2009 German Grand Prix - Click above for high-res image gallery

Gallery: 2009 German Grand Prix

Continue reading SPOILER ALERT: Letting Loose the Dogs of War at the 2009 German Grand Prix

SPOILER ALERT: Letting Loose the Dogs of War at the 2009 German Grand Prix originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BREAKING: BBC says Magna has agreed to take majority stake in Opel from GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 May 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Heavy fluctuations in the value of the U.S. dollar versus the Euro has made building vehicles in the U.S. a very attractive proposition for European automakers. BMW is looking to expand its U.S. operations by spending over $1B to increase capacity at its South Carolina plant, add more parts distribution centers, and expand its U.S. headquarters in New Jersey. The majority of the money, about $750M, will be spent on increasing production at its plant South Carolina plant from 160,000 units to 240,000 by 2012. The move makes abundant sense given the fact that the German automaker is taking a massive hit by shipping vehicles from higher cost Europe to the lower cost U.S.

BMW is spending $100M on expanding its headquarters and another $170M to increase parts distribution centers, which should be welcome news for BMW owners who can face high wait times for parts. BMW has been tearing up the sales charts in the U.S. for quite a while, and with an added $1B getting spent on facilities Stateside, it looks like the Germans want the good times to continue to roll.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

BMW spending another billion in the U.S. to expand originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

While Villeneuve and Montoya are adapting well to their new home in NASCAR, their German-speaking former colleagues might be headed to their own sedan-based racing series at home.

Reports indicate that, against the advice of his older brother, Ralf Schumacher climbed into the cabin of a Mercedes C-Class DTM race car for a trial test at the Estoril track on Tuesday.

Austrian driver Christian Klien, who was passed over for the last seat at Force India in favor of Giancarlo Fisichella, is believed to have also participated in the test. The Mercedes-AMG team in the popular German touring car series recently suffered the loss of Mika Hakkinen, and is tipped to be eager to replace him with another big F1 name.

[Source: Autosport]

Stock Drop: Ralf to test for Mercedes DTM originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

click above to view more high-res images of the Team Lexus IS-F

No single car better demonstrates the determination of Lexus to stick it to the Germans than the IS-F. The high-performance sports sedan gives the BMW M3, Mercedes C63 AMG and Audi RS4 a real run for their deutschemarks euros. But Lexus isn't about to let it rest there. That is, not if the rumors are to be believed.

A few days ago we brought you a preview image of the IS-F Racing Concept, which Lexus is bringing to its home-court Tokyo Auto Salon later this week. But while it certainly looks the part, emerging reports now suggest that the concept is no mere concept at all, but that Lexus is actually planning on using it to compete in Germany's domestic (and both highly popular and ultra-competitive) DTM touring car series. The rumors are fueled by the image you see above, posted mysteriously on TeamLexus.com. If the reports turn out to be true, the IS-F could find itself trading paint with race-prepped AMG Mercedes C-Classes and Audi A4s before long.

However a seemingly conflicting report suggests that the racing IS-F pictured above is actually a GT2 car destined to succeed the previous IS300-based racer that Lexus campaigned in the 2006 American Le Mans Series (ALMS). Enough differences exist between the dark concept headed for Tokyo and the orange one in the new images to allow for the possibility that Lexus could be relentlessly pursuing perfection in two distinct classes with racers based on the same sports sedan. Check out the images in the gallery below for more angles.

[Source: IS-F Insider]

Gallery: Team Lexus IS-F

ALMS or DTM? More images of Lexus IS-F racer surface originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jan 2008 10:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Drifting a supercar takes a certain amount of fortitude in the trouser department. All the more so on narrow mountain roads. And even more so when the car you're drifting is the Porsche Carrera GT, which aside from being worth a good half-a-mill easy, is also reputed to be one of the most difficult cars to control.

