Straightline

Cadillac has released official photos and details on the 2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe, which makes its debut at next week's Detroit Auto Show. We've the face before, but we're already taking a shine to the twin-barrel, center-mounted exhaust coming out the back of the V-series coupe.

To the disappointment of no one, the supercharged 6.2-liter LSA V8 is under the hood, and it's good for 556 horsepower at 6,100 rpm and 551 pound-feet of torque at 3,800 rpm. Either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic will drive the rear wheels through a limited-slip differential. The tires are 19-inch Michelin PS2s, which is to say sticky.

The wheelbase remains 113.4 inches, but appropriately, the coupe is 3 inches shorter nose to tail with a 2-inch lower roofline and a faster windshield. So, yeah, there's less headroom.

If that sounds horrifically impractical, just get the CTS-V sedan. Or wait for the CTS-V wagon. It's a done deal waiting for an official announcement.

2010 Detroit Auto Show unveil page

Categories: Cadillac,Coupes,Detroit Auto Show,Luxury Cars

The New York Times invited U2's Bono to write a guest column for the Sunday print edition. Bono has put together a top 10 list of ideas that "might make the next 10 years more interesting, healthy or civil." Number 10 on the list? "Return of the Automobile as a Sexual Object."

It turns out Bono is not a fan of crossovers. "We have the mundanity of our marriage to the minivan and the SUV and long-term relationships with midsize cars that are, forgive me, a little heavy in the rear cargo hold," he writes, noting that he came of age when the Jaguar E-Type set the tone for vehicle design.

He goes on to recommend (playfully) that the Obama administration should take advantage of its financial stake in GM and Chrysler and order up a round of truly attractive cars. Design consultation, he writes, should come from the likes of "Marc Newson ... Steve Jobs and Jonny Ive from Apple ... Frank Gehry, the architect, and Jeff Koons, the artist."

Of course, Bono would like it if those cars were green, too, noting that the Tesla Roadster and Fisker Karma manage to combine environmental friendliness and sex appeal.

If only it were that easy.

Kudos to Autoblog for finding this column.

New York Times via Autoblog

Photo source: Top Marques Monaco

Categories: Auto Industry,Celebrities,Trends

It's well known that Porsche is working on a four-cylinder Porsche Boxster. Our spy shooters caught a turbo-four prototype testing on the Nurburgring this past October. We've speculated Porsche might be sourcing the engine from Volkswagen, possibly adopting the 265-horse version of the 2.0T powerplant used in Audi's TTS.

But a report on Autocar today suggests Porsche might go even smaller than that.

Smaller, as in a three-cylinder turbo.

"A Boxster with a four-cylinder engine, or maybe even a three-cylinder turbo, could produce between 180 and 200 horsepower and emit just 180 grams/kilometer of CO2," Hans-Jurgen Wohler, Boxster model line manager, said in an interview with the British magazine. "Given the Boxster's history -- that it started with a 200-horsepower, 2.5-liter engine -- I think this is possibly something that customers could accept."

We suspect a three-cylinder turbo Boxster is far, far off, whereas an official announcement on an entry-level four-cylinder turbo Boxster is expected sometime this year. But in a wildly hypothetical world, could you ever see yourself driving around in a three-cylinder Porsche Boxster?

Autocar via Green Car Advisor

Inside Line: 2011 Porsche Boxster Turbo Exclusive Spy Video and Photos

Categories: Convertibles,Future Vehicles,Green Tech,Porsche

"And then there's the beautifully nerdy flappy paddle gearchange..."

Then, watch The Stig lap the Lexus LFA on the wet Top Gear test track after the jump.

First Drive: 2011 Lexus LFA

2011 Lexus LFA: 10 Things You Don't Know About the Supercar

Lexus_Europe Twitter, Autoblog

Continue reading Video: Top Gear's Hammond Tests the 2011 Lexus LFA.

Categories: Celebrities,Future Vehicles,Lexus,Sports Cars

BimmerPost has laid out what is apparently the 2010 product plan for BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce on its 5 Series forum. The source of the information is said to be "Scott26/7," who is in turn said to be "BMW's inside man."

Said insider expects the face-lifted E92 BMW 3 Series coupe to turn up at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in both regular and M3 form. The F10 5 Series sedan will also be there, along with a concept Active Hybrid 5 Series sedan. In addition, the production Mini crossover, previewed in Detroit's Beachcomber, is said to be on the unveil list as well.

This also seems plausible enough, as does the suggestion that a long-wheelbase 5 Series sedan will debut the following month in Shanghai.

