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Infiniti To Debut Q50 Eau Rouge Prototype In Beijing [VIDEO]

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge running prototype will be making a debut at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show on 20th of April. At the event, the brand will show footage of the testing of a prototype version. The tests were conducted at the Millbrook Proving Ground automotive testing facility in the UK, and the driver behind the wheel was the four time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel.

It was also announced that Infiniti’s Q50 Eau Rouge high-performance prototype vehicle generates 560 horsepower (412 kW). In comparison, the concept version of the car, being the most powerful Infiniti ever built, produces more 500 horsepower (368 kW) and 813 Nm (600 lb-ft) of torque.

At the track, Vettel put the prototype through a challenging series of performance, handling and precision driving evaluations. Driver’s invaluable feedback will be engineered into the next stages of the prototype’s extensive development program. This will help the brand offer the necessary testing components, packaging and viability.

Infiniti has not yet released additional information about the prototype, but promises to do so on the press day at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show. Watch the teaser video below and stay tuned!

httpv://youtu.be/tL10WZIjM5o

Video Source: YouTube

Source: Infiniti

April 7, 2014

Volkswagen Golf VII GTI – AP Coilovers

AP Sportfahrwerke has unveiled their latest project based on Volkswagen Golf VII GTI. The hot hatchback has received a completely new suspension including front and rear coilovers.

The ride height can be adjusted according to owners taste as well as the stiffness. Pricing is available upon request.

The Golf VII GTI is powered by a 2.0 liter turbocharged petrol with 220HP (162 kW) and 350Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque. It is connected to a 6-speed manual gearbox. 0-100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 246 km/h (153 mph). There is also GTI Performance package boosting the engine with 10HP more. In this case, it will do 0-100 km/h in 6.4 seconds and 250 km/h (155 mph).

Standard equipment of the new Golf VII GTI includes dual-zone climate control, sporty seats with Jacara cloth upholstery, sports steering wheel, black roof lining, red ambience lightning, stainless steel pedal caps, bespoke instrument cluster and gear lever, along with a touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth, iPod and DAB digital radio connectivity.

Options list is long, but the most important are 19” Santiago alloy wheels, Vienna leather upholstery, and touchscreen satellite navigation with 10-channel amplifier and 8 speakers.

Source: AP Tuning

April 7, 2014

Audi R8 LMS ultra Gets Ready For Nurburgring

Audi R8 LMS ultra participated in the 42nd running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours. It is the first time, when several teams challenged each other in a qualification race this weekend. All of them: Le Mans winners, GT World Champions, a stratosphere jumper and strong customer teams have relied on the Audi R8 LMS ultra. The 24-hour race has 190 participants from around the world. The so called ‘Green Hell’ of the Nürburgring Nordschleife begins on June 21 and 22.

Just like in 2013, five Audi teams, will be putting a total of eight Audi R8 LMS ultra cars on the grid of the classic ‘marathon’ in the Eifel. The qualification race for the official racing was happening this weekend. The track was long 25.378-kilometres, where the teams did some testing.

They have used this opportunity for testing without the pressure of a championship. As a matter of fact, many of the teams that ware going to be running in the 24-hour race were using this event with its free practice and two qualifying sessions plus the six-hour race to prepare for the main event.

Audi line-up for the 24-hour race consists of high-caliber drivers. To be more precise, in the competition we will see four former Le Mans winners – Frank Biela, Marcel Fässler, Stéphane Ortelli and Marco Werner. They have a total of eleven victories in the classic French ‘marathon’ and are to drive the Audi R8 LMS ultra.

Marc Basseng and Markus Winkelhock, who are former GT1 World Champions, plus the current FIA GT Champion Laurens Vanthoor and the three-time Porsche Supercup Champion René Rast complete the line-up. At the race we will also see the current Audi DTM driver Nico Müller and the former DTM driver Rahel Frey.

An extreme athlete will be also present – his name is Felix Baumgartner and he is famous for his stratosphere jump. He has found his new challenge, opting for the Audi R8 LMS ultra of the Audi race experience and will be making his debut on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Source: Audi

April 7, 2014

New Kia Models for 2014

Kia has announced four new high-spec models, which will satisfy the demands of customers seeking even greater luxury. The new models will also help Kia to maintain its phenomenal record-breaking sales growth in the UK. The new models include Sorento KX-4, Picanto “4” and Rio “4” as well as the pro Ceed SE Tech.

