Monday, November 30, 2009

Chevrolet Sail


So far the Sail is mainly for the Chinese market.
But it does look like some new Aveo of some sort to me.
So we might actually get this over here one way or another.

I'm sure the "new GM" will try to import any small car they make and see what sticks.
This looks like it came out about 10 years ago.
Pretty much like most compact sedans out there....

Upcoming small electric Renault coming up?


Renault will be showing a few "green" cars at the next Frankfurt auto show.
One of them would be this tiny 3 seater that could compete with the Smart and Toyota iQ.
It is fully electric with a range of about 100 miles. Not much, but plenty for a strictly city car.

We'll see if Nissan later considers bringing this over here. To also compete with the Smart and iQ (from Scion in the US)

Extreme car modification

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Pictures

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Black Edition2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Black Edition

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sporthttp://the-hot-auto.blogspot.com/2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sport

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wallpaper2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Wallpaper

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Interior2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Interior

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Picture2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Picture

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Car Show2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Car Show

Friday, November 13, 2009

2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia

Ferrari 430 Scuderia
Ferrari 430 Scuderia
2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia
2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia Photos
2008 Ferrari 430 Scuderia Photos

2008 Ferrari FXX Evolution

Ferrari FXX Evolution
Ferrari FXX Evolution
2008 Ferrari FXX
2008 Ferrari FXX
2008 Ferrari FXX Evolution Pictures
2008 Ferrari FXX Evolution Pictures

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Preview: Land Rover’s baby SUV

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Reports of a new entry-level model for Land Rover positioned below the Freelander have cropped up recently, and these latest renderings show what the new car-based SUV and its targa variant will most likely look like. In an interview with Autocar magazine, Land Rover managing director Matthew Taylor stated "we have to decide what a small Land Rover would be like, how it would be profitable and at

Lamborghini $1.5 million Sports Car Confirmed

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Lamborghini president Stephan Winkelmann confirmed today as reported by jalopnik that the rumors which were spread across net since last few months is in fact true. In 2 weeks the limited-edition sports car will be officially confirmed at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The rumored price for the car was not confirmed but it will be more then $1 million and if rumors are true then a whooping $1.5

Michael Jackson’s Car Collection

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The passing of the King of Pop has come as a shock to a lot of us. There are some of us who are still coming to terms with the man whose music has been the soundtrack of our childhood and adult life but he will always live on in his music and in our hearts. Micheal was probably the best entertainer of our era and with this he made a fortune. Now that he has passed on, WorldCarFans takes a look

The All-New Honda Accord

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2010 Renault Fluence

2010 Renault Fluence
2010 Renault Fluence

2010 Renault Fluence Interior design
2010 Renault Fluence Interior design

Renault has confirmed that will launch a new saloon, Fluence and will be built on the existing assembly line at the Oyak-Renault plant in Bursa, Turkey, where the previous Mégane II saloon was produced. Renault Fluence comes with a 4,620mm long, 1,809mm wide, 1,479mm high and a wheelbase of 2,702mm, 530dm3 of boot space, more passenger space than any major rival, including 1,480mm of elbow room at the front and 1,475mm at the rear.

From launch, and depending on market, Renault Fluence will be available with a wide range of thrifty engines which are all a pleasure to drive. Two petrol engines, each available in two versions: 1.6 16V 110hp, with manual or automatic transmission and 2.0 16V 140hp, with manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT). Renault Fluence also comes with a choice of five variants of the 1.5 dCi diesel engine: dCi 85, dCi 90 DPF, dCi 105, dCi 110 DPF3, dCi 110 DPF with a new dual clutch transmission (DCT), available from the end of 2010.

Renault Fluence goes on sale in Turkey from November and will benefit from the Mégane II saloon’s class-leading reputation in three best-selling markets: Turkey, Russia and Romania. There are no plans to commercialise Fluence in the UK.

Tags: Automatic Transmission, continuously variable transmission, diesel engine, dual clutch transmission, petrol engine, Renault, Renault Fluence, variable transmission

Ferrari Enzo West Palm Beach, Florida

Car Modification


2009 Truck of the Year: Ford F-150

This is it. Crunch time. The 2009 Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram are rolling onto the market like a pair of gigantic craps dice, and the companies tossing them are each betting big on this game. Unfortunately, the rules changed while these dice were in mid-air. Fuel prices skyrocketed, the economy tanked, consumer confidence evaporated, and folks who once chose half-ton pickups more for their Marlboro-Man-image-enhancing qualities than for their towing or hauling capabilities are shopping elsewhere.

