As it comes from the factory the Volkswagen Polo is an attractive vehicle, but with a little help from the German tuners at ABT Sportsline, the Golf becomes a whole new vehicle. The exterior is enhanced with a few carbon fiber spoilers, a central exit exhaust and a set of their signature 18 inch wheels. ABT even has an engine program that gets as much as 130 HP from the tiny city car, and although that may not seem like a lot, there really isn’t that much to a Polo.
Press release after the jump.
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At first glance the diminutive FIAT 500 might look like an ordinary uninteresting city car, however the high performance modification specialists at Hamann beg to differ. The German tuners have added a very sporty aerodynamic package made from light weight composite materials that transforms the way you will think about the little 500. The Hamann body kit consists of a redesigned front bumper complete with integrated LED lights, a set of wider fender flares for all four corners, a pair of lower hanging side skirts and a quad tipped exhaust complete with a redesigned rear diffuser. The components not only improve the FIAT 500 aesthetically, but they also make space for the wider wheels and tires that the tuner places underneath.
Hamann has increased the output of FIAT 500 by allowing it to exhale a little better. The tuners have incorporated a new exhaust manifold, high flow catalytic converter and a stainless steel exhaust to increase the 500’s engine output all the way up to 265 HP at 5,630 RPM and 257 lb-ft of torque at 4,200 RPM.
The Hamann Largo’s black body is set off by the set of matte black 18 inch rims that hide the larger brakes and Hamann coil over suspension underneath, the latter lowers the car by up to 3 inches, this not only gives the Fiat 500 a more aggressive stance, but also lowers the car’s center of gravity and dramatically improves the 500’s handling.
Press release after the jump.
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Trabant has finally come back from the ashes with their all new electric concept car that debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
It’s been a while since we last saw this diminutive vehicle making the rounds out on the road but apparently, the car that was once enjoyed a cult following in the Eastern Bloc is now poised and ready to return to the mix.
In keeping up with the times, the new Trabant has taken the electric power route with a car that comes with a 64 horsepower electric motor that can produce speeds in excess of 130 km/h for about 250 km.
While the full and unabridged details of the car remain a good point of conversation, we do know that the car’s batteries can be recharged in just under eight hours before its ready to hit the streets again.
We don’t know about you guys, but we’re definitely excited to see one of our old favorites back in the thick of things and you never know, Trabant might be ready to regain its footing as one of the more popular vehicles to hit Europe, only this time, it’s reach just might stretch farther than just the Eastern Bloc.
The Spanish automaker Seat just unveiled the third version of the Ibiza lineup at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Even if it is just in concept form, the all new Ibiza Concept, Ibz, will make it to production in 2010. The new Ibiza features a distinctive exterior as well as interior design and benefits from the use of cutting edge technology to create a gripping driving experience.
Up front the Ibz concept features design details like a forward sloping hood, honeycomb center grill complete with aluminum surround, wide mouth front bumper and diamond shaped headlights filled with bright LED lighting. The Spanish speaking section of Volkswagen also added a set of 19 inch alloy wheels, each with an embossed ‘S’ in the center cap and a sporty high mount roof spoiler out back.
The interior of the Ibz concept is covered in the creamy color “Magnolia” and comes with a newly designed set of bucket seats that lead into the sporty design of the instrument panel as well as the four circular air vents on the dashboard that are encased in aluminum. The Seat Ibz concept is a forward thinking design stud that adds a previously unseen level of style and sophistication for the Spanish Golf.
Press release after the jump.
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We’re taking a break from all the hoopla surrounding the Frankfurt Motor Show to give some bit of good news to all Audi enthusiasts in America.
Boys and girls, the Audi A1 is headed to the US.
That news comes according to Peter Schwarzenbauer, head of Audi’s sales division. The decision to bring the A1 to the US came as a result of the company’s intent to give the MINI some stiff competition in the American market. Incidentally, MINI is owned by BMW – Audi’s local rival in Germany – so it was pretty much easy to put two and two together.
If you don’t know, Audi has set its sights on global auto domination by 2015 so its staking all efforts in ensuring that it surpasses heated rivals BMW and Mercedes in all the important global auto markets, the biggest of which, is, of course, the US.
Truth be told, Audi has a tall order in front of it if it wants to overcome Mercedes and BMW in America, especially when you consider the strong market hold BMW has in the US.
But then again, you don’t get to the top without having to work for it; so you can expect that the Audi A1 won’t be the last Audi to be released in the US in the coming future.
