Alfa Romeo is banking on the 4C’s ability to seduce us like those posters of Audrey Hepburn from Roman Holiday in every sorority girl’s dorm room. And as an attention-grabbing prelude to a glorious U.S. return, it’s working. Consider us seduced.

But that’s not all, folks: the 4C could pave the way for a host of Italian sports cars, starting with Spider and Abarth versions to follow. Abarth is a Fiat brand, of course, and would also be represented by the upcoming Fiat 500 Abarth here. But reports from Turin indicate that Maserati is also looking to use the 4C for a smaller sports car against the Porsche Cayman and the Lotus Elise.

If everything goes according to this plan, it means that the 4C will share itself among three brands within the Chrysler/Fiat portfolio—and just from the Italian arm. You can bet that Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles won’t let any Italian sports cars out of his grasp, and neither will Chrysler. Remember: if you can’t beat ‘em, flood ‘em with platform-sharing duplicates. That’s how the saying goes, right?

GALLERY: Afa Romeo 4C

[Source: Autoblog]

To celebrate its 10th anniversary in China, Porsche has released a special 911 Turbo S for the Chinese market. The unique model is limited to just 10 units with no pricing announced, but we’re guessing it’ll be an exorbitant increase from the standard car’s already steep $160,700 MSRP. It featurea a gold exterior shade accented by a carbon fiber hood, carbon fiber rear spoiler and 19-inch Sport Classic wheels.

Along with the graceful and luxurious exterior changes, Porsche China with improve the interior with Alcantara sport seats, carbon fiber trim and exclusive sill plates. Minor amenities include a Sport Design steering wheel, different floor mats and special badging.

Performance will be left untouched. The China 10th Anniversary Edition Porsche 911 Turbo S will still feature the standard 3.8L six-cylinder powerplant with 523-hp and 516 ft-lbs of torque.

GALLERY: Porsche China 911 10th Anniversary Edition

It’s just three days away and what better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the running of the Indianapolis 500 than by buying a shiny (and expensive) new watch?

To commemorate the big day, Tag Heuer has released a new limited edition ticker, named (you guess it) the Limited Edition Indy 500 Centennial Chronograph.

Design cues include three dials that mimic a race car’s dash, an Indy 500 logo and a face designed to look like the Brickyard’s famous start-finish line.

Just 1,000 of these shiny mementos will be made and at $1,650 we can think of worse ways to spend your money than on a nice watch that will most certainly become a collectors item.

The latest in a growing list of investments, General Motors has announced a $331 million cash infusion into its Arlington Assembly Plant in Texas.

The plant currently builds GM’s SUV lineup, with models including the Chevrolet Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade. The funding will go towards new tooling and equipment for the facility and while GM hasn’t said as much, it’s believed the this is in preparation for a new full-sized SUV line, with new versions of the above-mentioned trucks expected to hit the market some time around 2014.

In addition to sprucing up the place, GM has also announced the creation of 110 new positions at the plant, adding to the 2,400 person workforce there now.

“This investment will allow us to continue building award-winning full-size SUVs that offer better fuel efficiency than ever before without sacrificing the features and functionality they’ve come to expect,” GM Manufacturing Manager Larry Zahner said Thursday. “We remain committed to providing customers the utility and capability of our world-class full-size SUVs.”

Part of a major overhaul of its production facilities and models, GM recently announced upgrades to its Detroit-Hamtramck plant and Bowling Green Corvette Factory as part of an investment strategy that will see $2 billion used to revitalize 17 plants.

A car isn’t flashy enough for us until you bedazzle the crap out of it (we love the sparkly Royal MINI Cooper and the Smart Fortwo convertible), so you can imagine how excited we were when we laid our peepers on the Swarovski-studded Audi that turned heads at the Moscow Tuning Show.

Designed to blind anyone looking directly at in on a sunny day, the sparkle-rific Audi was the creation of Shampar, a tuning studio, who blinged out this ride with 450,000 Swarovski crystals. It made its grand appearance and dazzled patrons at the Moscow Tuning Show, which took place in the international exhibition center Crocus Expo recently.

Taking about 1440 hours and 6 million rubles ($214,415) to bling this ride, there’s no word on if this jewelled creation is available for sale. But we think with your own bedazzler kit and some rhinestones from a craft store, you could jazz up your own for a fraction of the cost. What do you think? Too much or not enough? Would you be caught driving a car like this one? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

[Source: Born Rich]

Volvo has announced plans to develop and test a new flywheel kinetic energy recovery system. Volvo says the KERS system (or FKERS as Volvo calls it) is “a light, cheap and very eco-efficient solution that makes a four-cylinder engine feel like a six at the same time as fuel consumption drops with up to 20 percent.”

