Europe Cars & Trucks News

Filed under: Wagons/Estates, Chrysler, Dodge

According to The Detroit News, Chrysler’s product-cutting plan is all but official. The first three models on the chopping block, according to the newspaper’s unnamed sources, are the Magnum, Pacifica and the PT Cruiser. The next round could include the Jeep Commander if it doesn’t get its act together.

Sales on the first three models were down as much as 32% through September, and the company’s new boss, Bob Nardelli, isn’t in a playing-around mood. Company insiders have told the Det News that Nardelli is taking very close looks at the current lineup and isn’t exactly thrilled. Supposedly, Dodge’s Dakota and Avenger and Chrysler’s Sebring are also feeling the Nardelli heat. The newspaper quotes Nardelli as saying, “I’m not a designer, but I’m a consumer,” he said. “Rather than deny some of the (negative) reports that are out there you kind of embrace them and say, what do we want to do to take our vehicle from where it is to where consumers want it to be?”

So how many of you reading that actually said out loud, “It’s about damned time!” Nardelli sounds like a guy who doesn’t mess around, who seems to know his company’s products aren’t up to snuff, and who’s willing to do just about anything to fix them. Sebring and Avenger aren’t exactly blockbuster designs, and if Chrysler must amputate them to stay alive, we say go for it.

We hate to see wagons disappear from the domestics’ lineup again, but overall, this is a good sign and we can’t wait to see what Nardelli does with future offerings.

By the way, Mr. Nardelli. Can we nominate the Aspen and Compass for some critical evaluation, too? Thanks.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Thanks, Mike, for the tip!

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Filed under: Aftermarket

Centric Parts just added another performance feather to their high end brake cap. The company that already leads the replacement brake and clutch market just picked up Power Performance Group, Inc. and its Power Slot brake company. After already adding StopTech last year, this makes Centric one of the most fromidable brake suppliers in the States. For those that don’t know, StopTech is the supplier for the Callaway C16 Speedster and the upcoming Lexus IS-F, even though Brembo is usually credited. We also recently covered StopTech as the first company to offer a continuous fiber carbon ceramic upgrade.

Full press release after the jump.

Continue reading Centric adds Power Slot to brake family

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Welcome to Auto Trader’s Videos of the Week. Over the past seven days, we’ve brought you some classic motoring clips from the web, from the funny to the plain unbelievable.

Adrian Hearn rounds up the footage you loved the most.

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The Top Gear team have descended on London’s Earls Court with a host of madness, mayhem and over £27 million worth of machinery up their sleeves at the MPH ‘07 show, which kicks off tomorrow.

Top Gear hosts Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May will unleash their bravado and play host to a number of live stunts including car chases, crashes and explosions.

Vijay Pattni previews the show.

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Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green

Look, over at AutoblogGreen, we know there are people who really dig biodiesel (Willie Nelson, Darryl Hannah, etc.), but we didn’t know there’d be folks so desperate for the fuel they’d steal two trucks full of it from a small biodiesel station in Texas.

We also knew - but now understand better - just how smart Car Talk’s Click and Clack are: they’re unafraid to call for 35 mpg standard for new CAFE rules and rip the industry a few new ones in the process. Nice.

• More on Click and Clack and CAFE - and Halloween!
• New DC-DC converter promises to increase efficiency of hybrids
• Video of Project Better Place’s battery exchange system
• Three major car rental agencies announce CO2 offset program
• Lithium ion Japanese tram recharges in <1 minute
• Click and Clack say 35 mpg limit is just right for new CAFE standards - and rip the industry a few new ones
• How to raise your ZENN NEV’s speed limit to 35 - but check the caveats
• In the future, everyone will live in parking lots
• Desperate for biodiesel? Would you steal two trucks full of it?
• Video: Minneapolis mayor drives a plug-in Prius
• EPIC goes to grade school for “How Ethanol Is Made” video
• No new speed restrictions on Germany’s autobahn, at least for now
• Wal-Mart gets ready to reduce emissions, waste and operating costs
• Nissan could follow Toyota’s lead and give high end hybrids to Infiniti
• When is carsharing not carsharing? When its Thrifty’s “hourly rental”

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Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA, Trucks/Pickups, Ford

click above image to view more high-res photos of the DeBerti Super-Duty

Earlier we showed you a preview of three Super Duty trucks that Ford’s brought to SEMA, and we hunted down the DeBerti version to see just how low they could get an F-450. This ground scraping pickup has a Dallas Smith Axleless Lo-Floor front-wheel drive conversion that puts the rear low enough to easily drive a motorcyle up onto the bed. Ford even put a motorcycle into the Deep-V bed to demonstrate its utility. It was by far one of the most popular vehicles in the company’s display, which unfortunately made it hard to get photos. Still, with some patient waiting we snapped a gallery for your viewing pleasure.

