Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., unveiled the all-new second-generation Corolla Matrix at a press conference today at the 2007 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show. The Toyota Matrix, the sporty five-door vehicle that helped redefine the concept of a crossover utility vehicle, has been redesigned for the 2009 model year to offer performance that matters for driver enjoyment.
The driver and front passenger are treated to comfortable new sport seats, with seat-mounted side airbags. A fold-down seatback table will be available for the front passenger’s seat, enhancing interior utility on S and XRS. A movable and removable cup support element for the front center console helps provide versatile storage area and convenience. The cup holder area can be used as a tray when the divider is removed. For rear-seat passengers, expanded front-to-back couple distance helps to provide additional room and comfort. A folding seat with a 60/40 split includes a middle-seat headrest for the fifth passenger. The Matrix is equipped with a new, high-efficiency air-conditioning system with larger vents for directional accuracy and offers reduced power consumption and improved heating and cooling. The 2009 Matrix offers the choice of two different engines, a five-speed manual transmission, and either four- or five-speed automatic transmissions. A 16-valve, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine will produce 132 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 128 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,400 rpm. The engine will feature Dual VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) on both the intake and exhaust camshafts that helps it achieve outstanding performance and economy.
Estimated EPA fuel economy ratings are 26/32 city/highway mpg for manual transmission models and 25/31 for the automatic transmission model powered by a 1.8-litre engine. For those who crave just a bit more horsepower and torque, the Matrix offers a 16-valve DOHC 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with VVT-i that will produce 158 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 162 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm. Matrix models powered by the 2.4-litre engine with five-speed automatic transmission will have an estimated EPA fuel economy of 21/29 city/highway mpg.The Matrix’s base wheel is a 16-inch steel unit with a six-spoke full wheel cover. A distinctive 17-inch five-spoke aluminum wheel will be available for the S grade, and an 18-inch aluminum alloy wheel with a twin five-spoke design will come standard on the XRS grade. Dual-stage SRS airbags will be standard for the driver and front passenger. Front seat-mounted side airbags, two-row side curtain airbags and front active headrests are also standard. Brake performance will be improved with standard front and rear disc brakes on all Matrix grades. Anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) are also standard. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) with TRAC and off switch will be standard on XRS and available as an option on all other models. VSC automatically adjusts engine output and the vehicle’s braking force at each wheel when the vehicle experiences a loss of traction during cornering. Form, fun and functionality will be in abundance with an array of standard convenience features across all three grades. Base equipment on all Matrix models include power color-keyed outside rearview mirrors, power steering, tilt and telescopic steering wheel, daytime running lights, heavy duty rear window defogger, intermittent windshield wipers, 12-volt power outlet, four cupholders, auxiliary audio input jack, front center console box and an engine immobiliser.
Sticking with Hyundai, you’re looking at their brand new answer to the Citroen C1, Toyota Aygo, Fiat Panda and Peugeot 107; the Hyundai i10 which launches next March,with a starting price of less than £6500.
If you’re noticing a passing resemblance to the Kia Picanto, you’re not mistaken. Just as the Hyundai i30 hatch and the Kia Cee’d share a platform, this new i10 shares many mechanicals with the Kia Picanto city car. However, the new Hyundai is 10mm longer between the wheels than the Kia, and 70mm longer overall.
The Hyundai i10 will stand out from the class with its impressive cabin quality and generous levels of standard equipment. It’ll be the first car in the A-segment to get air conditioning as standard, electric front windows, central locking, electric power steering, tinted glass, 14in alloy wheels, body-coloured bumpers and a six-speaker CD player also come on every car.
The name is perhaps a giveaway as to the mechanicals underneath the sexy skin: Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
Codenamed BHL, Hyundai has begun testing a long-wheel-base luxury sedan based on the upcoming and much anticipated rear-wheel-drive Genesis. Sources are referring to this luxury sedan as the i70, but the name is not yet confirmed.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
It’s set for an official debut in about two weeks at the L.A. auto show, but here’s an early peek at the 2009 Nissan Murano. We weren’t expecting big changes from Nissan’s midsize crossover and this prototype doesn’t appear that far removed from the current model. The overall shape and size is the same as the current model and even the wheels look familiar. Expect to see bigger changes on the inside as the Murano’s interior has been one of its weak points for years now.
Volvo is considering expanding the C30 range by adding a five-door hatchback variant to join the current three-door. The C30 is based on the same P1 platform that underlies the larger S40 and V50 models so building an extended version of the C30 hatch would be straight forward.
Such a vehicle would give Volvo’s sales a much needed boost but officials are yet to confirm it for production. Volvo senior vice president of R&D Magnus Jonsson told Automotive News that a “five-door would be less exciting from a design perspective” but would be crucial in helping Volvo expand sales.
Current sales of the three-door C30 has been exceeding initial expectations in most markets and if the cars outsell their allocations then management would have very little reason not to proceed with the launch of another variant.
Volvo’s senior vice president of brand, business and product strategy, Lex Kerssemakers, also acknowledged that a five-door model is under consideration but wasn’t willing to give a time frame for its release.
VW has released prices for its new entry-level Tiguan SUV. The 1.4-litre TSI will cost £19,450 when it arrives in Feburary next year. Buyers also get the option of a 138bhp 2.0 TDI diesel and, later next year, a 167bhp 2.0 TDI. Three levels of trim will be available - S, SE, and Sport - all featuring a choice of 6 speed manual or automatic Tiptronic gearboxes.
At the top of the range is the £23,750 2.0TDI Sport. This will be available with the hi-tech Park Assist system first showcased on the Touran MPV. Complex electrononics mean the car will steer itself into a space, while the driver simply operates the brake and throttle.
Buyers wanting to tackle more than the urban jungle can choose the rugged Escape trim. With a shorter nose, hill decent control and a sump guard it promised to be tougher in the rough stuff.
Prices for this hardcore model start at £22,050.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
How far could you imagine driving your Nissan Qashqai on one tank of fuel? Well, believe it or not, you can cover the entire length of the UK and more if you drive economically.
Seven test drivers from the Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, proved this recently when they took turns piloting a 1.5dCI Qashqai from Land’s End on the southwest coast of England to John O’Groats on the northern tip of Scotland without once stopping to refuel.
The drivers, who set off at 6 am averaged 67.35 mpg (4.2 l/100 km) on the 867 mile (1,387 km) run which is a common route for UK endurance and economy tests. To their delight ,there was still another seven litres of fuel left in the tank when they crossed the finish line at 17:30 the next day, enough to cover a further 110 miles.
The 67.35 mpg achieved on the trip is equivalent to a 29% saving over the quoted brochure figure of 52.3 mpg (combined urban and extra urban driving average). If a customer travels 10,000 miles (16,000 km) per year, the saving would equate to £193 (278 euros) per year, based on current UK fuel prices.
To make sure that the average customer would be able to replicate NTCE’s economy run, the team used a standard Qashqai production model. Speed limits were adhered to on minor roads and a cruising speed of approximately 60 mph (96 kph) was used on motorways. Just like during normal customer usage, the test-drivers used cruise control, headlights and air-conditioning when required.
During the run, Qashqai averaged 111 g/km of CO2, compared with the quoted brochure figure of 145 g/km. To offset the CO2 emitted, NTCE plans to contribute to a carbon neutral tree planting scheme.
The Europe designed and built Qashqai went on sale in early 2007 in Europe and has since sold more than 70,000 units. The car is also available in Japan where it is sold as Dualis.
In France, nearly 80 percent of electricity is produced by nuclear stations. There if we tend to use electric cars replacing fossil fuel cars, we get a clear reduction in the emission of CO2.
However, this doesn’t make any sense in China. They make electricity by burning coal which is the biggest contributor to the air pollution.
Toyota is one of the largest companies that started pushing hybrid vehicles in the market and is one of the first to mass commercially produce such vehicles, an example being the main Toyota Prius. But, the news is that the automaker is saying that these electric vehicles would not help reducing CO2 emissions in China.
Toyota has initiated plug-in hybrids in partnership with EDF in France, which is based on Fuel Cell stack technology for which the company believes a lot of issues are to be resolved to make this a mass technology, both in infrastructure and in vehicles.
Tatehito Ueda, a managing officer at Toyota revealed that improved fuel economy by reduced running resistance, or friction, and an improved power train can slash emissions. Software can help make mechanical actions more defined and ease fuel consumption.
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has announced that production of the Fiat 500 will be raised to 190,000 units per annum, beginning next year. The production plan is a direct attempt to cope-up with colossal demand for Europe’s most exhilarating new city car.
The automaker made the surprise announcement during the Investor Conference Call that pursued announcement of the Fiat Group’s third quarter results, where the Italian firm turned in its eleventh consecutive quarter of growth with a record trading profit of 745 million euros.
Around 24,000 units of the car had been sold by the end of last month and the order book now stands at 90,000 units. The production for this year will be in the region of 50,000 to 60,000 units.
Fiat 500 was launched on 4th July during a glamorous event in Turin and so far has been launched in just two European markets, Italy and France. The orders in these countries combined are now running at an staggering 800 units per day.
Under the original plan, Fiat proposed annual production of 120,000-140,000 units depending on customer demand, which was further raised to 150,000 units. Work is now in progress at the Tychy factory in Poland to increase production upto 190,000 units per annum.
Marchionne made it clear that production of the Panda model, as well as the forthcoming Ford Ka, which is mutually developed with the 500 will not be affected.
He said "We are just starting in Germany, Belgium and Switzerland. In 2009, the capacity will be 190,000 if and when this is required"
The 500 has just gone on sale across Europe except from the UK, were it will arrive in January 2008
A Nissan priced at $2,500 that enters the Indian car market in 2010 could make its way into international markets, confirms Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in an interview at the Tokyo Show.
Speaking to a small group of reporters in Tokyo, Ghosn raised what he sees as the big question; whether the car to be sold in India could succeed outside of the developing Indian market, being exported into mature markets chiefly Europe, the US, Canada and Japan. The answer is Nissan don't know, citing the lack of data as a lingering question over exportation.
The new ultra-low-priced vehicle is destined to take on Tata's $2,500 car on home soil, the new Tata entering the Indian market in 2008. Ghosn confirmed that he has not signed off on using Indian motorcylcle manufacturer Bajaj Auto Ltd. to produce the new vehicle - a meeting with Bajaj executives to take place on Monday over the prospect of a collaboration.
The Nissan CEO said that frugal thinking was needed on the project, adding: “You don’t need anything in the car that is not needed by customers.” However it was acknowledged that for entry into worldwide markets, a number of changes would be neccessary. Western market regulations would neccessitate the addition of further features, such as those for meeting crash safety requirements.
Ghosn did however add that Nissan may still be able to offer the car for "around $3,000," despite the enhancements. It's all now just wishful thinking but if it can be done successfully, Nissan'll have a winner on their hands.
The Nissan Cube, pictured above is a 5 and 7-seater compact car sold in the Japanese market, which may form the conceptual if not technical basis for India's $2,500 car.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
The current Mercedes CLS has been on the market since 2004 and is due for a facelift. Earlier on today, our spy photographers caught a glimpse of the redesigned four door coupe on the streets of Stuttgart, Germany.
The new front grille is clearly visible through the black paint and shows us two chrome bars similar to the current model which had 4 chrome bars. The rear end seems to be receiving new taillights and a new bumper but more on that when some of the covers are shed. The exhaust tips receive a minor styling change too with a less oval shape and more rectangular.
