-Weighing nearly as much as two Toyota Priuses and packed with enough luxuries to fill a small vacation home, the Lexus LX570 SUV is the antithesis to the modern crop of compact crossovers sprouting up like fungi. Although it and its Toyota Land Cruiser mechanical twin were last overhauled for 2008, the LX is still as excessive and opulent as ever. READ MORE ›› –
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– Just in time for summer, Fiat has announced that it is gifting the 500C cabriolet the same “1957 Edition” goodies introduced for the 500 hatchback last year. This means a full raft of cutesy retro touches, including neat little steel-wheel lookalikes, old-school “Fiat” badging, and a classic-looking brown-and-ivory leather interior. It’s not a remastered Fiat Jolly, unfortunately, but it should make for a nice fashion piece for those who think
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It appears Ram Trucks may have delivered a few bum steers. According to a report in Automotive News, South Carolina resident and 2014 Ram 1500 Big Horn owner Robert Besley has filed a lawsuit against the maker for delivering his vehicle without the optional 3.55:1 rear axle he paid for. – After owning the pickup for nine months, Besley was informed by Ram that the Monroney was inaccurate and that
The Spyder variant of the Porsche Boxster is always the rawest of the company’s roadsters. Stripped down to the bare essentials, with a tent-like manual top (for weight savings) and a 375-horse engine (the most powerful ever fitted to a Boxster), it’s built to shred. And rumor has it Porsche will make an even more hardcore variant: A Spyder GT4 to go alongside the razor-sharp new Cayman GT4. – This bit
– In a world where eight-speed automatics are common, nine-speeds are available, and 10-speed transmissions are in the works, Ford’s application for a patent on an 11-speed automatic transmission has an air of inevitability about it. – Unlike Ford’s 10-speed automatic, which is being jointly developed with General Motors, the 11-speed appears to be a Ford-only effort. The application indicates a design that uses planetary gearsets, which are not used
– Ferdinand Piëch is an automotive titan. The grandson of Ferdinand Porsche helped to shape Porsche and Audi, and his vision and drive created the Volkswagen Group juggernaut, a company jockeying with Toyota and General Motors to be the world’s largest—and one possibly superior to either in technological prowess. His congenial partner and most prominent disciple, Martin Winterkorn, has worked at his side for decades, and he was expected to
– National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief Mark Rosekind (shown above) is calling for a summit with car-company CEOs this summer to discuss how manufacturers handle safety defects and recalls. After a record number of cars were recalled in 2014, it’s probably a good idea for carmakers and the safety agency to get on the same page. – Automotive News reports that Rosekind wants to encourage more proactive handling of safety
– In the war of light versus darkness, automakers long ago abandoned good ol’ fashioned halogen lamps for fancier peepers. Recently, Audi and BMW got in a little tiff over who could introduce laser headlights to the market first, while separately, Audi’s matrix LED tech continues to blow us away—even if it’s not yet allowed in the U.S. Now, BMW is going in a slightly different direction and introducing organic LED