Jalopnik: Rumors

Could Ford Retool Truck Plants To Produce Euro Fords?

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:40:00 EDT

We hear many car-related rumors on a daily basis, but there's one that came across our desk today that's quite the whopper. Website Autosavant is claiming their sources within Ford are saying that three of the four plants shuttered after Ford's dramatic reorganization will be retooled to produce popular European models like the Ford Kuga and C-Max. From the Autosavant piece:

Our sources at Ford say that Mr. Mulally has already made the decision to convert at least three truck/SUV production facilities in North America as soon as possible to produce Ford models currently sold in Europe, where Ford is renowned for its small cars. The timeline Mulally prefers, according to insiders, is "yesterday". He has made up his mind and is pushing forward.

Why we're taking this rumor with an Expedition-sized grain of salt below the jump.

1. It's expensive
Retooling is not cheap. We don't have an estimate for what it would cost to convert three Truck/SUV plants into full-time small car production, but it doesn't take a room of accountants to figure out that it would be an incredibly large investment involving establishing and expanding supplier relationships.

2. Ford is already moving in that direction
Ford is already working out its plans to build Fiestas in Mexico for North American consumption. We'd also point out the Ford Transit Connect is on its way over, as well.

3. Inferior American Ford Focus is selling fairly well
Though the American Ford Focus is inferior to the European Focus, it's still selling well, especially with SYNC-equipped models. Plus, the 2011 Ford Focus is going to be C1-based, as we already know.

4. It's not a horrible idea
Though we liked the 2009 Ford Flex, we're not overwhelmed with Ford's short-term battle plan. The company seems to be doing a slightly better job of prepping for the future, but prescience isn't exactly a quality we associate with the automaker.

With all that being said, it could happen. It isn't the craziest thing we've ever heard, but we're not holding our breath. [AutoSavant]

Transformers 2 To Include Chevy Beat, Saab Aero-X Concept?

Travis Hudson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Can you believe it? There's only a year left until the release of Transformers 2, and both Ray and I can hardly control our robogasms. Today brings news we may see the inclusion of the Chevy Beat and the Saab Aero-X concepts in the movie.

What's particularly interesting about the Beat and the Aero-X is that both will be the second and third high-profile concept vehicles to be used in the filming, the first being the Hummer HX. Rumor suggests the Aero-X will play the role of Wheeljack, and while there's no word on what role the Chevy Beat will be playing, we can safely assume it'll be a small one... *rimshot* [TFW2005; TFW2005]

2009 Cadillac CTS-V To Produce 567 HP?

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:20:00 EDT

Any way you cut it, GM is going for blood with the new and improved 2009 Cadillac CTS-V and word from engineers of an unofficial rating of at least 550 HP only furthers that point. It takes a lot to make the BMW M5 look like a chump, but a 50 HP advantage will do a thing like that. Of course, the engine hasn't gone through SAE certification yet, and based on GM's history of underselling the power output on its recent engines, Edmunds Inside Line is extrapolating a 567 HP figure out of the LS9 mill. We would never go so far as to speculate on numbers, but we will wring our hands in delighted anticipation.

Baby Ferrari F149 Dino California GT Or Whatever Caught In Action At Fiorano

Mark Arnold — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT

You've already heard about the upcoming baby Ferrari. A lot. Though we're not sure if it'll be called Dino, F149, California GT, or something else. What we do know is that we're told we can expect it to expose itself in about two weeks. And now, we may also know what it looks and sounds like in motion around Ferrari's Fiorano test track. Is that a V8 we hear screaming through the tailpipes?[YouTube via autoblog.nl]

Ferrari F149 Makes Photographic Debut... in Two Weeks?

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 14:45:00 EDT

The rumor mill has been churning at full froth lately over a possible new model from the shops of Maranello and Modena. One set of reports calls it a Ferrari Dino, another calls it the California GT and as of late, the third option is the Ferrari F149. Whatever it ends up being, Topspeed is reporting images of the new car will hit the web in just two weeks time. This means some outlets must have embargoed pictures — which means we'll probably be showing you shots later today after somebody jumps the gun and spills them all over upon seeing a story up saying the words "Ferrari F149." We all know how itchy those trigger fingers can become. But until then, we'll just have to be content to peek again at the spy photos of the Ferrari F149 / Dino / California Dreaming / Whatever and the knowledge that something is on it's way. We think.

