Dodge Bids Farewell to Caliber Crossover and Nitro SUV

The end of 2011 brings about the death of two much-criticized Dodge models, the Caliber crossover and the Nitro SUV, both of which were conceived and developed during the time Mercedes-Benz's parent company Daimler reigned over the Chrysler Group.

The last examples of the Caliber and Nitro models rolled off Chrysler's Belvidere, Illinois and Toledo North assembly plants respectively this month.

Introduced in 2006, the Caliber was designed to replace the Neon in the same fashion that Nissan tried to win the European C-segment (think VW Golf) with the Qashqai crossover, but without the same success.

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Carscoop’s A-to-Z Guide to the 2012 Detroit Motor Show

Every year, the first major international auto show takes place on American soil: it’s the North American International Auto Show, or NAIAS as it is more commonly known, and it’s located right in the heart of the U.S. automotive industry, Detroit.

It’s only natural, therefore, for domestic manufacturers to display their newest models at the Motor City.

Among other presentations, Ford will unveil its new Fusion global mid-size sedan that will be sold as the Mondeo in other parts of the world including Europe, while Cadillac is already releasing spoilers of the brand new 2013 ATS and so is Dodge, which will introduce the first product of the Fiat-Chrysler collaboration, the Alfa Giulietta-based 2013 Dart compact sedan.

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Honda Wants to Make its Cars Lighter, N BOX City Car is the First Example

It’s true that the majority of new vehicles tend to be heavier than the ones they replace, even if their dimensions remain similar. Most of the times, the reason is that manufacturers try to improve their vehicle's safety credentials and comfort amenities with a negative impact on weight and fuel consumption.

Now this trend seems to be reversing, albeit at a slow pace. For example, Peugeot’s new supermini, the 208, is lighter than its predecessor, the 207.

According to business daily newspaper Nikkei, Honda will soon join the pack as it plans to change its design and assembly methods to reduce its vehicles’ weight without making any compromises in safety or comfort features.

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Audi: The Low-Down on the R8's Upcoming Facelift and 2014 Replacement

The first true supercar to be created by Audi, the R8, has won universal praise thanks to its handling, quality, every day usability and, in the V10-equipped model, performance numbers.

Despite the fact that it wouldn’t seem out of place if it were launched today, the truth is that Audi’s mid-engined wonder is already five years old, having been introduced in 2006.

Therefore, its replacement is already being developed and is due in 2014, with the open-top Spyder model to follow the next year.

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Let There be Light: LEDs to Trickle Down to More Mainstream Models

It wasn’t too long ago when LED (light-emitting diodes) lights were a feature one could only find in the top end premium cars. Today, they have become cheap enough to be produced in large quantities and as a result, are storming the car market.

LEDs are much more energy-efficient than conventional halogen bulbs because they do not generate light from heat. For example, a Visteon-designed LED headlight for a Bentley requires only 15 watts for the low beam, whereas an equivalent halogen bulb needs 65 watts to do the same job. They last longer as well; about 10,000 hours or 10 times longer than a halogen unit.

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BMW M5's Project Leader Says V8 has Few Things in Common with X5M and X6M Engine

Like its predecessors, the new 2013 BMW M5, which received its public debut at the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show, is based on the regular 5-Series sedan with some subtle exterior modifications but a whole lot of changes under the skin.

Now, some may think that BMW's M Gmbh performance division simply took a 5-Series sedan, beefed it up a bit and shoehorned the twin-turbo V8 found in the X5 M and X6 M SUVs under it's hood. However, Maximillian Ahme, the man that led the M5's development team, says that's not the case.

In an interview with the BMW M magazine, Ahme shed some light on the development and the unique features of the latest M5 super saloon.

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J.D. Power Says 2011 U.S. New Car Sales to Reach 12.7 Million, 2012 to be Even Better

The economy may not be at its best, but new car sales in the States keep on rising. J.D. Power and Associates and LMC Automotive said on Thursday that U.S. auto sales in December are expected to top 13 million on an annual rate for the fourth consecutive month.

"For the third straight time, light-vehicle sales are posting strong selling rates at the close of the year", said LMC Senior Vice President Jeff Schuster.

