What does the future have in store for BMW's high-performance M division? For starters, lots and lots of power, along with a smattering of light weight and plenty of cutting-edge technology. This all sounds familiar, but the rumored details coming out of Bimmerfile suggest that the 2011 BMW M5 would be nothing short of revolutionary.

Not surprisingly, we're told to expect a version of the twin-turbo V8 that currently powers the M division's hi-po X5 and X6 tallboys with somewhere around 570 horsepower and 500 pound-feet of torque. On top of those prodigious figures may very well be a Kenetic Energy Recovery hybrid setup to recapture wasted energy from braking. The stored power would be used to send an extra shot of power via an electric motor contained in the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The KERS power boost reportedly would be controlled by the driver with a Formula 1-style button on the steering wheel.

Further performance would be found by putting the next-gen 5 Series on a diet consisting of a chassis wrought completely in aluminum with carbon fiber used in various body panels and optionally on the roof. We look forward to finding out just how much of this rumormill material turns out to be accurate, and we'll know for sure in early 2011 when the next M5 is slated for introduction.

[Source: Bimmerfile]

AutoWeek has decided to let the cat get just a little bit further out of the bag this morning following last night's first bit of embargo breakage regarding the 2011 Ford Mustang GT and its 5.0-liter V8 engine. So, by now you've heard that the new powerplant puts out 412 ponies, or 83 horsepower-per-liter. Now, AW wants you to know it also offers up 390 pound-feet of torque and that peak power comes at a screaming 6,500 RPM.

The new powertrain combination will also return 25 miles per gallon, says AW. How does it manage this feat? With an aluminum engine block with cast cylinder sleeves and brand-new heads with four valves per cylinder, vertical intake ports and twin independent variable valve timing. Don't forget the tuned exhaust headers, a forged steel crankshaft with four-bolt main bearings plus new pistons and connecting rods.

And what about the transmission? Your choice of either the 6R80 automatic transmission or the MT82 six-speed manual. We now return you to your regularly-scheduled programming... until the next bit of embargo breakage, of course.



Photos by Drew Phillips / Copyright ©2009 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: AutoWeek]

Thanks to a loose-lipped Facebookian that couldn't help sharing insider information and a quick follow-up post from Inside Line, we can now confirm the return of the iconic 5.0-liter Mustang GT for 2011. Even better news is the fact that the Mustang GT's new mill will crank out an impressive 412 horsepower.

By way of comparison, the 2010 Chevy Camaro SS has a 6.2-liter V8 with as much as 422 horses when mated to a six-speed manual and the 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 has a 6.1-liter Hemi that offers 425 ponies. And remember, both of those rivals are considerably heavier than the Mustang.

As much as we'd like to unload more goods on the 2011 Mustang, you'll just have to wait until Ford's good and ready. Or someone blows another embargo, whichever comes first.



[Source: Inside Line]

Says Climax Cars of its Sports Racer, "We wanted to produce a radically different type of car that would be dramatically desirable as well as being an out-and-out enthusiast's car." Done and done. Consider us smitten. We love the classically British Jaguar-esque shape and will gladly park one in our Fantasy Garage in an appropriate shade of Racing Green.

This latest object of our desire (and we reserve the right to add to our lust list at any given time) packs up to 450 horsepower – courtesy of a supercharged 4.6-liter Ford Racing V8 – in a car that weighs just 1,999 pounds (907 kilograms). That's a power-to-weight ratio of... carry the one, move the decimal point... about 450 horsepower per ton! Acceleration, thy name is Climax Sports Racer.

Fully-adjustable double-wishbone suspension at all four corners, ceramic brakes and a six-speed sequential Graziano GT ME1 gearbox ought to ensure suitable track-day performance cred while the expected £92,000 (about $150,000) asking price undercuts the Ariel Atom V8 by £30,000 and the Caparo T1 by over £60,000. Only 200 are planned and there's no word on if there will ever be U.S. availability. Looks like we're moving to Britain.



[Source: Autocar]

In a none-too-shocking announcement, Chrysler announced plans to invest $179 million to convert its engine plant in Dundee, MI, from building the so-called World Engine to Fiat's 1.4-liter Fully Integrated Robotized Engine. Back in September, Chrysler bought out its former partners Hyundai and Mitsubishi so that it could utilize the Dundee facilities to build the new Multiair powerplants.

Both Chrysler and Fiat are likely to use powerplants built at the facility, with the first application being the diminutive Fiat 500 that's slated for North American production by the end of 2010. Fiat's Multiair technology is said to increase power by up to ten percent while offering a similar reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. Later, a turbocharged unit will be built at the plant that will offer V6-level power using 25 percent less fuel. Multiair technology will eventually be added to the rest of the Chrysler engine lineup, including the new Pentastar V6.

Chrysler promises that the Dundee plant will add 573 new jobs to the local economy including 155 directly at the Dundee plant for a single shift of engine production. That was enough to earn a series of incentives from the state of Michigan and tax credits from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Village of Dundee that could add up to $4.6 million over the next ten years. For more, click past the break for the dueling press releases from Chrysler.

