2008


NHTSA: U.S. road fatalities drop to their lowest level since 1982

Since 1975, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been recording the number of fatalities on U.S. roadways, and with the exception of 1992, that figure has never dropped below 40,000 deaths per year. According to NHTSA's new figures, that changed in 2008, when 37,261 fatalities occurred in the U.S. – a drop of nearly 10% over the previous year and the largest reduction in both number and percentage since 1982. The majority of that reduction came from passenger vehicles, with light truck fatalities dropping ... Read more →

Lamborghini profits up 27% for 2008 due to cost-cutting, outlook for 2009 hazy Damon Lavrinc

Lamborghini has released its pre-tax profits for 2008, and the supercar manufacturer netted a total of 60 million euros ($79.6 million) last year for a 27% increase over 2007. Overall sales were ...

Ford reports 4th quarter net loss of $5.9 billion Damon Lavrinc

Ford has so far been able to avoid suckling on the teat of the federal government like its cross-town rivals, but after today's announcement of a 2008 fourth-quarter loss of $5.9 billion, serious ...

Shanghai GM stumbles in '08 Alex Nunez

One of the refrains we've all heard in recent years is how strong Buick is for General Motors in China, where it's not cursed with the stigma of being a grandparent's brand in the States. While most ...

2008 25 Hours of LeMons at Thunderhill: In the pits and on the track Damon Lavrinc

Imagine this: text-message updates on your favorite LeMons teams that includes their last lap time and overall position. Or real-time telemetry data streaming online. How about pictures and ...

Dave Barry sums up 2008, Detroit 3 included 10 months ago on Autoblog

2008 is at an end, and while the editorial pages of some newspapers spend the final days of December focusing on ways to further burden taxpayers and foment interstate hostility, the Washington Post Magazine has, thankfully, handed several pages over to Dave Barry who, as usual, makes the events of ...

2008 25 Hours of LeMons at Thunderhill: Auld Lang Syne penalty 10 months ago on Autoblog

With less than 30 minutes of racing complete, the first penalty was dolled out to the #43 BMW 325i after a bit of off-track farming. A spin of the Wheel of Misfortune delivered the Auld Lang Syne penalty, which involves a pair of adult diapers, a sash and commitment to be a better competitor in the ...

MINI Cooper S recalled for protruding tailpipes, inadvertent tattoos 11 months ago on Autoblog

Let's set the scene: You've just returned from a jaunt to pick up Grandma and parked your 2007-2008 MINI Cooper S in the driveway. After leading the sweet lady up your steps and into the house, you return to the car to unload the assorted goodies and gifts that she's brought for you and the ...

Aston Martin offers power upgrades to last-gen V8 Vantages 11 months ago on Autoblog

If you're a 2005-2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage owner, you may have wished you'd held out for the 2009 model which benefits from an extra 0.4-liters of displacement (up from 4.3- to 4.7-liters) and gains an extra 40 hp and 45 lb-ft of torque, along with some revised suspension tuning. The crew at ...

Autoblog's Top Ten(ish) from the 2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill 11 months ago on Autoblog

With 83 official competitors at the 2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill, it's next to impossible to give each team their well-deserved time in the limelight. So we've complied a gallery of the top ten overall finishers (although one escaped our long lensman) and four of our favorites from the race ...

2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill: Game on! 11 months ago on Autoblog

At 5:00 AM PST this morning, the 2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill restarted after a fog-induced 7.5-hour delay. We were able to catch a few hours of sleep in the interim and got word at 4:30 AM from team Cytosport that the fog was lifting and that the race would be underway shortly. NASA hasn't updated ...

2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill: Powerslides and peg-legs 11 months ago on Autoblog

The sun has set and the fog is beginning to roll in. But before darkness descended on Thunderhill, we were able to catch some of the contenders in action, including the ultra-quick pit-stop performed by the Cytosport team, the everlasting Scion (yes, that's an air-jack setup) and plenty of ...

