Dodge will be unveiling the 2013Dodge Dart at the North American International Auto Show next month in Detroit. Made in America (at the Belvedere, IL plant), Dodge is touting the mini-Charger as a state-of-the-art four-door compact sedan.

The 2013 Dart takes a lot of its DNA from the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and will be available with three engine four-cylinder engines (16-valve 2.0-liter engine, a 16-valve 1.4-liter MultiAir Intercooled Turbo engine, and a new Tigershark 16-valve 2.4-liter MultiAir engine) and transmission choices. One noticeable difference between the Dart and other cars in its class is that the body will be made of 68% high strength steel.

It will be interesting to see just how the historic brand matches their expertise with Fiat’s experience with making small cars.

Are you feeling Dodge’s re-entry into the compact car business?

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol star Paula Patton joined BMW of North America President Ludwig Willisch at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show to introduce the first concept vehicles of the new visionary and sustainable brand, BMW i – the fully electric BMW i3 Concept and the hybrid-electric BMW i8 Concept. The two vehicles will be the first purpose-built electric and electric-hybrid vehicles to be made primarily of carbon fiber when they become available in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

The BMW i8 Conceptis a sleek, low-slung, silver and glass sports car with flip-up doors. The BMW i3 Concept is a next level smart car, built for congested city driving and features the same color scheme with large glass doors that open “coach” style, i.e. the rear doors opening in the opposite direction from the front.

The new BMW M5 also made its debut at the LAAS. Sim Simma!

More images of Patton and the new concepts

The new CC will have a new look and a new name. VW has dropped the Passat and added the new radiator horizontal grille flanked by new bi-xenon headlights and topped with a reprofiled bonnet. The bumper has a new extra air intake, and silver-coloured ‘winglets’ that frame the fog lights. The frameless doors remain, but more sculpted sills, revised bumpers and the new bonnet add up to create a subtly updated silhouette.

The CC will also offer new optional technology, including Side Assist Plus with integrated Lane Assist (warns of vehicles in blind spots and assists driver in avoiding an accident by steering intervention), Dynamic Light Assist (automatic main beam control) that is new in the Volkswagen CC and a camera-based traffic sign detection system.

The CC will launch in the US with gas engines–197 hp (TSI) and 276 hp (FSI)–to be presumably followed by a TDI. It will make its debut at the L.A. Auto Show on November 16th before going on sale in the United States in early 2012.

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Nissan is now offering the Nissan 370Z race cars for customer orders. Based on the street legal Z the NISMO RC is much lighter and it has been designed to conform to International FIA GT4 and World Challenge GTS class specifications.

The 370Z NISMO weighs in at 2,954 lbs. and features NISMO race exhaust,NISMO tuned ECM, high capacity NISMO clutch, flywheel, engine oil, transmission and differential coolers and a Recaro racing seat with 6-point racing harness, FIA-compliant roll cage and fire extinguisher. A Sparco racing steering wheel and a revamped and race-ready carbon fiber switch panel are also part of the RC package. The 3.7 liter Nissan VQ37VHR power plant checks in at 355 horsepower and 276 ft. lbs. of torque. The hoses and connectors have also been upgraded to meet the demands of racing.

Is it cheating if don’t build your own car or is it cool to buy a race car as is?

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We’ve never pegged Kevin Hart as a car guy (despite those Ford commercials) but that didn’t stop Dub Magazine from putting the pint-sized funnyman on the cover of their November/December issue. In the cover story, Hart talks about his growing love for cars including his 2011 Ford Explorer (you don’t think he was going to leave that out did you) and his success as a comedian and actor. The issue hits newsstands later this week.

Wondering what Blake Griffin was doing this summer in preparation for the lockout? It looks like he was recording silly ads for Kia. The  latest ad featuring the L.A. Clippers forward features him dunking in roller skates (notice a theme here).

Check the commercial out

Just when we had gotten used to the hamsters, Kia is back with “rap” group LMFAOfor the Soul Shuffle Slam contest. Their asking you to submit a video to YouTube of yourself dancing to LMFAO’s song, “Party Rock.” The winner will receive $10,000 and an opportunity to dance to “Party Rock” during an LMFAO concert. Voting ends in a couple weeks. Check out the video below for more details.

SocialCarNews

It has been 18 years since BMW introduced the M5. For the fifth generation of the category leading luxury sedan, the German automaker stuck to the script by offering the same luxury customers have grown accustomed along with a much improved driving experience.

Images and details

The M5 is noticeably different under the hood where BMW has added the new 560hp M high-performance engine: high-revving 4.4-litre V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo package. The new engine helps push the vehicle a top speed of 155 mph (0-62 mph in 4.4 seconds). Even more important than the added performance is the improved fuel consumption. With the M Drivers package (new M Drive buttons are featured on the steering wheel), BMW claims that the M5 will put out 30% more torque while cutting fuel consumption by 30% (28.5 mpg). Only time will tell if those numbers live up to the claims.

Handling on the new M5 is also improved dramatically thanks to the new rear axle differential with Active M Differential; electronically controlled multi-plate limited-slip differential enables fully variable distribution of drive between the rear wheels to optimise traction and stability in dynamic lane change manoeuvres and acceleration out of corners; degree of lock can be varied between 0 and 100 per cent according to the situation; fast, precise and pre-emptive responses thanks to constant data cross-checking between the Active M Differential and DSC stability control system, and monitoring of the accelerator pedal position, wheel speed and yaw rate.

The technology of the M5 makes the driving experience all that much easier. The vehicle features Adaptive Headlights for standard xenon light, High-Beam Assistant, BMW Night Vision with pedestrian detection, Lane Change Warning System, Lane Departure Warning System, Surround View, Speed Limit Info, internet usage, extended integration of smartphones and music players, real-time traffic information and apps for receiving web radio and using Facebook and Twitter.

We’re not necessarily buying the fuel numbers but then again, who buys an M5 to be green? Stay tuned for pricing and availability.

In just six months the Infiniti FX designed for reigning Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel went from an idea to a reality. Unveiled at Frankfurt International Motor Show, the fastest Infiniti yet

features Rear Active Steering for maximum agility and the V8 FX50S Premium. Several changes to the Vettel edition versus the stock FX include increased power, lower weight, derestricted top speed, longer gearing, increased downforce and lowered and stiffer suspension.

Check the supercar out in action below:

The new 458 Spider comes on the heels of the 458 Italia (which replaced the F430), bolstering the number of mid-rear engined V8s in the Ferrari fleet. The 458 Spider is equipped with a fully retractable hard top (which is all aluminum and drops in 14 seconds), a naturally aspirated direct-injection 4.5 litre V8 and the dual-clutch F1 paddle-shift transmission which helps the 458 achieve a top speed of 198 mph.

More info and images A few aspects of the Spider have also been tweaked to ensure the best performance when riding with the top dropped including the pedal mapping, multilink suspensiaon and the engine noise.

This beauty will definitely be a collectors item very soon.

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