Along with the upcoming Model S electric luxury sedan and a Model X crossover, American electric car maker Tesla Motors is planning a successor to its break out model, the simply-named Roadster. Expected to arrive by 2014, the car will be underpinned by a new “third generation” flexible platform.

The new chassis will  be so flexible, in fact, that Tesla founder and CEO Elon Muskhsa said it will be used for a BMW 3 Series rival as well. Calling it a more “mass-market” platform, Musk says it, “will spawn a range of cars in the next four to five years.”

In addition to the launch of the Model S, look for the Model S to arrive next year, possibly followed by a convertible model.

[Source: AutoCar]

Click here to read AutoGuide’s Tesla Roadster Review

The world’s largest aftermarket expo is just days away and Ford has released a second batch teaser images, highlighting the customization potential of its truck and SUV offerings.

Three modified versions of the new Ford Explorer will be on hand at the 2011 SEMA Show. The first, called the “Business Edition” Explorer is built by Stitchcraft Interiors will feature luxurious leather and Alcantara interior with a custom charcoal and orange exterior. The DSO Eyewear Explorer is designed to embrace a “active urban lifestyle” with 24-inch Niche wheels, a pear white paint job and “Midnight Tuscany” leather interipr with “Raven Suede” accents. And finally there’s the Tjin Edition Explorer, also with 24-inch wheels (from iForged), Eibach suspension, a Baer brake upgrade, while inside the car gets a Lamborghini-esque black leather interior with orange stitching.

Heading into the realm of real trucks, you won’t be able to miss the F-350 Super Duty, which has been transformed into the Matchbox Superlift Brush Truck. With a 10-inch Superlift Suspensions lift kit and 41-inch wheel and tire package. Painted “Oh, So Orange” the truck gets a complete firefighting utility bed and equipment, along with all the necessary lights and sirens. (And we secretly think its a Transformer).

The “Project No Compromise” F-150 gets a solid array of mods, from a MagnaFlow exhaust and Skyjacker Suspensions four-inch lift, to a two-inch fender flare kit. A real truck, it also boasts Ford’s new fuel efficient and powerful EcoBoost V6 engine.

Built by CGS Performance Products the “Tarmac” F-150 is notably more urban, sitting low to the ground with an extensive list of mods that include Colorado Custom billet wheels, a Whipple twin-screw supercharger, a modified exterior with a new hood and grille, plus a custom red leather interior.

And finally there’s the “Black Mamba” F-350 Super Duty (above) with its Bentley-styled front-grille and suicide rear doors.

GALLERY: Ford Explorer, F-Series SEMA Show Cars

Check out AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show preview here.

On display at the upcoming SEMA Show this year will be a custom Chrysler 300 SF6, built and inspired by the annual Spring Festival owners gathering in Southern California. With a focus on discrete styling and Mopar performance parts and accessories, the 300 gets a nice overhaul just in time for the sixth-annual event.

Unfortunately Chrysler didn’t release a rendering or teaser image of the 300 SF6, but we can probably use our imagination by taking a look at the modification specs. The outside of the 300 will be overhauled significantly thanks to a set of 22-inch Savini Mono Di Forza SM3 aluminum wheels. Chrysler’s 300 SF6 will sport a staggered wheel set with 22×9.5-inchers in the front and 22×10.5-inchers in the rear. The 300 then received a set of custom Mopar/KW coilovers, front and rear strut tower braces and larger SRT8 performance brakes.

Additional horsepower comes from Mopar’s cold-air intake, long-tube headers, and a Mopar/Corsa custom exhaust system, giving the 5.7L HEMI V8 plenty of room to breathe. The styling of the vehicle was also enhanced by the addition of a unique body-color grille, front chin and trunk spoilers, and a gloss black-painted roof.

On the inside, an athletic-luxury theme was done with Mopar/Katzkin performance seats trimmed with black and black/blue perforated leather with Mopar blue accent stitching. Interior accents including the center stack, instrument panel, steering wheel, gauge cluster and door-panel were all finished in Piano Black. Stereo-wise, Mopar equipped the 300 with their Kicker audio system, which features a pair of 10-inch subwoofers, a pair of two-way speakers, 6×9′s in each door and a pair of 3.5-inch in the front and right corners of the instrument panel.

