Will the next Holden Commodore go front-wheel drive?

Since 1978, the Holden Commodore has been roaring across the land down under. It’s worn a plethora of body styles ranging from coupe and sedan to wagon and ute, brought the Pontiac G8 to American soil and sold over 44,000 units last year in Australia. During its run, the Holden Commodore has been a rear-wheel drive vehicle, but new reports state that the front-engine/rear-drive layout may not be in the cards for much longer.

The next-generation Commodore is going to appear by 2015 and it’s possible that General Motors may switch it to a front-wheel drive car. The goal is increased fuel-efficiency for GM’s large cars and the front-wheel drive platforms are the ones set up to deliver the highest fuel efficiency.

The Holden Commodore could ride on the Super Epsilon II platform, which will also make its way into the next Chevrolet Impala and the upcoming Cadillac XTS. Sure, we understand why an automaker would look to make this change but it doesn’t mean we have to like it. We prefer our Maltidas waltzing and our Commodores drifting.

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid delay means no $1,300 tax credit?

In mid-October, Hyundai announced that its 2011 Sonata Hybrid would be eligible for a $1,300 tax credit. The electrified mid-size sedan was to officially hit the market before the end of the year and the first 60,000 buyers who plopped down some coin for the Sonata Hybrid would’ve walked away with that juicy credit in their pockets. However, there’s a hitch: the Sonata Hybrid has been delayed and its release date pushed back until January, and GreenCarReports.com indicates that that will dash any hopes of receiving the credit, which expires on December 31.

Even so, the Sonata Hybrid still remains one of only a few mid-size hybrid sedans capable of achieving great fuel economy – 36 miles per gallon city and 40 mpg highway – and many of its competitors like the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid and Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid either no longer qualify for the tax credits or aren’t available for purchase. The Sonata Hybrid is a capable car and one of the most compelling new vehicles in the mid-size segment, so missing out on the credit probably won’t affect sales dramatically, but its delay will mean that early adopters won’t have an extra $1,300 in their couch cushions next year.

Kia Optima receives service bulletin for accelerator pedals

That was quick. Kia has issued a service bulletin asking its dealers to check the operation of the accelerator pedal on all-new 2011 Optima models that are just now arriving at dealerships across the country. According to Consumer Reports, workers are to press and release the pedal 25 to 30 times to listen for noisy operation and anything that would indicate unsatisfactory pedal feel. If either problems surface, Kia will replace the pieces under warranty free of charge. As of right now, it’s unclear whether sticking pedals instigated the service bulletin or some other fault prompted the Korean automaker to issue the service bulletin.

Keep in mind that a service bulletin differs from a recall in several ways; most notably, recalls are government mandated and require automakers to alert consumers. Service bulletins are voluntary and typically just go out to dealers. Since the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration isn’t forcing Kia’s hand, we’re guessing that there isn’t any danger to consumers. Models impacted by the bulletin were built between October 16th and November 24th of this year.

2011 Subaru Forester

In the years since Subaru last gave its workhorse flat four-cylinder engine a significant revision, an entire generation of customers has gone from pulling up their Huggies to donning college graduation gowns. More than two full decades have passed since the company’s engineers seriously sat down to re-examine the engine’s architecture, and in that time, there’s been an explosion of automotive technology geared toward squeezing every last bit of energy out of a drop of gasoline. With fuel economy and emissions standards growing tighter by the day, the minds at Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru’s parent company, unveiled the third-generation of their boxer engine recently.

But at first blush, the new heir to the Pleiades throne looks to be little more than a carbon copy of its predecessor. Horsepower, torque and fuel economy figures are all within a shave of the old engine’s numbers, and while the company’s competitors are investing heavily in direct-injection systems, Subaru passed on this tech all together. Where was the improvement? Judging by the specs alone, we had to wonder why Subaru went through the trouble of building an entirely new facility just to produce what looked to be the same old beating heart we’d known and loved for years. We jumped behind the wheel of the 2011 Forester to find out just what had changed beneath the hood of its all-wheel-drive family hauler.

Ford Explorer V6 achieves 25 mpg on highway

Ford has promised that the 2011 Ford Explorer would achieve a 25 percent improvement in fuel economy, and now we can put a pair of numbers with that claim. Environmental Protection Agency ratings show that the Explorer will average 25 miles per gallon on the highway and 17 mpg in the city; a big improvement over the last generation model’s 20/14 numbers. The fuel economy numbers for Ford’s newest offering also claims bragging rights over the Honda Pilot and the V6-powered Toyota Highlander.

