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Friday, January 8, 2010
RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed) |
- Fifth Gear is coming back, Jonny Smith says
- Mechanic takes client’s Lamborghini Gallardo for a spin, gets it impounded
- Chevrolet Aveo RS concept proves to be an attractive US hot hatch
- Mini SUV design leaked thanks to patent application
- GM delays Saab decission as new companies come forward with bids
- Hybrid Aston Martin models won’t appear, Lagonda or Cygnet more likely
- Subaru launches Impreza WRX STI R205 special edition
- Chevrolet Volt might cost under $40,000, GM exec says
- Rotary engine problems delay the new Mazda RX-7, release date unknown
- Toyota rumored to bring Scion iQ as hybrid to USA, body styles include sedan and five-door
| Fifth Gear is coming back, Jonny Smith says Posted: 08 Jan 2010 02:17 AM PST  Fans of car shows no doubt love Top Gear, but when it’s time to actually buy a car, Fifth Gear emerges the winner, combining great road tests with some very funny races. In the last few months, things have been quite rocky for the TV show, with plenty of rumors claiming that it will be canceled by Five TV, the channel which aired it. After that, new rumors appeared according to which the show would move altogether to a new channel, or that one of its presenters, Tiff Needell, would get his own show. Now, fresh from the Twitter account of another Fifth Gear presenter, Jonny Smith, it seems that the show will in fact be coming back. More details are sure to follow, so stay tuned, and follow us on Twitter while you’re at it. Source: Jonny Smith’s Twitter Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Mechanic takes client’s Lamborghini Gallardo for a spin, gets it impounded Posted: 08 Jan 2010 02:08 AM PST  These are the kind of stories which make you take up mechanic courses so that you shouldn’t leave your car in the hands of a stranger. An Australian dentist, which owned a Lamborghini Gallardo, left the supercar for a revision at a local mechanic. The guy, thanking his lucky stars, took out the supercar for spin. Needless to say, he stepped on the gas hard, and was caught by the police doing around 160 km/h, in a zone where the limited was 90 km/h. Things get complicated here, as it seems the city of Perth, where the incident took place, is in the Western Australia region, which has a specific driving law: if anyone is driving way above the legal limit, their car can be impounded, even though the actual owner isn’t at the wheel. This so-called anti-hoon law has resulted in the beautiful Gallardo being impounded for 28 days. The owner, as you can guess, wasn’t so happy, but the police say that they can’t do anything, and that the law’s the law, meaning he needs to wait a month until he gets his supercar back, even though he didn’t do anything wrong (besides choosing a lousy mechanic). Source: News.com.au via Jalopnik Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Chevrolet Aveo RS concept proves to be an attractive US hot hatch Posted: 08 Jan 2010 01:55 AM PST  Believe it or not, the Chevrolet Aveo has been around for quite some time, but the small B segment hatchback, or in some iterations sedan, never really broke the mold with anything it had. Things are about to change though, as General Motors has just revealed the Chevrolet Aveo RS concept, which previews the next generation of the small hatchback. Even though the company didn’t say anything about a hot hatch RS edition for the future Aveo, this concept is enough to get people excited. The first thing which will impress is the more aggressive design, finally giving the Aveo a look of its own, instead of things taken from various other Chevrolet models. The new grille is a welcomed change to the last model, although combined with the headlights, it does bring the image of the Mitsubishi Colt to mind. The coupe-like styling is sustained by the back door handles, which are carefully hidden in the C pillar, while the increased width, combined with the 19-inch wheels and the two central-mounted exhaust pipes make it look that much more aggressive. Don’t think it’s all show and no go, as the tiny model will be powered by a 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine, taken from the new Chevrolet Cruze, which develops 138 HP and 148 lb-ft of torque, plenty to get the city car around the busy urban streets. The concept will be shown at the Detroit Auto Show next week, as a preview for the next generation Aveo, which hits next year, hopefully with the RS hot hatch included. Until then, check out the photo gallery below. Photo Gallery: Chevrolet Aveo RS Concept
Source: GM Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Mini SUV design leaked thanks to patent application Posted: 08 Jan 2010 01:22 AM PST  The first concrete look at the actual design of the upcoming Mini SUV, which might be called anything from the Crossman to Countryman, has been leaked, thanks to a patent application belonging to the British brand. The model is set to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, most likely, or even in Detroit next week, before it will enter production and hit the market around September, this year. Prices are speculated to be around $27,000 (around £17,000 or €19,000) and multiple variants, including a GTI-like high performance edition are expected.  The model has been already previewed by the Mini Crossover and the Mini Beachcomber concepts, which were released in the past, and according to many voices, will be the first Mini to be built outside the UK since BMW took over the brand, with Magna’s Graz plant in Austria set to manufacture the future model. What do you think about the design? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| GM delays Saab decission as new companies come forward with bids Posted: 08 Jan 2010 01:08 AM PST  Saab’s fate is definitely on a roller coaster these days, after GM announcing that it will close down the Swedish brand, Dutch supercar manufacturer Spyker released a last bid, many brand supporters rallied the GM headquarters in Detroit, and now the company unveiled that a final decision will be made today, after four last second offers were made. Yesterday, GM’s CEO Ed Whitacre did declare that anyone with the money could buy Saab, and that his own company did everything it could to save it and prevent its wind down. Now, it seems that this is finally the “do or die” moment for the Swedish company. One offer is definitely from Spyker, while another is confirmed to be Luxembourg-based investment firm Genii Capital, which recently acquired 75% of Renault’s Formula 1 team, and is believed to have ties with If Saab will in fact be sold, we should consider it a win, but don’t forget that the company isn’t in the best financial situation, and that it will take a lot of effort to get it back on track toward a profit. Stay tuned for more details as they appear. