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Think the "standard" Rolls-Royce Phantom is expensive at $380,000? Try $1.2 million on for size. That's how much the latest special-edition Phantom was going for, but the astronomic price tag hasn't prevented the (*ahem*) Rolls-Royce of automakers from selling every last one.

The model in question is the Year of the Dragon edition, which was first released just this past August. It features a range of special touches – from a gold-colored "coach line" (that being a pinstripe down the flank) to dragons inlaid in the wood and embroidered into the leather – all aimed at marking the new year on the Chinese calendar.

Rolls-Royce isn't saying exactly how many it sold, but apparently the entire allotment was spoken for within two months of the vehicle's launch. The sales are expected to boost the skyrocketing figures Rolls-Royce posts in China, whose number of millionaires has now risen to third worldwide behind the United States and Japan. As a result, Rolls-Royce reportedly plans to add another ten dealerships to its current network of 14 in China by the end of 2011.

We've yet to see exterior shots of the vehicle – limited as we were previously to some close-ups of the unique touches applied to it – but with news that the special edition is completely sold out, we've added a few more photos to our high-res image gallery.

Hyundai's Elantra has been on fire, with sales up 41 percent last year. The compact sedan won North American Car of the Year in January, and the icing on the cake will be a new coupe bodystyle that will soon be landing at dealers. But all is not completely well, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Hyundai expects Elantra sales to run into a brick wall of limited production capacity, as the company's Montgomery, Alabama plant is already operating at 110 percent. The plant, which builds the Elantra and its big brother, the midsize Sonata, churned out 338,000 units in 2011. Hyundai sold over 186,000 Elantra models in the U.S. last year.

With Hyundai posting 20 percent overall sales growth in the U.S. in 2011, it clearly needs to address its capacity bottleneck. Speculation is building that the company will soon announce plans to build another North American assembly plant.

To the millions of Gen Xers sitting in cubicles listening to New Wave bands on Spotify, wondering how they ever got to be so out of shape, so gray, so middle-aged and so much like their parents, this little 10-second clip that showed up on YouTube yesterday promised something great – the return of a hero, a new chapter in the generational totem that is Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Alas, amidst all the speculation that Matthew Broderick would be reprising his role in a belated sequel, comes this revelation: It's just a teaser for a Super Bowl ad.

According to Jalopnik, the ad is for Honda, and it will rehash all the best scenes in the original film. It's a big enough deal that Honda has drafted Todd Phillips, he of The Hangover fame, to direct (John Hughes, director of FBDO, passed away in 2009). Of course, this means the 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spider will not be appearing, replaced, according to the report, by a 2012 Honda CR-V.

Not to sound too Cameron-like, but if that's true, it is depressing. Click past the jump to see the quick teaser video.

Updated Droptop Doesn't Compromise Driving Dynamics For Fresh Air And Sunshine



Few experiences equal the feeling of driving a new 2012 Bentley Continental GTC down a crowded Los Angeles highway – especially when the droptop is prismatic magenta with highly polished 21-inch wheels.

Some stare. Others glare. But most simply sneer.

The response should be expected. After all, a vehicle of this caliber is designed to broadcast to others that you have succeeded. Unfortunately, this specific boisterously purple quarter-million dollar convertible with flashy wheels takes things a bit too far: it also seems to remind passers-by that they have failed.

But let's not blame Bentley for someone's misguided selection on the color wheel. A mere 30 microns of pigment over perfectly primed aluminum, whether or not it appears related to Barney the dinosaur, isn't reason to dismiss this magnificent open-top GT.

Or is it?

General Motors has launched an advertising campaign touting the safety of the Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in electric vehicle, just as its CEO testified to Congress that a recent Volt fire that took place after a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash test would never occur under real-world circumstances, Bloomberg has reported.

GM CEO Dan Akerson (pictured) said in the campaign that he "couldn't be prouder" of the technology the company uses to produce the Volt, the wire service noted. The campaign includes full-page ads in 19 U.S. daily newspapers, including the The New York Times, as well as a television ad that will debut on News Corp's Fox News channel. GM has also released a new "normal" ad that calls the Volt "the car America had to build." You can watch the 30-second clip, which may appear in or around the Super Bowl, after the jump.

Akerson spoke Wednesday in a hearing with the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform's Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, Stimulus Oversight and Government Spending. Both he and NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said the car was safe and defended NHTSA's handling of the situation against accusations from some Republican members of Congress who've been critical of the Obama Administration and its relationship with GM.

NHTSA said late last week that it finished its two-month investigation into the crash test that resulted in a fire three weeks after the fact last summer, and concluded that neither the Volt nor other electric vehicles pose more of a fire risk than conventional vehicles.

