Autoblog

Calling your retrofitted little runabout a tender is apparently all the rage these days. The yacht-based theme was recently adopted by BRABUS, which paired a smart fortwo with one of its warp-enabled SLRs. Now, Castagna does the same with Fiat's retro-fied 500. In fact, this isn't the first time that the Milanese coachbuilder has created such a machine, using the MINI Cooper platform just a few years back in the same exact way. In its transformation from sporty little coupe to a larger vessel's dinghy, the roof, tailgate and top are jetisoned in favor of a canvas covering with which to escape the heat. On the inside, the normal guts are removed and replaced with teak wood and wicker trim along with all new seats. As a concession to emissions, the gasoline powerplant is yanked in favor of sails a new electric motor and batteries that are supposedly capable of powering the tender some 80 miles at speeds up to 86 miles per hour. No rowing required.

[Source: Channel 4]

It's no secret that the used car market is in a state of flux. As gas prices rise and fall, so does the value of the car currently sitting in your driveway, waiting to be traded in. To help dealerships assign a fair value to your car, the National Automobile Dealers Association has added two new categories for wholesale vehicle market. The new categories are "Rough" and "Average" and they join "Clean Trade-In," "Clean Loan" and "Clean Retail" as options for your ex-vehicle to fall into.

According to NADA, roughly half of all trade-ins will fall into the newly established "Average" category. As you might imagine, "Rough" vehicles have seen a bit more wear and tear than is typical. Then there's the good old "Salvage" bucket for cars which have seen much better days. You won't necessarily know what bucket a dealership is assigning to your particular vehicle as these categories are to be used in the wholesale market only. Still, the dealership is keenly aware that it may need to rid itself of your trade-in and the business-to-business market may be its best bet. In other words, you may be indirectly touched by these new standards.

[Source: NADA]

Click above for more shots of the 2009 Honda CBR600RR

When it was introduced in 2008, the brand-new Honda CBR1000RR, known as Fireblade across the pond, won accolades from the the press and regular riders alike. Considering its market domination over the last year, we wouldn't be surprised if Honda simply left things pretty much alone for '09. There is one new feature, though, and it's a biggie: optional ABS brakes. This will be the first application of anti-lock brakes in a machine of this caliber, and early reports indicate that people are seeing improved lap times as a result. In addition to the brakes, expect to see some color changes and a Repsol race edition.

Moving on to Honda's smaller-bore machine, the CBR600RR will also get optional C-ABS along with engine changes designed to improve torque right in the middle of the power band, between 8,000 and 12,000 RPM. Along with these changes comes revised styling with flashy colors pulled straight from the mid-'90s. Apparently, neon green and electric blue are back. Why didn't somebody tell us sooner? Update: Title fixed. Thanks!



[Source: Honda]

Click above for high-res gallery of 10th Anniversary Victory Vision

The classic touring bike style has seen only minor revisions since the 1940s or so, but that doesn't mean something spicy and different can't shake up the segment from time to time, as proven by the Victory Vision. Introduced last year, the Vision sports futuristic styling that's also very effective at keeping the wind and elements at bay -- exactly what you want from a long-legged steed. That the Vision is equipped with an extremely powerful 106-cubic-inch (over 1,700cc) air-cooled engine with 92 horsepower and 109 lb-ft of torque mated to a six-speed transmission is icing on the cake. To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, America's other motorcycle manufacturer threw everything but the kitchen sink at the Vision and ended up with a $29,000 two-wheeler bedecked in metallic red, black and chrome. Apparently, riders liked the result enough to snatch up all 100 Anniversary editions in the first seven minutes it was made available for purchase online. With that kind of response, maybe they should make a big deal about the 11th anniversary next year...


[Source: Victory Motorcycles]

Click above to watch the video

Today is the day reservations become available for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe in Korea. To celebrate, Hyundai has released a new commercial which you can watch after the break. Those placing orders now should begin taking possession of their new two-door, rear-wheel drive coupe on September 26. Pricing for the new hotness from Hyundai is very reasonable for the Korean market with a base price of 25,360,000 WON (about U.S. $23,000). Stepping up to the "Stylish Pack" (seriously?) nets you 19-inch rims, a limited slip diff and optional Brembo's for 26,920,000 WON (U.S. $24,500). Well worth it in our estimation. A loaded 3.8-liter V6 Genesis Coupe will go for 33,150,000 WON (U.S. $30,100), which buys you over 300-horsepower and a full leather interior.

