Electric RaceAbout is Finnish(d), unveiled in Helsinki
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Automotive X-Prize, Europe/EU
Electric RaceAbout – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Finnish X-Prize contender from the RaceAbout Association is finally, well, completed. The Electric RaceAbout (ERA) had its first test-driving session a few days ago and, with its virginal 100 kilometers on the odometer, was presented to the public at the Cable Factory in Helsinki last night. With the formalities finalized, the four-wheel-drive electric sportscar is now headed to the U.S. for this month’s “shakedown stage” of the Progressive Automotive X-Prize competition.
Said to be “paving the way for creating an electric car industry in Finland”, the majority of the 60 companies and institutions involved with the project are from that Nordic country. One of the technologies involved are the direct-drive motors the ERA has powering each wheel. The design, developed specifically for electric vehicles by Lappeenranta University of Technology and also shared by Valmet’s EVA concept, allow builders to forgo the use of a mechanical gearbox. To get a sneak-preview of the two-seater in motion, hit the jump for several videos showing the development process and some footage from the track tests.
2010 New York: Alan Mulally’s Feel Good Speech
New York – Three years after he joked about saving President Bush by keeping him from plugging in a hydrogen-powered Ford Edge, Alan Mulally gave a sort of pep rally to an adoring automotive press who have singled out his company as a rare winner in a bad economy. “Everybody associated with Ford is feeling really good,” Mulally said in his 2010 New York auto show keynote speech. He also took a subtle swipe at his Metro Detroit rivals.
Ford Motor Company, as you know, took out a seemingly prescient $23.5-billion home equity loan three years ago, before the home, credit and automotive markets went to hell. Ford has started to pay it back, but Mulally says the company will keep the line of credit in place going forward. Obviously, the highly favorable terms, said to be well below 0.01-percent interest rate, are fixed, and not variable.
“I’m very pleased we respected all our debt-holders and all our stockholders,” he said, to enthusiastic applause, obviously a reference to the General Motors and Chrysler bankruptcies last year.
On the question of how Ford didn’t get the same United Auto Worker concessions as GM and Chrysler, Mulally was a bit more diplomatic. “I’ll always be appreciative, to one of the stakeholders, being the UAW and Ron Gettelfinger, in particular, because we could not make cars in the United States profitably, before. And we knew if we were going to grow the business in the United States and provide jobs that we needed to deal with that.”
Mulally said One Ford is working, that the company is successfully integrating its global operations to take advantage of the economies of scale, and make small cars, as well as large trucks, profitable where they are made, and that the focus on the Ford brand — now with the sale of Volvo to Geely virtually completed — hearkens back to the philosophy of the company’s founder, 80 years ago. He said that Ford will continue to make big cars and trucks where they are in demand (North America, of course), although he did not commit to rear-drive, beyond the F-Series platforms.
AMG C117 Evo – first own four-door coupe
AMG prepares not “charged” version of the B-class hatchback, but a own compact four-door coupé, which will be built on a Mercedes-Benz B-class platform. The model becomes an ideological successor of 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II sedan, serialized in 90 years of last century. The technology, which has now the code C117 Evo, its size and design will be similar to the concept car from Mercedes-Benz F800, which was introduced by German automaker in the past in March, the international motor show in Geneva.
Wheel-drive four-door coupé, whose length will not exceed 4,5 m, will be equipped with 3.2-liter gasoline engine with a supercharger. Power V-shaped “six” will be around 400 hp The motor will be developed based on turbo “engine” V6 volume of 3.5 liters.
The debut model, will be held no earlier than 2012.
Proton Satria Neo R3 continues proud Lotus tradition of tuning obscure econocars
Filed under: Budget, Performance, Hatchback
We love Lotus for many reasons. Yes, the thought of lightweight track heathens with more grip than horsepower sends our hearts all aflutter, but there are other reasons to be smitten with the British brand. Like how occasionally the engineers get bored and decide to turn an otherwise pedestrian vehicle into an all-out rocket. Cars like the Dodge Spirit R/T and Isuzu I-Mark have all gotten a healthy dollop of help from Lotus, and now it looks like the Proton Satria Neo can count itself among those lucky souls.
Under normal circumstances, the Malaysian Neo shares driving DNA with wet cardboard, but the new Neo R3 Lotus Racing Edition looks to cure that ail. Adjustable Ohlins(!) coilovers replace the stock bits, giving the car a little extra grip in the corners, along with some substantial chassis bracing. Lotus also threw in AP Racing(!!) four-pot stoppers up front and a set of lightweight alloys on all four corners. Power from the 1.6-liter four-cylinder gets bumped up to 145 horses, helping to get the reworked Neo to 62 in a little over 9 seconds. Did we mention it has racing stripes over its carbon fiber hood? Yes, really.
If you’re wondering how all this madness came about, remember that Proton has owned a majority interest in the British sportscar maker and engineering firm since 1996. We’re guessing that the classic Lotus racing colors would’ve otherwise been off-limits to, say, Perodua.
Priced from 115,000 Malaysian ringgits (about $35,500 USD), the Satria Neo R3 will be limited to just 25 examples in honor of the company’s 25th anniversary.
[Source: Proton-Edar] Read more…
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New York 2010: Hero cars invade Gotham
Filed under: New York Auto Show, Etc., Celebrities, Specialty
The A-Team van shines in New York – Click above for high-res image gallery
Are these the ultimate performance cars? Maybe not in 0-60 or quarter mile times – although we wouldn’t count a few of them out at the dragstrip – but in terms of actually being performers. Some of the random cars and trucks we found at this year’s New York Auto Show are perhaps just as famous as their on-screen co-stars of the human variety.
While the A-Team van parked right smack dab in the middle of the entryway was an easy target, we delved a little deeper and found a Mach 5, K.I.T.T., Batmobile, Monkeemobile, and Grandpa Munster’s Dragula sitting in a booth in the lower level of the Javits Center. Oh, and your eyes aren’t deceiving you…that is the VW Beetle from Uncle Buck that was on eBay last year…just in time for Easter. After the star car turnout at Chicago, this was a nice encore.
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2011 Infiniti QX56 – official photos
In the Internet appeared the first official photos of the new Infiniti QX56, “leaked” from the press service of Nissan in just a few days before the premiere of new car. As expected the fans of Japanese luxury brand SUV 2011 model year was only slightly modified version of the last generation Nissan Patrol, whose debut was also held recently – in February. If there are exterior features Infiniti – bizarre twists lines Chuck, complex form of lights, huge air intakes, the interiors of the two models are almost identical.
Technically, both the SUV is also very similar. At the QX56 is set 5.6-liter V8 engine with 400 hp, packaged with seven-speed automatic transmission. Corporate-wheel drive with a choice of manual modes and an improved roll resistance, simplify life SUV driver. The official world premiere Infiniti QX56 2011 will be held this weekend at the New York Auto Show.
Next Generation Renault Clio heading for India
Renault is eying to launch the next generation of its highly popular Clio in India by late 2011. The Clio is based on the same Nissan ‘V’ platform and will be manufactured at Renault-Nissan’s Chennai plant.
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