Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

Suzuki Kizashi topples 200 mph at Bonneville for new Land Speed Record

by Faraz Ali Malik

The crew from Suzuki and Road & Track officially hold the new Land Speed Record for the Blown Gas Coupe Category. The team wheeled out their modified 2010 Suzuki Kizashi to the Bonneville Salt Flats and managed to average an impressive 203.720 mph across two high-speed runs, besting the previous record by a little less than a second and a half. R&T commissioned legendary engine builder Richard Holdener to rework the engine in the Kizashi before it hit the salt, and as a result, the car wore forged internals and a beefier turbo that shoved a full 16 pounds of boost into the four-cylinder as the Sam Mitani-helmed Suzuki headed down the dry lake bed.

Now that the Kizashi has one record under its belt, Road & Track is planning to try for a second, naturally-aspirated record by unbolting the turbo and going hog wild. Now all we have to wonder is how much it's going to take to convince Suzuki to offer those slick seam-welded steel wheels as an option on the Kizashi Sport. Hit the jump to take a look at a video of the car during its record-setting run, as well as a press release detailing the occasion.

General Motors mid-size sedans going all four-cylinder

General Motors mid-size sedans going all four-cylinder

by Faraz Ali Malik

Straight from the "No Surprise" department comes word from GMInsideNews that all of General Motors mid-size offerings will come equipped with four-cylinder engines as the only available powerplant.

GM has made it clear for the last few years that a large part of its future product strategy is to downsize its engine line-up in preparation for the new 2015 CAFE standards. The shift has already begun with the introduction of the 2011 Buick Regal, available with either a 182-horsepower direct injected 2.4-liter or a turbocharged 2.0-liter putting out 220 hp and 258 pound-feet of torque.

The next model to go all-four-banger will be the next generation Chevrolet Malibu, slated to arrive late next year and likely packing – to begin with – the same 2.4-liter four. A range of direct injected engines, both naturally aspirated and turbocharged, are in the works, so the General won't be hurting for options, but expect the V6 to stick around for GM's larger offerings, including the next Impala.

How The Gas Tax Is Under Threat From Green Vehicles

How The Gas Tax Is Under Threat From Green Vehicles

by Faraz Ali Malik

Live in the right part of California and work for the right company and you might be able to buy the new Nissan Leaf for as little as $12,500, as Autoblog has reported, due to the raft of incentives that are available for buyers of the little battery car and other high-mileage, low-emission products.

In recent years, lawmakers have been racing to come up with incentives designed to encourage motorists to migrate to clean, efficient vehicles. It's a clearly noble effort, but one that deserves a closer look in an era of fiscal restraint.

Several states are looking at a more direct form of taxation: a per-mile usage fee on battery-based vehicles.

The feds, and most states offering such incentives, have put caps on their zero-emission incentive programs, and most will vanish by mid-decade. But, ironically, if these programs do what they're intended to, the fiscal impact could be felt for years to come. It turns out that going green could plunge state and federal balance sheets into the red.

The short-term costs are already potentially significant. At the federal level, a $7,500 tax credit could drain billions of dollars a year out of the Treasury if major automakers come even close to their battery car sales targets by mid-decade.

Such cash incentives – along with other perks, such as access to California's HOV lanes – are designed to motivate the move to vehicles like the Leaf and the new Chevrolet Volt. Once momentum starts building, these givebacks can be phased out, proponents contend. But they're missing a big part of the picture.

BMW Unscripted follows Tiffany Coates around the globe

BMW Unscripted follows Tiffany Coates around the globe

by Faraz Ali Malik

The last time we heard from BMW Unscripted, an ancient 5 Series was stalking the tall grass of South Africa in search of meerkats. Now the company has turned its attention to Tiffany Coates and her BMW R80GS. The duo have traversed the globe together, ranging over five continents and covering untold miles in the process. For Coates, no country or region is off limits, and she's spent time everywhere from Afghanistan and Pakistan to Alaska and Australia. Her travel is impressive, without a doubt, though we're more taken with the perspective that her gallivanting has given her.

"People always assume that the world is full of dangerous places, and they think, and they say as well, that I'm mad to go travelling where I do. I always replay, 'but, 99.9 percent of people in the world are really nice, decent people like you and I.'"

We can think of a few politicians that could use some time in the saddle of an R80GS. Hit the jump to have a look at a slice of Coates' life on the road, and remember not to let your fear rule you, people. There's a whole world out there just waiting to meet you.

BMW Brilliance Automotive previews 5 Series plug-in hybrid prototype

BMW Brilliance Automotive previews 5 Series plug-in hybrid prototype

by Faraz Ali Malik


In the lead-in to the Shanghai Motor Show, BMW has teased an upcoming plug-in hybrid 5 Series that will be exclusive to the Chinese market. The prototype of this greener version of BMW's midsize sedan is based on the China-only long-wheelbase 5 Series platform.

