Last Auto Reviews Blog: сентября 2009

Detroit 2009: Hot Stoppers - Internally mounted calipers on Lincoln Concept C

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Tech, Lincoln

To some of us, at least, of the most visually annoying elements of many past concept cars has been the installation of huge wheels on cars with normal size brakes. The resulting product can end up looking ridiculous. As I was checking out the littlest Lincoln, the Concept C on the Cobo Hall show floor today, I noticed something interesting in the wheels. Take a close look at the brake caliper in the photo above. Typically, the brake rotor is attached to the wheel hub and the caliper grips the disk from the out edge. On the Concept C, the braking surface is attached to the inside edge of the wheel rim with caliper wrapping around the inside edge of the rotor. This basic idea has been tried before... mostly on concept cars.

An internal caliper mount has the advantage of allowing a larger effective radius for where the braking force is applied. Since torque is defined as a force applied at a distance from a pivot point, the greater the distance, the greater the braking force. Such a setup allows more brake force with a smaller caliper, which in turn can provide better brake feel since the fluid displacement is smaller. The downside is that changing wheels becomes a much more complicated matter since the brake hardware is mounted on the wheel.

Gallery: Detroit 2009: Lincoln C Concept Live

Gallery: Lincoln Concept C

Detroit 2009: Hot Stoppers - Internally mounted calipers on Lincoln Concept C originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Toyota Possibly Developing Solar-Powered Car [Over The Back Fence]

Remember reports Toyota was working on a solar-powered Prius? Maybe they weren't entirely wrong. According to The Nikkei, Toyota's secretly developing a vehicle powered solely by solar energy, some on the car and others not-so-much.

According to Japanese newspaper The Nikkei, Toyota is working on an electric vehicle that will get some of its power from solar cells on the vehicle, and that can be recharged with electricity generated from solar panels on the roofs of homes. The report goes on to say the automaker later hopes to develop a model totally powered by solar cells on the vehicle. All of this is of course completely done without citing sources.

The Nikkei newspaper, however, did say it will be years before the planned vehicle will be available on the market. Yeah, like for-never. Seriously, we might be able to see this as a concept car at some point, but does anyone really think it's cost-efficient or energy-efficient enough of a technology to see the light of day beyond any but the world's sunniest markets? Just sayin'... (Hat tip to James!)

[The Nikkei via AP, The College Driver]

VIDEO: Second Trailer for Fast and the Furious 4 Released

Do we really need a 4th Fast and the Furious?

RIP: Chrysler PT Cruiser Dead After this Summer

Chrysler LLC President Tom LaSorda, recently spoke with Bloomberg and announced the death of the PT Cruiser this summer.

It's not much of a surprise since sales of the PT Cruiser were down 49 percent last year for a total of 50,910 units. The PT Cruiser's most successful year was 2001 with 144,717 units sold.

Chrysler is also actively pursuing the sale of the equipment that is used to produce the PT Cruiser in Toluca, Mexico.

The death of the PT Cruiser leaves the Chrysler brand with only three models, the 300C, Sebring and Town & Country minivan.

Chevy Camaro Production Delayed a Month and The Convertible is Back On

Production of the 2010 Chevy Camaro was supposed to start next month, but now it looks like production has been delayed a month until March 16th.

The one month delay is not due to supplier issues, since the issues with supplier Cadence Innovation have been solved with secondary suppliers.

The Camaro convertible had been put on hold but now it will be released at a later date as a 2011 model.

Carpocalypse Deals: Five-Bedroom Home Going For $8,995 In Detroit [Carpocalypse Now]

The one upside of the Carpocalypse is it makes everything cheaper. Why, for just $8,995 you could be the proud owner of an 8,200 sq. ft., five-bedroom colonial home in Detroit.

We thought the $16,769 Caliber SRT4 was the best deal to come out of the collapse of the not-so-Big Three, but this five-bedroom home in the city autos enriched is an even bigger steal at just under $9,000.

It's not in great shape but it's certainly not falling apart. The hardwood floors, brick construction, full basement and garage all add value to the home. Plus, it's adjacent to the Interstate. A little work and the historic home would be quite the deal. The catch?

The neighborhood isn't actually horrible. As our own native Michigander Ray Wert pointed out, there aren't enough people left in Detroit to have a war so, technically, it isn't a warzone. It's within a couple of blocks of the original Motown studio and the Sacred Heart Seminary College.

The catch is you live in a place with a failing industry, failing government and at least one failing sports team. This may explain why more than 200 homes are for sale for less than $1,000 in Detroit.

[Realtor.com via Ritholtz]

2009 Honda Insight Euro-Spec Photos Leaked

Honda is going to officially unveil the 2009 Honda Insight at the Detroit Auto Show this month, but photos of the euro-spec Insight have already leaked onto the web.

The euro-spec and U.S.-spec versions of the Insight are not expected to differ much. What you can tell from these photos is how little the production version differs from the concept. The front-end remains largely the same sans the LED headlights. There are also more production friendly fog lamps and lower air intakes, which are slightly different than the U.S.-spec version. The side mirrors have been enlarged as well as the door handles. The C-pillar is also larger and the rear end gets a few minor tweaks.

We still have to wait to see what changes are in store for the interior.

Sales of the 2009 Insight will begin this spring with a starting price somewhere around $20,000.

2010 Honda Odyssey [Spy Photos]

It looks like the 2010 Honda Odyssey will get a minor refresh. The centerpiece? Honda's new family grille.

The American version of the Honda Odyssey has always had a cult following amongst the small set of minivan enthusiasts so we expect the 2010 Honda Odyssey to continue to find fans, despite the bucktooth grille also featured on the new 2009 Honda Pilot. Sadly, it doesn't appear we'll be getting the sharp-looking JDM Honda Odyssey.

According to The Honda Portal, the new Odyssey will likely get an updated version of the 3.5-liter gasoline engine currently in the Odyssey, as well an updated interior. The same source says a diesel V6 is in the works but, we'd imagine, this is going to be on hold until the market improves or the price of diesel decreases significantly.

Expect to see many of these on the road to Ithica.

[Burlapp Cars]

Detroit 2009: Subaru Legacy Concept shows its face

Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Sedans/Saloons, Subaru

Click above for high-res image gallery of the Subaru Legacy Concept

The official unveiling doesn't take place until later this afternoon, but Subaru has already released the details on the Legacy Concept it's introducing this year at Detroit. We only have the head-on shot at the moment, but what you're seeing here is likely the new face of the Legacy, complete with funky-shaped headlamp lenses and a trapezoidal theme to the prow. According to Subaru's, that paint color is called "Ultimate Silver" and the overall design theme is "High Definition," for what that's worth. Power comes from the automaker's 3.6L six-cylinder boxer mated, of course, to an AWD system.

Inside, you'll find a technology carnival, with a multitude of displays available to the four occupants, including the driver. The instrument panel gets a multifunction touchscreen display instead of a traditional center control stack -- no mechanical controls are present -- and those teensy side mirrors house cameras that display the view aft on the widescreen rearview "mirror" in the cabin. Rear passengers get their headrest-mounted LCD screens and their own touchscreen control interface. Outside of the obvious show-car tech, the shapes you see inside are likely what to expect when the production car makes its eventual debut.

Gallery: Detroit 2009: Subaru Legacy Concept