AutoBikeMall: 08/2008

22 August 2008

The new Audi Q5 tunning by ABT

German tuner, ABT, are ready with a tuning program for the latest crossover from Audi, the new Audi Q5. The packages features a bodykit including fender extensions and more aggresive front skirt and grille, restyled side skirt, roof spoiler and rear skirt incorporating a 4-pipe-rear muffler, and also new 20 inch alloys. The upgrade from handling sector include ABT Level Control, new aport springs that decrease th cars's ride height and a new set of 380mm diameter brake discs.

For the engines, there's also a power upgrade kit : the 2.0 TFSI's power output has been increased to 240 hp (211 hp on the factory version), the 2.0 TDI to 190 hp (170 hp) and for the 3.0 TDI there are two levels of power upgrades, the ABT power which increases the power output from 240 hp to 282 hp and the ABT power S which takes to 310 hp.

21 August 2008

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

The Japanese company, Mitsubishi, will unveil its new car Mitsubishi Pajero Sport at Moscow Motor Show. The SUV is larger then its predecessor. The Pajero Sport will use a 3.2 liter turbodiesel engine that develops 162 hp and 343 Nm of torque. But, it's possible that a 2.5 liter turbodiesel and a 3.5 liter V6 could also join the range. The car will be equipped with Mitsubishi's Super Select 4WD system and buyers will be able to choose between a 4-speed Sport Mode automatic transmission or a 5-speed manual gearbox.

2009 Honda Civic Facelift

Honda announcedthe 2009 Honda Civec Facelift, which is redesign exterior styling features, including a new front bumper cover and grille design and new headlight and taillight color combinations. There are also new alloy wheel designs for the Civic EX, Civic EX-L and Civic Si models. Interior enhancements include Bluetooth HandsFreeLink added to Navigation equipped model, USB Audio Interface added to Civic EX, EX-L, Hybrid and Si models, leather-trimmed seating surfaces with heated front seats and side mirror for the Civic Hybrid and new cloth materials and patterns on seats, door lining and armrests. Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), is now standard on the Civic EX-L and Civic Hybrid

Volkswagen Passat CC Gold Coast

Volkswagen has presented the VW Passat CC Gold Coast. This special edition car is powered by the 3.6 liter FSI petrol engine that produces 280 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, with a six-speed DSG dual-clutch triptonic geabox. Passat CC Gold Coast features a special grille, premium tri-coat paint finish with a mix of gold, brown and silver tones, new spoiler and also 19 inch propeller style wheels.

The standard Passat CC will on sale in the fourth quarter of 2008, so the Gold Coast will probably be available at the same time. there's no information about the pricing, but the standard C will be priced at around $28,000.

20 August 2008

The New 2009 Peugeot 407

The 2009 Peugeot 407 will make its debut in September with a starting price of £17,295. Peugeot 407 features a subtle redesign for the front grille and air intake, new rear bumper and body-colored rubbing strips, door mirrors and door handles. A new 2.0 litre 'Bioflex' engine will be fitted in this car, this engine operates on E85 fuel ( available from November ). Beside that, there's a minor upgrade for the 2.0 litre HDi, which now produces 140 hp, 4 hp bigger than the current one.

The new Peugeot 407 will be available in four equipment levels : S, SR, SE and GT. And also several exterior colors such as Moondust, Thorium Grey, Abyss Blue, Moroccan Red and Hurricane Grey.

The New Infiniti G37 Convertible

If you have seen the Nissan Murano Convertible and planed to get it, this is another one for you to consider, the New Infiniti G37 Convertible. The car will have a folding hard top and the same 3.7 litre and 30 bhp engine. Infiniti G37 Convertible will take debut in November at Los Angeles Motor Show and will be on sale in early 2009

19 August 2008

Honda's New Hybrid

Honda is prepared to launch its new hybrid and ready for the debut in October at the Paris Motor Show. Fortunately, Honda won't make us wait too long to buy its new hybrid, as the five-door hatchback is rumoured to show up in dealer lots by April 2009. But Toyota also plans to showing off its new third-gen Prius at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Honda plans to undercut its rival in the pricing wars with its hybrid coming in at a base price of less than $19,000, a few thousand less than a larger Prius.

Both models will use nickel metal hydride batteries (for now) as opposed to the latest lithium ion units in an effort to keep their costs down. Both should also score fuel mileage numbers somewhere in the 50-60 mpg range. For its part, Honda is planning to build 200,000 units of its new hybrid annually, with 100,000 earmarked for the U.S.

Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Volkswagen USA announced that the new VW Jetta TDI is now available for customer delivery. With the recent US recession, the Jetta diesel is one of the most anticipated cars in the States. According to the EPA, this car has an estimated fuel economy of 29 mpg (city) and 40 mpg (highway). But in other tests made by third-party certifier, AMCI, the car performed 24 percent better in real world conditions, achieving 38 mpg in the City and 44 mpg on the Highway.

