After several grueling stages, Citroen's Sebastien Loeb notched up yet another win in his record-breaking season. Peugeot's Marcus Gronholm came in 30-seconds behind Loeb to take second place. Subaru's Petter Solberg ran into a rash of mechanical problems and has fallen even further away from Loeb, putting him in a distant second place in the driver's standings - 27 points behind. With just 7 more countries left in the world tour, Loeb seems destined to win it again.

Rally Argentina winner crowned [Spoiler Alert] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Jul 2005 20:51:39 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Audi's Q7 SUV has yet to hit the market and there is already word that a smaller sibling dubbed the Q5 is slated for production to battle the BMW X3. The Q5 will be based on the A4 platform and sport air suspension and hill descent control and offer 5 seats. Its version of Quattro will allow 100% of torque to be sent to any wheel in case of slippage. You can expect the Q5 to carry the design language used by Audi including the waterfall grill. Engines vary widely from the 2.0-liter FSI, all the way up to a 4.2-liter V8. Europe will see two diesel options, as well. Prices are expected to start around $35,000.

Audi eyes the small SUV market with Q5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jul 2005 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If Jaguar is to shed its losses and compete in the top echelon of performance car makers, the 2007 XK seems like the right approach. Edmunds has posted a video of the heavily camouflaged 2007 XK Convertible making the rounds at Nurburgring. The new car is made of aluminum and will sport a 300-hp 4.4L V8. Look for it this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

Edmunds spots new Jaguar XK Convertible originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Jul 2005 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Using the same 1.8-liter turbo, this Audi TT coupe adds 15hp, 29lb-ft of torque and loses 165 pounds. The result is a thoroughly satisfying coupe that's nimble and fun which we can't get in the US. Only 1,100 are expected to be built and will mostly end up in the UK and Germany. The car also gets carbon fiber Recaro seats, two-tone paint scheme, 18-inch wheels and stiffer suspension. By losing weight, such as the almost useless rear seats, and adding power, the 0 to 62 time drops to 5.9 seconds with the top speed maxing out at 155mph. Base price is estimated at 35,900 euros or about $46,700.

Autoweek drives the Euro-only 2006 TT Quattro sport originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Jun 2005 12:49:36 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Someone at Saab figured out that trying to sell Saab-branded dog collars and bandanas isn't going to work. Saab decided to concentrate on safety devices to help the 40 percent of their customers who also ride with their pets on a regular basis - a smart move considering the slow sales of accessories. Interestingly, Saab decided not to product a doggie booster seat that would let smaller dogs look out the window and will not release pet accessories for the 9-7X.

Oh no! Saab to exit the pet accessory business originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Jun 2005 10:47:49 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sure, the US Grand Prix was a farce and a blunder of monumental proportions for Formula One, but now, after providing no other recourse than withdrawal from the race by the Michelin-shod teams, F1 is threatening to punish those teams for breaking F1 rules. The FIA is claiming that the teams who pulled out just before the race broke at least one rule and potentially damaged the Formula 1 reputation. The charge is that the teams 'wrongfully refused to allow [their] cars to start the race.' BAR Honda is facing an especially hard time with this stance by the FIA since they are under a 12-month probation following the fuel-tank-within-a-fuel-tank violation earlier this season. If the FIA decided to punish BAR Honda, it could face a 6-month suspension. I would love to see this resolved in a reasonable manner that would err on letting people race. It would be ridiculous to suspend BAR Honda for following a course of action recommended for safety reasons.

Dumb and dumberer: BAR could be banned from F1 season originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 23 Jun 2005 06:48:43 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

I was planning on bringing you a preview of America's second oldest race, but this wasn't what I was hoping for. Henry Bresciani, 67, of Colorado Springs was killed when he was struck by driver Jay Stewart. Veteran race official Bresciani was struck while giving drivers the finish flag during the first practice session. The 83rd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is expected to start on schedule this Saturday with about 150 racers.

