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Thursday, December 10, 2009
RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed) |
- Only 1,000 Audi e-Tron models to be made, all priced above R8’s level
- 40% of “sudden acceleration” cases involve Toyota, 28% Ford, Consumer Reports study indicates
- Video: Forza Motorsport 3 gets Hot Holidays DLC Car Pack, plus soundtrack now available
- Video: Porsche once again tries to say the Panamera is part of its history
- Kia reveals first sketch of its K9 luxury sedan
- First Honda CR-Z hybrid hatchback details appear courtesy of leaked brochure
- Volkswagen buys 19.9% of Suzuki, debuts official partnership between companies
- Tata Nano Europa detailed, will have new features and cost more
- Mini Coupe and Roadster models to appear in early 2011
- Porsche tuner Ruf releases eRuf Stormster, a plug-in electric Cayenne SUV
| Only 1,000 Audi e-Tron models to be made, all priced above R8’s level Posted: 10 Dec 2009 04:54 AM PST  It’s clear that with electric cars becoming more and more popular, performance models would receive an even higher dose of attention from the media and the regular customers. One of the most important models is Audi’s future e-Tron electric sportscar, which is set to go on sale, under one name or another, in 2012. But don’t go thinking that the Ingolstadt manufacturer will produce the model indefinitely, as a new statement from Audi’s head of exterior design, Achimb Badstubner, reveals that only 1,000 cars will be made, spread across the 5,000 dealers the company has all around the world. He added that the model will be priced above the R8 supercar, but that many people will still purchase it because they want to experience the technology first hand and to make a statement in terms of style and clean living. In case you want to be among the thousand customers, you’d better hurry and have your wallet at the stand-by. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| 40% of “sudden acceleration” cases involve Toyota, 28% Ford, Consumer Reports study indicates Posted: 10 Dec 2009 04:35 AM PST  I’m sure that even if you remotely have something to do with the auto industry, you’ve heard about the “sudden acceleration” claims that forced Toyota to recall about 3.8 million models in order to implement a solution, so that the floor mat wouldn’t jam the gas pedal in a fully open position. Wanting to further document the whole debate, Consumer Reports decided to study all of these “sudden acceleration” incidents involving 2008 model year cars. The results were pretty interesting: out of the 166 reports gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) on that matter, 128 were before the terrible accident which brought these problems into attention. Out of those 128, a whopping 47 complains were lodged because of Toyota models and five because of Lexus ones, totaling to 41% of the cases. In all fairness, we must also mention that 28% of those cases or 36 out of 128, were lodged because of Ford models, predominantly the F-150 pickup. The rest of the manufacturers retain low amounts of complaints, like Chrysler with 11, GM with 7, Honda with five and Nissan with three cases. Overall, yet another question mark raised over Toyota’s image of a safe and reliable brand. Things aren’t going well. Source: Consumer Reports via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Forza Motorsport 3 gets Hot Holidays DLC Car Pack, plus soundtrack now available Posted: 10 Dec 2009 04:11 AM PST  Great news for those of you currently enjoying Forza Motorsport 3, the newest racing simulator to hit Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console, from Turn 10 studios. Not only will you be able to download the sountrack of the game on iTunes and at SumthinDigital website, but you will also be able to purchase a brand new DLC car pack, entitled Hot Holidays. Already available on Xbox Live for 400 MS Points (that’s $5 in case you’re wondering), the new pack contains ten new cars, each showcased in the video below. They are: the 2010 Audi S4, Nissan GT-R SpecV, Ferrari 599XX, Ferrari 458 Italia, Mercedes SLR McLaren Stirling Moss, Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SuperVeloce, Jaguar XFR and Porsche Panamera Turbo plus two special Le Mans racers: #2 Audi R15 TDI and #007 Aston Martin Lola. Overall, for just 5 bucks, the offer of these exotic supercars is one you can’t refuse. Hit the jump to see them showcased in the Forza Motorsport 3 racing game. Source: Turn10Studios Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Porsche once again tries to say the Panamera is part of its history Posted: 10 Dec 2009 02:07 AM PST  While some people might certainly be interested in the Porsche Panamera, true fans aren’t really that excited about the super sedan which, after the Cayenne, is another step towards the mainstream market for the Stuttgart carmaker. That is why the company is trying to promote the Panamera as part of its family of models through ads. Now, after seeing many famous German models parade through a desert, the company is using still shots (a bit too fast for my taste) to highlight its 60 years of heritage. Hit the jump to see this new ad with the Porsche Panamera. Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Kia reveals first sketch of its K9 luxury sedan Posted: 10 Dec 2009 01:51 AM PST  First off, no it’s not related to dogs, as K9 is the name under which Kia’s head designer Peter Schreyer revealed this sketch last week at a conference in Seoul. The new luxury sedan was presented as an alternative for the Audi A8 or BMW 7 Series but declined to reveal anything more. Either way, it seems that the former Audi designer, which penned models like the original TT for the Ingolstadt carmaker, has imagined a very attractive car. We already know that Kia wants a model based on the Hyundai Genesis platform, and by all means, it seems that this model might be it. According to some release schedules, Kia does have a new sedan coming up in 2011, but no other mentions were made. If it will indeed be the model sketched out above, and based on the Genesis, expect a big V8 engine to power it and give plenty of reasons to people who might be interested. Source: Aboutcar.co.kr via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| First Honda CR-Z hybrid hatchback details appear courtesy of leaked brochure Posted: 10 Dec 2009 01:36 AM PST  Many hybrid fans with a passion for enhanced performance are highly awaiting the Honda CR-Z hatchback, which promises to showcase the fact that hybrid models can still perform adequately. The Japanese company has been showcasing a pre-production concept at various auto shows and is scarce with offering details about the final edition, but thanks to a leaked brochure, we now have some concrete data about the CR-Z. The production version of the hybrid hatch will be powered by a 1.5-liter regular engine, with four cylinders, which can produce 112 HP, and will be helped with another 14 HP from an electric motor. Torque figures are around 107 lb-ft from the regular unit and increase with 57 lb-ft from the electric one. This means that with a six-speed manual or a CVT gearbox, the CR-Z goes from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 9.7 seconds.  