VW New Beetle review

The incessant product buzz at the North American International Auto Show in 1994 centered on the concept car from Volkswagen that redefined the classic Beetle.

The overall shape and the dash-mounted bud vase, though, were about the only elements that were like the original. After all, the original was an air-cooled boxer 4-cylinder, rear-engine people’s car, built as simply and dependably as possible to be sold cheaply. The New Beetle was a transverse mounted front-engine, water-cooled, inline-four, nicely trimmed, fully featured and priced well above the bottom feeders. It was a hit at the show and still a hit when it came to market in 1998.

Interior design, while interesting to look at, is just a hint at the abovementioned quirkiness. Attractive round shapes and good quality materials make the inside of the New Beetle a pleasant place to spend time. I found some of the controls to be a bit awkward, particularly the power window and mirror controls mounted in the door.

And speaking of packaging, that engine is packed very nicely into the front. It is designed to contribute to excellent crashworthiness as well. The New Beetle has four-wheel disc brakes, stability control, lots of air bags front and side, and active front head restraints – a very safe vehicle for its class.

© germancarblog.com
Source: The Auto Channel

New Mercedes-Benz Sprinter

Versatility, power, safety and comfort

- Production in Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde
- Bigger range of versions than ever before
- High-tech diesel engines: powerful and clean
- Innovative suspension, standard-fitted ADAPTIVE ESP® with extended functionality

Eleven years and approximately 1.3 million units after making its debut, the European market leader in the 3.5 t GVW van sector, the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, now has a successor.
DaimlerChrysler has invested some €1.8 billion in the development of this new model. With a raft of innovations, the new Sprinter is a milestone in its class. It will be launched at the end of March 2006.
The Sprinter is built at the two German factories in Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde (Brandenburg). DaimlerChrysler invested €550 million in expanding the paint and body shop in Düsseldorf, where panel vans and crewbuses are produced. The company also invested €300 million in the new paint and body shops for the Ludwigsfelde plant, where pickups and chassis versions are built. Combined, both plants will account for a moderate number of new jobs in the low three-digit range. The workforce will be drawn mainly from the current DaimlerChrysler employee pool.

The new Sprinter opens a new era, beginning with styling that combines emotional and rational aspects and is a perfect blend of form and function. The emotional and dynamic styling melds typical design themes of the Mercedes-Benz brand – for example the treatment of the headlamps and radiator grille – with the rational and functional qualities required in a van.

The dynamic side view, the rear lights which blend in with the contours of the vehicle and the taper in the lower part of the rear view are further typical Mercedes-Benz styling features, but they are interpreted in an original way. As far as the Mercedes star itself is concerned, the new Sprinter wears it proudly – at the front it appears on a sculpted base, while at the rear it occupies a central position between the doors.

- Bigger range of versions than ever before

- Extensive standard specification; options to suit individual needs

- Outstanding ergonomics and seating comfort

- First-class lighting and visibility; Sprinter now available with bi-xenon headlamps

- Keyless Entry and Slide: keyless door control

- High-tech diesel engines: powerful and clean

- A new dimension: 190 kW (258 hp) petrol engine

- Innovative suspension, standard-fitted ADAPTIVE ESP® with extended functionality

- New to the van segment: super-single tyres

- Particular attention given to passive safety and load restraint

Source: © germancarfans.com
Text & photos courtesy DaimlerChrysler AG

New engine for Vectra, Signum

The Vauxhall Vectra and Signum now have a new 1.8-litre petrol engine.

Packing 138bhp, the new engine has variable valve timing. It replaces the 120bhp 1.8 unit.

The new engine brings the 0-62mph sprint time down to 9.9 seconds and pushes top speed up to 131mph.

On top of the increased performance, the 1.8-litre engine improves fuel economy to 39.2mpg and reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

The Vectra and Signum with this new 1.8-litre engine are on sale now, with prices starting at £14,740 for the Vectra and £17,995 for the Signum.
Source: © topgear.com

Geely to test market cars in Puerto Rico

If you were wondering about the Chinese automotive invasion, to be lead by Geely, here's your first clue: Puerto Rico.

For those not familiar with Geely, they recently had a display at the NAIAS, and appear to be the first Chinese automaker to enter the North American market in 2008.
Source: © blogs.edmunds.com by Bob Jan

Nice wooden lamborghini design :-)

Source: © karaul.ru by andreyka

Audi Q7 tuned by Abt !

We are delighted so see result from Abt design with the Audi Q7.

