Land Rover Going Green
The race against the clock is on for Land Rover to adapt itself to a world where CO2 emissions count. Currently Land Rover’s range of heavy, powerful sport utility vehicles puts it in a potentially dangerous spot for the future where the European Union’s impending legislations threaten to wipe out the great off-roader altogether. As such, Land Rover and Jaguar have announced a £700m ($1.4 bn US/CAD) investment into making their vehicles leaner and greener.
The first move was unveiled last week at the Frankfurt auto show, an LR2 with a stop and start system to prevent idling. The system will first debut on the TD4 turbodiesel model with manual transmission, due to its ease of integration. Land Rover says that this change, applicable around the globe to all of its TD4-powered LR2s would save 10 million tons of CO2 per year, based on the annual production of 28,000 units traveling 24,000 km (15,000 mi) apiece. However, you can bet that as a part of the investment, Land Rover will be adding it to its other vehicles, especially those with bigger V8s that drink more fuel.
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Hyundai Canada Launches Exclusive Performance Parts Division
Posted in Green, Land Rover | 6 Comments »
Hyundai and performance? Most who conjure up images of the South Korean brand probably wouldn’t immediately equate the two terms as synonymous, unless they’ve spent time in the automaker’s sporty Tiburon coupe or taken a spin in someone’s hopped up Accent.
Yes, the budget brand has a performance-oriented following and its smallest entry has become more popular with the tuner crowd since the newest version debuted last year, while the racy Tiburon has always found buyers willing to spend thousands to personalize it with large diameter wheels, lower profile tires, ground effects kits, customized paint and big, phat audio systems, but overall most young buyers would probably think to purchase a Honda, Mazda or VW for tuning purposes before a Hyundai.
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Posted in Hyundai, Performance, Tuning | 4 Comments »
SSC Ultimate Aero TT: The Fastest Car in the World
The title of World’s Fastest Production Car is back on the table. Over the past five years, this title has changed hands time and time again, going from Britain’s McLaren to Sweden’s Koenigsegg to the king of supercars, the Bugatti Veyron. Its next move will see it travel across the Atlantic Ocean to a small super car maker founded in Washington State, SSC.
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Posted in Performance, SSC, Shelby Super Cars | 21 Comments »
New Military Jeep
Before Jeep became the legendary off-road brand that it is today, it got its start by producing vehicles for the military. The original Jeep (the Willys MB) served its tour in WWII and other battles, and from there, as they say, the rest is history. After being absent from military duty for years, Chrysler LLC has just announced a new military Jeep based on the Wrangler called the J8.
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Posted in Jeep, SUV | 2 Comments »
Toyota iQ Concept, Tiny But Brilliant
Besides the fairly obvious trend of being green, another theme of this year’s Frankfurt auto show is downsizing. Earlier this week we saw the unveiling of the rear-engined, rear-wheel drive micro-compact Volkswagen Up!. But the Up! won’t go unchallenged for the most innovative form of city-friendly transportation around, especially not since the unveiling of the Toyota iQ Concept vehicle.
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Posted in Concept Cars, Toyota | No Comments »
Fiat Concepts Built for Green and Speed
Italian auto conglomerate Fiat will be introducing a pair of new concept vehicles at Frankfurt, frugal performance seeming to be the theme.
Grande Punto Abarth essesse
Having grounded itself in a state of strong finances and good automobiles after some rather tumultuous times, Fiat is now back in stride and focusing on its heritage. Back in the day, Fiat’s performance brand was called “Abarth†(the small Turin-based company founded by Carlo Abarth was taken over by Fiat in July of ‘71) and it produced potent versions of such classic vehicles as the 500.
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Posted in Concept Cars, Fiat, Green | No Comments »
Kia Launches Corporate Blog
Kia Motors Corporation, Korea’s alternative automotive brand has one of the youngest demographics in the industry, its price conscious cars appealing to those just starting out in life and in need of a financial break. It makes sense then, to reach out to these youthful owners and prospective buyers in a globally understood language that hits this demographic right in the eyes, via a new corporate blog dubbed Kia BUZZ.
