A new Audi A6 is expected to hit showrooms in 2010, and aside from an A4/A5-inspired facelift, the automaker's new 5-series competitor will be underpinned by an evolution of the chassis technology originally developed for the Audi TT. According to Car, the next iteration of Audi's Aluminum and Steel Spaceframe (ASF II) technology will be utilized on all future models, and uses half the steel of the outgoing platforms while providing 50-percent more torsional rigidity. The passenger cell will be made up entirely of aluminum, with steel and foam reinforcements if needed, and the front and rear subframes will be beefed up units integrated into the structures of the nose and tail. The ASF II system will finds its way into other vehicles, including Audi's CUVs, where it has the potential to shave off over 650 pounds from the Q7's curb weight.
Naturally, Audi will continue to offer front- and all-wheel-drive on the next A6, but the combination of more potent mills mounted further back into the engine bay will lessen its rival's lead in the handling department. Car's sources suggest that a variety of V6 engines, ranging from 2.8- to 3.2-liters will be offered, along with a pair of diesels, the 4.2-liter FSI V8 found in the RS4/R8, the 5.2-liter V10 (S6) and a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V10 for the RS6.
A landmark was recently passed on Israel's road to reduced dependance on foreign oil when Renault and Project Better Place held a demonstration of an electric car that will hit Israeli streets next year. For those unacquainted with Project Better Place, the Silicon Valley start-up headed by tech guru Shai Agassi has teamed up with Renault-Nissan to build and deploy fully electric Meganes in the seaside Middle Eastern country. The batteries that will power the vehicles are built by a joint-venture between Nissan and NEC, have a 125-mile range and will be supported by half a million charging stations and hundreds of battery-swap stations. Those specs should be enough to satisfy drivers in a country barely 60 miles between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, and 260 miles from the Red Sea to its border with Lebanon. An initial launch fleet is scheduled to hit roads next year before sales begin in late 2010. The hope is that Israel will prove a suitable test case before the project can be launched in other countries. Norway Denmark has already signed on, but suitability for bigger countries (like the United States, where long commutes are commonplace) will largely depend on advances in battery technology.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Subaru Legacy STI S402.
Subaru is taunting us again with yet another limited-edition model that we'll likely never see Stateside. The Legacy STI S402 will be limited to (appropriately) 402 units in both sedan and wagon trim, featuring the STI's turbocharged, 2.5-liter flat-four. Unlike some of the other "special" Subies, the S402 Legacy means business. To begin with, the front fenders have been widened by 20mm, the steering ratio has been reduced to 13:1 and Bilstein shocks are fitted at all four corners, along with 18-inch BBS wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE050A rubber. The brakes have been upgraded to units from Brembo, with six-piston calipers up front and two-pot calipers in the rear gripping upgraded rotors. Aside from all the required badging, Subaru has fitted new gauges to the IP, along with a MOMO steering wheel and aluminum shift knob.
Sales begin in Japan on June 27th, with prices starting ¥5,491,500 for the wagon and ¥5,355,000 for the sedan. We'll take one of each, thank you very much.
Audi has been tearing up the automotive landscape with a torrent of new products, and now it's cleaning up on the awards circuit, too. The European Patent Office awarded Audi as its third inventor of the year for its innovative new products that are helping Europe excel in the global market. The product worthy of such an award is Audi's aluminum space frame, which underpins the Audi A8, TT, R8, and Lamborghini Gallardo. The lightweight platform provides substantial weight savings vs. a traditional steel frame, which results in better fuel economy and a reduction in CO2. The space frame also provides improved structural rigidity and improved crash protection.
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Cadillac CTS-V at the 'Ring.
GM is pretty pleased with the Cadillac CTS-V's 7:59.32 run around the Nurburgring, and the crew on the ground had the foresight to strap a few video cameras to the supercharged sedan to capture every second of John Heinricy's sub-eight-minute lap. The General is quick to point out that no modifications were made to the CTS-V to aid in its domination of the Green Hell. The tires were stock and the only bits not available on the options list through Caddy are the fire-suppression system, harness bar and six-point seatbelt . While the additional equipment added a few more pounds, it's obvious that it didn't hinder performance. Hit the jump for proof.
Click above for high-res gallery of the FPV F6, more galleries after the jump
FPV's seemingly endless rollout of its new FG Falcon-based lineup has finally culminated in the actual launch of the cars (how novel), which we've already touched upon. To that end, we'll keep this brief and turn you loose on the multiple new photo galleries now available (check out the rest after the jump). The FPV range encompasses both Falcon sedan and Ute bodystyles, and power comes from either the turbocharged F6 inline-six or the 5.4L Boss 315 V8. The six delivers 415 horsepower and a tire-humbling 416 lb-ft of torque. The eight's no slouch either, pumping out 422 horses (315 kW, hence the engine's name) and 406 lb-ft. A Tremec TR6060 6-speed stick is available across the full range of cars.
FPV GT E (Top-of-the-line V8 FPV sedan, more subtle styling than GT, GT-P)
You can see galleries of everything below and after the jump. We'll take an F6 sedan in the lime green. In fact, we need one of those approximately yesterday.
