Yesterday, Japanese tuning super company, Trust, filed for bankruptcy protection in the Tokyo District Court. According to many sources, the failing company was sixty million US dollars in debt before it filed the papers at 3pm local time.
This is a huge blow to the import enthusiast community, as Trust is one of the most well respected and relied upon manufacturers of aftermarket tuning parts, but it doesn't mean Trust is down and out. We'll have further news soon.
Over 1000 orders have been placed in the UK for the 300hp Ford Focus RS. It's serious competition to the WRX STI and Evo X, but will it come here?
New Zealand already gets the Focus XR5 (we reviewed it here), and it's a damn good car. It's essentially a rebadged Focus ST from the UK, so there's no reason Ford couldn't do the same and bring the RS to New Zealand. With the support that the Rally New Zealand gets, it would provide a viable alternative to the Japanese options from Subaru and Mitsubishi.
The new model marks a welcome return for the Rallye Sport badge which has played such an important role in Ford’s rich motorsport heritage. This will be the second Focus model to carry the RS mantle since 2002 and heralds another chapter in an automotive story which began with the iconic Ford Escort RS1600 in 1970...which is before most of us were born.
Volvo wants to adopt new strategy regarding the safety of its vehicles, so it will cut-price for its crossovers, which use new crash avoidance technology.
If you buy a Volvo you can have a real surprise- an unexpected bonus that consists in a cut into the insurance premium. Volvo Australia announced that they try and win cut-price car insurance for buyers who buy a version of the car maker’s latest-generation, mid-sized crossover vehicle, the XC60 that goes on sale next year.
Volvo XC60
Volvo XC60 is the first car to feature a specially developed City Safety package that helps a driver to avoid low-speed, front-end shunts and it will be a standard feature on all XC60s sold in Australia starting with February 2009, and is likely to trickle through into other models in the Volvo range.
If the difference in speeds between two vehicles is less than 15km/h, a crash can be avoided. If the difference in speeds is greater than 15km/h, the XC60’s system will minimize the impact.
It seems that is a good job for Volvo and maybe I will move to Australia and get one of these safety cars!
GM has presented its intention to offer the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle, by presenting it. This electric car will be on market since 2010. Chevrolet Volt will be offered with a T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack that after few hours will be able to run 40 miles without any other charge. This car fuel will not cost that much (at least GM said that) and to turn it on will be offered a small gasoline engine to generate enough electricity to drive it on a long journey.
The car will go from 0 to 100 km/h in about 9 seconds. The battery pack is where the “transmission tunnel” would be in a conventional rear-wheel- drive car, meaning that the batteries don’t take up cargo space as they do in many hybrid cars. Although it has a rounded front, the back end of the car has a sharp, angular shape. In the rear, where air flows together as it trails off from the vehicle, sharp angles help smooth air flow.
2010 Chevy Volt
The final price of the car is expected to be somewhere at $40,000, but this is not confirmed, yet. Due the fact that its alimentation will not cost too much, I think it could be a good investment!
Although Ford has not announced detailed specifications of the new Focus RS and has not mentioned anything about prices, the sports fans in WRC, in the UK, have already placed more than 1,000 orders for the new model, which will be on the market at the beginning of the future year.
It appears that about 40% of customers opted for the green that you see in pictures below. This is the color of the car exhibited at Auto Salon in London.
The car looks very much different from the Focus ST and that discreet design makes allusions to the WRC cars, this impression pointing to the large plugs air, aileron, and impressive wheels. It is a design that will attract attention in any environment, and that good design is supported by performance.
The engine is the same on the Focus ST. 5-cylinder, 2.5 liter and surcharge, but as a result of changes suffered from the electronics, admissions, evacuation and turbine develops 300 hp, 225 HP face comes as the ST.
The German manufacturer has not made public but offers photos and complete information about the sixth generation Golf model.
Design is pretty good and seems more as a model of extensive dealer previously signed by Italian Walter de Silva. The idea of the design was to collect personality and the sport note of all the generations before. They recognize as a source of inspiration came from the Scirocco coupe, and the Touareg - to the taillights.
VW said the car has come in terms of style, to another level and make allusions to the fact that up to the premium segment of the compact class in terms of the quality / price ratio will be one unbeatable.
At the technological level, Golf promises a multitude of systems safety and dynamics. Golf VI has the “DCC Adaptive Chassis Control” which aims to transform the car from a cruiser relaxing in a model with valences sports. It will also be available and the “Park Assist” which runs single parking maneuvers. That besides ESP’s set so as to react finest, but more efficiently.
