Autoblog

click above for more high-res images of the gorgeous Audi R8

It's that time of year where everyone's prognosticating like Nostradamus about what the coming year will hold. The authoritative ink slingers at Automobile magazine have decided that Audi's R8 deserves the dual honors of 2008 Automobile Of The Year and Design Of The Year, as well. While infused with the generous spirit, Automobile named General Motor's Two-Mode Hybrid rig Technology Of The Year.

The R8 is Audi's sports/GT that looks like a supercar and radiates a glow across the entire Audi model line. Not only does it have neck-snapping visual presence, with a 420 horsepower V8 between the axles, there's a deep well of accelerative force to go along with a finely-tuned AWD chassis that doesn't scramble the occupants. Park the R8 next to some rosso italiano, and the lithe German with its metal side blades, straked vents front and rear, and muscular stance might just steal all the thunder.

Big trucks that return 20mpg in the city have been about as realistic as Tinkerbell, until now. General Motors partnered with BMW and the artist formerly known as DaimlerChrysler to develop a flexible hybrid architecture for a wide variety of applications. The second-generation system, with lots more transmission trickery added to the bag of fuel-saving techniques, is allowing the GMT900 platform to post city EPA mileage numbers not far behind four-cylinder midsizers. Because of the system's joint development, we should start seeing this hardware popping up in a variety of different vehicles soon. We're sure that not everyone will agree with Automobile's picks, so fire away with your own suggestions.

Press release after the jump.

Gallery: 2008 Audi R8

It could be their unmistakably Nordic appeal, but if you head to any respectable ski resort, you're likely to see a fair few Saabs with roof-racks in the parking lots, next to Volvo wagons (but very few Koenigseggs). In partnership with winter-sport equipment giant Salomon, Saab has been sponsoring a number of snow-capped alpine events since 2001. Now the two Scandinavian companies have launched a special set of downhill skis in celebration of both their 60th anniversaries, Saab and Salomon having each been founded in 1947.

The fiberglass and graphite skis pay homage to the Saab Aero X concept car unveiled at the 2006 Geneva show. They feature an innovative "hybrid axle" system that put the power down at the rear and optimize turning control at the front. The Salomon Aero X skis sell for $1000 a pair, and the two companies hope to cooperate further in the future, but somehow we don't see a 9-3 wagon running on skis instead of wheels seeing production anytime soon.

[Source: Inside Line]

From time to time we've all been tempted to purchase that fake diploma from the endlessly circulating email, right? The last time I checked, though, they weren't offering fake certificates from the Art Center College of Design, or the Academy of Art University. If you still held onto the dream of someday shaping cars, even after all your sketch pads had been confiscated, the normal path was that you'd go to an institution where you could learn industrial design through a rigorous academic program. That's the reason why those of us who continue to doodle four wheeled conveyances are reduced to sketching while on boring phone calls; to truly design real cars takes years of practice, hard work, and skill. Alternatively, you could drop a measly 20 bucks and start computerating up some fun looking vehicles with Topics Entertainment's Sports Car Designer software.

In the end, it's still no replacement for learning to render a form on paper with perspective, shading and foreshortening; all those things that take years to develop skill with. From what we can see, you're limited to a profile view, but the options for body shape creation are wide ranging enough that you can whip up some interesting forms. We're not seeing a tremendous amount of variety or originality in the screenshots at the support website sportscardesigner.com, but for $20 at Best Buy what do you want, Cinema 4D? When you're done with your masterpiece of the moment, you can export it as a .jpg, or you can spit CAD data out so that another program might be able to stitch the entire car together for you in 3-D space. It's a fun way to divert some hours, and hey, it'll keep that eternally fidgeting car-crazy pre-teen quiet for the vast span of 15 minutes, at least.

Thanks for the tip, Larry!

Renault is working on not one, but a whole line of new sportscars to add to its current line-up of hatchbacks and minivans. Our European brethren aren't likely to see anything within the next three years – despite earlier rumors that a small roadster would be coming in 2009 – as Renault has a couple dozen new models making their debut before the end of the decade. But when they do come, the French automaker promises the line will include a "radical sports car" – their words, not ours.

The presence of sportier models in the Renault line-up would give the French automaker a better opportunity to capitalize on its Formula One prowess, having won two back-to-back world championships with Fernando Alonso and trying desperately to get back to the winner's circle again. While other front-running F1 teams like Ferrari and McLaren put their F1 tech into supercars like the 430 Scuderia and SLR respectively, Renault's titles get translated to the road through considerably more modest hatchbacks.

Rather than coming up with a new name for its "radical sports car", Renault will reportedly jump on the retro-nameplate bandwagon and revive the classic Alpine brand for its new sportier models.

[Source: Motor Authority]

Reports are beginning to circulate the web that Lexus is working on a high-performance version of the mid-level GS sedan to go up against German rivals in competing for the glory and the cash.

