Auto News – Page 865 – Automobiles Review

ADF Motorsport BMW F30 335i Race Car

ADF Motorsport has presented the specially prepared racing version of BMW F30 335i. It comes with some BMW Performance parts, which are unveiled for the first time in South Africa.

The car will compete in the local production car championship, the Wesbank Super Series, which is held at Killarney in Cape Town. After that, the F30 race car will hit the Nurburgring for the 2012 24-hour race at the world’s most difficult race track.

Now some performance data: the 335i F30 is powered by the famous TwinPower Turbocharged 3.0 liter straight-six with some upgrades like a new engine management system, Akrapovic sports exhaust system and different turbocharger to comply with the race regulations. The result is the impressive 408PS (300 kW) and 600Nm (443 lb-ft), which is increase of 102PS and 200Nm of torque. The kerb weight is 1360 kg (2998 lbs), so you have to expect superb performance.

Other upgrades include enormous ///M-performance front discs with 370 mm diameter, 18” BBS light alloy wheels fitted with performance tyres and a special GPS data logging system to keep track of everything that happens with the car and on the track.

The price of the racing toy is around $260 000. ADF Motorsport needed just a month and a half to build it.

Source: BMW

March 26, 2012

Dodge Dart Race Car

Dodge and SRT Motorsports has revealed the all-new 2013 Dodge Dart rally car, which will be piloted by four-time Rally America Champion and 17-time X Games Gold Medalist Travis Pastrana. He will compete in the 2012 Global RallyCross Championship (GRC) Series.

“At Dodge, racing is an integral part of our heritage and embodies our competitive spirit, so we’re very excited to announce the next chapter in racing for Dodge with our all-new Dodge Dart,” commented Reid Bigland, President and CEO – Dodge Brand.

“The new Dart Global RallyCross Championship car with 600 horsepower and driver Travis Pastrana takes our passion for performance to all new heights.”, he added.

Travis is very popular athlete and one of the most appreciated from the motorsport fans. He had over 6 million Google searches in 2010 and more than 3.5 million Facebook followers. He is just 28 years old and we hope that the upsurge in his career will continue.

“When I first heard about GRC, I was really interested, and after watching some of the rounds last year and then actually competing at X Games I was hooked!” said Pastrana.

“Now to be able to partner with Dodge to field my own program this year is a dream come true. The new Dodge Dart offers the perfect platform for rally cross, and I look forward to putting it on the podium all season long!”, he mentioned.

Dodge Dart is powered by a 2.0 liter four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine with 600HP (441 kW) and 745Nm (550 lb-ft) of torque. All that power is sent to the road through a Sedav 4-wheel drive gearbox.

Global RallyCross is a spin-off of the X Games rally races. It combines the skill of rally racing with the excitement of X Games. The revolutionary motorsports series enters its second season and features high-flying extreme competition between cars that are relevant to today’s youth. The series consists of seven racing events in closed-course rally tracks and incorporates bumper-to-bumper competition among 600 horsepower all-wheel drive vehicles. There are 70-foot jumps over racing traffic, creating a “motocross with cars” action.

The series begins May 26 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and concludes Sept. 29 in Las Vegas. Also included are races at X Games scheduled for June 30-July 1 in Los Angeles. It’s one of the most anticipated stops on the schedule. The ESPN family of channels will broadcast live coverage of the entire 2012 race series.

Check out the 2012 calendar below.

2012 Global RallyCross Race Schedule:

May 26 – Charlotte Motor Speedway
June 10 – Texas Motor Speedway
June 30 – X Games, Los Angeles
July 1 – X Games, Los Angeles
July 14 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept. 1 – TBD
Sept. 29 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Source: Chrysler

March 26, 2012

Subaru XV Crosstrek at New York

Fuji Heavy Industries, or Subaru if you like, plan to introduce the XV, first seen at the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show back in September 2011, to the US market. It will be known as the XV Crosstrek and will have a specification made fit for the States.

Being a “compact SUV”, the Subaru XV Crosstrek is actually an elevated Impreza that will be the replacement of the current Subaru Outback. Supposedly, it has good ground clearance (8.7 inches of it), a comfy ride and a dynamic feel. For power, it used a 2.0 liter flat Boxer petrol engine that sends torque to all fours. And thanks to a Linetronic CVT transmission, Subaru claim that the XV can return 33 mpg on the highway.

