CARSCOOP

2012 MINI Roadster Priced from $24,350 to $34,500*, Costs $600 Less than the Convertible
New BMW ActiveHybrid 5 Priced from $61,845, Nearly $10k more than the 535i [130 Photos]
Toyota TS030 Hybrid Le Mans Racer Sounds Like the Batmobile when it Takes Off
2013 SRT Viper Teaser Shot Coming on Monday
Blown up Tank Arrives in front of Kim DotCom's New Zealand Mansion
Where Do You Think You're Going? Woman Tries to Escape Three Times After Being Stopped by Police
New Details Emerge on Fiat's 500L Wagon that will Debut in Geneva and go on Sale in the U.S. in 2013
Badass 1971 Corvette C3 Convertible Sports New ZR1 6.2-liter Supercharged V8
Scoop: Peugeot Continues Trialing 301 Test Mules
BMW Recalls Six X5 xDrive35i SUVs Because they May Roll Out of Park
Fiat-Chrysler Alliance wants to Produce Jeep Models in China
French Prankster Poses as a Mobile Speed Camera, gets Caught After Flashing the Police
TRD Suits up the New 2013 Lexus GS F Sport Sedan in Japan
ABT Sportsline Does the Audi A4 Facelift, S4 gets up to 435HP
BMW Driver Too Fast for his Own Good…
Fiat to Launch New Strada Small Pickup Truck in its Home Market
New Four-Cylinder Honda Crosstour Costs $2,685 Less than V6, Starts at $28,465*
First Production Aston Martin V12 Zagato to Debut at Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance
Ford Posts Biggest Profit Since 1998 but only Thanks to One-Time Gain, Gives $6,200 Bonus to Workers

2012 MINI Roadster Priced from $24,350 to $34,500*, Costs $600 Less than the Convertible

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 05:21 PM PST

Mini has just released U.S. pricing for its new two-seater Roadster model that will be available in three flavors.

The Cooper Roadster is priced at $24,350 and is powered by a 121HP 1.6-liter inline four that allows it to hit 60mph in 8.7 seconds and top out at 124mph, while returning 30mpg combined.

New BMW ActiveHybrid 5 Priced from $61,845, Nearly $10k more than the 535i [130 Photos]

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 04:53 PM PST

If you want a little more power (but slightly worse performance) and a little better fuel economy and don't mind paying US$9,345 over the price of a regular 535i, then you may want to take a look at BMW's new ActiveHybrid 5 sedan.

If you live in Europe or in any other region where BMW offers diesel variants of the 5-Series, then you're probably better off with one of those models – we'll explain why later on.

BMW today announced that the ActiveHybrid 5 will go on sale in the States in March with a base MSRP of $61,845 (€47,800), which includes an $895 destination and handling fee.

Toyota TS030 Hybrid Le Mans Racer Sounds Like the Batmobile when it Takes Off

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 03:18 PM PST

The first thing that came to mind upon viewing the videos of Toyota's brand-new TS030 Hybrid Le Mans Racer as it was leaving the pits at the Paul Ricard circuit in France for its first test run was the Batmobile – well, that or Anakin Skywalker's podracer from Star Wars Episode 1.

And no, we're not referring to the racecar's shape and styling but the sounds emitted by the hybrid powertrain which starts off with the electric motor before the V8 engine kicks in like an afterburner – yes, it's that cool.

After that, you get the usual screaming sounds produced by race-prepped engines.

2013 SRT Viper Teaser Shot Coming on Monday

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 02:32 PM PST

Last night, the Chrysler Group's SRT crew had us constantly refreshing its Facebook page to see if it would upload the promised teaser photo of the next generation 2013 Viper sports car once it reached 10,000 "likes".

A couple hundred clicks later, SRT came out with an announcement saying that ~~the teaser was the teaser~~ it would release the first official shot on Monday, 11:59.59 PM Eastern Time.

Blown up Tank Arrives in front of Kim DotCom's New Zealand Mansion

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 02:04 PM PST

Even though Kim DotCom, otherwise known as Kim Schmitz, is currently behind bars awaiting possible extradition to the United States after a New Zealand judge denied an application for bail on Wednesday, the founder of the popular file-sharing website MegaUpload continues to make headlines for reasons not related directly to his case.

