Apparently, Top Gear’s Richard Hammond needs to make way for his new Morgan Aeromax, and the car that had to go away is his 1997 Ferrari 550 Maranello. The car, which was owned by EVO magazine before Richard, features red with black leather interior, manual gearbox, RHD and it has 49,000 miles on the odometer. The car costs £39,950 (around $65,800) and “has had every care possible by Maranello to keep it pristine.”
Today, Ford has announced the 2010 Ford Fusion facelift, which, besides the obvious redesign, also got a new engine and a new six-speed transmission. This means the Fusion will be available with Ford’s all-new Duratec 2.5-liter I-4, producing 175 horsepower, an enhanced 3.0-liter V6 with 240 hp and a 3.5-liter V6 that delivers 263 hp for the Fusion Sport model. Ford claims that the Fusions equipped with the 2.5-liter engine will deliver at least 3 mpg better on the highway than the Honda Accord and 2 mpg better than the Toyota Camry. All engines are paired with six-speed transmissions which offers up to a 10 percent fuel economy improvement.
Ford also offers several fuel saving technologies, like EPS (Electric Power Steering), Adaptive Spark Ignition (senses what type of fuel is being injected into the motor and communicates the information to the powertrain control module, which adjusts the spark accordingly) and Aggressive Deceleration Fuel Shut-off (when the driver releases the accelerator pedal to slow down, the system temporarily turns off the fuel).
Ford UK has announced the pricing for the all-new Ka, who is scheduled to go on sale in January 2009. The mini car’s starting price will be £7,995 (around $12,500 or €10,000) and British customers will be able to choose between two engines, a 69 hp 1.2 liter petrol unit and a 1.3 liter turbodiesel developing 75 hp. The new Ford KA will be available in four different trims, Studio, Style, Style+ and the top of the range Zetec. The entry level Studio will feature height-adjustable steering wheel, ABS brakes, driver and passenger front airbags and a six speakers CD radio with MP3, while the Zetec, which Ford expects to be the most popular one, will come with electric front windows, body-colored door handles, 50/50 rear split seat, 15-inch alloy wheels, front fog lamps, remote central locking, upgraded instruments and trip computer. So, what do you think, will it be an interesting choice?
Though German tuner AC Schnitzer already presented a tuning program for the BMW X6, apparently that was not enough for them, because today they’ve announced another one, the X6 Falcon, the latest addition to the Falcon family. The first thing that strikes you when you see the car is the body kit, which is features wing extensions (makes it 70mm wider at the front axle and 80mm at the rear), front and rear skirt, moved fog lamps, contoured spoiler edge, rear diffuser and spoiler, body-colored skirts, plus 22 inch AC Schnitzer Type VII alloy wheels, available in black or silver. Not to mention the two-tone gold-black paint finish.
Mechanical upgrades include a new exhaust system and an enhanced Control Unit which boosts the power upgrade for the two diesel engines available, the 3.0 and 3.5 liter, from 235 hp and 286 hp to 272 hp and 310 hp respectively. Check out one more photo after the jump. (more…)
Who would’ve thought that one of the hybrid cars’ advantage, the low engine sound, will turn into an actual threat to pedestrians? And we can confirm that, because some time ago we drove the Toyota Prius and almost hit a dog who had no idea we were right behind him. However, recently, groups looking to protect the visually impaired have introduced legislation that will require electric vehicles to have a sound. In order to be compliant with there regulations, Frank Weber, General Motors E-Flex vehicle line executive, announced that the Volt will sound like “when on Spaceship Enterprise you hear the doors close, or use the transporter.” He added that the sound will be “highly technical”, “highly pleasing, almost imperceptible” and will “have no relation at all to a combustion engine” and will be “highly pleasing, almost imperceptible.” The Volt will also feature “a pedestrian-friendly alert” activated by the driver.
We’ve seen the new Nissan 370Z almost unveiled in a previous Need For Speed Undercover game trailer, plus some renderings of the convertible, but now we have the real thing: the first set of official photos released by Nissan. From the photos we see that the car’s not just a facelift, because a lot of things have changed, the 370Z going for a more retro look than the 350Z. However, for more details we’ll have to wait until the official launch, in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show. However, rumors say that the 370Z name indicates a 330 hp 3.7 liter V6 under the hood and the fact that the car will be shorter and lighter means extra performance. After it’s LA debut, the Nissan 370Z is expected to go on sale at the beginning of 2009.
Besides the official photos, we’ve also got the latest Need for Speed Undercover video game trailer, where the 370Z is one of the game’s stars. See more after the jump. Enjoy! (more…)
Auto Express reports that Audi is currently developing a new small city car, which will compete Ford’s recently launched Ka and the Fiat 500. Though there were some rumors in the past regarding a small Audi car based on the A1 concept, it seems that the platform used for the upcoming A1 will be the one from Volkswagen’s Up! Concept. The platform will also be used for small cars from the other members of the VW Group, Seat and Skoda.
Currently, Volkswagen engineers are working on two 600cc two-cylinder turbocharged engines (one diesel and one petrol) which will have an estimated fuel consumption of 95 mpg (3 liters/100 km) and CO2 emissions under 100 g/km. Also, a 1.2 liter three-cylinder engine might be available. So far, there aren’t many details available, but one thing’s for sure, the car will have ultra-low running costs and emissions. Volkswagen plans on launching the Up! model in 2010, with the mini Audi coming two years later, in 2012.
