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19 October 2008

GTbyCitroen

With GTbyCitroen, a show-car presented at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, Citroen becomes the first vehicle manufacturer to cross to the virtual worlds. GTbyCitroen is a style replica of a vehicle from digital world.

18 October 2008

Caterham RS Levante

It seems that with the auto industry going downhill, ironically, the cars that still sell good are the most expensive ones. Two days ago we wrote about all the £1.2 million Aston Martin One-77 being sold, and now we’ve found out that the Caterham RS Levante is also sold out. It’s true, there were only 8 units built, but still, the car is not cheap at all, priced at £115,000 (almost $200,000).
The RS Levante is powered by a custom-built 40-valve, 2.4-liter, supercharged V8 which delivers 500 hp. A lot of power, but nothing impressive, you might say. However, the car features a carbon-fiber, Kevlar and aluminum body, so it weights only 1150 pounds, which gives it a power-to-weight ratio of 1000 hp per ton, which is double that of the Bugatti Veyron. Caterham says that the RS Levante goes from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds and they’ve also announced that all customers will need to go through a two-day advanced driving school before getting the car.

2010 Toyota Prius

A few photos that revealed the 2010 Toyota Prius were leaked on the net. However, there was a lot of suspicion around these photos and no one knew whether these are for real or just some great Photoshop skills. But today the mistery is over, because Toyota made an official statement admitting that this really is the next generation of their popular hybrid. Beside confirming the photos, Toyota didn’t unveil anything else about the car, except that it will make its world debut at the 2009 Detroit Motor Show, in January.

Dodge Challenger SRT10 Concept

Dodge will come up with what look like it’ll be one of the coolest cars on display at this year SEMA Show, the Dodge Challenger SRT10 concept. The car is powered by Viper’s 8.4-liter all-aluminum V10 engine which delivers 600 hp and 560 lb. ft. of torque. To cope with the power increase, Dodge engineers fitted the car with upgraded brakes and Bilstein shocks. Also, to outline it’s sporty ’soul’, the concept is finished in Tornado Red paint with a carbon-fiber deck lid and a shaker hood inspired from the 1970 HEMI Cuda, while the interior received sport seats, carbon-fiber inserts, and a red engine start button. We don’t know Dodge’s plans for the concept, but they’d better not tease us for nothing and figure out a way to put this into production, because it looks and sounds awesome.

Arash AF-10

Arash Cars is a supercar manufacturer since 2005 and now they finally unveiled the production ready model of the Arash AF-10 supercar. The car will be powered by a GM 7.0-litre engine that delivers 550 hp and which, mated to a 6-speed Grazianno manual gearbox, allows the car to sprint from 0 to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in under 3.4 seconds, and to achieve a top speed of over 200 mph (320 km/h). The AF-10 will also get 19-inch wheels (plus optional 21-inch), leather interior, satellite navigation, MP3 player and rear view camera with integrated touchscreen. In order to be as lightweight as possible, the Arash AF-10 will get a carbon fiber body shell and chassis. What also very interesting is that the carmaker has announced that they’re also working on a supercharged version of the engine, which will develop around 850 hp.

Lexus IS 250 Sports Concept

Lexus has announced a new car at the Australian International Motor Show, the Lexus IS 250 Sports Concept. The car is basically a regular IS 250, with a few sporty upgrades, targeted at younger drivers that can’t afford an IS-F. The Sports Concept features some minor cosmetic changes, larger cross-drilled two-piece brake rotors at front and rear, Bilstein shock absorbers and springs for improved handling, plus sway bars and a chassis brace. For improved performances, Lexus gave the IS a new performance air intake (gives 3% more horsepower), a carbon fiber engine cover, new stainless steel ‘cat-back’ exhaust system (15% more horsepower) and ligthweight 19 inch graphite grey wheels.
Lexus hasn’t yet decided whether this concept will make it into production, but according to Lexus chief executive John Roca, there are high odds that we’ll see this car in dealerships soon.

