Ferrari has traveled to the Dream Cars section of the Brussels Motor Show to introduce a one-off F12berlinetta.
Designed and built by Ferrari’s Tailor Made division, the custom F12berlinetta Tour de France 64 is a tribute to the 250 GTO that Lucien Bianchi and Georges Berger drove to victory in the 1964 edition of the Tour de France Automobile.

The one-off F12 is painted in a shade of silver called Argento Auteil that is accented by a yellow cross-stripe on the hood. Ferrari says the yellow is a modern take on the Modena Yellow hue that adorned the 250s raced by Ecurie Francorchamps in the 1960s.

Most of the updates are found in the cockpit, where the F12 gains body-colored aluminum trim with yellow accents and seats upholstered with vintage-looking tobacco heritage Mahagoni leather upholstery. A triangular metal pattern on the floor harks back to the 1960s while the headliner is upholstered in Mycro Prestige, a water-repellent and breathable fabric.

Ferrari has not made any mechanical modifications, meaning the Tour de France 64 is powered by a stock F12berlinetta-sourced naturally-aspirated 6.3-liter V12 engine that makes 730 horsepower and 509 lb-ft. of torque. The sprint from zero to 60 mph takes 3.1 seconds and top speed is reached at 211 mph.

The one-off F12 will likely be sold after the Brussels Motor Show. How much of a premium the Tour de France 64 commands over a stock F12 is not known.

Peugeot has teamed up with Italian motorcycle manufacturer Bimota to build a limited-edition RCZ R.
Presented at the Motor Bike Expo in Verona, Italy, the RCZ R Bimota Edition gains a number of mechanical upgrades including a new blow-off valve, a new exhaust system and a remapped ECU. The modifications bump the 1.6-liter turbo four’s power output to 304 horsepower, a 30-pony increase over the stock model.

Four-piston calipers that grip larger discs up front and a lowered suspension system all around help keep the power in check.

Visually, the Bimota Edition is immediately recognizable thanks to a black, red and white paint job inspired by Bimota’s race bikes, HID headlights and black multi-spoke alloy wheels with contrasting red accents. The Bimota comes standard with the carbon fiber roof panel that is available as an option on the standard R.

The interior has been spruced up with Alcantara upholstery on the steering wheel and the dashboard, red bezels around the gauges and the air vents and a TomTom Bridge infotainment system controlled by a seven-inch screen. The screen can also be used to view footage captured by the two integrated GoPro cameras.

Peugeot has not revealed when the RCZ R Bimota will go on sale, how much it will cost and how many examples will be built.

Toyota has released new images of its GT86-based rally car. The overseas equivalent of its Scion FR-S sports coupe is undergoing final testing for a WRC debut later this year.

Called the GT86 CS-R3, it will be offered to privateer teams in two specifications, gravel or tarmac. The general layout of the car will remain not too different from stock, with a six-speed transmission (though sequential), 2.0L boxer four, and, surprisingly for rallying, a rear-wheel-drive layout.

The motor will be modified to output 238hp and 169 lb-ft of torque (up slightly from the stock version’s 200hp and 151 lb-ft). The bump comes thanks to more aggressive cams, a higher compression ratio and new ECU map.

Upgraded suspension, brakes (four-piston front, two rear), a fuel cell, safety cage and a variety of final drive gear ratios are offered. The bodies in white with powertrain assembly required will sell for $88,531.

Built by Toyota Motorsport GmbH, a racing division headquartered in Germany, the GT86 will compete in the RC3 category against cars like the Renault Clio, Fiat Grande Punto, and Citroen DST, all of whom are front or all-wheel-drive. The RWD configuration of the GT86 will be unique to the category and has spurred a rule change to gain entry.

The GT86 CS-R3 will hit the rally stages in July.

Honda is abandoning the Accord model, and indeed the entire segment, in Europe.

Sold as the Acura TSX in the US, the European-market Accord provided a sprightlier alternative to the bread-and-butter family sedan sold by American Honda. However, with the next TSX being merged with the once-larger Acura TL to create the TLX, there is nothing in the global Honda portfolio to fill the void.

That’s just as well, says Leon Brannan, head of autos at Honda UK, who spoke to Automotive News Europe. “We are running out the Accord and we will not return to the segment,” he confirmed.

In fact, the article reports, the trend in Europe is shifting towards the luxury end of the market. Sales of mainstream mid-sized sedans like the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat are suffering as buyers look to premium offerings like the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class.

Incidentally, both the European- and US-spec Accord are sold alongside each other in Honda’s home market of Japan. The European version gets to hold onto the Accord name, while the American model is called the Inspire. Regional differentiation in the Accord model line began in 1998.

Mercedes-AMG has announced that the 2016 GT S will start at $129,900 before a mandatory $925 destination charge is factored in.
The GT S’ list of standard features includes seats upholstered in Nappa leather, Keyless-GO, the latest generation of Mercedes’ COMAND infotainment system, parking sensors on both ends and a high-end Burmester sound system. On the safety front, the GT S is fitted with Collision Prevention Assist PLUS and the passengers are protected by no less than eight airbags.

Power for the GT S comes from a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine that sends 503 horsepower and 479 lb-ft. of torque to the rear wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The 911-fighting coupe can reach 60 mph from a stop in 3.7 seconds and go on to a top speed of 192 mph.

