Autoblog

Lionsgate has released the second trailer showcasing that buff delivery guy with the English accent, and if you thought Transporter 2 was an all-out sprint on the ludicrous side, wait until you get a load of the stunts in Transporter 3. It not only shows off more of Statham's body and his 1-liner prowess, it also shows off more bad dialogue, more absurd stunts, and more reasons why it's Crank but with a bracelet and an Audi. It will clearly be a movie where you put your brain down in the seat next to you and then load up on greasy popcorn and root beer with wide-eyed glee. But that doesn't mean we won't see it. Check out the trailer after the jump, and mark your calendars for November 26.

[Source: Transporter 3 Blog]

If Drake, the ur-vampire from Blade Trinity, were a car, this is the car he would be. Starting with a CL600, tuning firm Kicherer didn't waste time throwing pieces at the car's already aggressive styling. Instead, Kicherer attacked the CL's jugular: sloppy performance due to the car's portliness.

The biturbo V12 gets 53 extra horses to corral 570 in total, torque gets smacked up to 664 lb-ft., the engine gets a new transmission control module to better deal with the extra juice, and out back, the rear axle gets a locking rear differential. The car is lowered an inch, and firmer springs help keep things settled when it's go time. Will all this turn the car into a cheetah? Probably not, but with the carbon goodies added throughout and the 20-inch Kircherer RS-1 wheels, it will look mighty good doing whatever it does. You can see for yourself in the gallery below.


[Source: Inside Line]

For as clean and green and Earth-loving as the Europeans are, they sure do some dirty things... like throw a sooty-exhaust-belching racing semi around hairpin turns with loads of opposite lock – up an impossibly green mountain – just for a hillclimb. But hey, trucks and racing aren't illegal yet, so we say flog 'em while ya got 'em. Check out the video of Markus Boesiger, 2007's Truck Racing Champion, and his dashing diesel after the jump.

[Source: StreetFire]

This could be Japanese-only news, or just a case of bad translation, but Toyota Managing Officer Toshio Furutani has apparently told Japan's Nikkei Business News that Toyota wants every vehicle in the Lexus product line to offer a hybrid option, and that "in the medium to long term, Toyota was considering making the Lexus lineup hybrid-only."

That sounds like he could mean Lexus, period, all over the world. But our questions come from the fact that the same report said that the Nikkei listed only the LS and GS models as currently available with a hybrid option, neglecting to mention the RX. And the fact that for Lexus to offer only hybrids in the U.S. would be an eyebrow-arching brand decision. Not that there isn't anyone out there in the market for a hybrid IS-F, but would you really risk it? We'll wait for a follow-up from someone at Toyota, or we'll just assume Furutani's comments were meant for other ears than ours.

[Source: Reuters]

Chrysler has managed to stay out of the doom and gloom news for a few weeks now, which goes to show that going private can have its benefits. But things couldn't stay quiet forever, and as if the company needed something else to deal with, it's now in row with German transmission supplier Getrag over a potentially failed joint venture.

Chrysler uses Getrag double-clutch transmissions (DCT) in the Euro-version Dodge Journey (seen above), and is planning on adding the Euro Avenger and Sebring to the DCT lineup. Getrag signed an agreement with Chrysler to build a factory in the U.S. that would also supply Chrylser's American products with DCTs, and in return for Chrylser agreeing to get such transmissions only from Getrag, Getrag would get $300 million to finance and tool the factory.

According to Getrag, it only intended to borrow the funds if said funds were guaranteed by the German government. According to the German government, it would only guarantee the $300 million loan if Chrysler put that same amount in an escrow account to guarantee repayment. According to Chrysler, it had no idea of such an arrangement, and Getrag never should have signed the agreement if it meant Chrysler needed to back Getrag's loan with its own cash. And that's how court cases are made. While the factory remains in limbo, Chrysler needs to find another supplier for DCTs for its American cars, and do it in a hurry.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

Aston Martin has stepped in to clarify recent rumors of its Lagonda revival. We know that a Lagonda concept is due to be shown at next year's Geneva Motor Show, and of late it was speculated to be something SUV-ish. An Aston spokesperson has laid out the plan, and this time neglected to mention the acronym "SUV" at all.

Two upcoming Lagondas will probably be sedans and use Aston's VH platform, tending to the luxury side of sporting while Aston solidifies its grip on the sporting side of luxury. An upscale and up-priced version of the Rapide will come in 2011, followed by a $100,000-or-so S-Class challenger in 2012. Now that we've got the SUV thing out of the way, let's hope Aston stays on the right course and creates cars that don't look anything like more DB9 clones.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req'd]

Bernie Ecclestone has three daughters -- four if you count Formula 1 -- and the one you see above is Tamara, posing with a checkered flag. Why? To help PETA fight the fur trade, of course. Under the slogan "Going fur-free is the winning formula," Tamara has done a series of print ads in Europe that appear to say "If you really care about animals, not only will you not wear fur, you won't wear any clothes at all. And you'll be hot. Like Natasja Vermeer and Eva Mendes hot. Or Steve-O." Vive l'Europe.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Every time we see a Flex on the road, it looks cartoonish to us – those two massive rectangles sitting on cute little wheels. We wouldn't be surprised if, a la CARS, a Flex started talking to us. The "ReFlex" above, designed by Sean Smith of SS Designs and being prepared by CGS Motorsports for this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas, looks like it could have something interesting to say. Who knew that a minimal body kit, a drop, and a set of 22s could give the Flex that personality it's been missing. The custom DuPont-painted CUV is also getting a suede interior, a Kicker sound system, and even new door solenoids from SPAL. We'll take it, or at least a ride in it. Check out the full press release after the jump, and stay tuned for the full report from SEMA.

[Source: CGS]

Seemingly nothing – not the credit crunch, not miniscule sales, not its own lengthy, lugubrious looks – can kill the Maybach. People who have wondered how long Mercedes will keep dishing out tiny servings of the enormous cars can wonder no more: top guy Dieter Zetsche has said Maybach is here to stay, and that the brand "is not losing money."

We don't know how a division that moved just 146 cars last year, even if they start at $372,000, isn't losing money. But the $1.35 million Landaulet should help things, and to be to be fair, Zetsche has said before that Maybach's profitability or otherwise is not the issue – the car is a suitable competitor to Rolls-Royce and Bentley. And Daimler has demonstrated patience: it waded through the rough times with the smart car division for ten years, and now has black ink and a hot brand to show for it.


[Source: Automotive News via eGM Car Tech]