Revealed Diesel-electric powered 2009 BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept

Good news, Revealed Diesel-electric powered 2009 BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept

And here we have it, BMW’s secretive concept car with the radical rear tail lamps set for its Frankfurt showcase unveiled before the show – the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics. If you’ve been following the motoring scene closely you’ll remember back in early 2008 there was another concept car with the exact same name but with a much less radical body. Come to think of it the design was probably inspired by the GINA concept. 2008’s Vision EfficientDynamics Concept was built using the body of an X5 but featured a 2.0 liter twin turbodiesel (from the 123d) with 204hp mated to a 15kW electric motor.

August 2009 Dream Car of the Month - Noble M12

Noble Automotive Ltd. was established in the UK in 1999 by Lee Noble with the goal of producing low volume sports cars that would compete performance wise with much more expensive models from other companies. They succeeded.

Their second model was called the M12 and was a 2 door mid engine 2 seat sportscar that was originally planned as a hardtop and convertible however no convertible was ever produced. All M12s were powered by some form of modified Ford Duratec V6 engines in various states of tune and with boost. The M12 GTO was powered by a 2.5L turbo Duratec that produced 310HP and the M12 GTO-3R featured a 352HP 3.0L turbo Duratec engine.

The body of the M12 is a fiberglass composite atop of a full steel tubular frame and integrated roll cage. This created a very rigid and light car with an amazing power to weight ratio. The body shell is manufactured by Hi-Tech Automotive of Port Elizabeth, South Africa and shipped to Noble in England where the engines and suspensions are added and the car completed. Because of the stiffness of the chassis, there were no anti-roll bars used in the suspension which allowed for great handling on the track and some comfort on the road.

Noble M400

In 2004 Noble released the M400 which was an evolution of the M12 and featured a 3.0L Twin Turbo Duratec V6 producing 425HP/390TQ and was able to hit 60mph in around 3.5 seconds. In order to reach those power numbers, some modifications to the Ford powerplant were required including better cams, forged pistons, oil coolers and of course two intercooled turbos. Transferring the power to the ground is a Getrag 6 speed manual transaxle with a Quaife differential. The car's top speed is around 185MPH and max conering Gs have exceeded 1.4. This amazing performance is possible due to the car's very light weight of around 2337lbs.

Noble has now moved their focus on to new models the M15 and M600 which are targeted to take the performance and price up a notch. Their performance target with the M600, which will feature a twin turbo Volvo V8 with 630HP, is the Ferrari F40.

The M12/M400 however are not dead. Noble sold the rights to the M400 to a US company, 1G racing from Ohio. 1G was originally an importer of Noble cars to the US. Since the cars were not legal for sale in the US, 1G bought the bodies and engines separately and sold them to US customers as kit cars to get around local laws regarding production car crash testing and emissions. The have now changed their name to Rossion Automotive and have began manufacturing a modified M400 called the Rossion Q1 that maintains the performance of the M400 but adds luxury to the car to bring it up to the standards of modern sportscars.

Rossion Q1

The Q1 sports a 450HP/400TQ 3.0L Duratec and will blast to 60mph in about 3.3 seconds. It also uses a redesigned body that develops more downforce and is more aerodynamic than the original M400. The bodies are still manufactured in South Africa and they are shipped to Rossion for completion of the car. Prices for the new Rossion Q1 are over $100,00 US.

I can't wait to win the lottery. So many cars to buy and this one would definitely make the list.

Holden Car Concept

This has to be one of our admired car interiors. Blending old and new, this Holden abstraction has chic accounting all over it.

Honda CR-Z Interior design

The key words for the CR-Z’s autogenous architecture are ‘Hi-tech and Sporty’. The ambition was to actualize an all-new adventurous autogenous that fuses the liberating feel of aerial admeasurement with an avant-garde interface that brings out the fun of the drive.

Mesh actual on a simple framework architecture is acclimated throughout the autogenous to back a light, adult angel after actuality oppressive. In the cockpit, the beat assemblage conveys the angel of avant-garde technology ensconced in a allotment of bottle artwork, alms the functionality of actual acceptance while acceptable the active acquaintance with a affected and animating feeling.

Mazda-Ryuga Concept Car

The Ryuga accommodates four cartage in archetypal 2+2 seating, with advanced brazier seats and a lounge-like rear commuter area.

