Volkswagen is very interested in the electric-powered cars market and in order to hit this new target the German manufacturer signed a 10 million Euros deal with Wilhelm Karmann GmbH. At least that’s what an anonymous report in the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung was saying. I don’t know is this is the truth because according to another website (HLN.be) the amount was 20 million Euros and the first production will see the light of day in 2011.
One thing is for sure: a few months ago, Kermann presented the E3 Limousine concept announcing that this EV was co-developed with Oldenburg Energy Group (EWE) utility company.
We’ll keep you posted with more information when the official information will be released to the press.
All fans of the beautiful Porsche Cayenne interested in power and speed should know that folks over at Techart worked their magic and unveiled an extraordinary Porsche Cayenne Diesel.
The classic model delivered 240 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque but this new vehicle rides on 290 horsies and 465 lb-ft and can go from 0 to 60 in only 7.7 seconds. Also, the modified torque curve has 1,000 rpm written all over but that’s not all. The most amazing thing about all that is that all this is now possible without disturbing the emissions number or the fuel economy.
Especially for the diesel sport, Techart designed the aggressive Aerokit 1 with 21-inch alloys and improved airflow.
Now, let’s talk business! The turnkey model with body kit and engine mods is currently being sold for £55,500 ($89,000 USD) while the Aerokit alone is priced at £15,000 ($24,000) and the engine kit will set you back no less than £2,500 ($4,000).
If you’re familiar with the redesigned 2011 Sonata midsize sedan i guess you’ll be glad to hear that Hyundai’s 2012 hybrid model used it as a strong source of inspiration. Yang Woong-chul, the president of R&D for Hyundai-Kia Motors is planning to enter the hybrid market with all guns blazing and this new sporty plug-in electric car will open the doors.
The Korean car manufacturer is based on the Blue-Will concept and according to some rumors it will be officially unveiled earlier this year at the Seoul Motor Show. The hybrid will run on a 1.6-liter gasoline direct-injected engine and the 100kw electric motor is mated up with a continuous variable transmission.
At the moment of its release, the car will compete with the Chevrolet Volt and Toyotas Prius hybrid.
Especially for their fans living in South America and in Europe the Italian manufacturer Fiat released on the market in 2008 a few versions of their new Strada pickup.
Time has passed and today they decided to announce a new dual cab model with two extra back seats and only two doors. I don’t know how ergonomic these two doors can be but as you can see from the picture below, the Cabine Duple (this is the name of the car) looks pretty nice.
On one hand this vehicle resembles a lot to the Subaru Brat but it has no four-wheel-drive while on the other hand some may think that this may be the next inspiration source for Dodge. Who knows?
Nissan UK just unveiled the beautiful 370Z Yellow limited-edition inspired by the European GT4 series racers.
This new car will run on 19-inch forged RAS alloys, special floor mats, a black leather and suede interior and illuminated door sill plates. Also the 370Z will wear a pretty nice tattoo on its lower body resembling a lot to the one drawn on the Porsche 911s.
Only a few Yellow units will be available on the UK market, all with “exclusivity guaranteedâ€.
If you want to buy yourself the 370Z you should know that the six-speed manual version costs £31,650 ($52,000 USD) while the automatic one will set you back no less than £33,050 ($54,000 USD).
Suzuki announced kicking and screaming their new “Free Gas for Summer†promotion on all SX4s sold until August 31st.
When you purchase this car you’ll receive a pre-paid credit card ($270 for the SX4 Sedan and $290 for the SX4 crossover). If this amount will be enough to cover your next three months it’s hard to tell but one thing is for sure: it will cut back a few hundred bucks from the overall costs of the car.
Also, for any SX4 with manual transmission, Suzuki is offering $2,000 in customer cash off the car’s price.
It’s a very attractive offer but the final decision is entirely up to you.
Well, The Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport, a model that is produced in only 150 units, has been declared officially the fastest convertible that is road legal. Not sure that 150 units really classifies it as a production model, but the speed reached is 223 MPH, and that demands some respect.
Spy shots, spy shots. Yeah, right! This time some people caught SPY SHOTS of the new Porsche 911 running on the public roads. The 998 got a few outside tweaks from what we could see, as most of the car was covered.
But the headlights are more vertical that the ones on the current 988 and there were side mirrors from the 993, which I hope were just put for testing purposes only. And in this last category we hope Porsche will put the exhaust outlets.
Nothing new about engines or performance, but stay tuned for more Spy stuff.
Some cars were announced just to tease us and to make us want to see them as soon as possible. This is the case of the redesigned 2009 BMW Z4. Rumors were flying around like bullets in a paintball game, about the arrival of the Z4, but all we got instead was fat lips.
For the drivetrain, we will get 2 options: a naturally aspirated or twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that are on the 328i and 335i, with an M version packing the M3′s V8 and a carbon fiber roof. BMW will make a few adjustments in the name of style to make the Z4 coupe stand out even more. In 2009 BMW will lose the soft top Z4 in order to leave the folding hard-top one as their only sibling.
Z2, another ghost in the fog, is being worked at and could come to us in both coupe and cabrio flavors. As for the equipment under the belt they will have BMW’s EfficientDynamics system and will be powered by either a naturally aspirated or turbocharged 2.0-liter four. Also we heard about a hybrid version with BMW’s eDrive system. BMW isn’t letting us down and keep putting out beautiful cars.
From what we see today, it seems that microcars are the new thing, because of the low fuel consumption. We all know about the Smart, but VW is working on a rival for it.
The wheel turner will be a 1.2L four cylinder or with 3 cylinders running on gasoline. The later one will benefit from a cylinder cutoff technology so it will run on as many pistons necessary to save fuel, going 117 miles with just one gallon. And as we can expect, an electric version is also being planned.
Word on the street is that VW will be launching the new model by 2011, giving it priority status. By then I hope they will also work on the name of the model: Chico. Will all the money invested in this, I am sure they can invest in a little brainstorming for a better name.
