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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Chrome platted Mercedes Benz C63 AMG spotted in Dubai :
For someone who like to draw attention to himself, Dubai is one challenging city, because there, everyday you get to see houndreds or thousands of expensive cars. So, what do you do when you have a “modest” Mercedes Benz C63 AMG? You go for chrome. But not for the front grille or the door handles. No, no, you go with chrome for the whole thing. It’s true, you’re gonna get some heads turning your way, but you’re definitely also get some stomachs turned upside down.
Electric Opel Ampera to debut at the Geneva Motor Show :
Today, GM has announced that March’s Geneva Motor Show will mark the debut of the Opel Ampera, an electric five-door, four-seat concept. According to GM, the Ampera, which is based on the Voltec powertrain, will offer 60 km (37 miles) of zero emissions driving, while for longer distances, the car will be powered by the same electric motor, powered by a small internal combustion engine. Opel claims this system suits Europeans perfectly, recent surveys showing that, for example, 80 percent of Germans drive less than 50 km every day.
"With the Ampera, Opel will be the first European automobile manufacturer to provide customers several hundred kilometers of non-stop electric driving," said Alain Visser, GM Europe Chief Marketing Officer. More details on the Ampera will be available closer to its debut.
Source: GM
Lexus IS-F gets Wald International tuning treatment :
The Lexus IS-F definitely is one of the most beautiful high performance sedans out there, but Japanese tuning company Wald International decided to give the IS-F a look that truly matches its performance figures. So they came up with this, the Sports Line Black Bison Edition, which debuted earlier this month at the Tokyo Auto Salon. So, what Wald did was design a new carbon fiber body kit which includes new front spoiler, rear wing and rear diffuser with side vents built in, plus a set of 2- inch dark colored Mahora 3-piece allow wheels. As Wald International got us used to, the package is quite extreme, but still, very aggressive and impressive.
Chrysler to build four models based on Fiat and Alfa Romeo cars :
One of last week’s most important news was the merger between the troubled US carmaker Chrysler and the Fiat Group. Like we said then, if the move goes through, several Fiat models will enter the US market, and the Italian carmaker will share some of its existing and future platforms with Chrysler. According to a recent report by Automotive News, the Fiat Group vehicles which will be sold in the United States are the Fiat 500, the recently introduced Alfa Romeo MiTo and the next generation Alfa 147 (most likely named 149). Also, the three models will be the starting point for three Chrysler models, which we assume will be rebadged and slightly restyled Fiat cars. Automotive News also reports that the fourth model will be a five-door hatchback based on the next generation Fiat Panda, which will go on sale with a Chrysler or Dodge badge.
Source: Automotive News
The horror: IdingPower’s tuning program for the BMW M3.
The first question that hit us after we saw these photos is “Why?”. This BMW M3 tuning program was created by Japanese company IdingPower and consists of a new body kit with front lip spolier and a huge wing, new alloy wheels, sport exhaust system and new suspension and brake packages. We don’t know about you, but that rear wing is hideous, not to mention useless on the streets. Anyways, we think these guys love the Subaru Impreza WRX STi too much, because their M3 sure looks a lot like it.
It looks like Prada, the Italian fashion giant, is really fond of the automotive market, because after last year we announced a partnership with Hyundai for a special edition of the Genesis Sedan, a couple of days ago Prada announced another deal with a very important car maker, Audi. So far there’s no word about possible special editions of Audi models, instead, the two companies will work together this year for some high-profile events, the first one being the yacht “Luna Rossa” during the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.
“Audi and Prada are strong brands,” said Peter Schwarzenbauer, Audi AG board of management member for marketing and sales. “We aim to pool these strengths and build up a long-term partnership.”
Source: Inside Line
I’m sure every petrol head in the world would love the opportunity to go for a ride in a grand prix car and now here’s your chance. Well, how about doing that with 5 other friends? Because here’s the GP Limo, created by Mike Pettipas from Canada, a seven seater (driver plus six) grand prix race car which its creator claims is able to reach 300 mph. According to Pettipas, it took him 15 years of research and development, plus another 4 years of Government testing, but their goal of creating “the world’s fastest, most exciting vehicle and bring it to the people” was finally reached. And the car is currently available for corporate events, with Package Rates starting at $5,000 and Track Laps as low as $200.
This may not be the prettiest car ever, but I’m sure it’s worth giving it a try (if you’re in Canada, of course). Not to mention that the company is a supporter of Children Charities, so it’s for a noble cause.
More photos of the GP Limo after the jump.
EDAG Light Car concept car to debut at the Geneva Motor Show.
EDAG, a well known provider of engineering services, decided to take things a little further and started working on the “Light Car - Open Source” concept which will debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The car’s body, which looks like it’s made out of glass, uses innovative basalt fibre, a 100% recyclable lightweight material. Also, using an all-electric drive system powered by a set of lithium-ion batteries, the car has a driving range of 150 km (93 miles). What’s really cool about the car is the in the glass panes, (O)LED lamps mark out the outlines of the headlights and rear lights, outlines which can be customized by each customers, so basically you can redesign your car every time you want to. The same can be done to the interior, where the driver can individually configure the cockpit.
“We have transferred today’s multimedia and lighting technology standards to the car, and in future want to offer the customer scope for free configuration, as the entire surface of the vehicle functions like the monitor of a multimedia installation, and can be used intelligently and individually,” explains Johannes Barckmann, Head of the EDAG Design Studio.
