Category Archives: Auto Talk
@ComplexMag’s Guide To The Cars In Eminem’s “8 Mile”
8 Mile was and still is a huge movie for the hip-hop culture, and what would it be without some dope cars! The movie used a huge variety of vehicles from the Ford Mustang to the Oldsmobile Delta to the Plymouth Acclaim, and as usual, Complex went in and broke down a majority of the whips for you. Check out their guide below.
Auto Talk: Maserati preparing assault on Porsche 911 with new mid-engined GranSport
If you’ve gotten used to Maserati being centered around two model lines – GranTurismo and Quattroporte – based on the same platform, get ready to broaden your horizons as the Modenese automaker does the same. Maserati has a vast array of new products in the pipeline, including a pair of new sedans and a new SUV set to be built in Detroit, plus production of the 4C sportscar for sister-company Alfa Romeo. And now reports are emerging that its long-rumored plans to take on the Porsche 911 with a new sportscar are coming to fruition.
Auto Talk: Dodge Dart will hit 41 MPG with available Aero Package
The Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t released its evaluation data for the 2013 Dodge Dart just yet, but Chrysler says the compact should be capable of returning some impressive fuel economy figures, particularly with an available Aero package. When equipped with the turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a manual transmission, the standard Dart is good for an estimated 27 mpg city and 39 mpg highway, thanks in part to active aero shutters nestled in the grille of every model.
Auto Talk: BMW unveils armada of vehicles for London Olympics
Sponsoring most events is pretty straightforward for any company: fork over the right sum of cash and you’re the new official automaker/timekeeper/jelly donut of whatever the event is. But for BMW, its status as Official Automotive Partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games is a bit more complicated.
Auto Talk: Lotus custom channels the Esprit of Ayrton Senna
These days it seems like the dream of a new Lotus Esprit is getting nothing but further away, while the troubled company responsible for it applies the classic black and gold livery to everything it produces – and many things produced by others. But there was a time when the original Esprit was a mechanical wonder to behold, and the JPS livery was championed by arguably the greatest driver who ever lived.
Auto Talk: Mercedes could reclaim No. 2 luxury spot from Audi by 2015
A report by the Center of Automotive Research at the university of Duisburg-Essen in Germany has revealed that Mercedes-Benz, currently the number three luxury carmaker, could move up to number two in 2015, Automotive News reported. Mercedes owned the second slot until last year, when Audi overtook it. BMW has held the lead in the luxury market since 2005.
Auto Talk: Chevy Corvette headed to South Korea
As of this month, South Koreans will be able to get themselves into a Corvette bought at their local Chevrolet dealer. General Motors wants to get more people in more lands behind the wheel of its icon to offset declining sales numbers here at home, and South Korea is an easier target for the moment because of the free trade agreement recently ratified between that country and the U.S.
Auto Talk: Car buyers falling back in love with manual transmissions
From the headlines-we-never-expected-to-see file: “Stick shifts popular again…” Yes, we thought manual transmissions were on their deathbed, what with every carmaker bemoaning low take rates and reports that Volkswagen has decided to do away with them in both its Audi R8 sports car and throughout the range of Lamborghini models. But lo and behold, it seems that manuals accounted for 6.5 percent of new vehicle sales during the first quarter this year, the highest take rate since 2006, according to Edmunds.com numbers cited by USA Today.
Auto Talk: Aston Martin to offer Ultimate Edition before replacing the DBS
In the earlier part of the last decade, the king of the Aston Martin hill was a model called the Vanquish. More muscular than the DB7 it superseded, the Vanquish was offered first with a 450-horsepower V12, and then as the Vanquish S with 514 hp on tap. The flagship model from Newport Pagnell was replaced in 2007 by the DBS, but before it went the way of the proverbial dodo, Aston offered a final run of 40 examples called the Vanquish S Ultimate Edition. And now that its successor is itself due for replacement, sources expect Aston to offer a DBS Ultimate Edition, as well.
Auto Talk: Morgan 3 Wheeler coming to three dealers in the States
We knew the Morgan 3 Wheeler was coming to America, we just didn’t know when or how. The skinny, according to a report on Inside Line, is that the 3 Wheeler will be sold through three U.S. dealerships beginning later this year. One of those dealers will be Liberty, the Seattle company that got this whole thing started by designing the prototype – Morgan then bought Liberty and used it to develop the production model.
