posted by admin on Feb 27
Toyota
has announced that the new sportier flagship Toyota Auris will be
available for delivery January next year in the UK. The 2008 Toyota
Auris SR180 will have lower suspension springs and new rear spoiler.
The rear window will be dark-tinted for more privacy and also the
SR180 will fitted with 17-inch alloy wheels. One of the color available
is the uber-cool Pure White.
The Toyota Auris SR180 will be powered by a 2.2-liter D-4D engine
mated with a 6-speed manual transmission that produces 175 hp and a
maximum torque of 400 Nm at 2,000 rpm.
posted by admin on Feb 27
Next month’s Geneva Motor Show will see BMW unveil their new eco-concept 4×4. The concept is being called Vision Efficient Dynamics and will be based on the existing X5 but will feature the newest technologies to cut CO2 emissions and raise fuel economy.
The X5 currently registers between 23 and 35 miles per gallon depending on the variant with emissions from 214g/km up to 286g/km.
The new concept claims to manage over 43 miles to the gallon and has cut CO2 emissions to 214g/km.
posted by admin on Feb 27
There are car manufacturers that are well-known as producers of the fastest cars or fuel-efficient cars, but the title for the most safest cars has always belonged to Volvo.
Certainly that’s one of the key factors that helped this Swedish car manufacturer to survive against sometimes cruel competition and announce that the 15 millionth Volvo has been produced.
The first vehicle was the Volvo ÖV 4, produced on 14 April 1927, but the highest seller has been the Volvo C70 convertible. In 1999, Volvo was sold to Ford who has taken the brand to the next level. One of the results of that has been the Volvo XC60 crossover that will debut at Geneva motorshow.
However as I mentioned Volvo is known for its safety, but Autoblog reports that Volvo is paying attention to the exterior as well.
Today the Volvo brand is equally renowned for the attractive design of cars that reflect characteristic Scandinavian design traditions.
posted by admin on Feb 27
General Motors and Chrysler undoubtedly are paying close attention to labor negotiations taking place at Detroit supplier American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings, as their truck production is at stake if workers strike. The contract between American Axle and the United Auto Workers union expires at midnight Monday.
American Axle supplies axles and driveline components for GM’s full-size pickups — the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra — and SUVs, including the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon. It also supplies Chrysler trucks. In 2004, a one-day strike at American Axle affected output at a few GM truck plants.
As was the case in negotiations between the Big Three and the UAW last fall, American Axle is looking for a break from the union as it struggles with overcapacity and profitability; the union seeks to maintain the standard of living and job security for its members.
Michael Simonte, the company’s chief financial officer, said during an analyst conference in December, covered by Dow Jones, that American Axle wants to “reduce the fully loaded labor-hour cost” for U.S. hourly production workers. He said American Axle’s all-in cost — which includes wages and benefits — is about $65 an hour, and he said the company wants to get closer to $27 an hour, or $35 an hour including skilled trades workers.
The company also has said it wants flexibility on things such as job classifications and work rules that improve plant efficiency.
Tensions between the supplier and the union have increased with American Axle’s idling of its plant in Buffalo, N.Y., and its decision to build axles for GM’s Chevrolet Camaro in Mexico.
posted by admin on Feb 27
It’s been a little while since we last had any flying cars (the hoaky Monster Garage created flying Panoz Esperante from the last BJ Auction comes to mind). Here’s a nifty concept from LaBiche Aerospace called the FSC-1. Rolls right off the tongue doesn’t it? The ambitious concept features something which actually looks like a car and does its best transformer act to become a multi-winged flying wonder potentially capable of 275 mph. Of course, they’re just waiting for the funding as step one, step two is… something, and finally step three: huge profits.
The most promising part is the vid on their website where a styrofoam model takes off and flies around. Obviously proof of full scale concept. This investment is at least as good as dumping a hundred grand into a Bondo covered Mustang.
posted by admin on Feb 27
2008 Toyota Avalon Review
The XLS model includes leather upholstery and adds a moonroof, an engine immobilizer security system, heated side mirrors with auto dimming on the driver’s side and an auto-dimming interior rearview mirror.
(more…)
posted by admin on Feb 27
DB by Design
*****
This elegant interpretation of an original Aston Martin is the vision of a young Spanish designer, Ruben Vela, and he sums it up as “a fresh vehicle that also represents all the tradition of the brand.”
“But if you could drive this two seats super-car you will feel integrated in it because the dashboard wraps you, and the glass-roof makes you feel like being inside a F-15, feeling the power pushing your back.”
Dimensions
Length ………….4,820 mm
Width ………….1,960 mm
Height ………….1,200 mm
Wheel Base………. 3,000 mm
Weight ………….1,840 kg
Powertrain
Engine ………….6.035cc. V12, 550bhp @ 6500rpm, 445lb ft @ 4000-6000rpm
Transmission………Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive.
Performance……… 0-60mph 4.0sec (est.), 215mph (est.)
posted by admin on Feb 24
With Cameron Diaz now officially set to ride in the BMW Hydrogen 7 to the 2008 Oscar Awards, more unofficial details are coming out that BMW is planning to launch a Hybrid 7 Series in the next 2-3 years. We have blogged about hybrid BMW models before. In fact, just last April, we spoke about a Hybrid 5 Series model possibly in the works. Now, rumor has it that the flagship 7 Series will get the eco-friendly powerplant first.
Likely a joint venture between BMW, General Motors, and Mercedes-Benz, the new powerplant will be a “mild” hybrid system. This type of hybrid recovers energy from braking (aka “regenerative braking”) to be stored and used to supplement the internal combustion engine. The Hybrid 7 Series will have to ultimately rely on gasoline for propulsion, as this type of hybrid is not able to run in pure electric mode like the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid.
With the news of BMW’s twin-turbo diesel hybrid X5 fresh on our minds, it seems 2008 is turning out to be a green year for the German automaker.
posted by admin on Feb 24
Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Volvo
Click on the image above to view in high resolution
It took over 80 years, but Volvo has hit a mega milestone with the production of its 15,000,000th vehicle. The big number was hit with a C70 convertible, which rolled off the assembly line yesterday in Uddevalla, Sweden.
Although Volvo started as SKF in 1911, it wasn’t until 1927 that the company produced its first vehicle, the ÖV4, of which it made only 297 examples in its first year. Volvo’s production capacity as a major automaker has, of course, long since far exceeded that rate. However the 200-Series, produced between 1974 and 1993, remains the best-selling Volvo of all time, with over 2.8 million units sold.
Swedophiles can read more in the press release after the jump, and check out our 29-image high-resolution gallery of the 2008 Volvo C70 below.
posted by admin on Feb 24
Chrysler has been on the look-out lately for dancing partners for anything from vehicle platforms to alternative propulsion, and the Pentastar has extended its outsourcing to IT services. Chrysler and Tata Consultancy have teamed up on a $120 million, multi-year contract that sources Chrysler’s dealer website work to India. The deal effectively continues the partnership formed between Tata and Chrysler in 2002, but the new deal means even more work goes to India.
Chrysler points out that the IT services were previously performed by contractors that weren’t Chrysler employees, but the Auburn Hills automaker declined to mention which company lost the work. IT workers at Chrysler are still nervous about the possibility of more IT outsourcing, however, and it’s hard to blame them. Chrysler is strapped for cash and looking to free up money for new products, and IT isn’t exactly a core automotive function. It will be interesting to see if Chrysler and Tata will one day expand the partnership to include more vehicles, but this time it’s just bits and bytes.