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Auto Avio Costruzioni Tunes Second Alfa 159, Battle with Ferrari Continues

If you are a frequent Carscoop reader, you may recall a story that we wrote in October about Laurent Muller, the man who bought the rights to the Auto Avio Costruzioni trademark in 2004.

Muller’s original goal was to build a supercar based on the Ferrari 430, but with a V12 engine instead of the production version’s eight-cylinder unit.

However, as soon as he announced his plans in 2008, Ferrari filed a lawsuit against him claiming that it still owned the rights to the Auto Avio Costruzioni name, as it was used by Enzo Ferrari for a short period after leaving Alfa Romeo and before founding the car company that carries his name.

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GM Touts Recovery of Stolen Chrysler 300 Thanks to its OnStar FMV

Detroit's "Big Three" never miss the chance to take a dig at each other when the opportunity arises. And for General Motors, the opportunity came with the recovery of a stolen 2006 Chrysler 300 that was equipped with the firm's OnStar FMV [For My Vehicle] in-car wireless communication system.

This is the first recorded case of a non-GM vehicle fitted with the aftermarket mirror, which encompasses the OnStar system, that was stolen and recovered by the police since the company introduced it into the market earlier this spring.

"OnStar advisors typically assist in the recovery of more than 500 stolen General Motors’ vehicles each month, but helping to recover a competitor's stolen vehicle is a new undertaking," GM said in a statement.

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The Aftermath of Utah Man's Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster Crash [Videos]

David Dopp earned his fifteen minutes of fame (or is that shame?) after he trashed a $380,000 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster, only six-hours after he received the keys to the Italian supercar that he had won in a Maverik "Joe Schmo to Lambo" contest.

The story has been making headlines all over the world this week, and now we have some video footage of the aftermath from KSL and CNN.

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Volkswagen Disables Blackberry Emails After Work Hours to Protect the Well Being of its Employees

For sure, it's not something you hear very often these days, and especially in the corporate world, yet the Volkswagen Group has agreed to give 1,154 employees in Germany some peace of mind at home by stopping stop its Blackberry servers sending emails after normal work hours and weekends.

The move comes after several VW employees complained that the line between work and home had become more and more blurred, while the problem of over exhaustion from work has made headlines in Germany following the recent resignation of Bundesliga football coach Ralf Rangnick, who was diagnosed with fatigue syndrome, and is said to have suffered from a psychological burn-out.

Under the deal that the VW Group made with the works council, the company will stop its e-mail server from routing messaging traffic to the German employees that are covered by collective labor agreements, 30 minutes after their shift has ended and resume 30 minutes before it starts again in the morning.

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Rumors: Kia Insiders Say GT RWD Sedan Could be Joined by Coupe and Sport Wagon

Kia's ascent from an inexpensive maker of bland products to a company that aspires to compete with the heavy weights in the mainstream segments continues with the South Korean firm now planning to introduce its first-ever rear-wheel drive model based on the GT concept we saw at the Frankfurt Motor Show this past September.

But the sedan model, which is expected to make its appearance in production form as early as 2013, may not be alone if we are to believe a report from Edmunds' Insideline.

Citing company insiders, the report says that Kia is also considering adding an even sportier two-door coupe version as well as a more practical station wagon model to the range of the production GT.

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China May Overtake Germany as World’s Number 2 Luxury Car Market This Year

Despite being the world’s biggest car market, China ranks third in the luxury segment, trailing both the U.S. and Germany. Analysts, however, predict that this is about to change soon; in fact, it could even happen at the end of 2011.

According to a report from Bloomberg, Jenny Gu, an analyst at research company LMC Automotive, estimated that the number of luxury cars sold in China in 2011 may reach 939,000 units, surpassing Germany’s estimate of 914,000 sales.

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Transport Secretary LaHood Does Not Support NTSB Campaign for Hands-Free Calls Ban

Texting while driving is certainly not a very clever move – that’s why it’s been banned in 35 states in America already. Speaking on a handheld cellphone ranks a close second, since it distracts the driver and makes steering the vehicle more difficult.

