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Thursday, September 24, 2009
RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed) |
- VW design boss Walter de’Silva can’t sleep because of the new Golf 7
- Volkswagen will unveil the Touareg Hybrid in Detroit
- Honda unveils new personal mobility device, photos and video included
- Brabus unveils the Smart ForTwo Ultimate High Voltage, its first electric city car
- Mercedes McLaren SLR crashes in Poland after illegally racing with a Ferrari
- Avus Performance turns the Nissan GT-R into a matte black beast
- Dutch truck receives 45 speed camera tickets despite being parked
- Carlsson modifies the Mercedes-Benz E500 Coupe
- Volkswagen might launch the Polo GTD, a performance diesel
VW design boss Walter de’Silva can’t sleep because of the new Golf 7 Posted: 24 Sep 2009 12:50 AM PDT While some of you might consider making a car is as simple as screwing some nuts and bolts together so that the body will stay together, think again, as the whole technological process of building a new car is a very tough one. Further testimony to this fact are some statements from the Volkswagen group’s design boss, Walter de’Silva, known for the Seat Altea and Leon, Alfa Romeo 156, Audi A5, A6 and many more. He revealed that the biggest challenge in his lifetime is currently represented by design of the future Golf 7 model. He says that after taking over the design department of VAG, the new version literally kept him from sleeping. de’Silva revealed that he can’t sleep at night when he thinks of the new Golf. The model will be redesigned from head to toe, and might arrive around 2012. Work is already underway so de’Silva must repay the confidence that has been invested in him. Another interesting statement from the Italian designer is in regards to the personal time, as it seems that de’Silva spent more time with the Volkswagen group boss, Dr. Winterkorn, than he spent with his wife. Hopefully though Walter de’Silva will pull through and honor one of the most famous models in automotive history. Until then, may we see great improvements in the future spyshots of the new Golf 7. Read More: “VW design boss Walter de’Silva can’t sleep because of the new Golf 7″ Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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Volkswagen will unveil the Touareg Hybrid in Detroit Posted: 24 Sep 2009 12:37 AM PDT Continuing its trend of going green, with more fuel efficient and economical cars, Volkswagen has just unveiled that it will unveil the new Touareg Hybrid SUV at the Detroit Motor Show, which will happen in January, 2010. The first hybrid 4×4 from the German automaker will be unveiled and launched in the North American market, where it will take on rivals like the ML450 Hybrid, Lexus RX450h or BMW X6 hybrid. The new model will be powered by a TSI V6 engine, capable of delivering 333 HP, running in tandem with an electric one, which will output 52 HP. According the estimates, the average fuel consumption will be around 9 liters/100 km (26 mpg). No further details were given, but either way, considering how popular hybrids are these days, the new Touareg might see quite a big success in the countries where it will be launched next year. Read More: “Volkswagen will unveil the Touareg Hybrid in Detroit” Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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Honda unveils new personal mobility device, photos and video included Posted: 24 Sep 2009 12:28 AM PDT While we have certainly grown accustom to everyday cars, motorbikes and other means of transportation, this doesn’t mean that they can’t be improved. This is just the thinking that Japanese company Honda is following, as it has just present its new personal mobility device, the U3-X, which is very similar to a unicycle, but offers a lot of features. The device, which is still in the experimental stage, will fit between the legs of its ride and provide movement into any direction he or she is leaning. While a production-ready concept has been made, and demoed in the video below, there are still plenty of tests in real world environment that it needs to pass. Many of the features incorporated in the new device, like the balance control technology, were brought from the robotics research of Honda’s bipedal robot, ASIMO. Another key system, which is essential to the new device is the omni-directional driving wheel, called Honda Omni Traction (HOT) Drive System. The size of the device plays a key role, as its rider will be almost on the same eye level as other people or pedestrians which are not using the device. Either way, the new gadget seems quite nifty, and I can’t wait to see something actually go into production stage. We might be zipping around the city in our own motorized unicycles in no time. Until then, enjoy the video. Read More: “Honda unveils new personal mobility device, photos and video included” Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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Brabus unveils the Smart ForTwo Ultimate High Voltage, its first electric city car Posted: 24 Sep 2009 12:00 AM PDT When you hear of German tuning company Brabus, you usually think of high powered Mercedes-Benz cars or machines pushed to their limits, like yesterday’s Smart ForTwo Ultimate R, but it seems that the company wants to try out new things, as it has just unveiled its production ready all electric version of the Smart ForTwo city car, dubbed Ultimate High Voltage. Powered by an electric engine developed in partnership with Tesla, which can develop 82 HP with a torque of 280 Nm, which is available right from 0 rpm, this new city car will deliver unparalleled performance for its class. It will sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 9.8 seconds, but the more impressive number is the time from 0 to 60 km/h (37 mph), of just 3.7 seconds. But even though you won’t be the fastest, Brabus made sure that your car will be the noisiest, as the team fitted a sound generator under the car, which can output anything from an American V8 to a Formula 1 racing car or an Aston Martin. The car also looks rather special from the outside, with a Tridionzelle paint finish, which I can’t say I really like, LED daylight running lights, wider air vents and 18-inch allow wheels. On the inside, drivers will be greeted by white leather upholstery with yellow stiches and a new dashboard set in the center console. Overall, when this small city car will enter production, it will definitely have plenty of potential buyers. Hopefully until then we can find out some performance figures and battery charging times, to see if the car is any good. Read More: “Brabus