The Web Page of Kristopher Linquist

Filed under: Car Buying, Chrysler, Fiat

Fiat 500 - Click above for high-res image gallery
The Chrysler Group is only a few months away from bringing the Fiat brand back to the United States, starting with the launch of the too-cute 500 later this year. The automaker will be holding a Fiat Experience event in Detroit at the end of August, and around 600 dealers from around the country have been invited to attend.

These 600 dealers are located in cities where Chrysler is planning to have Fiat franchises - a total of 119 different markets around the country. The Fiat Experience program will give dealers a detailed overview of Chrysler's exact plans for the brand in the U.S., and dealers will be allowed to submit proposals for snagging a Fiat franchise through mid-September.

No, not all of these 600 dealers will be approved for Fiat franchises, and Chrysler will be announcing its final list of Fiat locations in the fourth quarter of 2010. Hit the jump to see the current list of market considerations to find out if a Fiat dealer might be heading to a city near you.

Gallery: Fiat 500

[Source: Chrysler]

Continue reading Chrysler chooses 600 dealerships for possible Fiat franchises

Chrysler chooses 600 dealerships for possible Fiat franchises originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Sedan, Technology, Videos, Chevrolet

Click above to watch the video after the jump
While we'd all love to see 1,000-horsepower supercars that effortlessly reach 100 miles per gallon, the pace of fuel economy improvement is far less aggressive. Automakers are scratching and clawing for every mpg they can find by doing things like downsizing and turbocharging engines, adding direct injection and variable valve timing, utilizing electric power steering and cutting weight. Another great way to save fuel is through improved aerodynamics, as evidenced by an enhancement made to the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco that helps the new C-segment sedan reach 40 mpg on the highway.

The Eco Cruze utilizes an innovative automatic air shutter system that closes the grill vents at higher speeds to reduce drag by .016 - adding .5 mpg and helping push the Cruze to the magic 40 mpg number. The shutter system is fitted to sensors that measure changes in speed or temperature. If the temperature drops or the sensors measure sufficiently high speeds, the vents will be closed by electric motors, cutting down the amount of air that enters the engine bay. Why not simply keep the grill vents closed all the time? Because added airflow is needed to help cool the engine at lower speeds. Follow the jump to read the General Motors presser and watch a minute-long video that shows how the shutter system works.

Gallery: 2011 Chevrolet Cruze Eco

[Source: General Motors]

Continue reading Exploded view of Chevy Cruze "shutter" grille [w/video]

Exploded view of Chevy Cruze "shutter" grille [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Jaguar, Land Rover

2011 Jaguar XJ - Click above for high-res image gallery
The turnaround at Jaguar/Land Rover is happening even faster than the company's owner, Tata, had planned. A year ago, JLR posted a net loss of £64 million ($101M U.S.) in Q2; compare that to this year's second quarter and its £233.8 million ($369M U.S.) net profit on 57,135 vehicles sold.

While we're sure they aren't complaining, the boost has left JLR in bit of a lurch: production has bottlenecked because it needs more engines from Ford, after already buying "considerably more" than it expected. Ford hasn't offered any comment, but it is reported that the two companies are working together to figure out how to get Jaguar the powerplants it needs.

Gallery: 2010 Jaguar XJ

[Source: Bloomberg]

Report: Engine shortages holding back Jaguar Land Rover sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

#spyphotos The Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance is this weekend, which means the new Morgan EvaGT will debut. This is the car's second teaser and we really don't think we could take another one. Make ours ash-framed please. [WCF] More »

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has become well-known for his rants, with the exec most recently speaking out against the Nissan Leaf.


Elon Musk - Tesla Motors - Nissan Leaf - Technology - High Voltage

GM would like all you bloggers to STFU about mid-engined 'Vettes. Not happening. [AutoNews] More »

#commenteroftheday Krush Groove had everything as a film about hip-hop: Shiela E., Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and even Debbie Harry. You know what it didn't have? A plot. I love all the performers and the soundtrack is fantastic, but the film's lacking one major device: a plot. I think something happens. There's some rapping. the Fat Boys run around for a bit. Some kids I knew in high school got it thinking it would be epic. It's just not. As an 80s music film it doesn't hold a candle to Prince's Purple Rain, just like few musical comments hold a candle to Mazarin's riff on our Prince-inspired speeding post. More »

Filed under: Coupe, Budget, Truck, Crossover, Hatchback, Scion, Toyota

Toyota A-BAT Concept - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Scion is about to expand its initial three-model lineup with a rather intriguing new vehicle that's set to take on the Smart Fortwo as the microcar of choice for those looking to downsize as far as humanly possible. While the upcoming iQ is a pretty nifty machine, it won't be quite practical for a large number of drivers here in the United States.

Hence, it's not entirely surprising that Scion is reportedly considering a possible fifth, sixth or even seventh model. As before, talk of a small pickup truck is apparently on the table. Interestingly, Scion vice president Jack Hollis suggests that something like the Toyota A-BAT concept could be revived in Scion guise.

Another possible Scion model could be based on the love-it-or-(more-likely)-hate-it Hako Concept from the 2008 New York Auto Show. Finally - and certainly most interestingly for enthusiasts - a small, rear-wheel-drive sport coupe is also on the table for consideration. We know where we're casting our vote...

Gallery: Detroit 2008: Toyota A-BAT Concept

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req.]

Pickup, crossover and RWD coupe being considered for Scion? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

According to a breaking report by a major news outlet, General Motors is set to file for its initial public offering this Friday.