Transport Secretary Ray LaHood is campaigning against distracted driving – and in that he has the support of car manufacturers, too. On the other hand, NTSB, a safety board, wants to ban all cell phone use while driving, including those made using hands-free devices.

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Utah Man Wins Lamborghini Murcielago in Contest, Crashes it 6 Hours Later [Videos]

There are many reasons why only rich people buy supercars: it’s not just the price but the cost of living with, or repairing, one. It’s a risk any second-hand car buyer is taking, as our earlier story about a HUGE Ferrari F355 engine repair bill proves.

On the other hand, if someone actually offered you a supercar, let’s say a Lamborghini, for free would you actually turn it down? Of course not; you’d just grab the keys, buckle up in the driver’s seat and fire up the engine.

Well, that’s exactly what happened to David Dopp, a 34-year old truck driver living in Santaquin, a town of 9,000 residents near Salt Lake City, Utah. He won a US$358,000 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster in a “Joe Schmo to Lambo” contest that was sponsored by Maverik convenience stores.

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Hyundai America Nabs BMW Designer Christopher Chapman

If there's one thing that Hyundai and Kia can lay claim to, is that both companies eventually understood the importance of design and made significant efforts to improve the styling of their vehicles in the past few years.

To achieve their goal, the Koreans didn't hesitate to bring in experienced designers from other brands, with the most notable transfer being that of Peter Schreyer from Audi who took over and revolutionized Kia's design language.

The South Korean group continues to inject its brands with foreign designers, with its latest hire being Christopher Chapman of former BMW fame. Chapman was named chief designer of the Hyundai Design Center in Irvine, California, and will be responsible for new vehicle and concept design for Hyundai.

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Toyota Forecasts 24% Rise in 2012 Production, Wants to Reclaim First Place in Global Sales

The many disruptions in production following the March earthquake in Japan and October’s Thai floods seriously hurt Toyota's profitability and production capability. Total sales for 2011 (excluding Daihatsu and Hino) are expected to reach 7.05 million units, which puts Toyota in third place overall behind General Motors and VW.

Japan’s number one car manufacturer, though, is readying a comeback to reclaim the throne it held since 2008 as soon as possible – which means, next year.

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Saab North America Appoints Outside Administrator, Searches for Ways to Honor Warranties

All those months that the Saab saga was unfolding before our eyes, the Swedish carmaker’s North American operations were excluded from any deal or restructuring plan.

Now the parent company is seemingly closing shop after Monday’s filing for bankruptcy and the appointment of two receivers who, unless something dramatic occurs, will oversee the company’s liquidation.

Saab Cars North America wants to avoid being declared bankrupt or liquidated. Therefore its Chief Operating Officer, Tim Colbeck, announced on Wednesday, December 21, that the company has appointed McTevia & Accociates, a specialist in corporate turnarounds, as an outside administrator.

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Cadillac Recalls 2010 and 2011 SRX Due to Transmission Problems

An improperly installed transmission shift cable is the cause for GM's latest recall action that affects 15,817 Cadillac SRX crossovers worldwide, of which 8,789 units were sold in the United States.

The affected 2010 and 2011 model year Cadillac SRX vehicles were built from October 26, 2008, through June 23, 2011.

General Motors said that it became aware of the problem when it received a customer letter on June 22, 2011, alleging unintended vehicle motion in a 2011 SRX as the customer attempted to shift between Park and Drive and then back to Park.

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Consumer Reports Gives the Honda Civic Si a “Recommended” Rating

Just when Honda announced it is developing a revised Civic for the 2013MY that will be launched in the U.S. in late 2012, Consumer Reports, the publication that started the storm of negative publicity on Honda’s compact model, has awarded the Si version with a “Recommended” on its latest report.

CR still stands by its original verdict on the base 2012 Civic when it stated, “while other models like the Hyundai Elantra have gotten better after being redesigned, the Honda Civic has dropped so much that now it ranks near the bottom of its category.”

The difference is that the model tested this time is the sportier Si version fitted with the more powerful 2.4-liter engine. According to the test results, it earned a notably better score than the basic model and as a result, CR says it now recommends the Si.

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