Saleen Mustang S302E Sterling Edition by The Auto Car Lover's

The first Suzuki Kizashi Concept car was introduced at the 2007 International Motor Show in Frankfurt last year. Then came the Concept Kizashi 2 which carried forward the first concept's design theme and was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show in last October. And as a final push in the new design language of Kizashi concept series, Suzuki debuted its sleek and athletic Concept Kizashi 3 on March 20th at New York auto show. The Concept Kizashi 3 four-door concept car, which looks like a thinly veiled production sedan, will represent the completion of the Kizashi concept series. This one also provides a preview to the future Suzuki sport sedan being designed.

The Kizashi 3 concept has a muscular, solid stance, a short front overhang and 21 inch wheels. A large front grill, same as the other Kizashi concept cars, clearly proclaims Suzuki's new design direction. It also features all wheel drive and a six speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. Under the hood is a 3.6 liter DOHC V6 with plated cylinders, which helps in saving space. The motor puts out an even 300 horsepower. Suzuki has already announced that it will produce three versions of the Kizashi namely a wagon, CUV and sedan. The Kizashi and Kizashi 2 showcased the wagon and CUV body styles and Kizashi 3 is showing the sedan's design.

Suzuki plans to introduce the production sedan to the U.S. market by 2010. The production version will be manufactured at Suzuki's new Sagara, Japan, plant.

The Kizashi concept series was developed by Suzuki's Advanced Design Group to reflect a dynamic athlete in full flow, taking its design cues from a strong, classy physique while show casing the performance, strength and style befitting that of a great vehicle.

 

LA Show 2011 Highlights: 2013 Lincoln MKT

Just like the Ford Flex with which it shares its platform, Lincoln’s big MKT is receiving a mid-cycle refresh for 2013. The three-row crossover gets a restyled grille that’s less mouthy than before, a power bump for its base V-6, and a host of new luxury and technology content. As if to emphasize the MKT’s newfound style, Lincoln is debuting it—along with the refreshed 2013 MKS sedan—at the 2011 L.A. auto show.

The 2013 MKT’s biggest stylistic departure is its tweaked split-waterfall grille that now features thinner, more-elegant slats than before. The move is both expected—recent spy photos revealed the slimmer slats—and welcome. The previous MKT’s slats bore an uncanny resemblance to teeth, which, combined with the shape of the grille openings, gave the MKT the countenance of a certain Pinocchio-swallowing sea mammal. The new grille doesn’t cascade quite as far down the front bumper and lacks any horizontal elements, noticeably reducing the visual height of the front end and giving the MKT a wider and lower look. Other than a more prominent crease down the middle of the hood and new wheel designs, the rest of the MKT’s exterior styling carries over unchanged.

In addition to the 2013 MKT’s styling tweaks, there are a few notable mechanical updates. Lincoln had already pared the MKT lineup to two trim levels for 2012—a base front-driver powered by the 3.7-liter V-6 and an uplevel all-wheel-drive version powered by the 355-hp, EcoBoost V-6—and this scheme carries over to the 2013 car. However, the 3.7 now pumps out 300 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque, increases of 32 hp and 8 lb-ft over last year’s figures. City fuel economy remains at 17 mpg, while the highway figure rises by 1 mpg to 25. The twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 goes unchanged, which is fine by us: a 2010 MKT with the burly mill was able to rocket to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds in our testing. Fuel economy for the EcoBoosted all-wheel drive MKT is the same as last year: 16 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway.

We never had any qualms with the MKT’s ride, which was already fairly buttoned down for such a cushy and smooth setup, but Lincoln took things a step further for 2013. EcoBoost-equipped MKTs now have a standard adaptive suspension along with Lincoln Drive Control, which is Lincoln’s fancy name for selectable suspension and drive modes. Drivers can select Normal, Sport, or Comfort drive settings. The first two are selected not by a button on the console but by moving the shift lever into either Drive or Sport. In a somewhat convoluted manner, Comfort is selected via the Settings menu in the MKT’s updated MyLincoln Touch interface. Among the three drive modes, Normal is the baseline setting. Sport mode calls up firmer damping, quicker throttle response, a more-aggressive shift map, and higher steering effort from the electric power steering. Comfort does the opposite, injecting some lethargy into the MKT experience by softening the dampers and reducing steering effort.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

LA Show 2011 Highlights: 2013 Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder

Lamborghini is adding another two-wheel drive Lamborghini Gallardo into its range, two years after the Valentino Balboni edition first introduced the idea.

The Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder uses much the same technology as the Balboni — dispensing with drive to the front wheels to make the Gallardo into a rear-driven mid-engine supercar — but matches it to an open-top bodystyle.

“This is a purists model that adds another dimension of driving fun,” says Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s president, “this will appeal in particular to a very special group of customers that enjoy a spirited driving style and also like to experience the sheer pleasure of open-air driving."

Power comes from Lambo’s 542bhp V10 driving the rear-wheels through a choice of six-speed transmissions – a conventional manual or an e-gear, robotised manual version.

Acceleration from 0-62mph is 4.9secs and the top speed is 198mph, according to the company. The new model will carry a £158,797.60 price tag.