2014 Kia Sorento KX4 comes with standard 2.2 litre CRDi turbodiesel engine. There is also Parallel Park Assist, memory seat function on the driver’s seat, 19” alloy wheels, rear side door sunshade blinds and a silver front mesh grille and chrome surround add identifiable touches to the Sorento’s road presence. The Sorento KX-4 is priced at £36,495.

2014 Kia pro Ceed SE Tech is available exclusively with a 1.6 litre 126HP CRDi turbodiesel engine and 6-speed manual gearbox. It is able to return 65.7 mpg UK and CO₂ emissions of 112g/km. 0-100 km/h in 10.5 seconds and a top speed of 195 km/h (122 mph). The standard equipment includes black leather seats with contrasting mesh inserts, an electric tilting and sliding sunroof with an automatic electric roller blind, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, front parking sensors and Kia’s Parallel Park Assist System (PPAS). The pro Ceed SE Tech is priced at £22,795.

2014 Kia Picanto 4 is ered by a 1.25 litre 84HP petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox and ISG engine stop/start system. The standard equipment includes automatic air conditioning, 15” alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and LED rear combination lights, a premium Supervision instrument cluster and heated front seats. The Picanto 4 is priced at £11,995.

2014 Kia Rio 4 boasts a smart key with engine start button, a power sliding and tilting sunroof, black leather upholstery and a heated steering wheel. It has a 1.4 liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 107HP connected to a 6-speed manual gearbox. There is also a 1.4 liter CRDi diesel with 6-speed manul transmission. The Rio 4 starts at £16,595.

Source: Kia

April 4, 2014

BMW X5 eDrive Concept at 2014 New York Auto Show

BMW is going to exhibit a new version of X5 eDrive Concept at the 2014 New York Auto Show. The super-efficient SAV (sports activity vehicle) boasts an impressive fuel consumption and will actually go in production as an xDrive40e model.

BMW X5 eDrive Concept was unveiled in September, last year at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. Its more refined version will be showed in New York this month. The specs remain the same – a four-cylinder 2.0 liter BMW TwinPower Turbo engine with 245 HP (180 kW) and 540Nm (400 lb-ft) of torque working together with an electric motor that generates 95 HP (70 kW). The combined power is 272HP (200 kW) and the fuel consumption is just 3.8 liters / 100 km – 61.9 mpg US or 74.3 mpg UK.

The plug-in hybrid X5 has comes with minor upgrades including new roof rails and 21” alloy wheels fitted with low-resistance tires. There are three driving modes: intelligent hybrid, pure electric and a “save battery” mode. In pure-electric mode, the range of around 32 km (20 miles) at speeds of up to 120 km/h (75 mph).

The electric motor draws its power from a lithium-ion battery that can be charged from any domestic socket. The electrification of the powertrain under the umbrella of BMW eDrive enables BMW to unlock huge potential for reducing the fuel consumption and emissions of large models.

Source: BMW

April 4, 2014

Citroen DS5 LS-R Concept – 300HP and 400Nm

Citroen is going to exhibit the DS5 LS-R Concept at the 2014 Beijing Motor Show. This will be the most powerful car in brand’s line-up. It comes with uprated four-cylinder engine and some nice goodies like big wheels, improved suspension and brakes. The DS5 LS-R concept car emphasises the dynamic character of the production version, highlighting the model’s athletic lines.

The 1.6 liter turbocharged engine now has 300HP (224 kW) and 400Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. Nothing is mentioned about the performance, but it will accelerate 0-100 km/h in around 6 seconds and the top speed is going to be 250 km/h (155 mph) – electronically limited. The engine is connected to a sequential gearbox featuring steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Other highlights include lowered ride height by 1 5 mm and reworked suspension, brake system and chassis in order to handle the additional power. The exterior boasts a number of carbon fiber elements. There is also a nice Carmine Red paint finish and carbon-colored 20” alloy wheels fitted with ultra-low profile tires.

The interior features full leather and Alcantara upholstery, performance front seats, a lot of carbon fiber and Carmine Red inserts. The dashboard, seats, central armrest and upper door panels have received pearl top-stitching in Carmine Red.

The unveiling of DS 5LS R follows on from the DS3 Cabrio Racing and DS4 Racing concepts, as Citroën continues to push boundaries in performance, design and innovation.

