Luxury cars are expensive and come in all shapes: sedan, coupe or convertible. They offer all the comfort, luxury and performance but you will have to pay premium price. German cars like BMW or Mercedes are the first brand that come to our mind but nowadays nearly all car makers offer nice and comfortable models that enter in the luxury car category.
Ferrari has already confirmed two things for its future. The first to come was the fact that it will soon feature a V-12 hybrid drivetrain dubbed the HY-KERS system. The second thing that Ferrari confirmed was the fact that a new Enzo-like vehicle will debut in the coming years boasting this HY-KERS system as its power plant.
Some snooping around also produced that this new “Enzo” may bear the F70 name. Currently, the details on this upcoming F70 are scarce, at best, and all we have seen in the form of visuals on it are some spy shots of its testing mule, which looks more like an Italia 458 with poorly placed metal slabs bolted onto it. The same rings true for the interior. What we do know is that in an effort to reduce weight, the F70 will include some carbon-fiber panels.
We also know a good deal about the 6.3-liter V-12 HY-KERS (Hybrid-Kinetic Energy Recovery System) that will power it. Starting with the internal combustion side; this engine will be as efficient as possible, using multi spark technology – a series of cooler sparks as the piston travels upward – that assures that no fuel goes to waste by the spark plug igniting multiple times before the each cylinder hits top-dead-center. This combustion engine links to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
On the electrical side, you have a series of components working together for optimal efficiency. On the backside of the seven-speed trans, you have a high-power traction motor. This motor electrifies the seven-speed trans, adding to the power the engine delivers to it. Attached to the gasoline engine is an auxiliary generator that charges the batteries, as needed. Lastly, on top of the transmission is the hybrid power unit, which features two inverters and a smart cooling system.
All of this crazy technology plops down a whopping 920 combined horsepower and a 0 to 200 km/h (124 mph) time of 6.5 seconds. This also drops the CO2 emissions by a whopping 40 percent, 10 percent more than the initial tests.
We will continue to keep you updated with additions to this review, as more info becomes available, so stay tuned!
Remember the days when vans were cool? You know, you would cruise down the strip in your mom’s minivan and pick up all of your friends to head out to the coolest hangout spots… Oh wait, vans were never cool, what were we thinking? Well, that is until Mercedes decided to get into the van-making business.
At the 2012 Beijing Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz rolled into the show with its all-new customized Viano VISION DIAMOND. This ultra-luxury van, which is not yet available in the U.S., puts most modern-day limos to shame with its features. Add in the fact that it is large enough to move around in comfortably, unlike limos, which typically have standard headroom, and you have essentially a luxury home on the go.
Mercedes did not release too much information on this machine, but there is enough information obtainable just by looking at it to determine that this thing is flat out awesome. The Viano VISION DIAMOND would certainly eliminate any kids embarrassment of riding to school in a minivan, if this just so happened to be said minivan.
Click past the jump to check out our full review on the Viano VISION DIAMOND.
Very few people in this world are held in higher regard than Queen Elizabeth II. So when Bentley introduced a special edition Mulsanne at a gala event to open their new dealership in Beijing in honor of the Queen, none of us were really all that surprised.
The model is called the Mulsanne Diamond Jubilee Edition and with the opening of the dealership coinciding with the Queen’s birthday, it only seemed appropriate for the British luxury maker to pay tribute to their beloved figurehead.
The Mulsanne Diamond Jubilee Edition will only be limited to 60 units with each vehicle presenting a year of the Queen’s reign. Likewise, each model distinguishes itself courtesy of a range of handcrafted features that include gold stitching embroidery on the headrests, veneered picnic tables in the rear cabin, and decorated with a gold overlay, a design that apparently pays tribute to the royal carriage. Lastly, the Mulsanne Jubilee Edition also comes with highly-polished, stainless steel treadplate plaques bearing a ‘Bentley Mulliner, England’ and ‘Diamond Jubilee Edition’ script as a way to distinguish the special edition model from the rest of the Mulsanne’s in the world.
“This series of special cars, hand-built by our Mulliner Division, is our way of reciprocating the appreciation for British institutions, creativity and services we have been shown in China," said Richard Charlesworth, Director of Royal and VIP Relations for Bentley Motors.
"And as proud holders of a Royal Warrant we also wanted to provide some memorable examples of British technology and craftsmanship.”
