V8 Rangers and Muscle Cars

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Coda Automotive has announced plans to launch an all-electric car—the excitingly named Coda Sedan—in California by the end of this year and in Hawaii by fall 2011. If you haven’t heard of the car or brand before, you’re not alone.

Coda Automotive is a new company based in Southern California. In music, a coda marks the end of a section; the company’s literature says the name implies the end of internal-combustion engines. They have a joint venture with battery-maker Lishen Power Battery, called Lio Energy Systems, with plans to construct a battery plant in Ohio.

The Coda Sedan is based on a licensed Mitsubishi chassis, a variant of which underpinned the relatively unknown (to us, anyway) Chinese-market Hafei Saibao. Coda claims to have modified the chassis so heavily that just 15 percent of the original CAD files remain intact. The bodies and chassis are assembled in China, then shipped to California for the installation of electric drivetrains.

The result is a four-door, five-seat electric car. It has a lithium-iron phosphate battery with an electric motor rated at 134 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. Maximum range is 120 miles per charge, with top speed limited to 80 mph. It’s about the same size as a Mazda 3 sedan and will weigh a projected 3660 pounds.

There will be just one trim level, with Bluetooth, navigation, satellite radio, air conditioning, power windows, six airbags, and stability control all standard. Buyers get a choice of two 17-inch wheel designs, five exterior colors, and regular or eco-friendly seat materials. And there’s a three-year/36,000-mile warranty should anything break.

Coda hopes to price the Sedan in the mid-$30K range after tax incentives, so figure a Chevrolet Volt–like sticker of about $40K. The company is still working on certification to legally sell the car; A Coda spokesman told us the car will meet FMVSS safety regulations and that the company is “aiming” for a five-star crash-test rating.

Coda plans to build around 10,000 copies of the car next year, which seems an ambitious target for an unknown electric-car manufacturer; startup Tesla has only shifted a few thousand of its electric sports cars so far, although they are priced far higher. After the launches in California and Hawaii, Coda sales may eventually roll out to other U.S. states, though there are no firm plans as of yet.

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It doesn’t look it at first glance, but the 2011 Conti is more new than you might think.

If you think this 2011 Bentley Continental GT is just a face-lifted version of the predecessor, you are forgiven. It’s the same thought we had when we watched the car driving towards us in a hidden courtyard at Bentley’s Crewe headquarters in England. Indeed, the Continental GT is Bentley’s most successful model ever, and when the company asked current owners what they would like the company to change about it, the overwhelming response was “Nothing.” And so whether Bentley liked it or not, the brand was stuck with the unenviable task of reworking what’s arguably become an icon—at least among the wealthy, some of the world’s most critical customers.

Keep Reading: 2011 Bentley Continental GT – Official Photos and Info

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This is the first (of six!) teaser photos of what Lamborghini is bringing to the 2010 Paris auto show. Lambo refers only to “the future of supersports cars,” so it could be a look at the upcoming Murciélago replacement. As it did when unveiling the Estoque concept, Lambo is going to string us along with tightly cropped photos that don’t reveal much detail. (Note that the Estoque still hasn’t reached production and may not; let’s hope this car is based more in reality.)

If this is indeed the next Lamborghini range topper, our spy photos suggest that it will keep the Murciélago’s hunkered-down stance and modern, aggressive styling. Key changes should include larger, flared air inlets and a slightly lower ride height. The car should arrive in 2012 and will continue to be the brand’s halo vehicle.

The new Lambo will probably source some structural and chassis components from the Gallardo and the Audi R8. We can safely expect more than the 632 hp offered by the current car, likely from a new V-12 engine derived from the Gallardo’s V-10 mill. We’re really hoping a true manual transmission stays on the options list, as there are few things as satisfying as the clink-clink of a gated Lambo shifter.

Lamborghini will pull the wraps off whatever this is on September 30. Check back in the meantime for more teasing and at the end of the month for full coverage from the Paris show.

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A new full-line Nissan commercial offers a quick look at the not-yet-revealed 2011 Quest and sneaks a look at an air-purification system for the minivan. The commercial, dubbed Innovations, debuted August 28 and is joined by three other Nissan spots touting the brand’s new “Innovation for All” tagline.

At the 0:31 mark, the commercial gives us a much clearer look at the Quest’s profile than the teaser images issued by Nissan. It also confirms our suspicion that the Japanese-market Elgrand will be our next Quest. As seen above, the squared-off design features chrome accenting on the door handles, door trim, and around the side windows. It also appears to wear a more rectangular grille than was shown in Nissan’s official photos.

Additionally, the commercial highlights a “Quick Clean” light on the Quest’s climate control system at 0:35, accompanied by the disclaimer, “Removes some odors and allergens.” We believe this heralds the production debut of an air-purifying system announced in a Nissan technical presentation earlier this summer. The system uses an air filter coated with grape-seed polyphenol to deactivate any allergens entering the cabin, and features an “odor sensor” that will close air inlets to prevent offensive smells (like exhaust fumes or livestock emissions) from entering the cabin.

We won’t get an official look at the redesigned Quest until the Los Angeles auto show in November, but we now know a little more about what to expect from the redesigned minivan.

