Auto News – Page 904 – Automobiles Review

2012 Kahn Porsche Panamera wide track edition

Afzal Kahn has just re-designed in his absolutely unique and outstanding way a Porsche Panamera in carbon grey complete with the F1 number plate. The car was purchased for the amount of 460 000GBP. The tuner however gave a new exceptional look on it!

2012 Kahn Porsche Panamera includes the special wide track styling package, which consists of wide vented front and rear wheel arches with an integrated rear air dam, lower boot wing, Kahn lowered sports suspension system, billet aluminum side vents, privacy tinted glass, red brake calipers and tinted rear lamps. Moreover Kahn’s stainless steel quad exhaust system is reflecting an attraction to a pluto-matic lifestyle. The vehicle was completed with a cross hair exhaust feature, which takes the Porsche to a whole new dimension.

2012 Kahn Porsche Panamera wide-track edition

On the other hand the Panamera comes from the factory with a satellite navigation, bi-xenon headlamps, front and rear park assist, Porsche pdk including auto start/stop function, sport chrono plus package, power lift tailgate, heated front seats and iPod connectivity. Another thing to be highlighted here is the absolutely astonishing interior which the designers have made. It is a picture which blends claret quilted and perforated leather with the speedo and rev counter facia in red and cream. Furthermore, the Porsche sits on Kahn wheels, which have been created with a state-of-the art materials and technology. They are precisely the 22” Kahn RS600 wheels finished in color of customer’s choice.

Source: Kahn Design

January 27, 2012

2012 Ram 1500 Laramie Limited

Ram Truck will expand its model by the featuring of the brand new 2012 Ram 1500 Laramie Limited. The new truck includes vast variety of premium materials like full-leather seating, piano-black interior components and under-stated exterior badging. This is how the brand new Ram Laramie Limited will offer its customers more luxury, in comparison for example to the Ram Laramie Longhorn edition pickup. The new vehicle will make its first appearance at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show on 8^th of February.

But let’s look up more closely to the new Ram features. First of all, the exterior, as you can see the pictures below, is more then fascinating. The Ram 1500 Laramie Limited gets a body-color front fascia with fog lamps and a matching, painted rear bumper. In details, the customers of Ram Laramie Limited 2500 and 3500 models in white and silver exterior colors will get chrome front and rear bumpers. In addition there are billet inserts which are surrounding the chrome grille on Ram Sport models. Understated chrome accents include body-side molding, mirrors, door handles and tubular side steps. The body sides of the truck have clean look. However, there is a tailgate badging “Limited” on them. Moreover the Ram sits on 20-inch forged aluminum wheels. Polished surfaces are accented with painted silver pockets. In addition, heavy Duty models feature 17-inch fully polished aluminum wheels. Of course the wheel centers are being stamped with the Ram brand name. To conclude, the 1500 version is offered in six exterior colors: black, bright silver metallic, bright white, deep cherry red pearl, mineral gray metallic and true blue; and the Heavy Duty models are available in black, bright silver metallic, bright white and mineral gray metallic.

What about the interior? It is as fascinating as the exterior, and even more luxurious than you can imagine. A full-leather cockpit with dark slate Natura Plus leather seats and engraved details gives the vehicle class and sophisticated style. In addition, contrasting medium graystone leather piping provides seat-edge emphasis. Additional accents are created along either side of the piping by medium graystone deck-seam stitching. The Ram Laramie Limited’s cavernous double-stacked center console is topped with a soft, double French-stitched full-leather lid. Additionally, there is a wrapped steering wheel and shifter – console mounted on 1500, column mounted on 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty models. The designers have put a lot of attention to the details, obviously, and they haven’t forgotten even to wrap the front and rear trims in premium leather. Leather armrest uppers are further accented with the same dual French stitch used on the center console lid and instrument panel. The vehicle has also a remote LED lighting at the inside door handles and a full-length light that illuminates the truck’s multi-function lower map front and rear pockets. There’s also a liquid graphite glovebox spear with pinstriped details and black and chrome “Limited” badge. Not forgetting the carpet floor mats, the designers have made them with solid dark slate premium berber with medium graystone accent stitching, only for the comfort of the passengers.

Other Features that has to be highlighted in the new 2012 Ram 1500 Laramie Limited are also the navigational radio, remote start, back-up camera, power adjustable pedals with memory, heated steering wheel, front ventilated and heated seats and rear heated seats. In details, the vehicle will be available in 1500 (1/2-ton), 2500 HD (3/4-ton) and 3500 HD single- and dual-rear-wheel (1-ton); Crew Cab and Mega Cab; four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive; and short- and long-wheelbase models.

