hi bloggers....
Porsche has just designed a 911 GT3 R hybrid with “Facebook” colors to celebrate 1 million fans on facebook. Here, names of 27,000 fans have been written, leaving rest of the 973,000 fans very unhappy. The GT3 R Hybrid produces 480 bhp from a 4.0 litre flat six-cylinder engine in the rear, that is complemented by two electric motors on the front, capable of pumping out 80 bhp each. This custom-made model is now on display at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, Germany.
 hi bloggers.....
The external features seem at its best, with tail lamps placed at higher levels and the bumper has been redesigned. The sporty looks on the mini SUV was created with the fitting of the spare tire to its tailgate. The front looks and the side profile of the Mahindra mini SUV was designed to appear compact, it seems that the design team really worked to make it special. The height and tract is the same as it is.
The other display enhancements could be done on this car, such as Mahindra can experiment with colours, the pillars could make it more attractive. Other features have to be the alloy wheel, which plays a crucial role. It certainly stands out of the crowd. However, the looks as mentioned are not one of those head turning models.
The Mahindra mini SUV Xylo is expected to be priced between the 4.5-6.5 rupee price bracket and ready to take on the hatchback or the super mini market, also making it the direct competitor to Premier Rio. The mini SUVs less than four meter length will attract only 10% duty as compared to 22% central excise levied on bigger cars. This tricky treat from Mahindra is expected to go on sale in Q1 2011.
 hi bloggers.... For several weeks, rumours about the introduction of four-cylinder engines in BMW’s portfolio have become increasingly persistent. Today, the German automaker confirmed those rumours by announcing that the X1 would be powered by a smaller displacement mill. The most recent addition to the SUV lineup will feature a direct injection, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine generating 245 hp and 258 ft-lb of torque at 1,250 rpm. Consumers will have the choice between a six-speed manual and automatic transmission. Photo: BMW The SUV will be delivered standard with the EfficientDynamics all-wheel-drive technology, which includes regenerative braking, a gear shift indicator and a start/stop system. As is the case for many manufacturers, BMW is looking to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, and the automaker promises the engine will offer the performance of a six-cylinder engine. According to BMW, the X1 will consume 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds with the manual transmission. The dash will be a tad longer with the autobox, taking 6.5 seconds.
 hi bloggers....
Pontiac, whose muscle cars drag-raced down boulevards, parked at drive-ins and roared across movie screens, is going out of business on Sunday.
The 84-year-old brand, moribund since General Motors decided to kill it last year as it collapsed into bankruptcy, had been in decline for years. It was undone by a combination of poor corporate strategy and changing driver tastes. On 31 October, GM’s agreements with Pontiac dealers expire.
Even before GM’s bankruptcy, Pontiac’s sales had fallen from their peak of nearly one million in 1968, when the brand’s speedier models were prized for their powerful engines and scowling grills.
At Pontiac’s pinnacle, models like the GTO, Trans Am and Catalina 2+2 were packed with horsepower and sported colors like “Tiger Gold.” Burt Reynolds and Sally Field fled the law in a Firebird Trans Am which raced through the 1970s hit movie “Smokey and the Bandit.”
By the late 1980s, though, Pontiacs were taking off their muscle shirts, putting on suits and trying to act like other cars. The brand had lost its edge. Bill Hoglund, a retired GM executive who led Pontiac during its “We Build Excitement” ad campaigns in the 1980s, blames the brand’s demise on a reorganization under CEO Roger Smith in 1984. That overhaul cut costs by combining Pontiac’s manufacturing, engineering and design operations with those of other GM brands.
“There was no passion for the product,” says Hoglund. “The product had to fit what was going on in the corporate system.”
Although the moves were necessary to fend off competition from Japanese automakers with lower costs, they yielded Pontiacs that looked and drove like other GM cars.
By 2008, the last full year before GM announced Pontiac’s shutdown, sales were 267,000, less than a third of those sold in 1968.
Formed in 1926, Pontiac made cars for the working class until a sales slump in the 1950s nearly killed it. GM revived the brand by connecting it to auto racing. From then on, each Pontiac sales boom was driven by speed; each bust generally featured outdated or boring rides.