26 September 2008

Maserati GranTurismo MC Corse Concept

Maserati suggested that they have a surprise for the Paris Motor Show. Today, they’ve unveiled the mistery, by announcing the Maserati GranTurismo MC Corse Concept, which will make its debut at next week’s French show and which basically is a race track version of the GranTurismo S.
By using a new air intake system, new racing catalytic converters, revised airflow and a new exhaust system, Maserati engineers managed to squeeze 10 more hp from the 4.7 liter V8 engine, which now delivers 450 hp. Because the power output increase is not that impressive, Maserati worked hard on the other parts of the car, like the aerodynamic kit, which includes a new front splitter, enlarged rear spoiler and road hugging rocker panels. The MC Corse also received upgraded suspension, sports enlarged brake discs with monobloc racing calipers and new 18-inch wheels, and, of course, an FIA-approved rollcage.

Another Teaser for Citroen GT Concept

Citroen has showed another teaser photo released for their new concept car, Citroen GT Concept. Now we can see a little more than the last teaser photo, we get to see a partial view of the front part. All we know so far is that the vehicle is a full scale concept of the Citroen sports car features in the upcoming GranTurismo Prologue5 video game for Playstation 3, that will make its debut at the Paris Motor Show.

Volkswagen Passat BlueTDI

The German carmaker, Volkswagen, has announced another premiere scheduled for the Paris Motor Show, the VW Passat BlueTDI.
The BlueTDI diesels are the cleanest engines VW has ever produced, comply to Euro-6 standards and they’ll go into production on the Passat starting next year. Europe will get them first, and though nothing was mention about the United States, the car will definitely be available here too. Volkswagen already offers BlueTDI engines, Euro 5 compliant, for the Tiguan and the Jetta, but the one featured in Paris represents the next generation, which combined with the dual-clutch DSG gearbox reduces CO2 emissions by up to 28%.
The Volkswagen Passat BlueTDI is powered by the 2.0-liter common-rail engine which now delivers 143hp, with a fuel consumption of 5.2 liters/100km (45 US mpg) and 139 g/km CO2 emissions for the Passat sedan, and 5.5 liters/100km (42.7 US mpg) and emits 144 g/km CO2 for the Variant.

Ford F450 Harley Davidson

Ford has launched the special edition of their F450 pick-up truck which they customized in partnership with Harley Davidson. It encompasses everything a big American truck should be, pure manly looks and a big engine, with no regards to the fuel average of pollution norms.

As special features will be exclusive to this car are quite a few intersting ones. Each of the models will get a blue flame paint job, to really stand out between all the other pick-up trucks, which is continued on the inside on the instrument gauge. Other features are perforated black leather seats for the passenger comfort, with the leather continuing on the door faces and dash board. Of course, being a collaboration with Harley Davidson, the logos of the famous motorcycle manufacturer are placed in key sport all around the car.

Fiat 500 PUR-O2

Fiat has just announced that it will premiere its new line of eco friendly cars entitled PUR-O2 in Paris. The models selected to be in the first batch of green-er cars will be the hit retro car, the 500, their contender to the title of hot hatch, the Bravo and the Croma. Each of them will have special features and will be branded with the PUR-O2 badge. The features that will make the cars more economical are a new, special, Bosch made Star&Stop system, special low rolling resistance tires, an aerodynamic body kit which will improve airflow, and tweaked up gearboxes which will improve the fuel efficiency.
Of course the most talked about model which will be graced with the PUR-O2 badge is the 500. Although speculations have been made that Fiat had a hybrid version of the little car in the works, this is as close as they got to that goal. The car will be powered by Fiat’s 1.2 litre petrol engine which will develop only 119 gr/km of CO2 emissions.

Volkswagen Golf VI GTI

Volkswagen has allready announced that the Paris Motor Show will also mark the debut of the Golf VI GTI.

The new Golf GTI will be powered by the 2.0 liter four cylinder TSI engine from its ‘almost-twin’ brother, the Scirocco, which delivers 207 hp (10 hp more than the current generation). The 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint is made in 7.2 seconds, the top speed is 148 mph (238 km/h), the combined fuel consumption is 37.6 mpg, and CO2 emissions level is 178 g/km.

The exterior styling features the front red grille, new headlights with individual lamp pods, more subtle side skirts, smoked rear light lenses, new rear diffuser and a pair of chrome tailpipes, plus the distinctive GTI 18-inch wheels finished in milled silver with gloss black inserts. Of course, the interior also became more sporty.

According to VW, the GTI production will start in spring 2009 and UK sales are expected to start in early summer, with prices and specifications announced closer to this date.

