Category: Auto News

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

  • 2012 Seat Ibiza 5-door SE Copa Price – £10 699

    Seat now offers the 2012 Ibiza 5-door 1.4 SE Copa for just £10 699. The manufacturer will also hit the market with the 2012 Leon, which is priced at £14 909. The massive savings for both vehicles will attract a lot of customers, who need brand new car at decent price.

    The standard equipment of  the Ibiza 5-door 1.4 SE Copa includes 16” alloy wheels, climate control, rain-sensing wipers, auto-headlights, front fog lights with cornering function, cruise control, front electric windows and an MP3-compatible CD player with AUX-in.

    The Leon 1.6 TDI S Copa comes with 16” alloy wheels, dual zone climate control, Bluetooth, front fog lights with cornering function, cruise control, an MP3-compatible CD player with AUX-in, ESP stability programme with XDS (electronic differential lock) and a Start/Stop system with energy recovery.

    “It has been a fantastic year for SEAT so far and, year to date, we have recorded our highest ever share of the UK’s new car market.”, commented Peter Wyhinny, Managing Director of SEAT UK.

    “The popularity of our previous ‘Pay No VAT’ offer and the incredible added value of our limited edition Copa models have both clearly helped that success.  Now we are combining the appeal of these to produce what I believe is the very best new car offer around!”, he finished.

    2012 Seat Ibiza 5-door SE Copa
    2012 Seat Ibiza 5-door SE Copa

    Source: Seat

  • Mazda RX-8 SPIRIT R

    Mazda will hit the Japanese market with a new RX-8 Spirit R special edition. The vehicle will be limited in series of just 1000 units as production ends in June 2012.

    The RX-8 SPIRIT R is based on the RX-8 Type RS with 6-speed manual transmission and Type E with 6-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission. The special edition model will come with new seats and nice alloy wheels.

    It also includes specially tuned sport suspension and larger brakes with red calipers. The headlights are also new as well as the fog lights with black bezel rear combination lights. The limited RX-8 has SPIRIT R badge, a piano-black transmission tunnel trim, and leather Recaro sports seats with red stitching.

    Mazda RX-8 SPIRIT R
    Mazda RX-8 SPIRIT R

    2012 Mazda RX-8 SPIRIT R:

    Base models
    RX-8 Type RS (with six-speed manual transmission) and RX-8 Type E (with six-speed electronically-controlled automatic transmission)
    Special equipment
    For both manual and automatic transmission models
    Exclusive SPIRIT R badge
    Front headlights, front fog lights and rear combination lights (with black bezels)
    Front and rear brake calipers (red)
    Transmission tunnel trim (piano-black)
    Curtain and front side SRS airbag system
    Exclusive to the manual transmission model
    Specially-made SPIRIT R bucket seats from RECARO
    225/40R19 89W tires and 19-inch alloy wheels (bronze)
    Exclusive to the automatic transmission model
    Leather seats (black with red stitching)
    Leather-wrapped steering wheel (black with red stitching)
    Parking brake lever (with red stitching)
    Center console box front seat armrest and rear console box lid covered with synthetic leather (with red stitching)
    Sports suspension, larger brakes
    225/45R18 91W tires and 18-inch alloy wheels (gun metallic)
    Exterior body colors
    Aluminum Metallic
    Sparkling Black Mica
    Crystal White Pearl Mica

    Source: Mazda

  • 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 – Nurburgring in 7:41:27

    2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 managed to make a lap around the Nurburgring-Nordschleife racetrack in 7 minutes 41 seconds and 27”.

    The times was set by GM’s own test driver Aaron Link. You can check out the whole lap in the video below provided by Chevrolet.

    2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Is powered by a 6.2 liter supercharged LSA V8 with 557PS (410 kW) and 745Nm (550 lb-ft) of torque. It has enormous Brembo brakes measuring 370mm in the front with 6-piston calipers and 365 mm at the rear with 4-piston calipers.