Ford managed such a vast improvement by switching to a lighter front-drive-based setup with a more aerodynamic body. In fact, Ford claims that the Explorer’s new rear lip spoiler alone accounts for an efficiency gain of nearly one mpg. Ford’s new full-size SUV will also sport a far more efficient 292 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 with twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) mated to a six-speed auto transmission and the company’s new EPAS electronic power steering system.

Hitting 25 miles per gallon with a 292-horsepower engine is significant, but The Blue Oval promises more improvement once the turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder arrives early in 2011. The powerful little mill promises to be 30 percent more efficient than the 2010 model. The V6-powered Explorer is now in full production and headed to a dealer near you. Hit the jump to read over the Ford press release.

Bugatti looking for a student intern to drive Veyrons, fetch dry cleaning

Ah, to be in college again. The enlightenment. The drinking. The promiscuity. The million-dollar supercars. Wait, what?

That’s right. Bugatti is looking for a student intern at their office in Herndon, Virginia, to help coordinate their marketing and press relations activities. Like any internship, most of the job will probably come down to making coffee for and giving back rubs to your superiors. But in this case, the position entails scheduling – and crucially, transporting – the Bugatti press fleet, organizing events and the like.

You’ll need to be a college student to apply, and since the listing specifies they’ll be testing for drugs, that may narrow down the field considerably. That, and you’ll need to be located near Herndon, Virginia, which is fortunately just half an hour out of DC. So if you’re studying at Georgetown, GW, American U or any of the other campuses in or near the nation’s capital, keep your nose clean and like being around seven-figure exotics, click through the link below to apply.

Renaultsport tricks out the Megane N4 for tarmac rallying

Times are still tough in the automotive industry, prompting several automakers to cut back their racing programs over the past few years. Renault is the latest to join them, selling their F1 team to Lotus. But the French automaker’s motorsport division is still glad to sell you what you need to go racing or rallying yourself. They’ve retasked the department to provide engines to a growing array of F1 teams, and while they were at it, have put together a new rally package as well.

The Megane RS N4 is a tarmac rally machine built to Group N specifications and available to privateer rally teams. Its 2.0-liter turbo four has been upped from 247 horsepower to 265 and packaged with an Ohlins suspension, Sabelt racing buckets, upsized brakes and a limited-slip differential – all of which makes for a compelling package. Check out the full details in the press release after the jump and the images in the gallery below for a closer look.

Morgan Threewheeler marks the return of an icon

After building 30,000 trikes between 1909 and 1953, Morgan is bringing the automotive tripod back for 2011.

The original three-wheeler was quick, but also achieved great fuel economy numbers. Fifty miles per gallon was regularly achieved thanks to its light weight, low rolling resistance and small engine, and in 1913 a trike won the French Grand Prix while averaging over 100 miles per hour on the banked curves of Brooklands.

The new 2011 Morgan Threewheeler is powered by a Screaming Eagle 1,800cc Harley-Davidson engine, mated to the five-speed manual transmission from a Mazda5. The powertrain is good for 100 horsepower at the rear wheel, which can scoot the 1,100-pound trike from 0-60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds and on to an estimated top speed of 115 mph.

Buyers will be able to select one of eight exterior color choices, which are all accented by black components in matte or gloss finish. The interior is available in either black or tan leather and features aircraft-style toggle switches for the various accessories. The initial run is for standard Morgan Threewheelers and then a bespoke version will be made available for customers who want a trike tailored to their liking. No word yet on pricing.

Report: Two new models coming from Morgan

We suppose it was only a matter of time before mighty Morgan threw its cap into the electric car realm. With everyone from Mercedes-Benz to Audi toying around with motor-powered supercars, the eclectic purveyor of long-hood wonders was bound to follow suit. According to Autocar, we can expect to see a pair of new models to emerge from Morgan in short order. The first, called the LIFEcar 2, is especially mouth watering. The svelte coupe supposedly gets its power from a diesel-electric powertrain and will pack a range of around 1,000 miles. Despite its city car name, the LIFEcar 2 will be a sports car above all else.

As for the second model, Autocar was able to drum up very few details, other than it will be more extreme with a focus on entertainment.

If you’re thinking this sounds like the standard Brit-pub rumor mongering, think again. Morgan says it will bring the LIFEcar 2 from prototype to production, and that it will weight a scant 1,700 pounds when it hits the road. Hit the jump for the press release.

Citroën DS4 Racing hybrid set to take on Audi S3?

