Archive for January, 2010
McLaren MP4-25 Formula 1 racer revealed
Woking-based McLaren has officially launched its Mercedes-powered 2010 MP4-25 contender. The British team has two British World Champions in its driver line-up including Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button who joins the team this year after collecting his first Driver’s Championship with the Brawn GP team last year. McLaren’s contender still looks very good but I must admit that the Mercedes GP Petronas race car isn’t bad either! Continue reading to view more images after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
Ferrari unveils its 2010 Formula 1 contender: The F10
Ferrari has officially unwrapped its 2010 Formula 1 contender at the team’s Maranello factory in Italy. Called the F10, it maintains Ferrari’s traditional red colour scheme which is pretty much expected.
The cars will be piloted by Felipe Massa and double World Champion Fernando Alonso while Italian Giancarlo Fisichella will remain as the outfit’s third and reserve driver. In its 2009 campaign, the team only managed to bag one victory and finished fourth in the Constructor’s battle.
Massa also suffered from a freak accident at the Hungarian event which forced him to stay out of the cockpit till the end of the year. This season should be a very interesting one as there are new teams joining the grid and former Ferrari man Michael Schumacher has decided to make a comeback, although its with the Mercedes team. More images can be found after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
Euro NCAP rates the VW Golf Mk6 as the safest car of 2009
Many new cars are specifically engineered to attain the maximum five stars Euro NCAP rating these days, and there are so many of them around, but have you ever wondered which of these five-star cars are a cut above the rest?
Well, Euro NCAP has released the top-five highest scoring cars among those it tested in 2009, so now we can tell the safest from the safe. All the cars that made the list are five-star rated cars, seperated only by their scores. In top spot is the Mk6 Volkswagen Golf, followed by the hybrid pair Honda Insight and Toyota Prius in second and third, respectively. In fourth spot is the Hyundai i20 while there are three cars tied for fifth – the Toyota Avensis, Volvo XC60 and the Opel Astra.
To achieve the overall rating, a car is put through four crash tests, a component test and is assessed by an inspector who considers tests results and the safety equipment and features of the car, using up to a total of three cars, three front seats, four child seats and an array of spare parts per model. For 2010, the threshold to achieve Euro NCAP’s maximum five stars rises from 75% to 80% in Adult Occupant Protection and from 70% to 75% in Child Occupant Protection. The threshold for Pedestrian Protection rises to 40%.
Of the 33 models crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2009, the poorest results were achieved by the Suzuki Alto and the Toyota Urban Cruiser, both receiving three stars.
G-Power Typhoon Black Pearl – goes fast, looks evil!
This BMW X5 looks and sounds evil, and has the firepower to match its fearsome name. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Typhoon Black Pearl by German tuner G-Power.
The standard X5’s 4.8-litre V8 gets forced induction in the form of G-Power’s SK III RS supercharger system. This increases power from 350 bhp to 625 bhp at 6,100 rpm, while torque swells by 225 Nm to make 700 Nm at 5,300 rpm. The compressor is from ASA, which also supplies its products to Alpina, so relaibility isn’t an issue says G-Power. The boost pressure is 1.0 bar. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is a typhoon-like (sorry, we just had to) 4.5 seconds, while top speed is “more than 300 km/h”. In addition, G-Power says that the Typhoon “reacts to any impact to the gas pedal aggressively and without any delay”.
Besides bolting on the supercharger, BMW’s V8 has undergone various changes, among them are a new set of forged pistons, weight-optimised connecting rods and a “precisely manufactured” crankshaft. Fuel injectors with a larger capacity, a new ignition map and an additional cooling system for engine oil and water are the other tweaks.
Those swelled wheelarches house 23-inch Silverstone aluminium wheels wrapped with 315/25 ZR high performance tyres by Michelin. More pictures of this badass after the jump. Read the rest of this entry.
Geely to pay US$ 1.8 billion for Volvo?
According to a report by Trading Markets, China-based Geely will have to part with US$ 1.8 billion on February 8th in order to take over Volvo from Ford. At the same time rumors are circulating that Ford may let the Swedish brand go for as low as US$ 1.6 billion. Ford first took over Volvo in 1996 for a sum of US$ 6.45 billion. More information should be revealed once we enter the second month of the year.
Spyker finally completes Saab purchase!
After months of rollercoaster negotiations, Dutch sports car maker Spyker has finally sealed a deal with General Motors to buy Saab for $74 million cash and $326 million deferred shares. Under its new owner, Saab will now be officially called Saab Spyker Automobiles NV.
Spyker, itself not profitable, only rolls out several dozen handmade supercars every year, and has borrowed heavily for this purchase. It has took a loan of up to 4 billion kronor ($550 million) from the European Investment Bank, backed by the Swedish government and subject to approval by the European Commission. There’s also “Back-up financing” in the form of a 150 million-euro loan ($212 million) from investment firm GEM Global Yield Fund Ltd.
In return, Spyker hopes to benefit from Saab’s technical resources and its distribution network. Now that Spyker has “won” the battle to acquire the Swedish marque, the hard part lies ahead. Saab has not been profitable since GM bought it in for $600 million back in 1989 and it remains to be seen how Spyker plans to turn this around. Much will hinge on how the company’s new products – the new 9-5 is out, while the 9-4X is very far into its development phase. The new 9-3 is said to be set for a 2012 debut.
“Marginal players will continue to be marginalized. We cannot build it on hopes and dreams,” Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne said about this deal. After pouring out so much money to get his bride, that’s the last thing Spyker CEO Victor Muller wants to hear.
Mazda 6 / Atenza refreshed for the Japanese market
Mazda has facelifted the Atenza (also known as the 6 sedan) for the Japanese domestic market. I am happy to say that the automaker has decided to drop the smiley face treatment on the sedan. It looks more grown up now. Updates on the outside include new fog lamp inserts on the front along with a different front grille. Mazda has also updated the taillights. Designs on both 17 and 18-inch wheels have been updated as well.
The 25EX and 25Z equipment levels come with new bi-xenon headlights while the 25S, 20S and 25C versions have pre-facelift headlamps but modified with additional chrome plating. On the inside, there is black piano trim that is evident on the center panel, shift gate and steering wheel spokes. The 2.0 liter powerplant in the 6 has been updated and has direct injection. Power is rated at 153 PS at 6,200 revs and 189Nm of torque at 4,500 revs. It will premier internationally at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Read the rest of this entry.
2011 Peugeot 408 sedan unveiled in China
Peugeot has officially launched the 408 sedan at the Beijing Motor Show in China. The 408 sedan is essentially a long wheelbase version of the 308 and is positioned as a C-Segment vehicle. Measuring 4,680mm long, 1,800mm long and 1,500mm wide along with a wheelbase that is figured at 2,710mm, the 408 is available in China with two engine options.
First of which is a 110hp/147Nm 1.6 liter while the other is a 147hp/200Nm 2.0 liter. Buyers can also choose between a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic (AT8 Porsche Tiptronic). The 408 will be manufactured in Wuhan, China. Read the rest of this entry.