25 September 2008

The Bentley Arnage Final Series

The Bentley Arnage Final Series, a 150 units limited Arnage edition that will debut at next week’s Paris Motor Show celebrates a lot of stuff: 10 years of the Arnage, 50 years of its V8 engine, 90 years of the marque, Bentley Motors and the end of the Arnage production.
Under the hood, the Final Series will be powered by Bentley’s twin-turbo 6.75 liter V8 engine that delivers 500 bhp and 738 lb-ft of torque and, as you’d expect from a special edition of a luxury car, it is loaded with all sorts of features, like 20-inch five-spoke alloy wheels, retractable ‘Flying B’ bonnet mascot, body coloured headlamp bezels, dark tint matrix upper and lower grilles, ‘FINAL SERIES’ badge on front wings and Bentley ‘Jewel’ fuel filler cap for the exterior, while the interior has ‘FINAL SERIES’ treadplates to front doors, drilled alloy brake and accelerator pedals ,waistrails with inset chrome strip and recessed Bentley marque badges, rear cocktail cabinet and document stowage trimmed in hide, FINAL SERIES stainless steel flask and shot glassesm ,four Bentley umbrellas with wooden handles and large display audio head unit with Secure Digital (SD) memory card slot.

Ford Mondeo Tunning by Rieger

If you’re a fan of wagon models and also like to make your car a little more special, you might like this, the Ford Mondeo wagon with a sporty package from the German tuner Rieger. Nothing extraordinary about this, but it makes the Mondeo stand out of the crowd, with new front lip spoiler, new side skirts with cutout shaft and restyled rear bumper fascia, all available in either ABS plastic or carbon fiber finish. Other changes include a KW coilover suspension, SKN Technology chip tuning upgrades and three options for the exhaust system (dual pipes, single sport pipe or single downward curved pipe).

Facelifted Mercedes Benz SL Class by Lorinser

The German tuner Lorinser announced their latest product, a tuning package for the facelifted Mercedes Benz SL Class. The body kit features a new spoiler bumper with three large openings and racing grill inserts, integrated end-to-end lip into the widely flared Lorinser fender, new, larger air inlets, new side skirts and large air openings on the rear. The whole car was lowered, while the sporty look is completed by light-alloy wheels and by the four-tips exhaust system. Lorinser said that customers can also order a more sporty and elegant interior, but, unfortunately, nothing was mention about the mechanical changes, except that engineers are currently working on it.

Mercedes-Benz S600 Pullman Guard

For such clients Mercedes-Benz opened up, 80 years ago, the protection division of their company. Its sole purpose was to create custom versions of their cars, equipped with the latest and best protection equipment for their distinct clientelle. And these days, this division celebrates it’s 80th anniversary, reason for it to launch a new model with the iconic Pullman name, the S600 Pullman Guard.

This stretched limousine, based on the stock S600 model is fitted with the best armor and safety equipments on the market, gaining it a B6/B7 protection rating. With the powerful 5.5 litre V12 bi-turbo engine for the propulsion, it develops 517 hp with a torque of 830 Nm. But the clients won’t buy for the engine, but for the resistance against small arms projectiles and even grenades or other explosive charges. As optional extras, the car can also be fitted with features like a self sealing gas tank, roll flat tyres or a fire extinguishing system.

Also, the distinction between Mercedes-Benz’s protection division and other manufacturers is that they take the normal stock models of the cars and add the improvements. Others prefer to customize the chasis and add the protection, then make it all look like a normal car. But Mercedes stresses that the technology employed by their division doesn’t affect in any way the structural integrity of the car, but more so, it strenghtens it for the tough job it will have. For those who don’t really have the money for the S600, Mercedes also offers protection models based on the E and G Class.

Fiat 500 Abarth

The guys at Abarth sure love the Fiat 500. After a long series of tuning concepts and experiements, this is the latest one, the Fiat 500 Abarth Esseesse. Quite surely this is the most interesting to date, with the looks and the presumed muscle to prove its worth and take down the best of its competitors like the Mini Cooper S. The presumed muscle, because no official release from Abarth has came regarding the power output of the engine backing this little Italian pocket rocket, but some say that a 170 hp 1.4 litre turbocharged engine might be backing the little car up.