Audi A5 Sportback Possibly in Works

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:16:37 EST

AutoBild is reporting (in German) that in calendar week 13 of 2009, Audi has a new model in the werks dubbed the A5 Sportback. Little is known about this possible new offering, but Autobild is going against the prevailing wisdom that the Sportback will be a wagon-like offering, saying it will compete in the emerging swoopy sedan category currently populated by the Mercedes CLS, pending Porsche Panamera and recently revealed Volkswagen Passat CC. While we're on the subject of the Passat CC, if this speculation is accurate, we're thinking this is V-Dub doing it's platform prostitution best with that new curvy roof line. We'll keep our ear to the ground for more details. [Autobild [translated] via Germancarblog]

Peugeot to Build 308 RC-Z?

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 13:45:00 EST

One of our favorite concepts from the Frankfurt Auto Show was the Peugeot 308 RC-Z. Based on the same platform that underpins the 308 and Citroen C4, we're big fans of the muscular shape. The concept is powered by the 218 hp 1.6 liter ~~THC~~ turbo mill out of the 207, which doesn't come close to matching the looks. Just to continue this transatlantic game of telephone: the Finns at World Car Fans have it from the Frenchmen at Motor Legend that it could see production.

The reason they believe this will all happen is that the new head of Peugeot, Christian Sterrif, is a confident person and his decisions will reflect that confidence. Let's hope he's as sure of himself as the Europeans claim, for we'd love to see this take on the TT. [MotorLegend via World Car Fans]

Nissan Dumping All North American Motorsports Operations?

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:45:00 EST

UPDATE:We have conformation of this rumor, read the whole post on Nissan Racing with quotes from Nissan Motors. We've heard from a little birdie that a new accountant at Nissan has determined that NISMO North America/Nissan Racing North America is too expensive and must end. That means no more Nissan-backed CORR, Grand-Am or Drifting teams. The announcement was apparently made internally a week ago so that teams can find new manufacturers. All before the Nissan GTR hits our shores. Awesome! The rumor is unconfirmed, but also un-denied, so take that for what it's worth.

What the? — is this Garmin's New Colorado 300 GPS Unit?

Travis Hudson — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST

Apparently, this is the new Colorado (no, not that Colorado). Well, the picture says so, but we don't always believe in overly grainy pictures, especially when cameraphones nowadays can outperform many actual cameras. The Colorado 300 appears to be Garmin's latest, greatest and oddly shaped GPS unit. According to the leakee, the large round button on top does all of the control work. Another source says that it will be available in three versions: topography, inland lakes and coastal with all likely including city navigation software.

The form factor is pretty unique and looks very suitable for hand-usage, but if you could flip the sucker on its side to be used in a vehicle we would be much happier with a hybrid device like this. The rumored release date is spring 2008 with a price tag well above the $500 range. See, gadget hounds can have fun with spy photos as well. [Garmin Colorado via Gizmodo]

Saab's 1-Series Mini-Fighter To Debut in London

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 11:15:00 EST

The folks at Trollhättan are not content to let their counterparts at Audi, BMW, Volvo &mdash pretty much every European luxury counterpart &mdash dominate the upscale small car market. Thus we hear they'll be introducing a concept version of the 9-1 entry level vehicle at London that will be "sporty enough to fit the Saab character" with the "functionality to attract younger buyers." Whatever that means.

We're not sure what form it will come in, but speculation seems to point to a two-door coupe with a hatch/tailgate. The drawing above was supposedly of the 2008/2010 9-3, but we think it's probably a fair indicator of what the 9-1 might look like. At this point, it's anyone's guess. [Autocar]

Mitsubishi Owner's Day

Mike Bumbeck — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:30:00 EDT

The third annual gathering of Mitsubishis and the people that drive them will take place tomorrow, July 14th at MMUSA HQ in Cypress, California. Rumor has it that a genuine Group A Starion will be among the machines rolled out from the museum to celebrate triple-diamond racing heritage. As much as we would have liked to put our Starion back together for the show, we'll have to settle for bringing the camera instead. [Mitsubishi Owner's Day via Mitsubishi]

Over The Back Fence: El Camino SS In 2011 - Speculation Or Factulation?

