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Wednesday, February 3, 2010
RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed) |
- Spyker reveals Saab future plans, includes new models
- 2011 Kia Sportage presents itself ahead of Geneva debut
- Video: Renault presents the Wind’s convertible system
- Geely will not “damage” Volvo brand, executive says
- Schumacher excited after first F1 practice with Mercedes GP
- 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee takes on the Rubicon Trail
- Videos: Hyundai reveals its Super Bowl ads, covering Brett Favre and paint
- GM hopes to sell 1 million Chevrolet units in Europe by 2015
- Citroen hopes DS3 will attract new customers to the brand
- Superchips tunes the Mini Cooper S
| Spyker reveals Saab future plans, includes new models Posted: 03 Feb 2010 02:48 AM PST  Saab has been through one heck of a ride in the last few months, but now it will march forward with Spyker, after the Dutch supercar manufacturer made a deal with General Motors for the Swedish brand. After the celebrations have ended, the new company, Saab Spyker Automobiles, has revealed its plan for the next two years, which will reposition the Saab brand as “an independent performance-oriented niche car company with an industry-leading environmental strategy.” This not only includes letting the two brands keep their independent management structures, but also the design and manufacture of new models which include: 9-3 (sedan, hatchback, sports estate, X and convertible) and 9-5 (sedan, sports estate and X) and the 9-4X for both the US and European markets. In addition to this, the company also revealed that it is currently studying the feasibility of an entry-level car under the 9-1 name. Production will continue at the Trollhättan plant for the upcoming models, while the 9-4X will be built at the Mexico plant. Collaboration with GM is set to continue, but will slowly disappear, as new financial relations will be established, culminating with the aforementioned release of the “all-Saab” 9-3 model in 2012. Saab and Spyker’s future is seemingly set for a revival, and we hope that both brands will continue to deliver great cars like they did before. Source: Spyker Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| 2011 Kia Sportage presents itself ahead of Geneva debut Posted: 03 Feb 2010 02:20 AM PST  Kia has just released the first pictures of the new 2011 Sportage crossover, which will be formally presented at the Geneva Motor Show this March. The model follows the new design line established by Peter Schreyer, and from what we can see in these pics, looks extremely good and will prove to be a worthy rival for other crossovers on the market, including its cousin, the Hyundai Tucson, or ix35, as it is known in Europe. Besides sporting the attractive design, it is expected for the new Sportage to boast an array of four-cylinder engines on the European market, while for the North American one, will most likely receive the 2.4-liter engine from the Tucson.  Overall, the new crossover looks quite fetching, although we’re not so sure about the high rear end. What do you think? Share your thoughts below. Source: Kia Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Renault presents the Wind’s convertible system Posted: 03 Feb 2010 01:45 AM PST  Renault revealed yesterday the new Wind convertible roadster model, based on a slightly more aggressive Twingo city car variant, that promises not only to be a great model for young people, but also an innovative hard top which closes or opens in just 12 seconds. In order to get that point across, Renault revealed this video in which the hard top mechanism is showcased extensively, every time with the ticking clock counting the seconds it takes to be closed or opened. Hit the jump to see the Renault Wind’s convertible system in action. Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Geely will not “damage” Volvo brand, executive says Posted: 03 Feb 2010 01:27 AM PST  One of the biggest deals set to be signed in the automotive industry these days is Ford’s sale of Volvo to Chinese company Geely, which will reportedly pay around $2 billion for the Swedish brand in order to get it off the hands of the American carmaker. But while this will most likely prove to be a great deal for Volvo, as it will receive new money to further advance its safety research, many voices were worried that Geely will affect the image of the Swedish company and put off its potential customers.
Shen continued, saying that Geely will provide new incentives to the current Volvo management, so that the company will continue as it is. A key step in making it profitable however will be to build a new production facility in China, with Geely receiving numerous offers already from various local governments ready to subsidize and offer incentives for the new plant. Such a step won’t mean the relocation of Volvo to China though, as the main headquarters, the research bureau and the main production facility will still be located in Europe. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Schumacher excited after first F1 practice with Mercedes GP Posted: 03 Feb 2010 01:13 AM PST  Monday was a pretty important day for Formula 1, as almost all of the teams which will start in the 2010 season of the prestigious motorsport competition have gathered at Valencia for the first organized practice laps since the last season ended. This was also the first time Michael Schumacher entered the W01 Mercedes GP race car, and started doing laps around the track in a proper Formula 1 car since he retired from the sport three years ago. After completing the practice sessions, Schumacher was extremely excited and revealed that it reminded him of his F1 start in 1991.