From there, it gets a bit murkier, with the source suggesting a Motorsport 1 Series will turn up sometime this winter, taking the name 1 Series Super Sport. We've heard this rumor before, but BMW officials told us in September 2009 that there was no truth to it.

For the 2010 Paris Auto Show, the plan shows the unveiling of a "production," leasable version of the BMW Concept ActiveE, as well as a nearly production-ready coupe version of the Rolls-Royce Ghost, the 201EX concept. In late November, the source expects the world debut of second-generation 6 Series coupe.

A U.S. debut for the 2011 BMW X1 could come at the 2010 LA Auto Show, according to the source. Interestingly, the source is mum on the status of the redesigned BMW X3. Last we heard, its U.S. launch date had been pushed back, but it's still expected to hit dealers this summer.

Finally, among the assorted concepts we may see this year could be a visionary look into the third-generation Mini Cooper. The concept could be carbon fiber and is said to take the Cooper's "lightness" to new heights. The third-gen Mini Cooper will go on sale in 2013, says the source.

5Post.com

Categories: BMW,Coupes,Crossovers,Future Vehicles,Luxury Cars,MINI,Rolls-Royce,Sedans,Wagons

In mid-December, Inside Line broke the story that Mercedes will start selling a true C-Class coupe in 2011, and now we have the first image of what that coupe might look like.

We expect the C-Class coupe to be a hardtop like Benz's CL- and E-Class coupes. But some feel a low $30Ks price point will force Mercedes to use fixed rear side glass as on the BMW 1 Series coupe, sure to be the Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe's chief rival.

Engines for the Benz coupe will include a direct-injected version of the company's 3.5-liter V6, along with a smaller-displacement V6 with twin turbochargers capable of over 300 horsepower. We've also heard a hybrid version with a smaller, normally aspirated V6. And there's no reason Benz's new 5.5-liter turbo V8 wouldn't fit in an AMG version.

Given these preliminary details, which will you take -- C-Class coupe or 1 Series coupe?

IL News: 2011 Mercedes C-Class Coupe Revealed

Categories: BMW,Coupes,Mercedes-Benz

Santa brought a new Mini Cooper for some deserving resident of Amsterdam, and after it was unwrapped, the box was placed at the curb for garbage pick-up. Right? Or is this just an ad campaign? Or is this installation art worthy of an avant garde art gallery?

Creative Criminals via Autoblog

Categories: MINI,Trends

We're not sure we dig the idea of a contrasting T/A hood scoop or a "Go-Wing" deck spoiler, but getting a Dodge Challenger with a T-grip shifter cap for the automatic transmission does strike as kind of cool. All these items are part of a couple new appearance groups for 2010 Challenger SE and R/T models.

The exterior touches also include strobe stripes down the side of the Challenger, plus the 20-inch "heritage" wheels shown here. All together, these items cost $1,995. More reasonable is the interior package ($945), which also bundles metal-trimmed pedals and door sill guards, along with a full car cover.

Continue reading New Appearance Package for Dodge Challenger Includes T-Grip Shifter.

Categories: Chrysler,Coupes,Dodge

Saab enthusiasts will converge near General Motors' Renaissance Center headquarters in Detroit on Tuesday to urge GM to save Saab by selling the company intact -- presumably to Spyker. Spyker CEO Victor Muller has said that January 7 is the deadline to work out a purchase deal.

The diehards plan to meet at the Ren Center food court for lunch at noon and then congregate in a public lot at the corner of Atwater and St. Antoine at 1 p.m. on Jan. 5. Consider that an open invitation if you're in Detroit and upset over the drawn-out death of the troubled Swedish automaker.

Saab History

Categories: Auto Industry,General Motors,Saab

Here's a new TV commercial for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and uh, Ram that starts airing today. Rose Bowl viewers will be the first to see it. There are some cool old vehicles in this ad, but just one new one, the 2010 Chrysler 300.

The 300 is definitely one of the better-looking, better-driving models in the current line, but this commercial lacks specificity and focus. It's part of a new "Coming Home" ad campaign borne out of corporate, and dealers', concern that "consumers do not realize that Chrysler Group has emerged from bankruptcy and is now a different company with a new alliance partner and a healthy product plan."

The ad agency, Fallon, is obviously trying to appeal to the emotions here, but we contend that what "consumers" would really like to see from Chrysler-Fiat are some of those healthy new products that have been promised.

Categories: Chrysler,Dodge,Jeep