Hit the jump for a full rundown of pricing and options for the Coupe in Korea. According to our tipster, the Genesis sedan with the 3.8-liter V6 is selling for about $70K in its home market. This being the case, it's pretty hard to draw any conclusions as to what this means for U.S. Genesis Coupe pricing when it goes on sale sometime in 2009. We can hardly wait. Thanks for the tip, Sam!

[Source: blog.daum.net]

Click above for more high-res shots of the European Toyota iQ

By naming its impending city car the iQ, Toyota makes no bones about who it's after. And with an extra set of seats fitted into its diminutive little runabout, the Japanese auto giant looks to one-up the smart fortwo with a vehicle that measures about the same size. Ahead of its European release, Toyota decided to release a few new shots of the production iQ, and we've gone ahead and assembled them into a high-res gallery for your viewing pleasure. After looking things over again, we like what we see. The look is obviously Toyota and we think that the flowing but angular lines translate a bit better in this small package than in some of the marque's larger vehicles. There are four seats inside, though Toyota considers the iQ a 3+1 seater, as the fourth seat is suitable only for wee children. Production will begin shortly and vehicles will begin showing up in Europe at the start of the new year.


[Source: Toyota]

News out of Toledo is that Chrysler plans to drop either the Jeep Liberty or the Dodge Nitro within four years and merge the two vehicles into one. These two 'utes are built on the same exact platform, use basically the same engines and are built in the same Toledo plant. There is no good reason for both of them to exist, which makes us wonder why they ever did in the first place and why it will take three years to correct. Regardless, considering that Jeep will always be the off-road brand, it would make most sense to keep the Liberty name going. Losing the Nitro, meanwhile, might actually help Dodge improve its image as a volume performance brand.

This convergence of duplicate vehicles is part of Chrysler's Project Genesis plan. Under the plan, dealers will begin to offer Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles under the same roof. Other nameplates that are or should be converged include the Jeep Compass/Jeep Patriot and Dodge Durango/Chrysler Aspen, the latter of which could see themselves replaced by a new model with Jeep underpinnings.

[Source: The Toledo Blade]

Click above to watch video after the jump

We're nearly a year from the big screen debut of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, but that hasn't stopped us from devouring every bit of early information that we can about the new Micheal Bay action flick. There is an early video taken from the first day of filming which features a few of the things that we're expecting to see front and center in this movie: cars, motorcycles and explosions. While the video is pretty short and doesn't reveal all that much, it still has us psyched about the movie and we will surely continue to watch as more filming documentaries are released.

We've pasted the YouTube version after the break, but you might want to check it out on Walmart's site for a clearer version. You'll need the following code: AllSpark62609. There is one more video from Industrial Light and Magic. It's called Creating Transformers and it details what it takes to animate a Transforming robot on-screen with live actors through some of the best scenes from the first movie. Yeah, we're officially excited.

[Source: Walmart via Transformers.MovieChronicle via Jalopnik]

Click above to enlarge the five VW Campervans

There are few vehicles which can approach the Volkswagen van for sheer classic presence. Today, early examples of the first-generation models are so desirable that they can fetch more money than any current van on the market. That's mighty impressive for a vehicle which sold for very low prices when new. And who could possibly forget the Campervan conversions which were available right from the factory? Apparently, Volkswagen isn't completely unaware of its illustrious rear-engined past. The automaker has selected five Campervans to take part in a special part in this year's Vanfest, which takes place this month in the U.K. The five winners represent one model from each of the five generations that VW has been selling its commercial vans. Our favorite has got to be the 1966 split-window Transporter, complete with Safari windows. Seriously, as far as Campervans go, it just doesn't get any better than that. Looking at these past designs, we wonder how Volkswagen ended up choosing a restyled Chrysler minivan for its U.S. Routan. They can make up for it, at least a little bit, by cutting its roof off for a proper camping conversion. Yeah... not likely.

[Source: Volkswagen]

Click above for more spy shots of the Ducati Monster 1100

You knew that Ducati wouldn't go too long without upgrading its modern-classic Monster line. Last year, the only option available for fans of the original naked bike was the entry-level 696 engine. While that machine, with its throaty V-Twin and brand new chassis, was definitely a good bike, those looking for a bit more power either had to move on up the Italian manufacturers line or look elsewhere. As expected, Ducati will rectify that problem this year by dropping its excellent Dual Spark 1100cc air-cooled engine inside the Monster's shapely new trellis frame. Along with the engine upgrade, a single-sided swingarm spices things up at the rear and much improved Brembo radial mount brakes should equal huge and controllable stopping power. We're certain that the new Monster will make its formal debut at one of the upcoming motorcycle shows in Europe. Until then, enjoy these grainy spy shots.


[Source: Ducati Monster Club via Motorcycle News]