The Jetta TDI’s come standard with Volkswagen’s Prevent and Preserve Safety System, consisting of numerous standard safety features. Jetta TDI’s include six airbags, with optional rear side airbags, and like all 2009 model year Volkswagens, Jetta TDI’s also feature standard Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP) for added safety. Also standard for 2009 is Volkswagen’s carefree maintenance program, with this program there are no charges for the scheduled maintenance described in the vehicle’s maintenance booklet for the length of the New Vehicle Limited Warranty-three years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Sedan and SportWagen have a starting price tag of $21,990 and $23,590, respectively and benefit from a $1300 Federal Income Tax Credit.

The 715 Audi RS6 Avant by B&B

Looks like tuning companies really love Audi RS6 Avant. After the 702 HP tuning package from MTM, this time the Audi have more powerful upgrade, from German tuner B&B. Equiped with a special rare exhaust system, high performance racing catalyst, remapped ECU, high flow intake and upgrated cooling system, the 5.0 litre V10 engine develops an amazing 715 HP, which mean that this "beast" sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.6 seconds with top speed of 320 km/h.

B&B offer several option of performance, 650 HP, 670 HP, 700 HP, and of course the top specs 715 HP.

18 August 2008

New Renault Symbol / Thalia

The French manufacturer announced the new Renault Symbol, which will make its world debut at the Moscow Motor Show which starts on August 26. Targeted towards markets like Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Turkey and the Maghreb countries, the car is 4.26 meters long and 1.43 m high and it follows the new Clio’s design with robust lines and chrome trimming for the grille and the rear panel. To be honest, I didn’t like the old one and I certainly don’t like this one. Renault claims that the new Symbol will provide “generous boot space which is as ideally suited to professional use as it is to a weekend in the country”. Unde the hood, the car will be offered with a range of petrol and diesel engines (probably the same ones from the Clio II, which also shares the suspension with the Symbol). That’s about all the details we’ve got so far, but Renault will make full specs available after the Moscow debut.

Source : AutoUnleashed

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

The wraps – and the roof – have come off the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport here in Monterey, finally answering a question few have asked and even fewer will sample.
As you’d expect, Bugatti hasn’t just hacked the roof off the Veyron and gone to the pub. The windshield is slightly higher, the daytime running lights have been tweaked and then there’s the showpiece: a removable, transparent polycarbonate roof, which blends the A-pillars into two painted carbon fiber strips that lead into the massive air intakes feeding the 1001 hp, quad-turbocharged, W16.

If you stow the roof at home for the world’s fastest open-air, four-wheeled experience and the heavens decide to open, a folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be – according to Bugatti – “opened like an umbrella.” With the soft-top in place, speeds are limited to an incredibly low 130 km/h (81 mph), otherwise, the Grand Sport can hit 252 mph with the polycarbonate roof and 224 mph with the top removed.

Bugatti made several structural enhancements to ensure the Grand Sport shares the same chassis rigidity and safety standards as its fixed roof counterpart. The monocoque has been reinforced around the side skirts and transmission tunnel, the doors feature new longitudinal beams, and the air intakes have been redesigned to include ten-centimeter-wide carbon fiber elements to protect occupants in the event of rollover.

Along with moisture-resistant, backstitched leather, a range of new equipment features has been added to the interior, including a reversing camera with 2.7-inch monitor in the rear-view-mirror, and the “Puccini” sound system with digital signal processor. When the roof is closed, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport can reach 407 km/h, while speeds of up to 360 km/h are possible with roof off. Should it rain, an innovative folding roof stored in the luggage compartment can be opened up like an umbrella at any time. When thisfolding roof is in place, the car can travel at up to 130 km/h. Assembled by hand at the company’s headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace, the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport will be available from March 2009 at the price of 1.4 million euros (excluding tax).

Just 150 examples will be made, with the first 50 of these going exclusively to registered Bugatti customers. The first vehicle is certain to be highly sought after, and Bugatti has taken the decision to donate this specific car to charity. It will be sold to the highest bidder at the Pebble Beach Auction presented by Gooding & Company.

Source : AutoFans

Lexus Nuaero Concept by Jon Rådbrink

The crazy concept you see in these photos represent the Lexus Nuaero, created by Swedish student Jon Rådbrink. The design represents his final project at the Vehicle Design Dept. at the Royal College of Art and “proposes a new design language to communicate ecological efficiency through an architecture inspired by aerodynamics”. The Nuaero concept features a flowing catamaran underbody (made possible by in-wheel motors and hub-center steering) that ends in a massive venturi tunnel between the rear wheels. A super low-drag body is achieved by using an airfoil (wing profile) center, that blends between the nearly flat rearward tapered sides. To smoothly guide the air around the cabin, the angle of attack of the airfoil is optimized for efficiency while creating negative lift.

“I’ve been looking at different basic principles and ideas about aerodynamic efficiency and then combined them into a unique vehicle architecture. Usually aerodynamics is a final stage in car design, so this project kind of started where most projects finish” Jon said.