In America, there will be two trim levels – Premium and Limited with the latter bringing advanced interactivity thanks to a 6.1-inch touch screen, multi-function navigation system.

The US debut will be made at the 2012 New York International Auto Show which is set to kick off on the sixth of April. Subaru’s press conference will be the day before at 9:55 am.

Source: Subaru

March 23, 2012

Jeep Grand Cherokee 2012 – Best SUV by Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association

For a second consecutive year, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has been voted Best SUV by the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association (RMAP). It’s an assessment company based in Denver and is ran by such people as automotive journalists, automaker-communications representatives and other motor-industry professionals. It’s been giving away awards for six years now and its word is considered to be particularity heavy. But, Jeep can’t really be impressed by a single award, can they? Recently, the company has mustered a rather hefty portfolio of tropheys.

So, the RMAP then. How did they describe the Cherokee? Well, according to Mike Manley, President and CEO – Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC: “…the prominent Rocky Mountain automotive journalists have recognized Grand Cherokee’s legendary capability, comfort and refinement. We’re grateful that consumers and opinion leaders continue to appreciate the premium icon of the Jeep brand.”

The 2012 Cherokee is said to behave admirable on the road and exceptionally off it. Power can come from a V6 or a V8, depending on the buyer’s choice. It’s four-wheel-drive system comes with a torque-on-demand two-speed transfer case. Other gizmos that help rock climbing include the Jeep Selec-Terrain™ system with five terrain settings and the Quadra-Lift™ air suspension system. As a bonus to all of that, it is more economical than before – up to 23 mpg overall consumption they say.

The Jeep brand prides itself with a wide list of awards from this year, given by various independent reviewing organizations:

Autobytel 2012 SUV of the Year: Jeep Wrangler
Overland Journal 2011 SUV of the Year – North America: Jeep Wrangler
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Cars for the Money – Off-Road SUV: Jeep Wrangler
Cars.com’s Play Car of the Year (Off-Roaders and Sun Lovers categories): Jeep Wrangler
The Fast Lane Car’s (TFLCar.com) Top-10 2012 Most Fun to Drive Cars: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
2012 Vehix New Car Buying Guide, Convertible Under $40,000 Recommended: Jeep Wrangler
2012 Vehix New Car Buying Guide, SUV Under $30,000 Recommended: Jeep Wrangler
2012 Vehix New Car Buying Guide, SUV Under $30,000 Recommended: Jeep Grand Cherokee
Consumer Guide Recommended Buy : Jeep Grand Cherokee
Polk Automotive Loyalty Award – Most Improved Loyalty to Make: Jeep Brand

Source: Jeep

March 23, 2012

2013 Mercedes SL 65 AMG [video]

Mercedes-Benz has released a promotion video of their all new SL 65 AMG. The roadster comes with brutal V12 engine, completely restyled exterior and some other interesting gadgets.

The SL 65 AMG is powered by a 6.0 liter bi-turbo V12 with 630PS (463 kW) and 1000Nm (738 lb-ft) of torque. It is mated to a 7G-tronic automatic gearbox. 0-100 km/h in 4.0 seconds flat and a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) – eletrocnially limited. The gearbox features a new fuel economy torque converter, bearings designed for reduced friction loss and transmission-oil thermal management system. It has an ECO Start/Stop system further improving the fuel efficiency.

The power is transmitted to the road through AMG rear differential giving perfect traction at any road conditions. The SL 65 also comes with AMG performance brake system and Active Body Control with two settings – “Sport” and “Comfort”. The interior is inspired by the staggering SLS AMG.

Check out the video below.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXUMFIV0wqI

Source: Worldcarfans via Youtube

March 23, 2012

2012 Abarth 500 – Price

The 2012 Abarth 500 is one of the best value for money cars, which you can buy in the UK. It is in third place after Audi Q5 and Skoda Yeti with an average resale value of 60% of its list price, based on 3-year or 30 000 miles use.

It shows that Abarth’s plan to hold off depreciation as much as possible is working. Since its launch in July 2008, the performance arm of Fiat Group Automobiles has quickly established itself to be a desirable brand that people want to own and drive; not short-term nor highly discounted.

