Audi Debuts Facelifted A4 and S4

Audi released images of its new A4 and S4 models today, continuing with their new styling evolution. The most obvious changes are the new headlights and grill. The headlights are more angular and aggressive, and the grill has the same cut corners that the A6 showed off. There is also a new LED design inside the light itself, and the taillights have been altered as well. The A4 now fits in with the recently restyled or released A5/S5, A6/S6, A7/S7, and A8/S8 models. The same 2.0L turbocharged four cylinder engine producing 211 horsepower will be available in the A4, and the 3.0L supercharged producing 333 horsepower will return in the S4. New interior gadgets have been added, such as the touch sensitive MMI pad found first implemented in the A8. The US will also get an Allroad version of the A4, but whether we will get the wagon is still up in the air.

Louts Develops New V8

Lotus has been working on a new V8 engine for their Esprit as part of their great resurgence. It has been indicated by Lotus engineers that the new V8 could produce as much as 630 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque. The engine could also rev all the way up to 9400 rpm. This new engine has been completely made in house by Lotus, contrasting with their current partnership with Toyota to get their engines. Lotus considered using the V8 in the IS-F to power the Esprit, but decided to go with their own engine which is lighter weighing about 370 pounds versus 550 with the Lexus mill. The engine could power an Esprit weighing 3,200 pounds from 0-60 in about 3.5 seconds which would put it smack in the middle of supercar territory. Lotus hopes for the car to have spectacular responsiveness and be a car that can be fast like a McLaren MP4-12C, but with more personality.

2012 Fisker Karma Goes on Sale

The long awaited Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid has officially gone on sale. This comes amid the EPA's fuel economy ratings for the vehicle. It was quoted by Fisker that the car would travel 50 miles on electricity alone, then 250 miles on the generator, creating a total of 67 MPGe. However, the EPA rated the vehicle at  52 MPGe and an electric-only range of a mere 32 miles and engine-only gas mileage of just 20 MPG. For a car with a $96,895 base price theoretically justified by its eco-friendliness, this is somewhat disappointing. The car is visually beautiful and the interior is full of high quality materials. It also accelerated from 0-60 in 7.9 seconds on electricity only, and can trim that number to 5.9 seconds with the help of the GM-sourced ecotec four-cylinder engine. The combined power of the electric motor and the gasoline engine is an impressive 403 horsepower. However, one could buy a better performing car than this one and a Prius and still not reach the price of the Karma. The Karma really just doesn't seem to make that much sense anymore.

Audi TT RS is a Blast

Audi has brought the TT RS to the US of A for the 2012 model year. It has an extra 25 horsepower over the European version bringing it to a grand total of 360 horsepower, though this will only be available with a manual transmission which doesn't feature the launch control that is partially responsible for the lightning fast 0-60 sprints. The US version is quoted to have a 4.1 second 0-60, which is still approaching supercar territory, but starting at $56,850. The little rocket is a pavement hound and will devour corners on the twisted back roads. It is wicked quick with good steering feel and tenacious grip, making it a fun beast of a car. It is incredible easy to drive fast, making even beginners feel like superstars. The car can be had as a coupe or convertible, but we prefer the coupe due to its lower weight, stiffer body, and better looking exterior.

BMW Shows Off 2012 3-Series

BMW unveiled its redesigned sports sedan today that is set to go on sale in February. The new model looks more aggressive and fits in more with the styling direction of the new 1, 5, 6, and 7-Series vehicles. In my opinion, the whole car looks more angular. Also, headlamps look like they are too low on the nose and the hood looks too flat, but the rear looks nice and overall, the design is refreshing. The interior is a big upgrade from the current 3-Series and the car is longer and wider overall, adding to the sporty appearance. One of the big changes is in the engine room. The 328i will be getting BMW's new turbocharged inline-4 cylinder engine. It makes the same 240 horsepower, but has 260 lb-ft of torque, making it quicker to 60 mph with a time of 5.7 seconds. Pricing hasn't been announced, but that should come as it approaches February.

Chevy Sonic Impresses

The new Chevy Sonic has been released and tested and it appears to stack up to the competition well. Chevy has had a rather long streak of making really bad small cars, but this vehicle bucks the trend. The steering is communicative and precise, making it fun to drive. The Sonic can be had with a 1.8L four cylinder making 135 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque, or a 1.4L turbocharged four cylinder making 138 horsepower, but 148 lb-ft of torque 1,400 rpm sooner. This will make for a more responsive car off the line, which makes it peppier and more fun. The car is heavier and more expensive than some of its rivals, but is right up there in fun and functionality with a great interior to boot, making it a great buy for anyone looking for a small and fun car.

