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GALLERY: This Is New Audi A8L, The Longest Audi

Dragos Ionescu — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:36:16 +0000

Audi A8 returns in luxury limousines segment and is ready to set new standards in its class by Long version. Moreover, besides the latest pictures, the admiral ship of the Ingolstadt automaker exposes for the first time the price tag.

New Audi A8 L impress since its first appearance and command respect in front of its rivals. Both the length and the wheelbase grew with 5 inches over the standard version, the Long version measuring 207 inches in length. The classic design combined with elegant lines give it a powerful look to the German limousine, the carefully sculpted shapes and the impressive sizes stealing your eyes immediately.

For those who wants a royal treatment, Audi can equip the interior with individual rear seats, electrically adjustable and equipped with heating, ventilation and massage. Moreover, the future customers may opt for a center console that stretches the entire cockpit, refrigerator, multimedia system, tables in the backs of chairs, the Bang & Olufsen audio system and not only.

Regarding the range of engines, the German limousine can be equipped with two TDI units or three gasoline engines. In the first case may opt for a V6 3.0-liter TDI engine with 250 HP or a V8 4.2-liter TDI engine with 350 HP, while in the gasoline situation the battle is fought between a V6 3.0-liter TFSI engine with 290 HP and a V8 4.2-liter FSI engine with 372 HP. The top of the range is the unfailing W12, which develops 500 HP from a cylindric capacity of 6.3-liters.

New Audi A8 L will go on sale before the end of this year, the base price will be between $100,000 and $180,000.

Nissan Copies Chevrolet Volt: 8-Year Warranty For Leaf’s Batteries

Liviu Anca — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:13:16 +0000

Nissan announced they will give a 8 year or 100,000 miles warranty for their electric model, Leaf, to counterattack the Chevrolet’s offer for Volt.

After the Americans of Chevrolet announced a 8 year warranty for the batteries of the electric Volt, this way setting a new standard in this area, the guys at Nissan are doing just the same thing. The Japanese made a press release that announces the same 8 years or 100,000 miles warranty for their electric model, the already famous Nissan Leaf.

The two world class automakers are trying this way to fight the customer’s long-term fears, fears that shadowed this kind of models for a long time, because of the reliability of the electric unit.

Until now, Leaf managed to sum a total of 17,000 orders, the electric model being scheduled to make its global debut, of course including on the market of his rival Chevrolet Volt (USA) at the end of this year. Most of the orders were made for the blue body paint (30%), followed by gray, red, white and black.

As well, the most ordered equipment level was the SL, which comes with reverse camera, a solar panel, fog lights and adaptive headlights.

Schumacher Talked With Massa About The Ferrari F1 Team Orders

Liviu Anca — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:51:51 +0000

Michael Schumacher unveiled that he talked with Felipe Massa about the Scuderia Ferrari team orders at Hockenheim.

Visibly affected that he was forced by the team to give the win to Fernando Alonso in the German Grand Prix, Felipe Massa was cheered up by Michael Schumacher, know for his number 1 driver statute while he won five Formula 1 world titles for Ferrari.

The German said that he talked with the Brazilian driver, but refused to say what they talked about.

Felipe Massa (left) and Michael Schumacher (right) were team-mates at Scuderia Ferrari in the 2006 F1 season

“He’s experienced enough not to need advice from me. I definitely had a little conversation with him, but that’s naturally of a private nature,” said the seven times world champion in the paddock in Butapest.

Michael Scumacher and Felipe Massa were team-mates at Scuderia Ferrari in the 2006 F1 seaso, and the Brazilian admitted numerous times that he learned a lot form the German drover, who advised him about his career even after he retired.

Now, Schumacher drives for Mercedes GP after an absence of three years and the international press his comeback in Formula 1 as a disappointment. The German has not managed to win any GP and holds the 9th position in the Drivers’ Championship.

Via: GPUpdate

McLaren F1 Team: “We don’t understand how Ferrari and Red Bull flexi-wings work”

Liviu Anca — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:35:04 +0000

McLaren admitted for the second time that they can’t figure out how the settings of the Ferrari’s and Red Bull’s front wings work.

At the German Grand Prix, several teams accused Ferrari F1 Team and Red Bull Racing that the center of the front wings of the F1 and RB6 cars are getting closer to the ground than the regulations allow.

This thing leads to better aerodynamic efficiency, and FIA announced later that both cars respect the technical regulations.

Martin Whitmarsh (left) and Paddy Lowe (right)

McLaren was the first team to announce they want to adopt the rivals’ design, but Paddy Lowe, the Engineering Director, admitted that until now he didn’t understand how the new flexible front wing works.

