Archive for the ‘Car’ Category

Top 10 concept cars

Volvo S60

Vehicle type: 4-door coupe

Powertrain: 180-hp, 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine

Debut: Detroit auto show

Designer: Orjan Sterner

What’s cool: Volvo’s take on the latest European styling trend — the 4-door coupe — is a sexy one. The swoopy sedan has muscular fenders and an in-your-face grille with an oversized Volvo badge that looks as if it were borrowed from a Volvo truck. The rear doors are hinged at the rear and swing back, clear of the body, to create a wide opening to the interior.

Will it be built? Yes; it goes on sale in mid- 2010.

Infiniti Essence

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Infiniti Essence

Vehicle type: 2-passenger, 2-door coupe

Powertrain: Hybrid, 434-hp, 3.7-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 and 158-hp starter-generator; 592 combined hp

Debut: Geneva auto show

What’s cool: This is one gorgeous machine. It could be twice as gorgeous if they stretched the car, added two doors and turned the Essence into a lower-priced competitor for the Mercedes-Benz CLS coupelike sedan.

Will it be built? The automaker has said the Essence is a rear-drive design study for future Infiniti models. But Infiniti also said the Essence could be considered for production.

Honda CR-Z

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Honda CR-Z

Vehicle type: 2+2 hatchback

Powertrain: Hybrid, with 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine

Debut: Tokyo auto show

Designers: Motoak Minowa, Makoto Iwaki

What’s cool: Who says hybrids need to be limited to 4-door sedans? Green can be cool-looking. AutoWeek called it “Best in Show.”

Will it be built? Yes. Look to the Detroit show in January for the real car. One change: It will be a 2-seater.

Fisker Karma S

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Fisker Karma S

Vehicle type: 2-door convertible with retractable hard top

Powertrain: Hybrid from General Motors Co.

Debut: Detroit auto show

Designer: Henrik Fisker

What’s cool: The powertrain can deliver 50 miles on electric power and an additional 250 miles once the gasoline engine cranks up. The folding metal hard top gives the car a sleek look.

Will it be built? Yes, in 2011 — priced at around $87,900.

Chrysler 200C EV

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Chrysler 200C EV

Vehicle type: 4-door sedan

Powertrain: Plug-in hybrid

Debut: Detroit auto show

Designer: Ralph Gilles, who at that time was Chrysler’s vice president of design

What’s cool: Stunning, elegant design that’s still a head-turner.

Will it be built? The 200C EV is built on a shortened version of Chrysler’s 300 platform. With Fiat now pulling the strings, Chrysler’s next-generation mid-sized cars will be developed on a front-drive Fiat Group platform. The body’s proportions might need to be modified for a Fiat platform, risking the beautiful balance of the design.

Lexus LF-Ch

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Lexus LF-Ch

Vehicle type: 5-door hatchback

Powertrain: Hybrid

Debut: Frankfurt auto show

Designers: Tom Matsumoto, Alex Shen, Edward Lee, William Chergosky

What’s cool: Practicality, fun to drive and eco-friendliness are what this premium, rear-drive compact is all about.

Will it be built? Yes, likely unveiled at the Geneva auto show in March.

Toyota FT-86

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Toyota FT-86

Vehicle type: 2-door 2-seater

Powertrain: 2.0-liter engine from Subaru

Debut: Tokyo auto show

Designers: Designed at Toyota’s ED2 studio in Nice, France, and Newport Beach, Calif.

What’s cool: This is a head-turning sports car — 2-passenger, rwd. Did someone say street racer? The badge says Toyota, but beneath the skin it’s all Subaru — engineering, manufacturing, even assembly.

Will it be built? Yes, in 2011. A sub-$30,000 sticker price is talked about.

Cadillac Converj

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Cadillac Converj

Vehicle type: Coupe

Powertrain: Plug-in hybrid

Debut: Detroit auto show

What’s cool: There is no mistaking the Converj for anything other than a Cadillac, with its creased body lines, vertical lights fore and aft, and egg crate grille. The concept shares the Chevrolet Volt hybrid powertrain.

Will it be built? That’s the $64,000 question.

Bugatti Galibier 16C

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Bugatti Galibier 16C

Vehicle type: 4-door sedan

Powertrain: 8.0-liter V-16, 2 superchargers; horsepower estimate: 800 to 1,000

Debut: Molsheim, France, the birthplace of Bugatti Motor Co.

What’s cool: The Galibier 16C is “intended to be the most exclusive, elegant and powerful 4-door automobile in the world,” Bugatti says on its Web site. If produced, an asking price of around $1.5 million has been hinted at. The concept seats 4 and emphasizes luxury, not sportiness.

