Hyundai in trouble with the Chinese…

As Reuters states, Hyundai is in trouble in China. The manufacturer’s products are banned for import from the South Korean plants. There is an antitrust case against the Korean Carmaker that it supports the Company based showrooms more than the independent dealers. Read more

China becomes the biggest Volkswagen customer

There is no doubt that China is becoming the most potential market for cars with its economy booming and the highest population of all nations that is 1.4 billion. VW, the German powerhouse of automobiles was one of the pioneering companies to do business in the land of the great wall. Now it has plans of selling one million Read more

Nürburgring approved: Corvette ZR1 sets the Ring On Fire

So what are the ultimate testing grounds for a Sports car? Nurburgring, a place where cars are put to test and faster lap times result in applause. The Corvette ZR1, GM’s trump card against the world of supercars recently paid a visit to “The Ring”.The results were astounding 7:26.4, a little less than the soon to be launched competitor Nissan GTR with 7:29. Engineers at GM assured us that the car is not tuned and everything is factory spec.

But the big question is the price; reportedly some dealers across America will give into the greed and might put the retail price above $300K for this American supercar. The Maximum Suggested Retail Price by GM is around $105K.

The ZR-1 has other amazing numbers like 0-60 in 3.4 Seconds, quarter mile in 11.3. As per the GM pricing the car is a bargain on the $161 for every Horsepower and that’s what dealers are trying to play with…

Link

Study: Auto Industry to Shift very slowly to online media

According to a new study released by online research firm eMarketer automakers’ top advertising priority is getting its name into a consumer’s “consideration set” and then helping that shopper reach a dealership. To that end, the use of major media channels has changed significantly in recent years, moving out of print and radio and onto the Internet.

Read more

CORRECTING AND REPLACING: Porsche Releases First Information and Photos of New 2009 911 Models

Porsche Cars North America just released the following updated news release regarding “New Generation 911s to Combine Increased Performance with Better Fuel Efficiency”:

________________________________

CORRECTION … by Porsche Cars North America, Inc.

ATLANTA–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Seventh graph should read: 2009 911 Canadian pricing starts at $94,800 for the Carrera Coupe, $107,600 for the Carrera Cabriolet and the Carrera S Coupe, and the Carrera S Cabriolet is $120,400. The Canadian price increase for the 2009 911 models is 1.2 percent below the U.S. increase in response to exchange rate changes over recent months. (sted 2009 911 U.S. pricing starts at $75,600 for the Carrera Coupe, $86,200 for the Carrera Cabriolet and the Carrera S Coupe, and the Carrera S Cabriolet is $96,800.)

The corrected release reads:

PORSCHE® RELEASES FIRST INFORMATION AND PHOTOS OF NEW 2009 911® MODELS

New Generation 911s Combine Increased Performance with Better Fuel Efficiency

Porsche today disclosed photos and details for the next generation 911 model series. Four new 911 models go on sale in September in North America – the 911 Carrera Coupe, 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera S Coupe, and 911 Carrera S Cabriolet. All offer a higher level of performance thanks to their all-new flat-six engines displacing 3.6 and 3.8 liters respectively. And for the first time in a Porsche sports car, engines utilize direct fuel injection (DFI) and can be coupled with the new optional 7-speed double-clutch gearbox Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK), racing inspired technology and a Porsche first. The result of these new technologies allows Porsche to once again boost performance of the 911, yet improve fuel efficiency by up to 13 percent as measured in the European driving cycle.

Maximum output of the 911 Carrera with its 3.6-liter engine is up by 20 horsepower to 345. The 911 Carrera S with its 3.8-liter engine is equally impressive, up by 30 horsepower to 385. With this extra power, the Carrera S now offers a top speed of 188 mph.

The new generation 911 is available for the first time with the new Porsche-Doppelkupplung (PDK), Porsche’s double-clutch gearbox. The seven speed gearbox combines the driving comfort of an automatic transmission with the gearshift capacity of a sequential gearbox used in race cars. Since Porsche’s double-clutch also boasts an automatic gearshift function, it replaces the former Porsche Tiptronic S automatic transmission on both the Carrera and Carrera S. PDK improves acceleration while reducing fuel consumption over the previous generation of Tiptronic S equipped 911s through optimized and adaptive gearshifts.