Ford has announced the company's single largest profit since 1998, thanks in part to a one-time tax gain. The company drew in a net income of $13.6 billion last quarter and the news marked the automaker's 11th consecutive profitable quarter. For perspective, Ford made $190 million in 2010. The company's net income was bolstered by the fact that Ford eliminated a valuation allowance against deferred tax benefits. The company created the valuation allowance in 2006 when it began reporting operating losses. Analysts reportedly see the elimination as a sign that the manufacturer expects to be profitable in coming years.

The company made $8.8 billion in profit in 2011, or $1.51 a share. That's an increase of $463 million over 2010. Even so, the company's net income missed analysts' estimates thanks in part to higher commodity costs, currency fluctuations and flooding in Thailand. The automaker spent $100 million more in commodities like steel than it projected. Those facts, combined with a deteriorating European market, helped Ford miss analyst estimates by 5 cents per share.

Back when Honda launched the Crosstour in 2010, it fielded questions from the media asking why it chose to forego a four-cylinder model. At the time, officials indicated that a four-cylinder engine would result in minimal fuel economy improvements, noting that the company's aim was to target premium-minded customers for whom the 3.5-liter V6 seemed more appropriate.

But with the fog of slow sales often comes a need to rethink strategies, and Honda has responded to sluggish demand for the Crosstour with a new four-cylinder model for 2012 with a just-announced base price of $27,655 (*plus $810 in destination charges). That's about $2,500 less than a comparable six-cylinder model.

Despite Honda's earlier assertions, the new 192-horsepower, 162 pound-feet of torque 2.4-liter model actually does receive a rather substantial bump in fuel economy performance. The new front-drive trim nets 21 miles per gallon in the city and 29 mpg on the highway – the V6 only manages 18/27. Both the new four-cylinder and 271-hp/254 lb-ft V6 come with a five-speed automatic as standard kit.

In equipment news, all Crosstour models will now receive standard auto-dimming mirrors, a USB hookup, Bluetooth telephony and standard backup camera, among other features.

Honda shifted 17,974 Crosstour models last year, down 37.9 percent from its 2010 total of 28,851 units. The company had targeted sales of 40,000 units annually.

Imagine you're an auto exec launching a new line of cars. One's a sportscar, the other a city car – pretty much opposite extremes on the spectrum of automotive bodystyles. Do you give them alphanumeric nameplates close to one another? Of course not. You assign them disparate numbers to make room for more models to slot in between.

That's just what BMW is doing with its upcoming "i" range, with an i3 at one end and the i8 (star of the recent Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol). So what does it have planned to fit in the middle? According to Autobild out of Germany, an i5.

The third model in the range is tipped to come in as a compact MPV in a similar mold as the Toyota Prius V – only probably significantly more expensive. Underpinnings would likely be borrowed from the i3, but stretched out a bit to make extra room for people and stuff. For that matter, we wouldn't be surprised to see an i2 come in as a two-door version of the i3 with the Smart ForTwo in its sights, or an i6 or i7 electric sedan, either.

Reputation is everything, according to a new survey by J.D. Power and Associates. The 2012 Avoider Study found that 43 percent of buyers who steer clear of a particular model due to quality concerns do so merely because of common knowledge. Ratings and reviews – our stock in trade – were cited by 38 percent, while previous ownership of a model caused scorn in only 14 percent of respondents.

"The fact that so many new-vehicle buyers may be basing their opinions about quality and reliability on pre-conceived [sic] notions, rather than concrete information or data, demonstrates how important it is for automakers to promote the quality and reliability of their models," said Jon Osborn, research director at J.D. Power and Associates, in what reads like a nakedly self-serving press release.

Other interesting data from the survey included an all-time high for xenophobia, with respondents who avoided import models because of their origin rising to 14 percent, the highest in the nine years of the study. Buyers avoiding domestics for the same reason dropped to six percent, the lowest in the study's history.

The most influential reason for purchasing a specific model in 2012 was fuel economy, trumping reliability, "the deal," and exterior styling, which were tops in 2010.

To read the entire press release, click past the jump.

The Land Rover Defender may be nearing the end of its line, but over the course of its lifetime it has become the go-to vehicle for any number of off-road applications. They're used on safaris and expeditions, by military forces and humanitarian organizations. And yes, they're used by hunters. That's why German firearms manufacturer Blaser has outfitted this special edition Defender for just such a market.

The Blaser edition Defender includes roof rack, underbody skid plates, trailer hitch, power winch, spotlight, snorkel intake, custom-embroidered leather seats and more. It's decked out in what's called Keswich Green, but to us looks more like Panzer green, and packs a 2.2-liter turbodiesel four with 122 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque on tap. But the party piece is the custom armory built into the back that can carry as many as five hunting rifles plus ammunition. Only 60 examples will be made available exclusively in Germany, each carrying a €49,500 ($64,400) price tag.

