Autoblog

Click above to view video after the jump

Subaru of Canada has shown its twisted sense of humor with this new commercial for the Subaru Forester that plays off the whole "sexy babes washing a car" motif. Instead of busty blondes, however, the Japanese automaker supplants sumo wrestlers who thrown sponges at each other, squirt each other with the hose and get caught in slow-motion replays while flipping their hair back. If you're eating lunch right now, put the fork down and make sure you've swallowed your food before watching the commercial after the jump. Thanks for the tip, Shari!

[Source: YouTube]

Now that the newly-designed Wrangler has gained an optional extra set of doors, those wanting a little extra passenger-carrying capability with their off-road ready rough-and-tumble ride have been able to get it in the Unlimited model. Of course, there has been an important unanswered question looming ever since: how many people can fit inside comfortably? Sure, the standard answer might be four, with five being the limit in an absolute pinch, but some enterprising people in Poland had a bit more ambitious ideas in mind. In fact, a total of thirty-two intrepid souls upped the ante by cramming themselves inside a green Jeepie Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, setting some sort of offbeat Polish record in the process. While thirty-two people in any vehicle is impressive, it pales in comparison to what's been done in the lowly Beetle, not that we recommend trying to replicate any of these stunts yourself.


[Source: Inside Line]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Dodge Journey

Making a step towards a more fuel-efficient vehicle lineup, and reducing the number of overlapping vehicles between its brands, the plug has been pulled on a Chrysler-branded version of the 2009 Dodge Journey. Chrysler LLC will instead focus the resources on a Nissan-manufactured compact car.

While the automaker currently captures the bulk of its sales from light trucks and SUVs, Chrysler is trying to pare down its lineup significantly to cut costs. So far, they have cut four models. Moving forward, the Jeep Commander SUV is expected to be dropped next year, and the company has already said they were canceling the PT Cruiser Convertible. While the 2009 Dodge lineup gains the aforementioned Journey, Dodge Challenger, and a redesigned Dodge Ram pickup, Chrysler's product lineup for the next twelve months looks particularly bleak with nothing significantly new in the pipeline. Company officials are holding their breath for 2010, when the new Nissan-built compact, new Jeep Grand Cherokee, and redesigned Chrysler 300 sedans arrive.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Porsche Cayenne GTS.

As much as we enjoy scouring through German newspapers, something inevitably gets lost in translation. However, the title of a story in Germany's Handelsblatt ePaper is clear: Volkswagen is considering building Porsche Cayennes at its new plant in the U.S.

While VW hasn't made a decision on the plant yet, it's been confirmed that the automaker is looking at locations in Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee to produce 150,000 units annually, including the Jetta and an all-new Passat-sized sedan. How the Cayenne fits into that equation remains a mystery, but the idea that VW and Audi could shift production of its Touareg and Q7 Stateside means that building the Cayenne in the U.S. is a distinct possibility.


[Sources: Handelsbatt (Google-translated), Autoweek]

The Land Rover Defender is already a pretty badass vehicle. So how do you make a no-frills, no-nonsense off-roader even more badass? Why, add more wheels, of course! That's the approach taken by Land Rover Malaysia and Sasbilt Technologies Malaysia, which together built the behemoth you see above. While we've seen more than our fair share of stretched Range Rovers and Hummers, this concept truck actually has a purpose beyond prom night.

Targeted towards military applications, the Defender 6x4 Puma features an extra-long wheelbase that not even the jungle camo could disguise. The increased cargo capacity can be used for an electric generator or field telecommunications equipment, and the vehicle can drive through all six wheels or through just four. Unveiled at the Defense Services Asia 2008 show in Malaysia, the concept truck reportedly drew attention from military contractors from around the region.

[Source: paultan.org]

As we reported last month, it appears BMW and Audi, following the lead of Lexus, will begin to offer eight-speed automatic transmissions in their flagship models. Sources are now saying the transmission will be supplied by ZF Friedrichshafen, a familiar German supplier to both marques. Although we don't know all of the specifics, Audi is expected to debut the new slushbox in the range-topping A8 sedan, Q7 SUV, and their future A7 premium model. BMW will likely debut the new gearbox in their premium 7-Series sedan and the X6 Sport Activity Vehicle, according to company sources.

The current Audi A8 and BMW 7-Series both use six-speed automatics. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class utilizes a seven-speed automatic of their own design, while Lexus debuted their eight-speed transmission in the LS 460. Increasing the number of forward gears offers advantages in smoothness, acceleration, and improves fuel efficiency. Lower fuel consumption equates to reduced emissions, helping the powerful models meet increasingly stringent air quality standards in Europe and the United States.