Besides sporting the same dimensions seen on the concept at various auto shows, the CR-Z will have options like LED daytime running lights or turn signal indicators in the mirrors. Three driving modes can be selected via a switch on the dash, Normal, Sport and Eco, each changing the background color of the dials and gauges. Overall, the new CR-Z will certainly attract many people. What do you believe? Source: Temple of VTEC via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Volkswagen buys 19.9% of Suzuki, debuts official partnership between companies Posted: 10 Dec 2009 01:15 AM PST  Volkswagen is definitely taking its newly-earned honor of world’s biggest automaker and is making purchases left and right. Besides taking one step closer to merging with fellow German carmaker Porsche, by buying 49.9% of its stocks, the company has just unveiled that it has bought 19.9% of Suzuki stocks, in a move which will start a new partnership between the two companies. Half of the money received by Suzuki (which, for the record, denied that any partnership will ever take place) from this transaction will be used to buy Volkswagen stocks, but according to rumors, VW might increase its share to 33% in the future, if things will become profitable. This is likely a win-win situation, as not only does Suzuki gain an important partner with plenty of important technologies, but VW gains an even bigger influence in Asia through Suzuki and also benefits from the small car technology the Japanese company possesses. Do you think this new partnership will work to the benefit of the two companies? Source: Volkswagen Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Tata Nano Europa detailed, will have new features and cost more Posted: 10 Dec 2009 12:53 AM PST  The Tata Nano is certainly getting its fair share of news stories these days, from the presumed pick-up based off of it, to some rather nightmare-inducing aftermarket tuning options. But now, the guys at Autocar have received a prototype of the European version of the Nano low cost model, which will most likely debut in 2011. The new car is definitely a more upmarket model than the Indian one, if you can call things like a five-speed manual gearbox, traction control, power steering, ABS or twin airbags luxuries. It will be powered by a 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine, outputin 60 HP, and coupled with the aforementioned gearbox, as opposed to a four-speed Indian one. A major aspect of the Europa Nano will be its small size, being extremely short than other regular A segment models. No word yet on whether or not this specific version will be a five-door, or retain the lack of any boot access from the Indian-spec ones.  But all these luxuries will come at a cost, as Autocar speculates that the final price will be around £4,000 - £5,000 in the UK, translating to €4,400 - €5,400 or $6,500 - $7,500. For what if offers, do you consider it a bargain? Let us know by leaving a comment. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Mini Coupe and Roadster models to appear in early 2011 Posted: 10 Dec 2009 12:34 AM PST  Mini is a brand which has consistently generated its parent company, BMW, some pretty big sales. But new models are needed so that rivals like the Fiat 500 won’t take the British brand down. The two biggest bets for the company are the Coupe and Roadster models, already being previewed as concepts at various motor shows. But even though Mini isn’t saying anything about when the two concept will appear on the market, a new report indicates that pre-production models should be coming off the Oxford assembly line as soon as July 2010, and that the production of the final cars should start around October. This means that dealers will have the Mini Coupe and Roadster models in Europe at the beginning of 2011, and in the US around the middle or end of that year. Are you excited about these two models? Leave a comment with your thoughts. Source: MotoringFile via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Porsche tuner Ruf releases eRuf Stormster, a plug-in electric Cayenne SUV Posted: 10 Dec 2009 12:15 AM PST  For those of you not familiar with the aftermarket scene from Germany, Ruf, a company specializing in modified Porsche models, has released last year its first electric sports car concept, based on the 911, dubbed eRuf. The design was further tweaked and presented at this year’s Geneva Motor Show as the Greenster. But it is quite difficult to pack in both an electric motor and the batteries required into the body of a 911, so the engineers looked to a bigger model in the Porsche lineup, the Cayenne SUV. The result? This new model, dubbed the eRuf Stormster, which is the first plug-in electric version of the Cayenne, and is available in both the regular SUV body, plus a Ruf wide body kit (pictured above).  The Stormster is powered by a Siemens electric motor, which can output 270 kW (around 367 HP), which even though towed down by the 2,670 kg (5,886 lbs), can get the car from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 10 seconds, and up to 150 km/h. The Li-Tec lithium-ion batteries can keep it going for 200 km in just one charge. Overall, this model seems pretty interesting, and if you happen to be at the European Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, until December 17, you can view it on display. Source: Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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