In its quest to take on the lucrative premium compact segment, Citroën has been unrelenting with the release of the its higher-end DS line. The DS4 was just unveiled in Paris, and now reports indicate that the French automaker plans to take on the likes of the Audi S3 and Volkswagen Golf R with a new performance-oriented version of the high hatch.

The kicker is that, according to recurring reports, the Citroën DS4 Racing is tipped to go hybrid, following the likes of the Honda CR-Z and Lexus CT200h. A 95-horsepower electric motor would be mated to the car’s 200-horsepower turbo four, in either a Hybrid4-sytle all-wheel drive setup or as a front-driver using the system being developed with BMW. Sounds enticing, but hybrid or not, the DS4 Racing isn’t expected before 2013

Citroën to build Metropolis concept flagship

The beauty of an automaker entering a completely new market like China is the ability to completely redefine what the brand stands for to local buyers. In the case of France’s Citroën, they’re going decidedly upmarket, but instead of taking baby steps like turning its C3 econo-hatch into the DS3 premium hatch, the French automaker can start completely from scratch.

According to reports from Europe and China, parent company PSA/Peugeot-Citroën is planning on jump-starting its Asian operations by building a production version of its Metropolis concept, the first design carried out at the company’s Shanghai-based design team. Unveiled there in May, the Metropolis stands for the Double Chevron’s vision of what the marque could be to upscale Chinese buyers.

In production form, the Metropolis is anticipated to carry the DS9 nameplate, topping the DS range with an executive limousine that looks like the size of China itself. While the concept featured a compact V6 mated to an electric motor and seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the production version could carry any powertrain, likely nestled into a modified platform borrowed from the outgoing Citroën C6 and Peugeot 407. The DS9 looks poised to be built at the joint-venture facility announced last July with Changan Automobile Group. Whether it will ever make it outside of China, of course, remains to be seen.

Citroën puts un peu d’air sur terre with Lacoste concept

French couture, as is widely known, is at the very height of fashion. French cars, well…less so. But Citroënis hard at work to fix that and capitalize on potential synergies within its own homeland. Its new DS line of premium vehicles is doing much to bridge that gap, as are concepts like the Metropolis and theGQbyCitroën. Now the French automaker has teamed up with a sportswear powerhouse to develop a new show car set to debut on its home turf in Paris next week.

The product of collaboration with tennis-wear giant Lacoste, Citroën’s latest concept takes the alligator brand’s slogan “un peu d’air sur terre” (“a little air on the ground”) to heart with an open buggy-like design ready to, according to Citroën, transports its “passengers to a lighter, fresher world.” And what does that entail, exactly? No roof, no doors and a collapsible windshield, apparently, taking cues from classic Jeeps, but in a more, how you say, avant garde form.

Powering those jumbo golf-ball wheels is a compact three-cylinder gasoline engine that Citroen figures should be plenty to propel the compact vehicle along in joie de vivre bliss. Beyond that, we’ll let the French designers’ work speak for itself, so take a stroll through the Louvre-like gallery of high-resolution images below for a closer look, or follow the jump for the full press release.

New Citroën Metropolis concept photos released ahead of Shanghai debut

Citroën rarely disappoints when it comes to concept cars. This year, for example, we’ve already gotten theSurvolt and DS High Rider. Its latest effort steps up the luxury in a big way. The Citroën Metropolis concept , set to debut in Shanghai later this month, is a beautiful and very French take on the Maybach formula (whether PSA actually greenlights a production venture into such rarefied air remains to be seen.)

Some of the Metropoplis concept’s lines are similar to those first seen on the GTbyCitroen supercar, but they’re more elegant than outrageous as presented on this opulent saloon. A 460-horsepower hybrid powertrain has our interest piqued as well, but for now we’ll have to keep ourselves content with the photo dump that just hit Citroën’s media site. All the latest images are laid out in the high-resolution gallery below, and we’ve begun counting down to this year’s Paris salon to see what Citroën has in store for us next.

Citroen Survolt Sports Car Concept Debuts at 2010 Geneva Show

[Updated gallery with 'live' photos] A sleek electric sports coupe named ‘Survolt’ was Citroen’s surprise debut at this year’s edition of the Geneva Salon. The low-slung, 3,850 mm long, 1,870 mm wide and 1,200 mm tall concept car combines styling elements from both the ‘GT by Citroen‘ supercar and last year’s Revolte concept studies.

The French automaker did not release any technical details on the Survolt, so the only thing we know about the concept is that it is powered by an electric motor fed by a set of batteries.

And while the chances of a car like the Survolt making into production are slimmer than the return of the Edsel, the concept’s design could inspire the next generation of Citroen’s production cars. Full gallery after the jump.