The brand’s most storied muscle car, the GTO, came about when some GM engineers took a small car called the Tempest and put a powerful V8 engine under the hood. The letters stood for “Gran Turismo Omologato,” Italian for “ready to race.”
Sparked by the GTO, the Pontiac brand thrived, making up 17% of the 5.4 million cars and trucks GM sold in the US in 1968. The GTO even spawned its own 1960s hit song.“C’mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO,” was the chorus of the tune by Ronny and the Daytonas.
Pontiac’s decline stemmed from a lack of a consistent strategy or leadership. Executives rotated through every few years on their way up the corporate ladder, each with a different vision. Some even tried to make Pontiac a luxury brand.
One strategy that eventually hurt the brand was rebadging: putting the guts of less powerful GM cars inside the skins of Pontiacs.Big economic shifts also damaged the brand. Two gas spikes in the 1970s steered Americans toward smaller cars with more fuel-efficient engines, areas dominated by Japanese automakers in the U.S.
About two dozen unsold Pontiacs now linger at dealerships around the country, including a maroon G5 coupe that sits awkwardly in a no-man’s land between used cars and new models next to the showroom at Orr GM Superstore near Little Rock, Arkansas. The car, which is really just a poky Chevrolet Cobalt gussied up with a spoiler, fancy wheels and the red arrowhead Pontiac logo, has been on the lot for more than 700 days. Sales Manager Alex Valencia has knocked almost $7,000 off the sticker price, down to $16,585.
In the mid-2000s, GM tried to rekindle the brand with powerful sedans, such as the G8, which harkened back to the GTO. But dealers wanted a full model lineup, and GM gave them renamed Chevrolets, diluting Pontiac’s performance image, says Bob Lutz, GM’s former product guru who headed up the effort to reinvigorate Pontiac.
This year, Pontiac’s sales are less than 1% of the 2.2 million cars and trucks GM is expected to sell. GM built the last Pontiac in May.Even after their Pontiac agreements expire, GM dealers will continue to service the cars and honor their warranties. But after this weekend, any new Pontiacs that remain on dealer lots will be considered used cars by GM.
Anthony “Tony” Augelli, owner of a Pontiac-GMC-Buick dealer in Gurnee, Illinois, near Chicago, still has a gleaming orange 2009 Solstice roadster that’s the first car to greet customers in his showroom. Despite its prime perch, the $32,000 car hasn’t sold.
 hi bloggers....
It's been a few years since NBC tried their luck at a remake of the popular Knight Rider television series. If you recall, the new K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Three Thousand) was based on the 2008 Shelby GT500KR Mustang. Unfortunately the show didn't last that long, but the cars used in filming are still making the rounds.
On November 6th one of the several "Hero K.I.T.T." Knight Rider Mustangs used for filming will be sold in the Profiles in History's "Auction 42". The event will take place at the Globe Theatre in Universal Studios, Calif.
The car, which began its life as a 4.0L V6, features many Shelby GT500KR parts including Brembo performance brakes, KR front bumper assembly, 20-inch Forged SVT wheels, front and rear spoilers with KR rear bumper cover, black KR stripe kit, and GT 500KR seats. Best of all, the car comes equipped with the signature red sweeping scanner lights mounted at the front of the hood. This Knight Rider Mustang was built by Cinema Vehicle Services and includes a certificate of authenticity. All proceeds from the sale of the car will benefit Variety The Children's Charity.
hi bloggers.....
Mercedes-Benz India Thursday launched its new crossover car R-Class, priced at Rs.58.79 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)."We are assured that this crossover model will be an attractive communication possibility reflecting the fascination and exhilaration of MB products," said Debashis Mitra, director, sales and marketing.
According to the luxury car manufacturer, the new brand will open an entierly new market segment for the company."We are very optimistic about the R-Class as it fits right in place with our existing brands in the country. It comes in between the M-Class and the GL-Class and is an entierly new segment," Mitra said.
The car is said to combine the best of a luxury sport sedan with the versatility of an sports utility vehicle (SUV)."Conceived to combine all the best characteristics of a luxury sport sedan with the versatility of an SUV, the 5-door design and finely tuned features," the company said in a statement.