“I’ve seen a lot of pictures on this subject. We believe, and we’re not alone, that two cars – Ferrari and Red Bull – have wings existing at a much lower position than we’re able to deliver. So there is a phenomenon that we’re seeing. It may be entirely legitimate, it may not be. We just don’t understand it,” said the Brit during a video-conference.

It seems that the lowering of the front wing might be owed to the car’s settings, but Lowe thinks that is something else.

“There’s a difference of a reasonably large degree, so it’s difficult to explain by relatively subtle effects such as fuel weight, tyre pressure or differences in end-of-straight or high-speed set-up. These things affect the car to a relatively small degree, much smaller than the differences that we’ve seen in the pictures. So what we’re doing at the moment is working really hard to try to understand it and see, if it’s worth performance to us, whether we can also deliver that,” Lowe also said.

Paddy Lowe’s comments come only three days after Martin Whitmarsh boss admitted that he can’t understand how the new front wing used by Ferrari and Red Bull works.

Ford To Test Fiesta RS WRC In France

Liviu Anca — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:16:15 +0000

Ford announced that, next week, they will run some tests in France, for six days, with the new Fiesta RS WRC that will compete in the 2011 season.

Ford intensifies the development calendar for the coming season of World Rally Championship, as many regulation changes will occur.

The American automaker will organize next wee the biggest tests session in the last period of time, and the new Ford Fiesta RS WRC will be the test subject for six days.

The tests will be held in France both on tarmac and gravel, and behind the wheel will be Matthew Wilson and Henning Solberg, the two drivers of Stobart Ford team.

“It’s part of our [planned] testing but it’s a big one for us. We’re going to concentrate on getting the kilometres on certain components, different types of shock loadings you need to put through the car in the build up to getting the engine in September,” explained Malcom Wilson, Ford team boss.

The new 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, that will be used in WRC starting next year, will also be mounted on Fiesta RS WRC in September, when Ford will begin the tests with the two factory drivers, Mikko Hirvonen and Jari Matti Latvala.

Via: MaxRally

Nissan GT-R Updated And In Testing, See The Spy Video!

Andy Panait — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:57:25 +0000

At the Nurburgring Nordschleife track, someone was sneaky enough for film this updated Nissan GT-R undergoing testing. Good part is that the car has little disguise on, so we can get a clear view of what could be a Spec M version of the 2011 GT-R. The current Nissan GT-R sports car debuted in March 2009 world-wide, after it had been released in Japan since January same year. We did buzz you up a bit in the recent past with rumours that the car could be buffed up to some 500 hp and that testing will begin in the near future. Well, looks like the latter confirmed and we’ll make sure to let you know when the horsie-horsie part does too.

Nissan GT-R Updated and Testing

One can also notice that facelifted sports Nissan is a bit wider, and that it borrows the forged wheels and aero pack from the Spec V, but features an fresh sporty front bumper and rear exhaust design that is looking real good.

There was some speculation that a special edition would make its debut at last year’s Tokyo show, but it never arrived so people were wondering what’s going on. Previous Spec M versions Nissan Skylines were intended to be upmarket affairs, and included leather trim and a more compliant suspension setup for a more comfortable ride. Maybe the work invested in these two models could see some spark of a result in a new M GT-R 2011. We’ll have to wait and see.

Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart 2010 Heats Competition [+ photos ]

Andy Panait — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:45:00 +0000

A welcome gap-filler in the Lancer family, the Sportback Ralliart 2010 bring exactly what drivers needed to find somewhere in between a roomy Lancer and the track-inspired compact Lancer Evolution. Between you and me, the Ralliart Sportback is the only intelligent pick from the two, and the only serious competitor for the excellent refreshed Subaru WRX wagon.

Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart 2010

The first thing you’ll notice about the new Sportback Ralliart from the Japanese maker is that crazy liftgate, that could fool you in thinking it’s a hatch from a distance. But make no mistake, this is a five-door car with decent cargo space, actually – as we were mentioning Subaru competition – it has 47 cubic feet of stowage, and the WRX only 44. The rest of the exterior aesthetics part is pretty much a more cooled down Evolution, you can plainly see that the tires are thinner, the intercooler is smaller and the lines on the side hint towards a more elegant ride.

The interior is where the Sportback Ralliart’s econobox roots are most apparent, discordantly. I mean, you get all these nice specs, a trimmed down exterio design that looks really good and then when you step inside you get plastic all over and poor architecture, the All-Wheel Control on the steering wheel. The bargain-basement Lancer starts at $14,790 and features the exact same dash.

Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart 2010 interior view

Mileage is mediocre,EPA figures saythat you’ll hit 17 miles per gallon in the city and 25 out on the highway, but in real life testers have said that shifting to Sport on the TC-SST dual-clutch six-speed transmission lifts guzzling to insane levels. Sure, you can just drive on Normal but that makes the car a slowcoach and rather dull to drive. You just bought a Mitsubishi, right?

