Car NEWS log

posted by admin on Jan 25

Last week, we reported that athwart 300 BMWs possess been damaged during shipping. Most of the cars were the upcoming BMW 1-series and the fresh M3, and to twist the knife smooth harder, lots of the damaged cars belonged to customers who possess bought their delightful bimmers end the BMW European conveyance Program. Unfortunately, this was not the chief spell that happened. In the past, it was the Andrea Doria and the Chrysler Norseman concept car. (Read the full post about ‘How will BMW deal with the cars damaged during shipping’…)

posted by admin on Jan 25

There was a short period in the 1960s when Willys-Overland, in addition to building Jeeps, constructed a race car based on the Renault Alpine 108. The Interlagos, so named for the famous race track in San Paolo, had only a small production run of less than a 1,000. Nevertheless, the light-weight car made an impression on the Brazilian market. Though we don’t have a new Alpine from Renault, two Brazilian designers have already started dreaming about the next generation Interlagos and have turned those dreams into drawings of a two-seater, mid-engined roadster and coupe.

The plan is to use the same 148-horsepower 2.0-liter engine that powers the Megane and tie it to a six-speed manual gearbox. While this isn’t an incredible amount of power for a small roadster, the car is expected to weigh less than 2,200 pounds. If the designers can get the proper funding together the plan is to make the car in Brazil and possibly export it to other countries.

While investing in start-up sports car companies is always a questionable activity, we should mention that Ford, Fiat and other companies see Brazil as an important market and are doing their best to get new product there. [WideID via World Car Fans]

posted by admin on Jan 25

Scion and Toyota stands to be quiet. Toyota Enbrel medicine that it had chosen a. Get free and easy new car price quote in minutes. This is my first time posting in the three years. Interest in Toyota and ask for their continued support. Keyed rear spoiler will also be available.

Aston Martin Race Series on Aston Martin Asia Cup. Please visit our home page at http. This brings the total number of local Zyrtec 10mg to six. Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than. Work for this project will begin in February.

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posted by admin on Jan 24

The new Mazda2 three-door hatchback will make its world premiere on Tuesday 4 March at the 78th Salon International de l’Auto de Genève. This is the first time that Mazda has offered a three-door variant in its popular Mazda2 model range. The newcomer will feature all the attributes of the five-door hatchback, but delivering an even sportier feel at a more affordable price.The new Mazda2 three-door hatchback is designed to attract new customers and boost Mazda’s continued growth in the European market. It comes with the same powertrain line-up – the lively and responsive MZR 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre petrol engines and the MZ-CD 1.4-litre turbo diesel – as the five-door hatchback. These engines achieve high fuel efficiency together with particularly low CO2 emissions.

The three-door Mazda2 shares the same overall dimensions as the five-door and achieves a similarly modest kerb weight, model for model. The five-door Mazda2 has already demonstrated that by completely redesigning the body and chassis and implementing Mazda’s unique ‘gram strategy’, the brand’s small car weight could be reduced to under the 1,000 kilogram threshold. This outstanding result reverses the industry trend towards bigger and heavier cars.

Launched in September 2007 as Mazda’s first new-generation Zoom-Zoom vehicle to evolve to the next level, the new Mazda2 was an immediate hit with European customers. In December 2007, it was awarded a 5-Star safety rating by Euro-NCAP and it has won more than 20 automotive awards. These include Car of the Year awards in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Greece and New Zealand, along with the Japan RJC Car of the Year.

The Geneva Show will also witness three Mazda European debuts: the Mazda Taiki concept car, equipped with a next-generation rotary engine, the Mazda5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid and the upgraded Mazda’s RX-8 four-seater, four-door sports car.

Source: Mazda

Pictures of 2008 4-door Mazda2

posted by admin on Jan 24

Robert Nardelli, Chrysler CEO, spoke to the Automotive News World Congress last night in Detroit’s iconic Renaissance Center. He didn’t say much that he hasn’t said before but did hit on the following points:

• Chrysler plans to set up “Centers of Excellence” in foreign countries, combining design, engineering and maybe manufacturing into global regions, beginning with Mexico and China. Nardelli stated that, “it’s very important to be insular.”
• The importance and advantages of being private. Chrysler is attempting to transition from being just another division of Daimler to an iconic, brand driven company. Mr. Nardelli razed the name of Harley-Davidson as an example of the power of a private company, even joking that he would get a Pentastar tattoo. He stated that, “The job of bringing back ‘The New Chrysler’ is an opportunity of a lifetime.”
• He also reaffirmed the company’s move to invest $500 million in 260 product enhancements, as well as its new UAW labor agreement.

I’m actually starting to warm up to Robert Nardelli. The industry as a whole was skeptical of letting an outsider run the 3rd most important company in American automotive but I think it might be a good thing. I’ve worked in Detroit automotive and my general impression was that it needs fresh blood. Nardelli is stressing product and marketing, two things sorely missing under the Pentastar in the last few years.