Click above for more Fisker-supplied spy shots of the Karma
Isn't it fitting that Fisker Automotive's upcoming series-hybrid sports sedan is named Karma?. After having commissioned Fisker to help design its second product, the Whitestar sedan, Tesla Motors sued Fisker claiming it stole trade secrets that were then used on the Karma. Following that lawsuit, Tesla was then sued by Magna, one of its former transmission suppliers, Tesla's suit against Fisker came several weeks after Tesla themselves were sued by Magna Powetrain who had been contracted to develop a new transmission for the Roadster and now Fisker is slapping the upstart electric car company with its own arbitration suit. That's karma for you, right there.
Fisker will attempt to first derail Tesla's original lawsuit by seeking to have it moved from San Mateo, CA to Orange County, after which it will then try to prove that Tesla is attempting to divert attention away from its delayed all-electric Roadster by suing Fisker. To that end, Henrik Fisker himself called the whole mess "ridiculous" and referred to Tesla's behaviour as "sour grapes". An arbitrator will likely determine whether he's right or not, but until then we lowly consumers must await ramped up production of the Tesla Roadster and the eventual arrival of the Fisker Karma. Thanks for the tip, Doug!
Click above for more photos of classic cars and dogs
City of Long Beach police cruisers were movie stars in the original Gone in 60 Seconds film. The 1970's cult classic featured the black and white playing chase with a 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1. These days, though, the officers use more efficient methods to capture muscle cars; they invite them over for a fundraising car show. Over the weekend, the Long Beach Police Academy held a classic car show to benefit the department's K9 Officers Association. A few dozen impeccable examples of automobile preservation took over the grounds of the Long Beach Police Officers Association Park. Not to be rude hosts, the organization even showed off an old Dodge Cornet and Model T police cruiser amongst the numerous Bel Airs, Mustangs and Vegas.
Browsing through the rows of vintage automobiles wasn't the only event incentive for us to attend. The Orange County German Shepherd rescue showed off dogs available for adoption and the K9 officers put on a training demonstration. As a new GSD owner, I could not resist the combination of sleek cars and furry wet noses. The dual purpose car show/charity event is always a relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Be sure and check out the event gallery in the link below.
Gallery: 2008 Long Beach K9 Officer Benefit Car Show
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Arden Jaguar XF AJ 21.
Last month, we got a sneak peak at Arden's interpretation of the Jaguar XF, with its aggressive front fascia, LED running lights and rear brake cooling ducts integrated into the side skirts. Now, we've got the official details on the AJ 21 and as is almost always the case, the mods are hardly skin-deep.
The top of the line, supercharged V8 engine has been stroked out from 4.2- to 4.5-liters, with output cresting the 500 hp mark. To make better use of those additional ponies, Arden developed a sports suspension to keeps things planted at speed, while 21-inch "Sportline" wheels are up to the task of combining a bit of style with a dose of functionality. Arden is developing packages for the entire range of XFs, but if we had to choose one, this is it.
The launch of the next Mercedes-Benz E-class is right around the corner and Car's spies were able to catch a mildly camo'd mule undergoing testing. The prototype is unmistakably M-B, with a new front fascia that appears to split the difference between the swoop CLS's headlamps and the more conservative eyes of the C- and S-class. Underneath the cloaked sheet metal is Mercedes' new W212 mid-size sedan platform, which ditches the electronic braking system of the last generation (Benz dealers rejoice!) in favor of conventional hydraulic stoppers, and utilizes a four-link front suspension and a multi-link rear arrangement coupled with M-B's Active Body Control (ABC) system. Naturally, there will be gizmos galore, including a new electronic road sign reading system, night-vision pulled from the S-class and a host of gasoline- and diesel-powered engines that will top out with the 6.2-liter V8 from AMG.
According to Car, the new E will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next March, with sales beginning later that summer.
A new Audi A6 is expected to hit showrooms in 2010, and aside from an A4/A5-inspired facelift, the automaker's new 5-series competitor will be underpinned by an evolution of the chassis technology originally developed for the Audi TT. According to Car, the next iteration of Audi's Aluminum and Steel Spaceframe (ASF II) technology will be utilized on all future models, and uses half the steel of the outgoing platforms while providing 50-percent more torsional rigidity. The passenger cell will be made up entirely of aluminum, with steel and foam reinforcements if needed, and the front and rear subframes will be beefed up units integrated into the structures of the nose and tail. The ASF II system will finds its way into other vehicles, including Audi's CUVs, where it has the potential to shave off over 650 pounds from the Q7's curb weight.
Audi has been tearing up the automotive landscape with a torrent of new products, and now it's cleaning up on the awards circuit, too. The European Patent Office awarded Audi as its third inventor of the year for its innovative new products that are helping Europe excel in the global market. The product worthy of such an award is Audi's aluminum space frame, which underpins the Audi A8, TT, R8, and Lamborghini Gallardo. The lightweight platform provides substantial weight savings vs. a traditional steel frame, which results in better fuel economy and a reduction in CO2. The space frame also provides improved structural rigidity and improved crash protection. 
Audi A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro concept
Spy Shots: Production Audi TT Clubsport Quattro
Chevy Camaro getting early unveil at Indy in September
James Garner recovering from mild stroke
VIDEO: God's ringtone is a V10-powered Audi R8
First Drive: 2009 Ford Escapes, more of almost everything
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang
Future Classic: 1984 Chrysler Minivans
_thumbnail.jpg "Lamborghini Reventon unboxed in Las Vegas")