Ray Wert — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:46:27 EDT

Here's the first paragraph of a great piece from PickupTruck.com today that we think speaks for itself:

"High fuel prices reducing demand for big pickups, rising fuel economy targets, and last week's Supreme Court Ruling - that the U.S. federal government must use its authority to mandate the reduction of carbon dioxide from automotive exhaust - may be the sticks that prompt General Motors to reward El Camino enthusiasts with a juicy carrot by 2011."

If that — and the clipped illustration to the right — isn't enough to tease you to read the rest over at the site all about the haulers, we've no idea what will. – Ray Wert

Future Truck: 2011 Chevrolet El Camino SS [PickupTruck.com]

Related:
Over the Back Fence: More on the New El Camino [internal]

SHO Me The Twin Force, Baby! Rumors Of Performance Taurus Tease The Interwebs

Ray Wert — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 13:00:00 EDT

FoMoCo forums are all atwitter with people claiming to have the inside skinny on the possibility of a Super High Performance version of the Ford's newly renamed Taurus. So what have we heard thrown over the back fence from Dearborn? Well, we're getting tios that a high-performance model of the Taurus is undergoing testing in Dearborn. We've also heard, and I dunno how much stock I'll put in this one, but it is from one of our reliable sources, that

"mills with both TwinForce and Yamaha are being tested...the only thing I'm worried about is that it may not reach production...more of a feasibility test, but we shall see."

But on top of our own sources, Blue II over on BlueOvalForums, a member who's called almost all of FoMoCo's most recent bold moves is now claiming:

"Not sure if this is Mulally news but Taurus will get the Twin Force engine. Not sure if it will be called SHO though."

The Twin Force, as everyone remembers, is the new 3.5-liter V6 twin-turbo direct injection engine debuting in the Lincoln MKR concept. The Twin Force delivers 415 horsepower and 400 foot-pounds of torque - comparable to and better than some V8's. We don't know how much, if any, of this is true, but as a reminder of what could be, we've reprinted the 2009 SHO Concept pictures from BringBackTheSHO below. – Ray Wert

Is This The 2009 Ford Mustang?

Ray Wert — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 17:07:30 EST

With the muscle car wars already beginning to heat up this summer, speculators have been doing there level best at speculating on what direction FoMoCo will be boldly moving towards for the 2009 model year of it's hard-charging pony car. Some claim it'll look similar to the Giugiaro Mustang from this year's LA show, with others claiming it'll get a shooting brake re-make. All the rumors do seem to suggest at the very least it'll receive a bit of a front face lift to tighten the skin over the sagging Sid Ramnarace and J Mays "retro-futurism" exterior in an attempt make it look more like the PYT it wants to be when compared with the new-to-the-block Camaro and Challenger. In addition to the collagen implant in front, there are mumblings of a retractable hardtop in the offing. Under the hood, there's rumors the GT version will be tweaked with output going up to...

...the 350-horsepower range — and maybe more. Well, at least more in the fervent hopes and dreams of Mustang-lovers everywhere. Though no spy shots have yet been snapped of this horse in the wild, Autobytel has an illustration, courtesy of Priddy & Co., of the direction they think it's going to take. – Ray Wert

2009 Ford Mustang Spied [Autobytel via ESPN]

Rumored! 2010 Iteration of Four-Door Chrysler 300 To Get Drop-Top Treatment?

Ray Wert — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 10:37:09 EDT

Although specialty builder and supplier ASC Incorporated unveiled its Helios concept, a lattice-structured ragtop based on a 300C four-door sedan, at the Detroit show last year, word on the street is the German-American hybrid's rejected the ASC design due to cost considerations and feasability studies. Instead, Motor Trend is reporting the 'merican side of the cross-Atlantic merger of equals has contracted with another cross-Atlantic merger of equals, the Austrian/Canadian killer combo of Magna-Steyr to build a Karmann-style retractable folding steel roof for the next design iteration of the big gangsta sedan. Of course, they've been mulling over this idea forever — so who knows whether this is real or Memorex.