The final design features a flowing catamaran underbody - made possible by in-wheel motors and hub-center steering - that ends in a massive venturi tunnel between the rear wheels. A super low-drag body is achieved by using an airfoil (wing profile) center, that blends between the nearly flat rearward tapered sides. To smoothly guide the air around the cabin, the angle of attack of the airfoil is optimized for efficiency while creating negative lift.

The Lexus Nuaero has the dimensional impact of a luxury car, with an overall length of 4730 mm and a wheelbase of 3300 mm. The width is 1999 mm and the height is 1245 mm. But, in spite of its large presence, the approximated weight of just over 800 kg is not far from that of a SMART fortwo.

Source : AutoUnleashed

2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid

The launch of the world’s first hybrid applied to a large luxury SUV, the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid, begins this month. Achieving a 50-percent improvement in fuel economy in city driving, Escalade Hybrid arrives at Cadillac dealerships in the United States with an MSRP of $71,685. That represents a premium of only $3,600 over a comparably-equipped Escalade. “In a changing marketplace emphasizing fuel economy technology, Cadillac is proud to be the only luxury brand offering a hybrid in this segment,” said Jim Taylor, Cadillac general manager.

Escalade Hybrid features GM’s advanced Two-Mode Hybrid technology, enabling EPA fuel economy ratings of 20/21 miles per gallon (city/highway). The hybrid system can operate the vehicle entirely on battery-electric power during idling or low-speed driving situations. Escalade Hybrid also incorporates Active Fuel Management technology that enables the Vortec V-8 engine to operate on only four cylinders in certain driving conditions to save fuel. Escalade Hybrid is offered as a total package, including nearly all available luxury and technical features as standard. The two extra-cost options are four-wheel drive and power running boards.

Source : AutoUnleashed

Nissan Murano Convertible

Just when you thought that the BMW X6 was weird, here comes another gem for the road: Nissan Murano Convertible. They guys at Edmunds learned about this first and broke the good/bad news for the rest of us. Seems that the roof will be canvas in order to keep some weight down on an otherwise pretty heavy car. As far as the engine goes, we’ll the same old 265 bhp 3.5 liter engine. The convertible should hit the stands in 2010. And we’ll be able to delight our senses with a prototype in 2009. This should give you time to save, since the price is said to be more than $40,000, which is the price of a top spec 2009 Nissan Murano.

Source : AutoUnleashed

New Generation Ford Mustang

A fierce battle is going on between the representatives of the American classic muscle cars. After Dodge and Chevrolet already released photos and tehnical details about their future models, the Challenger and the Camaro all eyes are now focused onto the manufacturer that revived the muscle car in recent history, Ford’s pony, the Mustang.

After the test drives offered at the Road America vintage car show, Ford wants to really create a genuine hype for this future model, although without showing any photos of the car until now. And to further incite the interest for this new pony, they recently launched the dedicated site to the 2010 Ford Mustang, which currently shows off the actual models in several perfomance videos and doing a few burnouts, to highlight the muscle car look. The site provides an option to keep up to date with all future news regarding the car and, as a special feature, a contest has started, which invites you to tell your story that involved Ford’s pony, the grand prize being a new 2010 Mustang.

This new car is set to arrive in early 2009 and we’re sure to have a pretty intense battle between the three factions of the American Muscle market.

Source : AutoUnleashed

Fiat 50 Hybrid

The Fiat 500 is a trully great car, that enjoys a lot of popularity, due to its small size, perfect for the big cities, its economical nature, getting pretty good fuel averages, and its retro look, a true modern classic. And Fiat is definitely having a lot of work to do to honor all the demands in the European markets, but that hasn’t stopped them to further experiment on the little model, a report surfacing that the italian manufacturer is planning a hybrid version of the small cult-car.

This wouldn’t be a big surprise, after presentig the Fiat Panda Aria concept last year at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it was only natural that Fiat would further modify the 900 cc engine, this new version of the 500 being powered by one, coupled to an addapted battery pack, which should provide emission under 90 g/km of CO2, and a fuel average of about 2.94 L/km or 80 mpg. These modifications to the engine would make its power in naturally aspirated mode to be about 65hp (48kW) and in the turbocharged mode around 105hp (78kW).

The 500 hybrid is supposed to debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next year. Other features to be seen on this car are a stop-start ignition system and a dual clutch gearbox to take it’s fuel average even lower. One thing is for sure, the 500 will get even more popular after this hybrid version will be launched, the term eco-friendly gaining it a new boost in popularity.

Source : AutoUnleashed

Citroen C6 "Office" Concept

Citroen and Intersection Magazine have created the Citroen C6 ‘Office’, a special concept based on the C6 Sedan model. Designed to appear in the following months, for fashion and entertainment events, the new Citroen concept was created as a “four wheels office”. Despite the completely black interior, which, by the way looks rather funerally, the C6 Office provides multiple facilities for its passengers. The concept is fitted with Kenwood audio system, Blackberry connectivity, Krug Champagne and an assortment of catering, equipped by Fauchon. The silvery decorative items are from Cristofle, and Navitec also contributed at the interior. Alcantara leather was used for the upholstery and other interior surfaces.

Source : AutoUnleashed

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