Besides the optical tuning Abt is bringing the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI from 233 bhp to 272 bhp and from 500 Nm to 580 Nm of torque.
Price for the engine tuning is 1740 Euro.
© germancarblog.com
Source: Auto Motor und Sport

¡Hey, Macarena! Heuliez Creates an Open-Top Peugeot 407

A third Peugeot convertible is set to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month.

It's the Heuliez Macarena, product of French coachbuilding specialist Heuliez. The open-top version of the 407 midsize sedan has a retractable hardtop, like Peugeot's 206 and 307 cabrios. However, unlike the two smaller Peugeots, it's unlikely to be built. Instead, the Macarena is designed to show off the French engineering specialist's capabilities. Heuliez designed Peugeot's 206CC model and has developed the Macarena's folding hardtop for larger sedans — it's hoping to attract customers for the system at the Swiss show. Heuliez says it is in discussions with several manufacturers about using the system in production models.

The Macarena's roof mechanism folds away in around half a minute. And Heuliez has made novel use of the need to add a stiffening beam behind the front seats by incorporating LCD screens for the rear passengers into the crossmember.

Heuliez is one of a number of companies that can build complete niche models for automakers. Its main customer is PSA, but it looks like it's out to widen the net, so you'll probably hear that name again.
Source: © edmunds.com

Alfa Brera Spider - official photos !

The official photos are finally here: the Alfa Brera Spider in all its glory.

No data yet on prices or on the differences with the coupe (weight, performance), and it can be seen only with the roof down.

Beatiful, nevertheless.
Source: � eurocarblog.com by Luca

Five-door Renault Clio goes on sale

The Renault Clio is going five-door now.

Adding the rear pair of doors to the Clio also adds £600 to the cost of the equivalent three-door model.

Prices start at £8,995 for the 1.2 Authentique Clio, and the same 1.2-, 1.4- and 1.6-litre petrols and 1.5 turbodiesel engines are on offer as in the three-door.
Source: © topgear.com

VW CrossPolo In Detail

In February the new CrossPolo, developed by Volkswagen Individual, will follow its extremely successful predecessor, the Polo Fun.

Designed in the style of a small SUV, the distinctive four-door with a large hatchback presents itself as a practical and lifestyle-oriented all-around talent with can-do qualities. Thanks to its 15 millimeter increased ground clearance, the front-wheel drive CrossPolo manages even the roughest roads competently. With its new 17” alloy wheels, robust and color-coordinated body-mounted parts, the avant-garde Volkswagen visually stands out of the sea of compacts. Special seat covers and chrome ornaments mark the distinguished character of the multifunctional CrossPolo.

Standard equipment:
The CrossPolo generally comes with 17” alloy wheels, sports seats, roof railing, specially designed body applications and four doors

Standard equipment has been specially developed for the CrossPolo. In contrast to the Trendline version (basic version of the classic models), it also features:

Outside Equipment:

- Side mirror casing in silver and door handles in body color
- Roof railing painted in silver
- Transparent logo “CrossPolo” on the rear doors
- Body cover on the wheel arch, running boards and doors
- Alloy wheels “BBS radial spoke” 71/2 J x 17 in “Sterling silver”, tire dimensions 215/40 ZR 17
- Protection strip in body color
- Bumpers in the sporty design, tri-color
- Four doors

Interior equipment :

- Seat pockets on the seat backs of the front seats
- A cup holder in the front
- Chrome trim rings around the instruments on the instrument panel
- Driver seat with height adjustment
- Cushioned grips
- Parking brake lever in leather with colored seams
- Parking brake lever knob in chrome
- Leather steering wheel (4 spokes) in perforated leather with colored trim seams and aluminum decor
- Pedals in the aluminum optic
- Gear shift knob in leather with “Cross” lens
- Gear shift sleeve with colored decorative seams
- Drawer under the driver seat
- Seat covers in the plane fabric design “Dimension”
- Sport seats in front

Safety Equipment:

- Fog lights
- Functional Equipment
- Double tone horn
- Power windows in the front and rear
- Cargo area lighting
- Adjustable instrument illumination
- Illuminated make-up mirrors in the sun visors
- Off road chassis with approximately 15 millimeters of ground clearance
- Central looking system with remote control and two radio folding keys.

Source: © worldcarfans.com
Text & photos courtesy VW AG

Audi S4 Avant: Driven !

