The German automaker, Opel, has just revealed their latest special edition tuner creation, the Corsa Color Edition. Starting at 14,995 euros, the sporty Corsa is the perfect platform for entry level automotive enthusiasts to start with, and then make of it what they will.
The new Corsa Color Edition features big black 17 inch alloy wheels that are also available in silver, dark tinted rear taillights, a blacked out grill and chromed exhaust tips. Under the hood there is a 1.2 Liter version of GM’s ECOTEC four cylinder engine that makes a reasonable 80 HP.
However, the most attractive feature of the special edition Opel is the roof, the contrast between the all white body and the blacked out roof is one of those touches more often reserved for high priced vehicles like Audis and Mercedes Benzs. Either way, the Corsa Color Edition would make a great tuner car.
The world’s oldest automobile manufacturer, Daimler, has just acquired a sizable stake in the American all-electric car builder, Tesla. Even before the 10 percent sale, both companies were working together to use Tesla’s lithium-ion batteries in Mercedes Benz’s Smart electric car. Member of the Board of Daimler AG, Dr. Thomas Weber, said that "our strategic partnership is an important step to accelerate the commercialization of electric drives globally," because according to Benz, the future will be made up of at least electrically assisted vehicles.
Tesla Motors Chairman and CEO, Elon Musk, had this to say about the German conglomerate, “Daimler has set the benchmark for engineering excellence and vehicle quality for more than a century. It is an honor and a powerful endorsement of our technology that Daimler would choose to invest in and partner with Tesla.”
There are already 100 Smart electric cars on the streets of London; these electric vehicles have been part of large-scale testing since 2007 being tested in real world driving situations, conducting normal daily operations by fleet operators as well as private citizens. Later on this year, the Smart assembly plant in Hambach, France, will commence production of up to 1000 second-generation electrically powered Smart fortwo models, taking full advantage of the latest advances in lithium-ion battery technology.
Press release after the jump.
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Chevrolet’s latest super car, the Corvette ZR-1 comes equipped with a supercharged V8 produces 650 HP, a lightweight carbon fiber body that allows it to reach 200 MPH and a set of ceramic brakes to bring it back down to zero makes this a Corvette fit for a King, or at least a future one, that is if Germany still had a monarchy.
Chevrolet has just made delivery of one of their factory tuned Corvettes to Prince Albert of Germany. Officially known as Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis, he is a successful racing driver, so for him the hot rod Corvette is a must. Aside from being named the world’s youngest billionaire at age 8, he has also been crowned a European Lamborghini Cup Champion and as well as Champion of the German ADAC GT Masters. Prince Albert is currently competing in the FIA GT European Championship in the orange and black Reiter Engineering Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT.
Press release after the jump.
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Ford has launched on the German market the special edition Mondeo Sport. It will be limited to only 500 units, with prices between 29.150 euro and 33.400 euro.
The Mondeo Sport comes with sports suspension lowered by 10 millimeters, 17-inch alloy wheels in 5-Y-spoke design, tinted windows and the silver roof rails, MS-Design front and rear bumper aluminum decors.
Customers can choose from three engines: 2.0 Duratec with 145 hp, 2.0 Duratorq 140 hp and 2.2 Duratorq 175 hp.
Located directly next to the subway and the 1972 Olympic village, the BMW complex is an easy day trip from the center of Munich, and get ready to spend a whole day there. When you exit the train the first building you are greeted with is the BMW Welt (German for BMW World), which is the ultimate BMW sales floor as well as a stunning architectural achievement, complete with an 800 KWatt solar plant on its roof. The Welt serves as an automobile delivery center as well as an automotive exhibition and event hall. The exterior is enough to amaze visitors, while the interior is more like a touch museum for adults. The complete BMW line is on display, including Nick Heidfeld’s 2007 F1 car (they won’t let you take it for a test drive though, I asked). The Welt also has numerous exhibits that allow visitors to feel, see, hear and interactively experience BMW technology and design. The building also is complete with two specialty shops for BMW fan wear, collectibles and everything F1 team related (Go Kubica!), as well as two restaurants to nourish hungry shoppers.
More after the jump.
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AVS, quite simply, lifts valves higher and for a longer period of time to improve breathing and therefore engine performance at high revs.
