Autoblog

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2010 Ford Mustang at Road America.

You read that right folks. The 2010 Ford Mustang will make its official debut at the LA Auto Show on November 19th. According to a source speaking with InsideLine, the new 'Stang won't be shown in Detroit as originally rumored, conceivably as a response to the Camaro hype-machine we've had to endure over the last two weeks.

When the wraps are pulled off the 2010 Mustang, expect all-new front and rear fascias, including a new grille, headlamps and taillights, along with a tweaked hood and a few cues rumored to be pulled of the Guigiaro Mustang concept.

Speculation about powertrains has been running rampant for months, but a reworked V8 and V6 is part of the package, and possibly a new turbocharged, EcoBoost bent-six further down the line. Sales will begin late early next year.


[Source: InsideLine]

Click above image for huge high-res gallery of pics from the LA Concours

The 3rd Annual Los Angeles Concours d'Elegance took place on Sunday, June 1, once again bringing classic cars and exotics together in the shadow of the Rose Bowl. Held annually in Pasadena, California to benefit the Assistance League of Southern California, this young concours is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the better ones on the circuit. Not surprising considering the fact that there are tons of championship quality machines in the area, both from private collections and top-notch museums like the Nethercutt and Petersen. Close to 300 cars were displayed in 40 categories ranging from horseless carriages to 1990 and newer Ferraris. Along with thousands of spectators, we were on hand with cameras clickin', capturing some of the day for all of you who couldn't be there.

Click through the gallery and you will see Porsche 356es, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Mercedes, Triumphs, MGs, vintage race cars, Rolls-Royces, muscle cars, Alfas, Lancias, Packards, Fords, Cadillacs, go-karts, Cobras and Jaguars. There was also an assortment of cars most of us have never heard of like the EMF, Amilcar, Autocar, Kissel, Margrette, and Tahis. Personal favorites included the 1953 Rita Hayworth Cadillac Ghia Coupe, 1925 Amilcar boattail, 1937 Talbot-Lago, Ferrari Lusso and Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato. Check out the gallery to pick out your favorites as well.

One way to get what you want when it comes to contentious negotiations with your employer is to throw them into disarray and then go on strike. Or, it could net you a trial, and if you're lucky, a stay in the clink. Gabriel Murillo and Kartik Patel are going to trial on felony charges after they allegedly broke into a computer system and disrupted traffic flow at four of Los Angeles' most busy intersections. The reason for the discombobulation was an impending job action by the Engineers and Architects Association, according to prosecutors. The pair contend that their motive was not sabotage, but protection of the computer system that controls more than three thousand traffic lights. The city of Los Angeles had locked engineers out of the computer system in light of the impending strike, and Murillo's attorney asserts that his client merely took note of the changed settings and modified them back to what they were originally. Whatever the reason behind it, the traffic signal chaos took four days to set straight, although no accidents were attributed to the actions of the two engineers. They don't call it HelLA for nothing.

Toyota's success over the past decade has come at the cost of quality at times, and now, it's affecting employees and their families. In a document obtained by Automotive News, ToMoCo engineers and managers are getting worn out, whether it's from cross-country trips in close succession or the daily rigors of constant expansion. The result is five-percent of employees leaving the automaker in 2006, and 10-percent leaving in 2005.

The remedy seems to entail increasing the number of places around North America for Toyota's employees to conduct business, including new satellite branches in Fremont, CA, Los Angeles, British Columbia, Baja Mexico and throughout the Midwest, South and Great Lakes area.

With an average of one new plant coming on line every year, Toyota expects to have most of these new locations setup by 2010, which will hopefully stem the tide of workers leaving the company.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Hate it, or merely intensely dislike it, the new Subaru Impreza (and its WRX derivative) is here to stay. The specs show a car that should be fun and capable, but the photos are what have killed it in the sphere of public opinion. We've already shown you photos and video of the cars' unveiling in New York, but we have more to share. In what appears to be footage for an upcoming ad campaign, we see the two Scubies being piloted around Griffith Park, high above the Los Angeles basin.

The full YouTube clip is after the jump. Click it and you'll see some glamour shots of the duo, as well as a low-speed assault on the hill. No Pike's Peak action just yet.

[Source: YouTube]

Click image for high-res gallery of photos by Las de Alwis

It's about time. That seemed to be the consensus of the invited guests at the grand opening of the Ferrari Store - Los Angeles. Coinciding with the marque's 60th Anniversary world rally, the store held its grand opening celebration on Sunday at the Beverly Center. Besides being entertained by the hosts and hostesses, VIP guests were also treated to a display of Ferraris that included the 1961 Paris Motor Show 275 GTS 2+1, a 275 GTB, and a Formula 1 car among others.

