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Monday, February 1, 2010
RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed) |
- Motorsport Weekend 29-31 January: Finnish Arctic Rally and Rally America’s Sno*Drift results
- BMW to enter Vision EfficientDynamics hybrid sportscar into production in 2013
- Video: Ken Block shows off his Ford Fiesta’s drifting abilities in the snow
- Toyota problems forces Peugeot and Citroen to recall 107 and C1 models
- Dutch group raises questions over Spyker-Saab deal, wants answers from CEO Victor Muller
- Toyota to attend House of Representatives hearing, gets hit with class action lawsuit
- Video: Rolls Royce Phantom goes drifting in the snow
- Chrysler and Hyundai also offer incentives and discounts to existing Toyota owners
- McLaren presents the MP4-25 Formula 1 race car
- Honda issues recall for 646,000 Fit/Jazz models all over the world
| Motorsport Weekend 29-31 January: Finnish Arctic Rally and Rally America’s Sno*Drift results Posted: 01 Feb 2010 04:15 AM PST  Hello and welcome to another edition of Motorsport Weekend, where we roundup the most interesting results from the last three days. Although winter is still in full swing, that hasn’t stopped two competitions from taking place and providing some great thrills on the snow or ice filled rally stages: the Arctic Rally Lapland from the Finnish local championship, and the Sno*Drift competition, which is the first stage of the Rally America Championship. Hit the jump to find out results from Travis Pastrana, Kimi Raikkonen or Ken Block. Luckily, a few helpful spectators decided to do the patriotic thing and help out their fellow Finn. After losing almost 30 minutes, the rest of the rally was smooth sailing for Raikkonen. His other teammate, Dani Sordo, also racing in a special Citroen C4 WRC, managed to dominate the competition by winning all 12 stages. In the USA, more specifically around Northern Lower Michigan, the 2010 edition of the Sno*Drift event, counting for the Rally America Championship, took place, and was won by Travis Pastrana, in his Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Thanks to a sudden heat wave followed by freezing temperatures, the whole competition took place on ice-ridden stages, which caused some accidents, including Pastrana’s teammate, Dave Mirra, which managed to complete the event. Ken Block, another big name, wasn’t so fortunate, as the suspension on his Ford Fiesta broke after seven stages. Pastrana, which marks his fourth victory in a row at Sno*Drift, was followed by Antoine L’Estage, in his Mitsubishi Evo X, while the third spot was occupied by Bill Bacon, in his Mitsubishi Evo IX. Overall, some pretty exciting results on the snow. Hopefully this will be just an appetizer, and we’ll be treated to some more interesting results as more and more competitions will begin. Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| BMW to enter Vision EfficientDynamics hybrid sportscar into production in 2013 Posted: 01 Feb 2010 02:22 AM PST  Out of all the recent concepts to arrive from BMW, the Vision EfficientDynamics one it showed off at the Frankfurt Motor Show was definitely the most impressive, shocking people with an aggressive sportscar design coupled with a hybrid powertrain setup. Needless to say it light up a huge rumor fire, but the company has yet to reveal anything concrete about the concept going into production. Luckily though, InsideLine managed to find out some big details from one of its respected sources, according to which the Vision EfficientDynamics will enter production as soon as 2013. The model will be a limited edition one, but there will be plenty to go around, as BMW is thinking of building somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 of such hybrids, which will use a diesel engine mounted in the middle and two electric motors to develop, at least in the concept, 356 HP and 590 lb-ft of torque. Combine that with the goal of making the production model weigh less than 3,000 pounds, and you’ll be getting one heck of a sportscar. Also, according to the same source, it seems that while the aggressive design will be tamed down a bit, fans mustn’t worry, as it will look the part. Last but not least, it seems that the name will be changed, in order to reflect something with a bit more attitude. Overall, this is great news for BMW fans which have been salivating over the Vision EfficientDynamics for quite some time. Source: InsideLine Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Ken Block shows off his Ford Fiesta’s drifting abilities in the snow Posted: 01 Feb 2010 01:47 AM PST  We showed you earlier today a video of a Rolls Royce Phantom drifting in the snow, but now we have some footage of professional rally driver Ken Block during the shakedown session of the Sno*Drift, where he shows off the abilities of the new Monster Ford Fiesta rally car. Block also proves his skills in wrangling the car, which was fitted with stud-less tires in the snowy conditions, and also pushes the engine’s power by topping out the sixth gear in one extremely lengthy straight line. Hit the jump to see the video. Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Toyota problems forces Peugeot and Citroen to recall 107 and C1 models Posted: 01 Feb 2010 01:30 AM PST  As you all know, Toyota has recently expanded its unintended acceleration due to faulty gas pedal recall to Europe, affecting eight models, totaling 1.8 million vehicles. But not only did it harm its own vehicles, but also the Peugeot 107 and the Citroen C1, as the PSA Group held a joint venture manufacturing plant in the Czech Republic, where the aforementioned models and the Toyota Aygo were made. It seems that the French models shared some of the technological underpinnings with the Asian one, including the gas pedal mechanism, which forced the recall of the Aygo. As such, Peugeot and Citroen will also call back over 90,000 models, so that they will be fixed. Source: The Guardian via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Dutch group raises questions over Spyker-Saab deal, wants answers from CEO Victor Muller Posted: 01 Feb 2010 12:50 AM PST  Just when you thought that Saab and its new owner Spyker would withdraw from the media spotlight, after a lengthy negotiation with GM, which finally resulted in the Swedish brand be sold to the Dutch supercar manufacturer, new problems arise. According to VEB, a Dutch securities association, it’s quite curious how a company which failed to turn a profit for quite some time, Spyker, has managed to get hold of enough money to buy another company which hasn’t seen a profit, Saab. According to it, the