There's a thin line between patina and outright decay, and artist Bo Lundvang seems to understand that threshold all too well. He's created unique pieces of art using massive 40-inch by 20-inch sheetmetal panels wrapped in white vinyl. The artist cuts out the profile of his desired image, removes the negative and allows the metal to endure the elements. Once the panels have reached the appropriate level of patina, Lundvang seals the pieces in several layers of clear coat to prevent further deterioration. The designs are appropriately stylish for office or garage decor, and Lundvang has crafted artwork based on everything from classic muscle like the 1969 Dodge Charger above to modern supercars like the McLaren MP4-12C and Koenigsegg CCX.

The artist hasn't listed any prices, so if you like what you see, you'll have to head over to his web site and reach out through email. Too cool.

There once was a time when Indy was considered not just a stepping stone to F1, but a viable alternative. Those were the days when proven grand prix drivers looking for a new challenge – drivers like like Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi, Graham Hill and Mario Andretti – could take to America's fastest ovals and obtain glory on par with Europe's finest circuits. Those days may seem long behind us, but they could be coming back around.

The road to Indy's revival as a premier racing series is being paved with a number of developments. The reunion of the IRL and ChampCar series was one major stepping stone. The arrival of multiple engine suppliers this year is another. But what Indy really needs is big name talents instead of losing its stars to NASCAR. And it just might be getting what it needs, thanks in no small part to Lotus.

After bringing former F1 driver Takuma Sato to Indy, Lotus announced it had signed notable former grand prix pilots Jean Alesi and Sebastien Bourdais to IndyCar contracts as well. So who's next? Rubens Barrichello.

The elder statesman of the F1 grid, Barrichello was left without a ride when Williams showed him the door in favor of fellow Brazilian Bruno Senna. Now reports indicate that he is gearing up for a test drive with KV Racing, the team with which Lotus returned to American open-wheels a couple of years ago.

While Rubens has no oval-track experience and reportedly promised his wife he wouldn't try it, the 2012 schedule – having come a long way from the oval-dominated days of yore – includes only four speedways (those at Indianapolis, Texas, Iowa and Fontana, California), leaving Rubens with a real opportunity to contest the remaining dozen road courses and street circuits on the calendar.

It is with mixed emotions that we share this particular video, which stars two young boys who lost their mother, Nicole Miller, in 2004 after the Ford Explorer she was riding in blew a tire and rolled, causing her fatal injuries.

A sad story indeed, and we're quite certain everyone involved wishes that Mrs. Miller were still alive and that her boys would not have had a reason compelling them to make the tribute video in the first place. Certainly, the powers-that-be at the automaker hate seeing the Blue Oval's name brought up again in connection to older Explorers and the well-known lawsuits lodged against it after a number of owners reported rollover accidents.

While acknowledging the tragic loss of life, it's important to remember that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigated the Ford Explorer and found it just as safe – or just as dangerous, as the case may be – as any other sport utility vehicle of the same era, which, importantly, was before stability control had hit the market in real numbers (and long before it became federally mandated, which was only recently). Independent tests were also carried out, none of which found the Ford Explorer to be particularly unsafe. Vehicles with high ground clearance and four-wheel drive are often afflicted with a higher center of gravity, making them easier to roll than passenger cars that sit closer to the ground.

For what it's worth, Firestone did recall 14.4 million tires starting in August, 2000 after Ford and Firestone negotiated a very contentious agreement between the two companies, including the ones fitted as standard equipment on many Ford Explorers built between 1991 and 2000, due to "a safety-related defect" (read: tread separation). Ford later agreed to replace 13 million tires mostly on Explorers that weren't covered by the original recall. But it isn't Firestone that the Miller boys' video targets, it's the Ford Motor Company.

In response to a query from The Huffington Post, Ford spokesperson Marcey Evans said that the automaker was "familiar with this tragic accident and our sympathy goes out to the family involved." Evans added, "We believe it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time as the family has brought a lawsuit against Ford, which is coming up for trial later this year."

In any case, we've included Ryan and Gregory's video after the break. It's a heartstring tugger that sets new lyrics to Vanessa Carlton's hit song A Thousand Miles. It is worth noting again here that the kids' assertions that Ford should recall all the remaining Explorers from that era are understandably emotionally driven. What the kids know about the cause of the accident is probably supplied by the family lawyers. Still, grab the tissues and Ford should hope the jurors never see it.

Editor's note: Some additional reporting concerning the recall of Firestone tires was added to this story after its original posting.

We've seen a swell in RoToR camera set ups in bike videos lately, and we have to say the trick makes for some pretty entertaining viewing. Take the clip you'll see after the break that was worked up by Supermotard Denmark, for example. The video tracks one rider as he finishes up a practice day. The crew crafted their own homemade version of the RoToR setup we know and love, strapped it to a rider's head and came out with some awesome footage. There's plenty of peg-scraping glory as the rider works his way through the tight and technical course.

As much as we dig watching the rider kick the machine's tail out, we're equally smitten with the video's soundtrack. Hit the jump to enjoy the antics for yourself. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some supermoto classifieds to peruse.