Let us know what you think of Chrysler’s course in the comments

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

posted by admin on Jan 23

Jeep’s open-air Renegade concept offers a “200 kW (268 hp) electric motor with a 40 mile range that’s powered by lithium ion batteries.” Video after the break. Click here for first picture in gallery.
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posted by admin on Jan 23

Chrysler LLC unveiled the Dodge ZEO, an electric vehicle concept car with a 64kWh Li-ion rechargeable battery at the 2008 Detroit Motor Show (2008 North American International Auto Show, public showing from Jan 19 to 27, 2008).

It runs 250 miles (approx. 402km) for one battery charge. The manufacturer of the battery has yet to be announced, Chrysler said. The schedule for the commercialization is not decided, either. The name “ZEO” stands for “zero emission operation.”

It is a rear wheel drive car with a 200kW motor mounted on its rear side. It weighs 1,202kg. The time required to reach 60mph (96km/h) from the halt state is 5.7 seconds. The top speed is 209km/h.

“The motor and the battery account for most of the vehicle weight,” the company said.

It is a four-door (two sets of double doors), four-passenger car without the B-pillar. White LED is used for the headlights. The indicators and the center console are arranged using LCD displays on the instrument panel. All of the three concept cars exhibited by the company at the Show use LCD displays for indicators on the instrument panel.

The body measures 4,390 (L) x 1,743 (W) x 1,290mm (H), and the wheelbase is 2,792mm long.

Chrysler set up an in-house organization dubbed “ENVI,” which is specializing in the development of technologies for electric and hybrid vehicles, in late 2007. And the company unveiled three motor-driven concept cars at a stroke at this year’s show.

They are ecoVoyager, which mounts a fuel cell and a Li-ion rechargeable battery, Jeep Renegade, a diesel hybrid vehicle with a Li-ion rechargeable battery and Dodge ZEO.

posted by admin on Jan 23

What is it about stretched Chrysler 300 limos that are just so cool. Well actually it is quite understandable especially if the have lambo doors like these two. I think Stephen Colbert should be chauffeured around New York in a Chrysler300 limo. Then he wouldn’t be driving his car there and as a man of his stature deserves the very best when seen in public. But which color should he be in white or black ?

Tags: 300C Chrysler 300C Stretched Chrysler 300C Limo

posted by admin on Jan 21

The jury’s still out on whether a Pontiac G8 pickup is in the wings for North America, but visitors to this year’s New York Auto Show may well see some form of a Holden-based ute. Product czar Bob Lutz has told the Australian car website GoAuto that a a four-door pickup crossover, based off Holden’s current VE Commodore, will appear as a GMC-branded concept at the show.

“It’s a very interesting study,” said Lutz, “in that it is a GMC tough-looking four-door ute that could then obviously be badged as a Holden for Australia.”

Reportedly, the pickup closely resembles a mix between the current Commodore and the previous Crewman four-door ‘ute, which isn’t surprising, given the entire concept was reportedly designed by Holden’s staff in Melbourne. Lutz says the vehicle mixes tough with a very low and aggressive stance – although it may not be love at first sight.

(Click through to read more on a possible Crewman for the U.S.)

“The first time you see it,” he said, “you might go ‘Whoa! I’m not sure I like this!’… because it is so tough and masculine looking. But the longer you look at the proportions the more right it looks for the type of image that it is trying to portray.”

What isn’t known is if the concept is any sort of precursor to production; Lutz wouldn’t comment much other than to say it presently isn’t slated for assembly lines. That said, if the concept plays well with the public, positive reaction – as well as the new CAFE standard – may help bring the vehicle to American GM dealers. Lutz told GoAuto that in order to get better fuel economy from their pickups, they may have to move away from full-sized, body-on-frame vehicles in order to achieve the lower mass offered by unitized construction.

Lutz also lent his voice to the possibility of a Pontiac G8 pickup, based off the two-door Holden VE Ute. Lutz said it was under investigation and “can’t be confirmed” at this point, but noted one dillemma stood with how to market the vehicle. Although Americans look to the vehicle as a revival of the long-lost Chevrolet El Camino, he noted the recent onslaught of bowtie-badged product means the brand doesn’t need any new additions.

“That is the last thing we would do because Chevrolet has been blessed with so many great products that we are at the limit to what the dealers can focus on. It would be [given to] somebody else other than Chevrolet, and then the question is: would you give it to Pontiac or GMC?”

On that end, Pontiac may win favor, if only because all the Pontiac-styled sheetmetal and fascia parts have already been designed. But if GMC takes the crew-cab version, a two-door offering may also play well into that brand’s lineup.

+ GoAuto: Americans say ‘Come in Crewman’

posted by admin on Jan 21

The Peugeot Flux concept car was designed by Mihai Panaitescu who won the fourth edition of Peugeot Design Competition. The car was created in order to touch the universal standards of the driving pleasure.

The theme of the fourth edition of Peugeot Design Competition (also known as P.L.E.A.S.E Inovate!) inspired the creativity of the designers from all over the world, and the result was that the competition gathered more than 4000 projects.

Flux was the best concept that illustrated the theme. It corresponds with a type of a car that touches the absolute pleasure of driving through light and effectualness. This car has an ecological design too. The jury that voted the car was made by Frederic Saint-Geours (General Manager at Peugeot cars), some agents from Peugeot and Xbox and experts who voted online.