2012 Honda Civic coming in April, all variants to launch in quick succession

A Civic for everyone. That was Soichiro Honda’s motto when rolling out the original Civic, and it’s one to which his company intends to stick with the launch of the next-generation model. When the all-new 2012 Civic is launched in April, Honda will roll out a whole variety of body and propulsion configurations within mere weeks of each other, instead of letting months pass between the debut of one model to the next.

Among those variants, we can expect both a sedan and a coupe, with several conventional gasoline engines on offer – including natural gas and hybrid versions – as well as the sporty Civic Si.

The new Civic, previewed recently at the Detroit Auto Show, was slated to debut in 2009. But when the global economy started going south, Honda sent the design back to the drawing board for a nearly complete overhaul before it ever saw the light of day. The result is expected to be much roomier than the current model, though the exterior design hasn’t changed all that much.

Chrysler planning hybrid minivan for 2013

Chrysler, the automaker at the forefront of the minivan movement back in the 1980s, is seriously rethinking its family-hauler business. As we reported earlier, Chrysler will be scrapping one of its two minivan twins by 2013, making room for a smaller micro-van to launch within the next few years – a vehicle that will compete with the likes of the Ford C-Max and Mazda5. Now, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has reportedly confirmed that a hybrid version of the company’s next-generation minivan is on its way, scheduled to debut by 2013.

The powertrain slated for use in the hybrid minivan will use the same powertrain technology that we’ll be seeing in the gasoline-electric version of the Chrysler 300 sedan, also set to launch in 2013. The new van will be built at the automaker’s Windsor Assembly Plant in Canada – the factory where both the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan are built today.

2011 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

Cadillac has never made anything like the CTS-V Coupe, a $63,000 monster that’s half hedonist and half hot-rod. Not only that, Cadillac’s never fought in this part of the market before. The brand had monster engines back in its early days, but they were always pulling monster barges that wallowed as much as, well, barges. Here we have a coupe promising to cut up the roads like one of those German knives, but we’ve heard that refrain so many times before. This time, however, it might be true.

BMW X1 U.S. debut delayed due to high demand in Europe

American buyers may have to wait a little bit longer before sinking their teeth into the upcoming BMW X1. According to Automotive News, the CUV has been more popular in Europe than the German automaker originally anticipated, and as such, BMW is experiencing a bit of a supply crunch. As a result, North American buyers won’t be seeing the X1 at the end of this year as originally expected. Instead, it’s beginning to look like the vehicle won’t show up here until early 2012 at the soonest. Automotive News reports that the X1 went on sale in Europe in November of 2009.

Since then, the high-riding hatch has sold out in every market it’s touched. BMW says that it fully expects the X1 to be a low-volume model here in the land of the free, with sales lodged somewhere in the same realm as what the current 1 Series Coupe and Convertible. Even so, the company says that it’s shooting for around 8,000 units per year. With the larger, more popular X3 just now hitting dealerships, the X1 will likely serve to fill a slot for buyers looking for a compact luxury crossover.

Infiniti debating anchoring line-up with both entry-level and halo models

It’s not uncommon for an automaker to be evaluating several potential products at the same time, but those models usually hover within the parameters of the company’s existing line-up. Not the case with Infiniti.Nissan’s luxury division is reportedly looking at going both up-market and down with a pair of new products to give it a much father reach than the current range.

First up is a halo model, and after looking at the competition, Infiniti has reportedly come to the conclusion that, in order to lure buyers into showrooms, they’ll need something attractive and high-end. And while a successor to the Q45 flagship sedan was once seen as a potential route, reports indicate that, if given the green light, a sportscar to rival the likes of the Audi R8, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and even the Lexus LFAwould be the way to go. The show-stopping Essence concept previewed that notion, but Infiniti is reportedly still mulling the idea over, and the presence of the Nissan GT-R surely isn’t helping focus the picture.

At the other end of the spectrum, Infiniti has long been considering the idea of an entry-level hatchback model to take on the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and Volvo C30. Arch-rival Lexus became the first of the Japanese luxury brands to earnestly pursue the segment with the CT 200h, and if Infiniti is serious about getting a younger demographic, it could opt to follow suite in short order.

BMW X1 gets brand’s first 245-hp turbocharged four-cylinder

The BMW X1 may not arrive in the U.S. on schedule, but when it does show up, it will come packing a turbocharged four-cylinder. The all-aluminum 2.0-liter mill cranks out 245 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque thanks to direct-injection and a single twin-scroll turbo. European buyers will be able to bolt the engine to either a six-speed manual or an eight-speed automatic and the company’s xDrive all-wheel drive system. BMW claims the manual-equipped X1 will do the 0-62 mph in around 6.1 seconds. while opting for the auto will tack another .3 seconds onto its sprint time.

