Autos Car Design

Minggu, 09 Oktober 2011

Roll like an F1 Champ with Schumacher's Scuderia Ferrari Motorhome

Vehicle auctions usually make headlines for automobiles sold for ridiculous amounts of money, for being very rare or very famous. At the very least, they must have been owned at some point by a rock star, an F1 driver or some other kind of celebrity in order to attract attention.

Can you imagine a bus making it in that list? Probably not unless of course, we’re talking about an original Iveco Domino Ferrari Formula 1 driver’s coach that will hit the auction block on October 26 by RM Auctions.

What makes the Iveco coach even more special is that is was used by Scuderia Ferrari during the Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichelo era from 2001 to 2005. As befitting the seven times Formula 1 world champion, it was highly customized.

Posted on 07.28 / 0 comments / Read More

Sabtu, 08 Oktober 2011

The Ghost of Chuck Norris Approves This Video [VW Polo Content]

Why did the Volkswagen Polo hatchback cross the road? [Insert joke/answer here]. But seriously now, we don't know.

What we can tell you is that we see is a sliver Polo 5d parked in what is probably a dealership (or perhaps a rental car office) seemingly somewhere in Europe and then, all of a sudden; the Polo begins to roll out the shop.

The German supermini drives through the entrance and falls down onto a busy road full of cars, and then, as if ~~Chuck Norris~~ a guardian angel was looking over the shoulders of anyone involved in this clip, the car goes straight through the traffic without causing any trouble.

Posted on 14.02 / 0 comments / Read More

POLL: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Which is the Most Beautiful of All?

The results of a collaborative project between two or more automotive partners can vary deeply, depending on how far the participating companies are willing to take the rebadging process.

For example, the differences between the original Fiat Doblo and GM's Opel Combo spinoff (a RAM variant will also be introduced in early 2013) are more or less limited to the design of their front bumpers.

The French PSA Peugeot Citroën group on the other hand, gave its designers a little more breathing room when it came to the development of its new compact SUVs / crossovers, the Peugeot 4008 and the Citroën C4 AIRCROSS.

Posted on 08.00 / 0 comments / Read More

Lil' Monster: Romeo Ferraris Fiat 500 Abarth Stradale Packs 300HP

The first photos of Romeo Ferraris Cinquone Stradale hit the web on Saturday giving us a taste of the limited production model.

We're still waiting for the Italians to share the full details but in a previous email, Romeo Ferraris told us that its over-the-top Fiat 500 Abarth will be an "extreme" street-legal version of its racing model powered by a highly modified 1.4-liter turbo engine delivering 300-horsepower.

Posted on 06.58 / 0 comments / Read More

Toyota Warns Suppliers to Lower their Prices, or Else…

The strong yen is harming the profitability of Japanese carmakers. After Honda, which plans to halve its domestic production over the next decade, Toyota, Japan’s number one automaker, told its parts suppliers to severely reduce their prices or risk being replaced by overseas manufacturers. Read more »

Posted on 06.23 / 0 comments / Read More

Jumat, 07 Oktober 2011

Video: Man Hoses Down Interior of Brand-New Mercedes-Benz CLS350…

Using a high-pressure hose to clean the interior of let's say, a rugged off-road model like a Land Rover Defender or a battered down passenger car such as an old Lada Riva, wouldn't even raise an eyebrow.

But what if we told you about a man who did precisely that to a…brand new (second generation) 2011 Mercedes-Benz CLS 350? But wait, you haven't heard the best part yet: the perpetrator is the actual owner of the luxury sports sedan! Hard to believe, but we have video proof right after the break.

Posted on 17.53 / 0 comments / Read More

Vauxhall's VXR8 Sport Saloon Wins MPG Marathon Award, No Really

In an eco-marathon, you normally expect the winner to be a hybrid, a diesel or some other super-frugal -and usually underpowered- car. Well, in the Fleet World MPG Marathon the champion had no less than 431-horses kicking and screaming to be unleashed under its bonnet.