Perhaps it was part of a Christmas bonus for the employees, or a renegade draftsman who broke into his piggy bank in an act of selfless charity towards his fellow coworkers, but someone has gifted the designers in Ingolstadt a set of curved stencils. This is nowhere more evident than the seventh-generation of Audi's B-chassis cars, first introduced to us as the mid-year 2005 A4 and now embodied in the 2006 S4 Avant.

Gentle slopes and subtle contours permeate the front and rear of the new S4. Once a smile-free bastion of Bauhaus influence, the 2005.5 redesign adds much-needed levity to a car that, for generations, featured styling as rigid and inflexible as the German rail schedule. The new head and tail lamps are faired into the body work, and the S4 now bears Audi's new corporate face: A large trapezoidal grille that, in further proof of how just badly designers at some other German brands have been mixing the grain with the grape, seems restrained and decorous when viewed alongside its contemporaries.

The body of the Audi is an object study in assembly quality. Panel gaps are obsessively uniform, and unions between bumpers and sheet metal are more perfectly matched than peanut butter and chocolate. A definition crease running down its flanks ties the stem to the stern and serves to equalize the wagon's proportions. With its prominent front overhang and pert rear end, the S4 Avant could pass for Hollywood's idealized stereotype of a hooker. And like Tinseltown trollops, the S4 Avant has a heart of pure gold.
© germancarblog.com
Source: Fourtitude

Skoda Roomster has space aplenty

'Funny name, odd looks' may be the first reaction to the Skoda Roomster when it makes its debut at the Geneva motor show at the end of February.

Sticking closely to the Roomster concept that has been seen at shows for the past two years, the production model makes full use of its interior space.

Skoda's 'Varioflex' rear seat arrangement allows for a variety of seating and luggage layouts.

Based on the Octavia, the Roomster will be offered with three petrol and three diesel engines when it goes on sale in the UK in September. Prices will be announced closer to the car's launch.
Source: © topgear.com

Tough Hide: The New Rhino for India

At the New Delhi Auto Expo, International Cars & Motors unveiled its new Rhino. The utility vehicle may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it promises to be tough-skinned enough to handle the challenging roads of India.

International Cars & Motors (ICML) is a subsidiary of Sonalika Group, the third biggest manufacturer in India. Sonalika teamed up with MG Rover to develop the Rhino before the British carmaker went bust.

The Rhino is of very simple but sturdy construction, intended to be used in India and Pan-Asian countries where suitable roads are scarce, which explains why Toyota's similar Qualis has ruled for years. Toyota recently switched to marketing a more upmarket product, the Kijang Innova minivan, leaving a gap that so far had only been filled by Tata.

ICML hopes to sell 5,000 to 6,000 Rhinos this year.
Source: © edmunds.com

Can You Picture a Four-Seat XK?

Clay models might seem like old-school car design, but most carmakers, including Jaguar, still use them to flesh out the details of their vehicles. Jaguar chief designer Ian Callum says you have to: it’s only in this form that you see how a car looks before locking into production pieces. “It’s always a surprise when you cut a car,” he says.

In the case of the new XK, Jaguar’s multiple clay models dictated some of the car’s fundamental features, too. An early pass at a longer XK went belly-up in consumer clinics. “Buyers said, ‘Don’t make the car bigger,’” Callum recalls. Out came 4 to 5 inches from the wheelbase. Too, stylists and engineers had toyed with the idea of making the XK a hardtop convertible—but abandoned the notion when they realized that packaging a folding hardtop would mean squaring off and enlarging the XK’s tail.

Even after being vetted out with the clay model, finishing touches will always draw fire. The oval air intake on the XK’s nose has been a source of early criticism, drawing some unfavorable comparisons to the front end on the 2000 Ford Taurus. Callum says there’s a logical explanation for it: brother Moray, Mazda stylist and owner of an E-Type coupe, reinterpreted the latter car’s front end for the more pedestrian Taurus. And now it’s come home to roost on the XK, where Ian Callum points out that the oval shape and size are nearly identical not to the Taurus, but to Jaguar’s iconic XJ13 racer.
Source: © thecarconnection.com/blog/
by Marty Padgett

Lamborghini SUV: Heading for the hills

Wow, this would be great news: Lamborghini seems to have confirmed the production of a 4x4 !

It's built some of the world's finest supercars - but now Lamborghini is going back to its roots with an astonishing 4x4, exclusively revealed in this week's mag.

The Italian giant is no stranger to all-wheel-drive vehicles - company founder Ferrucio Lamborghini started out building tractors - but its next new model won't necessarily be a racer. Enthusiasts of the brand might have expected a four-seater to rival the Ferrari Scaglietti, but it looks as though a luxury off-roader is on track instead.

