on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Motor Trend reveals 2016 Chevy Camaro as Car of the Year

The 2016 Chevrolet Camaro beat some very steep competition to earn the Golden Calipers as Motor Trend's Car of the Year. The magazine praised the sixth generation's fantastic engines, great handling, and lighter platform. "Our 2016 Car of the Year, the Chevrolet Camaro, is one of the finest driving vehicles in the world at any price," editor-in-chief Edward Loh said, "though its price is well within reach of the average consumer." The Camaro conquered some high-performance challengers to take the victory, including the Audi TT, Mazda MX-5 Miata, and Mercedes AMG GT S. It also bested technologically cutting-edge vehicles like the BMW 7 Series and Toyota Mirai. The latest Honda Civic rounded out the competition. To earn the prestigious award, nine judges evaluated the finalists in six categories: advancement in design, engineering excellence, safety, efficiency, value, and performance of intended function. The Volkswagen Golf won last year. In an engaging story on Motor Trend's website, it explains what a revelation the new coupe is and that they consider the model the best production pony car ever. The piece is well worth a read. Motor Trend also handed out the Person of the Year honor to Subaru of America President and Chief Operating Officer Thomas Doll. It praised him for the Japanese brand's massive success in the US like tripling deliveries since 2007. "By any measure, the business Tom Doll leads is an outstanding success," editor-at-large Angus MacKenzie said. "And he is the person whose unique vision and quiet leadership made it happen." Related Video: MOTOR TREND Announces 2016 "Of The Year" Winners Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, SUV of the Year, and Person of the Year announced during live ceremony and webcast in Los Angeles LOS ANGELES, Nov. 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, for the first time in the brand's 66-year history, MOTOR TREND announced winners of the Golden Calipers for Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, SUV of the Year, and Person of the Year at a red-carpet gala in front of an audience of industry insiders and celebrity guests. The awards show was also streamed live on the MOTOR TREND Channel on YouTube, with 3.5 million subscribers the world's largest automotive video channel, and on MOTOR TREND OnDemand, the brand's new subscription video on demand (SVOD) channel. A replay of the event broadcast is available for free at motortrendondemand.com. "What an amazing evening!

2016 Subaru BRZ gets new touchscreen, lower price

Subaru is freshening up its lovable BRZ coupe for 2016, adding a spate of new options and tweaking the price ever so slightly. On the options front, the rear-driver gets a new 6.2-inch touchscreen multimedia system. Like the current car's standard 6.1-inch affair, it offers AM/FM/HD radio, satellite radio, and Bluetooth connectivity. The new system will also play nice with your smartphone, adding integration for Aha, Pandora, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, and a few other more mundane, everyday apps, adding weather and news features. A rear-view camera will also come standard. While the new infotainment system is added across the range, it's the only real change happening for 2016. The Limited trim remains identical to the 2015, offering owners an Alcantara trimmed cabin, with suede and leather seat accents and keyless access, while the car's exterior gets a body-color spoiler and fog lights. Dual-zone climate control, heated seats, and heated mirrors also come standard on the up-market trim. Despite the new 6.2-inch display, Subaru has actually cut prices by $300 on both versions of its two-door model for 2016. The base model kicks off at $26,190, while the Limited rings up at $28,190. Fans of the BRZ's six-speed automatic Philistines can get a two-pedal BRZ for $29,290, which includes the Limited trim equipment. Read on for the official press release, direct from Subaru. Related Video: SUBARU ANNOUNCES PRICING ON 2016 BRZ® MODELS SUBARU STARLINK™6.2"Multimedia System standard across all lines Priced $300 lower than previous model year Rear Vision Camera now standard Cherry Hill, N.J. - Subaru of America, Inc. today announced pricing for the 2016 BRZ line. Starting at $25,395, the BRZ, powered by a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter BOXER engine, marks a return to the fundamentals of sports car design, emphasizing low vehicle weight, an ultra-low center of gravity and precision steering. Available in Premium or Limited trim, BRZ models boast performance features, such as the sport-tuned suspension with front strut brace and TORSEN limited-slip differential. For 2016, the BRZ receives the SUBARU STARLINK 6.2" Multimedia System with a 6.2-in. single-touch gesture display, AM/FM stereo with HD Radio®, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, Radio Data Broadcast System, single-disc CD player, Bluetooth® hands-free phone connectivity and audio streaming, iPod® control, iTunes® Tagging, a USB port and an auxiliary input jack.

Are you the Subaru WRX Concept for New York?

When Subaru dropped a hint about bringing an "all-new performance concept car" to the New York Auto Show this year, we immediately started hoping and praying that a conceptual iteration of the next WRX was in the offing. Looks like that might have paid off. While no official word has yet been written or uttered from Subaru, a French website called Blog Automobile has released a gallery of images that would seem to spill the beans about the WRX Concept.
If the leaked images are correct - and they look awfully complete and well done if they're not - WRX styling is taking a turn for the handsome. The sleek sedan in these images has all of the cues that we've come to expect from our rally-ready Imprezas: a dominating hood scoop and very wide stance with beefy wheels, and seems to miss only the rear wing to fit the perfect WRX stereotype. (And, yes, it should have gold wheels.)
There's no press release to be found, but the source is citing specifications as if it knows what it's talking about. We're told that 275 to 300 horsepower are the likely output of the turbocharged boxer four-cylinder engine, and that brakes with ventilated discs and six-piston calipers are there to haul the all-wheel-drive Scooby down from speed. If our earlier reporting is correct, we might expect to find an electric turbo under that imposing hood, too.