German tuner TECHART announced their latest product, the GTstreet R tuning program for the Porsche 911 Turbo. Probably the most impressive feature of the program is the engine upgrade, TECHART fitting the 911 with new turbochargers, large carbon fibre inlet pipes, special intercoolers, sports exhaust system combined with high-performance manifolds and improved sports air filter. The performance figures are impressive: 660 hp (485 kW) and a maximim 860 Nm at 4,600 rpm. Which means the car can go from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.4 seconds and up to a top speed of 345 km/h (215 mph). To make sure all that extra power doesn’t create problems on the road, TECHART fitted the Porsche with a specially adapted TECHART VarioPlus coil over suspension.
Like TECHART gotten us used to, the body kit is very aggressive, with large air inducts on the front spoiler, headlight trims, large sill panels, carbon fiber spoiler, rear wing, carbon fiber diffuser and air ducts to the intercooler. The interior also received a lot of goodies, such as individually tailored leather fittings, decorative stitching and sporty highlights in individual colour combinations, plus TECHART 3-spoke sports wheel and aluminium pedals.
Remember Project Kahn’s Cosworth 300 tuning program for the Range Rover Sport? It’s the first package released since British tuner Project Kahn and Cosworth started their partnership, back in April. And you might say that in the current economic times, a tuning program for an SUV won’t be that successful. However, you forget that there’s a place in this world where money’s not an issue at all, the Middle East. The Saudi Royal Family has just placed an order for 80 vehicles, which, considering that a fully customized one (we can’t imagine Saudi royalty ordering anything else) costs £122,226 (around $200,000), that’s quite a jump start for Afzal Kahn’s project. A spokesman for the Saudi Royal family said that the 80 vehicles were bought for “members of the family because Cosworth is back on the streets and we wanted the cars before anybody else.”
Geoff Hoon, Britain’s transport secretary, has announced that the government has decided to offer a £100 ($155, €125) million aid to the development of electric cars and other ultra-low emission cars. Ford Motor, Mercedes-Benz, Citroen and Land Rover are among the 10 companies that will compete to supply low-carbon vans to local councils and government bodies, such as the Royal Mail, and city councils including Glasgow, Leeds and Liverpool.
The British government told that this funding was necessary to give an initial boost to electric car sales, which aren’t the most affordable vehicles out there, due to the expensive batteries, plus the problem of recharging mean. Beside that, Mr. Hoon also announced that an extra £20 million will be allocated for research and development in technology to make electric cars more affordable.
And it looks like Europe is really starting to support electric cars, because, this month, French president Nicolas Sarkozy also announced a 400 million Euros funding for electric cars development.
The Aston Martin One-77 made sensation ever since it was first announced. The British company managed to create quite an interesting mistery around the car, by only partially unveiling it at this month’s Paris Motor Show. However, it seems that the first official photos were leaked and were published by the Dutch website 925.nl. We can see that the ultra exclusive supercar follows the design cues Aston Martin gotten us used to, but in a more extreme interpretation. The front part is awesome, the same’s the rear, not to mention the side vents. Under the hood, a 700 hp 7.3 liter V12 will power this £1 million car. However, if the pricing’s not an issue for you, we’re sorry to tell you the car’s already sold out.
We know, the title might sound really weird, but here’s what happened. The Clarke family, from Long Dittion, England, is very concerned about a black Pontiac Trans Am that has been parked in front of their house for about a month. But that’s no ordinary Trans Am, it has blacked out windows, 666 on the number plate and devils on all four wheels. We admit, that’s some we don’t see every day, but still, why would Satan drive a Trans Am?
“The car is like the spawn of the devil, it couldn’t look more evil if it tried. The only way it could look worse would be if it had horns. I’m beginning to think there is something dark and unexplained happening here. We want it moved from outside our house. The kids will be scared to knock on our doors to trick or treat. I have a serious concern people will associate us with satanic worshipping,” said Julian Clarke. He also added that “The number plate is 666, the number of the beast, and I’m worried that Halloween is coming up and the Satan is at our feet.”
So, unless Satan shows up this weekend, he’ll probably have his car towed away, because Mr. Clarke plans on calling the police to handle with this situation. It’s a crazy world we’re living in!
It seems that the South American market is getting more and more important for carmakers, who started paying more attention to it. Yesterday we showed you the Renault/Dacia Sand’up concept, designed entirely in South America and now we’ve got another concept, the Chevrolet GPiX Crossover Coupe, created by GM’s design center in Brazil, making its debut at the Sao Paolo motor show.
Its name, GPiX, means ‘Global Picture’ (‘G’ for Global and ‘P’ for Picture) and the two door concept features high ground clearance, appropriate for not-so-perfect roads found in emerging markets, the Chevrolet gold bowtie in the front grille, LED headlamps, 17-inch mixed-use wheels plus a panoramic glass roof. According to Jaime Ardila, President of General Motors Brazil and Mercosur, “this project, the Chevrolet GPiX concept could result in the development of many models for Brazil and the Mercosur region.”
Alfa Romeo has announced that their latest car, the highly anticipated MiTo, will hit UK showrooms next month. Though the car’s official debut is scheduled to happen on January 24, UK dealers will start getting MiTo’s for display purposes and, starting November 1, they’ll also start accepting orders for the car. The Alfa Romeo MiTo will be available with four engines, all Turbo (petrol and diesel). The starting price will be £10,975 for the 95 hp 1.4 liter version.
After watching this video of the Mustang concept by Giugiaro doing donuts, we keep wondering why doesn’t Ford understand that Europeans design better looking cars? Because we’ve seen some spy shots of the next generation Mustang, plus the teaser photos released by Ford, and the car is basically a facelift, at least in what regards the design. Anyways, here’s the video. Doesn’t it look hot?
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