Today hot auto news

CARB gives Chevy Volt ULEV II status, misses SULEV II by a hair

The California Air Resources Board has given a green rating to the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the grade atop the page being ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle). That's below the SULEV and PZEV ratings of cars you might not expect to beat the Volt, such as the four-cylinder Honda Accord and Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0T and Jetta TDI. Also on the list as being cleaner than the Volt are the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda CR-Z. Click past the break for some interesting comparative charts.

The issue is that CARB performs its testing with the engine running - it has no electric-power-only test. When the Volt's engine runs, it emits 1.3 g/km, which puts it 0.3 grams beyond the allowance for a SULEV vehicle. What's more, since it can't get the PZEV (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) rating of the Prius and Leaf, it can't get carpool lane stickers in California. One of the biggest boons of buying a green car, at least in California, is the extra time you get to enjoy your life because you can use the carpool lane and don't need to haul around Frank and Bob from sales in order to to it.

Will any of this affect the Volt's reception? In most places, wherever a sticker can't get you in the VIP line, probably not. And it doesn't affect what the Volt can do. This is really a reflection of the Volt paying the price for an outdated testing regime and an engine connected to the wheels in a three-mile-per-hour speed band. But in the green space where everyone is counting every feather in every cap, we imagine General Motors is ruing having missed out on this particular one. Perhaps the tagline "More car than electric" is here proved a little too true...

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

Continue reading CARB gives Chevy Volt ULEV II status, misses SULEV II by a hair

Kia recalling 2001-2004 Optima sedans in rust-prone states over subframe corrosion

The 2001-2004 Kia Optima is being recalled in several states for corrosion of the front subframe. The recall covers some 36,538 examples sold in the U.S. in the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Main, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia - all areas typically noted for being high rust threats due to their difficult winters and use of road salt.

According to the recall, internal corrosion of the front subframe can weaken the mounting points near the lower control arm, leading to everything from irregular tire wear to abnormal stress levels in the system that may contribute to a cras.

The recall begins this month, but neither Kia nor NHTSA have outlined a potential fix in the recall notice posted after the jump.

Continue reading Kia recalling 2001-2004 Optima sedans in rust-prone states over subframe corrosion

Official: Audi confirms R18 hybrid as part of 2012 endurance racing program

The diesel era at Le Mans may not be over yet, but already we're seeing the emergence of a new propulsion trend: hybrids. Toyota recently announced the TS030 Hybrid LMP1, Peugeot was working on a hybrid version of its 908 prototype before it killed the race program, and now Audi has confirmed a hybrid version of the R18 TDI.

Few details were released, but what we can tell you is that Audi will field four cars at Le Mans this year: two with hybrid assist and two without. One will be headlined by Allan McNish, one by Oliver Jarvis, one by Timo Bernhard and one by André Lotterer, with supplemental drivers to be announced sometime before the 80th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicks off in June.

Audi also announced a two-car entry for the inaugural FIA World Endurance Championship, with four cars to be run at select racers like Spa and Sebring. Expect more details on the R18 hybrid to be released later this month, but in the meantime you can check out the official announcement after the jump.

Continue reading Audi confirms R18 hybrid as part of 2012 endurance racing program

Quick Spin: 1989 BMW Z1 [w/video]

We had ventured out to California for a BMW event tied to the huge Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, and there it sat, unapologetically sassy. It was there and then that we decided it was time to finally drive one of BMW's ultimate curio cars, the plastic fantastic Z1 built between 1989 and 1991.

Officially, 8,000 examples of the Z1 were made, nearly 6,500 of them sold in Germany. No Z1s could be imported through normal channels to the United States due primarily to the car's side-impact crash capabilities - or, more to the point, incapabilities. The 154.4-inch long Z1 was built on a somewhat dedicated chassis using significant bits from the E30 325i. Under full load (as we tested it here with driver, a passenger, all fluids and a bit of luggage), the 167-horsepower Z1 is a little porker at 3,200 pounds. But, you know what? It didn't much matter, because we drove nearly 200 miles in this well-intentioned albatross, and it provided a totally unique driving experience. Having said that, while we are proud to have finally had the opportunity to pilot the Z1, we are quite okay with the fact that we'll probably never do it again.

Continue reading 1989 BMW Z1 [w/video]

Intercontinental Le Mans Cup hits Spa-Francorchamps [spoilers]

The second round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup took place in Belgium, and even though the Audi R18 took to the starting line for the first time, Peugeot was able to take the top two spots on the podium after six hours of racing.

Interestingly, the qualifying results were the opposite of the race results: Audi racers occupied the first three positions on the grid, and although a Peugeot 908 was in fourth, it wasn't a team car, it was that of the Oreca squad. Due to an incident-strewn and red-flagged qualifying session, the first Peugeot Sport Total car was back in 13th, the second was in 18th, and the third wasn't even classified and started at the back of the grid.

In the race, however, it was Audi's turn for bad juju. The pole-sitting car spun at the first corner on the first lap, one of the drivers accidentally hit the pit-lane speed limiter button during the race, unscheduled stops for new tires and collisions ate away at their positions. Come the checkered flag, team Audi rallied to take third, fourth, and fifth positions, but first and second went to The Lions - that second-place car being the one that started at the back of the grid.