The L.A. location joins the chain that includes a few Italian locations, as well as several others around the world. Late last year Ferrari opened a new store in Qatar, marking their entry into the Middle East. The boutique shops sells Ferrari accessories, clothing, and other merchandise. Similar to the other American store at The Wynn in Las Vegas, the Beverly Center store has clothes, shoes, toys, keychains and other accessories, all bearing the Ferrari logo or Ferrari images.

The Ferrari Store - Los Angeles is located on the 6th floor of the Beverly Center at 8500 Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. Tel. 310-657-9800. Well worth a stop if you happen to be in L.A. and happen to love or even like Enzo's works.

click on image to enlarge

Yes, the new 2007 Nissan Altima Coupe is the poor man's G35, as long as the financially challenged don't mind moving the coupe's motivating wheels up front. Though given a shorter wheelbase and shorter overall length than 4-door Altima, the Coupe looks like a cross between its sedan sibling and rich cousin, the Infiniti G35. Ahead of the doors it's all Altima, but aft of and including the C-pillar, it's all G35. The broad and defined shoulders that flow over the rear fenders and into the trunk are just gorgeous if you ask us.

The Altima Coupe will be staring down the Honda Accord Coupe and Toyota Solara Coupe in the marketplace, as well as perhaps the Pontiac G6 Coupe and Chevy Monte Carlo. It will be armed with either a 170-hp, 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine or the yummy 3.5-liter VQ V6 rated at 270 horsepower and 258 ft-lbs. of torque, both available with either an Xtronic CVT or 6-speed manual. The interior is standard Altima stuff, except for seats that are more deeply bolstered, and the backseat doesn't look suitable for anyone other than Frodo and friends. Nissan hasn't released any info on price, but the Altima Coupe will arrive in showrooms next summer as a 2008 model.

Follow the jump for high resolution live and press shots of the Altima Coupe, as well as a full press release with detailed specs.

[Source: Nissan]

The scooper of cars procured a shot of what looks to be the Nissan Sentra SE-R ahead of it's unveiling at this week's Los Angeles Auto Show. Bathed in "look-at-me" yellow and donning NISMO-grade 17-inch rollers, the SE-R looks the biz for its segment.

Power is expected to come from a 2.5-liter inline four, which should be producing something in the neighborhood of 190+ HP. No word yet on suspension, braking or transmission options, but we'd suspect that everything will get a through tweaking to justify its SE-R designation.

More info will be forthcoming on Wednesday. Stay tuned.

[Source: Car Scoop]

Wow. One of Ford's employees made it way to easy for KGP's shooter to snap a shot of the new Escape in the buff. Seen in a parking lot in the Detroit area, Ford's redesigned soft-roader gets a more butch nose and, surprisingly, doesn't don the three-bar grille that's infecting all of Ford's recent offerings. The nose is decidedly Expedition-esque, with the rest of the body offering little departure from its big brother, the Mercury Mariner.

In other similarities to the Escape's upmarket sibling, the interior is rather unchanged, with much of the high-end trimmings being toned-down to define itself as the lesser of the two.

We expect the Escape to make its debut at this month's L.A. Auto Show and now that we've seen it, we'll probably skip the press event.

[Source: The Car Connection]

Eight kids out for a Mulholland drive are lucky to be alive today, after the Nissan Sentra they were traveling in rolled 250' down a cliff at 2:20am on Friday in Los Angeles, California. You read that correctly, eight teens-two of which had stuffed themselves in the trunk.

As the story goes, driver Deydi Valle, 19, somehow managed to clip a telephone pole while going 'round a curve, sending the overtaxed Nissan tumbling into a ravine. It may have rolled as many as 20 times en route to its resting place. The group included a 12-year old boy, three 14-year old males, a 15-year-old female, and a 16-year old boy and girl. Amazingly, all of them are alive, and two of them were even able to scramble back to the road.

Word about injuries stemming from the crash appears to be a bit unclear, as the text of L.A. station KNBC's writeup indicates serious injuries including a broken back and a collapsed lung for one victim, and a skull fracture for another. But the follow-up video of the station's news broadcast indicates that none were seriously hurt. Also curious is the statement by one firefighter that the six teens in the passenger compartment were all wearing their seatbelts. Last we checked, Sentras of that vintage only have five belts, although it's possible two of the victims somehow shared a belt.

The driver was tested for alcohol and passed, and apparently there's no sign of drinking among the teens. That said, charges could still be forthcoming.

So... just what were eight mostly under-aged kids doing out at 2am in the heavily burdened compact? Apparently they were coming home from a family party.

[Source: KNBC Channel 4]