Nissan Develops 10-Minute Charger

Nissan has developed a charger that can charge an electric car (they would prefer it to be a leaf) in 10 minutes. This may still sound inconvenient if you were on a road trip, but compared to the roughly 8 hour charging time that most of these cars require, this is a giant leap foreword. The trick is using a capacitor electrode made of tungsten oxide and vanadium oxide. Today, these are made of carbon. This allows the battery to take in more energy without being overwhelmed and getting destroyed. The technology likely won't go commercial for another decade or so, but this is a step in the right direction for electric cars.

2013 Porsche Boxster Spied Camo-Free

The 2013 Porsche Boxster will be coming out fairly soon, and it looks to be a pretty sharp car. The new Boxster has a few possibilities for engines. It could feature two flat-sixes producing around 270 and 320 horsepower (the two flat-sixes currently make 255 and 310 horsepower). Porsche could also employ flat-fours as well. The four-cylinder could be a less powerful and less expensive engine producing something around 240 horsepower, or it could be a more powerful turbocharged engine making somewhere around 360 horsepower depending on Porsche's goals. Among other things, the new Boxster will probably receive a new interior and a lower curb weight, making the vehicle more fun to drive.

Tesla Model S Beta

Tesla has been working on their Model S sedan for a few years and is nearing production, which will hopefully commence this coming year. The sedan is powered by a battery that sits under the floor of the car, giving two large storage areas, one under the hood, and a large hatchback in the rear that can theoretically seat two small children in rear-facing seats. The car is totally silent and smooth in ride. Journalists have only gotten the chance to ride in it though, not actually drive. The focal point of the interior is the 17'' touch screen in the center console that controls all the main functions of the cars. It even contains a web browser, though that may be removed when the car reaches production if legislators require it. To get a real sense of how good the car will be in the end, we must wait until it goes into production, but this taste was a good beginning to what could be the future of the automobile.

Luxury Car Sales Soar

Despite the slightly slumping economy, luxury car sales are up a significant amount in September, and for the year to date as well. This bodes well for the auto industry, who may not be quite so effected by the down economy as in 2008 when car sales plummeted. Audi is up %19 vs. last September, and up %15 vs. last year to date. BMW is up as well, %19 increase vs. last September and a %12 increase over the last year to date. Mercedes-Benz has grown as well, posting a %13 increase over last September and a %10 over the last year to date. Porsche's numbers vs. last September aren't quite as spectacular as Audi and BMW at %10, but they are up %28 vs. last year so far. This may have to do with the introduction of the new Cayenne late last year, which has been a sales boon for the company.

Steve Jobs Dies at Age 56

Acknowledging that this has little to do with autos, those of us working at CarMatrixMan Blog thought that it would be proper to pay tribute to Steve Jobs. Mr. Jobs was a remarkable man who affected almost all of our lives in one way or another. His innovations created new technology segments such as the portable digital music player (iPod), smartphone (iPhone), and tablet (iPad). Mr. Jobs will likely be remembered as one of the greatest business innovators of the 21st century, if not ever. We thank Mr. Jobs for everything that he has given us. In the words of the man himself, "Stay hungry, stay foolish."

Better Fuel Economy on Mazda 3

Mazda recently set the price for the 2012 model of the Mazda3. The sedan starts at $15,200 and the hatchback starts at $21,200. The front end of the 2012 model was altered slightly to cut back on the "I'm so happy to see you" look that the previous model had. The other big change for this year's model is the fuel economy. The previous model somewhat lagged behind its competitors in fuel economy. This is no more. The new model matches rivals from Ford and Hyundai with its 40 mpg highway. Several months ago, Car and Driver tested the Mazda3 against the Ford Focus, among other cars. The Focus came out on top and the Mazda was runner-up. One of the reasons for this was the fuel economy. With the better gas-mileage, the Mazda might have that little nudge that it needed to push the Ford out of the top spot.

New Alfa Romeo Engine Debuts

As part of Alfa Romeo's resurgence plan in the United States, it has introduced a new engine. This engine is a 1.8L turbocharged 4 cylinder engine that surprisingly makes 300 horsepower. This engine will power the 4C (the concept is pictured above) and most likely other models when Alfa moves here. Alfa continues the trend in engine downsizing and turbocharging, even in sports cars like the 4C will be. This allows for lower weight and better fuel economy, and when done right can produce big power as well.

Comparing Apples to Oranges

In a new ad from Cadillac, a drag race between a Mercedes C300 and a Cadillac Escalade is depicted. This has got to be the most pointless ad ever to be created in the history of ads. Not only are the specs of the cars totally off (228 horsepower for the C300 and 403 horsepower for the escalade), but the likelihood of the two cars being cross-shopped is next to none, making the commercial totally irrelevant. In fact, if anything, this would just show that Cadillac is desperate and just trying to show that it is better than someone else at something, even if they are totally unrelated. Here is the video: