Entries from October 2007 ↓

LOS ANGELES / NEW YORK – Chevrolet fuel cell electric vehicles will be seen on the streets and driveways of Los Angeles, New York City and Washington D.C., beginning today, in the largest market test ever of its kind.

Customers in suburban Los Angeles, New York City and Washington, D.C. will begin driving more than 100 Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicles as part of a comprehensive deployment plan dubbed “Project Driveway.” It constitutes the first large-scale market test of fuel cell electric vehicles anywhere.

A variety of drivers – from regular families to celebrities – will have free use of an Equinox Fuel Cell electric vehicle and the hydrogen fuel it needs to make electricity onboard. The average family will get one of the vehicles for three months and be required to report their experience to Chevrolet.

These will be interesting cars in the way that they are using hydrogen to generate the electricity needed to power the vehicle. GM did a similar test where they leased the Saturn EV1, with the actual largest market test of this kind, in the late 90’s. GM is playing this one a little bit different in that they are only allowing families to have the cars for 90 days, so don’t expect to see “Who Killed the Electric Car…Twice” any time soon.

BMW 1 Series:

On sale in the spring of 2008, the 1 Series Coupe will be available in two versions; the 128i and the 135i. Powered by a 3.0-liter, 230 horsepower inline 6-cyinder engine that generates 200 lb-ft of torque, the 128i Coupe will feature Valvetronic valvetrain management and aluminum/magnesium construction—core elements of BMW’s EfficientDynamics. The powerful 135i Coupe features BMW’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that produces 300 horsepower and an incredible 300 lb-ft of torque from as low as 1,400 rpm. With its direct piezo gasoline injectors, twin low-mass turbochargers and air-to-air intercooling, optimum performance and economy is achieved with no loss in engine response. For the 135i Coupe, acceleration from 0-62 mph is accomplished in 5.3 seconds and top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph. Both engines feature on-demand engine coolant pumps that improve fuel economy and reduce parasitic losses for increased output.

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C-Class Estate-The first of Mercedes “New” Image

In order to reflect the wide variety of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars and commercial vehicles, the focus of the new design will be on uniform imagery. In future the various communications activities will not only feature images of automobiles, but also photos of architecture, people and landscapes. Generous compositions with unusual perspectives and specific use of lighting will create excitement and illustrate the personality of the brand. Vitality and dynamism are major components of the visual idiom, as are the inventive use of focal depth and unfocused images. Continue reading →

Audi is launching its TDI initiative on the North American market. As early as next year, Audi will be putting the cleanest diesel engine in the world into production in the USA virtually in parallel to its launch in Europe: the 3.0 TDI with ultra-low emission system will initially be available for the Audi Q7, and later for the new Audi A4 too. Audi has been expanding steadily in the USA for many years now, and sees the market as holding high potential for its cutting-edge TDI engines. The low-sulphur fuel required for the engines’ operation was introduced throughout the country a year ago, paving the way for the initiative to begin.

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Finally after a long wait, the official images have been release of the 2009 Nissan GT-R.

The long awaited supercar is believed to have a 3.8L V6 pushing around 450 horsepower to all four wheels although official specs will not be announced until the Tokyo Auto Show.

According to Nissan the GT-R will have a 0-60 time of 3.5 seconds and can complete the 1/4 mile in only 11.7 seconds. This makes for one freaking fast car.

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ATLANTA, SEPTEMBER 7, 2007 - Porsche underlines the real sporty edge of its successful Cayenne series with the addition of a new model to be unveiled at the Frankfurt International Auto Show next week and going on sale in 2008: the Cayenne GTS boasts a specially developed chassis with permanent all-wheel drive, a V8 engine that offers a sizeable increase in horsepower and for the first time in North America will be available with a six-speed manual transmission.
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The highly anticipated Lancer EVO x (10) is now for sale in Japan. Its bigger and a little softer, but should still be a whole lot of fun. I am really psyched about driving this. I am eager to pair it up against the new STI.

“The development goal for the new Lancer Evolution X was to make the car as fast as possible, while also making it as safe to drive as possible. To that end Lancer Evolution X is loaded with the very latest in automotive engineering technology, including the S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) vehicle dynamics control system and the newly developed, power-efficient Twin Clutch SST (Sport Shift Transmission).”

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So Dodge has released the new SRT-4 the follow-up to the successful Neon based SRT-4.

The new SRT-4 has a 2.4 liter turbo-charged engine pushing out 285 horsepower to the front wheels. So the car is fast. Fast for its market.

I think for the exterior people even love it or hate it. I happen to really like it. It’s very gruff. Like a bull-dog. The downside to this is that it adds a lot of weight. The SRT-4 weighs in at nearly 3200 lbs. So it isn’t very light and for how tall it is, it seems like the SRT-4 has a very specific market of people who are looking for style over function but also want something to get up and go. I am sure it will be a great seller. I wouldn’t mind driving one of these and seeing how they run. I have a couple of ideas, but I am going to keep them to myself until I get behind the wheel of one.

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Here it is. The brand new Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Like all of the WRXs before it, I have mixed opinions on the styling. I imagine in a year or two I will be completely in love with it. It has taken me at least a year to actually like the 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI (I didn’t quite like the Tri-grill.). This grill looks better, but it feels similar to a Civic SI. The new 2008 Subaru reminds me of the Lexus IS300 (which I personal like better then the latest model of the IS in terms of looks) five door wagon but with a bit more flare. The wide body of the Subaru, to my surprise, flows almost seamlessly into the tail lights from the fender vents. Yes, I actually like the fender vents on the fender for a couple of reasons. One they are subtle and not flashy, and the other reason is they are functional like everything that Subaru designs into a vehicle. I can’t wait to see one up close and personal. You know, it might not take me a year to be fond of this model year.

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