Other Chrysler Group vehicles to be unveiled at SEMA include the Dodge Durango Tow Hook, the Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR, the RAM 392 Quick Silver, as well as the Fiat 500 Carbon and Titanium Editions.

Look for pics from the SEMA Show with live coverage starting here November 1st.

We really have to give a hand to Rhys Millen Racing and Hyundai this year. In an age where everything somehow finds a way to leak onto the Internet, this is the first we’re hearing of the project that RMR is currently working on for this year’s SEMA Show.

Hyundai has released a teaser video revealing that Rhys is planning something extra special for this year’s show. Over the past four years, RMR and Hyundai have partnered up to create one-of-a-kind show-stopping vehicles, and it looks like this year they want it to be the biggest and best yet.

Make sure to check out the video after the jump and stay tuned for SEMA Show coverage starting here, Tuesday, Nov. 1st.

Continue Reading…

If you thought the risk of buying a flood car after Hurricane Katrina was serious, imagine having your health threatened just from being near the car. That’s exactly what’s been happening in Japan, where unsuspecting consumers are being sold dangerously radioactive cars that belonged to people living in Fukushima and the surrounding area after the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the prefecture’s nuclear power plant in March.

According to harbor authorities, 660 cars have been banned thus far for export because of unsafe radion levels. Rather than destroy the hazardous merchandise, some Japanese car dealers are simply swapping license plates to cover their stock’s origin according to The Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

One re-registered van was found to be emitting 110 microsieverts of radiation an hour— for perspective, the national limit for export to other countries is is 0.3 microsieverts an hour.

An unnamed dealer from the western city of Osaka bought the notorious vehicle at auction and decided to sell it despite the risk because he said he couldn’t afford to take the loss.

“I decontaminated repeatedly after the test and retested the filter of the air conditioner, the wipers and tires, replacing them thoroughly, but the radiation level dropped only to 30 microsieverts per hour,” he said.

[Source: FoxNews.com Autos]

The folks over at PistonHeads.com headed to Silverstone to catch up with Kazutoshi Mizuno, otherwise known as the father of the GT-R. Mizuno spent some time detailing the improvements the 2012 Nissan GT-R (2013 U.S.-spec model) sports, and how he anticipates it to be a very noticeable difference to the car’s performance.

For 2012, the GT-R will receive a nice increase in power, though no figure has been set in stone. The estimates are to be around 550-hp while the right-hand-drive markets will receive an asymmetric suspension setup. The suspension is designed to counterbalance the extra 110-lbs of the steering assemblies. Minor revisions were also made to the front end, slightly improving steering.

And while all these changes are probably very minor and unnoticeable to the everyday person, Nissan claims that the 2012 car was faster throughout the track at Silverstone and because of that data, Mizuno believes that the 2012 GT-R could be 7-8 seconds faster than the 2011 lap time of 7 minutes and 24 seconds.

To put this into perspective, the current production car Nurburgring record holder is the Viper ACR with a 7:12 time.

There will also be an announcement of a Track Pack for the 2012 GT-R which will include Spec-V style interior, racing seats with high friction fabric, upgraded brakes and a sport exhaust. Mizuno also teased about the possibility of expanding the GT-R model line.

GALLERY: 2012 Nissan GT-R

[Source: PistonHeads]

Kia plans on making a splash this year at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show with its surf/skate-themed 2012 Rio hatchback.

This gnarly Rio is the result of a partnership between Kia and Antenna Magazine, and is touted as being a “one-of-a-kind retro ride aimed at totally radical surfing enthusiasts.” To start off, Kia took a stock five-door 2012 Rio and went to town on it, giving it a “sunset-metallic golden-brown” coat and a custom front splitter made from wood (taking its inspiration from vintage surfboards). But it doesn’t stop there – this Rio comes outfitted with an extreme exhaust system, gold-finished aluminum wheels and a new set of side skirts. Inside, this Rio boasts shelves for storage, a retro record player and a retro-style video game system.

Under the hood, you won’t find any surprises. It’s powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, just like any other standard Rio.

