Blog Posts by: Eric Tingwall   GT

The seventh-generation 2014 Chevrolet Corvette will produce at least 450 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque from an all-new small-block V-8 engine. The fifth-generation of GM’s iconic eight-cylinder, known as the LT1, displaces 6.2 liters and adopts direct injection, cylinder deactivation, and continuously variable valve timing in the pursuit ...    Read more

Audi is betting big on the 2014 A3 in the U.S. market, counting on the new sedan model to boost popularity, but also aiming to bolster sales with a convertible and S3 and RS3 performance models.  “I would certainly like to see a comprehensive ...    Read more

The manual-transmission Porsche 911 has just eight years left to live. At least that’s the personal prediction of Michael Schätzle, project manager of the new 911. At a media event for the 911 cabriolet, Schätzle gave the three-pedal, rear-engined Porsche until 2020, or “one or two generations,” before going the ...    Read more

With more than 220 models sourced from more than 90 production facilities, the Volkswagen Group has a lot to gain from even the smallest manufacturing synergies. So the new MQB architecture that will underpin the majority of the company’s front-wheel-drive vehicles is a massively important program. MQB (the acronym stands ...    Read more

Bentley’s 2012 Detroit auto show reveal of the Continental GT V8 presents a new, downsized reality for the exclusive British automaker, but this wasn’t our first time seeing the twin-turbocharged, 4.0-liter V-8. The same core engine is already under the hood of ...    Read more

The Internet rumor mill may have you convinced that a four-cylinder Mustang and a next-generation pony car with an independent rear suspension are a sure thing, but Ford has yet to officially confirm either. We took advantage of our seat at a dinner table with president and CEO Alan Mulally, ...    Read more

Ford’s next-generation Mustang will trade some of its retro styling cues for the company’s new Kinetic 2.0 design language. But it won't completely abandon its roots either, as Ford's executive director of global product programs told us the next Blue Oval pony car will retain enough heritage to be instantly ...    Read more

Following the introduction of several poorly received new models, CEO Takanobu Ito and the whole of Honda appear to have gotten sports-car religion much like Toyota has since Akio Toyoda took over the company in 2009. Admitting that the Honda has made missteps and let its reputation slip, Ito espoused ...    Read more

The next generation of Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive trades torque-vectoring differentials for electric motors, creating a gas/electric hybrid powertrain that is capable of pure electric driving and distributing torque between the right and left rear wheels. The electric SH-AWD system’s hardware includes three electric motors, a V-6 gas engine, ...    Read more

After years of showing limited interest in the fuel-saving technology, Honda has developed direct injection for its volume four- and six-cylinder engines for introduction in 2012. The trio of direct-injection powerplants covers everything from the compact Civic to the Ridgeline pickup truck. Honda hasn’t confirmed where the engines will appear ...    Read more

What is Skyactiv? Marketing speak, of course. It is the single word Mazda has invented to represent a diverse spread of technologies and strategies aimed at improving efficiency. As such, Skyactiv has a different meaning depending on whether you’re talking about engines, transmissions, chassis, or ...    Read more

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be more powerful than the Cadillac CTS-V with an output of 580 hp at 6000 rpm and 556 lb-ft of torque at 4200 rpm from the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. Every one of those ponies will need to be working hard, though, to hurry the ...    Read more

Amidst the usual stream of crossovers, sedans, and two-doors passing through the Automobile Magazine garage, a heavy-duty truck is an anomaly. The slow steering, the graceless ride, and the hard-shifting transmission are strange qualities for a modern four-wheeled vehicle, even if they are the designed-in traits ...    Read more

Land Rover's smallest off-roader, the LR2, will swap its in-line six-cylinder engine for a turbocharged four-cylinder with the next model update. The LR2's gas-powered replacement powerplant is the same 240-hp mill that will arrive this October in the Range Rover Evoque. While our source wouldn't reveal the exact timing of ...    Read more

The Chevrolet Volt is an impressive and significant car, but there's still room for improvement. Personally, I'm amazed at how hard GM muffed the center stack. The jumbled heap of icons and abbreviations reads like a sequel to the children's ...    Read more