Will it be built? Whether it is this car or something else, Bugatti wants to have a sedan in production by 2013. But how big is the market for a car that might cost over $1.5 million?

Audi Sportback

Vehicle type: 5-door hatchback

Powertrain: 3.0-liter, direct-injection, turbodiesel V-6

Debut: Detroit auto show

What’s cool: The Sportback refines Audi’s design vision, a minimal working of sheet metal that leaves the body decisive in shape and graceful in tone.

Will it be built? Yes. It’s the inspiration for what will be the Audi A7. The car is expected to arrive in 2011.

Lamborghini might jump into four-door fray

Is Lamborghini preparing a four-door-fighter to take on the Porsche Panamera and the Aston Martin Rapide — perhaps along the lines of the Estoque? Maybe.

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Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann again raised the possibility of a four-door car for the storied Italian company. Most recently, Lambo showed this Estoque concept at the 2008 Paris motor show.

Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann again raised that possibility recently.

“A third model would fit Lamborghini very well,” Winkelmann, 45, told Bloomberg. “A four-door car would be a very feasible approach.”

Lamborghini most recently considered the concept of a four-door with the Estoque sedan, a prototype revealed at the 2008 Paris motor show. But since then, the Italian company has been mum about the car’s fate, except for a statement last year indicating that no decision had been made either way for production. AutoWeek named it the Best in Show in Paris.

The Estoque is a four-door supercar with a 500-hp V10 borrowed from the Gallardo running with all-wheel drive and a lightweight chassis.

Lamborghini, the iconic 47-year-old dream maker, has never produced a sedan. It did make a four-seat coupe, called the Espada, though that was discontinued in 1978. The Estoque would be a dramatic departure for the brand lionized by icons such as the Miura, the Countach and the Reventón.

But modern realities have been harsher for Lamborghini, and it hasn’t completely rebounded from the global economic meltdown. Revenue fell 2.6 percent through the first six months, and sales were down 18 percent. Last year, sales plummeted 41 percent, though figures in China more than tripled, which is Lambo’s second-biggest market after the United States. Sales in other Asian countries grew as well.

Winklemann has admitted that this is a transitional year for the storied company.

In addition to a potential sedan, Lamborghini is also investing heavily in carbon-fiber technology, and it showed the Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera at the Geneva motor show this year.

Lamborghini historically has fought Ferrari for sales around the world, but now McLaren has jumped into the fray as well. Diverging from its historical base of lightweight, high-powered supercars would be a landmark step for Lamborghini and position it to fight Porsche, Aston Martin and Maserati, which all offer top-shelf four-doors.

Traditionalists have twice panned Porsche–which, like Lamborghini, is also owner by German giant Volkswagen–for producing the Cayenne SUV and now the Panamera. Alternately, those vehicles have bolstered the company’s finances, enabling it to continue making sports cars.

Fastest Ferrari road car to debut in Beijing

to the Editor

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The Ferrari 599 GTO has a top speed of 335kph

TURIN – Ferrari S.p.A. on Thursday released the first images of the 599 GTO, the company’s fastest road car. The 599 GTO, which is a limited-edition variant of the 599 GTB coupe, makes its public debut at the Beijing auto show that starts April 23.

A select group of Ferrari customers will get a look at the car in Modena, Italy, on April 14.

The 599 GTO is derived from the 599XX, a limited-edition racecar variant of the 599 GTB coupe.

The 599 GTO’s 6.0-liter V-12 engine delivers 670 hp – 50hp more than the standard powerplant in the 599 GTB – and pushes the car to a top speed of 335kph (about 208 mph).

The 599 GTO accelerates from 0 to 100kph in 3.35 seconds. The 599 GTB reaches 100kph in 3.7 seconds.

Because of it is lighter and more aerodynamic than the 599 GTB, the 599 GTO’s CO2 output is even less than its sister model (411 grams per kilometer compared with 415g/km for the 599 GTB).

Ferrari will build 599 units of the 599 GTO.

The car’s starting price has not been announced yet, but in Italy the 599 GTB’s base price is 251,000 euros (about $334,380).

Porsche may price 918 Spyder at $630,000, topping Carrera GT

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The 918 Spyder. pictured, is one of three hybrid models Porsche presented at the Geneva auto show in March

BERLIN (Bloomberg) — Porsche AG may price the 918 Spyder, which accelerates to 100 kilometers an hour in 3.2 seconds, at 500,000 euros ($630,000), topping the Carrera GT as its costliest model, according to two people with direct knowledge of the plan.