Along with its surf-inspired Rio, Kia also has five other sport-themed concepts on display that it has developed with high-profile partners (including a Michelle Wie themed Soul).

See AutoGuide’s complete 2011 SEMA Show Preview here and look for live coverage starting November 1st.

Read AutoGuide’s 2012 Kia Rio 5-Door review here

Since the inception of the Subaru WRX and STI models, they have thus far been linked to the ho-hum Impreza compact sedan/hatch. While that saved Subaru a lot of money in developing a new platform in the past, and they have done a phenomenal job transforming a boring family car into a supercar hunting sportscar, for some the Impreza link is this car’s only downfall.

Subaru too wants its WRX and STI models to now be taken more seriously and hence from 2013 are going to unveil new versions which will be based on a unique platform.

We first reported on this news back in July, when this was just in a speculation stage. But now it seems the WRX and STI will form their own models, separating them from the Impreza.

So while there is a brand new Impreza being launched for the 2012 model year, the old (or shall we say current) WRX and STI will soldier on for one more year.

As for the 2013 WRX and STI models, lots is still being speculated about what powertrain this car will have. One rumor circulating the web is that it’ll be powered by a 1.6-liter, boxer four-cylinder motor with a massive turbo-charger, and it will be capable of producing 270-hp. Could the next STi sport around 350-hp? Only time will tell.

GALLERY: 2011 Subaru WRX STI

[Source: Car and Driver]

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Subaru WRX STI Review

Hitting the one million mile mark on your odometer is a pretty big deal. In fact, Honda thought it was such a momentous occasion for one owner, they threw him his own parade.

Joe LoCicero accomplished this feat in his 1990 Honda Accord and was caught completely by surprise by the parade. He was in the middle of a press conference in Saco, Maine, where he was picking up the keys to his brand new 2012 Honda Accord, when the parade interrupted the event.

Joe’s parade may not have been as fancy as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, but it was still pretty impressive. An airplane flew overhead with a congratulatory banner. On the ground, parade-goers were treated to a giant odometer float powered by six people spinning life-sized hamster wheels, two high school marching bands, Shoestring Theater stilt walkers and costumed characters.

So how did Joe get to one million miles on his odometer? Joe drives an average of 62,500 miles a year (the average person drives 14,000) and he began keeping detailed records at around 300,000 miles. He even has a website, www.millionmilejoe.com, where fans could watch his progress to the one-million-mile mark.

So what’s next up for Joe? We’d have to say that he’ll be out on the road, clocking up the miles in his new 2012 Accord. There’s no word if he retired his 1990 model or if it still has a few more miles left in it.

GALLERY: 1 Million Mile Accord Parade

In a seemingly never ending quest to fill every single automotive niche, no matter how big or small, Audi AG has given the strongest indications yet that it’s R4, a smaller counterpart to the R8 mid-engined supercar, is slated for production after all. (Previous reports had indicated the project was axed).

The latest rumors circulating indicate that not only is the R4 destined to become a reality, but also that it will take many cues from the e-tron Spyder and be conceived from the outset as a convertible, though a coupe version is likely  to join it.

As for driveline options, the R4 will come with a conventional internal combustion engine, probably a version of Audi’s 2.5-liter in-line five, though a hybrid is also expected.

Of course, being an Audi, a version of the quattro AWD system is a given, though one inside source at Audi says that in the R4′s case, certainly for the hybrid model, there won’t be a conventional link between the rear and front wheels, instead a torque vectoring system will be employed to harmonize traction between the gas engine powered back tires and the electric motor activated fronts.

As for chassis construction, there are rumors that the car could use a scaled down version of the R8′s aluminum space frame, though sharing a platform with VW and Porsche’s possible up and coming mid-engined small cars seems more likely.

Nevertheless, if and when it does arrive, the R4 promises to offer a good deal of driving thrills, with a high level of efficiency, especially in Hybrid form (the e-tron Spyder can operate at a distance of up to 37 miles on pure electric power).

As for pricing, nothing has really been suggested, though one source says the car could sell for around £50,000 (roughly $80,000), which would put it very much in Porsche 911 territory.

GALLERY: Audi E-Tron Concept

[Source: Auto Express]