You read that correctly: the LS3 6.2-liter V8-powered VXR8 - essentially a Holden HSV rebadged as a Vauxhall for the UK market- won the two-day, 350-mile economy trial.

How did this happen? There's a simple explanation: this award wasn't given to the most fuel efficient vehicle in absolute numbers, but to the one that recorded the highest percent improvement over the official fuel consumption figures.

Posted on 17.22 / 0 comments / Read More

New Raunchy Volkswagen Passat Ad shows us the "Naked Truth"

Volkswagen is trying its best to associate the new U.S. built 2012 Passat with both the big (cinema) and small (television) screen.

Following up on its mini Darth Vader parody, das Germans have now joined forces with FX and its sitcom, "The League", for a sketch-like ad called "Win At All Costs: Naked Truth".

The spot, which is more than two minutes long, shows Stephen Rannazzisi as Kevin and Katie Aselton as Jenny playing out a humorous sketch about winning and losing bets. Hit the jump to check it out.

Posted on 16.46 / 0 comments / Read More

Slowing Demand in China Forces Luxury Carmakers Like BMW to Offer Big Incentives

China is the land of opportunity for any carmaker - but especially for, luxury brands that have been breaking one record after another. However, last year’s 18 million sales will most likely not be repeated in 2011, as the government has stopped its tax incentives and wants fewer, and less polluting, car on the country’s streets.

Not that sales are plummeting – on the contrary. It’s just that, according to J.D. Power, the increase in the luxury car segment this year is slowing down to 29%, compared to a 48% growth in 2010. And this despite the fact that overall car sales in China are expected to drop by 5% compared to 2010.

Posted on 15.35 / 0 comments / Read More

Convoy of 2013 Porsche 911 Turbo and Cabrio, Cayman and Boxster Prototypes Filmed in San Francisco

It’s not every day that you get to see a parade of subtly camouflaged Porsche prototypes parked one behind the other on the streets let alone away from Germany and in San Francisco.

If you watch the two videos posted after the break, you will see the new generations of the 911 Convertible, 911 Turbo, Cayman coupe and Boxster roadster, none of which have been revealed yet.

Our best guess is that Porsche held a special driving event either for journalists or North American dealers (perhaps both).

Posted on 15.09 / 0 comments / Read More

Mazda Bids Farewell to RX-8 with Japan-Only Spirit R Special Edition

We already knew that Mazda has decided to kill-off the RX-8 four-door coupe sooner rather than later. More strict fuel economy and CO2 emission regulations saw to that, forcing the Hiroshima-based carmaker to pull it from overseas markets and keep it alive in Japan only.

Today, Mazda announced that it is launching a final special edition of its rotary-engined sports car, which will only be available in the domestic market with sales set to start on November 24. Production will be limited to 1,000 units.

Posted on 14.38 / 0 comments / Read More

Ay Ay Ay! How to Rattle the Nerves of Even the Calmest of Drivers

If there's one thing that's sure to grind the gears of any driver in the world, that would be a fellow driver that does not know what he or she is doing causing a traffic jam in the process.

The following video seems to have been filmed from an apartment balcony somewhere in Spain. It shows a female driver in a three-door Audi A3 first talking to a lady on the road (perhaps she was asking directions to the parking on the side of the road) , then constantly going back and forth in an attempt to enter the garage.

Funny to watch, but towards the end of the clip it gets a bit more serious as another driver –apparently frustrated from the wait- approaches the Audi and starts yelling to the woman while also bashing her car.

Posted on 13.29 / 0 comments / Read More

SCOOP: 2012 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG V8 and G65 AMG V12 Caught Undisguised in Dubai

While spy shooters are searching for camouflaged prototypes of the facelifted 2012 Mercedes-Benz G-Class on the roads of Germany, the team over at "3rabacars" was fortunate enough to discover an entire garage of barely disguised examples of the upcoming AMG variants in a garage in Dubai.

