Citroen revamps C3 Picasso for 2011 (UK)
In addition to the new Euro5 engines, Citroen will also launch a special-edition called ‘Blackcherry’.
Based upon the VTR+ model, Blackcherry features cherry red and glossy black exterior and interior updates, 17” cherry red diamond-tipped alloy wheels, air conditioning, cruise control w/speed limiter, Connecting Box (USB socket & Bluetooth), electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors and front electric windows. Under the bonnet lives a 90bhp, 1.6HDi diesel engine that returns 61.4mpg.
The 1.4 VTi 95bhp petrol has combined cycle fuel economy of 44.1mpg, up from 42.8mpg. Helping to reduce fuel consumption, all C3 Picasso models are now fitted with Michelin Energy Saver tyres. These tyres mean specifying larger 17” alloy wheels on Exclusive models will no longer have an impact on CO2 output.
Sales start 1st November.
Lexus CT200h pricing announced (UK)
The CT200h is available in three trim-levels; SE-I, SE-L and SE-L Premier.
Mid-spec SE-L cars comes with leather interior w/heated front seats and front & rear parking sensors. Two optional packages are offered with this grade; convenience pack which includes cruise control, auto-dimming rear-view mirror w/reversing camera and full map navigation package, packing in satellite navigation system,10 speaker sound system w/dash 6-CD changer and Remote Touch control. This has a sticker price of £25,200.
The CT200h will be able to return 68.9mpg and emit 94g/km, Lexus claims, making it free from VED and the London Congestion Charge. Order books are open now.
Great Wall to produce cars in Bulgaria (BG)
Great Wall is looking to build two sedans, an SUV and a truck for the European community. The plant has a production capacity of 50,000 cars per annum. The first 1,000 cars are expected to be produced in February 2011.
The original investment is estimated at $119m and is likely to surpass $420m at a later date. The factory will give work to 1,800 people, of which 400 are highly specialised professionals from Germany, China, Italy, South Korea, and Japan.
Large SUV sales remain strong (U.S)
Sales of big SUV’s have risen in recent months, namely the Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Tahoe, and sales are reaching their 1000’s this year. GM’s sales of big utes are up 11%, with Ford reporting a 28% increase.
GM has established that a refurbish of its SUV line-up is due in 2013/’14.
Ford launches special-edition Transit SportsVan (UK)
Ford is releasing 100 special edition Transit SportVan models to mark their 45th year as Britain’s best-selling van.
Back in 2006, Ford ousted the ‘white van’ trend when they released the Transit SportVan for the first time.
system and 138bhp 2.2-litre TDCi diesel engine with a 6 speed transmission. In addition to this, the limited edition hosts a Colorado red exterior with wide bonnet stripes.
Elsewhere on the exterior, there are a number of changes made to the look of the Ford. These changes include twin exhausts, graphite colour alloys, front and rear lower spoilers, side skirts and extended wheel arches.
The interior has also undergone some changes such as new fabrics and trims that fall alongside new equipment and technology. This model also includes the first DAB radio that comes as standard on a medium van.
ESP; there is also a good range of optional extras that can be included.
Prices for the standard Ford Transit SportVan range from around £15,000 up to £29,000 and prices for the Special Edition Ford are expected to mirror these figures.
About the Author:
Ant Bradshaw is currently working for SaveOnNewVans.co.uk which can provide you with great information on a range of van manufacturers and model as well all the latest news. SaveOnNewVans can also provide you with completely free, no obligation New Van Quotes.
Fully Charged Nemesis electric supercar
Robert goes for a test drive of the Nemesis electric supercar created by Ecotricity's Dale Vince. The car being driven in this video is the same Lotus based EV we have been following over the last year or so.
The car uses Prismatic Lithium ion cells that give a range of 150 miles. Motive power is provided by a pair of BLDC motors, one for each rear wheel, connected to the standard CV drive shafts with a reduction gear arrangement using Gilmer belts (hence the supercharger sound track). The motors are powered by a pair of UQM inverters.
Despite the fact the car uses BLDC motors, similar to those used in the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt, the car doesn't have regenerative braking.
Be warned, the sound track features a very loud whine inside the cabin of the vehicle made by the Gilmer belt transmission in this car.
GE to place Biggest Electric-Vehicle Order in History
General Electric Co. may jump-start the electric-vehicle industry with an order that Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Immelt said will be the largest in history.
