Sometimes, patience does pay off in the end. After years of waiting, all of us can now giddy-up in excitement after hearing news that Mazda is now set to bring the Mazda 2 in North America.
The news was revealed by no less than Jim O’Sullivan, president and CEO of Mazda’s North American operations. In a statement he said to a number of Mazda dealerships across the continent, O’Sullivan said that after years of evaluating the shifting markets in the region, now looked like the best time to introduce the compact vehicle to a market that has long starved to see it out on the roads.
"As consumers’ tastes and attitudes toward small vehicles have changed, we now believe strongly there is a place in our lineup for a car below our current least-expensive car, the Mazda 3,” he said.
“The Mazda 2 will be true to everything that makes our cars stand apart from the competition: it will be stylish, fun-to-drive and a heck of a value. In short, it will be Zoom-Zoom."
Zoom-Zoom, indeed.
Off the bat, we’re already excited about the Mazda 2’s impending arrival on North American soil and we certainly can’t wait for the 2009 LA Motor Show later this year. Why, you ask?
Well, a certain car from Japan will be zoom-zooming its way to the show. Care to venture a guess what it is?
The Italian automaker Alfa Romeo has just unveiled the new revolutionary MultiAir system, that is being made available for the first time on the compact MiTo hatchback. The new 1.4 Liter MultiAir engine will be available at the vehicle’s launch and will come in two different versions: the first is a 135 HP 1.4 Liter variant as well as a more economical 105 HP version. The MultiAir MiTo will also be offered in a high performance 170 HP MultiAir Turbobenzina offering later on this year.
Compared to the conventional gas burning engine of the same displacement, FPT guarantees that the MultiAir system will increase power up to 10% and torque another 15%; as well as a significant reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, both up to 10%. At the same time particulate contamination is reduced by as much as 40% while NOx is reduced by up to 60%.
The MultiAir system eliminates the need for a throttle body and allows the engineers infinite control over the valves that bring fresh air into the combustion chamber. The design places the lobes for both intake and exhaust on the same camshaft. The exhaust operates as it would in a convention four stroke internal combustion engine, but the third bump actuates a roller rocker arm attached to the MultiAir setup which is then electronically controlled to open and close the intake valve by the flow of pressurized engine oil. As befits a flag-bearer for the downsizing concept, the MultiAir is a versatile system that is easily applicable to all petrol engines that may potentially be developed for diesel engines in the future.
Press release after the jump.
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The next generation BMW 1 Series was recently spotted out and about on the Autobahn somewhere between Salzburg and Munich wearing the digital camera tricking camouflage that keeps unwanted onlookers from examining every detail of the new design. The car is known as the F20 prototype and is rumored to feature some of the more revolutionary design elements and the latest technologies that the German automaker is offering in their luxury vehicles today.
From what we have gathered, the next generation 1 Series will be powered by a range of three and four cylinder turbocharged engines as well as a 300 HP inline six cylinder engine for the top of the line model. In naturally aspirated form the 1.3 Liter engine makes 136 HP and 177 HP with the help of a turbo. The 120i should get a 2.0 Liter turbocharged four banger making 218 HP, while the 135i will continue to use the 3.0 Liter twin turbocharged straight six. You can expect to see a few alternatively fueled diesel and hybrid variants in the future, most likely in the form of the three cylinder hybrid found in the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. There is even talk about a 135i SuperSport, this factory tuned 1 Series would fill in for an M variant and could make use of lightweight materials like a carbon fiber in the roof or even the hood. Along with the upgrade in power, the SuperSport will also get a high performance suspension and stranger brakes to give the car the feel of an M car without the emblem.
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The English automaker Mini had announced that in addition to the Mini Roadster, the new Mini Coupe Concept that is scheduled to go into production by 2011 will also be making it auto show debut at the Frankfurt International Motor Show next month. However there aren’t the only two new cars that will be built atop the compact platform, because Mini’s parent company BMW is currently talking o the Japanese manufacturer Toyota about a future collaboration to produce more compact and fuel efficient vehicles, and it turns out that the new Mini platform is the perfect fit.
While it appears that Toyota’s design team will have access to the new platform, the German automaker BMW will also be able to use the new iQ platform for the return of the Isetta mini-car and it is also a possible candidate for the new Z2 Roadster as well as the future BMW 1-Series.
According to BMW’s newest design director, Adrian Von Hooydonk: "The Coupe and Roadster models could conceivably stand on their own within BMW Group, but there is certainly a chance for BMW to share in it."
Either way, it the automakers can combine the build quality of a BMW with the reliability of a Toyota, it won’t matter what platform it is based on because both teams have a knack for what they do, and when they work together the sky is the limit.
It’s easy to mistake a car like Fiat 500 Abarth as a lightweight when it comes to performance. But don’t tell that to the boys at Karl Schnorr Kraftfahrzeuge.
The German auto tuners took a stab at modifying a 500 Abarth and they did a splendid job of tweaking – both in performance and aesthetics – this particular Abarth right down to the very smallest of details.