The Beijing Motor Show takes place at the China International Exhibition Centre from April 20^th to 29^th.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A-pqxBKhTs

Source: Citroen

April 4, 2014

2014 BMW M4 Convertible – Just Amazing

BMW has officially unveiled the all-new 2014 M4 Convertible, which is expected to make public debut at the 2014 New York Auto Show. The stylish coupe-cabriolet is powered by the same BMW M TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter inline-six as its siblings. It also comes with exceptional exterior and interior and some nice innovative technologies.

The exterior boasts twin headlight arrangement with optional LED technology, distinctive twin-bar kidney grille with black painted bars, BMW M double-spoke wheels and the ///M logo all over the car. BMW M design features on display is the characteristic power dome on the hood and striking mirrors, with their suggested twin-stalk mounts, optimize the aerodynamics of the new BMW M4 Convertible.

The interior boasts a lot of sporty elements like M door sill finishers, an M driver’s footrest, M gearshift lever, M-design circular instruments with white graphics, M leather steering wheel with chrome trim, color contrast stitching and electroplated-look shift paddles (if the M-DCT gearbox is specified). There are also sport front seats taking visual inspiration from the bucket seats fitted in racing cars. The M logo, chrome trim and color contrast stitching are central elements of the cabin’s racing ambience.

The most important – a 3.0 liter TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder engine with 430HP (317 kW) and 550Nm (406 lb-ft) of torque. 0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds with 7-speed M Double Clutch Transmission and 4.4 seconds with the standard six-speed manual. The top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph).

Other highlights include Active M Differential, M compound brakes and an M-tuned electromechanical steering system.

Options include an Adaptive M suspension (with COMFORT, SPORT and SPORT+ modes) and M carbon ceramic brakes with gold-painted calipers.

2014 BMW M4 Convertible is expected to hit the market this summer.

Source: BMW

April 4, 2014

Ram Truck Introduces 2014 Heavy Duty Black Edition

2014 Ram Heavy Duty Black was revealed at the Atlanta International Auto Show. There it showed a combination of brute force and style. The new Ram is equipped with a choice of powertrains, both gas and diesel, and also offers a long list of features such as Cargo-view Camera, RamBox, manual transmission, link coil rear suspension as well as air suspension.

Featuring a Black package, the new Ram vehicle is characterized by its all-black exterior. Precisely, it features 20-inch black aluminum wheels, fog lamps and black grille surround with black horizontal inserts. Black front and rear bumpers and head badges on the grille and tailgate round out the appearance of the truck.

Ram removed all body-side badging, but offers the option of keeping them if the vehicle is ordered with a Cummins engine. For those trucks, only the diesel designation remains. A new powertrain has been added which is the 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 gas engine. The latter delivers up to 410 horsepower (301 kW) and 581 Nm (429 lb.-ft.) of torque. Other engine options include the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 and the renowned 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel I-6, generating 385 horsepower (283 kW) and 1152 Nm (850 lb.-ft.) of torque.

Furthermore, the Ram Heavy Duty Black package also boasts premium bi-functional halogen projector headlamps with black bezels, 15 amber LEDs for park/turn/position lamp and three amber LEDs for the side marker. The taillamps also offer black finishes and comprise of 15 red LEDs with three red LEDs for the side markers.

In the Black package are also included Parkview and Parksense technologies. 2014 Ram Heavy Duty Black is available in Ram 2500 and 3500 SRW, Crew Cab and Mega Cab, Big Horn/Lone Star and Laramie models with the choice of two- or four-wheel-drive. The pricing starts at $42,140 USD.

Source: Ram Truck

April 4, 2014

Lexus Teases NX Compact SUV Ahead Of Beijing Premiere

Lexus NX Compact SUV was announced to be introduced at the 2014 Beijing International Autoshow back in March. Back then we didn’t see any teaser of the car. However, Lexus corrected this today with the reveal of the first picture of its next vehicle that will enhance its luxury rage of cars. The model will be based on the LF-NX concept that debuted last year. In addition, the brand is promising that the NX will bring about striking design, advanced technologies and will carry the signature spindle grille in an SUV form.

The official premiere will happen at Lexus press-conference on 20th of Apri in the W3 Hall at the China International Exhibition Centre in Beijing. The new SUV will be positioned below the RX in the Lexus product range.

In 2013 we saw the debut of LF-NX Compact Crossover and it looked amazing. So we are currently wondering whether its production version will look much more different. The concept is only 182.7 inches long and has a wheelbase of 106.3-inch.