Porsche developed this gearshift principle for racing no less than 25 years ago. It features two parallel clutches to eliminate any interruption in power delivery and eliminates even the slightest break between gears. Porsche factory drivers benefiting from this technology were able to accelerate faster than their competitors and keep both hands on the wheel while shifting gears, thus avoiding even the slightest distraction. This pioneering achievement from Porsche’s racing efforts now gives the new 911 Carrera and Carrera S even better performance. The Carrera equipped with PDK covers 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds and the Carrera S reaches the same speed in 4.3 which is 0.2 seconds faster than with a manual six-speed gearbox. The customer in search of optimum driving dynamics even has the option to combine PDK with Porsche’s optional Sport Chrono Plus including Launch Control. The result is high-speed acceleration free of wheel spin from a standstill and a racing shift pattern to further boost performance. The Carrera equipped with the Sport Chrono Plus accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds while the Carrera S sprints to 60 mph in an outstanding 4.1.

Exterior enhancements of the new 911 stand out clearly through innovations in design and technology. The refined front bumper has larger air intakes which signal an increase in power and the newly designed dual-arm exterior mirrors give a larger field of vision to the rear of the car. LED daytime driving lights and bi-xenon headlights will be standard on all new models, as well as LED tail and brake lights. This gives the 911 an even more distinctive style and a truly unique look from the front and rear. As a further option, Porsche now also offers Dynamic Cornering Lights on all models. In Porsche fashion, these new refinements do not change the drag coefficient of the 911 as it stays at a remarkable 0.29.

The latest Porsche Communication Management system, PCM 3.0, which includes a new touchscreen feature, will be standard on all new 911s. Along with this upgraded system, options such as a hard disk drive navigation system, XM radio with XM NavTraffic capability, Bluetooth® connectivity, iPOD® port, USB port, and aux jack will be available.

2009 911 Canadian pricing starts at $94,800 for the Carrera Coupe, $107,600 for the Carrera Cabriolet and the Carrera S Coupe, and the Carrera S Cabriolet is $120,400. The Canadian price increase for the 2009 911 models is 1.2 percent below the U.S. increase in response to exchange rate changes over recent months.

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), based in Atlanta, GA, and, Porsche Cars Canada, Ltd. (PCC) in Mississauga, Ontario, are the two separate importers of Porsche sports cars and Cayenne sport utility vehicles for the United States and Canada respectively. They are each wholly owned, indirect subsidiaries of Dr. Ing.h.c. F. Porsche AG. These two subsidiaries combined, PCNA and PCC employ approximately 250 people who provide Porsche vehicles, parts, service, marketing and training for its 200 U.S. and 12 Canadian dealers. They, in turn, provide Porsche owners with best-in-class service.

[Link]

HotGreen Wheels: Audi R10 TDI Racecar uses next-gen Biofuel

With the 24 Hours of Le Mans auto race in France just around the corner, Audi and Shell, the fuel provider for Audi’s race team, jointly announced that the team will be blending a small amount of biomass-to-liquid (BTL) fuel into its secret mixture. Read more

Alternative Fuels: Governor Bill Richardson Fuels Biodiesel Dragster

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson fueled the Cummins-Blue Sun Biodiesel dragster this past Saturday, helping the Nambe Falls Travel Center mark a step toward clean energy. The event featured a range of biodiesel-powered and flex-fuel vehicles to help visitors become more familiar with these alternatives to traditionally-fueled vehicles.
Read more

Daimler Supports Earthquake Victims in China with a Total of 500,000 Euro

All-terrain vehicles also provided. Daimler employees in China donate 16,000 euro. 200,000 euro provided for Myanmar
Read more

Toyota Recognizes Top Suppliers for 2007

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA) has announced
award-winning North American suppliers for 2007. The awards recognize those
suppliers who exceeded the company’s expectations in the following areas:
Launch Performance, Technology, Supplier Diversity, Value Improvement and
Quality.

Read more

Volvo to Invest in Concept for Emissions Resulting

According to a regulatory filing, Volvo is investing slightly more than SEK 330 M (approx US$48 Million) in a new concept for reducing emissions and improving quality in connection with the function testing of newly produced engines. Use of the new technology will reduce emissions by approximately 85 percent. Read more

Next Page »