Infiniti to Debut Running Emerg-E Prototype and Bentley a Surprise Model at the Goodwood Festival

It might not be a show in the traditional sense, but that isn't stopping carmakers from debuting new models at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed, taking place in Britain from June 28 to July 1.

Today we learn that Infiniti will perform the world premiere of the first running prototype of the UK-designed and built range-extender supercar concept, the Emerg-E, which premiered in static form at this year's Geneva Motor Show in March.

In fact, the Emerg-E will do more than show up as it will participate in the famed Goodwood hill climb alongside other cars including the Renault Alpine A110-50 Concept.

"The Festival of Speed crowds will be seeing EMERG-E in action for the first time ever, even before many of Infiniti's top executives have seen it," commented Jerry Hardcastle, Infiniti Global Chief Marketability Engineer.

The Emerg-E features a hybrid drivetrain comprising two electric motors, a lithium-ion battery pack, four inverters and a three-cylinder gasoline engine that works as a range extender for a combined output of 300kW (402HP) and zero to 60mph (100km/h) sprint time of around 4.0 seconds.

The prototype will be joined by the Infiniti FX Vettel Edition which will be driven up the hill by none other than F1 champ Sebastian Vettel.

In related news, Bentley said an "exciting new model" will make its international debut at the 2012 Goodwood Festival of Speed, but did not elaborate further. There's a good chance, however, that the British brand will debut a new or updated model from the Continental series.

Also on show will be the company's EXP 9 F SUV concept that will make its UK premiere at Goodwood. 

Via carscoop

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NHTSA Upgrades and Expands Fuel-Tank Fire Probe of Jeep Models to 5.1 Million Units

A federal investigation regarding the fuel tank integrity of the 1993-2004MY Jeep Grand Cherokee has been upgrade to an Engineering Analysis and has also been expanded to include two more Jeep models, the 1993-2001MY Cherokee and the 2002-2007MY Liberty.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that the data it collected during a preliminary evaluation indicates that rear-impact-related tank failures and vehicle fires are more prevalent in said Grand Cherokee models than in the non-Jeep peer vehicles.

In addition, the safety agency said that it found a higher incidence of rear-impact, fatal fire crashes for the three Jeep products than in similar vehicles from the same model years and which include the Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Explorer, and Toyota 4Runner.

The Failure Report Summary from the NHTSA says that fires related to rear-impact crashes in the Grand Cherokee may have caused up to 48 fatalities through 2010.

The total number of Jeep vehicles the agency is now looking into is an estimated 5.1 million units.

The Chrysler Group, on its behalf, issued a press statement saying that, "it is important to note that this is still an investigation, not a recall."

The full statement from Chrysler follows below.

"June 14, 2012 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Chrysler Group is cooperating fully with NHTSA regarding an investigation into 1993-2004 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee, 1993-2001 Jeep Cherokee and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty vehicles. It is important to note that this is still an investigation, not a recall.
In connection with this investigation, Chrysler Group studied publicly available data involving more than 21,000 rear impacts in the original subject vehicle – the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee -- and peers.
It is apparent from this study that rear impacts resulting in a fire are extremely rare, rear impacts resulting in a fire occur no more often in 1993 – 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles than in peer vehicles and the 1993 – 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are at no greater risk of exposure to fire in rear end collisions than peer vehicles.
Accordingly, Chrysler Group has concluded that 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are neither defective nor do their fuel systems pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety in rear impact collisions. We would expect that a similar analysis of subject vehicles recently added to this investigation would support a similar conclusion. The 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and other subject vehicles meet or exceed all applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards and have excellent safety records with hundreds of billions of vehicle miles driven."

Via:  carscoop

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Honda Recalling More than 50,000 2012MY Civics Over Faulty Driveshafts

A potential problem with a driveshaft assembly has prompted Honda to issue a voluntary recall of 50,190 Civics from the 2012 model year in the States.

The Japanese carmaker told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA] that the left driveshaft in certain 2012MY Civics may not have been properly assembled, and as a result, it could separate.

"If separation occurs, the engine will no longer propel the vehicle in any gear, and the vehicle may roll away if the parking brake has not been set when the gear selector has been placed in the Park position, increasing the risk of a crash or personal injury," Honda said in a statement.