We’re all familiar with the Spyker name, so much so that we’re under the impression that the tiny company actually produced at least 50 units annually. However, the company’s CEO Victor Muller recently confirmed that Spyker only produced 12 new cars in 2011, a figure very similar to the amount of cars which Pagani produced in the same time period.
However, Muller isn’t going to let those relatively unimpressive numbers dissuade him, as he wants the company to continue to grow in the coming years and with Saab now completely split from Spyker, it’s the perfect time for Muller to look into strategies to expand the company.
Unfortunately, Spyker’s failed attempt to acquire Saab did affect their car production to such an extent that production has pretty much skidded to a stop. Consequently, Muller is currently looking for an investment of $32 million to restart production, and if all goes well Muller hopes that Spyker can produce upwards of 1,000 cars annually in the coming years.
If Spyker does manage to find this much required investment, then its model line could also be increased to accommodate the 2006 D12 Peking-To-Paris SUV Concept and with luxury SUVs seemingly being the talk of the town recently, the company could be onto a winner if it does put the D12 into production.
The biggest thing standing in the way of Muller achieving these aims may be his inability to receive the necessary funds. Unsurprisingly, after his failed attempt to run Saab and failed attempt to run his own Formula 1 team, firms are understandably apprehensive about whether or not he can deliver on his claims.
A few weeks ago Lamborghinitrademarked the Deimos name and some people thought that this was the chosen name for their upcoming SUV, but now rumors have begun abut a new Lambo trademark - the "Huracán" - which is "hurricane" in Spanish and the god of fire, wind, and storms in Mayan mythology. Now the question is which name was chosen for the future SUV and why did Lamborghini trademark two names?
The only two new models Lamborghini has officially confirmed in development are the new Gallardo set to arrive next year and a production version of the recently announced Urus Concept set to arrive in 2017. The new Gallardo was rumored to be called the Cabrera, so we are not really sure what is going on at this point.
Maybe we are looking at the name of a future concept, or even the name of the production Estoque, since Lamborghini CEO Stefan Winkelmann is still pushing that issue. Whatever is behind the choice in trademarks, we’ll find out as soon as possible and g=bring back some information!
Just days ago, we brought news about how Swedish Automobile - which used to consist of Saab and Spyker – was dissolved, as both companies went their separate ways. The only difference between the two is that Spyker is still a viable business while Saab is still crippled with debt with absolutely no known development currently taking place.
Chinese mega-company Youngman put in a multi-million dollar bid to purchase Saab in its entirety from GM a few months ago, but General Motors swiftly denied the offer and once again Saab’s future was left in limbo; the same position which has faced the company for the past few years. Even with Youngman’s promise of putting upwards of $1.5 billion into developing new Saab models over the coming years, GM still wasn’t swayed, but to our surprise that didn’t put Youngman off in anyway.
As a result, Youngman has put in yet another bid to purchase Saab, this time for the sum of $470 million at current exchange rates. In addition, the $1.5 billion promise of development still stands, so in total Youngman is willing to spend almost $2 billion to prop up Saab which currently has a debt of around $2 billion, so it sounds like quite a reasonable offer to us.
However, don’t for one second think that this offer will be accepted, as Youngman also has to compete with Indian company Mahindra & Mahindra who have also reportedly put at least one bid into the acquisition of Saab.
In all honesty, we’re not really sure why so many companies are fighting over Saab, as the brand’s reputation has been tarnished massively over the past few years. Nevertheless, we hope all the bidding parties well and hopefully Saab’s debt saga can be put to rest soon enough.
While the official debut for the new baby CLS, also known as the CLC, is still one year away, Mercedes has decided to offer the first preview of the upcoming car with the Concept Style Coupe. The new concept is an evolution of the previous F800 Style Concept revealed two years ago and will make its official debut at the 2012 Auto China in Beijing.
The new Concept Style Coupe comes with design elements inspired by the Concept A-Class and features an interplay between concave and convex surfaces that is typical of Mercedes. Under the hood, Mercedes has placed a 2.0-liter petrol engine that delivers a total of 211 HP, combined with an efficient 4MATIC all-wheel drive system and a 7G-DCT dual clutch automatic transmission.
