Autoblog

Click above for two sets of '09 Civic Sedan brochure scans

Honda hasn't released official shots of the mildly facelifted 2009 Civic sedan yet, but it has started sending brochures to dealers. You know how this works: brochure > scanner > web > you, so here it is. Up front, the grille is reshaped to align Civic with its Honda brethren and the lower fascia gets a more aggressive three-opening treatment that lets the foglamps be pushed farther outboard. In back, the taillamps retain their shape, but the reverse light detailing is updated. Some models (from what we can see) now also get a trunklid chrome strip. Look for some new wheel designs sprinkled throughout, as well as two new trim levels -- the DX-VP (Value Package) and LX-S (Sport appearance package). Given that people are flocking to more economical cars, those additional offerings in the lineup certainly shouldn't hurt. We expect to see 4-door's front-end changes make their way onto the Civic coupe as well. We're sure scans and photos of that will appear soon enough, with official images and details from Honda sure to follow in short order. Thanks to asndragon for the tip!

[Source: 8thCivic]

Click above for a gallery of the Citroen C6 Office

Citroën and Intersection magazine have integrated KITT-like visual style with a number of in-car distractions to create the C6 Office, a rolling style project aimed at European business overlords. It'll make its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, a favorite the yacht-and-helo set it's meant to appeal to. From there, it'll head to Paris Fashion Week for another go-round before the bourgeoisie, ultimately trickling down to the rabble at the Paris Motor Show in October.

The variety of partners involved in the creation include Blackberry and Kenwood on the technical side, while Krug champagne and swanky food store Fauchon ensure that backseat wheeler-dealers stay drunk and well-fed. Alcantara appears to adorn everything above the beltline inside and a "Black Shadow" finish covers the exterior surfaces, from the grillework down to the Parotech wheels. We'll bring you live shots of the C6 Office in October when we see it along with the rest of the filthy peasants in Paris.


[Source: Citroën via Zercustoms]

Click above image to enlarge

Note to the Lexus SC430: it is now beyond over for you. Infiniti, Nissan's BMW-hunting luxury brand, has unveiled the 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible, a retractable hardtop 4-seater that preserves the Coupe's good looks even with its 3-piece folding metal roof neatly tucked out of sight, as you can see here. Power from the 3.7L V6 will be in excess of 320 horses, and numerous comparos against the BMW 335i convertible are inevitable. You can practically hear the buff mags reserving track time as we speak. Sunny Los Angeles will be the venue for the car's formal unveiling in November, and likely a fertile ground for sales when the time comes.

[Source: Infiniti]

Photo: Justin Berkowitz/TTAC

Jaguar's "leaper" has its place, and that place is not on the hood of the brand new XF sedan. Jaguar knows this; the hood ornament isn't offered as a factory option. In fact, one of the styling elements that made its debut on the XF is the new trunk-mounted neo-leaper badge, which incorporates the classic jumping cat without resorting to the now woefully out-of-place hood bauble.

While Jaguar knew not to eff things up, the same apparently cannot be said of Jaguar dealers, as evidenced by the photo above. TTAC's Justin Berkowitz came across this car on display in his local shopping mall and was understandably horrified to see that the dealer elected to class things up by sticking an old-school leaper right on the hood. It's a disaster, looking like a growth that needs to be removed and biopsied. So, remember kids: what the automakers don't screw up, dealers can... and given the opportunity, will.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

Click above for a hi-res gallery of the H2 "Black Chrome" Edition

HUMMER is having a bad year. Year-to-date sales are down 43% versus '07, and last month saw the iconic off-road nameplate take a 61% drop compared to July '07. High fuel prices have massacred truck and SUV sales in general, and HUMMER is simply reeling. GM threw the brand's future under the bus into limbo back in June when it announced a strategic review was underway, and the latest round of news has a sketchy Russian billionaire sniffing around, looking to acquire the marque. Happy times.

So, while the backdrop is grim, business continues, and GM has released photos of its annual H2 special edition for '09. The 2009 H2 "Black Chrome" Limited Edition is pretty self explanatory: it gets darkened "black chrome" applied to all the usual blingifiable surfaces, from the 21-inch wheels to the fuel filler door. Three paint colors are available, but the Sedona Metallic finish you see here is exclusive to the "Black Chrome" rig, and is coupled with a matching leather interior. A total of 1,300 "Black Chrome" editions will be offered worldwide, with an undetermined mix of H2 SUVs and SUTs making up that number. At the very least, they should be a big hit in Russia.