But what we can judge for now is the outside. And Abarth surely outdid themselves with this one, being the most agressive model to date. The front part is now dominated by the big air vent, which replaces the sweet face of the retro model with a distinctive one. On the back, the first thing that pops out is the big rear wing, giving it the sporty look it deserves. Further down, the rear bumper finishes off the whole look of the car in a true italian fashion, with the rear air exhausts and dual tail pipes. Race spec bucket seats are also reported on the inside, with a complete revamp on the dash and trim which equipped the former stock model.

Audi S4

Audi has announced that the Paris Motor Show will mark the debut of the new Audi S4, both Sedan and Avant versions. To be honest, ever since we drove the new Audi A4 back in March, we’ve been waiting for the S4 version. We loved the A4 and I’m sure we’re gonna love the S4 too.
Powered by 3.0 liter V6 engine with direct fuel injection and mechanical turbocharging mated to a seven-speed S tronic gearbox, the new Audi S4 delivers a 333 hp (245 kW) and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.1 seconds, the Sedan model achieving a fuel consumption of 9.7 liters of fuel per 100 km (24.25 US mpg), while the Avant takes 9.9 liters per 100 km (23.76 US mpg). The quattro permanent all-wheel drive system and the sport suspension complete the package that makes the S4 experience a very sporty one.

24 September 2008

Peugeot 908 HY

Peugeot Sport profited from the final round of the 2008 Le Mans Series at Silverstone to unveil a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP equipped with a hybrid power plant, featuring a kinetic energy recovery system. The Peugeot 908HY was presented in a new, specific silver-grey livery and will provide a foretaste of what Peugeot's next endurance racing challenger could resemble, although its use will depend on the regulations that will govern LMP 1 cars from 2009.

In the course of a lap of Le Mans, for example, the system will recuperate energy for between 20 and 30 seconds. This energy reserve can be used for either delivering extra power thanks to an additional boost of 60 kW (80 bhp) for approximately 20 seconds per lap, either automatically when re-accelerating or when the driver chooses to make use of it ('push to pass') or to reduce fuel consumption for the equivalent level of performance thanks to the mechanical energy recovered (between three and five per cent)

Dodge EV Concept

The Dodge EV development Electric Vehicle is a two-passenger, rear-wheel-drive sports car that marries high performance with zero tailpipe emissions.'The Dodge EV sets a new standard for what can be expected in electric-drive vehicles,' said Lou Rhodes, Vice President – Advance Vehicle Engineering, and President – ENVI. 'The electric-vehicle technology enables a fun-to-drive performance sports car and helps redefine the vision of an environmentally responsible vehicle for the Dodge brand.'The electric-drive system consists of three primary components: a 200 kW (268 horsepower) electric motor, an advanced lithium-ion battery and an integrated power controller.The 200 kW electric-drive motor generates 650 N•m (480 lb.-ft.) of torque. The instant high torque of the electric-drive motor delivers outstanding performance, accelerating the Dodge EV to 60 mph in less than five seconds, with quarter-mile times of 13 seconds. The Dodge EV has a top speed of more than 120 mph.

Volkswagen Pickup Concept

Volkswagen has revealed the fourth model in its commercial vehicle line-up with the debut at the 2008 IAA in Hanover this week of an all-new Volkswagen Pickup Concept.Aiming to set new standards in the one-tonne pickup class, the new model will go into production at the end of 2009. It will be built at Volkswagen's 'Pacheco' plant in Argentina and introduced initially to markets in Europe, South America, South Africa and Australia.The Volkswagen Pickup Concept is all-new in the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles line-up and is the first commercial vehicle to be designed under Volkswagen Group design chief, Walter de Silva's command. As such it exhibits what is referred to as 'historical DNA', in other words design elements which link it to other group models and give it a distinctive yet familiar appearance.

23 September 2008

Acura 2+1 Concept

Acura’s new design language, as seen on the 2009 Acura TL, is fronted by a shield-like appendage that has received mixed reviews. The Acura 2+1 — the numbers describe the seating arrangement — by design student Leon Paz is what would happen if you took the shield theme to one natural conclusion. By maintaining the edge throughout the concept’s “modern baroque styling,” Paz has come up we something we kinda dig.

The body is fashioned from a plastic that is harder than fiberglass, and Paz has done a great job in creating lines that evoke skin stretched over a frame. The upper surface is one continuous window that shows off the twin-turbo V6 and the Acura logo for the cylinder covers. There is no hood — at your yearly service, the dealer would lift the glass and perform any engine maintenance.