The German automaker has bolted on a heap of fuel-saving technologies, including start-stop and regenerative braking systems as well as a shift indicator. All told, BMW is shooting for 35.7 mpg on the imperial scale, or just under 30 mpg by U.S. measure – not too shabby for a full-time all-wheel drive machine. The fuel economy marks an improvement of 16 percent compared to the old lump. Click past the jump for the full details.

Chrysler 200 Convertible photographer miffed at leak, goes on Facebook rant

Creative talent can be a tricky thing. An artist may have control over their work if they keep it private, but the minute they commercialize their talents for a paying customer, well, things can get a bit ugly. That’s how you get stories of artists reclaiming paintings they’ve sold because they don’t like the people looking at them, or writers walking off movie sets infuriated at the direction their screenplay has gone. What’s common in artistic circles or in Hollywood, though, doesn’t come up much in the automotive industry. Not much, but it happens.

Take, for example, one Webb Bland, the photographer behind the recently leaked photos of the new 2012 Chrysler 200 Convertible. A beautiful set of shots, to be sure, but Bland has gone on an absolute tirade on his Facebook page, enraged that the photos were leaked ahead of schedule. In his fury, Bland lashed out at his client Chrysler and the “lone, misguided idiot” who leaked the photos, thus ruining “five weeks of careful planning and logistics”.

Bland’s wrath, however, is not reserved for his clients alone; he goes on to lambaste the “many car blogs [that] have already run many of the photos cropped awkwardly, without context or back story, and at a horribly compressed resolution, on top of that.” Hey, that’s us! You’ll have to read the full diatribe (which we’ve posted for you after the jump in case the shooter gets second thoughts) to get all the expletives we’ve left out, but while – for our part at least – we’re not about to engage Bland in his ranting, we can’t help but wonder if he’s ever heard the old adage, “Don’t pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.”

Superformance MKIII roadster powered by the Mustang’s 5.0L V8

We were smitten with the Coyote 5.0-liter V8 the second we got behind the wheel of the 2011 Ford Mustang GT. We described the 412 horsepower engine as “a pot of pure honey” as well as “intoxicating,” and said that the “5.0-liter V8 pulls like a jet airliner.” With a curb weight of just over 3,600 pounds, the Mustang GT is not as bloated as the Camaro, but by no means a lightweight. Would we like the 5.0L even more if it had less mass to push around?

That’s what Superformance had in mind with its latest creation. The maker of Shelby-licensed Cobra replicas has installed a Coyote 5.0-liter crate motor into one of its MKIII Roadsters, creating a combination of classic styling with the best of Ford’s modern powertrains. The engine wedges snugly into the front of the car, and only a custom air intake and headers are all that are needed to make everything fit.

We stopped by Superformance to get a closer look at the car, and came away with some photos and even some video of it in action. Check out the high-res gallery of the car below, and follow the jump to watch the video and hear what the Coyote 5.0-liter V8 sounds like without mufflers.

2011 Honda Odyssey

While we shouldn’t be shocked by anything coming out of Madison Avenue, part of me is incensed to hearHonda using Judas Priest to advertise its new Odyssey. That’s right, the opening riff of the greatest album from the gods of heavy metal deployed, not in the service of Satan, but to sell a minivan?

While the 18-year-old headbanger in me would like to stand up and rail against Honda (“If you think you’re going to make me think your stupid soccer mom taxi is cool, well, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming!”), the truth of the matter is that Honda’s ad agency nailed it. We’re not teenagers anymore. We’ve grown up and had families. I even own a minivan, and, indeed, there is at least one Judas Priest CD that lives in the center console. And after driving the new Odyssey for a week, I have serious van envy. Honda has crafted the ultimate, state-of-the-art people mover, even if it’s not much more than some flashy design and incremental improvements in areas like powertrain, fuel efficiency and equipment.

Honda CR-Z turbo fast-tracked

The Honda CR-Z has us a bit stumped. It’s interesting looking and it’s a sporting handler, but with only 122 horsepower under the hood, power is in sadly short supply. Yes, the CR-Z is also a hybrid, but its 38 miles per gallon combined fuel economy rating is less than impressive.

The solution could be right around the corner. Back in December, the Brits over at Autocar quoted sources who said Honda was planning a turbocharged CR-Z minus the battery pack or electric motor.

Fast-forward a little over a month and the U.K. magazine now reports that the CR-Z turbo is being rushed to production. If there’s any truth to the rumors, the boosted hatch will come in 160- and 200-horsepower versions; a healthy bump for such a small vehicle. So what does “fast-tracked” mean in terms of timing?Autocar claims we could see the CR-Z turbo at the Tokyo Motor Show in December.

Given the fact that Autocar neglected to divulge its “sources,” we’re not quite ready to take the publication at its word. But all the same, Honda must be listening to all the lukewarm reviews regarding the CR-Z, and a production model based on the boosted CR-Z R concept from SEMA could well be the shot in the arm the little three-door needs.