Source: Ram

January 27, 2012

Mercedes with two first places in ”The Best Cars of 2012” survey

“Auto motor und sport” is a popular motoring magazine known for it’s expertise on.. well.. motoring and sport. It is German-based but it also has a significant amount of worldwide clout as it has been around since 1977. This year, more than 210,000 readers, some of them from China, others from Brazil, have cast their votes to crown the “Best Cars of 2012”.

And now, Mercedes are proud to say that for a third consecutive year, the SLS AMG Roadster heads the cabriolet nominations. And one can’t really blame the public for going with the SLS again. It is captivated by the unique blend of unconventional yet classic design and ground breaking technology. The SLS AMG boasts a lightweight aluminium spaceframe body, an AMG 6.3-litre V8 front mid-engine producing 420 kW (571 hp), seven-speed dual clutch transmission and a sports suspension with aluminum double wishbone suspension.

Another class dominated by Mercedes is the SUV segment – Mercedes-Benz M-Class won most of the reader’s hearts with its ever solid presence on the road, sustainability and safety. End even if it weren’t such a favorite SUV, other Mercs are always there to take the love – an honarable second place for the G-Class

Mercedes-Benz ML-250 BlueTEC 4MATIC (2012)

Source: Mercedes-Benz

January 27, 2012

Ford Focus ST-R Ready to Go

Ford are ready to tackle this year’s Grand-Am 200 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge within the ST class. Their contender will be the Daytona International Speedway debutant Focus ST-R. Ford Racing already has a substantial portfolio of production-based race cars if we count the FR500 and Boss 302R. The ST-R clearly has its roots embedded in the standard Focus and the ST:

“The road-going Focus features best-in-class brakes, handling and powertrains and the design and functionality of the various vehicle systems have helped us to develop a global technical specification for teams wanting to race the new Focus cost effectively. Ford Racing in North America has taken this effort and developed the new Focus ST-R. It is a perfect example of how a great production car inspires a competitive race car for enthusiasts.” comments Jost Capito, director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport Business Development

Thanks to Ford’s Global Performance Vehicles group, Ford Racing have managed to “optimize” the ST-R so that it can go not only to the Grand-Am 200 but also take part in the World Challenge TC and Canadian Touring Car Series. Hopes are also high for the 24h race at the Nürburgring.

But know all eyes are on the Daytona Speedway. What can we expect there? Well, despite the striking similarity to a standard Focus ST, the ST-R has an all-aluminum 2.0 EcoBoost power plant that has been tweaked and tinkered with as far as technology these days would allow it. High-pressure direct injection, low-inertia turbocharging, revised intake/exhaust systems and twin independent variable camshaft timing (Ti-VCT) all benefit the 250 horsepower figure that comes out of the engine. Torque peaks at 265 lb.-ft and yet it is consistently available throughout the rev counter. A six-speed manual tames the mad horses spewing out from under the hood and delivers unmatched efficiency and power – Props to the guys at Global Performance Vehicles.

Initially the ST-R will be available for ordering only within the US by seasoned hardcore professional drivers, amateur racers and track-day goers. Ford’s plan however, is to broaden the ST-R‘s availability in other markets as well. Other turnkey race cars by Ford managed to enchant the public so why not the beast in the compact Focus body?

Source: Ford

January 27, 2012

Audi dominates ”Best cars of 2012″ Poll

Audi has proved itself very popular within the German community which is rather unsurprising. This year, the German-based magazine ”Motor und sport” surveyed a six-digit number of people to determine the “Best Cars of 2012”. The thing is that many people that took part in the research were from other countries as well – The “Motor und sport” magazine has a fan base in more than 13 European countries, Brazil and China. These are all vague numbers and speculations but the fact remains that Audi is one of the most referred to car makes on the market today.

Gaining 37.9 percent of the participating votes, the Audi A1 is crowned victorious in the battle for the best small car segment. The A4/5 on the other hand, won the best mid-size car title with 24.9 percent of the votes cast.

Runner ups include the Audi A8 which got the second place in the luxury class and so did the A6/7 in the upper mid-size category. The R8 Spyder was left behind the winning SLS AMG Roadster in the convertible segment. Audis were seen on third places as well: the R8 in the sports car segment and the Audi A3 also came in third among all midsize models.

