Filed under: Spy Photos, Geneva Motor Show, Videos, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

We've gotten various peeks at the Mercedes-Benz A-Class for a few months now, from the patent drawings to spy shots to QR-coded teasers. Then, of all things in all places, a cyclist with a handlebar-mounted camera gets a full-on shot of the real deal while riding in Lanzarote, Spain for what we assume is a photo or video shoot.

If you liked the look of the patent drawings, then you'll be happy with the glimpse here. It even looks close enough to the Concept A for us to give Mercedes props for truth-in-concept-car designing. There's debate as to whether this is the AMG A-Class, but regardless, the final version will be shown at next month's Geneva Motor Show. Until then, watch the video after the jump.

Continue reading Production Mercedes-Benz A-Class spotted undisguised

Production Mercedes-Benz A-Class spotted undisguised originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Budget, Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Toyota

Toyota is looking to meld the smartphones with the television in a new ad campaign. The automaker is giving fans a chance to win two Camrys in new promotion that uses the Shazam mobile app in conjunction with a TV spot. When the commercial airs, viewers simply fire up Shazam and enter the giveaway. (They can also enter the sweepstakes online.) Toyota says the program is the first and largest of its kind to use Shazam.

The "Connections" TV spot is designed to encourage further exploration of the so-called "Camry Effect," a social media campaign focused on how the Camry impacts people's lives for the better. Fans can enter the sweepstakes once daily for a chance to take home a Camry for themselves and one for a friend. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading Toyota using Shazam music ID app for new TV spot, giveaway

Toyota using Shazam music ID app for new TV spot, giveaway originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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#TDI // HOY // Por la #Zona10 desde las 17.30hs en el Dámaso Latasa de Tandil: Ferrocarril Sud de Tandil vs Cemento Armado de Azul

itulah yang kurasakan sejak 3 hari lalu del..RT @riniloviadela k kampus sia sia .....nunggu dari pagi,dosen ny dk dtg #tdi --___--

Filed under: Budget, Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Hyundai, UK

Based on the can't-make-enough status of the Hyundai Elantra, the public hasn't gotten tired of Hyundai's "fluidic sculpture" design theme. Based on this commercial for the Hyundai i30, we admit that we haven't either. The five-door sold in Europe and based on the Kia Cee'd platform shows us what we can generally expect from the upcoming Elantra Touring replacement.

The last Elantra wagon didn't get big play here three years ago, but neither the Elantra nor Hyundai were in the position they're in now. In Europe, the i30 five-door will get a choice of four engines and three transmissions, but we shouldn't expect to be so spoiled for choice. Follow the jump to see the video.

Continue reading Hyundai i30 commercial previews upcoming Elantra five-door

Hyundai i30 commercial previews upcoming Elantra five-door originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's so bright out! I definitely need to go out today. Movies perhaps..still needa watch those movies #TDI and #EL&IC.

Ahh iren, pakai lope-lope RT @irenirenirena: Yogiee (｡'▽'｡)♡ RT @FebhiFLF: Sorry deh! Nggak tau #tdi. Follback dong :D RT @yogifiand: (

Gantok bak. Tapi taknak tido. Nak tido dalam dorm. #Tdi

2013 Volkswagen Beetle TDI US http://t.co/b29rSAYN #volkswagen #beetle #tdi #us #auto #car http://t.co/cZQi9Jpg

#TDI #Sportivo Guzman Vs #Deportivo Marapa 17:30 Hs

A diesel #beetle? You read right. #tdi version returns after six-year absence, this time at #chicago auto show. http://t.co/iwLUXXO6

RT @CgDaPrince: My team #TDI #SQUAD!!!!

#TDI // HOY SABADO // En el Estadio Damaso Latasa de Tandil: Ferrocarril Sud de Tandil vs Cemento Armado de Azul // 3ra Fecha

My team #TDI #SQUAD!!!!

Filed under: Classics, Videos, Design/Style

There are very few things that get the unanimous approval of everyone here at Autoblog. One of them is Icon 4x4, which makes impossibly expensive yet worth-every-penny reimaginings of history's best off-roaders. For this year's SEMA Show, Icon debuted something new that had nothing to do with off-roading, yet still had our whole team salivating.

Christened a "Derelict" by Icon founder and designer Jonathon Ward, this 1952 Chevy Coupe looks like an abused artifact from a time not worth remembering. Knowing Icon like we do, however, it's anything but. The Derelict is fitted with a 6.2-liter V8 from General Motors producing 430 horsepower and an interior upholstered in gorgeous vintage briefcase leather, but the exterior is as original and rusty as it was when Icon found it. What we didn't know at SEMA is that the '52 Chevy isn't the first Derelict that Icon produced.