The facelifted CLS will be marketed as a 2008 model year.
The biggest CLS market is the U.S accounting for 40% of the overall sales followed by Australia which accounts for 20% along with Germany. The best selling CLS model in Australia was the CLS 350 follwed by CLS500 then CLS 55 AMG.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
This long-wheelbase micro mini-van will go into production as part of a new three-model city car range from Volkswagen. Previewed as the Space Up! concept at this week’s Tokyo motor show, it’s taller and longer than the Up! The new micro mini-van will seat 4 people in comfort.
VW said that development work has already begun on the production models that will be resulting from the concept cars with the first vehicles due on sale in 2010. They will all use a rear-engined platform with petrol, diesel and hybrid powertrains.
Measuring at 3680mm long, the Space Up! is 230mm longer than the two-door model and has a longer wheelbase but it’s still shorter than the Fox, the smallest car VW makes. VW describes it as a van but it has two rear seats, which fold, swivel and can be removed to create up to 1005 litres of luggage space.
It’s likely that the production Up! will use a seat foam that moulds itself to the occupant’s shape, while the car’s interior and touchscreen monitor will also make production. The rear hatch has been replaced by van-style split rear doors.
VW hasn’t finished with city car concepts just yet, the third and final concept will be at the Los Angeles motor show in November.
According to our Japanese sources, Honda is scheming a diesel-powered Civic Type-R said the company's top powertrain engineer, Kenichi Nagahiro.
"As long as it is in keeping with the Type-R brand we will do it." he told us. "But high revving has to be part of it and that's what we're working on."
A Civic Type-R D is most likely to be powered by the most powerful version of next year's new 2.2-litre diesel which will be launched in the new Accord. It's likely to have at least 180bhp and 320lb ft of torque.
Going along with Hyundai's "i" prefix, the VeraCruz as it is known in certain markets could be named iX55 in Europe.
Size wise, the new iX55 will be longer than the Lexus RX by approximately 6 - 9 inches. The iX55 will replace the aging Terracan (which means "cockroach" in Russian)
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Fake plastic panels are still abundant on the car but the grille and front bumper are somewhat visible a thin layer of black tape. The new BMW Z4 will be to some extent larger than the current generation Z4 and will sit on the new 3 Series chassis with most of the additional size on this prototype still recognised to the false camouflage panels. It seems probable that the new 3.0 litre inline six will find its way into the Z4 since it is already in the new 3 Series.
Monday, October 22, 2007
The Suzuki Alto is on the comeback path. The brand will preview a close to production-ready replacement for its city car at the Geneva Motor Show in March and the finished model is planned to arrive in the UK by the end of 2008.
Bosses have yet to confirm what it will be called but sources inside the Japanese firm say that it’s likely to keep the Alto badge.
It will be based on an all-new Suzuki platform and will feature six airbags as standard. Three engines will be offered, including the three-cylinder 1.0-litre from the Splash. It emits 124g/km of CO2 in the Splash but less than 120g/km in the Alto replacement. Other options include a more powerful 1.2-litre petrol unit and a small-capacity diesel.
The newcomer will firstly be offered as a five-door hatchback but a sporty three-door will join the line-up in 2009. Prices are likely to start from roughly £7,000
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Production of ‘eco’ cee’d models planned from December 2008
Significantly reduced fuel consumption and lowered emissions
Will meet Euro5 emissions more than two years before requirement
Retains best-in-class 7-Years Warranty and EuroNCAP 5-Star rating
Aerodynamic enhancements cut drag to Cd 0.29:
The impressive performance, fuel economy and emissions figures of the concept car were largely the result of improved aerodynamics which brought the drag coefficient down from Cd 0.33 to just Cd 0.29, representing a significant improvement of 11%. Following extensive wind-tunnel testing, Kia engineers lowered the concept’s suspension, fitted under-floor coverings to the front, middle and rear of the vehicle, adopted wheel arch linings with ‘spoiler’ lips to smooth airflow around the wheels, plus a low-drag front grille to improve air flow over the vehicle. Finally, ultra-low rolling resistance Michelin tyres were mounted on special 17-inch alloy wheels that generate minimum disturbance to the airflow along the sides of the car.