Autocar can confirm that orders placed now for the Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Spyder will result in first customer deliveries in spring 2012.

Thanks to: Autocar

LA Show 2011 Highlights: 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT 392 Yellow Jacket

These Dodge special editions - revealed at the Los Angeles motor show - have been created to celebrate the company’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division.

The Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee and Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket have received cosmetic changes from the standard cars on which they’re based.

That means they are both powered by 6.4-litre V8 Hemi engines producing 464bhp and 470lb ft of torque.

The Challenger also has 20-inch alloys, an assortment of exterior logos and graphics and interior modifications including silver stitching and yellow graphics.

Thanks to: Autocar

LA Show 2011 Highlights: 2012 Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee

These Dodge special editions - revealed at the Los Angeles motor show - have been created to celebrate the company’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division.

The Dodge Charger SRT8 Super Bee and Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Yellow Jacket have received cosmetic changes from the standard cars on which they’re based.

That means they are both powered by 6.4-litre V8 Hemi engines producing 464bhp and 470lb ft of torque.

The Charger is available in three colours and with a series of special edition stripes and graphics on the bonnet and boot, plus unique 20-inch alloys. Inside, there’s a three-spoke steering wheel, embroidered logos and silver stitching on the seats.

Thanks to: Autocar

LA Show 2011 Highlights: 2013 Lincoln MKS

Call them revisions or call them fixes; either way, Lincoln has done a good amount of something to the 2013 MKS. This is not a remake, but instead a heavy refresh like those applied to several Ford and Lincoln products of late. (See 2011 Ford Edge/Lincoln MKZ and 2011 Ford Mustang.)

The hard part for the team making over the MKS had to be dealing with just that: hard points. In this platform’s evolution from Volvo S80 to Ford Five Hundred and Mercury Montego to current Taurus and MKS, it has underpinned a lot of big sedans and crossovers, few of them stylistic successes and none of them knockouts. It’s almost as if the MKS is only now exiting puberty—although its bones still don’t quite match its role in life. And so the awkwardly tight rear compartment, tallish cabin, and high beltline remain. With a structure like that, engineers and designers can do only so much.

And oh, that styling. We’ll let you form your own opinion, saying only that we think it’s better than it was. Everything forward of the A-pillars has been re-skinned. The new grille and hood lessen the buck-toothed look with wider upper intakes—filled with finer chrome slats that before—and smaller headlights. The hood now reaches deeper between the grilles and houses a smaller Lincoln badge. A new decklid, which is supposed to improve the car’s compromised trunk access, is flanked by Jaguar XJ–esque taillights. The 2013 MKS gets new 19- and 20-inch wheel designs. Again, they’re better, but we wouldn’t exactly call them pretty.

Inside, the biggest news is the installation of the latest MyLincoln Touch system, which places a pair of screens in the gauge cluster, a corresponding pair of directional pads with which to control them on the steering wheel, and a large touch screen in the dash. As in other MyLincolnTouch applications, knobs and buttons are replaced on the center stack by touch-sensitive nubs and sliders.

Optional multi-contour front seats use a host of air bladders to adjust to and massage the bodies in them, and a heated steering wheel is now optional. New interior wood choices (Prussian Burl and Brown Swirl Walnut) as well as new Bridge of Weir leather hues (Hazelnut and Light Dune) all sound like different ways to say brown.

Thanks to: Car and Driver

LA Show 2011 Highlights: 2013 Infiniti IPL G Convertible

The Infiniti Performance Line was launched late last year with but a single model, a sharpened and slightly more powerful version of the G37 coupe called the IPL G coupe. In August, Infiniti showed us what an IPL G convertible would look like and announced—to no one’s surprise—that the convertible also would make it to dealers. Now Infiniti has debuted the production IPL G for extroverts at the 2011 Los Angeles auto show.

Like the IPL G coupe, the 2013 IPL G convertible adds a pinch of this and a dash of that to deliver what Infiniti calls “total vehicle performance” when compared with the standard G37 convertible. (This implies, of course, that the regular G models deliver incomplete vehicle performance.) As with its fixed-roof counterpart, the IPL G convertible gets a new nose, rocker-panel extensions, obscenely fat exhaust tips, and gorgeous, lacy 19-inch wheels. It is available in only two hues: Malbec Black (a deep wine color) and Moonlight White.

The interior is likewise limited to two colors—Stone and Monaco Red—and features red-stitched leather upholstery, “Silk Obi” aluminum trim, aluminum-capped pedals, and IPL-embroidered seatbacks and front floor mats.

IPL’s efforts to recalibrate the G’s VQ-series 3.7-liter V-6 and fitment of a true dual exhaust system yield the same boost in output as found with the IPL G coupe, adding 18 hp and 6 lb-ft of torque. In the convertible, this brings total output to 343 hp (at a lofty 7400 rpm) and 273 lb-ft of torque. Sadly, the coupe’s six-speed manual and its short-throw shifter are not available in the convertible; the only transmission offered is Infiniti’s seven-speed automatic, which comes with magnesium shift paddles affixed to the steering column.
Thanks to: Car and Driver