Even with the copious amounts of shenanigans pre-race and in-race, the results aren't totally surprising: Peugeot has a knack for emerging victorious at Spa - this was the team's fifth consecutive win in the Ardennes. Have a look at some of the action in the high-res gallery below.

Porsche-VW merger could take on new investors

Volkswagen's second-largest shareholder, the German state of Lower Saxony, has the final say on the proposed Porsche-Volkswagen merger, and according to a spokesperson for the state's prime minister, Christian Wulff, the new company birthed from the union should be open to outside investors.

Currently, Porsche maintains 51% of VW's voting rights, with Lower Saxony coming in at 20% and miscellaneous investors comprising the final 29%. According to the state's spokesperson, "At the end of the day it could look like this: Porsche owns 50%, Lower Saxony 20% and free float investors 30%." Obviously, Lower Saxony's stake would remain the same - exactly as the local government leaders prefer. As previously reported, talks between the two automakers stalled over the weekend, and no new schedule has been set for the negotiations to continue.

Navistar still interested in acquiring GM medium-duty trucks?

Even though a deal with Navistar International Corp dissolved over the summer, the commercial truck maker remains interested in possibly acquiring General Motors' medium-duty truck unit. Dan Ustian, Navistar's chairman, chief executive and president, told the Reuters Manufacturing Summit in Chicago that, "...we're always looking to grow and that compliments us pretty well."

That sounded promising at the outset, but Ustian stressed that Navistar doesn't need any additional manufacturing capacity in the current economy, and that any agreement requiring Navistar to keep open facilities in Flint would never get signed. In fact, he added, if the current downturn continues, the company may be forced to slow or stop production in their own existing heavy-duty truck plants in Mexico and Canada.

The news is indifferent to the UAW officials who are looking for a buyer interested in keeping the plants open to save jobs. While Navistar waits "to see how the economy materializes," maybe Isuzu will step up to the plate?

More Chrysler SEMA stuff: HEMI-powered Dodge Nitro

Mad props go out to Ray Wert at Jalopnik who has been feeding us bits of Chrysler's SEMA stuff all day long, and apparently he's not done. The latest is this purple Dodge Nitro with a heavily modified 5.7-liter HEMI V8 under its squared-off hood that's hooked up to a Tremec 5-speed transmission. We're totally diggin the extra-wide fender flares, Viper-sourced Brembo brakes, and 22-inch Alcoa wheels that fit the Nitro just fine. No doubt the HEMI can roast the Yokohamas wrapped around those dubs. Additional touches include a set of four Viper seats to keep driver and passengers secure, as well as a pair of Kicker subs in the trunk that could've easily been left out of this project. We hear there's still a SEMA-fied Challenger yet to show its grille, so we'll have to wait and see if Ray escaped from Auburn Hills with any more info.

Confirmed: Suzuki Regina concept renamed G70, production version coming?

The Suzuki Regina concept shown at the 2011 Tokyo Auto Show was an unusual little car. We don't want to get our hopes up about production (especially since we'd probably never get it in America anyway), but the Regina will return to the spotlight at the Geneva Motor Show with some tweaks that have us wondering if Suzuki plans to actually build the French-looking runabout. Despite its bold styling, the Regina's drivetrain seems plausible enough; it's powered by a conventional three-cylinder gasoline engine.

The Regina will apparently be renamed G70 when it's shown in Switzerland. Tokyo publicity for the car centered around the five-door as "an idea for a 1,600-pound sedan that gets 75 miles per gallon." Suzuki has officially pegged the weight of the G70 at 730 kg, or 1,606 pounds. The "70" in the name likely comes from its 70g/km of carbon emissions, but Suzuki hasn't divulged its numbers yet. Follow the jump for a press release on the G70 concept.

Continue reading Suzuki Regina concept renamed G70, production version coming?

Carlsson strikes first with custom 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS350

The svelte Mercedes-Benz CLS has long been a favorite of tuners, and with the new model on the way, you can expect a veritable onslaught to ensue. The first bit of blood has been drawn by Carlsson, which has just unveiled its tuning program for the CLS350 before it even reaches showrooms.

Engine modifications are available for both the CLS350 gasoline and diesel V6 mills. With the petrol engine, power is increased to 333 horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque (gains of 27 and 29, respectively), and the oil-burning powerplant now cranks out 320 hp and 575 lb-ft (increases of 55 hp and 96 lb-ft). Both the gasoline and diesel CLS350s will sprint to 62 miles per hour in just 5.9 seconds - 0.2 seconds faster than the stock petrol car and 0.3 seconds faster than the standard diesel model.

Carlsson's C-Tronic adjustable suspension (mounted to a choice of wheel options) is also on offer, as is a full body kit - complete with a new front bumper, grille, power-dome hood, LED fog lamps, side skirts, side vents and rear apron with diffuser - and an Alcantara and brushed aluminum-trimmed interior. Have a closer look in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS 350 by Carlsson