If you don’t get my point on that last phrase there, let’s take a glance at what’s under the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback Ralliart 2010′s hood. The car is fitted with a turbocharger, making the 4B11T 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder capable of producing 237 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 253 pound-feet or torque at 3,000 rpm. You’ll note that it’s a few horses lower than the 265-hp WRX, but it sounds a lot louder so if impressing is your thing you won the game here. The WRK is also quicker to the 60 mph line, the Ralliart Sportback accelerates in 5.5 seconds.

Add-ons and gadgets rise the price of the car a lot, the Sportback you see in the photos is almost full-packed and costs around $31,000. Still, competition like the MazdaSpeed3 and the already (often) mentioned Subaru WRX. A convenient compromise-car, or just a weak addition to the already unimaginative Mitsubishi line (the future Evo hybrid could change that a bit)? State your thought whichever it may be, or just browse the photo gallery to see the car for yourself.

Toyota Recall In Service 373,000 Units, Steering Problems

Dragos Ionescu — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:30:30 +0000

Failure to meet some standards in terms of important components of the steering system of the Toyota Avalon has led to a recall of 373,000 units, which will be operated by Toyota in the future.

The Japanese from Toyota announced that they will make a recall in the United States for the Avalon model. According to the first information, about 373,000 Avalon units produced between 2000 and 2004 are affected by this problem. Fortunately for the European customers, any model sold in Europe is not affected by this steering problem. The Toyota officials announced that the problem relates to the steering wheel lock, which could accidentally lock the steering column while driving or may pose a difficult release.

The guys from Toyota have announced that the problem occurs because of poor shooting steering universal joints, which could develop a tiny crack surface. On this split could occur after a recess, which will lock the device anti-theft steering wheel attachment. The problem may occur in steering wheel to right. So far, no information on an accident that occurred due to this issue.

Toyota will replace free the steering column support to the 373,000 units to solve this problem.Toyota has recalled more than eight million vehicles this year, with problems ranging from blocking the throttle, the problems with ABS and stability control system. Noted that Toyota announced a recall for 39,000 Lexus units products between 2003 and 2007 because a problem with the steering column.

Audi RS5 Tuned By MTM

Dragos Ionescu — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:15:43 +0000

The German tuners from MTM has operated a number of minor changes to the Audi RS5. They removed the electronic limiter, and the German model can run with 188 mph.

The German tuning house MTM is the first in this sector which proposes some changes to the Audi RS5. First, the Germans have sought to change the look of performance versions of the A5 coupe using the MTM Bimoto wheels, whose size varies from 19-21 inches. The proposed wheels by MTM will be available in two colors and will wear with high-performance Michelin tires.

Audi RS5 is equipped with a V8 4.2-liter TFSI engine that produces 450 HP at 8250 rpm and develops a maximum torque of 317 lb-ft at 4000 rpm. In the first phase of changes, the German tuners from MTM decided to remove the electronic limiter. Thus, the maximum speed of German creation can reach 188 mph.

The time which Audi RS5 sprints from 0-60 mph did not change, this is 4.6 seconds. Another change made by MTM is to replace the last section of the exhaust system. For the new Audi RS5 may pass over the speed limiters, the tuners from MTM decided to replace the suspension of the German model. Now the German model is more aggressive and more faster.

This Is S-Line Package For New Audi A7

Dragos Ionescu — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:49:01 +0000

Audi reveals the new Audi A7 now dressed in more casual clothes, presented us the S-Line package for the four-door coupe that will launch at Paris Auto Show.

The opinions are divided about the new Audi A7, some consider an interesting proposal, while others say it is not so special as it should. For the second perspective exist the S-Line package, which brings us to individualize and presented in the first official brochure. This package, although not radically change the facts, introducing a more dynamic in appearance of the new Audi A7 and we say that Audi A7 would have to look like this in the standard version.

At the exterior we see a front spoiler with much better individual outlets, while the rear incorporates a diffuser shaped stylish make better records the chrome exhausts. The S-Line package means and wheels with 19 inches size, reminiscent of those of the Audi RS6. The dynamism feeling is increased and by the sports suspension that lowers slightly the guard, and putting well the big wheels.

But those who wants more sporty will appreciate the S-Line package for the interior contribution. The dynamic accents are more than evident in the interior, where the S-Line package offers a new steering wheel, three-spikes similar to the concept, rather than over the standard A8. It also offers better shaped sports seats and wood finishes instead that I admired (or not) by version number, S-Line brings more modern finishings, which may encroach slightly elegant, but certainly rejuvenate the interior atmosphere.

This package will be available immediately after the official release, but we don’t know the additional costs yet.