“Right from the start we had the plan to build in long-term value to the Abarth brand,” commented Ivan Gibson, head of Abarth in the UK.

“A sustainable cost of ownership is something we have always been able to offer Abarth drivers and, add to that the fact that the Abarth 500 is a timeless and highly attractive car, it’s no wonder that it has done so well in this important research.”, he added.

The Abarth 500 is powered by a 1.4 liter 16V turbocharged petrol with 135HP (99 kW) at 5500RPM and 206Nm (152 lb-ft) at 3000RPM in sport mode. The engine is EURO 5 compliant and returns 43.4 mpg on combined cycle with emissions of 155 g/km CO2.

The 2012 Abarth 500 is priced from £14 461 OTR for the 1.4 T-Jet model.

Source: Fiat

March 23, 2012

2013 Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Mercedes-Benz G-Class is immortal model, which has been around for more than 30 years. Now, the manufacturer has released pictures of the new 2013 model.

The exterior is slightly refreshed – a new LED daytime running lights, a new restyled mirrors and new front fender vents.

The interior will feature a new instrument cluster, a new center console, a new steering wheel and gear know. The COMAND system will be also updated.

Nothing is mentioned about the engine range, but probably it will feature the new 5.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 525PS (386 kW) and 700Nm (516 lb-ft). It is also expected a brutal G65 AMG coming with a 6.0 liter bi-turbo V12 with 612PS (450 kW) and 1000Nm (737 lb-ft).

More details about the 2013 G-Class will be unveiled soon, so stay tuned for additional information and price lists.

Source: Carscoop

March 23, 2012

BMW ///M Performance TwinPower Turbo Engine Six-Cylinder Diesel – N57S

BMW has recently announced their new Diesel M Performance Division powered by the all-new N57S tri-turbocharged engine. This is the most powerful diesel ever fitted in BMW models. It showcases the commitment of the manufacturer to the pment of ultra-sporty yet impressively efficient diesel power units.

The new N57S features a lot of innovative technologies. It is the first engine adopting tri-turbocharging, latest common rail injection system with maximum pressure of 2200 bars and red line at 5400RPM making it also the most revving diesel in the world. The result is the incredible 381PS (280 kW) and 740Nm (546 lb-ft) of torque at just 2000RPM. 0-100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) – electronically limited. In terms of efficiency, the N57S is astonishing – 6.3 liters per 100 km with emission of just 165 g/km CO2.

The new N57S needs a perfect gearbox – ZF 8-speed automatic transmission sending all that torque to the world’s most intelligent xDrive AWD system.

The 2 993 cc engine achieves an incredible output of 127.3HP (93.6 kW) per litre of displacement.

The tri-turbocharging system comprises two relatively small turbochargers and one large turbo, which join forces precisely to deliver the amount of power required. This reduces the turbo-lag to minimum and gives sensational power at high revs.

Check out the gallery below to see details of the new N57S.

Source: BMW

March 23, 2012

2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage [HD video]

Aston Martin has announced their new facelift version of V8 Vantage – both Coupe and Convertible models. The 2012 V8 Vantage has a lot of features coming from the sporty Vantage S.

The new V8 Vantage has an updated front bumper including a nice air splitter, a new modified side sills and different rear bumper having an integrated diffuser. However, the updates are not only for styling, but the handling is also improved. Aston Martin also took care about the brake system, which features bigger discs and calipers. Other improvement to comfort, handling and styling are the new wheel-tire sets, which are wider.

2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage is powered by a 4.7 liter eight-cylinder petrol delivering 426PS (313 kW) and 490Nm (361 lb-ft). It is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox sending all that power to the rear wheels. Still, 7-speed Sportshift II is available as an option. It replaces the old 6-speed Sportshift automated manual transmission.

The new V8 Vantage starts around $144 000 and the Vantage S is $170 500.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syv8BNAEVGE

Source: Aston Martin

March 23, 2012

Mean Green – Volvo Hybrid Truck

Mean Green is the fastest hybrid truck in the world. However, it will attempt a new speed record in excess of 260 km/h (165 mph). The event will be held on April 27^th at Wendover Airfield in Utah, USA. The truck will try to beat its own world speed records set only last year by ‘Mean Green’s driver, Boije Ovebrink.