Instead of securing the bigger lobe via a side-pin, the lobe in question is pushed onto the valve by moving a whole cam lobe unit (consisting of a smaller and bigger lobe) sideways on the camshaft.
When it’s time for the smaller lobe to take over again, the selfsame unit simply glides back along the camshaft to its original position.
This side-ways motion (facilitated by oil, of course) is controlled by an electrically-activated ejector pin positioned above the cam lobe unit.
When this pin retracts, the cam lobe unit operates in its normal position, via the smaller lobe.
When the pin is ejected, it catches a spiraling groove in the cam lobe unit. As the groove spirals out of a straight line, its one side-wall runs against the stainless-steel tipped pin which pushes the whole unit up along the camshaft, to position the bigger lobe over the valve.
When the ejector pin is retracted, there is nothing to hold the cam unit in this new position any more, so it will glide back to its original position to resume valve lift via the smaller cam lobe.
Quite ingenious, actually, this system, which operates on the outlet-side only of Audi’s brilliant new 2.0-liter TFSI (with 155 kW and 350 Nm), but on both sides (inlet and outlet) of the 3.2-liter V6.
Volkswagen unveiled a new special edition for the Golf Variant (Jetta Wagon): the "Individual" package. It offers two front sports seats covered in Nappa leather and 17-inch alloy wheels (18" Charleston rims as an option).
The suspension has been lowered by 15 mm and the rear side windows and rear window have been darkened. Inside the Individual package features leather steering wheel, heated front seats and brushed aluminum inserts. The Golf Variant “Individual” is available in Germany from 26830 euros (about $42000).
So if BMW has already released official pictures of the upcoming 7-Series, then why do they feel the need to still camouflage it? Although this is still a light masking of the next big bimmer, it’s nice to see that there doesn’t look like any suprised when it hits the showroom later this year.
Still this is a nice reminder that a better looking 7-series is finally around the corner. The car is coming into the market with a V8 and a straight-six gasoline engine both figuring Twin Turbo technology and direct fuel injection (High Precision Injection) as well as the first of BMW’s a modern generation of six-cylinder diesel engines.
Last week, we brought you news about the Chinese counterpart of the BMW X5 and how the German court banned the maker from selling it in Germany. For those who thought the escapade was over, wait till you hear this.
A German court in Munich has slotted into top gear and ordered Shuanghuan to destroy all their SUVs plying German roads. Making matters worse is the court’s notice to importers, China Automobile, to pay compensatory damages to BMW.
BMW as expected is overjoyed with the court’s verdict which was imminent when BMW’s spokesperson stated that "We are pleased that the court has agreed with our views”
The not so happy Karl Schloessl of China Automobile Germany, said he would launch an appeal against the ruling, which is not yet binding, saying he was prepared to take the case to the European Court of Justice.
It was impossible to ban a vehicle in Germany that was allowed to be on the road in the rest of Europe, Schloessl said, adding that there were more than a 1,000 of them on the road in Italy.
This news serves as a slap on the face of Chinese automakers as a whole. If further verdicts support BMW which I think will, there would be no other choice for Shuanghuan other than plucking its SUVs off German roads and sending them to the crushers. With that said, Chinese automakers will be forced to think twice before bringing their copy cars to Germany again.
The new 2009 Porsche 911 went on sale today in Germany. Prices are as follows: €83,032 for the Carrera. The Carrera Cabriolet and Carrera S both cost €93,980 and the price of the Carrera S Cabriolet is €104,928 (all prices include VAT at 19 percent).
The newly developed 3.6 and 3.8 liter flat six cylinder engines provide a very dynamic drive for the two coupés and cabriolets with classic rear wheel drive. The use of direct fuel injection for the first time ever and the PDK, available as an option, make the 911 even sportier than ever.
At the same time, these technologies give a lasting improvement to the already exemplary efficiency of the 911 models. This means that the Carrera Coupé with PDK and 345 bhp achieves fuel consumption of 9.8 litres per 100 kilometers, while the CO2 emissions are reduced by up to 15 percent. The 911 Carrera S Coupé now produces 385 bhp from its new 3.8 litre engine with a maximum speed of just under 300 km/h.
Press release after jump.
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