Automotive Reviews

Rossi tests F1 Ferrari again

Filed under: Motorsport, Ferrari, Racing cars , News

Moto GP champion Valentino Rossi has been out testing a Ferrari F1 car again, this time on the Catalunya circuit as a ‘reward for winning the Moto GP title’.

Rossi has been rumoured to be considering a switch from two to four wheels, and this F1 test is the latest in a long line of exploratory off-season events.

Things didn’t start well for the Italian though. Wet weather limited his morning free practice session to two laps - and he spun off during the second.

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The sky’s the limit for the new Citroen C3

Filed under: Citroen, Hatchbacks, Marketing/Advertising, News

They’ve already given us the dancing transformer robot and now Citroen is bringing out an equally entertaining advert for its new C3.

The ad, which hit our TV screens for the first time yesterday, sees the new C3 swung like a pendulum from a shipping container crane. The advert has been designed to emphasise one of the C3’s biggest selling points; the Zenith panoramic windscreen.

If you’ve not seen it already, take a look below.

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Saab enthusiasts urge GM to sell

Filed under: Economy, Government/Legal, Plants/Manufacturing, Saab, News

Saab enthusiasts gathered in Detroit yesterday to urge General Motors to sell the brand and secure its future.

Unofficial Saab website SaabHistory.com organised the protest, and around 50 people turned up at the General Motors headquarters.

The protest lasted for around two hours and was also attended by a variety of national media.

General Motors has set a January 7 deadline for bids for Saab, according to Automotive News. Dutch sports car manufacturer Spyker is the only bidder currently interested in taking control of the company.

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Frankfurt Preview: Audi to show electric concept, possibly battery-powered R8?

Filed under: Concept Cars, Frankfurt Auto Show, Audi, Alternative Fuel

With less than two months to go before the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show, the rumor mill is heating up fast. As with other recent shows, electric and alternative drive vehicles are expected to play a big part in Germany. Audi is just one of the automakers that may show off at least a concept powered by batteries and electric motors - the big question is what platform will get the EV treatment. The most probable candidate is a mini-car based off of VW Group’s “new small family” platform that was previewed with the 2007 Up! concepts.

There is, however, another long-shot possibility: an electric supercar based off the R8. This is a rumor that first cropped up last spring and was quickly shot down by Audi. However, two weeks ago Mercedes-Benz announced that it would build an electric version of its upcoming SLS gull-wing coupe. Might the cross-country rivals from Ingolstadt have an answer for that eco-friendly supercar up its corporate sleeves?

We checked with our contacts at Audi who would only say it’s too early to talk about Frankfurt. If Audi has suddenly reversed course and decided to build a electric R8 concept, it will probably be mostly a styling mock-up rather than a fully functional vehicle. Of course, it’s even more likely it just won’t happen at all.

[Source: Automobile-magazine.fr]

Frankfurt Preview: Audi to show electric concept, possibly battery-powered R8? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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London Motorexpo

Filed under: News

From Monday 8th - Sunday 14th June 2009 the Motorexpo returned to London to transform the business district of Canary Wharf with a display of vehicles from many of the world’s leading motor manufacturers.

Amongst the range of cars and motorbikes on display, a total of 13 new vehicles made their UK debut at this year’s Canary Wharf event. Star attraction included the Aprilia RSV4 Factory, Aston Martin DBS Volante and V12 Vantage, Cadillac CTS-V, Jaguar’s all-new XFR and XKR, Land Rover’s full 2010 model year line-up, the eagerly awaited Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the Saab 9-3X.

Marcos debuted its new TSO GT2. The coupe has James Bond styling reminiscent of something Aston Martin might have designed in the Nineties and weighs in at 2,535 pounds and sports a 475-hp V8, a combination that results in an exceptional 0-60 time of 4 seconds and a 185-mph top speed. No word yet on an optional rocket launcher.

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Geneva Preview: Ferrari to show off 599 Hybrid, production model planned

Filed under: Concept Cars, Coupe, Hybrid, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari

News of an impending hybrid from Ferrari is nothing new, but now we appear to have an actual date when the Italian supercar manufacturer plans to show such a vehicle in an official setting. And it’s coming soon, during the first week of March at the Geneva Motor Show, says Ferrari CEO Luca di Montezemolo.

The announcement came during the unveiling of Ferrari’s new F10 Formula One car, which seems appropriate as it was during the 2009 F1 season when Ferrari first began using its Kinetic Energy Recovery System - a kind of hybrid technology that captures energy normally lost to braking in a flywheel - in actual competition… with mixed results, of course.

We can’t say for sure what kind of hybrid setup Ferrari will show off in its 599 super hybrid, but something similar in principle to the race-bred KERS seems like a distinct possibility, and we know the automaker has been dabbling in all-wheel-drive hybrids as well. In any case, Ferrari promises a production hybrid vehicle in the near future. Stay tuned.