[Source: Automotive News, subs. req'd]

Click above for gallery of the Jerrari

In 1963, Henry Ford II wanted to win Le Mans badly and was all set to buy Ferrari to boost Ford's racing program. Enzo Ferrari pulled out of the deal at the last moment, angering Ford II so badly that he went on to fund development of the legendary GT40 that went on to take many motorsports victories.

A few years later, Mr. Ferrari pissed off yet another powerfully rich American businessman with the outcome being the automotive abomination you see before you. Bill Harrah of Harrah's Casino fame asked Ferrari to construct for him an Italian 4X4 wearing the prancing horse badge. While no one thought to archive the response from Ferrari, we imagine it involved the words 'hell' and 'no'. In Italian, of course.

Undeterred and with more money than taste, Harrah created the Jerrari. Its ass-end is a 1970 Jeep Wagoneer, the nose is from a 1969 Ferrari 365GT. On the day of its birth, this one-of-a-kind offroading Ferrari sported V12 power, but now all four wheels are turned by a 350 V8.

The eBay auction for this abomination includes numerous pieces of documentation, like a 1971 review of the car by "Road & Track." Another is a letter from a previous seller in 1984 that indicates there could be more than one of these hideous creations out there. Maybe that's what's been starting all these rumors.

Watch a walk-around video of the Jerrari after the jump, and check out an extensive gallery of photos below.


[Source: eBay, Left Coast Classics via CarScoop]

When the current GMT900 SUVs hit the market in 2006, gas prices were already near $3.00 per gallon, but the super-sized transports sold in prodigious numbers anyway. The reasoning from the General and its customers was that there were still people with big boats or trailers to tow, and unibody CUVs just aren't up to the task. In the two years that followed, gas prices have gone from pesky to pandemic, and buyers are leaving their body-on-frame SUVs by the thousands.

The General isn't blind to the trend, and a report from Bloomberg says that GM may be ready to take the drastic step of separating the platforms of its trucks and full-size SUVs by 2012. The move is extreme because SUVs and trucks have saved development time and money by sharing a platform for many decades, but with such a dramatic shift away from the handy but fuel-thirsty rigs, GM has little choice but to think of alternatives. A unibody Tahoe or Escalade wouldn't be able to tow quite like its predecessor, but they would be lighter and have better fuel economy.

Our first thought was that GM already has eight-passenger unibody CUVs like the Enclave, Acadia, Outlook and upcoming Traverse, but without more utilitarian SUVs like the Tahoe, there should be room for a more purpose-built CUV in the lineup. While this news isn't exactly earth-shattering, we're thinking it very accurately illustrates just how fast these times they are-a-changing, and how far automakers will go to stay viable. Thanks for the tip, Fro!

[Source: Bloomberg]

The current economic environment in the United States is hurting all auto makers these days, even mighty Toyota, which was once considered immune to so-called market realities. Though its overall performance last year would be considered a stellar achievement for any other automaker, Toyota's 28% profit plunge in the fourth quarter of 2007 points to an expected 27% drop in annual profits in 2008. If Toyota's revised forecast proves accurate, 2008 would break a nine-year stretch of profit growth. In addition to the slowing U.S. market, Toyota also cites high material prices, the worldwide credit crunch and a strong yen as contributing factors in its mild downturn.

Toyota's expected profit drop is certainly newsworthy, but we just have to wonder how the money-losing American car companies will cope in the U.S. market with the same issues. While sales of cars are gaining strength, the SUV and truck markets are sinking with what could be Titanic-like implications for the truck-heavy lines from Ford, Chrysler and GM.

[Source: Toyota]

Click above for high-res gallery of Baby Cayenne spy shots

Porsche almost slid a fast one by spy photographers recently when it began testing a new baby Cayenne SUV prototype at the famed Nurburgring race track in Germany. The thing looks for all the world like an actual Cayenne SUV, but photographers first noticed its diminutive proportions, then its sharply raked D-pillar, and then the different cut lines around its door. Soon it became apparent that this was no Cayenne, but rather a prototype for a new, smaller Porsche SUV that's likely based on the upcoming Audi Q5. Like most people, we've always thought the idea of a Porsche SUV is kind of silly, but make it smaller and lighter and we get commensurately more interested. Click after the jump for more analysis from the spy photographers themselves.


[Source: KGP Photography]