Sedans/Saloons auto news

Video: Man creates DIY Lexus LS 400 convertible with Sawzall

We love four-door convertibles, reciprocating saws and watching other people make bad decisions, so the video seen here is a bit like our perfect YouTube cocktail. In it, the owner of a slammed Lexus LS decides he's had enough of living under the oppressive shadow of his sedan's roof. While at StanceWars Belgium 2012, he decides to fire up a generator, plug in his trusty sawzall and go to town. Not surprisingly, the sheetmetal on the roof gives up quickly, and the whole extraction takes less than eight minutes from start to finish.

Hilariously enough, it starts raining just as the owner makes the final cut. How's that for a sign from the universe? Scroll down to check out the carnage... just be prepared for the painful sound of shredded metal.

Continue reading Man creates DIY Lexus LS 400 convertible with Sawzall

Video: Ford Taurus SHO to feature in Men In Black 3

The Men in Black duo have upgraded their machinery for the third installment of the franchise, adding traffic-crushing monocycles, jet packs and a blacked-out Ford Taurus SHO to their transportation arsenal.

Ford is making the most of its hottest full-size sedan joining one of the summer's hottest blockbusters, airing a 30-second spot with footage from the film that will air during American Idol. But since much of the movie takes place in 1969, we'll be just as interested to see Josh Brolin's blacked-out '60s Ford sedan that has a few tricks it could teach the SHO.

Scroll down to see some videos, the first with SHO cameos, the second a movie clip entitled "Have these in the future?"

Continue reading Ford Taurus SHO to feature in Men In Black 3

Official: Toyota aims to put more "stock" into stock cars with 2013 NASCAR Camry

NASCAR may have once been a form of motorsport in which only domestic automakers competed. And that's largely still the case, with one notable exception: Toyota. The Japanese automaker faced some difficulty breaking into the Good Ol' Boys racing series, but though some purists may still malign it, Toyota is in NASCAR to stay. And this is its latest car.

"Based", in design anyway, on the latest Camry, the new stock car from Toyota Racing Development is set to compete in the Sprint Cup next season, alongside the new Ford Fusion (among other competitors from Dodge and Chevy). The result of "an aggressive redesign", the new racer was developed with input from the company's Calty Design studio to look more like the road-going Camry than ever before.

Yes, it does bear a resemblance to its road-going cousin, especially in the fascia. That said, it's still a composite body over a tube frame powered by a V8 engine driving the rear wheels. In other words, this is a Camry in name only.

Of course it doesn't hurt Toyota's case that the Camry is built in America with more American components than most "domestic" vehicles, and now the stock car looks more stock, too. Keep reading below for the full press release.

Continue reading Toyota aims to put more "stock" into stock cars with 2013 NASCAR Camry

Motorsports: Ford Racing unveils first livery of 2013 Fusion stock car

What's a fresh face worth? A lot when you're talking about NASCAR. Because the styling is about all that links a stock car to the production vehicle it's made to mirror. And for Ford, the latest is the new Fusion.

The Blue Oval automaker unveiled the race car "based" on the new Fusion back in January. But at the Roush Fenway Fan Day in Concord, North Carolina, this coming Thursday, fans will get their first chance to see the new stock car in full race livery.

The paint scheme in question bears the red and white colors of Motorcraft, Ford's spare parts division, as it will be raced by the Wood Brothers team in this year's Sprint Cup. But if you can't wait that long and aren't going to be near Concord this week, you can check out the full-size clay mock-up put together by the Ford Design Center in Dearborn in the pair of high-resolution images below.

Followup: Pricing added to 2013 Ford Fusion configurator

We've noticed that 2013 Ford Fusion configurator has been updated with dollar values for each of its four models, however, we're not so sure the pricing is that black-and-white. Ford has also updated the disclaimer at the bottom of the page, to read, "Prices and features are for survey purposes only and are subject to change and features may become unavailable at the time of vehicle introduction." In other words, don't get too fixated on the numbers, as they're not locked down yet. And by playing with the configurator, you're likely serving as a FoMoCo lab rat - after all, this is the company that never met a focus group it didn't like.

It's worth noting that Ford has not issued an official press release on pricing yet. But for now, it seems like the base Fusion S will start at $22,495, though we're not sure whether that includes destination or not. Stepping up to the SE at $24,490 will upgrade the steel wheels to alloys, add heated, lighted mirrors with turn signal indicators, and get you body color rocker panels. Inside, the SE has a power driver's seat and a better stereo, and backseat passengers get an armrest and their own HVAC ducts. The SE also allows you to order other stuff, including navigation and start/stop, or opt for a different engine than the base-spec 2.5-liter four-cylinder with automatic transmission.

The 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder is available with a manual or automatic on the SE for $25,290, while the start/stop-equipped version (automatic only) is $25,585. The 2.0-liter EcoBoost with automatic is $26,745 when ordered in SE trim. Ford lists a number of different packages and options, but they seem to be offered on a sliding scale, such that the packages are more expensive on the lower-priced models. For instance, the Luxury Package with leather and heated seats, among other equipment, is $1,505 on the 1.6-liter EcoBoost but only $1,050 on the 2.0-liter EcoBoost.

On the SE Hybrid, which starts at $27,995 and is equipped with a non-EcoBoost 2.0-liter four-cylinder and a CVT, the same Luxury Package is listed at $2,000. Apparently if you're saving all that money on gas, you can afford to pay double the guy with the most powerful engine.

At the top of the Fusion price list, of course, rests the Titanium, which offers a lot of the optional stuff standard for $30,995. It's also the only way to get all-wheel drive, which will set you back $32,995. Note that the Titanium is exclusively powered by the 2.0-liter EcoBoost and is not available with a manual, so you won't be configuring your Fusion as a dual-use weekend rally car.