Source: Audi

January 27, 2012

2013 BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe

BMW has announced the new 2013 X6 Sports Activity Coupe. The vehicle will hit the US market this spring. It is the world’s first ever Sports Activity Coupe stills, which still offers a unique combination of sporty dynamics, versatility and unmatched character.

The new X6 will deliver outstanding driving experience provided by two powerful engines featuring BMW TwinPower Turbo Technology and xDrive, the intelligent AWD system. It also continues to offer Dynamic Performance Control which gives the Sports Activity Coupe unparalleled agility for a vehicle in this segment.

The exterior of the MY2013 has some slight exterior changes new foglights, adaptive LED headlamps with three-dimensionally shaped luminous rings as an option. The taillights are now two LED-fed light banks which create the brand’s hallmark night design as a harmoniously glowing light mass. The fact that they are horizontally aligned and stretch far out to the sides emphasizes both the width of the vehicle and the flowing transition between the rear quarter and the tail-end.

There are also some new paint finishes including Marrakesh Brown metallic, Orion Silver metallic and Midnight Blue metallic. The standard equipment range of the new BMW X6 also includes a new 19” light alloy wheel style for the X6 xDrive50i.

The standard Nevada leather upholstery is now also available in Vermilion Red. Also available is a new Nappa Leather upholstery in Ivory White. The new BMW X6 comes standard as a four-seat model. A three-seat rear bench is available as an option. The luggage compartment volume of the Sports Activity Coupe is 570 liters (25.6 cubic feet) and can be extended to up to nearly 1 450 liters (60 cu.-ft.) by folding down the rear backrests.

The engine range includes X6 xDrive50i model with a 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 with 400PS and X6 xDrive35i model with 300PS TwinPower Turbo In-line six cylinder.

As an additional option, the M Performance Package is available in the US. It includes both styling and performance modifications. The engine upgrade of +15hp and +30 lb-ft of torque for X6 xDrive35i and +40 hp +30 lb-ft of torque on the X6 xDrive50i. In addition, the M Performance Package includes 20” light alloy wheels, black chrome exhaust tips, stainless steel pedals, M foot rest and door sills, shadowline exterior trim, anthracite headliner, and optional Carbon Black metallic paint.

Last, but not least – 2013 BMW X6 M will be also available on the market. It comes with unmatched performance and style.

2013 BMW X6 Sports Activity Coupe Interior

Source: BMW

January 26, 2012

Jeep Grand Cherokee Concept

Jeep has announced the production-intent concept version of its award-winning Grand Cherokee. The unique model is designed to attract new Jeep Grand Cherokee enthusiasts and customers.
“Highlighted by a unique platinum-chrome front-end appearance and distinctive black-gloss 20-inch wheels and exterior treatments, our new Grand Cherokee concept provides a completely new look – one that is edgy and aggressive, and certainly different than any Grand Cherokee on the road today,” said Mike Manley, President and CEO – Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC.

“Jeep enthusiasts have always appreciated limited-edition models and the ability to customize their vehicles. This new Grand Cherokee comes with a unique, ‘factory-customized’ stealth appearance directly from Jeep, and is certain to attract interest from an array of potential customers.”, he added.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Concept comes with Laredo X package. It combines a variety of exterior design changes to create a unique model with an aggressive, chrome and “blacked-out” look. The big SUV stands on 20” Black-gloss aluminum wheels.

The equipment boasts leather-trimmed seats, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, a 9-speaker 506 watt amp sound system with subwoofer, iPod/MP3 connectivity, Parkview™ rear back-up camera, ParkSense® rear-park assist system, Keyless Enter-N-Go, Chrysler Group’s Uconnect hands-free communications system, and more than 50 advanced safety and security features.

Source: Jeep

January 26, 2012

2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup Car

Ford is going back in NASCAR with the 2013 Ford Fusion Sprint Cup car, which was unveiled as part of the Charlotte Motor Speedway Media Tour. It is specially created by Ford designers in an effort to bring brand identity back to the sport.

Featuring a completely redesigned sleek new silhouette and fresh face, the 2013 Fusion Sprint Cup car was designed to be the face of a new era of stock car racing.

”We wanted Fusion to be the car that helped return ‘stock car’ to NASCAR.” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford Racing.

“I think fans, when they see the car, are just going to smile and cheer. It is going to reengage them with the sport and make the sport better because there is just something natural about seeing race cars that look like cars in their driveways.”, he added.

Ford Design Center staff, led by Garen Nicoghosian, and Ford aerodynamicist Bernie Marcus, spent the past year doing the early design development, freeing up the Ford race teams to concentrate on weekly NASCAR competition.