The result is a car that now runs on two levels of power. One is a 1.4-liter engine that produces up to 163 hp and 251Nm of torque – a spike in performance from its previous numbers of 135hp at 206Nm of torque. The second power level is – obviously – stronger than the other variant with speeds going all the way up to 200hp, thanks in large part to a bigger turbocharger and a sports exhaust system.
Prices for the two fine-tuned 500 Abarths are €950 for the level I Abarth and €5,050 for the level II Abarth.
It’s worth noting that driving an Abarth with that much power tucked under its hood is sure to surprise a lot of folks. If looks really were deceiving, then we sure won’t mind getting behind the wheel of one of these babies.
Lexus has been a busy bee these days. Fresh of showing teasers of their latest premium hatchback, Toyota’s luxury brand is now announcing that the car, which is set to make its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, has now been penciled in for a US release sometime in 2012.
While we welcome the addition of the Lexus hatchback in the States, we remain skeptical as to how the car is going to perform in this part of the world, especially when you consider that hatchback cars aren’t necessarily in demand in the US these days.
Nevertheless, Lexus is pushing through with their plans in hopes that their new car can give the Audi A3 and the BMW 1 Series a run for their money.
Apart from a few renderings loitering around the Web these days, the car is still being kept under wraps before it makes its grand entrance at the Frankfurt Motor Show. From what we’ve gathered though, the car is set to come with the same hybrid drivetrain that’s currently powering one of Lexus’ hybrid vehicles, the HS 250h. If that’s the case, expect Lexus’ new compact car to come with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine with a total of 187 horsepower.
Though not yet confirmed, it seems to be in line with what a compact car’s engine should be.
Stay tuned for more updates.
It is amazing what you will find on the Internet. Just the other day we came across this outlandish city car dressed up to look like a McLaren Formula 1 car on the online media sharing site, Flickr. There are times when tuners go a bit too far; this particular Smart car is one such example. Obviously this Smart owner is a fan of McLaren’s F1 efforts from the turn of the century painting his compact city car in the traditional silver and black livery of the car that took Finish Formula One racing legend to back to back world championships, noted by the very exceptional number 1 on the bonnet. Aside from the paintwork, the Smart car is mostly stock, except for the massive aerofoil found at the nose of the car and the blistered fenders in the back.
However, there are a few similarities between the Smart and the McLaren Formula 1 car. They are both powered by an engine that came from Mercedes Benz that is mounted in the mid ship position somewhere in between the front and rear wheels and it is rear wheel drive, albeit a lot less powerful. Come to think of it, the F1 car didn’t have that nice of an interior.
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It turns out that a few key structural components of the new Ford Fiesta are made of the ultra high strength metal alloy, Boron due to its superior structural rigidity and safety applications, and Ford Fiesta Movement agent Ryan Dembroski decided to pay a visit to the king of high performance blenders, Tom Dickson.
If you have never seen one of the "Will it blend?" viral videos on youtube then you are missing out on one of the best collections of videos on the internet, they have blended everything from iPhones to diamonds. After all, Tom is a true car guy, he once put his Blendtec blender up against a Nissan GT-R. So the question of the day is, will it blend?
Our guess is no.
Press release after the jump.
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Even if the practical Volkswagen Polo isn’t on the top of most tuners lists of cars that they are crazy about. It is small, the engine is not very large, the only thing that it has going for itself is that it is cheap and light. However the aftermarket suspension manufacturer KW sees something special in the smallest Volkswagen. That is why KW has developed a set of coil overs for the compact five door hatchback.
The Variant 1 system exclusively offers a ride height adjustment by turning the spring perch on the body of the threaded shock absorber. This particular application is available in both the basic and inox-line and offers a drop between 35 and 65 mm. The Variant 2 setup features the same range of vehicle lowering, but also adds adjustable rebound damping which allows the owner to adjust the strength with which the shock absorber will spring back into place after being compressed.
The Variant 3 coil overs are the top of the line units and are only being offered in the stainless steel technology inox-line. The beauty of the Variant 3 suspension kit is that it offers independent adjustments for both rebound and compression damping. This allows the owner to adjust the stiffness of the shock absorbers in both directions and is able to be tuned for all driving situations, like whether they wish to take out a date or go to the track. Prices for the more basic setup start at just 799 Euros.
Press release after the jump.
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For most people, obtaining a driver’s license is their fastest ticket to independence. So naturally, those who take it would want to make the best impression to their instructors.
The British School of Motoring, Britain’s largest driving school is giving prospective drivers a much-needed assistance by acquiring a brand-new fleet of Fiat 500s to replace its old Vauxhall Corsa line-up
You might wonder why these Fiat 500s would be a boon to student driver when all you have to do is, well, to not crash the car. Well, studies have shown that one of the hardest parts of a driving test is parallel parking, which we figure the Fiat 500 won’t have any problems with that.
The BSM’s recent tie-up with Fiat has resulted in the driving school acquiring over 14,000 Fiats with most of them being the 500 model.
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