60th Anniversary of the Unimog Prompts New Concept from Mercedes-Benz

The Unimog is certainly not a common discussion topic at the dinner table these days, so perhaps an introduction is in order for this vehicle.

The term "Unimog" technically represents a range of multi-purpose 4-wheel drive trucks made by Mercedes Benz. There's the medium 405 series, the heavy 437 series, and U20 which is the smallest available Unimog. Shortly after World War II, the first Unimog was designed to be used off-road, with farming in mind. Unimogs can be found anywhere that an off-road vehicle is required, such as in the jungle, on mountains, in the desert, and in towns and cities as municipal vehicles (such as snowplows).

To honor its multi-purpose design, Mercedes-Benz has created a concept based on the already-existing U5000 platform, featuring exposed underpinnings and brightly-detailed aluminum chassis rails. And of course, the aluminum five-spoke wheels add a certain personality to the truck.

Designers promise that certain aspects of this concept will manifest themselves in upcoming models of the Unimog.
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Smaller, High-Revving Turbo V8 in the New Corvette C7?

If there's one thing I hate doing, it's jumping on the "rumor" bandwagon - but with the current C6 generation Corvette coming to an end soon, I'm finding it difficult not to partake in the speculation that GM may be substituting its large V8's for something smaller.

It's no news that basically all manufacturers are going the "forced induction" route when it comes to pushing their vehicles to their limits, but the Corvette is an icon of American muscle! Will it really be the same without a massive traditional V8? Well, as I was reading on The Detroit Bureau,  the new C7 will be targeted towards a completely different demographic. Corvette owners have typically been older American males, so GM wants to cater to a younger crowd with a European-styled V8 that could be as small as three liters, but still deliver around 400 horsepower! Some aesthetic rumors have implied that the C7 may bring back some historic features, such as the split window of the 1963 model - but that rumor is of course unconfirmed.

What I can confirm, however, is that GM’s global design chief Ed Welburn admits that the current interior of the C6 is a massive disappointment, and he is personally overseeing the design of the C7's interior. Since he considers himself a long-time fan of the Corvette, he promises the new design to be "world class," but I'll have to see it to believe it.

Back to the engine, is this a good change? I'm asking myself this very question right now. Since the Corvette's debut in 1953, it has always been stuck to the philosophy of "there's no replacement for displacement," indicating that this is a HUGE overhaul for this sports car. I really can't predict how the C7 will do on the market, but GM really has to make this a work of art in order for it to succeed. There's no word on price yet obviously (which should answer the majority of the comments on this post), but price is really irrelevant at this point anyways.

Not One, Not Two, But Three Turbochargers on the Upcoming BMW X3 M?

No, it's not a misprint! BMW's "M" Division in Munich is readying a brand new mid-sized SUV which will possibly be equipped with "tri-turbo" technology. I might add that it is scheduled for launch as early as 2012, which makes me hope they're not rushing this beast out the door to test the market.

The current straight six will apparently be tweaked to 3.2 Liters, up from 3.0L. Although I have no idea how valid this next statistic is, we can apparently expect horsepower somewhere around 450bhp, and can expect it to cost approximately $12,000 more than the current X3.

My guess is that the X3 M will be greeted with good sales figures - judging from the fact that that the current X3 is sold out in the UK until 2012. It`s absolutely astounding to see the advancements that automakers are making with forced-induction technology, and I for one will anxiously await this vehicle`s release... even though I won`t be buying one.
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Is Lamborghini Planning a "Daily Driver"?

Currently, Lamborghini offers two super car models - the Gallardo and the Aventador- but this might soon change with another addition to its line-up.  

News has trickled from a press release that the automaker plans on releasing a third model that will be intended as an "every-day car" that would be designed for daily use.

Although details are sparse at the moment - and believe me; I've looked - there are quite a few theories about what this car will look like. It will most likely use a platform within the Volkswagen Group, and could take on a variety of forms.

For instance, Audi and Porsche (with their R8 and 911 respectively) have proved to their customers that a daily-driver supercar is not only possible, but it's an awesome idea.

I'm personally hoping that they don't design something like the Ferrari FF or the Porsche Panamera.

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