Fiat 500 Special Edition by DIESEL

Fiat has announced a special edition of the Fiat 500, themed ‘Urban Survival Vehicle’, the car is modified by the Italian clothing company DIESEL. The trendy Fiat will be available in three new colors, olive green, black and brown and will feature aluminum trim on the bumpers, protective door strips and yellow brake calipers, while the interior has special denim upholstery and the DIESEL logo on the dashboard and the gear knob. The Fiat 500 DIESEL edition will be available with three engines and will be priced at €15,000 for the 69 hp 1.2 liter petrol engine and €17,000 for the 100 hp 1.4 liter petrol and the 75 hp 1.3 Multijet diesel.

Ferrari California

Though the Ferrari California is scheduled to make its official debut at next week’s Paris Motor Show, the Italian company decided to sell the first unit at a charity auction held in Maranello, Italy and in Santa Monica, California. The winning bid was £282,000 (around $520,000) and the money will go to the After Schools All Stars foundation, which helps under-privileged school children and which was represented by Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s Governor. The actual price of this car will be half of what it was paid for this first unit.

BMW 7-Series ActiveHybrid Concept

After Mercedes announced the S400 BlueHybrid, BMW announced that the Paris Motor Show will mark the debut of the BMW 7-Series ActiveHybrid Concept. The car is powered by a combination of an eight-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor developing 15 kW/20 hp and maximum torque of 210 Newton-metres/155 lb-ft as a mild hybrid concept. Electric power is generated by a particularly powerful variant of Brake Energy Regeneration already featured in BMW’s regular production cars. This allows the hybrid 7 Series to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by 15 percent. Of course, the concept gets all the luxurious features from its regular gasoline powered brother. After the Paris debut, BMW hopes to get the car into production starting with 2009

Lancia Ypsilon Versus Special Edition

The Lancia Ypsilon Versus is a special edition created by Lancia and Versus, a member of the Versace Group. The car, which will debut at next week’s Paris Motor Show, is painted in a Bronzino Bronze color with ‘Versus’ logo on the roof, bronze 16″ alloy rims and a bronze chrome touches for the front grille, door handles and bumpers. On the interior, as you’d expect, the Ypsilon Versus features a brown leather upholstery with a heat printed Versus logo.

After its Paris debut, the car will be available in a limited run of 500 units, starting next March.

19 September 2008

Volvo XC60

Volvo XC60 is the first car to feature a specially developed City Safety package that helps a driver to avoid low-speed, front-end shunts and it will be a standard feature on all XC60s sold in Australia starting with February 2009, and is likely to trickle through into other models in the Volvo range.If the difference in speeds between two vehicles is less than 15km/h, a crash can be avoided. If the difference in speeds is greater than 15km/h, the XC60’s system will minimize the impact.

The All New Honda City

Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (HATC), Honda's automobile production and sales subsidiary in Thailand, today began sales of the all-new CITY.The design of the new CITY is based on the total pursuit of a compact, yet dynamic form with road presence. In addition, class-leading*1 interior space was achieved to create a cabin that surrounds the occupants with an open and secure feeling. The new CITY is equipped with a 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine, which is further advanced in every way, including greater output and fuel consumption. Furthermore, with Honda's unique commitment to provide both advanced safety and environmental performance, the new CITY achieves the highest levels in every area in the effort to become the new bench mark for subcompact sedans.

Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept

At next month’s Paris Motor Show, GM’s Swedish arm will present the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Concept. The design study is meant to give us a preview of how a possible Saab hybrid cabrio might look like. The most interesting part of the concept is its Canopy Top and the wraparound glasshouse that includes the rear screen. The four passenger cabrio is shares its powertrain with the 9-X BioHybrid, being powered by a 1.4-liter Saab BioPower engine that combines engine rightsizing with turbocharging, the use of E85 bioethanol fuel and hybrid technology.

2009 Pontiac G3

After unveiling the new Volt a few days ago, today they released details on another new car for the United States, the 2009 Pontiac G3. Basically a rebadged version of the Chevrolet Aveo, the G3 will be powered by the 106 hp (79 kW) 1.6 liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed manual or optional four-speed automatic transmission.

The 2009 Pontiac G3 will be available in the US starting with spring 2009 as a 2009 model and will be backed by GM’s five-year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty.

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