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Hybrid Aston Martin models won’t appear, Lagonda or Cygnet more likely Posted: 08 Jan 2010 12:44 AM PST  Aston Martin CEO Dr. Ulrich Bez recently talked about hybrids and revealed some very interesting facts about his company and how it will tackle the trend. I’ve got some bad news for those of you who want a stunning Aston Martin design but with a heart of gasoline and electricity, as Bez denied any hybrid Aston Martin sportscars. He did say that such a technology is being researched, and has a high chance of ending up on the newly revived Lagonda sub brand, which has already seen a, shall we say, controversial concept in the form of an SUV, which are a prime target for hybrid powertrains. He also tackled the small Cygnet city car, which at heart is a Toyota iQ, and revealed than an all-electric powertrain might be implemented in the future. Overall, these are some pretty interesting tactics Aston is considering to lower its fleet-wide fuel economy and emissions average, but I’m not so sure they’ll get their money’s worth, considering the debates the two concepts have sparked. What do you think? Share your view below. Source: AutoTelegraaf.nl via MotorAuthority Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Subaru launches Impreza WRX STI R205 special edition Posted: 08 Jan 2010 12:26 AM PST  The Subaru Impreza is already quite an interesting car, in its WRX STI version, it takes to a whole new level, but now, the Japanese company has revealed the WRX STI R205 special edition, which promises to offer an even more interesting experience. The R205 has seen the stock power from its engine increased to 316 HP and 319 lb-ft of torque, thanks to an ECU remap, new turbo and exhaust, but many modifications were made to other systems, including the brakes, which have received more powerful calipers, the suspension, which received an enhanced STI treatment and a set of 18-inch wheels, wrapped in performance tires. Only 400 models will be made, sadly all for Subaru’s native Japan. In case you happen to find yourself in the Asian country, the special edition will retail for 4,510,000 yen (around $48,000). Source: Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Chevrolet Volt might cost under $40,000, GM exec says Posted: 08 Jan 2010 12:04 AM PST  General Motors is betting big on the upcoming Chevrolet Volt hybrid model, and released almost everything there is to know about the car which it hopes will improve its brand image and get it out of the financial black hole it is currently in. But even though it has promoted many of the Volt’s qualities (not that successfully sometimes), one major aspect was always skipped: price. Many people, analysts or even journalists, pegged the upcoming Volt to have a tag around $40,000, with or without the tax credit of $7,500 that the US government offers. GM was also pretty forgetful about this aspect, limiting itself to saying that an announcement will be made late this year, when the car is set to be marketed in select states from the US. Now, thanks to the company’s head of global product management, Jon Lauckner, it seems that the Volt might be cheaper than was expect. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Lauckner said that the Chevy Volt might slot in under the $40k sweet spot. He also teased a sort of Price is Right contest, to see who can guess the right amount of money. Until summer or early autumn, when an announcement will be made, we can still make plenty of guesses. Source: Wall Street Journal via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Rotary engine problems delay the new Mazda RX-7, release date unknown Posted: 07 Jan 2010 11:37 PM PST  Mazda has always been linked with the rotary engine, even though in the current lineup, the only model to sport such a power unit is the RX-8, with all other cars having regular powerplants. It is the tradition to have at least one model, preferably a performance one, with such a unit under the bonnet. That is why the revival of the RX-7, which will replace the RX-8, is linked to the development of a new rotary engine for the upcoming sports coupe. But even though fans want it as soon as possible on the market, new reports indicate that Mazda engineers are having problems sorting out the lack of mid-range power, as well as getting the engine to rev as high as they want to. All of these problems could be sorted out with a few extra components, but that will go against the new Mazda strategy to make all cars lighter by 100 kg (220 lbs). As such, it seems that the release date for the new RX-7 is still up in the air. Hopefully things will be sorted out, and Mazda fans will be getting their rotary-powered sportscar soon enough. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Toyota rumored to bring Scion iQ as hybrid to USA, body styles include sedan and five-door Posted: 07 Jan 2010 11:18 PM PST  The Toyota iQ is already selling quite well in Europe, and even had the honor of being transformed into an Aston Martin, but US consumers still haven’t gotten their hands on the small model, which will be badged as a Scion there. According to new rumors, it seems that US consumers will be receiving some interesting options with the future Scion city car, as InsideLine reports that Toyota will make one last effort to attract people to the Scion brand by offering a hybrid drivetrain for the iQ, and also multiple body styles, besides the classic three-door one. As such, US clients will be able to get their hands on five-door and even a sedan variant of the Scion iQ (which, by the way, might not even bear that name, given the differences). Beside the hybrid power option, which most likely will see a 1.5-liter engine with 100 or 120 HP coupled with the electric motor, customers will also be able to choose a regular 1.3-liter engine, which will develop 93 HP. Source: InsideLine Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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