Ford claims it sells more of its half-ton pickups to work and commercial customers than its competitors do, and Ford predicts this segment will grow to 45 percent of F-150 sales. Toward that end, the truck's fully boxed chassis is further fortified to provide best-in-class rigidity, payload capacity (up to 3030 pounds), and tow ratings (up to 11,300 pounds). As such, the new F-150 is well positioned to capture contractors migrating down-market out of Super-Dutys to save money and gas (did we mention that a new six-speed automatic, a lighter, more aerodynamic cab, and other tweaks boost fuel economy by 12 percent with the 5.4-liter?).

Ford claims payload and towing numbers like that simply can't be had with a coil-sprung rear axle, so it stuck with leafs but made them longer to smooth the ride and wider with new mounting hardware to improve lateral rigidity and roll control. The ride doesn't quite match Dodge's, but the chassis engineers managed to tune the steering for pleasing heft and remarkable accuracy that had many judges lauding the F-150s for feeling smaller and nimbler than their Dodge counterparts. Lateral grip of 0.70 g for both Fords bested all but the feathery base Dodge and Suzuki, and our rear-drive SXT scored the best stop at 133 feet from 60 mph (the three-ton Lariat needed 144 feet).

Status-conscious contractors will have eight F-150 models from which to choose (including the forthcoming SVT Raptor), which Detroit editor Todd Lassa reckons is "about four too many," adding, "If this Lariat is the third truck from the top, how much of a boudoir must the King Ranch and Platinum interiors be?" Judges praised the low noise levels and interior materials quality, though some found the design cartoonishly macho. Still, handy features like the Tailgate Step, Box Side Step, a stowable bed-extender, and rear seats that fold up with one hand to reveal a broad, flat load floor help tally a strong superiority score.

DODGE VIPER SRT

2009 BMW 335d Fuel-Efficient Sedan Review

Today's diesels, like the BMW 335d, are powerful, clean and fuel efficient, and have overcome previous drawbacks.

Dr. Ronald Golden, my periodontist, had one question beyond the usual inquiry into how I am going so very wrong with his brushing technique.

"Where do you get the diesel fuel?"

Told that BMW's new 335d is my current test car, Dr. Golden, a long-time BMW driver and auto enthusiast, is curious and wide open to the concept of a high-torque engine powering the superb 3-Series chassis. Chasing all over the city for diesel fuel, though, he doesn't fancy.

My usual Petro-Canada self-serve station doesn't offer diesel, it's true, but the Loblaw's just a few blocks further does. The former is 1.7 km from home, the latter 2.8 km, so for me it's no big deal. But how far Dr. Golden's nearest diesel outlet is out of his way requires some research.

And on the topic of FAQs, another is how long your hands stink after filling up. Before the sulphur content of diesel fuel was greatly reduced to 15 ppm in September, 2006, handling a diesel left a lasting stench. The reduction of sulphur has erased the stigma.

A personal experience is illustrative. BMW Canada supplied a filler adapter with our test car because some diesel pump nozzles won't fit. A full-serve attendant at a Sunoco station on Whitby's Thickson Road demonstrated that by sticking a finger in the filler and depressing a doodad, you could insert the nozzle without using the adapter and suggested I try. Thereafter, my finger would have condemned me socially for the remainder of the day, prior to model-year 2007. Today, not a whiff.

Many BMW fanciers will march past such concerns because the 335d is such an exceptional drive. As word spreads of its powerful throttle response and wonderful fuel efficiency (along with the silky ride and handling associated with other 3-Series models), drivers new to the brand will shop the car as well.

It does fall short of this EcoDriver column's standard of consuming no more than 10 litres/100 km in our city area driving. The 335d's EnerGuide city rating is 9.0 L/100 km, which qualifies it for consideration, but driving in the depths of winter, we averaged 11.2.

Considerable spinning of the rear wheels is a factor. Slush freezes overnight, capturing the Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires in icy cavities. The test car is well and truly stuck. Applications of salt, kitty litter and scrap Christmas tree branches purchase no traction. Finally two neighbours push the car free.

Which introduces another FAQ: is all-wheel-drive available in combination with the diesel? Not in the 3-Series in North America, not yet. The company's product planners chose to introduce diesel in only two models in the United States and Canada, the rear-drive 335d and the towering X5 wagon with all-wheel-drive.

