The annals of automotive history are filled with nameplates that weren’t quite able to survive the boom and bust nature of the business, especially here in the United States. One of the most successful orphaned automakers was Studebaker, remembered fondly for such design gems as the bullet-nosed post-World War II Starlight and trend-setting fiberglass-bodied Avanti.

Sadly, Studebaker officially ceased producing automobiles in 1966, though a small portion of its legacy lives today in the form of the ex-Kaiser AM General. But if a Colorado-based business has its way, the Studebaker name will once again appear on vehicles sold in America. Somehow, we’re far from convinced any of its conceptual designs will ever see the light of day.

Looking over the proposed revival, we see a range of so-called Studebaker cars, trucks, motorcycles and scooters. Half the motorcycles are actually Hyosung models from Korea with Studebaker scripting on the fuel tanks, and the other half are nothing but poor renderings. As for the cars, well… there isn’t a single shred of Studebaker DNA in any of them. In any case, the company is reportedly looking for “qualified investor/partners”. We wish them the best of luck… they’re gonna need it.

Studebaker Motor Company resuscitated, looking for investors originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Motor Press Guild (MPG), the largest automotive media association in North America, held its 17th annual Dean Batchelor Award banquet at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles this week. The association’s awards honored those with outstanding automotive contributions in the areas of writing, audio/visual, photography and lifetime achievement.

Dean Batchelor Award: Senna, by Asif Kapadia and Manish Pandey.

Best Book: Elva, The Cars, The People, The History by Janos Wimpffen

Best Article: “Questor Grand Prix” by Tom Stahler

Best Photography: “Everybody’s a Photographer” by Reinhard Klein

Lifetime Achievement Award: Brock Yates was honored for his many contributions to both the automotive and entertainment industries. Not only was Mr. Yates the longtime executive editor of Car and Driver, but he reported for television motorsports, wrote numerous books, was the screenwriter for Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and The Cannonball Run (1981) and he founded the famed coast-to-coast Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash (better known as the Cannonball Run), along with its eventual offshoot, One Lap of America.

Pictured is Brock Yates and his wife Pamela, with Laura Burstein, president of the Motor Press Guild. The full press release is below.

Continue reading Motor Press Guild honors Senna documentary and Brock Yates, among others

Motor Press Guild honors Senna documentary and Brock Yates, among others originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve heard the argument before: Why get a big hybrid when a small hatchback can, in real-world conditions, post similar fuel economy figures. And to them, Toyota answers with the new Prius C.

Smaller than the existing Prius, the Prius C will launch at the rapidly approaching Tokyo Motor Show and makes its U.S. debut shortly after at the Detroit Auto Show in January. The nimble Prius C is about the size of a Yaris but packs a hybrid drivetrain, coupling an as-yet undisclosed “high-output” electric motor with a 1.5-liter gasoline engine. Destined to be called the Aqua in the Japanese Domestic Market, the hybrid hatchback also boasts a low center of gravity for better handling and luggage space. Compared to the standard Prius, the lower weight and smaller, less powerful engine in the Prius c will result in better-than-Prius fuel economy. Toyota says it will achieve over 50 miles per gallon in the city, the highest city fuel economy for any non-plug-in vehicle.

Of course the Prius C isn’t the only debut Toyota has in store for Tokyo, as the production FT-86 – also boasting a low center of gravity thanks to a Subaru-sourced boxer engine mounted low in the frame – is set to bow at the Japanese expo as well. But Toyota isn’t stopping there. It also has three environmentally-friendly concepts in store as well.

The rather sleek FCV-R previews a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle that’s targeted for a 2015 market launch. The FT-EV III previews the upcoming electric version of the iQ with a short-range battery-powered drivetrain. Finally Toyota is keeping its lips tightly sealed on the details of the Fun-Vii, a third concept car that hopefully has more to it than displaying flowers alongside its flank.

We’ll have to wait until the show opens to find out more, but for now you can follow the jump for the full press release from Toyota and scope out the high-resolution images for a closer look at what TMC has got in store.

Continue reading Prius C revealed among Toyota lineup for Tokyo Motor Show [w/video]

Prius C revealed among Toyota lineup for Tokyo Motor Show [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Nov 2011 09:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the Mazda6 sedan on its last legs, the Zoom-Zoom automaker is rolling into its home exhibition at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show with the Takeri concept you see here.

The midsize sedan concept adopts Mazda’s latest Kodo design language in a conventional three-box shape that could provide a preview of what to expect from the next 6. The show car packs the company’s SkyActiv-D diesel engine (a 2.2-liter twin-turbo four-cylinder with a lowered compression ratio for a 20% improvement in efficiency over a conventional oil-burner) with stop-start engine management and regenerative braking – a new feature for Mazda.

The Takeri show car will be officially unveiled (along with the CX-5 and Shinari concept that make their Japanese debuts) when the doors open at the Tokyo International Exhibition Center on November 30. In the meantime you can check out the images in our high-res gallery and read the full press release after the jump.

Continue reading Mazda Takeri concept to debut at Tokyo Motor Show

Mazda Takeri concept to debut at Tokyo Motor Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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