A "floating" centermost array with continued pods includes a multi-function blow console for controls and displays. A set of charge-coupled accessory (CCD) cameras are installed for ecology the aback appearance and blind-spot.

The council caster is an accessible top style, which utilizes steer-by-wire technology.

GM Buick Riviera Abstraction Car Interior

A accumulating of air-conditioned car autogenous administration from about the apple including some actual air-conditioned abstraction car interiors.

GM Buick Riviera Abstraction Car Interior

The Riviera’s autogenous can be summed up with one word: sanctuary. The use of affluent dejected and attenuate creams, apery baptize and earth, is conveyed in the high-quality covering brazier seats, costly carpeting and a luxurious, bedlam council wheel.

It is anon affected yet somehow familiar. A three-dimensional speedometer, aggressive by accomplished abstract but absolutely avant-garde in design, adulation the touchpad styled axial animate about modeled on a computer mouse. An LCD affectation awning crowns the axial console. Riviera’s autogenous designers were encouraged to accede people's claimed accouterments to enhance their activity of acquaintance and abundance in the vehicle. Continuing the affair of calm simplicity, cyberbanking shifter pads alter the acceptable manual shifter and controls are kept to a minimum to avert disciplinarian distraction.

Modifikasi Honda Transformer

Although not like Surabaya or Malang, Banjarmasin city appeared to have a motorcycle modifikator reliable. Modifikator origin Banjarmasin success siphon attention of thousands of visitors in the event Otocontest Honda Series (HOCS) 2009,

Title in the city of Banjarmasin this series is a contest to 8-modification Honda in Indonesia.

"In Banjarmasin, the motor modifications nge-trend, a Honda. No other brand motorcycle that performs the modifications in the event here. So this is proof that Honda always want to provide the best care to clients and, "said Antonius silitonga a familiar called Pak Anton as GM's Trio Motor, Main Dealer Honda Motorcycles & Central Kalimantan South Kalimantan region.

He also added, the title of this, it can be proved that the Honda motor is the most suitable for modification fans.

GM announces Volt's mileage rating

GM announced today that the Chevy Volt has been evaluated by the EPA and has received a rating of 230MPG! That's simply amazing.

At about $40,000, the first generation Volt won't be cheap but combining government incentives with increasing gas prices, you just may come out ahead.

If this car really delivers, GM may have hit a home run just when they need it most.

Here is the AP article:

By KIMBERLY S. JOHNSON and TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writers – 26 mins ago

WARREN, Mich. – General Motors Corp. said Tuesday its Chevrolet Volt rechargeable electric car should get 230 miles per gallon of gasoline in city driving, more than four times the mileage of the current champion, the Toyota Prius.

The Volt is powered by an electric motor and a battery pack with a 40-mile range. After that, a small internal combustion engine kicks in to generate electricity for a total range of 300 miles. The battery pack can be recharged from a standard home outlet.

GM came up with the 230-mile figure in early tests using draft guidelines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for calculating the mileage of extended range electric vehicles, said Tony Posawatz, GM's vehicle line director for the Volt.

If the figure is confirmed by the EPA, which does the tests for the mileage posted on new car door stickers, the Volt would be the first car to exceed triple-digit gas mileage, Posawatz said.

GM has produced about 30 Volts so far and is making 10 a week, CEO Fritz Henderson said during a presentation of the vehicle at the company's technical center in the Detroit suburb of Warren.

Henderson said charging the volt will cost about 40 cents a day.

"The EPA labels can and will be a game changer for us," he said.

Most automakers are working similar plug-in designs, but GM could be the leader with the Volt, which is due in showrooms late in 2010.

Toyota's Prius, the most efficient car now sold in the U.S., gets 48 miles per gallon of gas. It is a gas-electric hybrid that runs on a small internal combustion engine assisted by a battery-powered electric motor to save gasoline.

The first-generation Volt is expected to cost near $40,000, making it cost-prohibitive to many people even if gasoline returns to $4 per gallon. The price is expected to drop with future generations of the Volt, but GM has said government tax credits and the savings on fuel could make it cost-effective, especially at 230 miles per gallon.

"We get a little cautious about trying to forecast what fuel prices will do," Posawatz said. "We achieved this number and if fuel prices go up, it certainly does get more attractive even in the near-term generation," he said.

Figures for the Volt's highway and combined city/highway mileage have not yet been calculated, Posawatz said. The combined mileage will be in the triple digits as well, he said, but both combined and highway will be worse than city because the engine runs more on longer highway trips.

