Better late than never: Hyundai's new nav systems finally arrive

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Tech, Crossovers/CUVs, Hyundai

Hyundai has quickly developed a full range of products in its US lineup, and quality scores from companies like JD Power show those vehicles now rank among the best in the industry. For all of Hyundai's progress the past few years, the South Korean automaker has taken its time getting navigation systems into its fleet of cars and trucks.

For '08, the Azera, Santa Fe, and Veracruz all get nav systems, the Genesis sedan receives a separate high-end interface, and the bread-and-butter 2009 Sonata will get the tech as well. The folks over at Kicking Tires proclaim the interface to be bright, clear, and easy to use. It's about time. With Hyundai raising the price of entry for the Sonata to match (or exceed) the competition, it's important that the midsize sedan has everything the competition offers. It's just a shame that it took until now for them to do it.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

Gallery: 2009 Hyundai Sonata

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VIDEO: New Jaguar XF spot

Filed under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Marketing/Advertising, Videos, Jaguar

The Jaguar XK may have been the subject of the aptly-named "Gorgeous" campaign, but the four-door XF is set to take its turn in the limelight. Since it's due to hit dealer showrooms on March 1, the first TV commercials are invading both our airwaves and YouTube, as evidenced by the :30 spot after the jump. Jaguar's marketing hired guns opted for the typical fast cuts of sex on wheels mixed with good-looking people getting frisky over a soundtrack of "Hush" by Deep Purple. Good stuff. Let's hope it helps folks remember Jaguar's not dead. Thanks for the tip, Chad!

[Source: YouTube]

Gallery: 2009 Jaguar XF

Continue reading VIDEO: New Jaguar XF spot

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Spy Shots: 2009 BMW Z4

Filed under: Spy Photos, Convertibles, BMW

They've got it really well disguised, with extra padding down virtually every inch of the flanks hiding what lies underneath, but there's a new crop of spy shots of the 2009 BMW Z4 from Swedish website Sportbilen. The Svensk site for sports car enthusiasts jumped on three shots from Tommy Kristiansen of a passel of Bimmers in Goth costumes at a fuel stop. Not much is discernible, other than the fact that the long hood/short deck profile remains, and the on-again, off-again cloth top seems to have been replaced by a hard top. Perhaps someone who understands Swedish could shed some light about what the page actually says, too. The resolution of the shots isn't good enough to really make out whether it's a removeable hardtop or a folding unit, and whatever flame surfacing might run down the sides of this car have been hidden under totally faux quarter panels front and rear, and a door with a intentionally confusing bowl in the middle. So - you can make out the general lines, which stay pretty true to the BMW two-seater convention, but we're still waiting on more details.

[Source: Sportbilen.se]

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Land Rover developing new 5.0-liter V8

Filed under: Spy Photos, SUVs, Jaguar, Land Rover

Land Rovers have run Jaguar's rorty AJ V8 engine since Ford got tired of sourcing engines from BMW. CAR magazine has dug up information on some mules running around in Finland with a new 4997cc engine underhood. Their photographers also caught the vehicles while they hung out in a parking lot full of tantalizing 2 and 7 series Volvos. While the AJ is a great motor, it's well into its design life. Range Rover's new engine is being developed with Bosch, and sports direct fuel injection to boost efficiency while keeping power up and emissions down. Output is rumored at 350 horsepower in naturally aspirated form and 460 ponies come to the party when a supercharger pressurizes the intake. The new engine will wind up in the engine compartment of Land Rovers, Range Rovers, and Jaguars, and will be part of a freshening of Landies and Rangies expected to drop soon.