The base GT packs a de-tuned version of the S’ V8 that generates 456 horsepower and 443 lb-ft. of torque, enough to sprint from zero to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. Pricing information for the GT has not been published yet.

The 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT S will go on sale across the nation next April, while the less powerful GT model will be launched in the spring of 2016 as a 2017 model. A more powerful Black Series model is expected to round out the lineup a little later in the production run.

Photos by Ronan Glon.

Spy shots taken in China have given us the best look yet at the seven-seater variant of the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer. BMW’s latest people mover is scheduled to make its public debut at a major auto show this year.
Tentatively called 2-Series Grand Tourer, BMW’s next people-mover will ride on the same front-wheel drive UKL platform as the aforementioned Active Tourer, the MINI Hardtop and the next X1 crossover. The Grand Tourer will look similar to its five-seater sibling from the tip of the front bumper to the B-pillar. Beyond that, it will gain a stretched wheelbase and a noticeably longer rear overhang in order to free up extra space in the cockpit.

The Grand Tourer is expected to be mechanically identical to the Active Tourer. Entry-level models will be offered with a three-cylinder 1.5-liter gasoline-burning engine while upper-spec models will benefit from a 2.0-liter turbo four linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission. A frugal 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbodiesel mill will be available in select markets.

The BMW 2-Series Grand Tourer could be introduced at next March’s the Geneva Motor Show. It will go on sale across Europe by next fall, but whether or not the people-mover will be sold in the United States is up in the air.

Photos by Ronan Glon.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that it is adding two new automatic emergency braking systems to its New Car Assessment Program. The move follows a similar initiative by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Going forward, the NHTSA will include crash imminent braking (CIB) and dynamic brake support (DBS) automatic emergency braking systems in its list of list of recommended safety technologies. The NHTSA defines CIB as a system that is capable of stopping a vehicle autonomously while DBS refers to a system that provides supplemental braking power if the vehicle’s sensors detect an imminent crash.

“Today marks an enormous leap in the evolution of auto safety by encouraging adoption of new technologies to keep drivers and their passengers safe on our roads,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “I want this Department, the entire automotive industry, and other innovators to keep raising the bar on safety like we are doing now.”

Already available on a number of vehicles sold today, the NHTSA believes that the widespread adoption of automatic emergency braking systems, or AEB for short, could prevent thousands of traffic accidents per year. According to the administration’s data, more than 30 percent of all crashes in 2013 involved a rear-end collision that might have been prevented by an AEB system.

AEBs will not have an impact on a vehicle’s star rating.

In 2013 the IIHS added an autonomous braking test to its crashworthiness evaluations. Unlike the NHTSA’s rating system, a vehicle must pass the IIHS’ automatic braking crash test to be considered for the firm’s top safety ranking.

General Motors is reportedly preparing to hold back production of its Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano cars.
The move is viewed as a potential sign of trouble for the small-car segment, as gasoline prices continue to average around $2 per gallon across the US — encouraging some buyers to opt for larger cars, crossovers and SUVs with lower mpg ratings.

GM has not made any official comments regarding production cuts, but Automotive News reports that the company’s Orion Assembly plant in Detroit will suspend operations for three weeks beginning mid-February.

December sales showed a slight uptick in Verano sales and a 23-percent jump in Sonic shipments, despite lower fuel prices at the time. The Sonic finished up nine percent for 2014 overall, while the Verano was the only Buick model in the red at the end of the year.

Notably, Chevy’s diminutive Spark appears to have bucked the trend with December sales surging by nearly 76 percent and 2014 total shipments up more than 14 percent.

Audi has reportedly confirmed plans to push the TT off-road concept into production, using the nameplate TTQ.
The model was originally referred to as the Q4, however a trademark dispute with Fiat — which holds the rights to the terms Q2 and Q4 — has inspired the company to opt for TTQ.

“By taking the TTQ route, we avoid the confrontation with Fiat, we don’t overcrowd the Q corral, and we add a fresh twist to the TT theme,” an unnamed Audi senior manager told Car.

Unveiled at the 2014 Beijing show, the TTQ borrows from the TT’s overall design but in a taller crossover form. The concept was previewed with a hybrid drivetrain, pairing a 2.0-liter TFSI engine with a compact electric motor, however it is unclear if the same configuration will be used for the production edition.

The latest report places the TTQ’s market arrival sometime in 2017.

Image by Ronan Glon.

The Department of Justice has indicted a Takata executive over allegations of a price-fixing scheme.
Hiromu Usada has been accused of conspiring to rig bids for seatbelts sold to Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries.

The agency claims Usada directed meetings with co-conspirators from at least 2005 through February 2011 or later. The group is said to have established collusive agreements to artificially inflate the prices of seatbelts.

The company itself already plead guilty late in 2013, resulting in a fine of $71.3 million USD. Four other executives pleaded guilty and have been sentenced to serve time in a US prison and pay fines.

The move is the latest action in a wider crackdown on price fixing in the automotive parts industry. The DoJ has charged 50 individuals and 32 different companies, with fines collectively totaling more than $2.4 billion.

“Antitrust violators who refuse to accept responsibility for their crimes leave us no choice but to indict,” said DoJ Antitrust Division deputy assistant attorney general Brent Snyder. “We will continue to prosecute those that commit these crimes.”