With U.S. demand for B-Segment cars at an all-time high, Ford couldn’t have picked a better time to introduce the hugely successful Fiesta to the U.S. market.  On sale in Spring of 2010 as a 2011 model, this U.S. specification Fiesta looks nearly identical to its European brother, but actually only shares 60% of its parts with the European model.  Many of the changes are related to U.S. crash and safety regulations, but Ford promises that the great driving experience of the European model will be carried over to the U.S. version.

More on the 2011 Ford Fiesta after the jump…

Continue reading 2009 LA Auto Show – 2011 Ford Fiesta revealed, Gets 40mpg Rating

For many ponycar fans, the most compelling variant of Chevrolet’s reanimated Camaro isn’t the big-money, nose-heavy SS model. The lighter, more efficient “high-feature” V-6 base car has captured a lot of hearts and minds since being released earlier this year, and although Ford’s revised 2010 Mustang meets or beats the Chevy in many areas, it was severely hampered by its thrashy, understrength four-liter V-6. With this morning’s announcement of a Duratec-powered V-6 2011 Mustang and a track-oriented Performance Package to match, Ford has made it plain that they intend to match the Camaro pony for pony — a stance that we can only hope they back up further with a new high-performance “Coyote” V-8 announcement in weeks to come.

The new 2011 Mustang has 305 horsepower from a thoroughly revised 3.7L Duratec V-6, allowing it to challenge competitors as diverse as the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, Infiniti G37, and the aforementioned “Jodie Foster Special” Camaro. More details, including specs on the long-awaited V-6 Performance Package, after the jump.
Continue reading 2009 LA Auto Show – 2011 Mustang V-6 Performance Package: The Camaro isn’t the only competitor who should worry.

In an effort to show that the Dodge brand still has plenty of life left in it, the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team showed up to Laguna Seca with a shiny new 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR.  While the 2010 Viper SRT10 ACR will officially debut at the 2009 LA Auto Show in a week, Dodge was eager to show that the updated 2010 Viper was much more than just a pretty face.  Chris Winkler drove the Viper to a 1:33.915 lap, besting the previous production car record  of 1:35.075.  

The 2010 Viper SRT10 ACR features a few small but noteable upgrades over the previous year SRT10 ACR models including a revised short-throw shifter, shorter fifth gear ratio, and a retuned rear aero package.  More details will be announced next week when the LA Auto Show kicks off. 

Check out the video of the record breaking lap after the jump!

Continue reading Last Hurrah – 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR Sets New Lap Record At Laguna Seca

Porsche has announced a new version of the Boxster Roadster that will make it’s debut at the 2009 LA Auto Show next month.  Here’s what you need to know:

• At 2,811 lb, the Boxster Roadster is the lightest model in the entire Porsche lineup.
• Power fom the 3.4-liter direct injection six-cylinder is up 10hp to 32ohp. 
• Available in February 2010, tops the Boxster model lineup.
• Available with the PDK (Short for Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe.  Say that 10 times fast) transmission, and can do 0-62 in 4.8 seconds.  Top speed is 166mph.
• European pricing starts at $53,100 euro, U.S. Pricing will be announced soon.
• Jack Baruth will probably be the first in line at the Porsche dealer to order one.

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