After his amazing collection of luxury cars were seized by police last Friday, we thought that would be the last we heard about DotCom's toys.

Apparently, we were wrong as it has been reported by several New Zealand newspapers that after his arrest, Dotcom's mansion received delivery of a…full-size inflatable replica of a Russian T-72 tank!

Where Do You Think You're Going? Woman Tries to Escape Three Times After Being Stopped by Police

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 01:14 PM PST

Surely, anyone with an iota of common sense would give it up when surrounded by at least three police vehicles, right? Well, maybe most people but not Alexandra Osteyee-Hoffman.

The 28-year old North Carolina woman tried not once, but three times (!) to escape from the police last Friday. It all began when deputies came to her house to serve papers on a hearing. The officer approached her Toyota Corolla and asked for her at which point she took off only to be cornered by at least three police vehicles shortly after.

From that point on, we have the video footage from the police car dashboard camera, which shows her fleeing the scene for the second time leading the police on a high-speed chase – well, as fast as a Corolla can go, that is…

New Details Emerge on Fiat's 500L Wagon that will Debut in Geneva and go on Sale in the U.S. in 2013

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 12:29 PM PST

We had heard earlier this month that Fiat was preparing a new five-door variant of its 500 city car but we didn't know much else about the Italian firm's plans.

Today, Autonews has the inside scoop on the new model reporting that it will allegedly be called 500L with its world premiere to take place at the Geneva Salon in March.

We also learn that while it will keep the 500s familiar face and styling cues, it will be based on the same architecture as the larger Punto to improve passenger and luggage space.

Badass 1971 Corvette C3 Convertible Sports New ZR1 6.2-liter Supercharged V8

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:47 AM PST

Patterned after the "Mako Shark II" concept and produced from 1968 to 1982, the third generation of Chevy's iconic sports car series has by far the most aggressive and over-the-top design of all Corvettes. And at least up unit the 1973 oil crisis, it had the power to match its brawny looks.

But for an owner of a 1971 Corvette Convertible, the stock V8 wasn't enough so he fitted the open-top model with GM's LS9 crate motor, which is the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 found in the most powerful series production Corvette of all time, the ZR1.

GM states that the crate engine delivers 638-horses at 6,500 rpm and a peak torque of 604 lb.-ft. at 3,800 rpm. The owner of the car said it made 536 rear-wheel-horsepower through an automatic transmission.

Scoop: Peugeot Continues Trialing 301 Test Mules

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 11:07 AM PST

These new spy pictures show a test mule of the Peugeot 308 compact hatchback's replacement being tested in Europe. While the exterior panels of the prototype are from the current 308, underneath it's a different story as it rides on a new platform with wider front and rear tracks that's shared with the Citroen C4 and DS4 models.

The French firm's new model will likely be named 301, as Peugeot would like to skip the 309 moniker that was used on its 1980s compact hatch.

Like the smaller 208, Peugeot's Golf rival is expected to be both more compact in length and lighter than the model it replaces with obvious benefits in fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions.

BMW Recalls Six X5 xDrive35i SUVs Because they May Roll Out of Park

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 10:29 AM PST

In one of the smallest recalls we have ever heard, BMW will be calling in six owners of the 2012 X5 xDrive35i SUV to address a problem with the automatic transmission.

In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Bavarian automaker says that due to a manufacturing error, the automatic transmission's parking lock may not occur even if the "P" position has been selected and is displayed.

Fiat-Chrysler Alliance wants to Produce Jeep Models in China

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 09:59 AM PST

Chinese officials may be withdrawing their support for investments made by foreign automakers, but the Fiat-Chrysler Alliance is still looking for ways to increase its presence in the country.

A new report from the Detroit News says that Fiat and Chrysler are currently in "intense negotiations" with the Guangzhou Automobile Group to produce Jeep models for the local market.

The Italian automaker has already forged a joint venture with Guangzhou for the manufacturing of a new compact sedan based on the 2013 Dodge Dart, which will most likely be introduced in China at the upcoming Beijing motor show in April.

French Prankster Poses as a Mobile Speed Camera, gets Caught After Flashing the Police

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 09:05 AM PST

You may have heard about French humorist Rémi Gaillard who has made a name for himself over the past few years for a series of pranks that he uploads on his YouTube channel.

