A Black Knight stalks the ramparts of corporate castles, he carries a shield decorated with a wreath of beans, he swings a double-edged spreadsheet and he rides a terrifying black mare called The Bottom Line. His name is The Business Case and if a new report from Autocar is accurate, he's done his foul work again, this time dealing another blow to the already-long-delayed Volkswagen Bluesport Roadster

. Even though the engineering work for the two-seater convertible is reportedly finished, it appears no one can come up with a way to support the necessary sales projections of 50,000 units annually.

That is in part because Jonathan Browning

, head of VW USA, apparently doesn't see the point of expanding VW's product portfolio with another model (a truly unexpected sentiment coming from Volkswagen

as far as we're concerned). The U.S. being the largest consumer of sports cars, our sitting this one out puts the 2009 Detroit Auto Show showcar

in a tough spot.

Synergies being what they are, that also puts Bluesport's brand brothers from Audi

and Porsche

in doubt. Audi

plans for an R4

will apparently get iced in light of the news, but Porsche

might have dodged a bullet

: it wanted a four-cylinder 550-successor, but not one that would eat into Boxster

sales, which this car almost certainly would. The Bluesport isn't officially dead yet, but at three years in and counting, you can be sure there's a hand on the life-support plug.

VW Bluesport Roadster might finally be dead before it lived

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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The only thing we can show you is the image above. No video, no additional pics, just that.

We can't tell you how many times we've each been asked about concept cars, "Why can't I buy one of those?" Well you can. Not often, mind you, and not cheaply. But every once in a while, one of those glitzy concepts you see on a show stand comes up for sale. And now, it's time to grab your checkbooks.

The show car (or truck, to be precise) you see here was the centerpiece of the Ford

display at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show

. Dubbed the F-150 Lightning Rod, it takes the formula employed by the SVT Lightning to a more stylized extent, with a chopped roofline and raked windshield, flush-fitted neon head- and tail-lights, and a minimalist interior. The whole package is finished in metallic red with a tribal tattoo motif. A 5.4-liter SOHC V8 sat under the hood, mated to a four-speed automatic. The 21-inch aluminum wheels wear tires whose tread is cut to match the tattoo pattern.

This unique concept truck is expected to fetch around $50,000 when it crosses the block at the RM Auctions

event in Arizona next week, but while it's in proper running condition, it isn't certified to drive on public streets. Check it out the listing after the jump and browse the attached photo gallery.

Continue reading 2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept up for grabs at RM Auctions

2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept up for grabs at RM Auctions

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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, the Eyes on Design awards honors the best designs among production vehicles and concepts debuting that year. Unlike, say, the North American International Car and Truck of the Year awards

, the only vehicles eligible for an Eyes on Design award are the ones that introduce themselves to the world - well, really just North America - in Detroit.

What's particularly interesting is that the judges for these two awards (one for production vehicles and the other for concepts) are all active or retired designers themselves, so they know a little something about the topic. This year's group includes, among others, Volkswagen

head of design Walter de Silva, President and CEO of SRT Ralph Gilles, and GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn.

This year, the Eyes on Design awards were handed out to the 2013 Ford Fusion

in the production category and the Lexus LF-LC

in the concept category. The Fusion's fellow finalists were the 2013 BMW 3 Series

and 2013 Cadillac ATS

, while the LF-LC eked out a W over the Chevrolet Tru 140S

and Lincoln MKZ

.

Ford Fusion, Lexus LF-LC win Eyes on Design awards

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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Not to be outdone by its competitors from Ingolstadt

, Mercedes-Benz

brought out its own vision of the future of interiors, complete with augmented reality, a fully customizable dashboard and gesture-based controls. There's not a knob or button to be found...

The video after the jump

demonstrates the Dynamic & Intuitive Control Experience (DICE) far better than words can convey, but the basic elements are these: a series of proximity sensors detect hand motions across the interior, allowing you to scroll, select and control a variety of functions. The highlights include the ability to get information about the businesses and sights around you, connect with friends nearby and control all the standard music and navigation functionality you'd expect in a high-end ride. But it's not without its issues.

