Before today it was widely accepted that Audi would be launching an electric powered R8 at Frankfurt this week. Tomorrow, in fact.
These leaked images, which first surfaced a few hours ago, all but confirm the the rumours of the car we know will be called the e-Tron. For now, we don’t know much else, other than we won’t have long to wait for details to be confirmed by Audi.
[Source: Autocar]
One of the most exclusive Koenigsegg models, the CCXR has been revealed with a brand new biofuel 749kW and 1,060Nm engine that should boost the CCXR Trevita to new limits. The CCXR featured here is called the Trevita and it means “three whites”, which pretty much means — expect three models only.
The unique style and design was developed by Koenigsegg engineers where the body houses carbon fibre with a diamond finish. The sparkle will be similar to that of millions of silvery white diamonds when the sun shines on it. Koenigsegg calls this effect the Koenigsegg Shimmering Diamond Weave.
Koenigsegg’s new CCXR Trevita will come standard with an infotainment system, a new chrono instrument cluster and of course paddle shifts. The exteior will have a double carbon fibre wing and carbon ceramic ABS brakes.
General Motors has announced that any customer unhappy with a car is more than welcome to return it for a full refund within 60 days of purchase. The system is known as “Satisfaction Guarantee” and it will come standard with any new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle.
“We think if consumers give us a fair chance and look at the facts on the things that matter most to them, like design, fuel economy, warranty and safety, our vehicles are the best choices – that’s what makes an offer like this possible,” said Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman, Marketing and Communications. “The Cadillac SRX and CTS Wagon, the Buick LaCrosse, the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain, for instance, are all outstanding new products. This new marketing effort should help us communicate these facts to consumers.”
Press Release:
Details of GM’s new Satisfaction Guarantee:
· Offer covers 2009 and 2010 Model Year Chevys, Buicks, GMCs and Cadillacs (except medium duty trucks)
· Customers (one per household) can return their vehicle between 31 and 60 days with less than 4,000
· Customers will be informed in writing before they buy the vehicle of the terms of the Satisfaction Guarantee
· Customers must take delivery by Nov. 30
· The Satisfaction Guarantee covers the vehicle purchase price and sales tax, but not other add-ons like accessories, negative equity on a trade-in or other fees; other restrictions apply
· Leased vehicles are not included
· More details are available beginning Monday, Sept. 14, online at [Chevy][Buick][Cadillac][GMC].com/guarantee
The xDrive system has been in use (at least under that moniker) for a few years now and is now as robust as any other system out there (4Motion, 4Matic, etc.). It’s transition to the 7 series is an obvious evolution from the 3, 5 and X series cars. As such, the offering will be available in both short-wheel base and of course, long-wheel base, but it will not be available in the low-end petrol and diesel models.
With a 30:70 front:rear bias, the typical RWD driving feeling will stay, while the xDrive contributes to better traction & handling in slippery conditions. The new 7 Series is showing that in areas of design, engineering and innovation that will show evolution above and beyond most other full sized luxury sedans. It’s design goes back towards the mainstream with a lack of such dramatic “flame surfaces” in the previous model and a more agressive look and stance. No doubt, this will be the best 7er we’ve seen from BMW.
The 750i xDrive will be available at the Frankfur Auto Show next year. See below for pictures of the new 7 series chassis as well as pictures of the 4wd version thrashing around some snow banks.
After a year of speculation and months of testing, Nissan finally has officially acknowledged the tuned version of the Nissan GT-R, the SpecV. For a mere $161,300, you get additional suspension tuning, chassis tuning and the 3.8L Twin Turbo V6 as the previous version. However, though the 3.8L has similar power, it has up rated torque and an over boost setting. While Nissan plans to produce 1,000 of the standard GT-R models worldwide a month, it can only make 20 or 30 of the Spec V cars a month. The GT-R Spec V goes on sale Feb. 2 at seven dealers in Japan, which can provide the extra maintenance services for the model. It is planned for sale later this year in Europe, but North American sales are still undecided.
Simply put, it’s one of the most exciting cars coming to the United States. What’s so excited about a Ford Fiesta (besides the fact that the car’s green)? It’s a cheap, small car that gets great gas mileage and will not break the bank. Sure, you could buy a Prius that gets 50MPG (Fiesta should be just under 50MPG), but it costs well over $20k (the Fiesta should cost under $15k base price). You could buy a Mini Cooper, but again the price savings (and the Fiesta is still a cool car that could be in the same class as the Mini) is huge and the gas mileage is as good if not better.
