Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Honda Civic LX-S

Just last weekend we brought you some leaked scans revealing the new face of the 2009 Civic, and today Honda makes it official by revealing all the changes made to its popular small car. As we've already learned, exterior changes include a new front bumper cover that reshapes the bottom curve of the grille and features three prominently placed, more traditional looking air intakes in place of the single large opening on 2008 and prior models. Honda also claimed it messed around with the color combinations of the headlights and taillights, but damned if we could tell. There's also new alloy wheels for the EX, EX-L and Si models, and the latter pocket rocket gets standard fog lamps, as well. The only other exterior change is a new piece of chrome that's been placed above the rear license plate holder. Finally, Honda has added two new trim levels: the LX-S that comes with alloy wheels and sporty trim and DX Value Package that gets standard AC and an unspecified audio system.

2009 Civics will also offer Bluetooth for the first time on models equipped with navigation systems, and the EX, EX-L, Hybrid and Si get a new USB port to plug in digital audio players. Honda has also chosen to make stability control, or what it calls Vehicle Stability Assist, standard on these models only.

We've got Honda's full press release after the jump if you think we're making all this up, and high-res galleries of the new '09 Civic LX-S and Civic Hybrid below.

If you're the type who disappears on the weekend only to spend your first hour of work on Monday morning going through all the posts you missed on Autoblog, well, then you missed a lot this past weekend. In addition to our extensive coverage of the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance and all the events that occurred in Monterey, we also took you to Detroit for the 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise. Below you'll find a comprehensive yet easy to navigate group of our posts and galleries from the Dream Cruise. Be warned, it may take longer than usual to absorb everything you missed this weekend, but it's absolutely worth it. Below you'll find booth tours for each of the Detroit Three, and there's lots more after the jump. Enjoy and we'll see you next year on Woodward Ave.

GM Booth Tour - Post | Gallery
Ford Booth Tour - Post | Gallery
Chrysler Booth Tour - Post | Gallery

Click above for high-res gallery of details shots from Woodward Ave.

Sometimes the whole is not greater than the sum of the parts. Sometimes the parts are cool enough to stand on their own. We took a lot of pics - a LOT - yesterday while walking up and down Woodward Ave., though most were of cars driving past us quickly. In that split second we have to snap a pic, there's no time to savor those special elements that separate great cars from merely good ones. Things like fins, vents, badges, grilles, and gauges are often what we remember most about the cars we see during the Woodward Dream Cruise. Fortunately we found a few parking lots filled with parked cars yesterday and took some time out to inspect them with our DSLRs. Below you'll find a gallery of our best detail shots from the Woodward Dream Cruise.

Click above for high-res gallery of vanity plates seen on Woodward Ave.

After spending all that money restoring, customizing or just outright buying your ride for the Woodward Dream Cruise, you can't just screw on a license plate that says XBC 1764. No, you have to get a vanity plate that expresses your car's snarky theme.. sans vowels. Below you'll find a sampling of the best vanity plates we ran across while walking up and down Woodward. Enjoy.

Click above for a high-res sampling of moderns and exotics

The Woodward Dream Cruise isn't all about vintage Detroit iron. Throughout the day you'll see a number of modern machines and expensive exotics wizzing by. The most prolific auto of all today, in fact, was the modern day Mustang (also see our tour of the Ford booth for more Mustangs), which was accompanied by a number of new Challengers and one lone 2010 Camaro kept company by a row of Corvette ZR1s. Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, Panoz, Panteras... all accounted for. Check 'em all out in the gallery below. Your next desktop wallpaper might be in there somewhere.

Click above for high-res gallery of Ford's booth on Woodward Ave.

Ford's display for the Woodward Dream Cruise used to be located at 15 Mile, but this year the Blue Oval picked up and moved all the way down to 9 Mile in Ferndale. And when we say 9 Mile, we mean the whole street. Ford's display is literally on the road and stretches for blocks and blocks east of Woodward. The heart of it is Mustang Alley, at the entrance of which are three Ford GTs of varying color and two racing Mustangs turned on their sides so their undercarriages can be inspected up close. Enter Mustang Alley and you'll travel back in time as you stroll down the street. First are the late model pony cars followed by the '90s, '80s and older. Here is where you can also find booths for SVT, Ford Racing, Shelby and ROUSH, as well. Ford only occupies about half a block on the other side of Woodward where a pair of 2009 Ford F-150s flank the Blue Thunder Monster truck. Oh, and behind that is a motorized bull, because nothing says "Ford" like a motorized bull.