At least 2,000 individuals have put in non-binding expressions of interest for the supercar, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information is confidential. The 918 Spyder is one of three hybrid models Porsche presented at the Geneva auto show in March.

Demand for luxury cars is returning as Wall Street firms add jobs for the first time in two years and offer guaranteed payouts to attract top bankers.

While Porsche hasn’t decided whether and when it will begin production of the model, at that price the 918 Spyder would top the 453,000-euro Carrera GT. Fewer than 1,500 units of that model were built between 2003 and 2006.

“The Spyder will become Porsche’s new supercar showpiece project,” said Stefan Bratzel, director of the Center of Automotive at the University of Applied Sciences in Bergisch- Gladbach, Germany. “It unites Porsche’s high-performance engineering with intelligent drive technology.”

Porsche, which is merging with Volkswagen AG, needs at least 1,000 sales pledges to approve limited production of the car, development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer said in an April 24 interview. If only half of those who signed up eventually bought the car, Porsche stands to reap 500 million euros in revenue.

500-horsepower

A Porsche spokesman declined to comment on the potential price tag and said a decision on production of the model will be made later this year.

The two-seater car accelerates to a top speed of 320 kilometers (199 miles) per hour, relying on a 500-horsepower V8 engine and electric drive-systems allowing the vehicle to run up to 25 kilometers on electric power.

The 918 Spyder emits no more than 70 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer on fuel consumption of three liters per 100 kilometers, according to Porsche’s Web site.

Frank Biller, an analyst at Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart, where Porsche is based, said the 918 Spyder may enhance the carmaker’s environmental credentials and potentially help attract customers to the brand which he says builds “Europe’s worst gas guzzlers.”

Lamborghini SpA, another luxury brand owned by Volkswagen, introduced its Reventon Roadster supercar at the Frankfurt motor show last September. At 1.1 million euros, the Reventon is the priciest model Lamborghini has ever made.

Ferrari 599 GTO

Fiat SpA’s Ferrari unit charges 320,000 euros for the 599 GTO, which the Italian carmaker calls its “fastest road-going model in our history.”

Boosting demand for super-luxury cars, average Wall Street bonuses jumped 17 percent to $123,000 last year, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said Feb. 23.

Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc. are among banks that are hiring to replenish their ranks, while Nomura Holdings Inc. and Jefferies Group Inc. have been recruiting talent from larger firms in a bid to increase their standing on Wall Street.

In the first six months, BMW AG’s Rolls-Royce almost doubled deliveries. Daimler AG’s Mercedes- Benz unit increased sales by 22 percent in the U.S. alone.

Porsche is promoting the 918 Spyder at a time when VW is seeking to revive the sports-car manufacturer’s vehicle lineup.

Volkswagen last week named its head of strategy, Matthias Mueller, as chief executive officer of Porsche from Oct. 1, replacing Michael Macht, who will head production at the parent company.

Boxster, Cayenne

Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn said last week Porsche will probably add a new line of smaller Boxster roadsters to its four-model lineup as the manufacturer aims to double sales in the medium term to 150,000 cars and sport-utility vehicles.

A further addition may be a compact SUV, smaller than Porsche’s best-selling Cayenne model, with production based on the Q5 model of VW’s Audi division, the people said.

Porsche’s deliveries in North America, which includes Canada and Mexico, fell 18 percent to 15,592 units in the nine months through April. Sales in the U.S., Porsche’s biggest single market, slumped 40 percent last fiscal year to 19,024 cars and SUVs.

Uwe Hueck, Porsche’s works council chief, said July 6 that building the 918 Spyder at the main Zuffenhausen plant would help create jobs at the factory where about 5,500 workers are employed. Hueck is aiming to conclude talks with management over investment and employment terms at Zuffenhausen by July 22.

Synthetic Engine Oil – Is it better than the natural engine oil?

Natural oil produced from synthetic oil, also known as oil. Engine oil is made, or artificially synthesized. Initial research for lubricants, which are that, will replace natural oils in the 1930s and early 1940s in Germany and Germany would have been. There are several types of both oils and synthetic oils are semi-synthetic oils mixtures of natural mineral and synthetic oil. Synthetic oils are oils such as motor oil composed of course, that you are always with synthetic oil if you want to have the best possible LUBRICANT variety. This means you can mix, if you want.

Why do you want the oil exploitation Synthetic motor oil? Sat Viscositester performance is much better than natural oil, which causes less wear and better overall mechanical performance. It provides better lubrication on cold start and is more stable than natural oil. This, to a loss of the smallest contributing driving steam combines less mechanical wear, which also means that the motor will take longer. This also means that the oil must as often as the natural oil to be changed, which finance the least to do well in both oils benefit the environment and motorists. To further improve the environment and personal finances, use of synthetic motor oil means more efficiency in fuel utilization for specific vehicles and engines.