Lambo president Stephan Winklemann told Auto Express: "There is more need for an SUV, and parent firm Audi produces the Q7, so for me, this is a better option than a 2+2. I would like to do more, but we are a small company and can't build all the models we want at once."

Source: © germancarblog.com
Source: Auto Express

Audi S8 prices revealed

If you happen to find £70,780 down the back of the sofa, you could put your name down for an Audi S8.

The 5.2-litre V10 über-saloon goes on sale in April, and the first S8s are expected to growl on to UK roads in June.

With a modest 444bhp on tap, the S8 makes a discreet performance machine capable of 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds and is held back to a top speed of 155mph, so get rummaging down behind those cushions.
Source: © topgear.com

Porsche to Decide Build Location for Panamera

Porsche has announced that it will choose which factory will build its upcoming Panamera four-door, four-passenger sedan by April.

According to AFX News, Porsche executives have hinted that the company's Leipzig factory is the most likely site for constructing the rear-wheel-drive Panamera.

Currently, Porsche's Leipzig factory produces the Cayenne SUV and the Carrera GT.

The Panamera is due out in 2008. Porsche is expected to build the vehicle in quantities of 20,000 units a year.
Source: © edmunds.com

VW Sharan cool ad !

Just a nice new ad for the VW Sharan:

© germancarblog.com
Source: Adverblog

Ford to offer extended Expedition this fall

Ford puts the revamped full-sized Expedition SUV into showrooms this fall for the 2007 model year. The lineup will include an extended-length version, badged the Expedition EL, which is intended to better compete against the Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL SUVs.

Exterior changes include a more pronounced grille that picks up the design theme from the Super Chief concept shown at the Detroit auto show. Ford says the new Expedition's frame is stiffer and the independent rear suspension is recalibrated for a smoother ride.

Under the hood is a 5.4-liter V-8 mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Stability control is standard.
Source: © autoweek.com

German Customizer Adds 40 More Horses to the Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Geiger Cars, a German tuner that specializes in American cars, is offering performance modifications to the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 that boost its power from the standard 505 horsepower all the way up to 542 hp.

The STAGE 1 performance treatment contains a free-flow intake air guiding with sport air filter, special exhaust manifolds, steel bed catalysts, four large chrome exhaust tips, and engine tuning including special mapping for the ECU.

STAGE 1 adds even more performance to the already laser-fast Vette, putting the Z06's top speed above 203 mph.

Customers can also choose to add a high-performance brake system and a retuned spring strut sport suspension.

Geiger Cars offers special interiors, including full handcrafted leather. Fully tuned and customized Z06s are available from the company starting at about $114,000.
Source: © edmunds.com

How About A Free Jag?

What sort of incentives do you expect when you sign on the dotted line for a property?

Perhaps a freezer or a dishwasher. But how about a Jaguar ? That’s the amazing deal one real estate firm is offering when you buy a residential, retail, or commercial unit. You could even get a fleet of cars; the small print reveals if you opt for a full office floor you get ten X-Types. It’s certainly one way to shift the slow-selling sedan. You’re waiting for the catch, aren’t you? We’d love to tell you there isn’t one, but… you have to buy the property in the Arab Emirate of Dubai, and the company behind it, Damac, says it will only deliver the Jag there, too. Still, you could always ship it home. —Richard Yarrow
Source: © thecarconnection.com/blog/
Posted by Marty Padgett

Mitsubishi "i"

Mitsubishi just introduced their new "i" minicar in Japan. First shown at the Toyko Motor Show as a concept, the tiny "Kei-class" car is now in showrooms.

The spiffy "i" was developed as an innovative Premium Small Car that successfully overcomes the tradeoffs traditionally associated with the category: design and comfortable interior space; comfortable interior space and impact safety.
Note that it has a rear-mid engine, as shown in the cut-away image. It can be had with either 2WD or 4WD.
Source: © blogs.edmunds.com by Bob Jan

Ford unveils flexible fuel hybrid Escape; plug-in hybrids pushed by coalition

Ford Motor Co. is taking two increasingly popular gasoline-saving technologies and putting them in the same vehicle.

The company has built a Ford Escape Hybrid that also is a flexible-fuel vehicle. The internal combustion engine teamed with an electric motor in the hybrid configuration is capable of running on E85 as well as gasoline, the company says.

E85 is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Ethanol generally is produced from corn in farm states. But automakers and others are touting opportunities to make ethanol economically from plant waste as an alternative to imported petroleum.