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Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Minivans/MPVs, Nissan

Click image to enlarge

Nissan has a new family-hauler concept lined up for the upcoming Detroit Auto Show called the FORUM. The vannish machine boasts trackless sliders, no B-pillar and maybe hints at what’s in store for car buyers when the current Quest ultimately runs its course. In addition to the sketch you see above, Nissan made the world’s shortest press release available. In fact, it’s so short, we’re not even going to bother putting it after the jump. Here it is:

Nissan FORUM Concept Set For 2008 NAIAS Debut

LAS VEGAS (Oct. 30, 2007) - Nissan’s exploration of the next generation of family transportation, the Nissan FORUM Concept, offers distinctive styling with innovations including trackless sliding doors and no B-pillars. Created at Nissan Design America, the FORUM Concept makes its public debut at the 2008 North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.

Seriously, it would’ve been just as effective to have it simply say, “This is the FORUM. It’ll be in Detroit.” Anyway, we’ll be in Detroit too, and we’ll tell you all about it then.

[Source: Nissan]

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, Tuners, Coupes, Mercedes Benz

click above pic to view more images of the Kleeman GTK Concept

Well-known Mercedes tuner Kleemann has released the first official rendering of its own car, an in-house production called the Kleemann GTK. The carbon fiber skin is wrapped around an SLK body, and the design language is “based on the unique Kleemann design code of elegance and simplicity acknowledging the Nordic design traditions of simple and organic shapes.” That apparently means a Reventon (again with the Reventon) snout, a Castagna Aznom front fender treatment, and sharper SLK lines from the A-pillar back.

The GTK is actually based on the SLK 55, and gets a Kleemann Kompressor system, 20-inch Kleeman wheels and 8-piston Kleemann brakes in front and 4-piston out back. That “kompressor” means the little roadster puts 540 HP and 516 lb-ft through its 7-speed auto box. Twenty-inch Kleeman rims ride rubber slivers called Toyo T1-R tires designed specifically for the car. According to Kleemann, it gets to six-oh in 3.7 seconds and runs up to 180+ MPH. Kleemann isn’t going to do mass production, so for those of you with the means (lots), place your call now.

[Source: Kleemann]

Continue reading Mercedes tuner Kleemann drops GTK Concept

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Filed under: Concept Cars, SEMA, Crossovers/CUVs, Kia

Click for some live shots of the latest version of Kia’s Soul concept

Today in Las Vegas, Kia COO Len Hunt told us that the production Kia Soul we’ll be getting before too long will look almost exactly like the updated concept they showed us here today at SEMA. It also happens to look a lot like the spy shots we showed you last month. In case you forgot, Kia introduced the Soul crossover at the 2006 Detroit Auto Show. The camo-covered production version has been spotted in the Detroit area not far from the Hyundai-Kia Tech Center. The production version looks like it sticks pretty close to the concept on the outside. The main visual differences are the rear suicide doors being replaced with conventional types and frames around the side glass. The shape of the vehicle with the slight downward sloping roof-line and the boxy front remains true to form. We’ll probably see this one make its public debut during the coming auto show season, perhaps as soon as the Detroit Auto Show in January.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Garage, SEMA, Tuners, Chevrolet, GM

With 19 magazine covers and a starring role in Hollywood Nights, Popular Hotrodding’s Project X is the classic hotrod. Since 1965 it’s been modified constantly, but GM wanted to take a shot at the vehicle it had created 50 years ago. The General started with a 427 crate engine, and added parts from production models like the C6 Corvette and even the Chevy Colorado. Seats come from the Cadillac STS, a new center cluster was added, and the giant steering wheel from a 1963 Impala SS rounds out the interior. We were there for the live unveil of the updated four-wheeled legend, and you can view some of the action by clicking play on the video above.

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