The EPA guidelines, developed with input from automakers, figure that cars like the Volt will travel more on straight electricity in the city than on the highway. If a person drives the Volt less than 40 miles, in theory they could go without using gasoline.

The mileage figure could vary as the guidelines are refined and the Volt gets further along in the manufacturing process, Posawatz said.

GM is nearly halfway through building about 80 Volts that will look and behave like the production model, and testing is running on schedule, Posawatz said.

Two critical areas, battery life and the electronic switching between battery and engine power, are still being refined, but the car is on schedule to reach showrooms late in 2010, he said.

GM is simulating tests to make sure the new lithium-ion batteries last 10 years, Posawatz said.

"We're further along, but we're still quite a ways from home," he said. "We're developing quite a knowledge base on all this stuff. Our confidence is growing."

The other area of new technology, switching between battery and engine power, is proceeding well, he said, with engineers just fine-tuning the operations.

"We're very pleased with the transition from when it's driving EV (electric vehicle) to when the engine and generator kick in," he said,

GM also is finishing work on the power cord, which will be durable enough that it can survive being run over by the car. The Volt, he said, will have software on board so it can be programmed to begin and end charging during off-peak electrical use hours.

Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co. and Daimler AG are all developing plug-ins and electric cars, and Toyota Motor Corp. is working on a plug-in version of its gas-electric hybrid system. Nissan Motor Co. announced last month that it would begin selling an electric vehicle in Japan and the U.S. next year.

2011 BMW X5 [Spied] Wallpaper

2011 BMW X5 [Spied] Wallpaper

As the 2011 X5 will be a refresh and not a redesign, the changes will be minor but should keep the ‘ute looking fresh. Up front we expect a slightly reworked front fascia, including a new bumper. The rear of the X5 will see a similar update, although rumors suggest the 2011 model will feature a one-piece hatch for the first time.

Inside the X5 should receive a few tweaks, but don’t expect anything radical. Powertrains will likely remain unchanged.

Look for the freshened X5 to debut at an upcoming auto show, with an on-sale date likely set for sometime in mid-2010 as a 2011 model.

the F Rapide wallpaper

the Rapide will be the first ever Aston Martin built outside of the United Kingdom, thanks to a partnership up with Magna Steyr. Given a strong interest in the Rapide, Aston Martin says it will build between 1,000 and 2,000 units per year, up from an original estimate of 500 or less. Like Aston’s other models, the Rapide is built on the company’s VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture — the same that underpins the DB9. The Rapide will also borrow its twelve-cylinder powerplant from the DB9, although power will be increased from 450 horsepower to 470. With that power routed through a six-speed transmission — featuring Aston Martin’s Touchtronic control — the Rapide should make the sprint from 0-60 in under five seconds, on its way to a top speed of 180 mph. Expect to see the Aston Martin Rapide to hit the market sometime during 2010, with a price tag in the $200,000 range.

Comparison: 2009 Dodge Challenger SRT8 vs 2010 Hennessey Camaro HPE550 vs 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500

Options

Customers who shell out the cash for a Challenger SRT8 -- including the $2,100 gas-guzzler tax -- receive a car that is pretty much fully loaded. Only three options are available: a set of summer tires instead of all-season rubber for $50, a MyGig Multimedia Infotainment system with navigation for $890 and a power sunroof for $950.

Powertrain

As with most SRT8 applications, the 6.1L HEMI kicks out 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque.

A convertible is also expected to bow sometime in 2009 as a 2010 mode, with all three trim levels available.

Manual transmission cars come with Chrysler's Hill Start Assist technology -- as used in the Dodge Ram, Jeep Commander, Grand Cherokee and the Liberty -- which maintains brake pressure until throttle is applied.

Dodge also offers a Trak Pack, which appears to be little more than a marketing name given to a specific package of transmission, shifter and gearing.

Performance

Although Dodge has yet to disclose performance numbers on lesser models, it did announce some performance numbers for the 2008 Challenger SRT8 equipped with an automatic transmission. The sprint from zero to 60 take s4.9 seconds with the car topping out at about 170 mph.

But in addition the the car's straight line performance, Dodge also emphasized the Challenger's braking and cornering abilities. Massive Brembo brakes squeezing slotted rotors and the car's wide tires -- size 245 up front and 255 out back -- bringing the Challenger from 60 to 0 in only 120 feet. Additionally, the car can go from 0-100-0 in 16.5 seconds.

