Auto News 5

Daimler's Smart brand is seeking to revive its fortunes with the release of two refreshed models, the ForTwo and ForFour, next year.

Microsoft has narrowed its list of external candidates to replace chief executive Steve Ballmer to about five people, including Ford CEO Alan Mulally and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, "sources familiar with the matter" have told the Reuters news agency.

Just a couple weeks ago, the Scarsdale Concours d'Elegance welcomed car fans from all over the northeast to the center of Scarsdale, N.Y.

Geely's Volvo Cars has officially started series production of the S60L at its manufacturing plant in Chengdu, China.

Toyota raised its annual profit forecast, closing in on records set before the Lehman crisis as the weaker yen and growing sales in the U.S. sharply boost earnings. The company also nudged up its North America vehicle sales forecast.

Toyota raised its annual profit forecast, closing in on records set before the Lehman crisis as the weaker yen and growing sales in the U.S. sharply boost earnings. The company also nudged up its North America vehicle sales forecast.

Toyota raised its annual profit forecast as the weaker yen, growing U.S. sales and a recovering Europe boost earnings.

Honda has established a new R&D facility in China. The new wholly-owned subsidiary, Honda Motor China Technology Co. (HMCI), has been created with the aim of strengthening Honda's automotive R&D, parts procurement and production functions in China.

Mitsubishi will refocus its lineup on utility vehicles and electrified drivetrains and lean heavily on emerging markets under a new business plan that aims to boost global sales by 29 percent.

Mitsubishi will focus on SUVs, EVs and emerging markets under a new business plan that aims to boost global sales by 29 percent. In its European markets, Mitsubishi aims to lift vehicle sales by a third to 160,000.

Peugeot plans to boost profits by adding new high-end variants to its existing lineup, rather than developing new upscale model lines, its CEO says.

Suppliers such as Honeywell and Hirschvogel played key roles in helping Volkswagen reduce CO2 emissions by an average of about 14 percent across the new Golf's model range.

Heuliez, which used to make cars for Peugeot, Renault and Opel, closed its plant on Nov. 1. The shutdown came a week after PSA stopped the line at its factory in the Paris suburb of Aulnay.

What makes the ideal tuner car? Well, for starters it has to have a solid platform and engine, preferably RWD and it has to look good out of the box. So, that really only leaves one set of twins we can think of: the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ.

As we pound the pavement here in Las Vegas at the 2013 SEMA Show, it's clear to us that the FR-S and BRZ are clearly considered the new Honda Civics of the tuner world. They are the ideal candidates for modifications. Already revered for a number of reasons: handling, poise, balance in braking and steering, with just enough power to round it all out, the RWD twins are sure to be a hit for a few years to come.

Of course, the 2013 SEMA Show is all about improving on those elements, and that's precisely what a number of tuning houses have done, and their work is readily on display on the Sin City streets. While most of the mods we came across received big thumbs up from us, there were a few who took it just one step too far. Yes, there's such a thing as too much mod!

Check out our Scion FR-S and BRZ sight-seeing at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas below. And for more videos and live coverage of the SEMA Show, make sure you check out Auto123.TV as well.

On November 19th at a VIP customer and media event, on the eve of the Los Angeles Auto Show, Jaguar will unveil the new F-Type Coupe. Based on the C-X16 Concept of two years ago, this all-aluminum model will arrive in showrooms next spring. Pricing has yet to be announced.

The first picture released by the company shows the Jaguar F-Type Coupe's panoramic glass sunroof. We'll have to wait two more weeks to get more shots and find out the technical specs.

Photo: Jaguar

Things continue to heat up as we traverse the streets of Vegas at the 2013 SEMA Show. We happened across one of the coolest cars around (in our opinion), a Local Motors Rally Fighter.

Local Motors is a company that relies heavily on crowd sourcing to create its off-road (but street-legal) monster, the Rally Fighter. We here at Auto123.com were lucky enough to try our hand at one, and we have to say this thing is as mental to drive as it looks. The Rally Fighter looks the way it does because the adoring internet public made it so. Pretty cool? We'd say so.

As far as owning your own, sure you can do that. It is legal, after all, and even insurable for daily driving. Local Motors even offers an online build-your-own Rally Fighter on its website now. So get picking! You can make your Rally Fighter as unique as you with a plethora of vinyl wraps to choose from. Why vinyl? Well, it saves on weight (about 12 lbs thanks to no paint) and is easier to maintain in the long-run for all the off-roading you'll surely want to do behind the wheel.

Definitely one of the cooler discoveries this week at the 2013 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, check out our video on the Local Motors Rally Fighter below. And for more coverage of SEMA (and other great stuff), make sure you visit Auto123.TV.