    The new Camaro ZL1 stands on enormous 20” aluminum wheels fitted with specially developed Goodyear Supercar F2 tires.

    2012 Camaro ZL1 manages to beat BMW E92 M3 GTS and Porsche GT3 RS, so the myth about the slow and boring american cars is busted.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mhjGERugh0&feature=player_embedded

    2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
    2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

    Source: Chevrolet via Youtube

  • TopCar Porsche Panamera Turbo S

    TopCar gave Porsche Panamera Turbo S even more value and how is that possible. Of course with some gold accents.

    Besides that, the tuning specialists fitted entire Stingray GTR body kit consisting of a new front and rear bumpers, widened fenders, modified doors and a new front hood.

    The interior boasts premium leather seats and crocodile leather on the dashboard, center console and armrest. Everything is so expensive and nice, that if you have such a car you will not get inside to keep it from scratches and damage. TopCar also added Karelian birch wood trim and gold accents to some buttons, around the gear leaver and the pedals.

    There are no improvements to the mighty engine – a 4.8 liter V8 Bi-turbo petrol with 550PS (405 kW) and 800Nm (590 lb-ft). 0 to 100 km/h takes 3.8 seconds and the top speed is 306 km/h (190 mph).

    And now the price – €423 810 consisting an original Porsche Panamera Turbo S and more than €150 000 upgrades. Yep! The gold is extremely expensive, but 150k is a bit exaggerated.

    TopCar Porsche Panamera Turbo S
    TopCar Porsche Panamera Turbo S

    Source: TopCar

  • MTM Audi RS3

    MTM gave the mighty Audi RS3 Sportback a lot more horsepower and torque. The already powerful car now benefits from another 132PS and 150Nm.

    Audi RS3 Sportback is powered by a 2.5 liter five-cylinder turbocharged engine with 340PS (250 kW) and 450Nm (332 lb-ft). With the new turbocharger kit, MTM boosted the engine to whopping 472PS (347 kW) and 600Nm (442 lb-ft). 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds (0.5 faster than stock) and a top speed of 292 km/h (181 mph).

    The results are thanks to a new turbocharger, a new sport exhaust system and an ECU re-map.  Other upgrades include performance braking system and awesome 19” Bimoto alloy wheels.

    The total price is not bad at all – €10 600, so if you have RS3 Sportback, you should definitely consider this package.

    MTM Audi RS3 FrontSide
    MTM Audi RS3 FrontSide
    MTM Audi RS3 Front
    MTM Audi RS3 Front
    MTM Audi RS3 RearSide
    MTM Audi RS3 RearSide
    MTM Audi RS3 Rear
    MTM Audi RS3 Rear
    MTM Audi RS3 Exhaust system
    MTM Audi RS3 Exhaust system

    Source: MTM

  • 2012 Volkswagen California Beach Price – £34 970

    Volkswagen has introduced the new California Beach model, which is an entry-level camper offering added value and more versatility with seating for up to seven people. 2012 Volkswagen California Beach is priced from £34 970 RRP.

    The interior boasts seating for up to seven people is available with a two-, or three-, seat rear bench, and further optional individual chairs.  The front seats swivel to face the rear and a portable table, neatly stored in the sliding side door, can create a sociable lounge area.  In addition, two folding chairs are stored in the tailgate.

    The California Beach is powered by a choice of 2.0-litre TDI engines. There is also a new 114 PS BlueMotion Technology variant with optimised fuel efficiency and lowering emissions. This engine comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox, cruise control, Stop/Start system, brake regeneration and low rolling resistance tyres, it offers a combined fuel economy figure of 40.4 mpg and a CO2 output of 184 g/km.

    The more powerful 140PS version has 6-speed manual gearbox. It returns up to 36.7 mpg on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 203 g/km.