unveils the Smart ForTwo Ultimate High Voltage, its first electric city car” Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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Mercedes McLaren SLR crashes in Poland after illegally racing with a Ferrari Posted: 23 Sep 2009 11:50 AM PDT Yet another case has surfaced recently that just goes to prove that money plus fast cars do not make racing drivers out of their owners. Two brothers, one owning a Ferrari and another owning a Mercedes McLaren SLR, both recently bought, decided to race their two supercars in the middle of the day in the capital of Poland, Warsaw. As you may have figured out, the conditions weren’t fit for such a race, and the SLR driver lost control and headed into oncoming traffic, hitting multiple cars among which was a Mitsubishi Outlander SUV car. What’s worse is that a small child was in the SLR car, which was drive by his 23-year-old father. Escaping with a few injuries, the man and the child quickly hopped into the Ferrari and fled the scene, but eventually turned themselves in to the Police. I wish I was making these things up but the pure recklessness that this man showed is unconceivable. Here’s a video of the aftermath. Read More: “Mercedes McLaren SLR crashes in Poland after illegally racing with a Ferrari” Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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Avus Performance turns the Nissan GT-R into a matte black beast Posted: 23 Sep 2009 06:46 AM PDT The Nissan GT-R has always been one of my favorite models, especially the old R34 version, which was made famous by movies like The Fast and the Furious. But with the new R35 edition, the engineers at Nissan really made a monster of a car, fitting of the Godzilla moniker. But the German tuning company Avus Performance begged to differ, and started working on an even more powerful Nissan GT-R. And they pretty much succeeded, taking the stock figures of 485 HP and 588 Nm, and through some clever modifications, like a modified ECU and a new exhaust, managed to extract a very impressive 580 HP and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) of torque. Other improvements, besides the great looking matte black paint finish, include a lowered ride height thanks to coilovers, and black 20-inch wheels, which were combined with wheel spacers to make it look more aggressive. Either way, the Nissan GT-R is still a beauty to look at, and with the new performance improvements, it might just make tuning fans shed a tear. Enjoy the pictures. Read More: “Avus Performance turns the Nissan GT-R into a matte black beast” Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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Dutch truck receives 45 speed camera tickets despite being parked Posted: 23 Sep 2009 06:26 AM PDT Ah yes, speeding cameras. Never has man cursed an invention of modern technology so much. Police people always say that they never lie, but perhaps they should pay attention to a recent story coming from the Netherlands, where a parked truck received over 45 tickets from automated speed cameras. The owner of the truck, one Martin Robben, who is a lumber merchant, has received over 45 speed tickets on August 25, even though his lonely truck was parked on the side of the road that day in the village of Oldeberkoop.
No pictures were sent in the mail, just the fines and warning that he should pay thousands of euros if he doesn’t want his license to be suspended. He has now contacted his lawyers and is bent on taking this case to the supreme court, so that justice can be made. What’s important is that the cameras which fined him are made by local company Gatsometer, which provide the same models to a variety of countries worldwide, including the United States, United Kingdom, France and other territories. Hopefully any of us won’t go through the same ordeal as the Dutch driver thanks to such speed cameras. Have any of you been the victim of such a device which didn’t work properly? Leave us a comment with your story. Read More: “Dutch trucker receives 45 speed camera tickets despite being parked” Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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Carlsson modifies the Mercedes-Benz E500 Coupe Posted: 23 Sep 2009 06:12 AM PDT The new E Class from Mercedes-Benz definitely has something for everyone, from the comfortable limousine to an aggressive coupe. But while German tuning house Carlsson took on plenty of Mercedes models, this new version of the E500 Coupe is by far the best looking. In terms of performance, the team only added a new air filter and an exhaust system with stainless steel ends, which enabled the already powerful E500 to output 435 HP with a torque of 600 Nm. The new car will also handle much better, as a new suspension was outfitted, which lowers it by about 30 mm (1 inch). Of course, if the car performs better, it needs to show it, meaning that the Carlsson team fitted two new front and rear spoilers, with extensions and their special Carlsson Revo aluminum rims, with a two-tone paint. On the inside, special leather has been fitted to the steering wheel and gear knob, and aluminum on the pedals. Overall, the new Mercedes-Benz E500 Coupe is looking great. Read More: “Carlsson modifies the Mercedes-Benz E500 Coupe” Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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Volkswagen might launch the Polo GTD, a performance diesel Posted: 23 Sep 2009 05:45 AM PDT We’ve been hearing a lot of things about the recent Volkswagen Polo, from rumors that a GTI performance version will be launched to the possibility of either a four-door sedan or an estate version of the entry-level car from the German manufacturer. Now, it seems that diesel fans have one more reason to be excited, as new rumors have surfaced regarding a high performance GTD version of the small Polo, which will use a diesel engine and produce around 170 HP. The rumored GTI version was scheduled to have a supercharged 1.4-liter engine which would develop around 200 HP.
While some of you might think this is an example of wild speculation, keep in mind that VW wants to make the small Polo as popular as their flagship Golf model, meaning that a if there will be requests from customers, then more types of bodies and versions will appear, including those aimed at performance enthusiasts. All we can do though is wait and see just what the German automaker will unleash in the Polo family in the next few months. Read More: “Volkswagen might launch the Polo GTD, a performance diesel” Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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