Pikes Peak race official killed originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Jun 2005 11:25:23 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The New York Times' foreign affairs columnist argues that Toyota's hybrid technology and other moves to reducing oil dependancy would be a strategic boon for the US. He frames his argument in very simple terms: that US should reduce it's dependancy on foreign oil by leveraging existing technology and reducing gas consumption by cars and trucks. It sounds as if he would like to see GM punished for creating Hummer. He calls government and business leaders to use more non-gasoline power sources including flexible fuel cars and hybrids that could also be charged overnight to run just on electricity. The multiple Pulitzer Prize winner believes this strategy, also called the geo-green strategy, would strengthen the dollar, reduce the trade deficit and put the US in the leadership position in green technologies while reducing climate changing pollutants.

Thomas Friedman argues for a Toyota-owned GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Jun 2005 09:19:22 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In January, Scion forecasted that they would sell at least 120,000 cars. Now, they're revising that estimate to more than 140,000 although they believe it could be as high as 150,000. The only problem is that they can't build the cars fast enough. Last year, Scion sold 741 cars shy of 100,000 - the first year they sold nationally. Those kinds of growth numbers seem remarkable for such a new brand and accounted for more than half of Toyota's 10 percent increase in US sales. Scion's average sale price of $17,515 is thousands under the current average transacton price for a new vehicle ($24,520).

Toyota can't build Scions fast enough originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Jun 2005 08:23:43 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

WorldCarFans.com has a press release and lots of photos from Fuji Heavy Industries. Torque has been boosted to 311ft-lbs. On the outside, two very noticeable design changes include a revised nose that's more in line with the corporate design and another airfoil atop the c-pillar for the STi. The interior has stayed pretty much the same as the 2005. (Thanks for the tip, Luis!)

2006 Impreza on sale in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Jun 2005 07:43:03 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

CNN has reported that an investigation has revealed a defect in millions of more Ford trucks and SUVs that could result in fires, even when the engine is not running. These fires can be caused by a $20 cruise-control deactivation switch in the SUV or a truck. This type of switch was installed in millions of Fords from 1992 until 2003. The problem has already resulted in more than a million recalls, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an expanded investigation into more than 3.7 million of the vehicles. CNN claims that it has internal Ford documents showing that a similar switch was installed in 16 million vehicles.

CNN claims millions of Fords a fire risk originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Jun 2005 06:46:13 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's only mid-way through its lifespan, but the latest generation of Honda Accord will see a major refresh in an attempt to turn around the declining sales. For the first time in 12 years, Honda is faced with a potential decline in its overall sales in the US. Having a smaller lineup of SUVs and trucks than its competition, Honda is looking to renew interest and sales of its best-selling car. Overall, Honda's total US sale volume is off by 0.7% compared to May of last year. Accord makes up a quarter of Honda's US sales, but those numbers are down by 9%. In my humble opinion, I wish that Honda would bring over cars that looked more like the Acura TSX.

Expect Honda Accord design changes and power upgrades this year originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jun 2005 10:50:09 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Researchers at Cranfield Impact Centre and Nissan Technical Centre Europe has developed a crazy mixture of technologies, finger scanning and adjustable airbag and seatbelts, to try to save lives. It's quite innovative, actually. In accidents, treating different people with the same amount of seatbelt tension and airbag deployment can result in injury from the safety devices. (This is still a far better fate then not using them, so buckle up.) They are using an ultrasound scan of the finger to determine bone strength and adjust the car's features accordingly. Our sis, Engadget, has the lowdown.

Can a finger scan save your life in an accident? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jun 2005 09:02:20 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Yeah, that's a gross generalization, but the Baltimore Sun has a short op-ed piece on the differences between the automotive desires of men versus women. In short, men love the sexy, fast sports cars that cost $100,000 or more, but women prefer something more frugal. Even the uber-econobox Kia Rio made the top-ten list of cars women want. Ironically, most of those men who wanted the automotive champagne wishes and caviar dreams only expected to spend about $18,800 for their cars.

