Ford]

Click above for more shots of the "Mystery Vette"

Someone slipped Jalopnik a new pair of shots of the mysterious Corvette concept that's appearing in next year's Transformers sequel. So far, we've seen good views of the car from the front and side, but rear-end shots had yet to surface. Well, that's over. The concept -- now a confirmed product of the GM Design studios (note the plate in back), has large ducts in back that mimic the openings in front and presumably also hide the car's taillamps. Four big centrally-mounted exhaust outlets poke through the bodywork as well. Frankly, the rear view is the car's least appealing, with that chunky boattail mixed in with all those sharp angles. There's also a new detail shot of the front quarter, which focuses on that very traditional Corvette fender shape. Is it just a movie character or also a concept that GM's going to drop on us somewhere along the line? Your guess is as good as ours, and the trickle of spy shots is probably far from over.

[Source: Jalopnik]

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]

Click above for more shots of the mystery Transformers Corvette

The upcoming Transformers sequel, which is known as Revenge of the Fallen, is shaping up to be chock-full of new characters and, therefore, vehicles. The GM love fest continues with new cast members like the Chevy Beat and Trax siblings, a mystery Corvette and even the Chevy Volt. With all of these new additions, along with what appears to be the entire cast from the first edition, keeping up is proving a bit difficult. With that in mind, those of you who don't mind viewing a few spoilers before actually seeing the flick, check out the ongoing and recently updated character guide over at FiLM Grenade.

Still can't get enough Transformers action? Check out some conceptual art done by Tim Flattery. Though these particular drawings were made for the first film, the characters didn't make it into the movie. Some sources are claiming that we could see them appear in the upcoming sequel. Thanks for the tips, 04volk and 94 Taurus Owner!

[Source: FiLM Grenade]

Click the image above for a high-res view.

Need a new car? If you're the Saturn Astra is on your shopping list, be wary of saliva spots... and while you're at it, pucker up. GM is running a Saturn "Kiss My Astra" contest, in which entrants are directed to capture their adventures in Saturn smooching on camera and upload them to the I M Saturn website. There, the online community of Saturn fans (we know, we were surprised, too) will judge the photos and declare a winner in September. The prize is a Saturn Astra XR. You're free to make out with any Astra you like, even your neighbor's, though you might officially become the neighborhood weirdo if people catch you locking lips with their ride. GM's Bob Lutz demonstrates his man-car love technique in the enclosed galery. Somebody turn a hose on this guy.


[Source: Inside Line]

Well, all the Camaro buildup is finally set to amount to something this Monday, when the real, final car is unveiled. Frankly, it was getting anti-climactic before the official photos leaked onto the web on Friday afternoon, but we'll look forward to hopefully seeing the SS car in the metal. That one's been conspicuously absent from all the photos that crammed the internet as soon as the dam burst. Anyway, whether you go for an RS with that punchy DI V6, or the SS with its LS3 power, chances are you'll be a happy camper.

So, to celebrate, we've gone and collected all the Camaro television commercials (and one 1980s promo video) we could find and packed them up into our handy new video player. When you're done watching one, pick another from the scrolling list under the main window and enjoy. We don't know how Chevy's gonna market the new car, but we're hoping for something more in line with the cool and dramatic 'Volcano" spot for the first-gen. It's a nostalgia overload, from the '70 "Super Hugger" spots to the cringe-fest 80s-era ads, right up to the 90s cars that spelled the end of the line. Until now.

Now, please excuse us while we hit the weekend classified pages. We've got a sudden craving for some IROC-Z garage candy. After all, this mid-summer weather is just perfect for T-Tops.

Our ever-vigilant readers have struck, proving yet again that in the age of the camera phone, almost anyone with a mobile device can emulate Jim Dunne, Brenda Priddy or Hans Lehmann. The latest capture we've received comes from reader Charlie Hung, who recently spotted this black roadster on a Southern California freeway. A quick inspection of the images reveals it to be the next-generation BMW Z4 that's been spotted periodically for some time now. The bodywork on BMW's latest offerings would suggest that the current Z4's flame surfacing will probably be radically toned down. Much of the contouring we see on this prototype is likely just camouflage. Underhood, we'll probably get the same powertrain lineup as the 3 Series, with the next M Roadster getting the M3's V8. Judging from the size of the rear window, the Z4 will probably pick up a retractable hard top as well. When the new Z4 debuts, BMW will move production from its current home Spartanburg, SC to Germany. Spartanburg will take over production of the X3 crossover.


[Source: Charlie Hung]

Hot on the heels of yesterday's unofficial unveiling of images of the production 2010 Camaro, photos are now flooding the web. As reported, General plans on giving customers the choice of a 416 hp 6.2L V8 or a 296 hp 3.6L V6 when the highly-anticipated coupe goes on sale, but for now, you get to choose which color to look at. Released are 52 pictures of yellow, red, and silver Camaros on the track, in the studio, and on the inside. All of them appear to be the RS model, though a couple of SS interior shots have now joined the group. Click on the images above or the gallery below to see what's been leaked so far, and look for the motherlode to arrive on Monday afternoon when we deliver plenty of high-res pics and video of the live Camaro unveiling at GM's Warren Technical Center. Thanks to all who sent tips!


[Source: Camaro5]

There's been a lot of head-scratching about the exact cause of the meteoric rise in price for a barrel of oil. Are speculators driving it to turn a quick buck? Is it the weakening value of the U.S. dollar? How about increaded worldwide demand? Chances are, all those forces are playing a part in the rise of fuel prices, and no single solution is likely to fix the problem.

Just as it was starting to look like prices would rise on a daily basis for the rest of eternity, the price of a barrel of oil dropped by $16 from Tuesday to Thursday. Economists point to the dismal economic and inflation news as a main factor for the drop. All we know is that ever since gas got more expensive, everything else started to follow suit. That leads us to spend less on things that we don't absolutely need, which probably isn't good for the economy.

With news of the large drop in the price of a barrel of crude, Wall Street got all excited and responded with a couple days of very positive gains in the stock market. Good news, right? Well, oil jumped by over $2 on Friday morning alone, so we'll have to see. Is the $4 per gallon nightmare almost over? Probably not, but we can hope.

[Source: Yahoo, Photo: Getty/Justin Sullivan]

Gibbs Technologies, makers of vehicles like the Aquada seen above, has managed to snag tax breaks from both the state of Michigan and the city of Auburn Hills to open its world headquarters near Detroit, the U.S. capitol for automakers. While we're sure that Michigan's Oakland County is happy to see Gibbs' investment in the area and the additional jobs it'll bring along with it, one must wonder just how many $85,000 aquatic vehicles the company plans to sell to sustain itself. Though it's headquartering itself in the Detroit area, manufacturing may be done elsewhere. Michigan is still reportedly in the running, but we'd imagine a less seasonal climate may prove beneficial for the research, development and testing of its upcoming amphibious line of vehicles.

[Source: The Detroit News]