Its bold exterior boasted distinctive and sculpted styling, and featured the redesigned spindle grille of the brand. The aggressive design of the vehicle was additionally strengthened via the wide front track, three diamond-shaped LED headlamps and independent Daytime Running Lights (DRL).

Another fact that makes us wonder is whether the NX SUV will carry the same full hybrid powertrain as its concept sibling. In particular, the drive system includes a 2.5-liter four-cylinder Atkinson cycle gas engine and a powerful electric motor.

Source: Lexus

April 4, 2014

Kia To Debut Multi-Purpose Vehicle In New York

Kia’s new midsize multi-purpose vehicle has just been teased with a first image. The picture above actually shows a lot of what we can expect to see at the 2014 New York International Auto Show in April, when the car will make an official debut. With this vehicle Kia aims to challenge the segment and offer a new interpretation of an eight-passenger car that will also appeal to the adventure seekers.

Except for this information, the brand didn’t disclose much more information. Making conclusions when looking at the teaser, we see that the vehicle really looks like a crossover. It has a large front grille and big headlights, typical for Kia’s range.

We are also wondering, whether this new multi-purpose vehicle will has something to do with Kia KV7 Concept that we have seen debuting at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2011. The KV7 got gullwing opening rear doors, swivel seating, minimalist dash and wood panel floor.

It is also rumored that the new car will be powered by Kia’s 2.2-liter diesel engine. We have to wait for some more time to get the clearer image. The brand promises to release more information in the weeks ahead, so stay tuned!

Source: Kia

April 4, 2014

Audi RS6 AS by HPerformance

HPerformance Audi RS6 AS is a car we must review. First of all, because it includes all of the benefits of the emblematic RS6; and secondly, because it has some enhancement features which makes it unique. Oh, we forgot to mention that its powertrain got also improved and now delivers even more power. All in all, the tuners at HPerformance, who are actually based in Germany, did great work.

In particular, this third generation Audi RS6 got transformed firstly in terms of weight. Its overall mass was reduced with around 200 lb. This of course contributes towards improved fuel consumption and enhanced acceleration capabilities.

Next, the tuners added HPerformance 70 mm double pipe exhaust system which includes two controllable exhaust valves. This exhaust can be operated pneumatically via an overpressure or via electric ways using MMI. The end effect is the great sound that comes out of the pipes.

Speaking about performance, the RS6 has under its hood an enhanced version of the standard 4.0 liters V8 biturbo 4×4 engine. After the boost via control device programming, the unit delivers 700 hp (515 kW) and 860 Nm (632 lb-ft) of torque. It is mated to an eight speed automatic transmission. At last, this Audi has been equipped with a prototype of a carbon suction system.

Source: HPerformance

April 4, 2014

2014 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 Enters GT4 Challenge Series

2014 Aston Martin Vantage GT4 is going to take part in brand’s GT4 Challenge series. The model is part of the latest three entries, headed into their first round at Watkins Glen. Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America is a seven-event, multi-round series. In it the vehicles compete on some of the finest road courses in the country. The racing event is owned and operated by TRG-AMR North America, and begins on 18th of May, while ending on 23rd of Novemer at Sebring International Raceway.

This weekend, Joel Segal tested the Vantage GT4 at the Thermal Club. The driver was so impressed by the car that he even purchased it with the aim to enter the racing competition with it. Aspiring competitors will drive the evocative Aston Martin GT4 Vantage cars they have acquired.

The vehicle is equipped with a 4.7-liter 400 plus horsepower (295 kW) V8 engine, coupled to a six-speed paddle-shifted gearbox. It also features adjustable suspension with track-tuned springs, shocks and antiroll bars, and Pirelli P-Zero tyres. In order to make it appropriate for competition, the designers at Aston Martin made it circa 650 pounds lighter than its road-legal sibling.

In addition, the GT4 also comes with an aerodynamic package, stripped cockpit and FIA-approved roll cage. The price of the model is approximately $200,000, depending on options the drivers chose.

2014 Aston Martin GT4 Challenge of North America Schedule:

May 16-18 Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
June 6-8 Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va.
July 25-27 Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Mont-Tremblant, Quebec
Aug. 29-31 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, Calif.
Sept. 12-14 Monticello Motor Club, Monticello, N.Y.
Oct. 10-12 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Nov. 21-23 Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Fla.

Source: Aston Martin

April 3, 2014

Category: Auto News