Carz Arena

The production version of the hybrid-powered Karma was pegged to be the centerpiece of Fisker Automotive at the Detroit auto show. That was, until Tuesday evening.

That's when Fisker announced it was bringing a new concept--the Karma S--to the Detroit show and gave a peek at it in a photo that shows the right side of the concept, including the door and the front wheel. Prominent on the front quarter-panel is the name "Sunset".

Fisker did not give up any other details about the concept. But the photo appears the reveal the lack of a B-pillar behind the driver's seat--which could be a signal that the Sunset is a convertible.

One of the highlights of Ford's display at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit will be the debut of the 2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that has been blessed by 86-year-old Ol' Shel himself. The GT500 is equipped with the same powerplant that was fitted into last year's limited-edition GT500KR, a 5.4-liter supercharged V8 cranking out 540 hp at 6,200 rpm and 510 lb-ft of torque at 4,500 rpm.

The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission with an improved short-throw shifter. A new twin-disc 250-millimeter clutch made from organic material provides a smoother engagement of all that torque. A new 3:55 limited-slip differential is standard.

While the powertrain is virtually the same as on the KR, the new GT is fitted with some new sheetmetal that puts an even more aggressive-looking Mustang on the road. The exterior is dominated by the large-mouth front grille and an increased power dome in the hood. A functional air extractor in the hood helps to vent hot air and keep things cool.

Speaking of cool, the Shelby cobra logo was moved from the traditional left side of the grille to the right to make way for a snorkel that routes cold air to the V8's intake.

Jamal Hameedi, chief program engineer for the car, said that Shelby blessed the change. "Shelby said, 'Does it make more power?' I told him it did, and he said, 'I like it.' "

The car rides on standard 18-inch wheels and tires, with new 19-inch forged-aluminum wheels optional. At the rear of the car, a large spoiler with a Gurney flap adorns the decklid, and the letters spelling out "Shelby" stretch across the entire width of the rear.

Inside, the exterior racing stripes are picked up in the seats, stitched into the leather. Aluminum surrounds the gauge bezels in an understated treatment.

"We were charged with creating the ultimate GT," Hameedi said. "I think we did that, but I'm a bit biased. This car is the direct result of all the work we did on the KR. But this car has a better ride, better handling and a more refined powertrain. The better chassis balance gives us the better ride and the new tires [Goodyear F1 Supercar] provide better grip."

The GT500 has been fitted with new springs that are 13 percent stiffer in the front and 7 percent stiffer in the rear. Four-piston Brembo calipers clamp everything down.

The electronic controls have been upgraded as well, with a three-mode electronic stability-control system. The system can be switched on, off or to sport mode. The car is electronically limited to 155 mph, and while Ford would not release a 0-to-60-mph time, it is expected to be in the range of the KR at 4.3 seconds.

Hameedi said the GT500 has gained 20 pounds from the old model, thanks in part to more sound deadening to improve the car's NVH. "It's quieter and faster," Hameedi said. "This is a better car in every respect than the car it replaces."

The Shelby GT500 will be available in both coupe and convertible models, with the take expected to be 70 percent coupes to 30 percent ragtops. The car should be in dealer showrooms in June.

Check out AmericanMuscle.com and their large inventory of
Mustang Suspension.

Caterham, which has the rights to build the Lotus 7, has hit on an intriguing way of combining market research and car design.





Taking a cue from Wikipedia, Caterham has set up a website (www.splitwheel.com) that invites visitors to contribute their ideas for the shape and specification of a new Caterham model that will go into production in 2011.






After the entries are culled, the website will begin a voting process to decide on the final design. Participants will be able to monitor the project and perhaps also become involved in its testing and development.

Lexus confirms the debut of a new hybrid sedan at the Detroit auto show.

Toyota is going bonkers with alternative powertrains at the 2009 Detroit show. Beyond dropping the next-gen Toyota Prius and the FT-EV concept, it will also be showing a new Lexus hybrid sedan called the HS250h.



Not a lot is known about the HS right now—the Lexus consumer site simply teases the reveal, showing only an image of a badge—but scans of a Japanese magazine show a car that looks suspiciously like the long-rumored Lexified version of the Prius.




The car is said to house a 2.4-liter four-cylinder as the gas-fired member of its hybrid powertrain, which makes sense to us; there’s no way Lexus buyers would put up with the Prius’s dinky 1.5-liter engine and 10-plus-second 0–60 time.



The Toyota Camry hybrid’s system, which just so happens to use a 2.4-liter four, is good for 187 combined hp; that would be plenty to scoot a smaller Lexus HS250h around with some verve while also achieving fuel economy in the 40-mpg range.



The HS250h will be the fourth hybrid in Lexus’s lineup, joining the GS450h and LS600hL sedans and the redesigned 2010 RX450h crossover. While the other sedans have been touted as so-called “performance hybrids,” using electric motors to deliver the gusto of a larger engine, the HS will likely have efficiency at the top of its to-do list. We’ll know more on January 11, when the car will be revealed. Stay tuned for more details.

Alain Raymond always dreamed of owning a Fiat Abarth. He had owned its lowly cousin, a Fiat 600, while he was a student in Lebanon.

“It was a basket case. But anyway, it was my car,” he recalls.

Many years later, Raymond, an auto writer for La Presse, a French-language newspaper in Quebec, realized his Italian dream in Denver: a former racer driven by Umberto Toscano. “You can’t get any more Italian than that,” Raymond says.

While it looked forlorn at first sight, its new owner was not disappointed. “I promised myself that one day, I would get a real one, an Abarth. And that’s what I did. Voilà!” he says.