From what we understand, 3rabacars took pictures of both the V8-powered G63 (or G55) AMG and the V12-powered G65 AMG. According to the poster, the G63 AMG's speedometer went up to 280km/h (174mph) while the G65 AMG's stopped at 320km/h (199mph).

Posted on 12.39 / 0 comments / Read More

Jeep Announces New Ad Campaign for Italy

Jeep is one of the two mainstream brands within the Fiat Group – Chrysler LLC alliance (the other one being Alfa Romeo) that are destined to play a major global role in the company's growth plans for the future.

To mark Jeep's renewed lineup in Italy, the automaker is launching a new TV campaign under the tagline "Don’t' adapt to conventions". The first spot is named "Never Adapt" and it will begin airing on Italian television channels on Sunday, October 9.

Posted on 11.51 / 0 comments / Read More

GM Says Opel Astra Convertible's Replacement to be a Standalone Model Like the VW Eos

Earlier this year, General Motors European arm laid out its plans for the replacement of the Opel / Vauxhall Astra Convertible with a new model that will enter production in 2013 at the Gliwice plant in Poland alongside the new Astra models.

And while we know that the open-top model will be based on the new generation of the Astra compact, what the General didn't say is whether or not it will carry the Astra nameplate.

Up until now, that is, because in an interview with Car Magazine, the European design chief at GM, Mark Adams, said the new convertible will be a separate, standalone model in the likes of the Volkswagen Eos hardtop cabrio.

Posted on 11.17 / 0 comments / Read More

McLaren Delays MP4-12C Deliveries to Fix Software Glitch

McLaren keeps opening one showroom after another around the world, yet there are stories circulating the web that the Woking-based carmaker has stopped production of the MP4-12C supercar due to safety concerns.

Tony Joseph, director of McLaren North America, admitted that there are some delays, but they have nothing to do with safety: “There are no safety concerns for the delay. We’ve had some quality-related issues in a few cars we wanted to address before we continue to deliver customer cars”, he told Autoweek magazine.

Posted on 10.46 / 0 comments / Read More

BMW Launches Updated 5-Series Range with New 2.0-liter Turbo Petrol and Diesel Engines

The latest additions to the BMW 5-Series sedan and Touring (station-wagon) were launched in Europe today following an announcement earlier this summer. The Bavarian firm's long-running executive model series gains three-new engines as well as some other updates throughout the range.

New for the 2012 model year is a pair of 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four petrol engines delivering 184HP in the 520i and 245HP in the 528i, plus a four-cylinder diesel unit with the same displacement delivering 184HP on the 520d EfficientDynamics model.

Posted on 10.26 / 0 comments / Read More

Video: Too Fast, Too Furious Ain't the Way to Tackle an Off-Road Course…

It is a completely different driving world when you're at an off-road course. Sure it can be fun but you should always keep in mind that what you know and practice on the road cannot be applied on a bona-fide trail ride.

The driver of this 4x4 model learned it the hard way when he stomped on the gas pedal to pass over a man-made hill as the vehicle plunged face down at a 90-degree angle. Nevertheless, the ending could have been far worse than the knock on the kid's head.

Video follows after the jump.

Posted on 09.51 / 0 comments / Read More

Video: Tesla Model S' Humongous 17-inch Infotainment Screen

Lexus may like to swagger about the new 2013 GS sedan's available 12.3-inch touchscreen, but when it comes to ultimate bragging rights, Tesla is king with the Model S' truly gigantic 17-inch multitouch display.

The crew over at Autoblog.com shot a video of the upcoming Model S during the presentation of the car earlier this month with a Tesla spokesperson highlighting its attributes.

Posted on 08.52 / 0 comments / Read More

New VW Up! Priced From £7,995 in the UK, Available to Order Now

Even though the new Up! city car won’t be arriving at dealerships before spring 2012, VW today released pricing details for the UK model and opened the ordering books. Pricing for the 3.5m-long three-door model with seating for four starts at £7,995 for the base version and rises to £11,180 for the top-of-the-line White and Black editions. Read more »

Posted on 07.40 / 0 comments / Read More