But then again, Ford will likely change this all tomorrow.

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz S-Class ain't no bag lady

We've seen weirder camouflage. But despite the fact that this next-generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class prototype looks like it drove through a garbage bag warehouse, we now have a very clear glimpse at some of the new car's details - namely, the shapely front fascia.

Merc's new flagship takes many of its new design cues from the F700 concept that debuted back in 2007, specifically the larger, more upright grille and the redesigned headlamps that now incorporate LED running lights (just like what we've seen on the new SL and GL models). The big sedan's overall shape doesn't change too much from the car that's currently on sale, though things seem to be a little swoopier for this new generation.

Under the hood, we can expect Mercedes' latest engines to be on tap, including the 4.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 as well as some V6 options. Naturally, an AMG model will follow suit, likely using the new 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 in the S63 AMG.

Look for the redesigned S-Class to officially bow later this year.

Official: Buick Regal GS clocked at 162 mph [w/video]

According to General Motors, the Regal GS is officially the fastest Buick ever made. The sedan's lead development engineer, Bill Rietow, and powertrain drive quality engineer, John Townsend, did their part to support the assertion when they ran the Regal GS in the Nevada Open Road Challenge. The event isn't about all-out speed, but about a driver finishing the course in a pre-set time. It has speed-limited and wide-open sections, and during one flat-out phase the Regal GS hit 162 miles per hour.

The same pair took Most Accurate Rookie honors last year in the 120-mph class, so this year they jumped to the top-tier 135-mph class. They finished second, four-tenths shy of their 40-minute target time over the 90-mile course. Scroll down to see the engineers talking about the course and the car, and for a press release on the achievement.

Continue reading Buick Regal GS clocked at 162 mph [w/video]

Confirmed: Next BMW M3 returning to inline six-cylinder engine

BMW M3 purists, rejoice. According to F30Post.com, BMW's North American boss, Ludwig Willisch, has confirmed that the next-generation M3 will be powered by an inline six-cylinder engine. That's right, the V8 is dead and the rumors of a possible V6 have officially been squashed.

To wit, Willisch told F30Post.com that a V6 was under consideration for quite some time, and the original thought was to use a chopped version of the S65 4.0-liter V8 found in the current car. But plans for a V-configuration have indeed been ruled out, and all that's left to speculate on is exactly how much help the new inline-six will get from forced induction.

In order to be more powerful than the current M3, no less than two turbochargers will likely be bolted to the new six-cylinder powerplant. In fact, we've even heard rumors of a tri-turbo setup being engineered for use in the M3. In any case, expect about 450 horsepower to be on tap.

Report: Chinese-market Land Rover Freelander and Range Rover Evoque to use Chery engines?

A couple of developments on the recent Jaguar/Land Rover joint venture are being reported in Chinese media based on a report in China's Economic Daily News. The 130,000-capacity factory planned for Jiangsu is epected to mint its first vehicle in 2014, with numbers given for the breakdown so far as: 43,000 Land Rover Freelander 2s, 34,000 Range Rover Evoque models (called the Aurora in China) and, according to Google Translate, "the joint venture brand vehicles of 23,000 Jaguar sedan."

We're not sure if that really means 23,000 Jags will be made, since that would be a six-fold multiplier of Jaguar's 2011 sales in China. The quoted Land Rover production would only be doubling its sales tally from 2011, even though the brand's sales were up 105 percent in Q1 of this year. There will be a separate joint-venture brand created between JLR and Chery as well, so that could be a part of it. Futher on, the plan is for the plant to expand to a capacity of 250,000 units.

More interestingly, the locally-made engines will be JLR's 3.0-liter V6 alongside two Chery motors, a 1.6-liter TGDI turbo and a 2.0-liter TGDI, with plans to "gradually introduce" the Chery engines into the Land Rovers. JLR engineers are said to be moving to China to continue joint development of the TGDI motors, which has apparently been ongoing. Until those are ready, JLR will import its 240-horsepower, 2.0-liter motor.

The report in China's 163.com is also interesting for the regulatory and business context it provides on the joint venture, with government rules mandating the minimum amount of investment and the establishment of R&D centers. The tie-up is said to be a boon to Chery's fortunes in light of the assertion that Chery's "operating conditions are not ideal" and that getting the "core technology" for its own brands had "become the top priority of the project approval." Official approval of the JV is expected later this year.

Official: 2013 BMW M5 configurator revs up

With a starting MSRP of $90,695, the 2013 BMW M5 is spendy to begin with. But loading it up with all the trimmings, you'll see a sticker price north of $116,000. And we know this because we just spent a few minutes playing with the M5 configurator, which is now live on the BMW consumer website.

While we're not really that shocked by the price, we are kind of confused by the M5's color palette. While mainstays like Monte Carlo Blue Metallic and Alpine White are there, you cannot have an M5 in red - Sakhir Orange Metallic will have to do if you're the flamboyant type. If you're into earth tones, however, BMW has you covered, with five silver and gray tones, three shades of black, and two browns.

When it comes to options and packages, there's all kinds of way to drop several thousand dollars at the tick of a box, including an Executive Package that bundles together a bunch of stuff you probably don't need - active front seats, heated rear seats, sunshades, soft-close automatic doors, yada, yada, yada - and charges you $5,500 for it. It makes the Driver Assistance Package with lane departure warning and blind spot detection seem like a steal at just $1,900. A night vision system with pedestrian detection ($2,600), a head-up display ($1,300), and a rear-seat entertainment system ($2,200) are also offered, though the best piece of optional kit is one BMW isn't charging for: a manual transmission.

Check out all 14 exterior M5 colors in our gallery.