Audi Gives Us the Skinny On Its Third-Gen EA888 Turbo Four and the SQ5’s Twin-Turbo Diesel V6

The Audi-engineered EA888 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder has served the Volkswagen Group well, having made its way into just about every VW and Audi since its debut in the 2005 A4. There are a few versions of this iron-block journeyman, which is used in both transverse and longitudinal applications, but they are all very similar. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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Lexus Introduces New LS460 and LS600hL Hybrid Sedans for 2013, Adds F Sport Model

Lexus's LS, long successful on the sales charts, has never been known to excite—whether visually or from behind the wheel. The 2013 model looks to change that rep, however, as it mixes in some aesthetic and mechanical spice to the brand's traditional porridge of cosseting luxury and soporific refinement. (more…) from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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2013 Ford Fusion Will Start at $22,495

Ford has announced pricing for the much-anticipated and redesigned-for-2013 Fusion, which will start at $22,495. That will get you a Fusion S powered by a 170-hp, 2.5-liter four-cylinder, mated to a six-speed auto with front-wheel drive. A full breakdown of 2013 Fusion pricing can be found below. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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The Rosetta of Rubber: How to Read a Tire Sidewall

The alphanumeric code on the side of a tire looks more like something out of da Vinci's codex than product labeling. Tire nerds can translate the rubber cypher; read this and you can join their ranks. (more…) from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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Monsters of Grip: Nine Summer-Performance Tires Tested

Even armed with huge horsepower, wind-tunnel development, and a fear-free driver, cars wouldn't be able to attain big speed without tires capable of  handling the inertial forces of 2700-plus rotations per minute. For this test, we gathered tires rated to sustain 168 mph or higher (which means at least a W speed rating). Though we didn't test that certified durability classification, we did focus on the way these nine radials manage the lateral and longitudinal forces generated on a track or a great stretch of road. (more…) from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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Porsche and Martini Racing Re-Ignite Partnership; Disco Still Dead

Porsche isn't shy about its all-new super-dupercar, the 770-hp 918. We've spotted one testing in some unassuming matte garb, we've spotted one in gray-scale Martini Racing livery being put through its paces by two-time rally world champion Walter Röhrl, and Porsche has even taken us for a ride in one. Now the German manufacturer would like to show the world its 918 done up in full-color Martini livery to celebrate the brands' sponsorship tie-up. Read full story » from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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2013 Audi SQ5 TDI First Drive: Diesel + Crossover + S

If you want to find out what's brewing deep within Audi, mark the annual Wörthersee GTI festival on your calendar. It's there where pet projects get directly exposed to the VW Group's bigwigs—namely advisory board chairman Ferdinand Piëch and CEO Martin Winterkorn—bypassing the more normal, hierarchical procedures. And if Piëch and Winterkorn like what they see, the concept might just show up in dealerships. Prime examples of vehicles that have taken this shortened idea-to-reality path include the 256-hp A1 Quattro and the vehicle discussed here, the SQ5 TDI. (more…) from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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Mark LaNeve Is Back…At Ford

How strange that on a day full of Joel Ewanick related news, an old face pops up at a crosstown rival. Mark LaNeve, the man responsible for Cadillac's Led Zeppelin-and-machismo ad campaigns, has taken 0n the position of COO with Team Detroit. As some of you may know, Team Detroit is Ford's ad agency. LaNeve was previously at insurance giant Allstate, and has also done a stint at Volvo as well. Who wants to bet that Lincoln will be getting from extra attention from now on? from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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In A Race For Survival, The UAW Plays The Race Card

Two times, the UAW tried to unionize the Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. Twice, the Union received a black eye. The UAW is trying a third time, this time counting on the fact that  "an estimated 70 percent of the workforce is black," says Reuters in a feature story on the UAW's last ditch effort to gain relevance in the South. Says Reuters: "As the United Auto Workers embarks on an uphill battle to organize Nissan Motor Co's plant in Mississippi, it is drawing inspiration from the famous struggle waged in the state during the civil rights movement. The union sees a winning strategy in depicting the right to unionize freely as a basic civil right." The problem is, the winning strategy seems to go over the heads of the people it wants to connect with. Says Reuters: "But the connection between civil rights history and the right to join a union or have a voice in work processes may be too abstract. Workers interviewed by Reuters, both for and against the union, said they simply have not thought about the civil rights link." Hate to say it, Bob King: You are no Martin Luther. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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Name That Exhaust Note, Episode 145

Hit play for an audio recording of a mystery car's exhaust note, and then share your guesses or get a few hints from other visitors in the comments below. Be sure to check back on Thursday for the answer! from Car and Driver Blog http://blog.caranddriver.com

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Ewanick And GM: The Leaks Continue, Someone Fetch Depends