2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill: Three engine swaps and counting 11 months ago on Autoblog

"Come to Evil Genius – engine swap!!" That's the text message we received at 3:30 PM from the esteemed Dr. Lieberman, telling us about the catastrophic engine failure that took out Evil Genius Racing's 1994 Miata. By the time we caught up with John (the Evil Genius himself) the team had ...

2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill: Qualifying and a stroll through the pits 11 months ago on Autoblog

UPDATE - 11:13 AM PST: The green flag has dropped and the race is underway. Click these colored words here for live results and scoring. We're a few minutes away from the start of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, so we took the opportunity to stroll through the pits to see the cars and crews about ...

Review: 2008 Porsche Cayenne GTS 12 months ago on Autoblog

Porsche makes sports cars backed by a rich tradition and race history. The thought of something wearing the badge that's also able to cart around your family and a load of their assorted junk was once laughable. Today, of course, that thought manifests itself in the form of the Porsche Cayenne. ...

SEMA Preview: 560-hp Challenger Convertible that Dodge won't build 1 year ago on Autoblog

Coach Builders Ltd. is known for its convertible conversions of the Chrysler 300C and Cadillac CTS, so after Dodge made the decision not to offer the Challenger in drop-top guise, it knew what it had to do. The Florida-based company will bring a customized soft-top Dodge Challenger SRT8 to SEMA, ...

Review: 2008 Mitsubishi Evolution X MR 1 year ago on Autoblog

Here's a revelation: being stuck in traffic sucks. And it's even more infuriating behind the wheel of an Evo. Despite what some scribes might lead you to believe, the Evos of yore (VIII and IX) weren't deplorable daily drivers. Granted, Mitsu's engineers erred on the stiff side with the Evo's ...

Review: 2008 Jeep Compass Sport 4x2 1 year ago on Autoblog

We weren't really sure what direction Jeep was heading when it introduced the Compass in 2007. Built on a shared platform with the Dodge Caliber, the Compass goes against what we normally think a Jeep should be – rugged, tough, capable, and... well... square. The departure from classic Jeep ...

Small recall for big suspension issue on 2008 Honda Element 1 year ago on Autoblog

All owners of 2008 Honda Elements are being asked to stop driving their cars until they have had them inspected at their local Honda dealer. According to a recall issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front bushing bracket of the left trailing arm of the rear suspension ...

Monterey 2008: Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport. The wraps – and the roof – have come off the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport here in Monterey, finally answering a question few have asked and even fewer will sample. As you'd expect, Bugatti hasn't just hacked the ...

Monterey 2008: Pebble Beach Edition LS 600h L and SC 430 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click either image for a high-res gallery. Another year, another limited edition Lexus. But this year's Pebble Beach Edition SC430 (the sixth consecutive variant) is joined by the first-ever LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition. We know, the excitement is palpable. Only 50 LS 600h Ls will be made ...

The Gumball 3000 comes through sunny Southern California 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above to view a high resolution image The Gumball 3000 started its 2008 tour this weekend, and we caught up with the rally in Huntington Beach, CA where the drivers stopped for a brunch and fashion show hosted by Lux5 Events at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort. The group of 120 cars ...

First Drive: 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR 1 year ago on Autoblog

I have to admit that I'm biased when it comes to the Dodge Viper. I've had a soft spot for the venomous snake since the GTS coupe hit the streets in 1996. The aggressive design, powerful 8.0-liter V10 with 450 horsepower (doesn't sound like much now, but it sure seemed like a lot then), and the ...

2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8s still available 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8. For those of you desperately waiting for the next batch of Dodge Challenger SRT8s to be built after the announcement that the first 6,400 2008 models were already spoken for, fret not, supply is on your side. The Detroit News is ...

2010 Chevy Camaro named Official Vehicle of SEMA Show 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Chevy Camaro We are giving you the heads up now. Expect to see a fair share of Camaros when November rolls around and the automotive community turns its attention to Las Vegas for the annual SEMA Show. The 2010 Camaro was just named the Official ...