The company added, however, that it is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to this issue.

As is usually the case, Honda will notify owners via mail to have them visit their local dealer in order to inspect the driver’s side driveshaft and if necessary, install a new driveshaft free of charge. 

Via: carscoop

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New Porsche 911 Club Coupe Special Edition with 424hp Limited to 12 Units

On May 26, 1952, only four years after Porsche began producing cars, a group of seven enthusiasts in Germany established the first Porsche Club in the world. The same year saw the foundation of a second Porsche Club with six members. Today, there are 640 official Porsche Clubs with some 181,000 members in 75 countries around the globe.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the first Porsche Clubs in Germany, the Stuttgart sports car maker has readied a special edition version of the 991 aptly named the 911 Club Coupe.
Based on the latest 911 Carrera S, the new model is available exclusively to Porsche Club members with production limited to only 13 units, one of which will remain with Porsche.
All 13 examples of the 911 Club Coupe are painted in a classic “Brewster Green” hue and feature the standard Sport Design Package that adds a new front bumper and a 'ducktail' rear spoiler, while riding on 20-inch SportTechno alloy wheels.
The interior package includes dark brown leather sport seats with decorative beige stitching, illuminated door entry guards bearing the model designation and anniversary logo, and an aluminum trim kit with a personalized laser engraving "911 Club Coupe – personally built for" and the name of the client.
Under the sheetmetal, the standard PASM sports suspension allows the driver to drop the 911's ride height by as much as 20mm, while the newly developed Carrera S Powerkit provides an extra 30-ponies lifting output from 394hp (400PS) to 424hp (430PS).
Porsche says that with the PDK double-clutch transmission, the 911 Club Coupe completes the 0-100km/h (62mph) sprint in 4.0 seconds.
As mentioned earlier, only 12 club members will have the chance to acquire one 911 Club Coupe, each through a lottery and only after they register their interest on Porsche's dedicated website until July 16, 2012.
Pricing in Germany is set at €142,831 (excluding taxes) and in the U.S., at $175,580.


Via: carscoop

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Man Erects Jeremy Clarkson Scarecrow in Front of His House to Slow Traffic

A Northumberland village man named Christopher Hodgkinson has set up a creepy looking scarecrow of sorts dressed as a police officer with a printed version of Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson as his face and a…hairdryer as a speed gun, right in front of his house to deter drivers from speeding!

BBC reported that the Clarkson-faced scarecrow seems to have succeeded in slowing traffic.
Tom Hadall, a neighbor of Hodgkinson said: "He's been slowing the traffic down. I think it's looking, then looking twice to see what it actually is, and then stopping. He's been doing a good job."
The Clarkson scarecrow was made as part of a competition in the town on the 30mph stretch of road. Other figures include a mermaid, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge.
You can check out pictures of the Clarkson scarecrow over at BBC's website here.
Photo Credits: Google

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Fiat May Deepen Proposed Partnership with Mazda and Produce its Cars at Chrysler Plants

As it turns out, the Fiat Group's decision to tie the fate of its next generation Alfa Romeo Spider to the Mazda MX-5, could be the beginning of a new relationship between the two automakers.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event at a Chrysler plant in Belvidere, Illinois, Fiat and Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne said that the company is open to deepening its newly found partnership with Mazda in order to lower its manufacturing and developing costs as well as to expand its reach.
"We will continue to look at other bilateral arrangements," said Marchionne who added, "We're totally open."
Reuters reported that while Mazda builds Alfa Romeo's next Spider on the same production line as the new MX-5 in Japan, the Fiat and Chrysler Group could manufacture the Japanese automaker's vehicles at its own plants worldwide.
The Italian company has entered several production partnerships over the years, including the Fiat 500 that is built in a joint venture with Ford's Ka in Poland, the Fiat Punto with GM's Opel Corsa and the Fiat Sedici with Suzuki's SX4 in Hungary.
"The economics make it very difficult for most automakers to continue to produce all their own platforms and powertrains", Marchionne told reporters, according to Reuters. "We're willing to engage in discussions with anyone else," he added.

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