Automobiles Review

Category: Auto News

Auto news – automobile industry news. Articles about all the latest car models and concepts. Breaking news, uncovered secrets.

  • Revolutionary: Carlsson light-alloy wheel 1/5 REVO

    Carlsson breaks new grounds. With the wheel 1/5 REVO the refinder for Mercedes-Benz cars self-confidently presents a revolutinary design. (more…)

  • Major role for UK’s Zytek in electric Smart project

    There hasn’t been much good news for the UK midlands motor industry of late – but UK-based electric car specialist Zytek has received a boost with the contract to build and fit the electric drivetrain for the second-generation Smart Fortwo ED at its facility in Fradley, Staffordshire.

    Zytek has developed an integrated electric drivetrain to drive the rear wheels of the Smart Fortwo. The drivetrain integrates the electric motor, power and control electronics, into one assembly with only three connections: water, high voltage electrics (300V) and low voltage electrics (12v). This replaces the conventional petrol engine and rear axle, and removal of the fuel tank allows room for a battery pack below the floor.

    The second-generation electric Smart will represent a major upgrade on the first version, which has been tested extensively in London since 2007. The new version is based on the second-generation Fortwo model, and the biggest technical change is a move to Lithium Ion batteries instead of sodium-nickel-chloride. This will increase the range life of the battery pack, while cutting recharge times. The batteries are to be supplied by US-based electric sports car maker Tesla.

    The biggest technical change in the new Fortwo ED is a move to Lithium Ion batteries

    The new Smart Fortwo ED will go into production toward the end of the year. It will be used mainly in organised EV test programmes in major European cities, including Berlin, Paris, Rome, Milan and Pisa, with further cities planned.

    In Berlin, the local government and energy providers are installing 500 electricity charging stations, and Daimler is providing more than 100 electric Smart and Mercedes-Benz cars. Several similar programmes are also being considered in the US.

    The plan is to refine the design as a result of feedback from these tests, and make a major ramp-up of production volumes in 2012. Two versions of the Smart ED were shown at Geneva – a standard version and a more exclusive Brabus version, with matt green paint, a cabriolet soft top, LED daytime driving lights, sports suspension and Brabus Monoblock VII alloy wheels.

    Brabus version has matt green paint, cabriolet soft top, and other enhancements

  • Magna Steyr offers shortcut to EV production

    As car manufacturers start to feel the economic pinch, they are looking to outsource more and more of their product development work to suppliers. That’s the view of Austrian-based Magna Steyr, best-known for its contract manufacturing for the likes of Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz.

    The company is keen to show off its design and development capabilities, especially when it comes to electric vehicles. Magna Steyr already has a contract to help Ford develop an electric version of the Focus – and at Geneva it showed an entirely self-designed electric prototype, the Mila EV.

    Magna Steyr describes the Mila EV as a “fully integrated electric vehicle platform which can be used by every OEM to realise their own products, drive and design strategies in the shortest time.”

    The platform is fully engineered and can be built as pure battery-electric car, a hybrid, a natural gas-powered car or even a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. It’s designed to meet all crash testing standards, while the platform is flexible enough to be ‘right-sized’ to any customer OEM’s requirements.

    Magna Steyr is hoping a manufacturer will buy the basic design “off the shelf” – which would allow it to get a fully engineered electric car into production far more quickly than if it were to start developing such a vehicle on its own.

    Magna Steyr is hoping a manufacturer will buy the Mila EV “off the shelf”

    The design is so flexible that Magna Steyr believes more than one manufacturer could build distinct cars on the same basic architecture, thus leveraging economies of scale which could be shared. And of course, Magna Steyr wants the contract to build the cars “With the proven Flex Plant concept, all versions can be made on one single production line,” said a spokesman.

    The Geneva show car is a 4m-long five-door version, with a 67hp electric motor powered by Magna Steyr-developed lithium-ion batteries. It has an average charging time of 2.5 hours, and it has an ranges of up to 150km. Solar cells integrated in the glass roof provide additional energy generation, and the drag-inducing wing mirrors have been replaced by rear-view cameras.

  • 2009 Scion tC Release Series 5.0: Gloss Black

    The tC Release Series 5.0 in gloss black is the only limited-run tC for 2009. The car’s theme is Toyota Racing Development (TRD), so performance will be at its heart. (more…)

  • Sportec SP550mc – mean and clean

    With a performance of more than 550hp, the SP 550mc goes out hunting in the territory of its fellow super cars. Thanks to Sportec’s sporty understatement, the 997 Turbo has become nothing less than a cheetah in a tailored suit – with significantly reduced CO2 emissions. In spite of the new CO2-reduced natural gas technology, the turbo performance could be considerably improved. (more…)

  • 2009 Range Rover Sport Specifications and Features

    CONSTRUCTION
    • Integrated Body-Frame with hydroformed members and advanced high-strength steels, including boron steel in the A- and B- pillars
    • Outer-body panels are double-sided zinc-coated steel and aluminum alloy (more…)

  • Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2009

    The Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este drew visitors to Lake Como for the first time 80 years ago. For ten years now, BMW has organised the Concorso jointly with the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este luxury hotel. (more…)

  • 2010 Ford Escape Adds New Safety Technologies

    Ford’s 2010 Escape, the small SUV with the best crash test ratings of any vehicle in its class, is increasing its technology leadership with the addition of five new features that improve safety, reduce driver distractions and aid drivers by automatically parallel parking their vehicle. (more…)

  • VW Scirocco by CARACTERE

    We have pleasure in presenting your our latest body styling equipment for the VW SCIROCCO 2009 (more…)

  • Reinventing the wheel – where there’s a WILL there’s a way

    This neat city car concept hides a secret under the skin, which could help automakers develop lighter and more compact electric cars.

    The WILL hatchback is the first car to feature Michelin’s new Active Wheel, which integrates electric motor, brakes and suspension functions inside the wheel. The car is now under test in France. It has been developed by contract manufacturer Heuliez, and also acts as a showcase for the company’s capabilities. (more…)

  • Jaguar reveals new XKR and XFR with GKN Driveline’s Electronic Torque Manager ETM®

    At the 2009 Geneva motor show this week, Jaguar revealed its new 503 horsepower XKR and XFR models fitted for the first time with the company’s new Active Differential Control system (ADC).  At the heart of Jaguar’s ADC system is GKN Driveline’s ETM® electronic limited slip differential (eLSD).

    The ETM® is a rear axle differential with an integrated active coupling that provides unsurpassed vehicle traction and stability through high speed optimal torque allocation to the powered wheels. Its integrated electronically controlled direct actuation makes it a highly suited module for improving dynamic performance in sports cars such as the new XKR and XFR. (more…)

  • Protoscar SA unveiled LAMPO at the Geneva Motor Show

    Protoscar SA unveiled LAMPO – a full size sport cabriolet – at the Geneva Motor Show 2009 . LAMPO is powered by two BRUSA electric motors (one rear and one front), optimized for maximizing acceleration and regenerative braking respectively. (more…)