Classic, Sports & Muscle Cars

May 27 – 2010 Brabus T65 RS Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG Black Series This extreme new supercar from Brabus features 800 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque from a twin-turbo V12.


2010 Brabus T65 RS Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG

May 26 – 1970-1974 Dodge Challenger Period Photos Historical images of the famed muscle/pony car from the early 1970s.


1970-1974 Dodge Challenger Period Photos



May 26 – 2010 G-Power BMW M3 GT2 S & M3 Tornado CS G-Power announces two track-ready but street legal version of the M3 powered by a supercharged 600 hp V8.  The GT2 is more of a pure race car, while the Tornado is the “civilian version” of the pair.


2010 G-Power BMW M3 GT2 S & M3 Tornado CS

May 25 – 2010 Pininfarina Nido EV This small electric vehicle is the first prototype of the “Nido Development Programme”, a modular platform from which new types of hybrid and electric cars will be developed


2010 Pininfarina Nido EV

May 25 – 2010 BMW Alpina B3 S Biturbo Alpina has extracted 400 hp from a twin turbocharged version of the 3 liter inline-6, while the body sports a new spoiler and rear valence.  Other features include numerous interior upgrades and enhanced suspension.


2010 BMW Alpina B3 S Biturbo

May 23 – 2010 RZ Ultima Concept by Racer X Design The RZ Ultima concept is intended for those who want all the performance that the incredibly fast Ultima GTR offers, but with a more refined look.


2010 RZ Ultima Concept by Racer X Design

May 23 – 2010 TechArt Porsche Cayenne Individualization Individualization options for the exterior, the engine area and the interior of the SUV as well as light alloy and forged wheels.


2010 TechArt Porsche Cayenne Individualization

May 22 – 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X This turn-key spec series racer from Dodge features 640 hp from it 8.4 liter V10. At 3190 lbs, it weighs 160 lbs less than the stock Dodge Viper.


2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X

May 22 – 2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8 The HEMI powered Challenger features 0-60 times of under 5 seconds thanks to its 425 hp V8.


2010 Dodge Challenger SRT8

May 22 – 2010 Dodge Charger SRT8 HEMI power for the Charger makes this the quickest sedan in Dodge’s lineup.


2010 Dodge Charger SRT8

May 22 – 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 This HEMI powered Grand Cherokee is the quickest Jeep ever, with 0-60 mph times of under 5 seconds.


2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

May 21 – 1935-1936 Mercedes-Benz 150 Sports Roadster Decades before Lamborghini set a new standard with their beautiful Miura, Mercedes-Benz created their own mid-engine sports car.  Its original design and configuration make the 150 Sports Roadster one of the most remarkable cars of its era.  Only a handful were ever produced, and only one still exists today.


1935-1936 Mercedes-Benz 150 Sports Roadster

May 19 – 2010 AC Schnitzer BMW X6M & X6M Falcon The Schnitzer X6M features a carbon fiber front spoiler, rear roof spoiler, rear wing, rear diffuser and design elements for the front skirt and chromed front grille.  AC Schnitzer has adapted the FALCON wheel arch extensions so that the BMW body gains an extra 40 mm width each side.


2010 AC Schnitzer BMW X6M


2010 AC Schnitzer BMW X6M Falcon

May 17 – 2010 TopCar Porsche Cayenne 2 TopCar releases three new and related body packages for the Porsche Cayenne.


2010 TopCar Porsche Cayenne 2

May 17 – 2010 Vorsteiner Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG V6E Aero Package Carbon fiber components include a front spoiler, deck lid spoiler, and rear diffuser.


2010 Vorsteiner Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG V6E Aero

May 17 – 2008 Ferrari FXX Racing A look at the racing program for the 860 hp, naturally aspirated FXX.


2008 Ferrari FXX Racing

May 17 – 2010 Hamann BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo An aerodynamic body package along with a lowering kit for the 5 series GT.  The diesel 530d sees an upgrade to an impressive 457 lb-ft of torque.


2010 Hamann BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo

May 14 – 2010 MTM Audi R8 GT3-2 This R8 features RWD, 560 hp from a supercharged V8, an aerodynamic package, and MTM suspension upgrades.


2010 MTM Audi R8 GT3-2

May 14 – 2010 MTM Audi RS6 Clubsport This twin-turbocharged RS6 produces over 730 hp, with a target top speed of 217 mph.