Spied: 2010 Chrysler 300 Four-door Convertible [Motor Trend]

More on Porsche's Bugatti-Beater

Davey G. Johnson — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 00:29:30 EDT

Considering that Porsche owns a considerable portion of Volkswagen and the company already builds the Bugatti Veyron and the Lambo Murcielago we wonder what the introduction of Porsche's 254-mph GT1 will do to their bottom line. Will they, as Bugatti chief Thomas Bscher decreed, not sell to rappers? Or with the GT1 become the favored supercar of Jay-Zed and the RZA? Either way, this thing is totally automotive crack rock. Speed's got a full rendering produced by the UK's Autocar. Czech it.

Porsche Plans 900hp Bugatti-Buster [Speed]

Related:
Porsche Peparing Bugatti Beater? [Internal]

Transformers Rollin' Out! Trailer Next Month, Movie Release In 2007

Ray Wert — Tue, 16 May 2006 14:22:55 EDT

The internets have been ablaze this week with all sorts of rumors surrounding the upcoming Transformers live-action film. What we've heard so far is it'll be a Dreamworks project, directed by Michael Bay and executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Latest rumor-mongers have told us it'll star Jon Voight and Bernie Mac — but the cast is still being...well...cast. Also, in a post today on Michael Bay's blog, he claims the film'll be teased up with a teaser trailer on July 4th of this year — and the film is slated to hit theaters on July 4th of 2007. The biggest and coolest things we've seen so far have been some videos merging a CGI Transformer transformin' in some live-action footage. Although the one above looks to be nothing more than the work of a fan-boy, we've heard more than one person tell us the video below the jump was a real ILM CGI screen test. Also, we've got a round-up of the latest rumors on the film:

TRANSFORMERS cast update [blackfilm]
FANTASTIC FOUR 2 is coming sooner than you think... consider this fair warning! [Aint It Cool News]
And then there was one... [michael bay]

Related:
GM No Longer Marketing "Till All Are One" [internal]

(hat tip to prplhaze!)

Crappin' Crap! New Miura May Happen!

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 14:56:55 EST

We reported earlier today that Lamborghini's considering building an S7-based SUV, to which we say "Booooo!" in our most disdainful voice, but lo and behold, Edmunds' Inside Line is reporting that given the reaction to the Miura concept, they may actually build a limited number of the revived proto-exotic. An official announcement on the yays or the nays of such a thing is expected at Geneva, which means you've only gotta hold onto your drawers for another month, kids.

ABOUT FACE: Lambo Reignites Production Plans for Miura, Ponders an Off-Roader [Inside Line]

Related:
Miura Morning: Getting Lambo s Concept Alone [Internal]

MPH Launches New Rumor Roundup

Davey G. Johnson — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 12:49:05 EST

Our boys over at mph kick down with a new recurring web-only feature, wherein the crew picks through the auto rumors floatin' 'round the internets- osphere and packages 'em up like a Morningstar Farms Buffalo Wing tenderly, tastefully and healthily (unlike our carcinogenic ramblings over here at tha Jalop) for your perusal and digestion. We like it with a side of Rondelle. As an aside, we're still not convinced of the veracity of that whole Tahoe Hybrid thing until GM personally jacks the thing up, lifts the hood, and lets us crawl all over it.

mph Rumors [mph]

More LS9 Intrigue

Davey G. Johnson — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 21:47:27 EST

Over at Corvette Road, they've got a CAD drawing of what may or may not be the LS9. Looks weird to us. And why a CAD drawing with the engine covers on. From the width of the thing, it could be DOHC, as rumored last week. Something seems kinda fishy about this to us, but we can't quite put our finger on it. Go check it out, come back and weigh in.

Could it be the NEW LS9 Engine Diagrams? [Corvette Road]

Related:
LS9 to be DOHC? [Internal]