Despite the Challenger's muscle-car image, it handles more like a midsize sports car. According to Dodge, the Challenger SRT8 cirlces the skid pad at .9 gs.

Design

Although the production Challenger is very close to the concept in design, there have been a few tweaks. Most noticeably, the Challenger has gained a B-pillar for structural reasons. Other less noticeable changes include taillights that have been divided into sections, a simplified grille, larger side mirrors, and more typical door handles.

2010 Ford Taurus wallpaper

Price Range:$25,170 - $37,170
Body Style:Sedan
Perfomance & Efficiency:3,496 cc 3.5 liters V 6 front engine with 92.5 mm bore, 88.7 mm stroke, 10.3 compression ratio, double overhead cam, variable valve timing/camshaft and four valves per cylinder 99W

Lamborghini hybrid 2015, next-gen AWD or RWD

Following carefully in the footsteps of its battling from Maranello, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann has accepted in an account with German Automobilewoche annual that the Italian purveyor of high-end supercars is alive on a amalgam Gallardo. Not surprisingly, the electrically assisted Bull is accepted to hit the bazaar in 2015 – the aforementioned year as the accessible fuel-saving Ferrari.

In adverse to the afresh appear absolutely electric SLS Gullwing from Mercedes-Benz, Lamborghini's eco-friendly efforts won't accommodate replacing the acceptable gasoline powerplant completely. Instead, Winkelmann suggests that a baby electric motor would be acclimated alone to get the car affective at low speeds, afterwards which either the accepted V10 or V12 agent would bang the fun into aerial gear.

Worry not, Lambo admirers – there's no adventitious the aggregation will lose focus on its aerial achievement roots. In fact, the boys at Inside Line address that both the Gallardo and Murcièlago curve are destined to accept committed track-ready Balboni-style rear-wheel drive models to augment the automaker's already amazingly able all-wheel drive supercars.

2009 Toyota Corolla XRS

2009 Toyota Corolla XRS ,Well, just two short days later, the Focus has been dethroned and Toyota's Corolla - the best selling car in the history of the world - has reportedly taken the crown. Two fun piece of relevant (if tangential) trivia - Corolla means "little crown" in Latin, and one example is sold about every 40 seconds, meaning that by the time you finish reading this post, two more will have found homes. In case you were wondering, Ford's price leader drops to number two and the Honda Civic has shifted into third place. Toyota has two other cars rounding out the top five, the Prius and the Camry. And just over 80% of the clunkers being traded-in are still trucks.

To date, 180,000 new cars accept been awash as a aftereffect of the C4C program. So far, the program's absolute government amount amounts to aloof over $775 million. Late Wednesday, the Senate accomplished an acceding that would cascade an added $2 billion into C4C coffers. Additionally, consumers will now accept until September 1 to barter in their old cars and accept a agenda for amid $3,500 to $4,500. The new plan was abundantly pushed through by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who acicular out that Democrats accept abundant votes to accept the new plan as able-bodied as adios any changes to it. Cheers to Matt and several others for the tip.

2010 Holden Commodore

2010 Holden Commodore SIDI lineup

This is the 2010 Holden Commodore differs from its current version only in badging: it will wear the acronym SIDI on its flanks, which stands for Spark Ignition Direct Injection. Pop the hood, though, and you'll find that the long-running Aussie sedan gets one of the smallest engines it has had in donkey's years: a 3.0-liter V6 with 190 kW (270 horsepower) and 290 Nm of torque (213 pound-feet).






That SIDI-equipped engine will power Omega and Berlina sedans, and they are also slated to get a long awaited six-speed transmission to replace their four-speed units. Calais and SV6 trim levels, on the other hand, will get the 3.6-liter SIDI engine that pumps out out 210 kW (281 hp) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft). The primary reason for the smaller six is added fuel economy, which Holden says its customers have repeatedly requested, and which might help it retain its 13-year-old title of the best selling car in Oz.

The 3.0-liter gets up to 13% better gas mileage (Omega Sportwagon), returning 9.3 l/km (25.3 mpg), with the help of standard equipment low rolling resistance tires. The GM marque also says that the Commodore can go from Sydney to Melbourne on one tank - according to Google Maps, that's 546 miles - with 7.5 l/km (31.36 mpg) during one real-world driving stint. If you're looking for even more from the Commodore, you'll get it at the end of 2010 when the car's four-year-old exterior is redesigned.