GeneralMotors - Initial public offering - IPO - GM Food - Wall Street Journal

Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, SUV, Jeep

The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee - the pride and joy of Chrysler at the moment - is just now hitting dealerships, but the automaker is already hard at work on a high-powered SRT-fettled version of its new sport 'ute. In the past, the Grand Cherokee SRT8 has always been a guilty pleasure of ours, if only for the rocket-like 6.1-liter Hemi V8 underhood.

Good news then that Chrysler is prepping an all new 6.4-liter Hemi for use in its SRT products, and we're anxious to see how this new engine works in the Grand Cherokee application, which seems likely to hit as a 2012 model.

Early reports suggested that it could be good for around 450 horsepower, but spy photographers are saying that we could see over 500 raging stallions coming out of this new monster mill. This means the new Grand Cherokee SRT8 could rip off 0-60 times in under five seconds, and we might have a truly worthy American competitor for the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, AMG-badged Mercedes-Benz ML and BMW X5 M. Here's hoping.

[Source: Left Lane News]

Spy Shots: 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 spied with 6.4L Hemi V8 underhood originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 15:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

#emissions Actor Jeremy Piven, who proudly tweeted about driving a Cadillac CTS-V hours earlier, complains about getting a ticket for 12 mph over the speed limit. Yep, 556 hp will do that. [@JeremyPiven] More »

A 60-month lease with a $4,500 tax credit attached may have looked attractive last year, but many new car buyers are regretting signing a 5-year term.


Car Allowance Rebate System - United States - Democratic - Automobile - Business

#topgear Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson repeatedly rolled the three-wheeled Robin reliant in a stunt this season to great comedic effect. It wasn't so funny when hooligans decided after watching the episode they'd flip 78-year-old Barry Cloughton's Reliant — twice. More »

Filed under: Classics, Coupe, Auctions, Specialty, Design/Style

Gulf liveried DeLorean - Click above for high-res image gallery
Don't get us wrong. We love ourselves some DeLorean, and we'd argue there may not be a more iconic motorsports paint scheme in history than the classic Gulf Racing livery. But sometimes, two rights make one horrible wrong. Such is the case with today's eBay Find of the Day.

Call us purists if you must, but DeLoreans should all be left in their bare unfinished stainless steel suit. And so it's a rather good thing that this otherwise fine example of the breed isn't actually painted at all - the horrid coating you see in the images below is actually a vinyl wrap. Thank God for small miracles.

Looking past the unfortunate wrap, what we have here appears to be a very nice gullwinged coupe with under 10,000 miles. It's got the preferred five-speed manual transmission, has been updated with an Eibach suspension kit and it's been otherwise completely refurbished by the experts at DeLorean Motor Company.

At the time of this writing, the top bid sits at just over $15K and there's five days left. Happy bidding (and happy removal of its vinyl wrap...)!

Gallery: Gulf liveried DeLorean

[Source: eBay Motors]

eBay Find of the Day: Gulf Racing DeLorean is a very bad idea originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

#carcrime The yearly traffic crackdown by police across Minnesota tapped a red Corvette owner in rural Wadena County, whose passenger ratted out the driver for doing 178 mph. Maybe Prince ran out of pancakes? (Hat tip to Eric!) [Minneapolis Star-Tribune] More »

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Aston Martin, UK, Racing

Marek Reichman's Aston Martin Vantage GT4 - Click above for high-res image gallery
And he's going racing with it. Marek Reichman, the design director for Aston Martin, will be hopping into the saddle of a Vantage GT4 for his first shot at the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of Great Britain. Reichman has gone fender to fender before, though he typically keeps to vintage club racing. This will be the first time he's stepped up to the 90-minute big boy leagues of his company's one-make series. Reichman won't be doing it alone, though. Chris Porritt, the engineering manager for Aston Martin, will be sharing driving duties.

Porritt has helmed the mighty Vantage GT4 in the past, though most of his experience has been at the Nürburgring. We're thinking that if he can keep the car shiny side up around Green Hell, he should have no problem going toe to toe with the rest of the field. That doesn't mean that the competition is going to be a cakewalk for the team - so far this season, the Aston Martin GT4 Challenge has proven to be full of more than capable racers. The series is slated to kick off at Oulton Park on Saturday, August 21. Hit the jump for a peek at the press release.

Gallery: Aston Martin Design Director's Vantage GT4

[Source: Aston Martin]

Continue reading Aston Martin design director gets custom Vantage GT4

Aston Martin design director gets custom Vantage GT4 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nissan first officially revealed its Juke small crossover at the Geneva Motor Show, but now the Juke has made its North American debut at the New York International Auto Show. Inspired by the Qazana show car exhibited at last year’s Geneva show, the Juke will go on sale this fall in both Europe and the [...]

Although not exactly a well kept secret, a BMW executive has confirmed that the Gran Coupe concept will make the transition from show car to production.


BMW - Recreation - Makes and Models - Autos - Motorcycles

#lolcars You'd think as a road painter the one thing you'd never want to screw up is the "SCHOOL" road marking. Greensboro, North Carolina painters had no such concern when they laid down "SHCOOL." [Metro] (Photo credit: AP) More »

Squashing the flurry of rumors that spread across the Web last week about a possible mid-engine, turbocharged V6 Corvette, GM sets the record straight.


GeneralMotors - Chevrolet - V6 engine - Mid-engine design - Turbocharger