Autoblog

Click the image above for more pics of the Challenger SRT8

If you're one of the lucky 6,400 customers to lay claim to the 425 hp Dodge Challenger SRT8, we have good news. The first 1,000 special edition Challengers have already been built, and they're en-route to a dealer near you. For those of you that won't be getting your Hemi-powered muscle car in the first wave, you won't have to wait long, either. Every SRT Challenger will be produced by the beginning of July, which means Woodward should be full of good-looking retro coupes come August. If you want a 6.1L Challenger, you're going to have to hit eBay or wait for 2009, because all 2008 models have been spoken for.

The Challenger has been one of the few pieces of good news surrounding the Pentastar of late, and a hot product couldn't be coming at a better time. We know gas if $4 per gallon and V8 muscle cars aren't exactly what the doctor ordered, but we're probably just as excited as the 6,400 Challenger SRT8 owners to get behind the wheel of this future classic.


[Source: Dodge]

Audi is intent on leaving no niche unfilled and the word from Inside Line is that the automaker is planning to unveil a cabrio variant of its A5 and S5 coupes. The convertible versions of the A5 and S5 won't be fitted with the folding hardtops that have become de rigueur among its luxury competitors, so expect a similar soft-top system to that found on the A4/S4/RS4 cabrio and TT roadster. Power will be provided by either the 265-hp, 3.2-liter V6 or the 354-hp 4.2-liter V8 found in the A5 and S5, respectively. Expect the new cabrios to debut later this year or early next, with sales beginning in the spring of 2009.

[Source: Inside Line]

We're sure you remember the Pontiac G8 "Spy Hunter" commercial that we posted on in mid-March. Arguably the best car commercial, ummm... EVAR, the spot drops Pontiac's new rear-wheel-drive sport sedan smack dab in the midst of our favorite top-down, 2D driving game from 1983. The visuals are so impressive that we were actually shocked to learn from the video after the jump that everything you see in the commercial is entirely computer generated, including the Pontiac G8 itself. The "Making of Spy Hunter - Pontiac G8 GT" pulls back the curtain on a small team of computeristas who are responsible for the ad and apparently had way too much fun making it. They somehow acquired a vintage Spy Hunter sit-down arcade machine from the Reagan era and drew inspiration for the project from a mysterious cat that pokes it head out of holes in the ceiling. Just watch the video...

We like our jobs here at Autoblog, and we hope that shows. Most of our time is spent in our homes and offices bringing you the latest car news as it comes out, and a few times a year we get to fly around the country and around the world photographing the newest machinery the industry has to offer. It's easy to bring you good photos when the subjects are so artfully beautiful, but while some of us know where to point the glassy end of a camera, our photographs won't be hanging in the Louvre. That's where ordinary people and acclaimed artists like Franco Fontana depart.

Fontana's photographs have hung in galleries and museums around the world and have appeared in some of the biggest publications, on some of the most popular album covers and as some of the most inspired advertising campaigns. Fortunately for us, Fontana was born in Modena, Italy, which we know as the capital of the supercar. In the mid 80's, Fontana lived up to his birthplace when the Fondation Cartier commissioned him to pay an "Hommage à Ferrari" to mark the company's fortieth anniversary. Twenty years later, Ferrari has gathered some of the best works from the exposition and is displaying them again at the Galleria Ferrari. The show will be on until June 30, but if you don't have a chance to swing by Maranello in person, we've got some of the photos in our own Ferrari gallery...just click your red heels together on the thumbnails below to get there.

[Source: Galleria Ferrari via Italiaspeed]

With the cash-infusion that Jaguar and Land Rover are getting from their recent acquisition by Tata Motors, hybrid vehicle development for the two brands is now underway. Indeed, production hybrid vehicles are expected within the next five years. A three-liter liter diesel six cylinder engine, an enlarged version of the current 2.7 liter, and a new five-liter direct injected V8 will be used for these planned hybrids. While JLR knows it wants a hybrid, the exact system for development is still under debate. Mercedes plans to use a new transmission from supplier ZF for its upcoming S-Class, and Jaguar is said to be considering this unit as well. According to Autocar, another option for Land Rover is known internally as the 'Electric Rear Axle Drive' electric motor.