The new NASCAR Fusion entries will be tested throughout the 2012 campaign in preparation for their racing debut at the 2013 Daytona 500 in February.

New 2013 Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup Car

Source: Ford

January 26, 2012

2012 EDAG Light Car – Sharing concept car

The engineering service provider EDAG is going to present a world debut of the outstanding Concept vehcile, called EDAG Light Car – Sharing at this years Geneva Auto Show. This is a concept car made especially to fit instantly to the booming leasing business. More importantly the car is electrically driven and has been constructed strictly for use as a leasing car. According to the manufacturers it answers all the needs of the customer: it is simple and easy to use as a local publuc transport. To be more precise, these requirenents, led to the non-featuring of storage surfaces nor fancy door trims in the new EDAG Light Car – Sharing Concept Car. And even more, to make it simpler, aside from the accelerator, brake and steering wheel, the only other control the customer will find is a lever to work the indicators. There is just one display element which gives basic information abut the speed, state of charge, range and navigation.

Moreover, the car created by the EDAG is designed with two side doors and twin rear doors. However it keeps room for 6 passengers. Thank to the car’s height of 1.90 m the passangers can get in and out easily. Additionally, there are also folding seats included. They provide maximum transport capacity. The materials used in the interior are are easy to clean, and as they are modular-based, so therefore also easy to exchange.

2012 EDAG Light Car - Sharing concept — 2012 EDAG Light Car – Sharing concept

There is also a unique technologies included in this leasing concept vehicle. For example, there shouldn’t be any worry about bumping the car when parking, bacause the sensitive spots are fitted with “Technogel” pads, and these can withstand minor collisions. Of course, light plays a prominent role as a communication instrument in this car: the LEDs integrated in the pads and “Plexiglass truLED” give a continual, visible indication of the status of the car. Furthermore, while parking the car or opening the doors, a laser integrated in the mirror starts projecting a safety zone onto the asphalt, ensuring that passengers can get in and out in safety. Another interesting and innovative feature is that the rear window can be marketed as advertising space by the fleet owner, but only when the car is not being driven. With this exceptional concept car – EDAG Light Car – Sharing, the EDAG Group shows extremely high competence and eagernessin finding new ideas and developing innovative vehicle concepts.

Source: EDAG

January 26, 2012

2012 Mazda Biante GRANZ Special Edition

More news from Mazda Motor Corporation today. It has just announced the launch of the special edition of its mid-sized tall ‘high-roof’ Mazda Biante minivan, named Mazda Biante GRANZ. This special edition of the brand goes on sale from today at dealerships in Japan.

Mazda Biante GRANZ is based on the high model grade Mazda Biante 20S. It also comes with Mazda’s unique idling stop system (i-stop), Mazda’s signature wing in the front, and it is also part of the company’s new design theme, called “KODO – Soul of Motion”. Furthermore the exterior of the new vehicle also includes an exclusive front bumper as well as a large chrome grille. Speaking about the interior, it features a decoration panel for the instrument panel that is used for Biante’s top-of-the-range 23S model grade. Moreover, a new special body color – Aluminum Metallic, has been added to the body color lineup of Brilliant Black and Chrystal White Pearl Mica. The Mazda Biante 20S model grade front-wheel-drive (FWD) version now includes the popular Clean Air Package as standard equipment at a more affordable price.

The main features of the special editions Mazda Biante GRANZ and GRANZ-C include the Clean Air Package (standard equipment for the 20S). However this comes as an option for the Biante GRANZ and it is not available for GRANZ-C. The main features of the GRANZ and the GRANZ-C include exclusive front bumper (front lower grille) and chrome top bar & upper grille; exclusive rear finisher trim (silver); LED rear combination light bezel (silver & black); muffler cutter; chrome trim, which includes front bumper, side sills, lower rear bumper; decoration panel for the instrument panel (Black interior: hairline); scuff plates for the front. Mazda also offers special equipment for the GRANZ which consists of 215/50R17 91V tires and 17-inch alloy wheels, and special equipment for the GRANZ-C, which includes halogen headlights (with low beam manual leveling function), 205/60R16 92H tires and 16-inch steel wheels with full-wheel cap, keyless entry system (with answer-back function and automatic rear liftgate) and one Mazda retractable key (and normal key).