That's what makes this video so damned impressive. If you're a fan of supercars, of Porsches or of drifting - and chances are if you're reading Autoblog you're in at least two of those camps - then this video can't be missed. Never mind that the spoken language is German. "Vroom" is universal.

Follow the jump, turn up the volume and sit back.

[Source: The German Car Blog]

Continue reading VIDEO: Drifting a Porsche Carrera GT in the Alps

VIDEO: Drifting a Porsche Carrera GT in the Alps originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In most countries, acts like murder, treason, or plotting to overthrow the government rank among the most heinous crimes a person can commit. In Italy, stealing secrets from Ferrari ranks right up near the top of the list, too.

Following a long, drawn out process, two former Scuderia Ferrari engineers, who stood accused of stealing secrets from Maranello and giving them to rivals at Toyota F1, have been convicted. Pending appeal, Angelo Santini was sentenced to nine months and Mauro Iacconi to 16 behind bars on charges of industrial espionage.

Back at the start of the 2003 season, Toyota built a wind-tunnel down the road from Ferrari in Sant'Agata Bolognese, near the Lamborghini factory. Naturally the project recruited the talents of many former Ferrari engineers, but when the season kicked off, Toyota's car looked suspiciously like Ferrari's. Complaints were filed in Italy and in Germany, and the case against Santini and Iacconi went to court a year ago. Toyota's former team principal, chief designer and chief aerodynamicist were all charged in Germany, where the case against them is pending prosecution.

It seems that Toyota will stop at nothing to catch up to Ferrari, and when hiring a Schumacher didn't work, less legal means were employed.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]

Toyota engineers convicted of stealing secrets from Ferrari originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Apr 2007 11:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Germany going after aftermarket ECU tuning

Germany going after aftermarket ECU tuning originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 08:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading VIDEO: Audi S5 glamour shots

VIDEO: Audi S5 glamour shots originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Click to visit the A5 microsite

It's buzz time for the Audi group as they gear up the the A5 preview at the Geneva show in March. Audi has pledged to do more marketing on the Internet lately and they've built themselves a micro-site to gear up all the Audi-files for their next dream vehicle. Micro-sites give glimpses of product and cool-looking graphics to would-be purchasers just to give them enough to want more. It starts with a shot of our planet and zooms down to the top of the A5. To get any closer you'll have to register. Take a look.

[Source: GermanCarBlog]

Audi launches microsite for upcoming A5 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 02 Feb 2007 08:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Race in a Briefcase originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 19 Nov 2006 11:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

• MINI Cooper - Small Car
• Volvo C30 - Compact Estate
• Lexus IS - Luxury
• Volkswagen Eos - Convertible
• Mercedes CL - Coupe
• Hymer B-Class - Recreational Vehicle

Golden Steering Wheel turns out six winners originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Nov 2006 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Bluetec diesels to be used by (almost) all German automakers originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 Oct 2006 06:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The resurrection of buried car brands has become a very fashionable business these days, especially with German companies. BMW has obviously found success with the new MINI; Mercedes-Benz a little less so with the eccentric Maybach; while the VW Group brought back Bugatti like a phoenix from the ashes. These cases all revolved around major German manufacturers buying and resuscitating a brand, but now Christian Borgward is maneuvering to revive his grandfather's car company that bears their family name.

Borgward made cars from 1924 through 1961, when the company went bankrupt. Following Carl Borgward's death in 1963, the tooling was sold to a factory in Mexico that continued building the cars until 1970.

Unlike other revival marques, Borgward is not out to create a media storm. What is known is that the brand is planning to make its comeback from Bremen, Germany, with investment from venture capital firms, an initial two-car line-up aimed in between the Ford Mondeo and BMW 3-Series (two of the biggest sellers in the UK) and an ambitious sales target of 10,000 per year. Manufacturing will probably be contracted to Magna, who build the BMW X3 and contributed to the upcoming Fiat Bravo, although Italian design houses like Bertone and Pininfarina (which also have limited production capabilities) may be thrown into the mix.