The statement said the car has multi-element headlamps, standard front fog lamps, 18-inch alloy wheels, dual chrome exhaust tips and LED tail lamps.The crossover seven seater car is powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine, with long wheel base and a top speed of about 230 km per hour.
"India is one of the first markets to witness the introduction of the R-Class and will be available in the long wheel base R350 4MATIC which has a 3498cc V6 petrol engine," the statement said.The new generation R-Class celebrated its world premiere on 31 March 2010 at the New York International Auto Show.
dnt 4get to add comments
hi bloggers......
Hindustan Motors had been earlier reported to give its model Ambassador a complete new makeover. Now the company has stated that it will introduce four new variants of the Ambassador in a span of the next 12-15 months. The company also stated that it will introduce a completely new brand to increase its non-institutional based buyer segment.
“One of the complaints was that we haven't come out with new products. Over the next 12-15 months, we will bring out four variants of the Ambassador. The new cars will be differentiated (from existing models) both externally and internally,” Managing Director Manoj Jha said.
Jha also stated that the company is trying to increase its presence in the personal car space which currently accounts for about 25 percent of total Ambassador sales. He stated that he intends to take it up to 50 percent in coming months.
dnt 4get to add comments
hi bloggers......
Audi is launching its SUVs and variants in India thick and fast. After the eight-speed automatic for the 4.2 TDI and the 3.0 TDI comes the eight-speed automatic with a new engine on the Q7; the 3.0 TFSI.
Essentially the same engine as the one found on the A6 3.0 TFSI with changes to tuning, this supercharged petrol engine now produces 333 bhp of peak power and can accelerate from 0-100 kph in just 6.9 seconds, while hitting a top whack of 245 kph (all claimed). Interestingly, the torque figure of 44.5 kgm is available across a wide band, from 2900 rpm to 5300 rpm.
Combining supercharging and direct injection means the SUV now achieves lower CO2 ratings than the outgoing 3.6 FSI V6 and yet shows improved fuel efficiency despite the increase in power.
The rest of the Q7 stays the same. So you get lots of LED diodes all across the length and breadth of the car, the same smart looks, six and seven seat options, MMI and a whole host of features and options. Audi India have priced the SUV at Rs 59.2 lakh, ex-showroom, New Delhi. Deliveries for this new variant begin January 2011.
 NEW DELHI: Global on-line retail major eBay on Thursday said an Indian American doctor made the first global car purchase on eBay India Motors.
According to the company, Minhaj Naiyer bought a Tata Nano for his family based in Varanasi through eBay Motors from a Mumbai dealer.
"After looking at various options, I turned to my trusted source eBay. I logged onto eBay India Motors and to my luck found a Nano listing," said Naiyer. According to the company, Naiyer won the auction for the 2010 Nano LX at Rs.180,000 and completed the transaction.
"This is the first international car purchase made on eBay India Motors and we are glad that we are enabling customers to benefit from the great deals and convenience the website has to offer," said Ashish Shah, head, eBay India Motors.
eBay Motors has been in the retail business for the trade of used cars, bikes, and commercial vehicles for over eight years now
hi, bloggies...
At an exclusive ceremony in South Korea, Hyundai unveiled the new BlueOn Full Speed Electric Vehicle (FSEV).
Based on the i10, the BlueOn measures 3,585mm long, 1,595mm wide and 1,540mm tall. It is powered by a 16.4 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery which powers an electric motor that produces 83 PS (61 kW / 82 hp) and 210 Nm (155 lb-ft) of torque. This enables the car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 13.1 seconds and hit a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph).
When the battery is depleted, after traveling 140 km (87 miles), a 220V household outlet can fully recharge it in six hours. If you can't wait that long, a 380V rapid charger will replenish the batteries 80% within 25 minutes.
Developed at a cost of 40 billion won ($34,254,000 / €26,935,000), Hyundai will give 30 BlueOns to various Korean government organizations so they can begin testing and improving the country's charging infrastructure.
If everything goes according to plan, 2,500 BlueOns will be produced by the end of 2012.
Source: AP & World Car Fans
bloggies dnt 4get to add comments
|
RSS Feed