Our friends at eGarage have produced an excellent video about how the two Derelicts came to be, including how Jonathon Ward and his company made them. Spoiler alert: It wasn't as easy as dropping a new engine into an old car and redoing the leather. The Derelicts were meant to be high-performance yet reliable daily drivers, which requires more thought and engineering than we ever imagined.

Follow the jump to be one of the first to watch this latest video from eGarage.

Continue reading Jonathon Ward talks about his Icon Derelicts in latest eGarage video

Jonathon Ward talks about his Icon Derelicts in latest eGarage video originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Wagon, Hatchback, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

Mercedes-Benz hasn't exactly been secretive about its desire to offer a five-door hatchback version of its ultra-stylish CLS sedan. After all, the first concept for the latest CLS, which was introduced as a 2012 model, introduced us to the CLS Shooting Break Concept at the Beijing Motor Show in 2010. And yes, MB itself called the car a Shooting Break, not Brake.

Based on that concept, we have a pretty solid idea of how the CLS Shooting Brake will look. Judging by these spy shots that were snapped in Northern Sweden, there won't really be any surprises. And that's totally fine by us.

We'd expect Mercedes-Benz to deliver its super hatch in both CLS550 (with 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8) and CLS63 AMG (with 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8) flavors, which means the biggest question left to answer will be whether the company decides to call it the Shooting Brake or the Shooting Break. We, like pretty much everyone else in the world, vote for Brake.

Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake snapped winter testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, Crossover, Hatchback, Audi, Volkswagen, Design/Style

The next GTI will be an order of magnitude better, bringing it back in line with the original hot hatch.

Lighter, faster, stronger, better. That's what we can expect from the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, due to be unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show before it hits dealerships across Europe this fall and eventually lands on U.S. shores as a 2013 model.

So what makes it special? A combination of new manufacturing processes, an all-new platform, a range of upgraded engines and what will go down as one of the greatest democratizations of active safety and in-car technology in automotive history.

What's more, the next GTI will be an order of magnitude better because of it, bringing it back in line with the original hot hatch while packed with even more standard features.

It all starts with Volkswagen's new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) platform, which is set to underpin every front-wheel-drive VW product from the Polo to the Passat, along with the 2013 Audi A3. To hear VW tell it, it will redefine the automaker's manufacturing processes while curing world hunger and eradicating leprosy.

Read on to find out what's got Volkswagen so excited.

Continue reading What we know about the 2013 Volkswagen Golf, next-gen GTI

What we know about the 2013 Volkswagen Golf, next-gen GTI originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Truck, Etc., Plants/Manufacturing, Work, Ford

There's something inexplicably mesmerizing about watching a factory in action. Seeing the innumerable complex mechanisms mesh in perfect harmony to create the products we know and love is part of what makes shows like National Geographic's Ultimate Factories so interesting. Now the program is headed to Dearborn for a look at how the Ford F-150 Ecoboost and F-150 SVT Raptor come together on the line in crystal-clear HD video. The show will also spend time with both trucks out on the company's proving grounds, which means there's a good chance we'll see the Raptor bashing over various obstacles.

Consider us excited. Last year, the Ford plant in Dearborn produced 344,446 vehicles, making it the third most productive plant in North America behind the Nissan facility in Aguascalientes, Mexico and the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico.

The show will air on Saturday, February 4 at 8 p.m. Eastern on the National Geographic Channel, but you can get a glimpse of what to expect in the video after the jump.

Continue reading Watch an SVT Raptor be built on Ultimate Factories this weekend [w/video]

Watch an SVT Raptor be built on Ultimate Factories this weekend [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Volkswagen

The good people of Tennessee are no doubt thrilled to have a Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga. The facility already features well over 2,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs, and now the German automaker is bolstering employment by another 200 full-time VW staffers, boosting the employment total to 2,500 full-time and temp workers.

VW says it is making the move to enable the plant to increase production from 31 vehicles per hour to 35. The boosted line rate also means that VW dealers will soon have more Passat sedans to sell, though the automaker failed to mention the sedan in the post-jump press release. Given VW's torrid sales pace in January, we're guessing the jump in factory output will be good news for the automaker's retail outlets.

VW isn't just looking for line workers - the automaker is also looking for supervisors and engineers. Hit the jump to read over the VW press release, which includes information on how to apply for a position.

Continue reading Passat popularity has VW hiring an extra 200 in Chattanooga

Passat popularity has VW hiring an extra 200 in Chattanooga originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The auto industry helped the U.S. economy to its lowest unemployment rate in years.