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Posted in Blog, Kia | 1 Comment »
MINI SUV to be Built by Magna?
MINI has been in the news lately with regards to the forthcoming Clubman model, the much awaited MINI Cooper wagon. Much like the internationally-inspired wagon concepts, the new Clubman will feature a rear-hinged access (suicide) door plus an extended wheelbase for much-needed extra interior room. Undisguised interior and exterior spy shots have already made their way onto the internet and it’s common knowledge that the car will be debuting this September in Frankfurt. But what’s also got MINI in the news is word regarding a forthcoming compact sport utility vehicle, filling in the niche that smart didn’t when the formore compact SUV was canned.
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Posted in Mini, New Model, Tech | 1 Comment »
Next Generation Volkswagen Phaeton to be Both Sedan and Roadster?
If at first you don’t succeed, try again. This appears to be the motto that Volkswagen is taking with regards to its ultra-luxury sedan, the Phaeton.
The Phaeton was an excellent vehicle, the perfect demonstration of what an automaker with brilliant engineers can do if it chooses not to concern itself with budget constraints. Built with immaculate precision, the highest quality and newest technology, the Phaeton was a truly impressive vehicle. The only problem is that it was a sales flop. It failed to capture the North American market due to image-related problems. Consumers didn’t feel compelled to invest considerable amounts of money in an entry-level brand that also produces Golfs, Jettas and Beetles. But just because the Phaeton didn’t make it in North America doesn’t mean that it’s a dud elsewhere in the world. In other markets, including its home country of Germany, it recently received a mid-cycle update that focused on appearances and technology similar to the changes made to the Touareg 2. And that mild facelift makes it clear that Volkswagen is getting ready to bring the next generation Phaeton to market in a couple of years.
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Posted in Update, Volkswagen | 1 Comment »
Ford Kuga Compact Crossover
While the now profitable Ford Motor Company has been in the spotlight regarding the sale of the brands that the comprise Premiere Auto Group, its European division will have something new to show come this September at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Ford is practically the only major mainstream manufacturer in Europe to not offer a compact sport utility vehicle (or a sport utility vehicle whatsoever) since it withdrew the Maverick (Escape) from the market during the early part of the decade. The car that will be shown at Frankfurt is a refined version of the iosis X concept that was displayed at last year’s Paris auto show, and should fill in this much-needed gap nicely.
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Subaru Will Offer Gearless CVT Transmission
Posted in Crossover, Ford, SUV | 2 Comments »
The gearless CVT transmission comes and goes in waves of popularity. Previously isolated to European and Japanese-market city cars, they’ve become an aide in the modern quest for fuel-efficient vehicles around the world. Without physical ratios or a torque converter, they’re more efficient than their regular automatic transmission counterparts, but are prone to what’s called the rubber band effect where the engine’s speed rises disproportionately to the speed of the car.
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Posted in Subaru, Tech, Update | No Comments »
Volkswagen to Hit International Market With Chinese-Built Car
After much delay, the deal between Chrysler and China’s Chery, to build a brand new subcompact car, is finally underway. The upcoming Chinese-built Dodge is already undergoing scrutiny by the brand’s engineers to ensure that quality and safety are up to spec. Chrysler is even going so far as to first launch the vehicle in less critical markets that have less demanding standards, to judge how it performs before selling it in North America.
Another Chinese brand that’s supposedly heading our way is Brilliance Auto, assembly partner to BMW, which reportedly assisted in the styling and production techniques of their cars. The brand was recently put in the spotlight for the extremely poor crash test results (1-star) of its BS6 sedan in a simulation EuroNCAP crash test. Even after one of its two European distributors closed up shop and the brand pulled out of the NYSE, internally Brilliance and its prospective North America distributor maintains that all is still a go for a North American launch early next year.