    The standard equipment of California Beach includes 16” Miyato alloy wheels, air conditioning and a CD/radio with 8 speakers.  The choice of Sunny Yellow exterior paint and Takato upholstery are exclusive to Beach models.

    The options list includes larger alloy wheels, a 32-litre cool/warm box (powered by second leisure battery), programmable parking heater, an awning, privacy glass, double glazing and Bluetooth mobile phone provision, plus satellite navigation with Western Europe mapping pre-loaded to an internal memory and xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights,

    2012 Volkswagen California Beach
    2012 Volkswagen California Beach

    Source: Volkswagen

  • 2012 Peugeot 4008

    Finally, Peugeot tried to fix their huge mistake – 4007 model. The new 2012 Peugeot 4008 boasts distinctive, stylish appearance and 4×4 SUV features – 2×4, 4×4, and LOCK.

    The vehicle looks rather better than the outgoing model. The new Peugeot SUV has floating grille and a feline design of the lamp units with visual signature: at the front, a line of LED daylight running lamps that complement the headlamps and three red claws sculpted rear lamps.

    The off-road character has been emphasised by adopting a vertical design of grille, inclusion of body sill protectors and prominent wheel arch protection trims, to accommodate large wheels enhanced by the sophisticated design of the wheel rims. The almost-horizontal bonnet grooves and the style line – which extends to the rear wing where itdescends again crossing the lamp – are a distinctive feature and appear to hollow out along the body side, accentuating the strong and dynamic aspect of the 4008.

    The engine range includes a 1.6 liter petrol with 115PS (85 kW) and 152Nm. There is also a bigger petrol with 2.0 liters of displacement and more power – 150PS (113 kW) and 198Nm (146 lb-ft).

    Of course, a diesel variant is more suitable for a SUV – a 1.6 liter HDi with 110PS (82 kW) and 270Nm (199 lb-ft) or a 1.8 liter HDi with 150PS (110 kW) and 300Nm (221 lb-ft). Both engines are mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.

    Hopefully, the new 2012 Peugeot 4008 is more successful than the previous effort of the manufacturer to build a SUV.

    2012 Peugeot 4008
    2012 Peugeot 4008

    Source: Peugeot

  • Novitec Tridente Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale

    Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale received a special tuning package from Novitec Tridente. the global leader in tuning for the automobiles from the Italian manufacturer, now offers a SUPERSPORT supercharged engine with whopping 475 kW and 460 lb-ft.

    Novitec GranTurismo MC Stradale is powered by a 4.7 liter supercharged V8 with 646PS and 624Nm of torque, which means only 3.9 seconds to 100 km/h and 11.4 seconds to 200 km/h. The top speed is clocked at 306 km/h (190 mph).

    The tuned car also comes with NOVITEC TRIDENTE hood from lightweight clear-coated carbon fiber, butterfly-valve production exhaust system with two black-coated or polished tailpipes with a diameter of 105 mm.

    The monster is equipped with 9J x 21” up front and 11.5J x 22” alloy wheels fitted with ultra-low profile Pirelli P Zero tires in dimensions 255/30 ZR 21 and 315/25 ZR 22, respectively. The ride height is also reduced is 25mm for perfect stance and handling.

    The program starts from €23 900 only for the engine conversion, but if you want the other goodies, you’ll have to dig deep in your pockets.

    Novitec Tridente Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale
    Novitec Tridente Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale

    Source: Novitec Tridente

  • 1980 Ferrari Pinin Prototipo Price – £480 000 – £550 000

    RM Auctions annual Battersea sale returns to Central London, England on 26th of October, 2011. There will be many interesting vehicles like : a Ferrari-certified 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast, s/n 6659 SF, one of only eight Superfasts built in right-hand drive (Est. £580 000 – £650 000); a long-nose 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB Alloy Berlinetta (Est. £640 000 – £700 000); a unique 1980 Ferrari Pinin Prototipo, s/n 99788, the one and only four-door Ferrari ever built (Est. £480 000 – £550 000); and, an excellent 1964 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso, s/n 5167 GT, offered for the first time in over two decades (Est. £400 000 – £480 000). Also set to cross the podium, a highly-equipped, custom 2001 Iveco Domino HDH Orlandi Scuderia Ferrari F1 Driver’s Coach, used by the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team during the Schumacher / Barrichello years (Est. £200 000 – £300 000, offered without reserve).