From Ford

When the cars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series take the track on Nov. 17 for the Ford EcoBoost 400 season finale, they will be led by a one-of-a-kind Mustang that is a featured star in the upcoming Hollywood movie and Electronic Arts video game entitled "Need for Speed."

The "Need for Speed" Mustang was created solely for the movie and features a custom-designed wide body created specifically for this new role with unique 22-inch alloy wheels, capable of supporting 900 horsepower, and larger intakes to feed its supercharged V-8 engine.

Also keeping the engine cool is the enlarged lower grille with corner air intakes to cool the front brakes.

Designers also worked on reducing aerodynamic drag by using low profile mirrors and extended rocker panels. The splitter was also redesigned to provide better handling at high speeds.

The rear spoiler and diffuser were created to improve airflow, reducing drag and giving additional traction for high-speed acceleration.

Among the 50+ vehicles shown by Ford at this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas is a life-size Hot Wheels version of the Ford Transit Connect cargo van. Featuring a number of custom accessories, the vehicle sports the traditional blue and orange colours of the popular toy cars.

Inside the Ford Transit Connect Hot Wheels are two 18'' tablets, a 55'' television screen, Recaro sports seats borrowed from the Focus ST, and even a built-in Hot Wheels drag strip.

Sporting a wide body kit, 20'' wheels, and gullwing doors, the Ford Transit Connect Hot Wheels is powered by a 2.5L 4-cylinder Ti-VCT engine. It will go on sale next year... as a 1:64 scale model, obviously.

Photo: Ford

Honda selected SEMA as its venue of choice to unleash the 2014 Civic Coupe and Si on the world. Although we're not quite certain that the “new” Civic Si is a step up from the 2013, we still have to hand it to Honda for putting some cool cars together at their booth.

Photo: Matt St-Pierre

By far the one deserving of the most attention is the 1,000+ hp 2014 Honda Odyssey built by Bisimoto.

HPD or Honda Performance Development unveiled a few cars of its own including a supercharged CR-Z. On top of the blown engine, the car also gets a few suspension tweaks and a sport exhaust. Output is now rated at 187 horsepower, drastically increasing the car's appeal.

Acura holds a small portion of the Honda's real estate and the Street Performance ILX is the one to stare at. Wrapped in a 3M Copper metallic wrap and sporting a supercharger, this is the coolest ILX we've ever laid eyes on.

For this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Kia introduced five special editions of the Soul that pay tribute to the world of music with their unique accessories, flashy visual treatments, and powerful audio systems.

Amped Soul
Popular Mechanics has energized this Kia Soul with oversized JBL speakers, four 12'' Infinity subwoofers, as well as LED ambient lighting. The car also sports a white body, black tinted windows, and 22'' Forgiato custom three-piece wheels in gold finish.

Photo: Kia

Vans Warped Tour Soul
Here, Popular Mechanics wanted to embody the youthful and fun spirit of the Vans Warped Tour. Behold the custom paint job -- inspired by the colours of the music and extreme sports event -- with eye-catching air-brush artwork. The side windows have been replaced with custom-built fibreglass body panels housing eight 8'' Infinity speakers. There's a 50'' flat screen on the roof, a barbecue in the back, LED lights, and 20'' wheels.

Photo: Kia

DJ Booth Soul
Designed by RIDES magazine, the Soul DJ Booth has no roof so the DJ can rise up and stand on a custom diamond-plated stage (which replaced the rear seats) and start spinning on the pro-grade Pioneer CDJs and mixer. The interior features black leather, graphite suede, and turquoise stitching, along with a Maschine Mikro production studio moulded into the passenger dash. A Pioneer sound system with five amplifiers, three component speakers, two 10'' and two 12'' Champion Series subwoofers, and a sound bar housing four coaxial speakers amps complete the package.

Photo: Kia

The Voice Soul
As an homage to the popular reality TV competition on NBC, RIDES magazine customized the exterior of this Soul with a bright red airbrushed The Voice logo on the side, incorporating vinyl on the window portion, as well as the inspiring words “I Want You” illuminated in the lower grille. Inside, an iPad Mini connected to a 40'' LED TV allows aspiring artists to use the preloaded The Voice app to sing their heart out.

Photo: Kia

Music Memorabilia Soul
RIDES magazine transformed the Soul into a music museum on wheels, with memorabilia spanning rock, hip-hop and EDM (Electronic Dance Music) history. You'll find a signed Slash guitar, a G-Unit sneaker signed by 50 Cent, a Jimi Hendrix gold album, and a signed John Legend microphone, all of which are displayed in hand-built Plexiglas enclosures in the trunk, rear windows, and rear hatch insert.

Photo: Kia