2010 MTM Audi RS6 Clubsport

May 14 – 2010 TechArt Porsche 911 Turbo Aerodynamic Kit II A new aerodynamic package for the 997, featuring a front spoiler, front and rear aprons, side skirts, and rear spoiler, along with their own LED daytime running light system.


2010 TechArt Porsche 911 Turbo Aerodynamic Kit II

May 12 – 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS This 620 hp GT model marking the absolute climax in the 911 range is the fastest and most powerful road-going sports car ever built in the history of Porsche.


2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS

May 12 – 2010 Porsche 911 Aerokit Cup Retrofitting These four new retrofit highlights Porsche include a 19″ sport wheel with the look of the Fuch rim from the limited edition 911 Sport Classic; a three-spoke steering wheel with gearshift paddles; and the Aerokit Cup front apron and rear lid.


2010 Porsche 911 Aerokit Cup Retrofitting

May 11 – 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class L This version of the E-Class for China will be extended about 5.5 inches for additional interior space.


2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class L

Buy a car without stress.

Don’t let car buying be difficult. It’s no secret that almost all salesmen are out to profit from you. Those that aren’t are crazy! It’s as simple as that. Managing car sales is a tricky thing, but we don’t think it should be complicated. That’s why we cover all the strategies you need to get around their devious methodologies and get the deal you’re entitled to. Cars are worth a certain amount, it’s as simple as that–there’s no reason you should pay too much! We try to make it a simple affair to get the finest price on your vehicle. We can make car prices low for you! We help consumers get the best prices on their vehicles. The world is too expensive to pay too much on a car, especially with the increasing necessity of a functional vehicle in an increasingly larger world. Transportation is a necessity any way you look at it, no matter your location. Even if you walk on a regular basis, even if you don’t use a car to get to work, you will be surprised how often you need motorized transportation for the oddest things. Moving, helping friends and other such circumstances are just a few reasons you can’t afford to go without a car–and why cars should be afordable. Get the best dealer invoice prices! Don’t pay too much for a car! Car sales are a vicious industry that revolves almost entirely around drilling the buyer for as much money as possible. We don’t think that’s right. When you go to a department store for an appliance, there’s no haggling and no devious markup–just a set, static price for a single product, with a suggested retail price and a standard. Some people would like to think that cars shouldn’t have such a thing, and that they should be able to wring as much money out of a buyer as they please–we disagree.

Ferrari California Sports Car

The new 2010 Ferrari California is the first hard-top convertible ever produced by Ferrari and the first to feature a mid-front positioned engine.

Ferrari California features a new 4.3 liter V8 with direct injection and a flat crankshaft that will put out 460HP. The result is a 0-60mph of under 4 seconds.

Ferrari California

The 2010 Ferrari California is a true super sports car!

Ferrari cool sports car

Ferrari convertible

Lamborghini Reventon

The Lamborghini Reventon is an extreme super sports car without equals.

With only 20 produced (each 1 Million Euro), Lamborghini Reventon is a symbol of extreme exclusivity with extraordinary performance through the entire technical and dynamic competence of the twelve cylinder Lamborghini.

Lamborghini prides itself on being the extraordinary manufacturer of extreme super sports cars without compromise. The Reventon was inspired by the fastest airplanes and perfected to the last detail.

Lamborghini

Lamborghini Lamborghini Lamborghini

Diablo SE30 and Diablo SE30 Jota

A Diablo SE30

A lightened, hard-edged racing variant of the standard Diablo, the Diablo Special Edition (SE), was sold in limited numbers during 1994-1995 to celebrate Lamborghini’s 30th anniversary.

In total only about 150 cars were made. In 1995 Lamborghini introduced the Diablo SE30 Jota; the SE30 Jota was produced from the Lamborghini factory but SE30 owners also had the option of having Lamborghini upgrade their SE30 to SE30 Jota specifications. The SE30 Jota upgrade consisted of two roof mounted air scoops, a re-tuned L.I.E. chip and a six-speed all-synchromesh gearbox. With these upgrades in place the Diablo SE30 Jota could produce a claimed 595 bhp (444 kW; 603 PS) , about 70[1][2] more than the normal SE30s. In total only about 28 Jota upgrade kits were made.

The car went without most of the Diablo’s standard equipment to save weight, it featured lots of carbon fiber parts, helping to make it 125 kilograms (276 lb) lighter than the standard Diablo. Lamborghini chose to do without the VT’s advanced electronic suspension or all-wheel-drive systems, but the car did get an advanced adjustment system controlled with an interior dial that could instantaneously adjust the stiffness of the car’s front and rear anti-roll bars. They also enlarged the brake discs of all four wheels.