This sedan is special. The X5 offers real advantages in practicality, but in terms of driving sensation it is not comparable to the 335d. The perfectly weighted steering, the balance in the handling that makes the car feel slotted into the road, the compliance regardless of surface irregularities, makes the 3-Series the international standard for premium cars of its size.


The twin-turbo diesel motor truly enhances the package. Its 265-horsepower rating is impressive, but the extraordinarily meaty throttle response is attributable to the 425 lb-ft of torque that is felt at only 1,750 rpm. The 3-Series' strongest gasoline engine, by contrast, has more horsepower at 300, but not nearly as much torque at 300 lb-ft.

The only comparable diesel-powered sedan in North America, the Mercedes-Benz E330 BlueTec, isn't a direct competitor. The Benz is larger, leans more to luxury than sportiness and occupies a higher price range as well: $68,100 compared with this car's base $49,700. It's rated at 210 hp and 388 lb-ft of torque, and has the same 9.0 L/100 km EnerGuide city rating as the 335d. It, too, is not offered here with all-wheel-drive.

Acceleration to 60 km/h, EcoDriver's usual measure of in-town get-up-and-go, averages 4.1 seconds in the 335d. Such effortless acceleration affords a measure of safety in accident avoidance, as does superior braking, and the 335d offers premium performance in each over less-expensive vehicles with similar fuel efficiency.

Various electronic stability controls that are standard equipment also come into play in our icy test week. Corner too quickly for the Blizzak winter tires to avoid skidding and the stability control quickly restores control. Indeed, BMW's advanced control technology renders this rear-drive sedan reassuringly easy to drive in winter's worst. Cold starts at -15 C are instantaneous. Waiting for glow plugs to warm up - once a diesel ritual - has gone the way of the stinky finger.

One new peculiarity is a subdued whirring noise sometimes heard from the rear of the car after turning it off, related to the tank that injects urea (commercially known as AdBlue) into the exhaust to eliminate nitrogen oxide emissions.

This diesel meets California air standards - as does the Mercedes-Benz using similar urea injection. The AdBlue is routinely topped up by BMW dealerships during annual services. Sharp-eyed observers will spot the pop-out access location on the driver's side of the rear bumper cover.

Any departure from the norm can cause a consumer to look elsewhere - and perhaps all the more so in a premium-priced sedan. BMW expects its globetrotting customers to have taken note of the predominance of diesel-powered luxury vehicles in Europe, and believes a test drive will make it obvious why this is so.

As for Dr. Golden's first concern, a few minutes on the web turned up a Shell station a few blocks south of his office at Yonge and St. Clair - 1.1 km away.

A final FAQ: isn't diesel fuel more expensive than regular gasoline? In our final fill-up, the price of a litre is 86.9 cents at the Sunoco on Thickson Road "we serve" pump. The station doesn't have a diesel among its "serve yourself" pumps where regular gasoline that day rounds off to 81 cents, premium 89 cents and Ultra 94 premium 93 cents.

On this day, at least, fuelling the diesel test car costs less per litre than would a gasoline-powered 335i with its mandated premium fuel. And remember, fewer litres are required with the diesel's superior efficiency. The price paid for its fuel, then, is part of the pleasure, along with its powerful character.

2009 BMW 335d

TYPE: Four-door sedan

BASE PRICE: $49,700; as tested, $59,605

ENGINE: Twin-turbo, inline-six diesel

HORSEPOWER/TORQUE: 265 hp/425 lb-ft

TRANSMISSION: Six-speed automatic

DRIVE: Rear-wheel-drive

FUEL ECONOMY (litres/100 km): 9.0 city/5.4 highway; actual urban driving, 11.2; diesel fuel

ALTERNATIVES: Mercedes-Benz E320 BlueTec, Volkswagen Jetta TDI, Lexus GS450h

Monday, November 9, 2009

Cool Buick Riviera Concept Pictures






Cool Buick Riviera Concept Pictures
General Motors was showed off its futuristic, but Buick announced more than the LaCrosse over in China. Autoblog Chinese brought us pictures of the Buick Riviera Concept when the car was revealed at the end of April, but I think readers will still be interested in this vague-sounding "fuel-efficient" possible hybrid. However, you can watch the video to see what it’s like. Video after the jump!