BMW ‘8-Series’ CS: officially terminated 1 comment
BMW has established that it has stopped plans to manufacture a version of the Concept CS luxury four-door coupe to production.
Vauxhall Insignia Ecoflex 2009 No comments yet
Vauxhall is working on an Ecoflex version of the Insignia competent to emit less than 140g/km of carbon dioxide.
The Insignia Ecoflex will have GM’s 160bhp 2.0 CDTi turbodiesel engine, and still be capable of 135mph and 0-62mph in 9.5 seconds. The engine has been raised with latest-generation piezo-electric fuel injection.
Aerodynamics have been enhanced with wing-shaped door mirrors, incomplete closing of the radiator grille, a flexible front spoiler lip, rounded-off front bumper corners, reshaped rear bumper edges and other tweaks. A by-product of this work is a quieter cabin with less intrusive wind noise.
The Insignia Ecoflex will be offered in both hatchback and saloon form, and sales will start in the second half of next year.
Pininfarina B0 No comments yet
The B0 (B Zero) is not a notion or example: it is the car which will go into mass manufacture in Turin at the end of next year, says Pininfarina.
This car is being developed in partnership with battery-maker Bollore. It is a fully-electric vehicle with both batteries and supercapacitors. It is an attractive four-door, four-seater hatchback assuring all the anticipated skilfulness of a city vehicle, and with all its panels recyclable or reusable. It’s capable of 80mph, and it accelerates 0-37mph in 6.3 seconds; range between recharges is up to 153 miles.
The B0 can be revitalized from a domestic power supply, and its batteries also recharged with energy captured by the solar panels on its roof and bonnet. The supercapacitors, devices which collect and store energy otherwise lost under deceleration, also help extend the batteries’ range, as well as supplementing the power from the battery under acceleration to augment performance.
Suzuki retools the Grand Vitara No comments yet
Suzuki is altering its Grand Vitara 4×4 with a larger 2.4-litre petrol engine.
This engine cedes 166bhp in the three-door model and 169bhp in the five-door. While it is bigger and more dominant than the old model’s 2.0-litre, fuel spending and emission are only slightly enlarged; carbon dioxide output is 208g/km from the five-door and 205g/km from the three-door.
The Grand Vitara receives minor revisions to its front-end styling, chrome and wood interior trim, new door mirrors with integrated indicators, and some new dashboard controls.
Standard tools now includes stability control, ventilated rear disc brakes, an MP3-compatible CD player, rear tinted glass, 17″ wheels and additional shock-absorbing elements fitted to the bonnet, wings and front bumper. Five-door models get leather seats, heated front seats, xenon headlamps, cruise control, 18″ wheels and a glass sunroof.
Deliveries of this model start on October 1, with prices from £14,499 for three-door manual.
Heuliez Friendly in Paris No comments yet
French coachbuilder Heuliez has exposed its Friendly - a plug-in electric city vehicle with a range of up to 140 miles and a top speed of 70mph.
The pint-sized car has three motors to choose from - 16, 18 and 25kilowatt - and they are powered from a nickel metal hydride battery which can be charged from a household electricity supply. It is planned for city use but San Franciscans need not apply: the motor will not cope with any more than a 17% gradient. It can, however, be driven on motorways.
There are three versions available - short (2m 10cm), standard (2m 50cm) and long (2m 90cm). All variants are three-seaters with the front seat located dead centre, and the two rears set in the traditional way to form a triangular arrangement. The rear seats can be removed to create a larger load bay. With the rear seats folded down, the Short offers 850 litres of space, while the Long offers 1650 litres.
Autoshow Paris: Skoda Octavia No comments yet
Skoda’s most triumphant model is receiving an modification with new headlamps, a new front grille and bumper, new tail lamp covers and a rear bumper with cat’s eye reflectors.
A new engine alternative links the range, the 1.4 TSI, and the turbo charged 1.4 and 1.8-litre petrol engines can be prearranged with the seven-speed automated-manual Direct Shift Gearbox transmission.
New upholstery fabrics are on put forward in all models, and the steering wheel, dashboard, trim, central console and ventilation controls have all been restyled. Front whiplash-reducing head controls are now standard, and adaptive xenon headlamps are available.
Renault Megane Trophy No comments yet
Renault has been campaigning its World Series saloon-car championships since 2005 and has modified its particularly-built Megane Trophy racer for the 2009 season.
The new Megane Trophy is motivated by the latest Megane Coupe. Its front and rear light units and windscreen are similar to those of the road cars, but its ground-effects dynamics and aerodynamic sweetening are formulated strictly for track use. The butterfly-opening doors and complex body panels ponder those of GT and sports car racers.
Renault’s V6 3.5 24V power plant - mid/rear-mounted - now bears a charring 360bhp. The tubular chassis, semi-automatic gearbox with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifts, double-wishbone suspension with adjustable dampers, 18-inch wheels and Michelin tyres remain the same.
The New Mégane Trophy is to go on sale at the end of the year in the class of a kit that will permit subsisting cars to be promoted; the essential changes to adjust the chassis to the new bodywork will be carried out by the Alpine factory in Dieppe.
Unveiling of Mazda 3 No comments yet
Mazda will uncover its next-generation 3 in saloon form at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month.
The 3 is being exposed at first as a saloon to charm the US market, but a more European-suited produce will follow shortly after.
Both versions dump the old car’s curves for a more angular appearance. The 3 is also lighter than before, with improvement in economy and performance, and includes Mazda’s new stop-start technology.
Star of the low-polluting engine series is accepted to be the new 2.2-litre diesel that will also be applied to power the Mazda 6 from the start of next year. The new engine is tipped to be obtainable in altering states of tune from 125bhp to a powerful 185bhp, which might star in a follow-up to the sporty GTI-style MPS.
The new Mazda 3 goes on sale early next year.
Aston Martin Project One-77 No comments yet
The Project One-77 is ‘the final expression of what Aston Martin stands for’, blending modern technology with craftsmanship and exclusiveness.
It marks the first appearance of a new Aston Martin engine, a 7.3-litre V12 to give over 700bhp and a top speed of over 200mph. A two-door, two-seat coupe with a new carbonfibre monococque body structure, the One-77 is to feature active aerodynamics and ‘deliver breathtaking levels of power and performance.’
The ‘Project One-77′ name is just a working title, says Aston, but it does symbolize the planned production run: just 77 will be made. Customer deliveries will start late next year.
Merecedes Fascination Coupé in Paris No comments yet
The shooting brake-style Concept Fascination coupe predicts sportiness and practicality, with its munificently-sized load-bay.
It’s founded on the next-generation E-Class platform, and trailers the new-look face of Mercedes, with its remolded headlights and fiber-optic daytime running lights.
Its ultra-luxurious cabin is equipped with deep-pile carpets, lavish leather covering, wood finish, and aluminium and chrome trimmings and also includes a super-baling pop-up, fold-out smoked glass table housing a refrigerated compartment for drinks, champagne flutes and a cigar humidor.
This perception points to the titling of the next-generation E-Class, and also clues at a new type of CE-Class coupe. The 204bhp, four-cylinder 2.2-litre diesel engine will feature in the approaching E-Class range.