Euro5 emissions, enhanced electronics and reduced engine friction:
Engines for the ‘eco’ cee’d models will already comply with the Euro5 emissions regulations which come into force in January 2011. Engine changes which will transfer to the ‘eco’ cee’d range from the concept car include measures to maximise fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, such as reduced turbo boost pressure (diesel models), enhanced fuel injection timing, modified residual gas rates and reductions in internal engine friction.
New ISG (Idle Stop&Go) system:
To maximise the value of the aerodynamic and powertrain improvements, the new ‘eco’ cee’d models will be fitted with Kia’s new ISG (Idle Stop&Go) system, including Smart battery Power Management. This system has regenerative braking, which automatically recharges the battery during deceleration, and switches the engine off when the car is stopped and the engine is at idle, dramatically cutting both fuel consumption and emissions during typical stop-start city driving.
More gears, lower revs, lower consumption:
All the new ‘eco’ cee’d’ models will be fitted with a new six-speed manual gearbox instead of the five-speed used on standard cars. Higher ratios for fourth, fifth and sixth gears will improve fuel consumption at motorway speeds. First, second and third gears retain the standard ratios to ensure that the dynamic performance of the standard car accelerating from standstill is carried over. To further guarantee that the ‘eco’ cee’d models’ engines and transmissions are always operating at high efficiency, an ECU-controlled ‘Shift Indicator’ will be fitted in the instrument cluster. This displays the optimum gear choice for the speed at which the car is travelling, and indicates the ideal moment (based on road speed and engine speed) at which to change gear.
Customer choices for a greener future:
The new ‘eco’ cee’d product line-up will include all three regular cee’d body styles – five-door, three-door and wagon – to continue Kia’s policy of maximising customer choice. All ‘eco’ cee’d models will retain the standard cee’d electric power steering, fully independent suspension and all-disc braking system, so the ‘eco-friendly’ cars will be just as much fun to drive as the regular models.
The Audi Metroproject Quattro concept is believed to be the first version of the Audi A1.In an earlier interview, Audi Technical Development chief Michael Dick said the A1 would be "manlier and sportier" than the MINI Cooper and he was right. This car has a smooth, attractive front-end that seems to form a intimidating grin and rear tail-lights that virtually ogle down trailing motorists. This car rides on elegant, lightweight, ten-spoke wheels. Inside the cabin, the Metroproject has remarkably clean lines, what appears to be paddle shifters behind the steering wheel and a built-in MP3 player. On top of everything else, you can apparently keep track of this car's status on your mobile phone!
The Audi Metroproject Quattro has a battery pack in visibly mounted in the boot and lit in soothing blue lights with a charge indicator on the side. We had heard rumor that this concept would be a hybrid and it certainly seems that way.
Friday, October 19, 2007
We recently published some spy photos of the upcoming Hyundai i10 which was caught wearing heavy disguise and now we have it captured naked in India where it will be made.
2008 Hyundai i10 facelift
Thursday, October 18, 2007
The new Fit will go on sale in Japan on Friday, October 26, 2007. The Fit has gained popularity as a small car that features outstanding packaging, excellent fuel economy, and advanced styling.
These are the first official pictures of the all-new Citroen C5, which arrives in 2008.
The new C5 will be competing against the Ford Mondeo, Renault Laguna, Mazda6, Vauxhall/Opel Vectra, Honda Accord, Toyota Avensis and the Volkswagen Passat
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Numerous GT-R prototypes have been caught testing around the world, including at Germany's Nürburgring and California's Laguna Seca Raceway, but this is the first look at the rocket coupe's completely undisguised sheet metal.