Given the historical roots on which the company will be trading and the current popularity of retro styling, we can expect the design to go that route. It will likely be some time before the new Borgwards are on the road, but we'll stay tuned for what could be an interesting alternative to the usual driveway fodder.

[Source: Edmunds' Inside Line]

Looking backward, moving forward: reviving Borgward originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Oct 2006 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

When F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone announced the 2007 season calendar, Germany (like Italy) was left with one race, whereas in seasons past it hosted two: the German Grand Prix (at Hockenheim) and the European Grand Prix (at the legendary Nürburgring). After revealing that the "European" race would get the axe, negotiations began over the venue for the sole German Grand Prix: would it be held at Hockenheim as it has been for the last several years, or would it shift to the 'Ring?

Well, the results are in, and the Nürburgring will get the race next year. Beyond 2007, we could see an arrangement that has the race alternate between the two tracks, each hosting the German Grand Prix every other year, though no such announcement has been made.
UPDATE: Just such an announcement has now been made. The Nurburgring will get the race in 2007 and 2009, and Hockenheim in 2008 and 2010, after which the arrangement will presumably be revisited.

While it's a shame to lose Hockenheim for the upcoming season (at least), with more courses than races, something had to give, and the 'Ring is generally regarded as the better track.

[Source: F1i.com]

UPDATE: Grand Prix moves to the Nürburgring for '07 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 27 Sep 2006 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Weismann is gearing up for expansion. The German niche sportscar maker is preparing to enter the US market by the end of the decade, increasing production threefold and possibly adding additional engine options.

Featuring curvaceous retro styling reminiscent of classic British sportscars, the Weismann Roadster and Weismann GT employ BMW-sourced engines coupled with lightweight chassis to offer exceptional performance. The 2600-pound Roadster is available with a choice of Bavarian in-line six engines, at either 231 hp from 3 liters or the previous-generation M3's 3.2-liter unit pumping out 343 horses, while the larger GT is motivated by BMW's 4.8-liter 367-hp V8. Weismann insists that their cars are designed to accommodate the entire range of Beemer powerplants, including the M5's V10, a V12 or even a diesel.

Weismann also hopes to cut down on customer waiting times, as orders for the Roadster currently take six months to fill, or 18 months for the GT.

Given the beauty and performance offered by the small German firm, we think they'll find many eager American customers willing to pony up for their unique creations.

[Source: AutoWeek

Weismann crossing the ocean originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 14:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tuner Tuesday: ASMA Design S-Class Eagle I originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Aug 2006 12:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

VIDEO: Car takes public transportation originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Aug 2006 18:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

FAKE 2007 BMW X5 shot leaked by supplier - UPDATE originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The UK's Channel 4 had the opportunity to sit down with Bob Lutz - General Motors' head of product development, for those living in seclusion - and started the interview by comparing him to Jeremy Clarkson. WTF, you say? It's the dominating physical presence and bountiful opinions of both men that causes the interviewer to draw a line between the two (we're guessing that the views of each on the Buick Lucerne would still serve as a useful means to distinguish them).

Being a Brit-centric outfit, one of the first questions asked by Channel 4 is that of Rover's future. Despite Lutz's prior ownership of several MGs, he doesn't seem interested in dragging his current employer into a bail-out of the failed British automaker. But the big guy does seem to have some sympathy for Rover's plight, stating that he "sheds a tear" for the brand and says that it was the British car for "non-poseurs".

GM's product - that which is built in both the US and in Europe - matches up to Toyota in a variety of attributes that are properly lumped together under the heading of "build quality", according to Lutz. Bob says that nothing in Toyota's line-up "excites me as a car guy", and claims that the same is true for Lexus as well.

Continue reading Bob Lutz on Rover, Toyota, the Chinese market, and the world's best sports car...

Bob Lutz on Rover, Toyota, the Chinese market, and the world's best sports car... originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 May 2006 08:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.