The car is part of a joint venture between BMW and Chinese automaker Brilliance. The car is the tip of an eco-friendly iceberg BMW has aimed squarely at China, a country with an increasing appetite for premium-segment cars and a serious need for green-focused, energy-efficient vehicles.

Despite its size, BMW says the plug-in 5 Series will manage nearly 250 miles on a single charge and tank of gas, with up to 47 miles of those on electric power only, provided you don't creep past 37 miles per hour. Those numbers certainly aren't what you'd call impressive, but they're a step in the right direction and they'd likely be a major help in the thick traffic snarls that China's major cities are famous for. As for the U.S. market, a full plug-in 5 Series is unlikely, but BMW is understood to be planning to bring a traditional mild hybrid version of the car to our shores.

Auto Parts: Toyota safety tech can take steering control to a...

Auto Parts:
Toyota safety tech can take steering control to a...: Toyota safety tech can take steering control to avoid impact By Faraz Ali Malik According to The Detroit News, Toyota is working ...

2012 BMW M5 configurator comes alive, threatens bank accounts everywhere

2012 BMW M5 configurator comes alive, threatens bank accounts everywhere

by Faraz Ali Malik


John Milton had some pretty strong views on temptation. The famous poet and author of Paradise Lost wholeheartedly believed that one could not truly know one's goodness without facing genuine temptation on a regular basis. After all, how could you know whether you're straight-laced as a saint or crooked as the devil's own claws if you circumnavigated the world's vices? Fortunately for us, BMW has been so kind as to pull back the sheets on the company's 2012 M5 configurator. If ever there was a reason to fall into lust, this is it.

Right now, you can only pick from a handful of exterior colors and a pair of wheel options, but the German automaker says that more choices will arrive soon. For the moment, you can spend a few sacred moments meditating on whether your menacing sedan would look better in Monte Carlo metallic or Alpine White and what sort of peril you'd have to endure in order to secure the funds necessary to buy this beast for yourself. Don't worry, your secret's safe with us.

Toyota safety tech can take steering control to avoid impact

Toyota safety tech can take steering control to avoid impact

By Faraz Ali Malik


According to The Detroit News, Toyota is working on a new pre-crash system that will actually take control and steer the vehicle to minimize impact in the event of an unavoidable collision. The system combines super-sensitive radar with a camera array in the front fascia to detect possible impacts. On-board computers then calculate the correct levels of braking and steering required to avoid the crash, and if the driver fails to act, the automatic system takes over.

Like most manufacturers, Toyota has the admirable goal of reducing injuries and fatalities in its products to zero, though The Detroit News reports that the automaker wouldn't comment on when we could expect to see the innovations on the road. The pre-crash steering is specifically designed to reduce the chance of a vehicle-pedestrian impact, and Toyota is also working on systems to accommodate drivers who have heart attacks while behind the wheel.

It's true that vehicle fatalities have seen a steady decline over the past few years thanks to improved safety technology, but as cars get safer, drivers become even more detached from the task at hand. Economists call it a Jevons Paradox; drivers have effectively consumed the safety benefits supplied by car companies to become lazier and less safe than they would be without the tech. Maybe Toyota should find a way to force drivers to put down their phones, shut off their infotainment screens and simply drive. Just a thought.

Audi Urban Concept Sportback ready for wireless charging in the city

Audi Urban Concept Sportback ready for wireless charging in the city

By Sebastian Blanco

 Not as easily spotted as its Spyder relative, the Audi Urban Concept Sportback more closely matches the renderings we saw before the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show. That's not to say we were totally prepared for the quirkiness of either version, but at least the Sportback's carbon fiber reinforced plastic body was somewhat known to us.

Under the CFRP, the Sportback and Spyder share the same all-electric powertrain. That means two electric motors with a combined output of 15 kW (20 PS) of continuous power and 47 Nm (34.67 lb-ft) of torque as well as a li-ion battery that has 7.1 kWh of usable energy (total size unknown) and offers a range of 45 miles. Getting from zero to 62 mph (the concept's top speed) takes a gentle 16.9 seconds, which would be fine if Audi ever releases this vehicle for sale in its intended environment: the city.

Perhaps even more appropriate for a city getabout, the battery pack can recharge in just an hour from a standard (in Europe) 230-volt household current. If you have access to a 400-volt, three-phase current fast charger, that drops to approximately 20 minutes. Both concept vehicles are also ready with Audi Wireless Charging (AWC) technology, which uses contactless induction from a 3.6kW primary coil installed into a parking spot, say, to automatically start refilling the battery pack when you pull the car into place. Audi didn't say how long this wireless charging takes, just that it "is comparable to that of other charging technologies."

Get more details on Audi's new 1+1 seater in the press release after the jump and check out detailed pictures in the gallery above.