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1. 2011 Nissan Quest – Car News
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Hit play for an audio recording of a mystery car’s exhaust note, and then share your guesses or get a few hints from other visitors in the comments below. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the answer!

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Last week, the automakers released their sales statistics for the month of August. It’d be easy to tell you that one brand was up some huge double-digit percent, and another was down by an equal margin. But we’ve taken a deeper look at the sales tallies to see what’s really going on. What we found may surprise you.

August 2010 sales of Porsche Cayenne: 775
August 2010 sales of Porsche Panamera: 627
Percentage of Porsche’s total August 2010 sales made up by these two nameplates: 69
What the numbers reveal: Purists denounced the Cayenne and Panamera for betraying the Porsche brand. Based on U.S. sales, the Cayenne and Panamera are the brand.

August 2010 sales of Jeep Commander: 348
Combined August 2010 sales of Mercedes CL, CLS, SLK, SLR, SLS, and G-wagen: 348
What the numbers reveal: Merc’s niche cars don’t sell as well as you might think.

August 2010 sales of Buick Regal: 1704
August 2009 sales of Saturn Aura: 2346
August 2008 sales of Saturn Aura: 4671
August 2007 sales of Saturn Aura: 6785
What the numbers reveal: The car we know as the Regal (and which Europeans know as the Opel Insignia) would have been the next Saturn Aura had the brand lived on. While its sales have so far been constrained by low supply from the German plant, the promising Regal will have to pick up the pace to justify Buick’s survival (in the U.S., at least).

Total August 2010 Lexus sales: 19,465
Total August 2010 Lexus sales excluding ES and RX: 6798
What the numbers reveal: Lexus is a major player in the luxury market, but more than two-thirds of its August 2010 sales come from the Camry-based ES sedan and RX crossover.

Interest rate for up to 48 months on a Suzuki Kizashi: 0
Value of Best Buy or iTunes gift card Suzuki offered for test-driving a Kizashi: $25
August 2010 sales of Suzuki Kizashi: 478
Ratio of August 2010 Chrysler PT Cruiser sales to Suzuki Kizashi sales: 2:1
Date on which Chrysler PT Cruiser production ended: July 9
What the numbers reveal: Despite an advertising onslaught and favorable reviews for its likable sports sedan, Suzuki can’t get any traction for the Kizashi.

August 2010 sales of Volvo S40 (sedan): 310
August 2010 sales of Volvo V50 (wagon): 53
August 2010 sales of Volvo XC60 (crossover): 1030
What the numbers reveal: Once known for making unfashionable, practical cars, Volvo’s bread and butter is now the SUV segment.

Combined July and August 2010 sales of Toyota Prius: 25,901
Combined July and August 2009 sales of Toyota Prius: 38,059
Difference: 12,158
Number of Priuses purchased or leased under 2009’s Cash for Clunkers program: 14,736
What the numbers reveal: The Prius got a huge boost from Cash for Clunkers, but it’s still a big seller for the big T.

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Chevrolet expands the Cruze lineup with a five-door hatch for Europe.

Everybody knows hatchbacks are king in Europe’s crowded compact-car segment, but Chevy’s data provides proof: The brand says hatches account for 65 percent of sales in the class. And now Chevy’s new Cruze will enter the fray with a five-door hatchback variant set to debut at the Paris auto show. It expands upon the Cruze sedan that has been on sale overseas since last year

Keep Reading: Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Concept – Auto Shows

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Less famous than their rugs, Iran’s auto industry is a cornerstone of its economy.

When George W. Bush first dubbed several countries the “Axis of Evil” in 2002, few knew what that truly meant for the future of U.S. foreign policy. But no one—not even the President himself—knew then that these evildoing countries would one day have to suffer the ultimate sanction: ridicule of their homebrewed cars by Car and Driver. That day is today. (And a few weeks ago, and a few weeks from now, but you get the idea). In Part 1, we knocked off North Korea. Today, we turn our sights to a country with a just slightly taller leader, the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Keep Reading: Cars from the “Axis of Evil”: Iran – Feature

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Chevrolet has announced that Detroit-area-native Tim Allen will be the voice of the brand’s TV commercials. His voice will narrate ads for the Chevrolet Cruze, which will first air Tuesday, September 7.

Allen is known for his roles on the TV show Home Improvement as well as feature films like Toy Story and The Santa Clause. According to GM, his car collection includes a 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS and a 2000 Cadillac DeVille (ooo!).

This is far from the first time that car commercials have been accompanied by celebrity voices. Stars like Kevin Spacey and Jeff Bridges have narrated spots for Honda and Hyundai, respectively, to name but two. And Allen will replace athlete/actor/sportscaster Howie Long in Chevy’s ads.

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Taking newfound civility to the fringes of civilization.

Don’t be alarmed if you think the 2011 Dodge Durango looks a lot like a stretched Jeep Grand Cherokee with a crosshair grille, because that’s essentially what it is. While the underpinnings are largely shared, Dodge tells us that the Durango is more focused on hauling people—it has three rows to the Grand Cherokee’s two—than crawling over rocks. And so while Jeep boasts about off-road capability, Dodge will play up the crossovery-ness and on-road performance of the Durango.

Keep Reading: 2011 Dodge Durango – Official Photos and Info

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