Recently, there has been a lot of buzz around electic vehicles, with companies like Tesla or Fisker working on some really beautiful and fast electric coupes and sedans. So who would’ve expected this? One of the world’s fastest street legal electric vehicles is a modified 1972 Datsun 1200 coupe. Using special lightweight lithium ion batteries originally developed for electric hand tools, John Wayland’s White Zombie (that’s the Datsun’s name) can run the 1/4 mile in under 11.5 seconds, with a trap speed of more than 114 miles per hour. Not to mention that the electric motors produce full torque basically at 0 rpm, so John has a lot of fun taking out all sorts of cars with hundreds of ponies under the bonnnet.
Leaked Mercedes Benz E Class Coupe official images
During the past months we’ve seen a lot of spy photos of the new Mercedes Benz E Class coupe and now, thanks to the guys over at autoblog.nl, we finally have some leaked official images. There was no official reaction from Mercedes, but the E Class coupe is expected to replace the CLK. The new coupe, which grew in size, is also heavily influenced by the new E Class and is expected to debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, in March.
Seven-seat Citroen Berlingo Multispace available in the UK.
Citroen has announced today that the Berlingo Multispace range just got extended with a new seven-seat version. The new “Family Pack” option will be priced at £800 and will be available for the VTR models powered by the 110hp 1.6i and the 90 hp 1.6HDi engines. The package offers 3 individual, foldable and removable middle row seats and two additional back row seats, completing its seven seat capacity. The new seven-seat Multispace features lateral airbags for the protection of rear passengers as well as a luggage cover, for when the boot is in use, and a handy 12V socket. Might not be the coolest car ever, but for a family car, this sounds very interesting.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Optional exterior and interior accessories for the 2010 Honda Insight.
After last week the 2010 Honda Insight made it’s official debut at the Detroit Motor Show, yesterday Honda released more details and a few photos of the optional interior and exterior accessories for the hybrid. For the interior, the Insight will also be available with blue ambient lighting for the center console, stainless steel front and rear doorstep garnish, center panel and passenger dash panel. Also, a new widescreen portable navigation system will be available, plus a Rear Entertainment System with LCD screens in the front headrests, Bluetooth phone and a 40 GB Hard Disk Drive Navigation system.
For the Insight’s exterior, Honda will offer optional front, rear and side skirts, a crystal black mask for the front bumper, B-pillar and door handles in metallic finish, plus 15 inch Crystal and 16 inch Cronos and Turbine alloy wheels.
We’re sure everyone heard of Chechnya. Not much to say about the region, except for the never ending war with Russia. You’d say that there’s nothing interesting about cars going on over there but, oh boy, you sure are wrong. Because if you imagine all you can see there is some third world scenery, you’re making a big mistake. While common in Monte Carlo or Beverly Hills, you wouldn’t expect chechnyans to drive a Lamborghini Reventon, a Rolls Royce Drophead Coupe, a McLaren SLR or an Audi R8. Not to mention those Porsche Cayennes and Mercedes Benz ML AMGs fleets. Of course, we wouldn’t want to know what these guys do for a living, but we’re sure they don’t write for an unleashed car blog or grow corn.
Audi to advertise again in the Super Bowl, this time with Jason Statham
It seems that Audi was pleased with last year’s Super Bowl ad, because this year they’ve decided to go with another ad during one of every year’s most anticipated sports events. This time, they’ve decided to go with an ad featuring Jason Statham (one of the coolest actors around, with movies like Crank, Snatch, Death Race), the actor who became famous after doing all sorts of stunts in a BMW 7 Series, an Audi A8 W12 and an Audi S8, in the Transporter movies (the first one was really good, but still, all three movies were fun to watch). In this year’s ad Audi continues to send warnings to “old luxury”, the spot featuring a high-speed journey through luxury automobiles in American history, sending the message that some things are best left in the past. The ad was created by Audi’s advertising agency, San Francisco based Venables Bell & Partners and it was shot on-location in Los Angeles.
"After an exceptional last two years, the Audi brand has experienced unprecedented growth, not just in sales, but in awareness and excitement," said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer, Audi of America. "Every new model we introduce is making more and more consumers stand up and take notice of the single best line-up in the market. Last year's spot sent the message that Audi was truly redefining luxury. This year's spot will ensure that everyone realizes that Audi is the best choice, period."
"In addition to having had the opportunity to drive Audi models in several of my films, I drive one in my personal life, as well. I have always loved the mix of style and performance they offer," said Statham. "I am thrilled to be affiliated with a company I so believe in on the biggest stage in American television."
Source: Audi
Slow sales cause massive stocks of unsold cars
The current crisis the whole world is facing is not news anymore and we all know it’s bad. However, nothing depicts something more than a picture. Or 13 pictures. UK newspaper Guardian published a set of photos with huge lots of unsold car from around the world. And probably the most disturbing photo is the one with Nissan’s factory test track in Sunderland, UK, flooded with thousands of unsold cars. Another photo that breaks our hearts was taken at the Sheerness open storage area, where huge lots of cars are waiting for dealers to come and pick them up. Make sure you check out the complete gallery, to get an idea of how bad sales are going.
Source: Guardian.co.uk