The German pilot also admitted that it felt a bit weird not being in a Ferrari race car after spending a big amount of his career at the Italian F1 team. But even so, he was glad to see his former team members, and congratulated current Ferrari driver Felipe Massa for having the best time during Monday’s practice laps. The F1 teams will be able to participate in other test stages at various circuits in Spain, in preparation for the first race of the season, the Bahrain GP, on March 14. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee takes on the Rubicon Trail Posted: 03 Feb 2010 12:41 AM PST  The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee promises to be one of the biggest wins for both Jeep and for Chrysler in general, and will finally put the off-road brand back into the media spotlight with the quality and performance of its vehicles. While the official announcement of the model has yet to be given, we already have an idea about its looks, thanks to some spy shots taken at the end of last year, but now we also see that the new Grand Cherokee will be more than at home off the road, as new pictures were posted on the Jeep Jamboree Facebook page. The photos in question, as you can see above, show a pair of 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee models take on the famous Rubicon Trail, in order to get the highly coveted Trail-rated badge. The course is extremely demanding, but it seems the new models had no problems traversing its challenges. You can head on over to the Jeep Facebook page, and while you’re at it, you can also become a fan of RPMGO by clicking the dedicated app running in the right hand side of the page. Source: Facebook Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Videos: Hyundai reveals its Super Bowl ads, covering Brett Favre and paint Posted: 03 Feb 2010 12:22 AM PST  For readers outside of North America, we need to mention that this weekend will host the 44th edition of the Super Bowl, one of the biggest sporting events of the continent, and by far one of the most watched competitions. As such, you can bet that many companies have offered huge amounts of money to get ad space during the commercial breaks, and that they have pulled out all the stops to make their promos the most memorable ones. Hyundai has already revealed its two Super Bowl ads. The first one covers famous NFL quarterback Brett Favre, joking about his recent carrer changes: he retired, then came back to play for the Jets, then retired and came back to play for the Minnesota Vikings, which he took all the way to the NFC championship game. You’ll be thinking fine, what’s that got to do with Hyundai? Well the ad shows the 50-year-old Favre in 2020, earning the MVP award and, once again, talking about retiring. Even though such a thing isn’t certain to happen, Hyundai says its 10 year warranty on the Sonata will definitely be good for 10 years (at least for the powertrain). The second one, is all about the paint process the company uses on the new Sonata sedan, and how it results in a paint job better than even the Mercedes-Benz CLS Class, which is a pretty bold statement. Hit the jump to enjoy these two ads: Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| GM hopes to sell 1 million Chevrolet units in Europe by 2015 Posted: 02 Feb 2010 11:56 PM PST  General Motors is quite confident in the appeal of its Chevrolet brand, and after seeing some good growth in recent years for its entry-level brand in Europe, it is now setting up a whole new strategy which will culminate with selling more than 1 million units in the old continent by 2015. That alone sounds pretty impossible, but according to Chevrolet’s European president, Wayne Brannon, nothing is unattainable, and revealed that with the launch of new generations for popular products like the Spark, Aveo, Cruze, Orlando or even the Volt, sales are bound to increase. Seeing as how popularity for the American brand is slowly increasing, they just might, but this may come at a price, as Opel, one of GM’s most important European brands, has recorded decreased sales in the last year. According to Brannon however, sales data indicate that Chevy and Opel cater to different types of customers, which aren’t considering models from the two brands at once. In the end, it’s a pretty big goal, but with some clever marketing, big improvements with new models and positive word-of-mouth, Chevrolet might attain it. What do you believe? Share your thoughts below. Source: Wards Automotive via Autoblog Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Citroen hopes DS3 will attract new customers to the brand Posted: 02 Feb 2010 11:32 PM PST  Citroen’s biggest upcoming launch is the new DS3 hatchback, which will take the brand into a more upscale segment, and try to tackle rivals like the Mini Cooper, Alfa Romeo MiTo or the another upcoming premium city car, the Audi A1. But not only does Citroen hope to revive its iconic DS badge and start a whole new upmarket lineup of cars, which will be continued with the DS5 for example, it also hopes that new customers will be drawn in to the current Citroen lineup as well.
Part of the French carmaker’s strategy is to offer the DS3 to fleets or rental companies, in order to get the new premium hatchback into the hands of as many people as possible, so that everyone can be convinced of the improvements Citroen has made. Source: FleetNews via Automarket Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Superchips tunes the Mini Cooper S Posted: 02 Feb 2010 11:19 PM PST  The Mini Cooper S provides some of the best fun you can have on a small little car without stepping into a kart. But even though its performance figures are quite impressive: 175 HP and 187 lb-ft of torque, there is always room for improvement. A such the team at Superchips decided to tweak around with the ECU of the British city car, improving things like the ignition timing, or the fueling and turbo boost parameters, in order to squeeze every last horse from the BMW 1.6-liter turbocharged engine. The result? 195 HP and 206 lb-ft (282 Nm) of torque, which are mostly available from 2,500 to 5,250 rpm. This basic performance package costs around €500 ($700), and comes with a warranty good for 12 months or 30,000 miles. Source: ZerCustoms via Automarket Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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