Hatchback


SCCA approves Honda Fit-based engine for Formula F

For 2010, Formula F is getting some fresh blood. The Sports Car Club of America's board of directors has given the thumbs up to Honda's proposal for a new engine in the class. Next year, competitors will be able to swap out their ancient Ford Kent engines for a new 1.5-liter four based on the Fit. Honda Performance Development created the engine so that it was specifically able to bolt up to many contemporary Formula Ford chassis designs with minimal modification, all while providing comparable performance. The air restrictor and ECU ... Read more →

SEMA 2009: Mazda introduces us to a happy couple, inspires 3-some Frank Filipponio

For SEMA 2009, Mazda introduced us to a pair of the happiest Mazda3 derivatives we've ever seen. Part Le Mans-winning 787B tribute, part rolling showcase (for their Mazda accessories catalog) and ...

Chrysler to launch four Special Editions in first quarter of 2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski

Much has been made of Chrysler's apparent lack of new products for the 2010 model year. Suffice it to say, while there are big things in store for Chrysler, they will take at least another year to ...

SEMA 2009: Mugen-fettled Accord, Fit aren't the big Honda story from SEMA Damon Lavrinc

In addition to announcing its plans to reinvigorate its participation in grassroots racing, Honda revealed two Mugen-accessorized models -- a 2010 Accord Sedan and Fit -- each outfitted with a ...

They still make that? VW Golf Mk1 ends production after 25 years Michael Harley

The original Volkswagen Golf Mk1 arrived as a replacement to the Volkswagen Beetle way back in 1974. Sold in the States as the Volkswagen Rabbit, the early front-wheel-drive hatchback had a ...

SEMA 2009: Living vicariously through Ken Block and his Subaru TRAX STI 3 days ago on Autoblog

Way back in April, we got tipped off to a video of a lifted and tracked Subaru WRX STI conquering the snowy climes of... somewhere. Before we caught a glimpse of the graphics and competition number, we knew who was behind it: Ken Block. Now, over six months later, the driving deity and snowboard ...

SEMA 2009: A quintet of concept Scions leaves us hungry for more 3 days ago on Autoblog

Just like last year, Scion had a group of tuners develop a whole range of models for SEMA 2009. Clustered in one corner of the Central Hall, the group included the Brandon Leung pickup and 0-60 Rally xD we showed you earlier, as well as another handful of tricked out Toyota lites. First up ...

SEMA 2009: 0-60 takes the Scion xD rallying 3 days ago on Autoblog

Screw convention! Why do you have to build a rally car out of something sporty? Or powerful? Or off-road-worthy? According to 0-60 magazine at least, you don't have to. You can build a rally car out of just about anything. Take this Scion xD for instance. It's probably among the last cars you'd ...

First Drive: 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour goes down the road nicely... but is that enough? 3 days ago on Autoblog

We hadn't been parked but a minute or two when it happened. After about a half an hour wringing out our test subject on what few curvy stretches of road suburban Detroit had to offer, we opportunistically pulled into a roadside fruit stand to snap a few photos before our ride got any dirtier. It ...

VIDEO: Ken Block's Subaru-based TRAX STI is an alpine badass 4 days ago on Autoblog

Yes, that's probably the first ever Subaru tank. We can't say for certain, but I think in this case we can go ahead and assume. Driven by none other then Ken "Gymkhana" Block. Why does it exist? To be the "ultimate backcountry shred car," of course. We think what that actually means is that ...

REPORT: Mini's future models roadmapped 4 days ago on Autoblog

If you'll please forgive us our one tired cliché of the day... BMW has big plans in store for its smallest brand. In this case, quite literally as the next model that comes from Mini will reportedly be the long-expected Countryman crossover, which we can expect to hit the market in the ...

Volkswagen prices UK Scirocco R and Golf R, debuts new ad [w/VIDEO] 4 days ago on Autoblog

For those of you in the U.K., the R-line versions of the Golf and Scirocco have been priced and can now be ordered. The Scirocco is the bargain of the two, going for £26,945 ($44,257 U.S.), while the Golf takes you slightly higher up the currency chart, priced at £28,930 ($47,518 ...

REPORT: Nissan working on Tata Nano-like cheap car strategy 5 days ago on Autoblog

India's Tata Nano has seemingly shown the world's remaining automakers that it's possible to build a small, inexpensive car for emerging markets that's still profitable. You can reportedly count Nissan among the companies paying close attention and the Japanese automaker reportedly has plans to ...