Both Jaguar and Land Rover have recently received government funding for the development of eco-friendly technologies, and much of the work for the upcoming hybrids is expected to be completed as part of these initiatives.

[Source: Autocar]

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has smashed up a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan and the results are mostly good.

In front crash tests, the newly redesigned minivan gets all green Gs, the highest rating the Institute gives and in side crashes, the Dodge's multiple airbags helped it get all Gs except in the "structure/safety cage" category, where it got the next lower Acceptable rating. The IIHS Web site doesn't have any explanation for that slightly lower rating.

The Caravan got an overall rating of Marginal in the rear crash protection test, though. For more info on what that means, the IIHS goes into detail here.

[Source: IIHS]

Grassroots support for Jeremy Clarkson to take the reigns as Prime Minister has been covered before, but the Top Gear presenter admits that he'd be a "rubbish" leader. During a speaking engagement in the UK, Jezza waxed about his life on Top Gear, his co-presenters, Hammond's crash and his opinions about the increased amount of government involvement in citizen's lives. Typical Clarkson fare.

But then he confirmed what many of us had guessed: the next season of Top Gear will feature a race in Japan against a Bullet train. While he didn't say what vehicle was pitted against that marvel of modern engineering, we know what it is and according to Clarkson, the race has already taken place. We're looking forward to seeing the outcome when Top Gear returns later this year.

[Source: BBC via FinalGear]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda Pilot

After reading what Honda R&D Americas Inc. Chief Designer Dave Marek has to say regarding the 2009 redesign of the popular Honda Pilot CUV, we sense that he might not think of the boxy model as his team's best work. We've heard our fair share of comments regarding the new Pilot's design, many of which are less than flattering. It seems as if Marek has heard the same detractors, and he explains away some of the more controversial elements, such as the floating front grille. Marek says of the grille, "[it] was a case of taking something that was on something else... and kind of massaging it to fit. On the mockup, [it] looks good. When you actually manufacture it, oops! That's actually what happened. It's hard to foresee." He follows that statement with, "I think when (the '09) is out on the road, people will appreciate it." Reading between the lines, it sounds like this may be a design of which he's not particularly proud. Thanks for the tip, Robert!


[Source: Wards Auto]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Hyundai Genesis sedan.

Hyundai has finally announced pricing for its first attempt at a serious luxury sedan, and when sales begin later this June, buyers content with the 3.8-liter V6's 290 horses can get behind the wheel of the Genesis sedan for $33,000.

The entry-level Genesis 3.8 will come equipped with an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission and will include 17-inch alloys, fog lamps, dual-power heated side mirrors, heated leather seats, cruise control, a proximity sensor, a push-button start, dual-zone climate control, an auto-dimming mirror with Homelink and a compass, along with front, side and side-curtain airbags.

The Hyundai Genesis 4.6, equipped with the 375 hp, 4.6-liter V8 and ZF six-speed automatic gearbox will be priced at $38,000 and equipped with 18-inch rollers, chrome exterior moldings, a leather wrapped dash, "ultra-premium" leather seats, a tilt and slide glass sunroof, power tilt and telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel with memory function, a 15-speaker Lexicon premium sound system, power rear sunshade, rain-sensing wipers, and all the other equipment found on the 3.8 version. Both prices include the $750 shipping charge.

Check out our First Drive of the Hyundai Genesis and read all the details in the press release after the jump.

Porsche didn't win... this round. The German cabinet approved amendments to the Volkswagen Law yesterday, but lawmakers left Porsche's key clause untouched. For those of you who haven't been following this saga, "Volkswagen Law" is the legislation that includes a provision to allow the federal state of Lower Saxony to keep a blocking minority vote in Volkswagen. That minority position is just 20 percent, exactly the amount currently held by Lower Saxony. With Porsche gobbling up shares in VW, intent on capturing a majority position so they can control plant closures, and Lower Saxony determined to protect thousands of jobs in their state... rest assured we haven't heard the last of this.

[Source: Automotive News]