The KERS system is fitted to the rear axle of the car (displayed in video). When braking, the energy causes the flywheel to spin at up to 60,000 revs per minute. When the car starts moving again, the flywheel’s rotation is transferred to the rear wheels via a specially designed transmission. This will allow fuel efficiency to improve by 20%. Horsepower and acceleration are also improved under this system.

Volvo is planning to begin testing the system later this year with the hopes of launching it ”within a few years.”

Check out the video after the jump!

Continue Reading…

We’ve already heard about Mopar’s Ram Runner package for 1500 pickups, that essentially turns one into a street-legal Pre-Runner type truck, now we’ve got official pricing on it.

As part of a line of accessories available through the Mopar catalog, enthusiasts have the option of acquiring the complete Ram Runner package in one go or doing it peacemeal.

The  Pre Runner Stage II kit, includes a five-link rear suspension, Fox Shox, chromemoly lower control arms, replacement upper arms, forged-steel tie rods and rebuildable high angle ball-joints.

Purchasing the entire kit will set you back $13,270, plus the cost of the donor truck and labor/installation charges and taxes. In addition; Mopar sells a specific off-road front bumper ($1,250) plus an off-road tire carrier, designed to be mounted in the bed ($1,010).

There’s also a set of fiberglass front and rear fenders ($1.020 per set) plus a stamped aluminum hood ($978) that includes twin scoops, plus a performance dual exhaust system ($1,135) to give your Ram Runner the sound only a Hemi can provide through a set of big pipes.

If you add the cost of all this additional stuff, then by the time you’re done, you’re probably looking at close $50,000, factoring in the cost of the truck, the taxes and labor charges.

Is it worth it? Depends on your viewpoint. But, considering you’ll have a Hemi powered rig with 14 inches of suspension travel and a 41-degree approach angle, it’ll still be fun to go out and beat on some F-150 Raptors.

Aston Martin is reportedly working on a Rapide S, which will be much faster than the current Rapide, via a heart transplant involving the DBS’s 510-hp engine. The current Rapide is by no means a slow car. Powered by a 6.0-liter V12 engine producing 470-hp and 443 lb-ft of torque, the Rapide is capable of 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds with a top speed of 188mph.

However the time has come to intoduce a much faster, sportier model. The Rapide S will also feature carbon-ceramic brake discs as standard and firmer suspension settings. The Rapide S will arrive later this year and will definetly feature a nice price bump.

Stay tuned for more info!

[Source: AutoExpress]

Discuss this story at AstonMartinForum.com

Mazda announced today they have reached a production milestone of three million Mazda3 units as of April 26, 2011. The car is built in three factories (Japan, China, Thailand) and sold in roughly 90 countries and regions. In North America alone, over 1.1 million Mazda3s have been sold, becoming the fastest-selling model in Mazda’s current lineup of passenger vehicles.

Mazda has explained the success of this car through three factors: its distinctive design, its functionality, and its responsive handling. The wide range of models has also been a successful factor. Pricing has also been very competitive in the U.S starting at just over $16,000. The high performance Mazdaspeed3, has also been favorable to auto enthusiasts around the world.

It is quite an achievement for Mazda, considering it took nearly 22 years to hit 900,000 MX-5 Miatas. The Mazda3 three tripled that number in less than eight years.

Mazda’s senior managing executive officer, Hirotaka Kanazawa said, “Its sustained global success has seen it grow into Mazda’s mainstay model, and it now comprises a third of all Mazda vehicle sales.”

Hit the jump to see a list of the top 10 Best Selling Cars of All Time

Continue Reading…

Mugen Euro is looking to build off its success in developing a supercharged Honda CR-Z hybrid by spicing up the Honda Jazz (Fit in America). And while Mugen of Japan has already released several styling accessories for the Honda Jazz, Mugen Euro is looking to increase its performance and make it a much more exciting car to drive.

The 197-hp, 1.5L hybrid powerplant in the supercharged CR-Z that Mugen Euro is currently testing may find its way into a Mugen Honda Jazz. Mugen Euro’s general manager, Colin Whittamore, claims that it “wouldn’t be much of a stretch” to fit the motor into the Jazz’s engine bay. He did state that another option would be a high revving 2.0L VTEC powerplant used in the latest Civic Type R.

Whatever it may be, we’re just happy that people are still interested in adding performance to Hondas in world where everyone seems to only care about MPG.

GALLERY: Mugen Honda Jazz

[Source: Autocar UK]