2014 Nissan GT-R Track Pack squares off against Audi R8 V10 Plus

AutoBlog: 2014 Nissan GT-R Track Pack squares off against Audi R8 V10 Plus

Click to watch videoThe team over at Motor Trend has pitted the new Audi R8 V10 Plus against the Nissan GT-R. While both of the bright red all-wheel-drive supercars are comparably matched in power output, the similarities end there. Audi offers a mid-engine aluminum coupe with a naturally aspirated V10 that spits out 550 horsepower. Nissan shows up with a more traditional coupe equipped with a 545-horsepower twin-turbocharged V6 at the front of the car.

The Head-to-Head video takes both cars to the Streets of Willow Springs in the California desert for some track work with professional racing driver Randy Pobst behind the wheel. After a day at the track, the pair head to the local mountains for some spirited real-world driving. One dominates on the circuit, while the other earns back its credibility in the canyons. We won't tell you which coupe comes out on top, but we think you may be surprised.

Jim Harbaugh picked to drive Indy 500 Corvette Stingray pace car

AutoBlog: Jim Harbaugh picked to drive Indy 500 Corvette Stingray pace car

2014 Corvette StingrayHe didn't get the trophy, but he did get the girl pace car. San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh – who quarterbacked the Indianapolis Colts from 1994 to 1997 – will lead the 33-car Indianapolis 500 field around The Brickyard in a 2014 Corvette Stingray pace car.

Harbaugh's other connection to the race is that he's a principal in Panther Racing, which has two cars running on Sunday that are powered by Chevrolet engines: JR Hildebrand is starting tenth, teammate Townsend Bell is 22nd. There's a press release below with the kind of juicy quotes you'd expect from all involved..

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VW to retrofit quarter-million TDI diesels with misfueling protection

AutoBlog: VW to retrofit quarter-million TDI diesels with misfueling protection

According to a report from Autoweek, Volkswagen has plans in place to retrofit a quarter of a million 2009-2012 model-year TDI-engined cars with a system that will prevent misfueling with gasoline instead of diesel. In a notice sent out to VW dealers, the company specified that affected models will include the 2009-2012 Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen TDI, as well as 2010-2012 Golf TDI models.

Volkswagen claims that the increased popularity of TDI diesel models has resulted in more incidents of damaging and potentially very costly misfueling mishaps. To address the issue, the company will front the cash for dealers to retrofit a fuel filler neck cap that can recognize the smaller nozzle of a gasoline pump and keep the fuel tank gate closed.

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Chevy Spark EV priced at $27,495; will lease for $199/month

AutoBlog: Chevy Spark EV priced at $27,495; will lease for $199/month

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV

The Nissan Leaf, the Fiat 500e and now the 2014 Chevy Spark EV 1LT. Three different electric hatchbacks that can all be had for the same low lease price: $199 per month. The Spark even has the same appealing $999 down payment as the Fiat (the Leaf's is $1,999) and both require 36-month leases, so the cost of these two city runabouts is identical, at least at the base level.

The one potential hiccup: Chevy says it's a "low mileage lease," and you'll pay 25 cents a mile for each mile over 12,000 per year. Considering these are urban-minded vehicles with limited ranges, however, that doesn't seem like as pressing an issue.

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Tesla pays back $465M DOE loan, Musk says 'I hope we did you proud'

AutoBlog: Tesla pays back $465M DOE loan, Musk says 'I hope we did you proud'

We're willing to bet there are bottles of champagne popping all the way from Washington, DC to Palo Alto, CA today with the announcement that Tesla Motors has, as suspected, paid off the entirety of its $465-million Department of Energy loan.

    "I hope we did you proud" - Elon Musk

As far back as July 2012, Tesla began talking about paying the US government back early, but it was apparently the tremendous rise in the company's stock value recently that prompted CEO Elon Musk to push for the immediate repayment this week. From a price of $33.87 on January 1, TSLA has climbed to $87.24 today (down a bit from the recent highs of over $92). Details in the press releases below..