[Source: GM]

A tip of the cap is due to GM for the automaker's new Chevy Silverado TV spot, which premiered this Sunday during the Olympics. The spot features brief testimonials from drivers of high-mileage pickups wearing the bowtie badge, but one stands out more than the rest. Twenty seconds in, FDNY Firefighter Craig Monahan's segment opens with a wide shot of him standing in front of the Manhattan skyline. His battered truck has melted lights and a Ladder 5 placard affixed to the bed on the driver's side. In the spot, he recounts how the damaged truck started when he reached into the singed interior and turned the ignition key, saying that it served as an isnpiration, "If that truck could keep going, then we could all keep going."

This all happened on 9/11, a fact left unsaid but tactfully implied in the commercial. Veteran New York Daily News reporter Michael Daly knows Monahan and tells the truck's full story in an excellent piece that ran in Tuesday's Daily News. Frankly, you need to go there and just read the whole thing, because Daly's account is first-rate. Reading it also underscores the level of restraint GM exercised in how it used the truck in the commercial. It's a great TV spot, but the story behind that one particular 14-second segment is more remarkable and inspirational than you'd ever guess. Firefighter Monahan agreed to let his truck be used because he felt it was important for people see it and get a feel for what it represents. Monahan was compensated by GM for his participation, but he donated that money to another FDNY family, showing that even now, that burned and battered Chevy still helps him help others. We salute him, and we hope he keeps that truck forever. Thnks for the tip, Julius!

[Source: New York Daily News]

Click above for gallery of the Glue-On Brembos in a variety of colors

Poseurs, take note: you can finally corral all that imaginary power your Hyundai Elantra SRT8 isn't making underhood. Eric Hsu at JDM Insider's Beyond the Dyno blog came across what'll doubtless be the latest trend to show up on M-badged Plymouth Breezes everywhere: bogus, glue-on brake caliper covers that give you the high-performance Brembo look while perfectly maintaining your fakemobile's incomprehensible lameness. When it comes to things that suck, innovation knows no bounds.


[Source: Beyond the Dyno]

Click above for more photos of the 2009 Acura TL

The floodgates will open on the '09 Acura TL soon enough, but in the meantime, Inside Line has posted a set of press photos and confirmed the car's final specs. As has been previously reported, there are two versions: a base 3.5L front-drive car with 285 horses and the range-topping TL SH-AWD, which gets a 305-horsepower 3.7L V6. The Type S is history, replaced in essence by the SH-AWD. Both TL models are mated to 5-speed automatics, and a stiffer chassis should help make time spent behind the wheel more engaging.

Inside, the layout is one that should be familiar to anyone who's spent time in a new Honda or Acura. Metallic-look wings arc out from a center stack topped by a multifunction LCD screen and finished at the bottom by Honda's all-in-one controller for audio/info/nav interfaces. In short, techno-gadgetry abounds. The new TL is a larger car than it predecessor, with a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase and 6.2 inches added to its overall length. Consequently, interior space also improves over the outgoing sedan.

While the current-gen TL is Acura's most attractive vehicle, we have a feeling the new-for-2009 edition may not age as gracefully. The new corporate shield grille is in place, adding bling to the nose and offering enough frontal reflective surface to repel a Klingon phaser bombardment. If you miss the obviously-an-Acura front end, you might need to do a double-take to recognize in profile thanks to a C-pillar kink that apes BMW...and Infiniti, and the Jaguar XF, just to name a few. Out back, the trunklid repeats the shield motif that started up front. Regarding the car's styling, there's much for you to discuss in the comments below. Stay tuned for plenty more information and our first drive impressions of the new TL in the days to come.


[Source: Inside Line]

Photo: bikertect

The community of auto writers and bloggers is a small one, and over time, chances are you'll run into just about everyone doing this thing we do at one point or another. We never had the good fortune to cross paths with The Truth About Cars' Glenn Swanson, and sadly, that opportunity has been taken from us for good. Mr. Swanson, who had been diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year, passed away this weekend. You can read his entertaining and engaging work at TTAC by clicking this search link. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Swanson's family, friends, and colleagues.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

Click image to enlarge

Many thanks to all who commented and, in some cases, sent links to various (mis)adventures in re-branding they've seen in their daily travels. They're always good for a laugh. Special thanks to Bryce, who e-mailed us the above photograph, which he says he took outside his local Safeway. Aren't the Peterbilts usually backed up to the loading docks behind the store? Man, some people can't follow directions.

Anyway... caption contest. Do your thing and have some fun.