GE, whose power-generation equipment provides a third of the world’s electricity, will order “tens of thousands” of the vehicles in about a week, Immelt said yesterday in a speech in London, without giving a total or identifying a manufacturer.
“This is a huge step up,” said Brett Smith, a vehicle technology analyst at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “It’s the biggest order to date I’m aware of, by a lot.”
Expanding the world’s fleet of electric vehicles would bolster GE as it expands so-called clean-energy technology such as car chargers, solar panels and wind turbines. For every dollar of electric-vehicle sales, GE estimates it may get 10 cents in revenue, said Gary Sheffer, a spokesman.
Immelt said half of GE’s sales force of about 45,000 will drive electric vehicles. The Fairfield, Connecticut-based company also has a vehicle-leasing division through its GE Capital finance unit. Financial terms and other details about the order aren’t yet being disclosed, GE said.
GE is investing $10 billion over the next five years in clean energy across its business lines, including power- transmission software and so-called smart-grid technologies. Its products include lithium-ion batteries for cars and trucks via a venture with A123 Systems Inc. and sodium-based batteries for use in large vehicles such as locomotives.
Creating Jobs
That spending creates jobs, Immelt told executives at an event sponsored by the University of Cambridge’s Programme for Sustainability Leadership.
“GE has been one of the biggest players in this game and certainly has a lot to gain from the electric vehicle,” Smith said. “They’ve really truly tried to push this hard to get things going, and it seems to be a core corporate value.”
An order the size of GE’s probably would come from several vehicle makers, Smith said.
Automakers preparing to sell vehicles powered solely by batteries in the next 18 months include Nissan Motor Co., which starts delivering Leaf hatchbacks late this year; Ford Motor Co., readying electric versions of its Transit Connect delivery van and Focus compact car; and Toyota Motor Corp., which will sell a rechargeable RAV4 sport-utility vehicle.
Global Outlook
General Motors Co. begins delivering plug-in Volt hybrids this year, and Honda Motor Co., Chrysler LLC, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and other large brands are preparing battery vehicles due by 2012.
Combined deliveries of hybrids, such as Toyota’s Prius, and battery-powered cars may reach 5.2 million by 2020, according to an Oct. 27 forecast by J.D. Power & Associates. That would be about 7.3 percent of the projected global vehicle market.
Immelt used his remarks in London to renew his call for increased private spending on renewable-energy investments.
“Now is exactly the time, because it’s less popular, where we have to invest more,” Immelt said. “We have to do it more courageously. And we’re going to have to go forward for a while without government at our backs.”
GE Energy Infrastructure is the company’s biggest industrial unit, accounting for $37 billion of the parent company’s $157 billion in revenue last year. GE is also the world’s largest maker of locomotives, jet engines, medical- imaging equipment and related information technology systems.
GE is the largest shareholder for Watertown, Massachusetts- based A123, which has signed agreements with Navistar International Corp. and Fisker Automotive Inc. to supply advanced batteries for their vehicles.
Jeep Car: 2010 HUMMER H2 "Black Chrome" Limited Edition
Marque Hummer already have a torrid time recently with the slump in U.S. sales this year led to a strategic review which saw the closure of four assembly plants.
In an attempt to reverse declining sales, GM has released images of the upcoming limited edition H2 "Black Chrome" - the annual H2 special for 2009. With blackened chrome shadow shiny chrome accents replace the standard models, the "Black Chrome" Edition has a more mysterious "stealth-like" feel to it. The new black chrome effect can be found on areas such as grille, fuel door and 21-inch wheels of the SUV.
The Black Chrome Limited Edition will be available in three colors, but only the Sedona Metallic paint scheme (pictured) will be exclusive to the Black Chrome version of the H2, complete with matching interior. Only 1,300 units will be available worldwide.
HaloIPT Launches First Wireless Electric Car Charger
The next generation of electric cars could be charged wirelessly and even powered up as they drive over electrified roads, claims a company backed by engineering giant Arup.
The company, HaloIPT, is the first in the world to bring to market IPT (Inductive Power Transfer) technology which allows cars fitted with a receiver pad to charge automatically when parked over transmitter pads buried into the ground.
IPT systems can also be configured to power all road-based vehicles from small city cars to heavy-goods vehicles and buses.