If this feels like the Manchester United and Ewanick day, so be it. If we'd pass up these morsels, we'd be accused of selective reporting. As a result of the torrent of leaks, we are now led to believe that the Manchester deal is what the Business Insider calls "one of the biggest marketing contractual screwups of all times." According to the leaks to Bloomberg … "GM leaders had to ask for Ewanick's resignation after they perceived that he failed to make clear some details of the contract to the senior management team, the people said. As a result, the leaders didn't know the true cost of the United deal, worth about $300 million to be on the jerseys, one of the people said. GM plans to honor the arrangement, which was altered from what Ewanick originally crafted, the people said. " What is this, amateur hour? Apparently, someone is trying to push a story of the chief marketing man surreptitiously signing a $300 million (according to Bloomberg,) or  $600 million (according to Reuters)  deal, then someone finds out, the chief marketing man is fired, the contract is changed and signed two days later. Is this what we are supposed to believe? This is not how this works. At least not in a normal company. There a deal sheets drawn up, and reviewed by Purchasing, which usually wants a better deal.  Controllers get involved. Budget request are made, contracts are drawn up, multiple revisions are discussed between lawyers, multiple signatures are made. Proudly leaking a story of GM agreeing to a sponsorship deal without knowing its price is admitting that GM is run by the Keystone Kops. Advertising Age sees it the same way: People close to GM say they'd be surprised that, in a company with so many checks and balances, that a sponsorship deal would get through if it wasn't airtight and squeaky clean. "I find it hard to believe that that would be the impetus for Joel leaving the organization, because there are just too many processes and signature authority needed that would eliminate," one executive close to GM told Ad Age. "It'd be almost impossible, and given Sarbanes Oxley there is so much oversight on all these deals that go on. I couldn't believe that GM would be so lax with their controls…especially since the whole bankruptcy situation. It could be GM not looking to have egg on their face because they hired the wrong person to start with." These leaks are shockingly naive, and they hurt the company. If an executive gets caught double-dealing, then you quietly let him go, or even better, tie him down with a two year contract to keep his mouth as shut as yours.  If the CEO really forgot to ask "now what is this supposed to cost us?" then please, don't leak it. This is not an Ewanick disaster. This is a Selim Bingol disaster. The job of a PR chief is to make the CEO stand above all. These leaks make Akerson look incompetent. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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So… About That Mercedes GLG Rendering

Yesterday we showed AutoBILD's rendering of a new GLG. Our Best and Brightest immediately caught on to the fact that the image was derived from the Land Rover DC100 Concept, another image of which is above for your viewing disgust at the way in which Land Rover's current owners are coring-out every last bit of the company's heritage pleasure. As always, we're proud to have the sharpest group of readers in the business… even if some of them do occasionally comment elsewhere, too! from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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Shea Holbrook Stars In “The Push”

Click here to view the embedded video. The new Civic Si makes a better race car than it does a road car. That's the message that I got from the new Compass360/Honda promotional video starring Shea Holbrook. Ms. Holbrook is by turns charming, wooden, stilted, and charming again. The Compass360 Civic is already a multiple event winner. The plain-vanilla one running down the freeway next to it? No thanks, unless it comes with a twenty-something female racer willing to coach me a bit. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class: Car Seat Check

Mercedes-Benz's smallest SUV got a face-lift for 2013. This stylish five-passenger crossover's compact size shouldn't prevent families from checking it out, however. Although there's not a ton of room in the backseat, accessible Latch anchors mean it has a child-seat-friendly second row. For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted to a comfortable position for a 6-foot driver and a 5-foot-8 passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver's seat, and the infant seat and convertible seats are installed behind the passenger seat. We also install the convertible seat in the second row's middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit. If there's a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Here's how the GLK-Class did in Cars.com's Car Seat Check: Latch system: There are two sets of Latch anchors in the outboard seats. They sit high up in the seat bight under hinged rubber covers. The covers are nice because you can just push the car seat connector through them when installing a car seat. Booster seat: We couldn't get the best fit for the booster seat. The seat bolster pushed booster on to its buckle, making it sit at a slight angle. The outboard buckles are recessed but stable in the seat cushion, but the middle seat belt buckle is floppy. Convertible seat: The forward convertible fit well and was easy to connect to the Latch anchors, though we did need to raise the head restraint to make the seat sit at the right angle. There are three tether anchors on the second row's seatbacks. The two outboard ones are midway down, and the middle seat's tether is at the base of the seatback. Connecting to these was not an issue, though the strap needs to be fed between the cargo cover and seatbacks. In the rear-facing position, this seat also fit well, though the front passenger seat needed to be moved up a few inches to accommodate it. Infant-safety seat: This seat was a tight fit. It was easy to install, but we had to move the front passenger seat forward significantly. The tester's knees were resting uncomfortably on the glove box. The middle seat folds down to become an armrest, so it's not a safe place for the infant seat. How many car seats fit in the second row? Two Editor's note: For three car seats — infant-safety seat, convertible and booster seats — to fit in a car, our criterion is that a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat. Related Research the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class More Car Seat Checks on Cars.com More Safety News on Cars.com from KickingTires http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/

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