Just the name, Abarth, gives car enthusiasts the warm fuzzies, at least the older enthusiasts. Carlo Abarth was considered a master at converting an ordinary production car into a raging “bomba.” Although he probably is best known for his Fiat conversions, he also was involved with Ferrari, Lancia and Porsche.

The Fiat Abarth is based on a Fiat 600, like the one Raymond owned years ago, which was considered the “people’s car” in Italy. It was powered by a watercooled, four-cylinder, 600-cc engine that produced 28 hp.

However, Abarth gradually modified the car, which appeared in different iterations: the 750 TC, the 850 TC and the 1000 TC.

The Abarth’s characteristic open rear deck was designed to help with engine cooling, but it also enabled the car to reach higher top speeds. The car’s tendency to lift its inside front wheel in turns was another characteristic.

Since purchasing his Fiat Abarth 1000 TC, No. 328, Raymond has been competing with it in historic events throughout the United States and Canada.

He owned a Mazda Miata, which he autocrossed before buying the Abarth. And he has no regrets about selling one and buying the other, even though the Fiat requires tons of time for maintenance.

“For one hour of racing in the Miata, you have zero hours of maintenance. With the Abarth, for one hour of racing, you’ve got 15 hours of maintenance.”

Unlike the powerband of the original Fiat, Raymond’s Abarth generates about 85 hp. It also has an assortment of goodies to help make

it stop and corner, including disc brakes and adjust-able shocks.

“I normally shift at 7,500 or 8,000,” he says. But in the final installment of the 2008 Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, Raymond confessed that he was shifting at about 6,000 rpm through the makeshift track carved from within Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park--just to be on the safe side.

Maserati cars evoke a strong emotional reaction from customers, says Marti Eulberg, CEO of Maserati North America, who has some quasi-scientific evidence to support her contention.

With previous management posts at BMW, Volvo and Jaguar, Eulberg, 44, knows U.S. luxury buyers. She has been head of Maserati's North American unit since June.

Maserati cites a study by British insurance company Hiscox on the reaction of men and women to the sound of car engines being revved. The saliva of 20 men and 20 women, ranging in age from 22 to 61, was tested before and after they listened to a Lamborghini, a Maserati, and a Ferrari, as well as the Volkswagen Polo subcompact.

"One hundred percent of the women showed a significant hormonal increase," when listening to the Maserati, Eulberg says.

Science? Maybe not. But you get the point.

And it isn't just the noise a Maserati makes. "The difference in Maserati styling and performance--the package you are able to give that customer--it evokes a reaction," Eulberg says.

At least, that's the goal. Eulberg says that the ability to stand out at the country club, the big-bucks restaurant or the posh hotel is a major reason Maserati is holding its own in a tough environment. Maserati's U.S. sales are up 1.9 percent through the first 11 months of this year.

With just two cars, both over $120,000--the GranTurismo coupe and the Quattroporte sedan--Maserati sales rose from 853 units in 2002 to 2,520 last year.

Eulberg expects a flat 2008, a consequence of the economic meltdown and lack of consumer confidence. Despite the sales, Maserati is expected to make a profit in the United States this year, she says.

The prediction for next year isn't as gloomy as that of a volume or near-luxury maker. Eulberg expects 2009 sales "to be about even."

From Texas to Maserati

Eulberg, who speaks with none of the drawl you'd expect from a Texas native, was previously executive vice president of sales and marketing for Jaguar North America. Before that, she was vice president of sales in Europe for Volvo Car Corp. She spent 10 years at BMW of North America in various sales and operational jobs before going to Ford's Premier Automotive Group in 2001.

Last spring she was wooed by Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Maserati parent Fiat, to replace James Selwa, who left after his three-year contract expired.

Compared with the more staid Ford-owned companies, at Fiat and Maserati meetings in Italy, "there is a lot more passion," Eulberg says. "The things that drive the company are styling and performance."

She also has had to get used to Maserati's small advertising budget. Maserati limits national spreads to publications such as the The Wall Street Journal and GQ magazine.

GQ currently is doing a joint campaign with Maserati. Those viewing the Maserati ad in the December issue of GQ can take a picture with their cell phones and download that engine sound as a ring tone.

Those kinds of interactive campaigns as well as Internet and direct-mail are primarily how Maserati markets its vehicles, Eulberg says. Dealers also partner with local various businesses in event marketing to get buyers in the showroom for a test drive, which Eulberg considers key to selling a Maserati.

"These cars have a racing heritage," she says. "The handling and performance are key."

More models?

How long can Maserati survive with just two cars? Eulberg isn't willing to talk about future product. Maserati has a technical alliance to share technical components and platforms with Fiat sister-brand Alfa Romeo. If Alfa Romeo shares a rear-wheel-drive platform, Maserati could get a smaller sedan and coupe. That isn't likely to happen until 2011, at the soonest.

Seven Maserati dealers are selling 84 units of the limited-edition Alfa 8C Competizione in the United States. They are expected to be among the first Maserati dealers to get Alfa franchises when the brand returns here.

But talk of Maserati dealers selling a new generation of Alfa Romeos in the United States has turned to a whisper as the date for relaunching that brand here keeps getting pushed back. The latest target is 2011.

Eulberg says she's focused on Maserati and refers Alfa Romeo questions to Italy.

Maserati has a comfortable number of dealers now, she says. With the addition of three new points in 2008, it has 58 dealerships in the United States, of which 37 are paired with Ferrari (also a Fiat brand). Only two are stand-alones.

"What we want is sustainability in today's market. We have to be careful on how fast we grow and what we do," Eulberg says. She adds that "the relationship with the dealer market, how we go to market and the one-to-one relationship, is very much a boutique operation."