The technology was launched overnight in London. The first car to be powered with HaloIPT technology will be on display in London until the end of November.
Dr Anthony Thomson, CEO of HaloIPT says the wireless charging pads are designed to function beneath asphalt, submerged in water or covered in ice and snow.
In the future, the technology will be able to be embedded in roads so cars can be charged on the move. This will solve the range issues electric vehicles have and reduce battery size requirements, says Dr Thompson.
Their pioneering technology uses magnetic fields to transfer power instead of cables or brushes.
The IPT technology was developed by The University of Auckland's Power Electronics Group. The group is led by electrical engineers Professor John Boys and Associate Professor Grant Covic from the Faculty of Engineering at the University.
Dr Boys says it was an exciting development and pleasing to see research originally developed in the basement of the Engineering Faculty at the University of Auckland more than 20 years ago (1989) now making it on to the international stage.
HaloIPT
Guardian
2011 Simbol Design Sports Cars Lavazza GTX-R The New Super Sports Cars
Italian brands The Lavazza GT-R unveiled, Simbol Design has some pictures and specifications for the new super sports car. Simbol Design has created this impressive new V12 supercar producing 620 hp while weighing a mere 2380 lbs. This gives the car an exceptional power to weight ratio of 3.8 lb.
2011 Simbol Design Sports Cars Lavazza GTX-R The New Super Sports Cars
Simbol Design's Lavazza GTX-R body made of carbon-Kevlar built atop a tubular steel frame. And since German powerplants have emerged as the new crate engine of choice for niche manufacturers from Spyker and Wiesmann to Gumpert and Pagani, the Lavazza packs a BMW-sourced 5.4-liter V12, picking up Lamborghini's tractor-origins mantle with an electro-pneumatic transmission reportedly sourced from a bus. Sources differ on the engine's output – alternately claiming 489 horsepower or 620 – but either way, 0-60 mph times quoted around the four-and-a-half second sound conservative.
2011 Simbol Design Sports Cars Lavazza GTX-R The New Super Sports Cars
2011 Simbol Design Sports Cars Lavazza GTX-R The New Super Sports Cars
Italian brands The Lavazza GT-R unveiled, Simbol Design has some pictures and specifications for the new super sports car. Simbol Design has created this impressive new V12 supercar producing 620 hp while weighing a mere 2380 lbs. This gives the car an exceptional power to weight ratio of 3.8 lb.
2011 Simbol Design Sports Cars Lavazza GTX-R The New Super Sports Cars
Simbol Design's Lavazza GTX-R body made of carbon-Kevlar built atop a tubular steel frame. And since German powerplants have emerged as the new crate engine of choice for niche manufacturers from Spyker and Wiesmann to Gumpert and Pagani, the Lavazza packs a BMW-sourced 5.4-liter V12, picking up Lamborghini's tractor-origins mantle with an electro-pneumatic transmission reportedly sourced from a bus. Sources differ on the engine's output – alternately claiming 489 horsepower or 620 – but either way, 0-60 mph times quoted around the four-and-a-half second sound conservative. 2011 Simbol Design Sports Cars Lavazza GTX-R The New Super Sports Cars
Photo Gallery: 2011 Hyundai ix20
Diesel models will typically add £1,400 on top of petrol equivalent. Three trim-levels are offered; Classic, Active and Style, and are unique to the UK and have been carefully created to reflect the demands and high expectations of British buyers.
Mid-spec, set to be the most popular grade, Active contains 16” alloy wheels, body-coloured electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors, rear parking sensors, rear electric windows, Bluetooth w/steering wheel mounted audio controls, leather steering wheel and gearknob, eco-pattern front grille, luggage net, front illuminated vanity mirrors and rear centre armrest. This starts at £12,695 for the 1.4 litre petrol and £14,095 for the diesel and the 1.6 litre petrol auto.
Metallic paint is optional at £395. More standard equipment and technical specs can be found here.
"The Hyundai ix20 is a modern mini-MPV which has its own personality, offering the right balance of dynamic style and functionality," said Allan Rushforth, Vice President of Hyundai Motor Europe. "With Hyundai ix20 we are giving young European families a vehicle that not only suits their lifestyle, but also appeals to their sense of adventure."
Sales of the ix20 start from 18th November.
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