Volkswagen launches eco-friendly Scirocco Cup 8 days ago on Autoblog

It seems like an odd juxtaposition, but "going green" and motorsports have been increasingly paired together lately. In the United States, the American Le Mans Series initiated the Green X Challenge this past season with a focus on creating the least amount of negative impact on the ...

REPORT: Toyota develops its own flower for cleaner air at Prius plant 8 days ago on Autoblog

Automakers make cars and trucks, no surprises there. Some even make other interesting things, like Honda, which also builds motorcycles, lawn mowers, jets, robots and solar cells. But until now, we haven't heard of any car company that develops its own species of flowers. Thankfully, Toyota has ...

Loder1899 heats up Ford's already cookin' Focus RS 9 days ago on Autoblog

Here at the Autoblog, we get accused of many things. From somehow making a living off of the Ford Mustang to dating other male journalists to "FAIL!" we've heard it all. In fact, we hear the latter a lot. One that particularly sticks in our collective craw is the accusation that we somehow ...

AW: Jaguar to hatch R-D6 inspired sports fastback for 2014 9 days ago on Autoblog

The on-again, off-again five-door "coupe" from Jaguar is reportedly, well, on again. According to AutoWeek, the British-born and Indian-owned automaker plans to release the sporty hatchback in 2014 with an estimated price of around $60,000. Jaguar first dipped a toe in the five-door coupe waters ...

REPORT: Fiat 500 to launch in the U.S. with Abarth performance model 10 days ago on Autoblog

With every passing week comes another report of how Fiat and Chrysler will be sharing products. If it's not Chrysler-badged Lancias then it's Lancia-badged Chryslers or an Alfa-badged Jeep. As for the Fiat division itself, the emerging strategy appears to be to bring the 500 retro-mini over and ...

Rumormill: BMW looking at cheaper 5 Series Gran Turismo, rules out M model 10 days ago on Autoblog

The famed automotive pot-stirrers at Autocar are at it again. According to two blurbs from the UK publication, BMW's new 5 Series Gran Turismo may spawn at least one less costly, less powerful variant, but a high-performance M version is apparently off the table. On the fuel and financial ...

Lazareth creates mid-mounted, Range Rover V8-powered Renault Twingo Trophy [*w/VIDEO] 11 days ago on Autoblog

Years ago, on a post-collegiate backpacking trip through Europe, we became strangely obsessed with the Renault Twingo. Going so far as to compose red vin induced Weird Al style poems, "Twingo, Twingo little car, how I wonder why you are." Today, we're having a slightly different reaction to this ...

REPORT: 2011 Suzuki Swift engineered to meet U.S. regulations 11 days ago on Autoblog

There are things that Suzuki does well, and things it doesn't do so well. Among the former are its motorcycles and small cars like the Swift. Among the latter, well, just take a look at their success in the North American market. Unfortunately, the company doesn't offer the Swift – an ...

Mugen reportedly considering tuning Honda CR-Z 11 days ago on Autoblog

While the idea of a performance-tuned hybrid may have seemed nonsensical only a couple of years ago, as the earth-friendly vehicles become more mainstream, the sub-segment will undoubtedly grow to attract a fair share of our attention. Case in point: reports from overseas indicate that Mugen is ...

VIDEO: 1988 Yugo sales video is hilarity of the unintentional variety 12 days ago on Autoblog

If this video had been made by Saturday Night Live, it would have been the funniest thing on the weekend variety show for as long as we can remember. But it's not a skit, and it's not comedy – at least, it's not meant to be. It's a 1988 video extolling the mighty and numerous selling ...

Mugen Honda Civic Type-R confirmed for Euro consumption 14 days ago on Autoblog

Earlier this summer, we caught whiffs of rumormill pandering that Mugen was planning to launch a high-performance version of Honda's Civic Type-R. Those rumors are now facts as the well-known tuning firm has just announced that the Ultimate Civic Type-R is headed to a European country near you ...

Tokyo 2009: Toyota FT-EV II concept features funky looks, zero emissions 14 days ago on Autoblog

Toyota has revealed its latest plug-in electric concept car here at the Tokyo Motor Show. The FT-EV II is a followup to the iQ-based FT-EV that we saw in Detroit earlier this year but appears to be a ground-up design that takes advantage of the electric drive architecture. The iQ is promoted as ...