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Posted in Financial, Uncategorized, Volkswagen | 1 Comment »
Kia Sports Coupe to Debut at Geneva
Since his first project with Kia, the ex_cee’d cabrio concept car, Peter Schreyer has been hard at work on several new projects in an attempt to change the way people think of the budget Korean carmaker. It’s starting to work, as the compact cee’d has really spiced things up for the brand. Critics were truly impressed with the dynamic characteristics of the hatchback, not to mention its first-rate interior quality and first rate fit and finish. Buyers now have other reasons to buy one of their products besides the excellent warranty and the truly affordable prices. Kia now wants to add stylish designs to the list of reasons for purchasing one of their cars, and their forthcoming sports coupe looks to be the vehicle to do it.
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Posted in Kia, New Model | 1 Comment »
Ferrari Ultra-Light F430 Scuderia
Weight is everything when it comes to sports cars. Reducing weight allows manufacturers to produce cars that handle better, accelerate quicker, and stop faster. Weight (or a lack thereof) is what allows vehicles like the Caterham 7 and Ariel Atom to outperform and embarrass much more powerful and costly cars, despite their significantly smaller and less powerful engines. This is why many brands make such a big deal out of putting their top cars on diets, such as the Porsche 911 GT3-RS, BMW M3 CSL and the new Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.
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Posted in Ferrari | No Comments »
Chrysler Crossfire Trudges On Despite Slow Sales
When Chrysler brought its premium-grade Crossfire coupe to market in 2003 as a 2004 model, there were more than a few that questioned its potential for success. Even at the launch program Chrysler’s executives talked more about the car being an image builder for Chrysler, and an example of the brand’s cooperative development with then-owner Mercedes-Benz (a.k.a. Daimler), than anything about sales volumes.
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Posted in Chrysler, Financial | No Comments »
Mercedes Benz C-Class Hatchback to Return Next Year
With the growth of the compact segment reaching new heights, Mercedes-Benz looks to be returning to an old favourite in order to increase the number of small vehicles that it offers around the globe. It’s still under debate whether or not Mercedes’ awkward B-Class will be offered in the United States, but just the same there’s going to be an all-new small Mercedes model heading into the land of the free as well as other world markets.
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Posted in Mercedes-Benz, New Model | 2 Comments »
Chrysler Stops Imperial Production and Prepares for New 300
Commonly referred to as “the poor man’s Rolls-Royce”, the Chrysler Imperial was scheduled to enter production by the end of the decade. Though the current 300 has served the brand well, helping to create a more luxurious image for the smallest member of the Big Three, having a true flagship vehicle to compete with Ford’s Lincoln and GM’s Cadillac was felt to be necessary. The car debuted in concept form two years ago at the North American International Auto Show, complete with rear-hinged doors and a bluff front end that mimicked the look of the ultra-swanky Phantom.
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Posted in Chrysler, Financial | No Comments »
Mercedes Builds ML Edition10 to Celebrate 10 Years of US-Built Cars
A lot can happen in the time span of a decade. We’ve seen brands die, brands created and the rise, fall and struggle of some unexpected automakers. The past ten years also saw the dramatic increase in the price of fuel, which resulted in the quest for alternative fuels such as E85 and hydrogen, not to mention clean diesel technology and advent of the hybrid. Ten years also happens to mark the amount of time that Mercedes-Benz has been building vehicles in North America at its Tuscaloosa plant in Alabama.
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Posted in Mercedes-Benz | No Comments »
General Motors to Bring More Clean Diesels to North American Market
After suffering a bout of unpopularity in North America, diesel power is finally returning to favour. Automakers are developing extra clean diesel engines capable of overcoming extremely tough emissions controls, which are also smooth, powerful, rich in torque and easy on the wallet. Thanks to technology developed and refined in Europe, North Americans will be treated to the latest generation of engines that feature piezoelectric injectors and variable geometry turbochargers. These engines have already started to appear on ML-, R- and GL-Class Mercedes-Benzes and Jeep’s Grand Cherokee, and will appear next year in the new Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Tiguan TDI. Other automakers have pledged to enter the battle by the end of the decade, including BMW, Honda, Hyundai and Subaru.
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Posted in Diesel, General Motors, Green | No Comments »
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