Chevy Denies Z06 Nurburgring Time of 6:59

Chevy Denies Z06 Nurburgring Time of 6:59
Kia Showing ‘Outdoors’ Concept in Chicago
Honda Civic Type R to Debut in Geneva
Nissan Recalls 779K Vehicles Worldwide
Toyota Inspires with 2015 Super Bowl Spot
Jaguar Planning More F-Types With Even More Power

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Did the new Corvette Z06 really just become the first production car to lap the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes?

Rumors on the internet say so. Chevy disagrees.

Either way, don't be surprised if the new Z06 is dramatically faster than any time a Corvette has set at the famed Green Hell before.

"Chevrolet has not released a lap record for the Z06 at the Nurburgring," said Corvette PR rep Monte Doran, "and the claimed time of 6:59 is not accurate."

Rumors of this shockingly fast time appeared on Reddit with a source pointing to an unknown site HorsepowerKings.com. That very same site was also the first to report recently that the new Shelby GT350R set a blistering lap time of 7:32.19 edging out the Camaro Z/28.

What makes the claimed time so amazing is that it's just shy of the million dollar Porsche 918 Spyder. The Z06 costs just just under $80,000.

"Any one – a manufacturer, a journalist, a guy standing on the fence of the 'Ring – can claim a lap time," said Doran. "As such, we think the in-car video is essential to proving a time is real and credible, and Chevrolet will not to release a lap until we have a video to substantiate the claim."

Doran went on to say that the new Z06 has completed almost 1,000 miles of testing at the Nurburgring. He explained that opportunity to shoot a timed lap there is limited and that the only two days available were rained out. "If we get a lap on video, we will post an official time," he said.

So how fast could the new Z06 be? Doran shared the only official lap of the Z06, taken at Virginia International Raceway. With a lap of 2:41 the car is 4.3 seconds faster than the best time for the ZR1. The Nurburgring is roughly three times the length of VIR. Some simple math and its entirely possible that the new Z06 could run a 7:07 lap time, 12 seconds faster than the ZR1s 2012 time of 7:19.

Well off the 7 minute mark, it would still put the Z06 ahead of the GT-R NISMO at 7:08 and, apart from million dollar hybrid hypercars, the Z06 would once again own the Nurburgring record for production cars.

Kia Showing ‘Outdoors’ Concept in Chicago

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Kia plans to show off a new concept at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show.

The Korean automaker will reveal a new take on one of its most popular vehicles. The concept is "built for city dwellers seeking an adventurous escape and intended to enable a variety of outdoor activities," said Kia. Further details remain unreleased.

2015 Chicago Auto Show Preview

Considering Kia says its a model built for city dwellers, our best guess is that it will be a take on the Kia Soul. A teaser image along with the name of the concept will be revealed tomorrow, January 29, so we don't have long to wait for more details.

Discuss this story at our Kia Soul Forum

Honda Civic Type R to Debut in Geneva

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Honda is bringing its latest and greatest performance cars to the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

We will finally see a production version of the Civic Type R, a car that has been teased already by two different concepts. Alongside the hot new Civic, the NSX will make its European debut wearing a Honda badge rather than the Acura badge it does in North America.

Honda's new Civic Type R will get its power from a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that will put out somewhere above 280 hp. That motor will be hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission. An adaptive damper system will be present on the Type R, allowing the driver to customize the car's suspension settings.

The 2015 McLaren-Honda F1 race car will also be in Geneva, previewing Honda's re-entry into the sport after a seven year hiatus.

On the more pedestrian end of things, the new Honda Jazz as well as the new HR-V will also make their European debut in Geneva.

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  Discuss this story at our Honda Civic Forum

Nissan Recalls 779K Vehicles Worldwide

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Nissan has announced a massive worldwide recall campaign for two separate issues.

In total, 779,000 vehicles are affected, 640,000 of which are located in the United States.

The first recall affects 468,815 Nissan Rogues from the 2008 to 2013 model year. Snow and saltwater can seep through the carpet on the driver's side floor which can lead to a short circuit and eventually a fire. To remedy the issue, dealers will install a new waterproof seal, though if damage already exists, they will also replace the harness connector.

Nissan says it knows of some electrical short circuits, but no fires.

The second recall affects the 2013-2014 Pathfinder, the 2014 Pathfinder Hybrid, 2013 Infiniti JX35, 2014 QX60 and the 2014 QX60 Hybrid. An incorrectly installed hood release cable assembly can cause the hood latch to not function properly. If the primary latch doesn't close tight, the hood can open while driving.

Nissan has already recalled the 2013 Altima for this same problem, but only starting investigating the Pathfinder for the issue late last year.

The solution to this problem is modifying the hood release mechanism to provide additional length for the release cable.

Discuss this story at our Nissan Pathfinder Forum

Toyota Inspires with 2015 Super Bowl Spot

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Toyota is latest automaker to release its 2015 Super Bowl Commercial before the big game.

Entitled, "How Great I Am," the ad features Paralympic athlete Amy Purdy and shows her overcoming adversity to achieve her goals. Set to a speech by boxing great Muhammad Ali, the commercial draws parallels between Purdy's struggles and the redesigned 2015 Toyota Camry.

As is becoming common these days, Toyota also released a teaser commercial earlier in the week titled "To Be a Dad." You can watch it below as well.

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Jaguar Planning More F-Types With Even More Power

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Making 550-hp and with available all-wheel drive the F-Type Coupe R is the ultimate Jaguar. . . for now.

The British brand is planning more versions of its new sports car and Andy Goss, Group Sales Operations Director for Jaguar Land Rover promises heightened performance is a part of the plan.

The current AWD F-Type R can hit 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds and blast on to a top speed of 186 mph.

"We've taken the F-Type so far but we'll take it a lot further," Goss said in an interview with AutoGuide. "We'll dial in more performance without a shadow of a doubt."

VIDEO: Jaguar F-Type R AWD First Look

Goss explained how Jaguar carefully planned the F-Type's product cadence in order to meet the market demands and now offers both AWD and rear-wheel drive versions as well as automatic and manual transmission models.

"There are other things we'll undoubtedly do," said Goss. "The F-Type will be range of products not a product."

Still, "we're not aping Porsche," he said. "We were in this market before they were in this market."

And so Jaguar will put more focus on volume products in other segments, like with the new XE sports sedan and F-PACE crossover.

"It's not just about slicing and dicing the market," he said. "Our imperative is to bring out cars that sell volume."

And there will be plenty more products. Over the next five years Jaguar Land Rover will bring to market 50 new or updated products, with 12 of those happening this year.

SEE ALSO: Jaguar F-Type R Coupe Review

When asked what his aspiration is for the Jaguar brand Goss responded that he wants it to be, "the performance brand of choice."

"By 2020 you're going to see just how far we can take that," he said.