The performance GS would be the next candidate to receive the F treatment, after Lexus took the wraps off the V8-powered IS-F sports sedan at the Detroit show in January. Presumably named the GS-F, Lexus would shoehorn in a version of the V10 engine, detuned to around 450 horsepower, from the LF-A supercar the company is currently working on.

With the GS-F, Toyota would be aiming straight for the BMW M5. That's a mighty ambitious task, especially considering the view that Lexus missed the mark with the IS-F. Could they get it right in the big leagues?

[Source: The Hollywood Extra]

Click image to enlarge

Under its new ownership, Aston Martin continues to forge ahead into a brighter independent future. In addition to the production announcement of the Rapide and the rumors of an upcoming "DBX", Aston is not missing a beat on its racing agenda, which should come as no surprise considering the background of its new chairman, David Richards.

To headline its Le Mans endurance racing program, Richards has brought in a big-name former F1 driver. Johnny Herbert, who in his eleven-year Formula One career drove for the likes of Benetton, Lotus, Sauber and Jaguar, will be driving the Aston Martin DBR9 for the Prodrive-run team at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Herbert is no stranger to endurance racing, having won the race for Mazda in 1991 and having driven the dominating MC12 for the Maserati factory team and Audis for customer teams, before briefly returning to the F1 paddock as Jordan/Midland's sporting relations manager. Richards withdrew Aston from the American Le Mans Series for this season, so they'll only be competing in the title race at Le Mans, leaving Herbert with enough time to consider other possibilities, including the Grand Prix Masters. (Aston also announced a new sponsorship deal with luxury hotel chain InterContinental.)

Recruiting Herbert, however, is about as close as Aston Martin will be getting to Formula One anytime soon. David Richards quelled any speculation that the Aston Martin name would be linked to his upcoming re-entry into F1 with Prodrive. Likely taking a page from former corporate cousin Jaguar's unfortunate experience in F1, Richards has wisely decided to leave Aston out of his grand prix venture rather than risk dragging its valuable name through the mud.

[Source: Aston Martin]

Click the image above view our high-resolution gallery of the Lexus LF-A

"Lexus recycles" is a headline you'd be more likely to see on our sister-site Autoblog Green, but we're not talking about production materials or old cars...we're talking concept cars here. Having shown the LF-A concept car here in Detroit two years ago at the 2005 NAIAS, Toyota's premium brand reworked it and brought it back to share the stage with the pre-production IS-F performance sedan at their Detroit press conference.

The LF-A is a front-engined supercar with a 500-horsepower V10. The 2007 version has some revised styling; the front end, in particular, is more curvaceous and enticing than the 2005 show car on which it's based.

Will Toyota give it the green light for production? Nothing's confirmed, but the signs are pointing in the right direction. Lexus revealed that they've been conducting engineering analyses on the car. Test mules have been spotted undergoing road testing, and at the press conference, Lexus executives suggested it could be the next F model to join their new performance line-up alongside the IS-F.

Does the world need another supercar? No, not really. Do we want one? Oh yes, yes we do.

Follow the jump for the official press release and our own high-resolution gallery here.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

click the image above view our high-resolution gallery of the Lexus IS-F

The boys over at Lexus were dialing F for Fast as they took the wraps off their new performance division with the presentation of two high-performance show cars. The LF-A supercar was a revised and updated version of the one they showed here two years ago – more on that later – but center stage belonged to the highly anticipated IS-F super-sedan.

Just a few hours before the press conference, a few factory images were leaked (which followed an internet ad that went online a tad early), and we're happy to report that the car is as impressive and aggressive in the flesh as it is in the photos – despite the poor lighting on stage that would make even the cast of Sesame Street look shady. The gaping air intakes up front, the side skirts cutting out from the side vents behind the front wheels and the rear bumper with trick quad tailpipes would look at home on the DTM circuit. Inside are special sports buckets in either black or contrasti-licious white and black leather, plus silver fiber-weave trim, drilled aluminum pedals and shift indicator lights on the dash that let you know this is a place of business as much as other Lexus models are luxury enclaves.

Follow the jump for more of our thoughts on the LF-A, the official press release, and our own high-resolution gallery here.

For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

Broadcasting motor racing in America is a big business. Unfortunately for F1, which enjoys the biggest audiences overseas, they're not the only game in town in the good ol' US of A. NASCAR, drag racing, Indy cars and a myriad other motorsports draw racing fans while F1 coverage has been spotty.

Now Fox Sports and SPEED TV, two Newscorp channels, have inked out a new three-year deal to share the US broadcast rights of the grands prix . The deal will see four races (Indianapolis, Canada, France and Britain) carried by Fox Sports, and the other 13 races will be covered live (including practice and qualifying) by SPEED.

Hosting the program will be Bob Varsha, joined by commentary from former F1 driver David Hobbs and former F1 mechanic Steve Matchett, plus pit-lane commentary by F1 journo-extraordinaire Peter Windsor.

So, for the next three years at least, American viewers will get consistent coverage of the grand prix racing action.

[Source: GrandPrix.com]