Volkswagen has just unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show the electric version of the now famous Up! Concept. The new Volkswagen E-Up! concept is believed to make it to production by 2020.
The E-Up! concept is powered by an electric motor with a peak power output of 60 kW supplied by by a lithium ion battery. Fully charged the batteries offer the E-Up! a range of 130 kilometers. The motor of the front-wheel drive car, which is mounted up front and develops a maximum torque of 155 lb-ft from rest. The driver activates forward or reverse gear via a rotary knob in the center console. The fact that the E-Up! will also quite clearly offer driving enjoyment is demonstrated by a look at the car’s classic 0 to 60 MPH sprint of 11.3 seconds. The E-Up! develops even greater responsiveness in the intermediate sprint from 0 to 50 km/h in city driving: 3.5 seconds.
According to Volkswagen the E-Up! concept is the Beetle for the 21st Century: headlights with their facet-like lenses – cut like diamond, the fog lights configured as C-shaped, chrome-trimmed elements in the headlight housings, a circular pattern in the bumper.
Press release after the jump.
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Volkswagen has just unveiled the Golf R - "the strongest Golf produced". Placed above the Golf GTI in Volkswagen’s lineup at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The new turbocharged Golf R will replace the current hot hatch Golf R32 when it goes on sale at the end of the year.
Under the hood Volkswagen placed a 2.0 Liter engine that delivers 270 HP at 6,000 RPM and sends the new Golf R from 0 to 60 MPH in just 5.7 seconds thanks in part to the car’s all wheel drive system. The time is up from the R32’s 6.5 second 0 to 60 MPH time, while Golf R’s top speed is still limited to 155 MPH.
The exterior the new Golf R features a new set of Talladega wheels and upgraded brakes as well as a more aggressively designed bumper complete with very large air intakes, standard LED strips, a newly designed R logo in chrome on the right side, Bi-Xenon headlights. While the rest of the car benefits from side skirt extensions in body colour and mirror housings painted in high-gloss black.
On the inside, the Golf R is distinguished by newly designed “Top Sport seat system”, leather contrasting with piano paint and chrome, R gearshift knob, carpet floor mats, aluminum door tread plates with R logo, Stainless steel sport pedals as well as an R-specific instrument cluster.
Press release after the jump.
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While the entire auto world is drooling with anticipation for the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, those who’ll be participating at the year’s biggest car fest are putting in the finishing touches on what cars are going to make this year’s trip to Germany.
One automaker who’s making a comeback of sorts in the spotlight of Frankfurt is Abarth, and if their promises are any indication, we just might all be bitten by the return of the Scorpion.
As it stands, Abarth is scheduled to unveil three special-edition vehicles: the Abarth 695 “Tributo Ferrari”, the Abarth Grande Punto “Super Sport” and the Abarth 500 “Assetto Corse”.
The car that’s getting the most attention from auto scribes the world over is the limited edition Abarth 695 “Tributo Ferrari”. The car, as you can probably notice by its name alone, was co-created by Abarth and Ferrari with the intention of celebrating the Italian racing tradition, passion for performance, attention to detail and technical innovation that both brands express. Suffice to say, it’s the ultimate collaboration of two Italian racing icons.
Click after the jump for the press release.
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After the Swedish automaker Volvo unveiled the 2010 C30, the safety conscious car builder has also taken the wraps off of the new C30 R-Design, an iteration of the Volvo hatchback intended for those consumers who are looking for a much sportier ride, and they will be able to get their first look at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show before the car goes on sale early in 2010.
When designing the new C30 R-Design, Volvo’s engineers paid special attention to the C30’s structure and steering hidden underneath the hot hatch’s five spoke Cratus wheels. The driver inputs are now much more precise thanks to the installation of stiffer bushings and a 10% quicker steering rack ratio. The C30 R-Design has a firmer ride thanks to 30% stiffer springs in the suspension to promote the car’s poise for enthusiastic driving. The new mono tube shock absorbers have been stiffened as well in order to match the new coils and were chosen for their ability to build up pressure much more quickly. Even the car’s sway bars have been stiffened in order to reduce any tendency for the C30 to lean into corners.
The new sport chassis has made the C30 R-Design a better balanced and much more agile car. Driving feel is more distinct and feedback from the wheels are much more precise, promoting a more engaging experience when behind the wheel.
Press release after the jump.
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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?
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