[Source: Axis of Oversteer]

Geneva Preview: Ferrari to show off 599 Hybrid, production model planned originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SEMA 2009: Mazda introduces us to a happy couple, inspires 3-some

Filed under: Aftermarket, Concept Cars, SEMA Show, Sedan, Performance, Hatchback, Mazda

For SEMA 2009, Mazda introduced us to a pair of the happiest Mazda3 derivatives we’ve ever seen. Part Le Mans-winning 787B tribute, part rolling showcase (for their Mazda accessories catalog) and part 40th anniversary present to itself, this couple with their odd, knowing smiles was pretty easy on the eyes.

Built by Mazda R&D employees to show off the wide range of accessories available for the 2010 Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3, these tuner cars also serve as tributes to Mazda’s motorsports prowess and to 40 years of Mazda sales in the U.S. The cars are painted in a Crystal White Pearl with gray graphics that mimics the Mazda3 World Challenge race car, which itself apes the look of the Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B from 1991. There are also plenty of other changes in the mix to make these special 3s go like they show.

Both cars get forged aluminum 19×8-inch wheels with 225/40 Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires stripped off the RX-8 R3, and KW coil-overs to button things down a bit, but that’s about where the similarities end. The 2.5-liter engine in the Mazda3 sedan gets a thorough makeover by World Challenge-contending Tri-Point Engineering. With their Garrett GT2871R ball bearing turbo kit adding 10 psi of boost, the 2.5-liter MZR engine is now making more than 250 HP at the wheels.

The Mazdaspeed3 was already turbocharged but an AEM cold-air intake was added to increase its output by about 20 HP. Like the special Mazda3, this car gets KW coil-overs and the RX-8 R3 wheel/tire combo, but whereas the 3 got brakes from the Speed3 and Mazda5, this car gets four-piston StopTech calipers and floating two-piece rotors that are nearly identical to the ones used on the World Challenge car. We really like this sexy duo from Mazda and think we now know why they’re smiling.

Live photos copyright (C)2009 Frank Filipponio/Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading SEMA 2009: Mazda introduces us to a happy couple, inspires 3-some

SEMA 2009: Mazda introduces us to a happy couple, inspires 3-some originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rumormill: BMW ActiveHybrid 5 concept could debut in Geneva

Filed under: Concept Cars, Hybrid, Sedan, Geneva Motor Show, BMW

Late last month, BMW officially revealed its next generation 5 series sedan in Munich and the opening salvo of powertrains includes the usual array of gas and diesel six- and eight-cylinder engines. However, with the recent launches of the ActiveHybrid X6 and 7, no one expects it to stay that way for long. BMW officials have acknowledged its intent to expand hybrid capability to other models going forward and, as the next redesign, the 5 would be the logical choice.

We’re not sure if the new 5 will show up at the Detroit show next month, but it should appear by the Geneva Motor Show in March. At that time, the ActiveHybrid 5 will probably debut as a concept with the production version possibly arriving by the end of 2010. At this point, it appears unlikely that we’ll see any more BMW applications of the two-mode hybrid system used in the X6 (with the possible exception of the X5). Instead, the modular mild hybrid from the 7 is the likely candidate since it delivers much of the benefit at a lower cost and smaller packaging size.

[Source: BMWBlog]

Rumormill: BMW ActiveHybrid 5 concept could debut in Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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KBB: Shoppers likely to change vehicle choices as gas prices rise

In case you fill up your gas tank so infrequently that you hadn’t noticed (lucky you!), fuel prices here in the United States are on their way back up. According to a recent Kelley Blue Book study, 87-percent of new-car shoppers said they thought gas prices would go much higher. Seems like the obvious choice to us, too.

Curious what those expectations for rising fuel costs are having on new-car purchasing decisions? KBB’s got a statistic on that, too. More than 60 percent of in-market new-car shoppers said that rising gas prices have either caused them to change their minds completely or at least made them think about vehicles they normally wouldn’t have considered. For instance, consumers may opt for a four-cylinder or V6 engine instead of a more powerful and furl-thirsty V8.

KBB’s data further indicates that $3 gallons of gas may be the new tipping point that will get consumers to alter their spending habits. See more in the official press release after the break.

[Source: KBB]
Photo by Peter Kaminski. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

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Filed under: MPG, Green Daily, USA

KBB: Shoppers likely to change vehicle choices as gas prices rise originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lexus preparing a Prius-based premium subcompact for Europe

According to Top Gear, Lexus plans to debut a new hatchback at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show that will be available exclusively as a hybrid. The new car would be related to the HS 250h, albeit designed specifically for European markets, and would reportedly be a bit shorter than its American platform-mate to fit in premium subcompact segment that’s popular across the pond and currently full of 4-cylinder diesels. Andy Pfeiffenberger, Lexus chief in Europe, explains:

“Our hybrid saloons are going up against the V8 diesels in Europe. In the future we need to compete against the four-cylinder diesels. So we will enter new sectors with low-displacement hybrids. The C-premium [i.e. Audi A3] segment is the fastest growing segment and we must be in it.”

According to TG, the hatch is likely to go on sale in late 2010 and be priced below the IS diesel.

[Source: Top Gear]

Filed under: Hybrid, Lexus, Europe/EU, UK

Lexus preparing a Prius-based premium subcompact for Europe originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Fri, 08 May 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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