In the end, if Ford does bring over a non-neutered version of the Fiesta (there is a 65+ MPG version in the UK), it will surely be a smash in a time when people are becoming more energy concious. Sure, it might not be as flashy as a Prius, but it was built without the use of VERY hazardous materials like battery acid and lead other battery waste. Expect to see this car tweaked by the import tuning crowd AS SOON as it hits American shores.
Although sale of the first 2010 Fisker Karma plug-in hybrids are almost a year away, the company already put together a 4-door sports convertible. The two-door folding-hardtop concept is the hottest car I’ve ever seen. Combine this with the fact that it’s got a 4-cylinder that backs up the battery cell powered electric motor and you have a winner in both performance and efficiency.
The fascia, body and shape of the car are all based off the original Karma. It supposedly does 0-60 in the same six seconds, travels up to 50 miles on battery power and averaging nearly 100 mpg (so Fisker says). Fisker also quotes the Q-Drive’s output at 403 hp and almost a over 1000 lb-ft of torque. Sexy. Fast. Green. Move this to the top of my must have list.
Audi unveiled the Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI quattro yesterday ahead of its official unveiling at the Detroit Auto Show next month. Now the first photos of the R8 V10 in red have been released.
The Audi R8 V10 is powered by a Lamborghini-sourced 5.2L V10 engine that puts out 525 horsepower and propels the car from 0-62 mph in 3.9 seconds with a top speed of 196 mph. The V10 engine is mated to either a a 6-speed manual or R-Tronic semi-automatic.
The first official images of the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class have leaked onto the web today. We've seen lots of spy photos and renderings of the new sedan, so these photos aren't all that exciting.
The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class will be officially unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show next month. Mercedes previewed the new E-Class with the Mercedes-Benz ConceptFascination and its apparent that the sedan draws many cues from the concept. The front-end ditches the four round headlights for four more angular pieces. There are also new led light strips on the lower front bumper. Overall the styling of the new E-Class brings it more inline with the larger S-Class and smaller C-Class sedans.
Test mules of the 2010 BMW Z4 have been caught testing around the world many times, but now we have our first look at the new Z4.
The new Z4 borrows styling elements from the new 2009 3 Series and 7 Series. It's also expected that the Z4 will also feature a retractable hardtop. Too bad that guy is in the middle of the shot or we could have seen more. The Z4 shown here is apparently in a BMW dealership during the filming of a new Michael Douglas movie.
Honda is going to officially unveil the production version of its Honda Insight Hybrid at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, next month.
The production version of the Insight is pretty close to the concept version that has been touring the auto show circuit. The apparent differences on the outside are different wheels, larger mirrors, door handles and a slightly different front bumper and taillights.
The 2009 Honda Insight will be in showrooms in the spring of 2009. It's also expected to be cheaper than the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid.
Just in time for winter, Audi has unveiled the Cabriolet versions of the A5 and S5.
For 2010 Audi is going to release drop top versions of its beautiful A5 and S5 coupes. But unlike BMW, Infiniti and Lexus, these drop tops will feature a fabric top. It's obvious that a soft top saves more weight over a metal folding top and also saves some cargo space, but its definitely not as nice to look at when the top is up.
The 2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet will be powered by either the 2.0L TFSI four-cylinder or the 3.2 FSI V6 engine. The S5 coupe is currently powered by 4.2L V8 that it will keep until the end of the 2010 model year, but the S5 Cabriolet is already making the switch to the smaller engine with the 3.0L TFSI V6 that is also in the S4.
I’m not sure where companies like Tesla and Fisker are getting these great designs from, but keep them coming!
Tesla released their second electric car yesterday in the form of an electric 4 door sedan. Called the Model S Sedan, this beautiful car it built upon the chassis of what some speculate is actually a Mercedes C or E-class (due to the relationship Tesla has with Mercedes and the lack of money to actually design and build their own bespoke chassis). With a super sleek and sexy exterior, large trunk and amazingly simple cockpit, the Tesla Sedan is sure to strike all the right chords with enthusiasts. Whether the larger bodied car can live up to the hype on the environmental side, with sufficient range and power is another story.
Tesla says the car can hit 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and will have a range of around 300 miles. All of this at a price of around $50,000. Though the range is a bit short compared to other hybrid and small engined sedans from Volvo, BMW, Lexus and similar brands that have a $50,000 target price, Tesla is banking on the piece of mind that it gives people and the money it saves them at the pump will more than make up for its shortcomings.
How nice would it be to have an all Tesla garage? I wouldn’t mind two cars that perform like that and look like that!
Panoramic roof and sleek silhouette provide modern looks from the outside and a super place to be on the inside.