The 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise takes place tomorrow, and for those unaware, it's one of the largest single day auto events in the world and attendance should be on your list of things to do before you die. The famed Woodward Ave. will swell under the weight of thousands of classics, exotics, muscle cars, custom jobs and some of the weirdest things on four wheels you will ever see on public roads.

We'll of course show you the displays of GM, Ford, and Chrysler that are guaranteed to contain the best gems from each automaker's past as well as their hottest products on sale today. We'll also keep our cameras at the ready for every cool car on Woodward that idles by at 2 mph. So stay tuned tomorrow, Saturday, August 16th to experience the 2008 Woodward Dream Cruise from the comfort of your computer chair. You can also subscribe to our Woodward '08 RSS feed to ensure you don't miss a thing.

Oh, and one more thing – we will be live streaming a view of Woodward Ave. again this year. That's right – you don't have to come Detroit, we'll bring Detroit to you. Stay tuned for more details. In the meantime, check out some of our favorite past galleries from Woodward after the jump.

Click above for high-res gallery of 2010 Mercury Milan spy shots

It seems like the Mercury Milan's lot in life is to follow the Ford Fusion, go wherever the Fusion goes and do whatever the Fusion does. Thus it's no surprise that when spy photographers happened upon prototypes of the 2010 Ford Fusion out being tested, the 2010 Mercury Milan was not far behind. Comparing the two sets of spy shots, the Milan appears to be making a bigger departure from its previous look than the Fusion. Its grille retains vertical slats, but the grille itself is much wider pushing the new headlights farther out towards the corners. Just like the Fusion, the Milan also gets a new front bumper, but its lower air intake and fog lamps have been incorporated into the same space rather than being separated into three distinct elements. In these spy shots we also get a clearer view of the Milan's new taillights, which, while retaining the same shape as those found on the current model, appear to have new covers with new elements inside. All the new Mercury Milan spy shots can be found in the gallery below, so get to browsing.


[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for high-res gallery of 2010 Ford Fusion spy shots

Our spy photographers have caught the 2010 Ford Fusion wearing nothing but an ugly paint job, which means we get a crystal clear view at what Ford has in store for its midsize sedan. While things between the wheel wells appear to carryover, the front end is getting big a big makeover. The Fusion's new face features a larger three-bar chrome grille and a complete re-sculpting of its lower air intake. Gone are the two chrome bars in the lower grille and the fog lights that flanked them. In their place is a more traditional central lower air intake and new, larger foglamps the mimic the shape of the new headlights. The Fusion's new mug definitely appears more aggressive than the non-threatening visage worn by the current model, and we like it. The sedan's rear taillights are also being changed, though they're covered too well in these spy shots to see what those changes are.

The Fusion is a solid seller for Ford, which no doubt hopes the sedan will grow in popularity even more with a new front clip. We can't wait to see this thing badged as the Fusion GT with a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 under its new hood. Check out all the new spy shots in our gallery below and let us know what you think of the partial redesign in the comments.


[Source: KGP Photography]

Click above for high-res gallery of the Scorpion

We've already alerted you to the existence of Ronn Motor Company's new supercar, the Scorpion. Aside from its exotic looks, the Scorpion makes headlines for its innovative engine: a mid-mounted twin-turbo 3.5L VTEC V6 from Acura that's augmented by a hydrogen fuel injection fuel system. Ronn developed a system that's somehow able to fracture water molecules from a small onboard water tank and then insert the resulting hydrogen into the air intake manifold where it's blended with the car's gasoline at a ratio of 30-40%. We suspect black magic is involved, but they claim science. Since adding hydrogen means less gas is used, Ronn claims the Scorpion can achieve 40 mpg. Plus, there's no need to fill up at a hydrogen refueling station since the car makes it own on board. These bold claims will see the light of day in early November when the Scorpion makes its first public appearance at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. We'll be on hand to ask questions and hopefully smash some water molecules ourselves.


[Source: SEMA]