Word has it that Chrysler may be planning an increase in displacement for the 2013 Dodge Viper. According to the Dodge-obsessed crew at Allpar, the vehicle’s V10 engine may jump from 8.4 liters to 8.7, making it the largest lump Chrysler has ever placed in a passenger car. Allpar doesn’t say exactly where the report originates from, though upping the vehicle’s displacement certainly fits the brash character of the Viper. We have to wonder what sort of tricks the company will employ to keep fuel consumption and emissions at reasonable levels, however.

The same report also repeats the fact that the vehicle will be manufactured in 2012 as 2013 model. That certainly runs contrary to those whispers we heard about the 2013 Viper receiving a clandestine unveil at a Florida charity event.

[Source:Autoblog]

In spite of believing we have a decent idea about what the fairer sex really wants, we’re frequently faced with correction: “You thought that’s what we wanted, but we actually want this other thing…” It’s happened again courtesy of female staffers at Motor Trend, who’ve laid out six “Cars that catch girls’ eyes.”
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The Ram Outdoorsman is set to play a prominent role in a new adventure series recorded for the NBC Sports Network by Orion Entertainment. The show, appropriately named “Ram Outdoorsman,” will travel around the country sampling a variety of hunting and fishing venues. The partnership has obvious benefits for Ram, as the show will likely introduce the Outdoorsman to plenty of potential buyers who may or may not have thought of the truck in the past.
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Mini and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have announced an investigation into certain Cooper S models after reports of engine fires on at least 12 vehicles, five of which resulted in a total loss. Interestingly enough, Bloomberg reports that in eight of those cases, the fires occurred while the vehicles were parked and turned off.
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AutoExpress recently took the time to sit down with Kia design guru Peter Schreyer for a chat about the company’s GT Concept that debuted at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Schreyer is understandably keen to bring the front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sedan to market, though he isn’t necessarily wedded to the 400-horsepower turbocharged V6 under the concept’s hood. Schreyer said that any number of drivetrain options could conceivably work, including hybrid and smaller displacement powertrains. The designer believes that Kia could still produce an executive sedan with the performance that buyers want while still maintaining excellent fuel economy.
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One common thought process of any automotive enthusiast is to envision taking the powertrain from a high-performance machine and placing it into something totally different. Someone at Nissan has been dreaming of a swap along these lines, and it’s even weirder than you would’ve guessed. The Japanese automaker is prepping a Super Juke that utilizes the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter mill swiped from a Nissan GT-R.

Re-read that last sentence

Details are still very sketchy at this point, and the above image is reportedly an official sketch of what could be in store. Still, we can’t hide the excitement felt at what appears to be a Forza dream machine come to life. Even if it turns out to be a concept, we’re happy that Nissan engineers and designers are thinking about putting the GT-R heart into more bodies.

[Source:Autoblog]

Spy shots and see-through body treatments are all we have to go on when it comes to the upcoming Subaru BRZ. We’ve had enough of that, however, and it seems Subaru is finally ready to show us a bit more of what’s in store for the future sports coupe. According to Car and Driver, the Japanese automaker will unveil a concept version of the BRZ at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, and it will be wearing real sheetmetal this time, albeit with a wrinkle – none of the showcar’s panels will be the same as the production car. Read More »