CEO of Spyker, Victor Muller, has a lot of explaining to do, especially as the last amount of money was gained a week before the negotiation process was over, as a result of a rather shady deal. Let’s explain. It seems that GM insisted throughout the talks, that Spyker’s chairman, Russian banker Vladimir Antonov, would back down from his position, so that Saab technology would be safe. In order to facilitate such a move, the 4.6 million shares owned by Antonov were bought by a recently founded company, Tenaci Capital, which was owned by Muller (it even had his home address). The company then contributed with €50 million in cash to GM and also loaned Spyker €82 million, which translates to a lot of money on such a short notice. What’s even more peculiar, according to VEB, is that Muller refuses to disclose the backers of his company, which might include either Antonov, or his father, Alexander, who is also a very rich man. All these questions might be answered on February 12th, when a Spyker shareholder meeting will take place. Source: DutchNews via WorldCarFans Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Toyota to attend House of Representatives hearing, gets hit with class action lawsuit Posted: 01 Feb 2010 12:29 AM PST  With Toyota issuing some huge recalls these days, it was just a matter time before politicians and lawyers would show up to the “party” and start defending the average consumer which bought cars from the Japanese company. As such, the USA House of Representatives’ Energy and Commerce committee will hold a hearing on February 25th, where executives from Toyota will be answering questions regarding “the persistent consumer complaints of sudden unintended acceleration in vehicles manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation,” according to Henry Waxman, the committee chairman. Not only will representatives be forced to attend such a hearing, but it seems Toyota’s legal department will also have some explaining to do, as two law firms, Parker Waichman Alonso and the Becnel Law Firm, have filed a class action lawsuit against the Japanese carmaker over the huge recalls it has made. According to representatives from the two companies, all Toyota drivers which bought cars from 2005 to 2010, have “lost the use of their vehicles, and sustained, among things, economic losses and severe emotional distress.” As such, Toyota, besides fixing the vehicles in question during the recall, needs to pay “compensatory, punitive and exemplary damages for the Class, as well as equitable and declaratory relief.” Toyota still has a lot of things to take care of these days so it’s still too early to tell where these new actions will lead. What do you think? Will Toyota escape this legal and political problem? Source: The Detroit News, Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Rolls Royce Phantom goes drifting in the snow Posted: 01 Feb 2010 12:09 AM PST  As with any winter season, the snow provides not only worries and problems for drivers, but also the opportunity to have some serious fun. But according to this recent video, this fun isn’t limited to normal car owners, as a Rolls Royce Phantom proves it can hold its own by drifting in the snow alongside performance cars like a Porsche Cayenne or a 911. At least this is done in an open field and not on the streets. Hit the jump to see the luxury limousine go sideways. Source: Jalopnik Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Chrysler and Hyundai also offer incentives and discounts to existing Toyota owners Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:48 PM PST  The auto market is a fierce one, and when a big dog like Toyota is having troubles, it’s time for other companies to exploit them, and grab customers by any means necessary. We’ve already revealed to you that General Motors and Ford are offering discounts and incentives of up to $1,000 to existing Toyota owners who are fed up with the huge recalls implemented by the Japanese company, but now two other corporations have announced that they will host some great offers for Toyota owners. First off, Hyundai is ready to give any current Toyota driver a $1,000 discount if they will trade in their vehicle for any of these three models: Sonata, Elantra and Elantra Touring. If you’re more of a Chrysler fan, the company is also implementing a $1,000 discount for any of car in its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram brands, offer which also extends to those who have a lease on their Toyota. Overall, these are some pretty interesting offers, which will surely awake the interest of certain customers. Source: The Detroit News Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| McLaren presents the MP4-25 Formula 1 race car Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:27 PM PST  After coming in third overall during the 2009 Formula 1 season, McLaren is hungry for more victories, and has presented its newest race car, the MP4-25, which will prove its worth in the hands of reigning world champion Jenson Button, and former champion Lewis Hamilton. The new car is powered by a tweaked version of a Mercedes V8 engine, the same one used by Mercedes GP, and in the new car, will provide a great experience, according to McLaren. The company was also quick to highlight that this is the first time since 1989, when two back-to-back champions raced for the same team, when Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna also teamed up under the McLaren logo.  With the promise of a great car and huge amount of talent from both Button and Hamilton, the team has a lot to prove. It will begin with pre-season testing in Valencia this week. Source: McLaren Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Honda issues recall for 646,000 Fit/Jazz models all over the world Posted: 31 Jan 2010 11:11 PM PST  It seems that Toyota isn’t the only Japanese carmaker to issue global recalls these days, as Honda has recently announced the recall of 646,000 units of its compact city car, the Fit, or the Jazz, as it is known in other parts of the world. But while Toyota has been plagued with unintended acceleration issues, it seems Honda’s problems are fire-related, as the electric power window mechanism isn’t completely sealed, and might see rain enter its housing, which can cause a fire to erupt. The recall affects all the major markets where the Fit/Jazz is sold, including North and South America, Europe, South Africa and Asia. Only three incidents were reported so far, but it’s better to be safe than on fire. Source: Reuters Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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