    In particular, the 1980 Pinin Prototipo, which is built to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Pininfarina. The car is powered by a 5.0 liter V12 with 360BHP (268 kW). It also features a tan leather interior and a rear seat entertainment system with a second radio and headphones. Really, a very special car, especially for the begging of 80’s.

    Other notable blue-chip sale entries include:

    • 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV, featuring factory-fitted air conditioning and a limited slip differential (Est. £750 000 – £900 000);
    • 1961 Aston Martin DB4 GT, one of 75 GT examples built (Est. £780 000 – £880 000);
    • 1930 Bugatti T46 “Petit Royale”, one of the most elegant closed T46s in existence (Est. £450 000 – £550 000);
    • 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing (£475 000 – £575 000);
    • 2005 Pagani Zonda C12 7.3 S Roadster (Est. £425 000 – £475 000);
    • 1913 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Open Tourer “London to Edinburgh”, delivered new to the Maharaja of Patiala (Est. £380 000 – £500 000);
    • 1907 Rolls-Royce 40/50 HP Silver Ghost Limousine, chassis number 547 (Est. £310 000 – £440 000); and,
    • 1938 Jaguar SS 100 3 ½ Litre Roadster, formerly owned for over 40 years by the family of American antiques experts, authors and television hosts, Leigh and Leslie Keno (Est. £325 000 – £425 000)
    1980 Ferrari Pinin Prototipo
    1980 Ferrari Pinin Prototipo

    Source: RM Auctions

  • Mazda Special Edition Black Tuned Roadster

    Mazda has introduced a new special edition vehicle called Black Tuned Roadster. It is based on Mx-5 with JDM RS RHT and VS RHT trim levels.

    The Special Edition Black Tuned Roadster comes with a a Brilliant Black roof and door mirrors, and Gun Metallic 17” alloy wheels.

    The interior boasts seats and steering wheel covered in black leather with sand-colored stitching. There is also Bose sound system – AUDIOPILOTTM2 including 7 speakers, but no head unit.

    Three external body colors are available, including two exclusive colors – Spirited Green Metallic and Velocity Red Mica – and the popular Crystal White Pearl Mica.

    Mazda Special Edition Black Tuned Roadster is powered by a 2.0 liter DOHC petrol engine mated to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or an electronically-controlled automatic transmission.

    The price is not announced, yet.

    Check out the specifications, below!

    Mazda Special Edition Black Tuned Roadster
    Mazda Special Edition Black Tuned Roadster

    Special equipment:

    * Power Retractable Hard Top (Brilliant Black)
    * 17-inch alloy wheels (Gun Metallic)
    * Front grille garnish (Brilliant Black)
    * Door mirrors (Brilliant Black)
    * Rear roll bar garnish (Brilliant Black)
    * Black leather seats (with sand-colored stitching)
    * Black door trim (with sand-colored stitching)
    * Decoration panel (piano black)
    * Leather-wrapped steering wheel (with sand-colored stitching and piano black switch bezels)
    * Leather-wrapped parking brake lever (with sand-colored stitching)
    * Front fog lights (clear) and fog light bezels (black)
    * Outer door handles (body-colored)
    * Bose® sound system (AUDIOPILOTTM2) and seven speakers (no head unit)
    * Leather-wrapped shift knob (with chrome ring) *1
    * Soft pads on the side door trim arm rests (synthetic leather) *2
    * Soft pad on the center console lid (synthetic leather) *2
    * Seat heaters (with five temperature settings) *2
    * Front suspension tower bar (built into the cowl) *3

    Factory-installed option:

    Six-disc CD changer with AM/FM radio/MP3/WMA*4 player and AUX jack

    Exterior body colors:

    There is a choice of three exterior body colors: Spirited Green Metallic (exclusive), Velocity Red Mica (exclusive) and Crystal Pearl White Mica (special body color).