"The Concept Style Coupe is expressive and powerful in its design", said Dr Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. "We are staking our claim very clearly here. This is the model against which sporty vehicles in the executive segment will have to measure themselves in future."
UPDATE 04/26/2012: Mercedes has unveiled a new video for their latest Concept Style Coupe. The video shows Gordon Wagener, the Head Designer at Mercedes-Benz as he offers an exclusive presentation of the Concept. At one point, he goes into detail about the headlamp inspiration, detailing how it was designed to look just like an eye. Amazing!
Hit the jump to read more about the new Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe.
All we’ve heard about the Bugatti Galibier so far has been concept details and speculation, but things are about to turn around for all the fans wishing the company would take the next big step. Volkswagen has offered Bugatti the backing they need for a 16C Galibier sedan.
Apparently, Wolfgang Duerheimer, the man who recently took over as head of Bugatti and Bentley, was the main proponent behind pushing Volkswagen to give them a break. The Galibier, a 1000 HP sedan, was first shown as a concept in 2010 and when put into production, will cost about $1.4 million. It will use a 16-cylinder engine that can run on both biofuel and gasoline, and will bring back the dual-clutch gearbox. Production will require facilities in Molsheim, France, to be refitted, which may push back deliveries until 2013 or 2014.
The official name for the production model hasn’t been provided yet, but Bugatti’s decision to offer a production version sedan should come as no surprise considering Lamborghini has already confirmed the production version of the Estoque and Ferrari has brought out the FF. These competitors by no means come close to the power behind the Bugatti, but they do illustrate the luxury automakers that are taking advantage of the upswing the economy is making by expanding their lineups.
UPDATE 04/26/2012: Bugatti has unveiled a new video for their 16C Galibier - the world’s most exclusive, elegant and powerful four door car. A wonderful combination of art, form, and technique.
Hit the jump for a full list of rumors regarding the Bugatti 16C Galibier.
Not all of us are quite privileged enough to be able to lump down enough money to import a 2012 BMW M5 into the U.S., nor are we all patient enough to await the 2013 release of the new M5. This means we are stuck with videos from people like the fine folks over at Bimmerpost.
One of the new features on the 2012 M5, which will likely be a part of the M5 when it hits U.S. showrooms for the 2013 model year, is the Active Sound system. This is a system that is integrated with the stereo system and pipes engine notes through the stereo’s speakers.
So, here is our dilemma… Is this new feature a cool trick or simply a useless gimmick that BMW is slapping on this ride to make it seem cooler? The folks at Bimmerpost saved the day again by providing us automotive nerds with audio of the 2012 M5 with the AS system active, then with it deactivated, which involves yanking a fuse that also disables the entire stereo system and the rear parking assistant.
After listening to the two audio clips, which you can do in the above video, we can certainly tell the difference between the actual engine sound and the digitized engine sound. While BMW did go to great lengths to help match the digi-engine with the real engine, it is really a disappointment. To some people it might be a cool feature, but real auto buffs want to hear the engine itself.
BMW could help us all out by putting an “On/Off” switch on this feature, without having to disable the entire audio system by pulling the fuse. This rings even more true with folks that add in aftermarket components to this already high-performance sedan. They want to hear the modified turbo whistle, blow-off valve, and exhaust note, not some synthesized version of the stock engine.
We call this a useless gimmick for now. Let us know how you feel in the comments section below!
The luxury and large car market in China is supposed to be ready to grow even more in 2012 and in response, automakers are preparing to meet that demand with new, longer versions of their current models. Infiniti is ready to take on the market with the new M Long Wheelbase at the 2012 Beijing Auto Show.
The new Infiniti M Long Wheelbase will be offered in two versions: M35hL hybrid and M25L. The M35h L is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine mated to an electric motor for a total output of 359 HP, while the M25L features a 2.5-liter V6 with an output of 232 HP. Compared to a standard Infiniti M, the new Long Wheelbase version features a longer wheelbase that grows by 5.9 inches to a total of 120 inches.
"The Infiniti M long-wheel-base – available in M35hL hybrid and M25 normally aspirated versions – is the first high-end Infiniti luxury sedan tailor-made for Chinese customers," said Nissan’s vice president Andy Palmer. "It strikes a perfect balance between outstanding performance and environmental sustainability and brings a new challenger to China’s premium car market."
The new Infiniti M Long Wheelbase will go on sale in China starting June 2012.