The vehicle was unveiled at the Washington Auto Show on Wednesday.

Ford executives say the flexible-fuel hybrid is a research vehicle at this point. They conceded in prepared remarks that technical obstacles remain before it could be produced. A big obstacle is controlling evaporative emissions, they said.

Still, Anne Stevens, Ford COO for the Americas, said: "This innovative research program could lead to breakthroughs to significantly reduce our nation's dependence on imported oil while also helping to address global climate change."

Ford is not alone in wanting to combine fuel-saving technologies.

A coalition of groups on Tuesday told of a campaign to pressure automakers to build hybrids that could be plugged in when they are not in use, to charge battery packs that are heftier than those in existing hybrids.

The argument for plug-in hybrids is that they would run more in the electric-only mode than existing hybrids do, especially on short trips and daily commutes. Proponents say plug-in hybrids would save more energy and produce less pollution than the hybrids produced so far.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, supports the coalition. He said a plug-in hybrid, especially one that uses alternative fuel, could be a "silver bullet" for the nation's auto-related environmental problems and dependence on foreign oil. He was an author of federal tax credits for hybrids and other advanced-technology vehicles, which took effect Jan. 1.

The plug-in hybrid coalition includes city governments, electric utilities, environmental groups and national security organizations.

Automakers, stung by their experiences with all-electric vehicles, generally have downplayed the promise of plug-in hybrids.

At the Washington show Wednesday, Stevens of Ford was asked about plug-in hybrids. She said the company is interested in all kinds of technology but there are concerns about the durability of the heftier battery packs needed by plug-ins.

Peter Savagian, engineering director at General Motors Powertrain, said his company is looking into plug-ins, along with other technologies, and is "kind of intrigued by the concept."

Separately, in its own show announcement, GM unveiled ads that will be used in its new campaign to build consumer interest in E85 fuel.

The campaign slogan is, "Live Green, Go Yellow," referring to the corn from which ethanol is usually made.

Energy Secretary Sam Bodman toured Ford, GM and DaimlerChrysler exhibits on Tuesday. He announced the release of $119 million in federal funding toward further government-industry research on developing hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.

President Bush made hydrogen a priority in his 2003 State of the Union address.
Source: © By Harry Stoffer /Automotive news/ autoweek.com

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder: Great car in an unusual color !

If you don't like the typical Lamborghini yellow or even the great looking white, maybe this color fits you better.
Enjoy!

© germancarblog.com
Source: Focus

2006 Infiniti Coupe Concept

Infiniti today unveiled a dramatic new concept vehicle, the Infiniti Coupe Concept, at the 2006 North American International Auto Show. Infiniti also showed the new 2006 FX luxury crossover SUV, which has been refined with exterior and interior enhancements and greater differentiation between the V8-powered FX45 and V6-equipped FX35 models.

The Coupe Concept continues the Infiniti tradition of merging design and performance. It takes Infiniti’s vibrant design vocabulary, which has helped establish Infiniti as one of the most dynamic brands in the luxury market, and elevates it to the next level.

Among the Coupe Concept’s exterior design features are a full-length glass panel roof, modulated front fenders and hood, deep front spoiler and large projector headlights, polished bare metal-look paint, compact camera outside rearview mirrors, hidden door handles and large 20-inch, 9-spoke painted aluminum-alloy wheels.

The Coupe Concept interior combines a performance-inspired cockpit with a luxurious passengers’ space featuring a “double wave” instrument panel design, with large, violet-color gauge illumination and a dramatic, full-length center console. Specially textured aluminum accents project the image of traditional Japanese “Washi” paper, providing an added sense of warmth and crispness.

“The Infiniti Coupe Concept embraces the continuous advancement of Infiniti design with a unique combination of passion, imagination and creativity,” said Mark Igo, vice president and general manager, Infiniti.

Igo also provided an update on Infiniti business issues, including the fourth straight year of sales records. In 2005, Infiniti sold an all-time high of 136,401 units, an increase of 4.5 percent over calendar year 2004 sales.

“Infiniti sales have been strong across the entire model range,” said Igo. “We’re especially pleased with the acceptance in the marketplace of the all-new 2006 Infiniti M.”
© seriouswheels.com
Source: from Infiniti Press Release

Lamborghini: New pictures of the lamborghini notebook

Two more great pictures of the Lamborghini notebook by Asus.

This time including a Lamborghini Gallardo!

This notebook looks awesome in black!
© germancarblog.com
Source: Autobild