[Source: CAR]

Gallery: Autoblog Garage: 2007 Range Rover Supercharged

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Fiat 500 Pepita sets gold standard for small cars

Filed under: Etc., Euro, Hatchbacks, FIAT, Lifestyle

click above for more high-res images of the Fiat 500 Pepita

Every year in Rome is held a luxury show called the Scrigno, Tesori d'Italia, which roughly translates to mean the Italian Treasure Chest. Last year we showed you a Maserati Quattroporte by Studio M that was dipped in gold. To be more specific, it's paint was mixed 24k gold powder. The 2008 event concluded today and we wanted to show you what Studio M had on display this year. Called the Fiat 500 Pepita, it is Italy's iconic small car painted with the same 24k gold micro-powder paint as last year's Maserati. Studio M went a bit further this time by modifying the 500 Pepita even more. The side walls of the tires are also brushed with gold and frame a set of aftermarket wheels from OZ; the dash has been covered with Australian mother of pearl inlay; the gear shift, hand brake and pedals are lined with Swarovski crystals and the designer floor mats are made out of cashmere. The car you see in the gallery below costs about 60,000 euro, but Studio M is more than happy to customize one for you by upholstering the interior with the skin of crocodile, snake, shark, rayfish or lizard, as well as dumping the Swarovski crystal for one of 48 other precious stones. Sure, it's a bit ironic that a small economy car has been made to epitomize the luxurious tastes of wealthy Italians, but we've heard time and again that Europeans are willing to pay more for small cars over there.

Check out more high-res pics of the Fiat 500 Pepita courtesy of Omniauto.it, or click here to view more.

[Source: Omniauto.it via Autoblog Spanish]

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Fisker provides sneak peak of new Karma coupe

Filed under: Concept Cars, Convertibles, Coupes, Hybrids/Alternative, Green

Of all the auto shows and random events we attend throughout the year, it never dawned on us to book a ticket to San Francisco to scope out the J.D. Power Roundtable meeting. Too bad, considering that Henrik Fisker showed off a "top secret" photo of the bespoke automaker's next project.

According to Automotive News, Fisker flashed a picture of the concept on stage and said that it would use the same lithium-ion plug-in hybrid drivetrain as the Karma sedan. Fisker went on to say that the four-seater convertible would go on sale around the same time as the Karma sedan, sometime in late 2009. A spokesman said that it's expected to be unveiled sometime this fall.

Unfortunately, Fisker wouldn't provide us with an image of the 2+2 cabrio, but if you happen to have a subscription to Automotive News, you can see a shot of the two-door convertible with plenty of styling cues pulled from the Karma, including the flared fenders, elongated hood and patented Fisker haunches.

UPDATE: We decided to post the picture from Automotive News since it now can be seen on sites such as World Car Fans and eGMCarTech, though we've also spoken with Fisker and are trying to obtain an official image of the 2+2 convertible.

[Source: Fisker, Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Gallery: Fisker Karma

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Fiat outsourcing to cheaper markets

Filed under: China, Plants/Manufacturing, Earnings/Financials, FIAT, India, Tata

When Fiat reorganized its divisions into independent companies, it appeared that the brands were being separated, when in fact, Fiat, Lancia and Alfa Romeo have been working closer together than ever. The so-called "separation" has also led to the centralization of certain shared operations, including design, marketing, engine development and purchasing. The latter division was reorganized at the beginning of this year, with Gianni Coda as its head. Coda has now revealed an ambitious plan to cut the company's overhead by outsourcing to "best-cost countries".

Of Fiat's €34 billion purchasing budget, components alone accounted for €25 billion last year, which is set to rise to €32 billion this year. 8% of those components were purchased from countries outside the European Union, which Coda intends to raise to 11 percent. All in all, Fiat wants to increase the €2 billion it spent last year on components from outside Europe to €3.5 billion by 2010. In return, Coda expects an 8% savings to justify the shift.

Meanwhile, Fiat Group chief Sergio Marchionne confirmed that, following Tata's purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover, his company plans to use Jaguar mechanicals to underpin Alfa Romeo's next flagship sedan, the replacement for the ageing 167. After withdrawing its interest in the Ford PAG subsidiaries, Fiat has been supporting Tata's dominant bid. In return, Tata plans to use Fiat's dealer network to bring the new Nano one-lakh budget car to Europe.

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

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