Auto News: Chevrolet Corvette Z06 HPE1000 by Hennessey

Hennessey has done it again, so much so that they’ve become the Fed Ex of the auto tuning world: when you want it, they’ll bring it.

With a market that has slowly began craving for high-performance sports cars, the American tuning company continues to churn out remarkable performance upgrades and their latest offering for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is no exception to that. Should we be surprised by this? For all their products and upgrades, the only thing we’re surprised at is that they haven’t done more than they have. That’s how awesome these guys from Hennessey are.

This upgrade for the Corvette Z06 perfectly illustrates that point. They’re not so much about the flair of aesthetics, although they’ve been known on occasion to offer some fancy dress-ups. For the most part, these guys are all about performance and when you factor in this newest project, you’ll begin to understand why Hennessey is widely respected in the tuning world.

Audi Urban E-Tron Concept

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 05:00 AM PDT

A few days ago, a mysterious Audi prototype was spotted in Berlin decked in camouflage, leading to the proverbial question as to what kind of car it was. Fortunately, the mystery didn’t last long.

The German automaker has released the first sketches of its new Urban E-Tron Concept that will be gracing us with its presence at the coming Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s a little hard to piece together what the disguised version looked like a few days ago, but thanks to these sketches, we now we have a pretty good idea on what to expect.

The whole concept is designed to look the part of a sleek and futuristic city car that’s built on a 1+1 set-up. According to Audi, the car is built using a central carbon fiber monococque with a canopy that slides horizontally, allowing both the driver and the passenger to enter the car. As for the cockpit and its aforementioned 1+1 set-up, Audi constructed the former using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, a material that was designed to integrate the undercarriage of both seats. Speaking of the seats and the odd configuration, the driver will be seated on the front left side with the passenger seated in the back on the opposite side. Another striking feature of the Urban E-Tron Concept, which pretty much highlights its eccentric physical make-up, is a set of huge 21" wheels.

Audi has yet to release more details about the car, including performance figures, but it did say that the car will be powered by two E-Tron electric motors that take their energy from a lithium-ion battery.

Lack of details notwithstanding, we’ll find out all we need to know about the car when the Frankfurt Motor Show opens its doors in less than a month’s time.

Audi Urban E-Tron Concept originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 12:00 EST.

Infiniti FX

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 04:00 AM PDT

The Infiniti FX is the Nissan-owned company’s mid-size luxury crossover SUV. It was released back in 2003, along with its main competitors, the Porsche Cayenne and Volvo XC90. Its first generation lasted six years on the market before it was revamped and given another chance at increasing sales for the Japanese automaker.

The second generation Infiniti FX was launched on the market in 2009, and despite the fact that it has had a less than stellar performance, its sales are still stable and have lead Infiniti in their expansion to new markets all over the world. For the 2012 model year, the FX has been revised with subtle styling changes inspired by the Essence Concept and has received an extra version in the "Limited Edition" for the FX35 AWD.

Hit the jump to read more about the 2009-2012 Infiniti FX.

Infiniti FX originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 11:00 EST.

BMW 3-Series Touring

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 03:00 AM PDT

The sixth generation BMW 3-Series (F30) is getting closer to its official debut and, as a result, the prototypes we’ve caught testing have started to lose some of their camouflage. The new 3-Series Touring is expected to make its world debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show with sales on the US market following shortly thereafter.

The full line of 3-Series Touring models will include sedan, station wagon, coupe, convertible,and M3 versions. The new generation won’t just be bringing a new design language, but it will also host a new family of aluminum four-cylinder gasoline engines ranging from 135 to 245 HP.

The exterior design of the new 3-Series Touring will bring a fresher appearance with a front end inspired by the latest 5- and 7-Series models, plus the company’s latest kidney grille. The interior will offer more luxury and will lose the center hump that houses the current model’s optional navigation system.

As for the engine line-up, depending on the market, expect to see a full line of both diesel and petrol engines, with the addition of a new generation of modular, four-cylinder engines. These new engines will be able to deliver between 140 HP to 230 HP, with a 2.0 engine going up to 300 HP. Whether or not BMW has opted to drop the six-cylinder engines in favor of the new four cylinders is a question still left unanswered. Fuel economy is still the name of the game for most automakers, so this is a good possibility. In fact, the next 3-Series will also be coming in a hybrid version that will add two electric motors for a 20% improvement in fuel consumption.

gallery: 2009 BMW 3-Series

BMW 3-Series Touring originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 10:00 EST.

Anne Hathaway aka Catwoman will be riding the Bat-Pod

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 02:00 AM PDT

The next Dark Knight film, "The Dark Knight Rises," will star Anne Hathaway as the Catwoman. Okay, maybe she is not the best actress to play a badass woman-turned-feline, but she still looks pretty hot and this is illustrated in the new Warner Bros image released featuring Catwoman riding a fascinating looking Bat-Pod motorcycle.

The Bat-pod debuted for the first time back in the 2008 movie, The Dark Knight. Since then, the motorcycle has been updated to have a meaner look and better technology. The bike will be followed by an all-new "green" Batmobile constructed from carbon fiber and designed by Gordon Murray.

Along with the new Batmobile and Batpod, the Lamborghini Aventador will also make an appearance in the movie, driven by Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne).

The movie has an estimated budget of $250 million and is currently filming in Bucharest, Romania. The official debut will be made in July 2012.

Anne Hathaway aka Catwoman will be riding the Bat-Pod originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 10 August 2011 09:00 EST.

Spy Shots: Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Successor gets its Insides Checked

Posted: 10 Aug 2011 01:30 AM PDT

Ferrari’s future plans were just recently revealed and in the midst of the vehicles they have scheduled is the much anticipated successor to the 599 GTB. The car, codenamed F152, will make its world debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, but our spy photographers were able to grab a few snapshots of the vehicle while it underwent some testing.

The test mule is being hidden under a 599 GTO body, while Ferrari tests the chassis and powertrain of the 599 GTB’s successor. The F152 will be powered by a modified version of the great 6.3 liter V12 with direct injection and will probably only be combined with rear-wheel-drive. Power is expected to climb close to 700 HP, if not more, and will connect to the rear wheels via the new seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

When the body does get put into place, the F152 will make intense use of aluminum and carbon fiber making it a true sports car.