Men dream about horsepower, women dream about economy originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Jun 2005 07:02:14 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This isn't about the car. This is about the review. Woman Motorist has a review of the 2005 Kia Sportage where in the first two sentences, three glaring mistakes pop into view: "Kia Motor America has come a long way, as both a company and a brand, since they first came to the U.S. to sell cars in 19XX. They deserve to commended for their work."

First, it's Kia Motors America. Second, I could be wrong, but I don't think Kia came over in the year 'XX. And third, someone left out "be". Hey, I make mistakes too, but three errors in the lead paragraph? Okay, let's say I'll forgive that. There must be a unique woman's perspective in this, right? After all, the site is called Woman Motorist! Three grueling pages later, I haven't found one thing to differentiate this site from, say, the Po-Dunk Village Herald. I'll spare you the details of every other mistake I found. But a wreck this bad had to be shared.

A review I wish I hadn't read originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Jun 2005 08:52:52 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Road & Track got themselves some quality time with the Chrysler Firepower concept, which is based on the Dodge Viper. Feast your eyes on this gallery. And this isn't just your usual pictorial. R&T also got their hands on the designer Brian Nielander and has posted a video interview.

Car smut: Chrysler Firepower galore originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Jun 2005 08:02:46 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Both carmakers show a spirit of independence from the parent company, but one is the leading moneymaker in its group; the other continues to rack up losses. Care to guess which is which? Ford purchased Volvo from the truck manufacturer AB Volvo group in 1999. And now a Swede, the current CEO Hans-Olov Olsson, is returning to the chairman's seat. He will be replaced by another Swede, Frederik Arp, at the CEO position. Last year, Olsson delivered $700 million in profits to Ford. Jaguar, are you listening? The Detroit News believes that this healthy profit kept Ford from messing with Volvo's identity. In stark contrast, GM's Saab, a brand that used to be known for its hatchbacks that appealed to the nerdy intellectual crowd, is selling a rebadged Subaru and will soon be selling a version of the Chevy TrailBlazer built in Ohio.

A tale of two Swedish-Americans: Saab versus Volvo originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Jun 2005 07:32:14 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It's standard procedure to give tax break to keep, or attract, jobs to a city. But something about this story just smells of desperation. The city of Pontiac, Michigan is considering giving two property tax breaks to GM that will last 12 to 25 years while the city faces a $23 million deficit this year alone. This move by the city is expected to keep more than 2,700 jobs and create almost 300 new ones. GM built their plants in specific industrial zones, which were designed to lure in manufacturers with tax incentives. The city of Pontiac will just have to cross it fingers and hope that this move will not only keep GM in the city, but that GM will stem their market share slide. I guess it's better than losing 3,000 jobs today.

City of Pontiac considering tax breaks to GM for 3,000 jobs originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Jun 2005 06:50:35 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What will $33 million buy the world's biggest automaker? Its own rollover testing grounds. Currently, GM does it rollover testing on someone else's property. This investment is meant to prove that GM is serious about reducing the more than 10,000 people killed in rollovers each year - which accounts for 25 percent of all deaths on our highways. It's also meant to help GM develop and roll out its StabiliTrak technology to all its non-commercial cars by the end of the decade to help its customers avoid accidents and rollovers regardless of the road condition.

GM to build state-of-the-art rollover crash test facility originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Jun 2005 11:02:53 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Saab has been working on a built-in breathalyzer for the last few years and now, it's going into real-world trial in Sweden. Basically, it works like a combined breathalyzer and anti-theft system. Saab expects insurance companies and governments to subsidize this feature and hopes customers will elect this as an option. It appears a little odd that Saab would invest in such a technology as the market for such a device is questionable, but I am glad to know that there's a company out there that cares so much about the occupants' safety. There are many questions as to its real effectiveness as a deterrent. I hope that Saab publishes a study on the alcohol-related crash rates between regular drivers and those who use this device. If they do, we'll cover it.

Saab wants to deter drunk driving with an integrated breathalyzer originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Jun 2005 10:37:31 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.