In the Books: 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans (Spoilers) 1 year ago on Autoblog

This year's exciting 24 Hours of Le Mans ended a short time ago. In deference to those of you who might have recorded the race, we'll do the rundown after the jump. So be advised: Spoilers follow. [Source: LeMans.org] ...

2008 24 Hours of Le Mans is underway 1 year ago on Autoblog

As many of you are well aware, the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicked off during the last hour. American viewers can catch the action on SPEED TV. Unfortunately, unlike the old Speedvision days, there isn't full 24-hour coverage. Here is the SPEED TV schedule: All times Eastern Saturday, June 14: ...

Event Alert: 2008 Greenwich Concours d'Elegance coming this weekend 1 year ago on Autoblog

If you're in the New York metropolitan area and don't have any plans this weekend, you might want to shoot up I-95 (or jump on Metro-North) to Greenwich, Connecticut, where Bruce and Genia Wennerstrom will be putting on the annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance. This is a spectacular event that's ...

Review: 2008 Nissan Cube JDM-Spec 1 year ago on Autoblog

You know that you have a disorder when you're as enthused about an econobox as you are to get seat time in something like a Rolls or Bentley. But that's me, and that's how I felt when I got the call at my desk telling me that my new media ride was downstairs waiting for me. I quietly walked out ...

First Drive: 2008 Shelby GT500KR, Part 2 1 year ago on Autoblog

Our initial drive of the Shelby GT500KR on public roads revealed that Ford, SVT and Shelby had addressed many of the issues that we had with the standard GT500. The KR's revised suspension is better balanced and more capable of handling the excessive amounts of horsepower and torque that the ...

First Drive: 2008 Shelby GT500KR, Part 1 1 year ago on Autoblog

I have to admit, the Shelby GT500 was somewhat of a letdown. I have no complaints about the 500 horsepower or the muscular lines, but at nearly 4,000 pounds, it's got a serious weight problem. The iron block, 5.4-liter V8 and the addition of a supercharger puts much the weight in the worst ...

VIDEO: Think the NASCAR Car of Tomorrow's not tough? Watch this. 1 year ago on Autoblog

You've heard it all before. "People watch car racing for the crashes," has been a familiar refrain for what seems like forever. While that stereotype surely applies to a portion of the viewers who tune in, most fans watch motorsports because they like motorsports. (How novel, we know.) That said, ...

Dealership employee totals 2008 Dodge Viper 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for a gallery of Viper carnage Imagine making the purchase of your dreams - a brand new 2008 Dodge Viper with only five miles on the odometer. It's sitting safely in the showroom without a scratch just waiting for you to drive it off the lot. The only thing it needs is a tank of gas, ...

In the Autoblog Garage: 2008 Honda Civic Si sedan 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Honda Civic Si sedan. We've avoided glossy-eyed retrospectives of 2007, but if you were in the market for a practical, affordable and entertaining ride in the last year, there were a handful of vehicles to be had for under $25 large. The Mazdaspeed3, R56 ...

New York 2008: Hyundai Genesis coupe, LIVE 1 year ago on Autoblog

Click above for a high-res rubber-burning gallery If there were ever a fail-safe formula for a press conference, Hyundai nailed it. While we're normally forced to endure lengthy tomes about an automaker's past achievements and the blatherings of egomaniacal execs, Hyundai comes out with two Genesis ...

Consumer Reports releases American Top Picks for 2008 1 year ago on Autoblog

Any of you who consider hating on Consumer Reports a personal hobby, get ready to indulge yourself. The consumer advocate mag has just released its list of American Top Picks for 2008, and it ain't pretty. The criteria to be named a Top Pick in general by CR is steep, and the American auto industry ...

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Autoblog Podcast #153: With Phil Berg

Phil Berg puts his reputation on the line and hangs with the podcast crew.

 
 

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