New Maserati Quattroporte GT S

Maserati has recently revealed 2009 Quattroporte facelift. The new car is the Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S, and it is set to make its world debut next month at the Detroit Auto Show. For the facelifted Quattroporte and Quattroporte S make do with a 400hp (298kW) 4.2L V8 and a 430hp (320kW) 4.7L V8 respectively, the new Sport GT S produces 440hp (328kW). The small power bump is courtesy of a high-flow exhaust system, which comes with an adjustable valve to keep the engine muffled around town and let loose once in the open country.

Maserati has upgrade a set of lowered suspension, stiffer springs, and new shock absorbers for the car as well. The Quattroporte’s ZF six-speed automatic transmission remains, however, in the Sport GT S the paddle-shift operated ‘box receives new management software that allows for quicker gearshifts.

Interior, the car’s usual wood panels are replaced with carbon-fiber pieces, while the seats are covered in a mix of leather and Alcantara. Some minor changes done for the exterior, which are blacked-out headlight surrounds and a darkened grille.

Read the rest of this entry »

New compact model by GM Holden

GM Holden will build an all-new small car in Australia alongside the country’s best-selling Commodorerange. The second carline will start in the third quarter of 2010 with support from the Federal and South Australian Governments. The car will be based on the Opel Astra & Chevy Cruze. The front-wheel drive model will be offered with an array of 4-cylinder direct injected petrol and diesel engines while Holden said that it is also considering a range of alternative fuel or fuel saving technologies including E85, LPG, CNG and start-stop hybrid capability. Further information/detail of the car and the retail price will be released later.

Read the rest of this entry »

Kia to bring Soul Coupe to Detroit Auto Show

Kia Motors will unveil a new take on the Soul at the 2009 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit in January. The all-new concept based on the recently revealed and eagerly anticipated Soul urban crossover passenger car is more than just a re-packaging treatment, as it will demonstrate the flexibility of the original Soul design first shown at the 2006 NAIAS.

Soul is due to go on sale in the UK from March 1 2009. Full range details, specification and prices are yet to be revealed but Soul will be available to UK customers with fuel-efficient 1.6 litre petrol and 1.6 litre diesel engines and with a wide range of personalisation options. The Kia Motors press conference for the 2009 NAIAS is scheduled to take place on Sunday, January 11, 2009 from 2:20-2:45 pm.

Source: Kia

Read the rest of this entry »

Lexmaul Opel GT Roadster with 312HP

Lexmaul, a well known German tuning firm has developed a subtle performance kit for the Opel GT roadster. A series of engine upgrades that include a new sport exhaust system boost the 2.0-liter turbocharged unit's output from 264HP to 312HP while torque has also been increased from 353 Nm to 440 Nm. Lexmaul also lowered the suspension by 30mm and added a new set of 20-inch Schmidt Revolution CC-Line alloy wheels up front and 21-inch alloys at the back wrapped in chunkier 255 tires (255/35-R20 and 255/30-R21).

Read the rest of this entry »

Ford Focus RS price list

Ford has officially announced the price of the Ford Focus RS. The Focus RS will be priced from £24,995 which comes to about $38,300 but for a various reasons that include the higher taxation system in the UK, the MSRP cannot be used for comparisons in the U.S. In the UK, the standard price of the flagship Focus RS compares with £20,408 for the 225HP Focus ST3, the existing top-of-the-range Focus model. For the performance, Ford Focus RS is fitted with a turbocharged 2.5-litre, five-cylinder Duratec petrol engine, with a confirmed 305PS and 440Nm peak torque. Front-wheel-driven through a six-speed transmission, the Focus RS accelerates from 0-62mph (100km/h) in under 5.9 seconds and has a targeted top speed of 263 km/h or 164mph.

The car comes with a bodykit that only an RS could wear, as well as things like heated door mirrors and windshield, xenon headlights, Recaros, and Ford's Easy Fill fueling system. Only a few options are available, the ritziest one being the Luxury Pack that will give you things like automatic climate control and rear parking sensors.

Read the rest of this entry »

Ford Fusion rumored to get 2.0-liter EcoBoost four in 2010

Ford's EcoBoost line of turbocharged engines would proliferate through the Blue Oval's lineup, beginning with the 3.5-liter V6 and then moving downward in displacement to include turbocharged 2.0- and 1.4-liter inline fours. When the wraps came off the 2010 Ford Fusion in LA, we were disappointed that Ford hadn't announced the availability of the 2.0-liter turbo, with horsepower and torque output similar to the blown four-pot offered by GM (260 hp, 260 lb-ft).

During the Detroit Auto Show, the Ford reports that a four-cylinder EcoBoost is likely to be available in the Fusion sometime in 2010. Offering the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine in both the Fusion and possibly the next evolution of the Explorer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Volvo plans to release hybrid car in 2011

Volvo has put a lot of effort to develop more environmentally-friendly vehicles capable of meeting stringent emissions regulations on the horizon, the Swedish automaker has been working on some new highly-efficient vehicles. Furthermore to the DRIVe trio of ultra-efficient diesel-powered models, Volvo is working on an all-new micro-hybrid model. The car will be scheduled to release in 2011, the vehicle will be available with a choice between gasoline or diesel power, and a manual or automatic transmission. Fuel-saving technology will include a start-stop system plus brake-energy regeneration to cut consumption by nearly 5 percent. Volvo will release a full hybrid (with the ability to run on electric power only) in 2012 with the D5 diesel engine (Volvo's similar battery and flexfuel ReCharge Concept is above). A plug-in electric is also expected to follow down the road.

Read the rest of this entry »

Audi revealed Audi R8 with 5.2L V10 FSI

Audi has released their first official images and initial specifications of the Audi R8 V10.Though the new engine is still an Audi, strictly speaking - it's also found in the S6 and S8 sedans in similar form - it's based around the Lamborghini design. But whatever the provenance of the engine or platform, it's clear that Audi's R8 has found its own niche in the high-performance sports car world, and with the addition of the V10 engine is flirting with supercar status. The car is equipped with a 5.2L engine that with an 8,700rpm redline, 525hp (386kW) and 391lb-ft (530Nm) of torque, a 0-62mph (100km/h) time of just 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 196mph (316km/h) it certainly reads like a supercar. The car can reach 124mph (200km/h) in 8.1 seconds, or just over double the time it takes to hit 62mph.

The car weight at 1650 kg. The weight is distributed in a classic mid-engine 44/56 front/rear ratio, however, ensuring balanced behavior under braking and slightly tail-biased handling under acceleration. Lateral acceleration on the factory-equipped 235/35 front and 295/30 rear street tires is a bracing 1.2g. Moving to a less staggered rubber setup should improve that figure even further. The stock wheels feature a 10-spoke Y-design, ensconcing standard 15in front/14in rear disc brakes or optional carbon ceramic brakes that weight a combined 19.8lb (9kg) less than their steel counterparts.

Read the rest of this entry »