Source: Mazda

January 26, 2012

Mazda CX-5 with New-Generation SKYACTIV-D Diesel Engine

Mazda Motor Corporation has just started the production of the all-new Mazda CX-5. However the model will include a new-generation SKYACTIV-D 2.2-litre, super clean diesel engine. The manufacturing will take place at the Ujina Plant near Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima. This vehicle is the first Mazda model, which adopts SKYACTIV TECHNOLOGY. The latter is included throughout the vehicle, in the powertrain, body and chassis. At the same time the CX-5 will also fully embrace Mazda’s new design theme, called “KODO – Soul of Motion.” Mazda will start introducing the new CX-5 firstly in Japan in the spring of this year, followed by Europe and other markets around the world.

To go further into details, the special Mazda’s SKYACTIV-D 2.2 diesel engine is the world’s first diesel engine to comply with global exhaust gas regulations, including Japan’s Post New Long-Term Regulations and Europe’s Euro6, without the need for an expensive nitrogen oxide (NOx) aftertreatment system. The system precisely controls the fuel injection and improves the exhaust valve’s opening and closing mechanism. Moreover the SKYACTIV-D diesel engine has achieved remarkable success in resolving longstanding issues encountered in low compression ratio engines. For example – poor start capability and lower combustion stability when the engine is cold, now is no more a problem. Hence, all these improvements lead to the achievement of the world’s lowestcompression ratio of 14.0:1 for a diesel engine in the class of mass production vehicles. In addition, Mazda has achieved an exclusive emissions performance combined with excellent fuel economy and ample torque equal to a 4-liter V8 gasoline engine.

To sum up, now Mazda will offer the customers of the eco-car market the unique opportunity to drive a fresh, fun-to-drive Mazda CX-5 with the SKYACTIV-D diesel engine – an option that also combines outstanding environmental performance and pioneers a new era of diesel power.

Source: Mazda

January 26, 2012

2012 Mercedes-Benz B 180 certified with less CO2 emissions

The new Mercedes Benz B 180 has just received the Environmental Certificate, because ir produces 16 percent less CO2 emissions than the prvious one. The high level of environmental compatibility however can be seen even beyond the reductions in fuel consumption. To be more precise Mercedes-Benz analyses the environmental compatibility of its models according to their entire life cycle. This cycle embraces not only the production of the vehicle but also includes their long years of service and eventually adds the recycling at the end of their lives. But this wasn’t the only vehicle produced by the luxury brand, which has received the forespoken certificate. Additionally nine other model series were awarded with the Environmental Certificate.

But let us revew the entire life cycle of the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. Starting with the production, through service of over 160,000 kilometres and ending with the recycling – the new model B 180 causes 16 percent less CO₂ emissions than its predecessor. The primary energy consumption over the vehicle’s entire life cycle is cut by 14 percent, of couse this is in comparison to the precious version of the car. For instance, the fuel consumption of the B 180 BlueEFFICIENCY petrol model with dual clutch transmission ranges from 5.9 to 6.2 l/100 km. To make it clearer the last version of the B 180 had a fuel consumption of 7.3 to 7.5 l/100 km. Therefore this means that there is substantial reduction in fuel consumption of up to 19 percent! These savings are due to an intelligent package of measures, namely – the BlueEFFICIENCY technologies. They include optimisation measures in the area of the powertrain, energy management, aerodynamics, tyres optimised for minimum rolling resistance, weight reduction through lightweight construction and driver information to encourage an energy-saving style of driving.

Moreover the new B-Class already meets the recycling rate of 95 percent by weight. To be more precise the B-Class includes 75 components representing a total weight of 39 kilograms which can be produced with the partial use of high-quality recycled plastics, thus resulting in 13 percent increase in the weight of approved recycled components. For example, the typical areas of use are wheel arch linings, cable ducts and underbody panels, which consist for the most part of polypropylene. In addition to that there is also an increased emphasis on closed automobile materials cycles. For instance, a recyclate is used for the front wheel arch linings, which is produced from refabricated vehicle components such as starter battery housings, bumper panels from the Mercedes-Benz Recycling System (MeRSy) and production waste from cockpit units. Furthermore, 21 components in the B-Class weight 20 kilograms. They
are produced using natural materials, which marks an increase of 29 percent. And to go further into detaisl these natural materials consist primarily of coconut and wood fibres and honeycomb cardboard in combination with various polymer materials. Next, the modular body-in-white concept is a sign that the B-Class is constructed to accommodate versions with an alternative drive. For example, the appropriate interfaces in the body shell enable the main floor panel to be modified and a step to be
produced for the “ENERGY SPACE” on the versions with alternative drive. At last the underfloor compartment covers part of the area under the rear bench seat, thus offering space for alternative energy accumulators.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

January 26, 2012

Category: Auto News