At the onset, the new Golf will be available with a turbo diesel propeller, the 2-liter with 2 versions of power: 110 HP and 140 HP; average consumption is 4.5 l/100 km, 4.9 km litri/100. However, VW says it will be added two turbo diesel engines: of 90 HP and one 170 HP.
The new Golf will be ordered with an 80 HP engine - engine that enters the range, or one with 102 HP, if not favors the 1.4 liter TSI offered in versions of power: 122 HP and 160 HP.
The new Golf, whose engines respect the normal Euro 5, will probably be one of the cars with the lowest average consumption. Why? Because the most powerful propellant gas (not talking here about the future GTI or R32 which did not say anything), the 1.4 liter TSI, consuming an average of only 6 km litri/100. VW announced even as wide average consumption at all propellers is between 4.5 and 7.1 liters per 100 km.
Citroen C3 Picasso will be presented at Paris Motor Show in 2009 and it seems that will offer more creativity than the previous model. The new model seems to impress by its innovative design and amazing technology.
Citroen C3 Picasso has a pure and functional body styling which expresses its fundamental purpose, that is passenger comfort at all times in all situations.
I bet you are interested in new Picasso’s dimensions, so I won’t let you wait too long: the car is 4.08 m long, 1.62 m high and 1.73 wide.
Depending on the level of trim and the engine, the C3 Picasso comes with 15-inch wheels and 195/60 R15 Michelin Energy Saver tires, 16-inch wheels with 195/55 R16 Michelin Energy Savers, or 17-inch wheels with 205/45 R17 Michelin Pilot Exalto 2.
What really impresses me is that the C3 Picasso is also fitted with a range of high-performance, economical engines: 2 new generation petrol units – the VTi 95 and VTi 120 – and 2 diesel models, the HDi 90 and HDi 110 DPFS, renowned for their driving pleasure and efficiency.
So, we have great technology, economical engines, a car great for town and with high-level active safety, with exceptionally surefooted road manners and a high-performance braking system. The C3 Picasso is equipped with effective restraint systems for all occupants, with all the seat-belts featuring three anchor points.
I like this car and I think it will be perfect for me to go day-by-day at work!
Official pictures of Toyota Hilux facelift were presented to the public, and the sales target for this model in 2009 is of 47,000 units. It was launched in Europe in 2005 and until now, Hilux model has become increasingly more popular and better sold, and last year recorded sales of 39,000 units.
Changes made at Toyota Hilux are some of subtle facelift. Part of the front grille receives a bar and a new protection. Two new colors for equipment are now available, Blue Island and Graphite Grey and models 3.0 D-4D Double Cab HL3 and Double Cab can now be with 15 inches and, respectively, 17 inches rims.
The interior receives a redrawn driving with integrated audio commands, a new air conditioning system, a digital display and a pollen filter more effectively is on the list of improvements.
D-4D engine of 3.0 liters has, now a couple more of 360 Nm, as a result of the integration of new boxes speed automatic, five steps, which offer a better performance and greater efficiency than the previous transmission, with the four reports. The level of CO2 emissions is of 236g/km.
One of the most loved BMW car, the Z4 roadster came out of production last week after a career of 7 years. Even if a car is strictly full of “passion”, with only 2 seats managed to find approximately 200,000 customers in the 7 years of production.
Z4 was a special vehicle in the BMW range because it came with that new style, surprise prepared by Chris Bangle, but unlike the 7 Series or 5 Series, Z4 even was liked by many, since the launch. Two seats, driving position, the sport platform, the engine - perfect recipe for a roadster.
BMW Z4 has been produced in these years at BMW plant in Spartanburg (North Carolina, USA), but the next model will be produced in Germany. Anyway, we will not expect much the Z4’s replace because there are already rumors according to which the car will start at the Auto Salon in Los Angeles in the fall. It is possible that the car will be presented in the form of concept, but some BMW concepts are very close of the design of the series.
Americans have decided that after Corvette ZR1 recorded best time on the famous Nurburgring, after Nissan GT-R, the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR should be put on this circuit in Europe.
The journalists from Motortrend argue that, on august 18, the pilot Tom Coronel has come more tours on the Nurburgring. On the fourth ballot, the pilot established a time of only 7 minutes and 22.10 seconds, considerably better than the 7 minutes and 26.4 seconds set by Corvette ZR1.
It’s true that, while the ZR1 is a street car, the Viper SRT ACR 10 is basically a circuit car, but which is homologated for traffic on public roads. SRT10 ACR has the same huge V10 engine of 8.4 liters and SRT10, maximum power is 600 HP. ACR version is more comfortable but has better suspensions, brakes and clutch race. The model that was on the Nurburgring was a “series model”, if one can say so in circumstances in which SRT10 ACR is a car developed for racing.