[Source: Chrysler]

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Trend-setting. Far-reaching. Record-setting. In a word: Important. Use whatever descriptors you'd like, what we're looking at today are some of the most forward-thinking cars of the last decade.

Some of our choices are hugely successful in terms of sales while not being all that interesting or important to the advancement of the automobile. That's fine, we need those kinds of vehicles, and many of us drive them on a daily basis. There are other cars, though, that are so advanced, radical or just plain significant in their segment that other automakers sat up and took notice. These are the models we'll look back at in another ten years and remember as vehicular landmarks. To qualify for consideration, a car had to either be introduced between the year 2000 and 2009 or at least receive a major redesign during that time period.

Interestingly, this list was extremely difficult for us to agree upon. Some of our team members pushed very hard for models that ultimately didn't make the list while others argued vehemently that some of our choices didn't belong at all. Ultimately, we compiled a diverse list of vehicles for you to consider, and we think it's well worth taking the time to peruse.

Click either image (or here) to begin this journey through the decade that's just about to conclude. Have fun, and be sure to nominate your own choices in the comments section.



[Source Image: piterart | CC2.0]

It's no secret that General Motors' Chevrolet Volt song and dance (ignoring the obvious jokes here...) have brought the automaker's marketing department some much-deserved flack. In case you've been living under a rock for the past few days, we'll recap: GM commissioned a song to explain some of the finer points of how the Volt's high-tech powertrain functions and later decided to add a dance routine to the jingle and let it loose on an unsuspecting public at the LA Auto Show.

According to Green Car Reports, the song was initially written for kids aged seven to 12 years old but wasn't quite ready in time for GM to use it during presentations given to 120 schools. Instead, the decision was made to add an ill-fated dance routine just ahead of the LA Show's public access days. Making matters worse is news that former marketing head Bob Lutz originally wanted to borrow the song "Electric Car" from They Might Be Giants. We figure GM would have been much better off going that route.

As irritating as it may be, is the Chevy Volt Dance really that big of a deal? While we'd argue that it shouldn't be, the real answer apparently depends on whom you ask. Fox News seems to think it's pretty horrible and GM's latest recently-appointed head marketer Susan Docherty responded, "Our Chevrolet Volt advertising, marketing and go to market strategy will be as innovative as the car. We may have missed on this one, but we won't going forward." We agree... it's officially time to move on. (Unless you haven't seen the offending dance yet – and that's available for viewing after the jump).

[Sources: GM-Volt.com, Green Car Reports]

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Volkswagen and Suzuki won't waste anytime at all in getting started on their assorted joint projects. Well, unless you count the holidays, which we'll let slide. At the launch of the new Suzuki Alto, CEO Osama Suzuki told reporters that the newly tied-at-the-hip automakers will begin "Actual, detailed execution – with our people going there and their people coming here... after January."

That first project will be a new small car that will be sold in developing countries, which may or may not be outsourced from Suzuki's Indian Maruti operations and is rumored to cost between $4,300 and $5,400.

Volkswagen has much less experience in building small cars than Suzuki, which is a leader in Japan's tiny Kei car class, and in making money with such low prices.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

After a few years experimenting with 800cc engines in MotoGP, the Grand Prix Commission has just announced a switch back to 1000cc powerplants with the added caveat that they must have bore centers of 81 millimeters. These new regulations are set to go into effect for the 2012 racing season, and at least one small player is happy about the change. On the official MotoCzyst blog, Michael Czysz wrote:

The 2012 season is a great opportunity! MotoCzysz now has the base motorcycle, enough time and rules actually leaning a little in our favor – we could not ask for a better opportunity. Let's hope others feel the way I do. There is heavy lifting to be done but great things can be accomplished with many hands and the assistance of a few true believers.

It would seem that Czysz would have a leg up on the competition in getting a MotoGP platform ready for 2012 since the company's four-cylinder C1 was initially designed to compete in the 1000cc class. It's unclear at this point if MotoCzysz will continue developing its electric E1 platform or if it will focus all of its efforts on getting a bike on the MotoGP grid for 2012. Or, ya know, neither of the above.

[Source: MotoCzysz via Asphalt and Rubber]

Want a new Volkswagen Amarok pickup truck? Well then, now would be the time to let VW know about your interest. Speaking to our man Mike Levine at PickupTrucks.com, Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volkswagen of America, says that the automaker would need 100,000 takers per year in order to make any money on the Amarok here in the States.

That would be a daunting task for the automaker as the only non full-sized truck that sold that many units last year was the Toyota Tacoma (102,327 units), and the next highest seller was the the Great Grandaddy of the Compact Truck Segment, the Ford Ranger (just 51,097 units).

What's more, the compact truck market is declining, VW doesn't have many dealerships in truck-happy areas of the nation and the so-called "chicken tax" would add a 25% tariff to the Argentina-built Amarok. Add in the fact that Jacoby says there are more pressing vehicular needs that the German automaker needs to concentrate on. In other words... don't get your hopes up.



[Source: PickupTrucks.com]