The Volvo-built hybrid currently holds speed records in the standing 500 metre, standing kilometre and flying kilometre – international speed standards*.

“Technology and innovation are at the core of our business,” commented Ron Huibers, president, Volvo Trucks North American Sales & Marketing.

“Mean Green’ is a prime example of Volvo’s technical capabilities and our continued focus on emerging technologies. Our engineers developed the world’s fastest hybrid truck utilising the same Volvo hybrid drive system powering hundreds of Volvo buses throughout the world – including London’s double-decker buses.”, he added.

Mean Grean features adapted hybrid driveline and chassis to meet requirements of a world-class truck built for speed. Engineers then outfitted ‘Mean Green’ with a highly-tuned Volvo D16 engine and a modified version of Volvo’s automated I-Shift gearbox, which interacts with the hybrid’s electric motor.

“The result is a lightning-speed boost from start-off without any of the customary diesel-engine delay,” said the driver – Boije Ovebrink,

“Mean Green’s owner and driver. “It’s like a champagne cork, but without the sound effects. For the first couple of seconds the truck just makes a slight whistle until the diesel engine, which runs on renewable liquid rosin diesel, starts delivering with an explosive force.” – he added.

Mean-Green - Volvo Hybrid Truck — Mean-Green – Volvo Hybrid Truck

The powerful truck develops 2100HP (1544 kW) and 6779Nm (5000 lb-ft) of torque. From these massive powerl, just 200HP and 1200Nm (885 lb-ft) come from the electric motor.

Aerodynamics also plays a vital role in achieving top speed, so Volvo designers selected a North American VN cab and sculpted the optimal aerodynamic shape for the truck.

Mean Green features modified versions of the following Volvo production components:

Volvo hybrid motor
Volvo hybrid battery
Volvo D16 diesel engine
Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission
Volvo VN cab and frame
Rear axle with 1.85:1 ratio

During its North American tour, Mean Green will also visit Truck World, in Toronto (April 19 to 21) and the Volvo Ocean Race when it reaches in Miami (May 17 to 20).

Source: Volvo

March 23, 2012

Pininfarina Cambiano named most beautiful concept car

If you have followed thoroughly this year’s edition of 2012 Geneva Motor Show, then you have probably seen already many beautiful cars. But have you pondered for a moment on which one appealed to you the most?

Well, if you still don’t have the answer, there has recently been made a poll, in which according to the public the most beautiful car to be seen in Geneva was the Pininfarina Cambiano Concept Car.

The competition was fierce, but nonetheless the concept vehicle has managed to gather most of the votes and gained the “the most beautiful concept of 2012 Geneva Motor Show” as well “the most beautiful concept car”.

In the poll took part other significant vehicles such as Italdesign Giugiaro Brivido, Infiniti Emerg-e, Bertone Nuccio, Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept, and other amazing vehicles that achieved a lot of success in Geneva.

With the Cambiano, Pininfarina proposes an electric traction luxury sport sedan, which is in addition elegant and sporting, refined and comfortable. It emphasizes a pure synthesis of forefront design and engineering research with optimal attention to environment friendliness.

The new concept car embodies the Pininfarina expertise in the field of styling, design and research in the field of sustainable mobility. Undoubtedly, this concept sets a new benchmark for environment-conscious luxury vehicles. Its main strong point is the electric traction, which translates into zero emissions in the urban cycle. In fact, this is the highest all-electric range currently available on the market. This plug-in electric sedan combines top performance, excellent utility and the comfort of a luxury car.

Source: Pininfarina

March 23, 2012

Vorsteiner V-309 Ferrari California

The most recent update from Vorsteiner is this beautiful Ferrari California. In particular Vorsteiner V-309 Ferrari California is no less than a true queen, showing its sparkling majesty on the streets of Taiwan, where this actual update was made.

What is more here, one of the Vorsteiner’s dealers there, has equipped the Ferrari with theses splendid Vorsteiner V-309 3-piece forged aluminum wheels.

The result is obvious and there is no question about the majestic stance which this vehicle has – now further enhanced thank to Vorsteiner.

Of course these wheels were custom made and ordered specifically to match the California. As you can see, the five split spoke face of the wheels is done in black. At the same time there is a contrast present, with lip is done in white.

Source: Vorsteiner

March 23, 2012

Category: Auto News