The major problem is there's no way for the system to detect if you're motioning or just have your hand out, and making matters worse is the poor definition of exactly where your hands and arms should be to take control of specific elements. But Mercedes has time to work out the kinks - one exec admitted that a production version is at least 20 years out.

Continue reading Mercedes-Benz DICE concept brings gesture controls to the cockpit [w/video]

Mercedes-Benz DICE concept brings gesture controls to the cockpit [w/video]

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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Want to know how highly regarded the multiple-award winning Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

is? At the recent Auto Expo in Delhi, India Maruti Suzuki

showed a concept that is, to our eyes, extraordinarily reminiscent of the small English SUV - although we'll readily admit the glasshouse is a tweaked version of the current Suzuki Swift

.

Called the XA Alpha concept, some reports say that it's underpinned by the Swift platform, while others report

that the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy off-roader, based on the Jimny, provides the chassis. For comparison purposes, the XA is just a few inches shorter

and narrower than an Evoque, but the same height as the Evoque four-door.

Plans for production are said to rest with audience reception, which appears to have - understandably - been quite positive. If and when a production version does arrive, you can probably kiss the suicide doors goodbye, but it is predicted to be

offered with four-wheel drive and "a range of K-Series petrol engines and 1.3-liter DDIS engine." Click the link for more photos of the flexible Indian flyer.

Suzuki shows Concept XA trucklet in Delhi

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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There's virtually no end to the list of automakers for which Pininfarina

has designed over the years. But every once in a while, the stoic Italian studio works up a project just for itself. And this is one such occasion.

So what is the occasion, you ask? The 30th anniversary of the company's Styling Centre, and the 10th anniversary of its Engineering Centre, which were founded in 1982 and 2002, respectively. The dual milestone is celebrated with the Cambiano concept car.

Named for the town in which Pininfarina is based, the Cambiano is an environmentally friendly sport sedan concept which the company will unveil at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show

in March. That's about all we have to go on at the moment, revealed on the studio's Facebook page along with the teaser image above. Watch this space for more as the Swiss expo approaches.

Pininfarina previews Geneva-bound Cambiano concept

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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It might have been a worthy successor to the Pontiac Vibe

- a stylish, youth-marketed crossover - but alas, the GMC Granite

may never come to be. Jim Federico, GM's small car exec, told Automotive News that the Granite concept from the 2010 Detroit auto show

isn't headed into production.

Granite was rumored to be green-lighted for production

, and would have been based on the Chevrolet Cruze

platform, to compete with vehicles like the Scion xB

and Kia Soul

. We liked the concept when we saw it in 2010

, but felt that the Granite was perhaps a bad match for GMC

, given its small size.

While AN says Federico offered no further details, we imagine GM figures the forthcoming Buick Encore

crossover probably doesn't need the competition in Buick

/GMC showrooms.

GMC Granite is dead

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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Lincoln

dropped plenty of jaws with the company's MKZ Concept

at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

, but the vehicle may have been a bit hotter than the company intended. Something seems to have gone awry with the showcar's electronics as it sat on the show floor. At some point, thin puffs of smoke began wafting from the driver's side door panel. No actual flames were spotted or damage reported, but something tells us someone is going to have some explaining to do in Dearborn (the screencap above appears to be an unnerved Joel Piaskowski

, Ford's exterior design boss).

The Lincoln MKZ Concept heralds things to come from the production version of the vehicle set to debut later this year. The vehicle features the resurrection of the push-button transmission, the likes of which we haven't seen on a production vehicle since the late '60s. Lincoln promises to roll out drivetrain details as we get closer to the 2012 New York Auto Show

. Here's hoping they can keep the vehicle from going all flambé between now and then. In the mean time, hit the jump

to see the video of the concept smoking on stage.

Continue reading Lincoln MKZ Concept arrives smokin' hot in Detroit

Lincoln MKZ Concept arrives smokin' hot in Detroit

originally appeared on Autoblog

on Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds

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