SEMA Preview: RM460 Genesis Coupe with 500-hp mid-engine V8 gets rendered 15 days ago on Autoblog

We've been keeping tabs on Rhys Millen Racing and their construction of a V8-powered, mid-engine Hyundai Genesis Coupe for the last few weeks. Called the RM460 Genesis Coupe, this car will make its official debut at SEMA in early November, but we've got the first rendering of the exterior right ...

VW launches Real Racing GTI on iPhone, giving away six GTIs! 15 days ago on Autoblog

Volkswagen is no stranger to promoting its vehicles using games for the iPhone and iPhone Touch. Witness such forgetables as Volkswagen Polo Challenge 3D [iTunes link] and Volkswagen Scirocco R 24H Challenge 3D [iTunes link], both by developer FISHLABS. Neither game is very fun to play, being on ...

Tokyo 2009: Suzuki Alto Concept tries to be a cooler kei 16 days ago on Autoblog

The Suzuki Alto concept is The Kei You Would Never Suspect: unassuming looks belie the fact that this is car Suzuki is going to use to reach a wider audience. The exterior – which, frankly, looks like a ton of other itty bitty already plying on Japan's streets -- has been subtly tweaked to ...

GM invites Volt fans to name first color and win a test drive! 16 days ago on Autoblog

Take a close look at the Chevy Volt in the photo above. We've seen it a number of times already but we've never said anything about the color. While it's predominantly silver, it does have a green (or more specifically emerald) tint in it. According to General Motors spokesman David Darovitz, ...

Tokyo 2009: Daihatsu Tanto Exe and Tanto Exe Custom are boxy and... custom boxy 16 days ago on Autoblog

A "tanto" is a short Japanese sword or dagger, which means the only thing it has in common with the Daihatsu Tanto Exe and Tanto Exe Custom is the descriptor "short" and the additional epithet, "light." Both the Tanto Exe and Exe Custom are "lighter and more fuel efficient versions of the ...

Tokyo 2009: Daihatsu e:S plays small ball 16 days ago on Autoblog

Daihatsu didn't just bring out its big little guns, it had a couple of tiny guns there as well, such as this, the Volvo C30-esque e:S. Called "a new eco-car that reveals the future role of mini vehicles," it focuses earnestly on environmental impact and "embodies the roles that mini vehicles ...

Tokyo 2009: WRX STi Carbon gets a weave 16 days ago on Autoblog

Most people we talked with don't seem to understand the point of the Subaru WRX STi Carbon unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show – but it's a JDM-only car, and frankly, there are a lot of things that outsiders don't understand about the Japanese market. The carbon-roofed A-Line will come ...

Rumormill: Infiniti working on premium compact electric car? 17 days ago on Autoblog

According to British auto mag Auto Express, Infiniti is in the midst of designing a new small car that would potentially go up against the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz B-Class. Soon, we'll likely be adding a small hybrid hatchback to that mix from Lexus in the vein of the LF-Ch ...

REPORT: Next generation Nissan Micra coming to the U.S. 17 days ago on Autoblog

On the eve of the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan has confirmed plans to offer the next generation Micra in the United States. The new, yet-to-be-named model will slot in below the Versa (the Micra is nearly two-feet shorter than Nissan's entry-level hatch) and will be built atop Nissan's new low-cost ...

Seat reportedly planning new halo coupe to go with all those hatchbacks and minivans 18 days ago on Autoblog

Considering that Seat is supposed to be Volkswagen's sporty cousin, the Spanish motor division's range is conspicuously bereft of two-door models. Oh, they've got plenty of hatchbacks and MPVs, but the company only has two models with less than five doors. One's a rebadged previous-gen Audi A4, ...

REPORT: Honda likely to build Fit in the U.S. 18 days ago on Autoblog

What goes up, must come down. And in this situation, Japan's yen has gone up when compared to our dollar -- about eight percent since August. And with the yen's rise in value, the profitability of low margin cars like the Honda Fit goes down. Built in Japan, with the yen up, the strong-selling ...

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Autoblog Podcast #151: With Car and Driver's Eddie Alterman

Eddie Alterman wades in with Sam, Chris, Dan, and Jonny to talk about SEMA and other recent events.

 
 

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