For his latest practical joke, Gaillard decided to dress up as a…mobile speed camera and flash passing cars on the road. The funniest part of the video comes at the end when he targets a French police car.

The officers of course stop and arrest him (probably thinking, 'not him again…'). Head on past the break to watch Gaillard's latest hoax along with a previous prank he did in a parking lot.

TRD Suits up the New 2013 Lexus GS F Sport Sedan in Japan

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 08:39 AM PST

As soon as Lexus rolled out the new 2013 GS sedan in Japan on Thursday, its parent company's performance division, Toyota Racing Developments (TRD), came out with a selection of upgrade parts for the F Sport model.

We'll remind you that the F Sport package for the new GS already includes an aero kit with different front and rear bumpers, a mesh front grille, side skirts and a rear spoiler along with 19-inch wheels and a tuned suspension.

So what does TRD's package add on top of that? Well, namely a pair of splats for the front bumper, an add-on part for the side skirts, a larger boot lid spoiler, a rear apron and quad tailpipes with a blue outline.

ABT Sportsline Does the Audi A4 Facelift, S4 gets up to 435HP

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 08:05 AM PST

Whenever Audi presents a new or a revised model, ABT Sportsline follows up with a host of upgrades. The refreshed Audi A4 / S4 sedan is no exception to the rule with the German tuning firm offering a number of styling and performance parts and accesories.

To give a more aggressive look to the facelifted A4's exterior, ABT designed a new aero kit that includes a front apron, rocker panels, a rear apron and diffuser combo, side air vents plus a three-piece boot lid spoiler that wraps around the body.

BMW Driver Too Fast for his Own Good…

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 08:00 AM PST

It seems that the BMW 5-Series [E39] sedan owner seen in this surveillance footage using what looks like an Opel Vectra as a launching ramp either failed to recall or was never told about the merits of defensive driving

Guess he just had to learn his lesson the hard way… Fortunately, from what we can tell from the video that follows below, no one seems to have been seriously hurt.

Fiat to Launch New Strada Small Pickup Truck in its Home Market

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 07:11 AM PST

Starting from next week, Fiat will offer its new Strada pickup truck in its home market of Italy. The Strada is Fiat's second best-selling commercial vehicle after the Ducato with 127,800 units sold worldwide in 2011. It is built at the company's FIASA plant in Betim, Brazil.

The revised light commercial model comes in three flavors named Working, Trekking and Adventure plus three body styles, including short cab, long cab and the four-seater crew cab for a total of six different variants.

New Four-Cylinder Honda Crosstour Costs $2,685 Less than V6, Starts at $28,465*

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 06:30 AM PST

Honda is expanding the range of its Accord-based Crosstour model with the addition of a four-cylinder, two-wheel drive version that goes on sale today priced from $27,655, or $28,465 if you include an $810 destination and handling charge. That's $2,685 less than the equivalent V6 model.

The new entry level Crosstour sports a 2.4-liter i-VTEC inline four-cylinder engine that develops 192 horsepower matched to a standard 5-speed automatic transmission, delivering 21 mpg city and 29 mpg highway, an improvement of 3 mpg and 2 mpg respectively over the V6 model.

First Production Aston Martin V12 Zagato to Debut at Kuwait Concours d’ Elegance

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST

We were expecting to see the final production version of the Aston Martin V12 Zagato at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show but instead the British company turned one of the racing concepts into a road-spec show car to give an indication of what it would look like.

Now the time has come for Aston Martin to put the concepts aside and show the first finished customer car that will make its world premiere at the Kuwait Concours d' Elegance from February 15 to 18.

Ford Posts Biggest Profit Since 1998 but only Thanks to One-Time Gain, Gives $6,200 Bonus to Workers

Posted: 27 Jan 2012 05:41 AM PST

Piggybacked by a one-time tax gain, Ford Motor Company has posted its highest annual profit since 1998 and the second biggest in the firm's 109-year long history. The Blue Oval's net income for 2011 was US$20.2 billion or US$4.94 per share, an increase of US$13.7 billion, or US$3.28 per share, from a year ago

However, most of the profit came from a one-time, non-cash special item of US$12.4 billion from eliminating a valuation allowance against the company's net deferred tax assets.

Ford said that full year pre-tax operating profit was US$8.8 billion, or $1.51 per share, an increase of US$463 million from 2010.