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Cadillac to recall 20,000 SRX models over wheels that could fall off

AutoBlog: Cadillac to recall 20,000 SRX models over wheels that could fall off

A potential issue with the lug nuts on 19,871 units of the 2013 Cadillac SRX in the US and Canada has lead to a recall of the luxury crossover. Those lug nuts that have a Teflon topcoat, identified by their bluish tint, could loosen and cause "creaking, rattling or grinding noises or steering vibrations."

In the worst case scenario, a wheel could fall off, but there have been no reports of that happening, nor any reports of accidents or injuries due to the issue.

This is the second recall action on the SRX over the last few months. In March, Cadillac recalled 27,000 SRX models over a transmission programming issue. General Motors will begin notifying customers with the potentially faulty parts on June 3, at which time they can take their vehicles to dealers to have the tires rotated and new nuts installed. A further 7,397 SRXs exported from North America also face the recall action.

Meet the man whose house is designed around his car

AutoBlog: Meet the man whose house is designed around his car

Click to watch videoIt's been a couple of years since we last heard about Holger Schubert and his award-winning office/garage, but it looks like the city of Los Angeles, thankfully, did not force him to tear down the bridge that gives his Ferrari 512 BBi arguably the nicest parking spot in California. Petrolicious is back again with another well-done video, which finally introduces us to Schubert as well as his lust-worthy Ferrari.

As for the structure, it is half garage and half work space with an office, couch, bookshelf and television, and one hell of a view. There is a ramp that raises to allow the Ferrari to roll backward out of the garage before starting up on the aforementioned bridge that sits 16-feet above the ground. The car itself is an equally admirable piece of art, with a wedge-like shape and its reserved dark gray hue. If you're not the jealous type, watch video above to meet Schubert and his incredible Ferrari..

Ford and Chrysler reducing summer plant shutdowns

AutoBlog: Ford and Chrysler reducing summer plant shutdowns

Most domestic automaker assembly plants traditionally take a couple of weeks off during the summer. The shutdowns give each plant time for much needed repairs and maintenance, and in some cases, help better align production with demand. Not this year, though, as demand for many models is outstripping what Ford, Chrysler and General Motors plants can produce.

Ford has announced that it will shorten its annual summer shutdown for most North American plants from two weeks to one. The shorter shutdown will increase the carmaker's annual North American production by 40,000 units on top of the 200,000 extra units that it was already planning to produce this year versus last. Automotive News reports that Ford produced 2.8 million vehicles on this continent in 2012, and that output this year has already increased 13 percent through April.

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The first Forza Motorsport 5 trailer is here

AutoBlog: The first Forza Motorsport 5 trailer is here

Click to watch videoThose of you who were following along with the live Xbox One keynote this afternoon have likely already seen this video, but for the rest of the world, this is the first look at the all-new Forza Motorsport 5. Slated to be a launch title for the new Xbox gaming console, Forza 5 is tipped to offer racing like no other video game before it, with controls and graphical presentation on a new level.

The demo seen here shows that, to no one's surprise, the McLaren P1 will have a star turn in the next-generation game. The video shows both the P1 and its F1 forefather in a race through narrow city streets, with both cars rendered in eye-popping detail. Actual game play footage will ultimately have to win us over, but it's safe to say that all signs point to a killer racing sim. Check out the video for yourself above..

2014 Subaru Forester gets big nod of approval from Consumer Reports

AutoBlog: 2014 Subaru Forester gets big nod of approval from Consumer Reports

2014 Subaru Forester XT

While more and more buyers seem to be opting for the functionality of car-based crossover vehicles every day, it's rare that your read much in the way of passionate praise for one. And, while Consumer Reports doesn't exactly lavish written paeans on the Subaru Forester in its latest review – that's just not its style – it did give the CUV a remarkably high overall score.

Praising its excellent fuel economy, visibility, roomy interior and a whole lot more, the testing publication bestowed an overall score of 88 out of 100 on the Forester. That's a really excellent number for just about any vehicle, but it's also a top-of-the-class mark for the Forester's small CUV division. Just about the only major gripe was that of ride quality.

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