    Source: Mazda

  • World’s Greatest Drag Race Car – 2012 Nissan GT-R

    To begin with some data: ¼ mle – 11.2 seconds @ 121.8mph (196 km/h). Yep! This is 2012 Nissan GT-R or the latest “Godzilla”.  There is nothing faster on the streets that you can buy for less than $90 000 or twice as much. The car is just unbelievable and a true masterpiece.

    The engine is so brutal and powerful, that it manages to catapult the 1750kg body of  GT-R to 100 km/h in 3.0 seconds – dead. Of course, the launch control and a brilliant 4×4 system help a lot, but everything is thanks to a twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 with 530PS (390 kW) at 6400RPM and 612Nm (451 lb-ft) of torque between 3200 and 6200RPM. The car has a drag coefficient of 0.26.  The top speed is somewhere over 313km/h (195 mph).

    The thing that makes 2012 GT-R unique is that it is extremely easy to drive. You just have to put the right settings for suspension and traction control and take off.

    The double-clutch gearbox changes immediately and the engine power just don’t have an end. It pulls so hard on every gear that you’ll have to take a deep breath before setting a drag time.

    Too see how fast really is Nissan GT-R, you have to watch the video. Just a little clue – the GT-R is faster than the incredible Ferrari 458 Italia, which is 400kg lighter and have 40PS more than the Nissan.

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDP7Pty8Qnw

    2012-Nissan-GT-R
    2012-Nissan-GT-R

    Video by: Motortrend via Youtube

  • 2012 KIA cee’d 4 version Price – £19 195

    Kia will offer a new top-of-the-range 4 version to its range in the UK. The higher level of specification is available from 1st October.

    2012 Kia cee’d 4 is powered by a 1.6 litre CRDi turbodiesel engine with 126BHP (93 kW) at 4000RPM and 255Nm (188 lb-ft) of torque at just 1900RPM. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or an optional 4-speed automatic transmission.

    0 to 100 km/h in 10.6 seconds and a top speed of 196 km/h (122 mph). The engine achieves 62.8 mpg on combined cycle and emissions of just 119 g/km of CO2.

    The exterior of 4 version boasts 17” alloy wheels, black bezel headlights and rear window privacy glass.  The side indicator repeaters have been integrated into the door mirrors.

    Inside, there is a full black leather upholstery, combined with front heated seats, and a leather trimmed steering wheel and gear-knob add a luxurious feel.  Driver convenience has been enhanced by the addition of cruise control, with steering wheel mounted controls, and electrically-operated heated and folding door mirrors.

    A 7” colour touch screen system acts as the infotainment hub and controls a fully-integrated colour satellite navigation system, complete with European mapping, as well as the radio, CD player, iPod connectivity and Bluetooth hands-free systems.

    In addition, an advanced parking camera system offers a colour view of obstacles to the rear of the vehicle and is displayed on the same screen.  The cee’d SW version adds the extra convenience of audible reverse parking sensors to this list.

    2012 Kia cee’d 4 and cee’d SW 4 are available to order now from £19 195 and £20 345, respectively OTR.

    2012 KIA ceed 4 version
    2012 KIA ceed 4 version
    cee’d ‘4’ cee’d SW ‘4’ (Manual) cee’d SW ‘4’ (Auto)
    Economy (combined mpg) 62.8 60.1 48.7
    CO2 emissions (g/km) 119 124 154
    Acceleration (0-60mph) 10.6 10.8 12.1
    Top speed (mph) 122 122 115

    Source: KIA