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Monday, April 19, 2010
RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed) |
- Motorsport Weekend: F1 Chinese GP, WRC Rally of Turkey and ALMS Long Beach GP results
- Silly boys, trucks are for girls!
- Toyota reported to pay $16.4 million fine, won’t admit mistake
- Top Gear admits causing Icelandic volcano eruption
- Citroen Metropolis luxury limousine revealed before Beijing debut
- Video: Audi R8 V10 Spyder gets promoted with Iron Man 2 movie
- Toyota reportedly planning Prius minivan for 2011
- Production-ready Fluence Z.E gets pictured and details by Renault
- Video: Honda CR-Z gets artsy promotional footage
- Toyota recalls 600,000 1998-2010 Sienna minivans over spare tire cable corrosion issue
| Motorsport Weekend: F1 Chinese GP, WRC Rally of Turkey and ALMS Long Beach GP results Posted: 19 Apr 2010 02:54 AM PDT  Welcome to a new edition of Motorsport Weekend, our weekly feature where we gather up all of the most exciting results from various motorsport competitions. It was a pretty hectic end of the week as not only did we have a rain-soaked Formula 1 Chinese GP, but also the WRC Rally of Turkey and the American Le Mans Series’ Long Beach GP. We were also scheduled to see Nascar’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 and Samsung Mobile 500 races in Texas, but rain caused them to be postponed until today. Either way, the rest of the events were filled with interesting things, so hit the jump and find out how Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel or Sebastien Loeb faired in their respective competitions. The Chinese GP was won by McLaren’s Jenson Button, closely followed by teammate Lewis Hamilton. The podium was rounded off by Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg. Fernando Alonso, who jumped the start and was penalized for that, finished fourth, followed by Renault’s Robert Kubica, once again achieving an impressive race, ahead of Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel. Renault’s second driver, Vitaly Petrov ended up on seventh place, after a fabulous end of the race where he overtook veterans like Mark Webber or even Michael Schumacher. The rest of the top then was completed by Webber, Massa and Schumacher. The race was filled with a lot of interesting events, as indecision in what tires to wear caused some drivers to pass even four times through the pit lane. This also led to misunderstandings and quarrels between the likes of Hamilton or Vettel and even Alonso and Massa. In terms of overall standings, Button leads with 60 points, followed by Nico Rosberg, 10 points behind, and by Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, both trailing by 11 points. For the manufacturers standings, McLaren leads with 109, followed by Ferrari with 90 and Red Bull with 73. Moving onto the 2010 WRC Rally of Turkey, participants were also treated with some rainy conditions, that forced some special stages to be postponed. The muddy conditions didn’t stop Citroen’s Sebastien Loeb from taking his third consecutive win this season, followed by Petter Solberg in his private Citroen C4 WRC and by Ford’s Mikko Hirvonen. Two Citroen Junior members followed the Finn, with Sebastien Ogier finishing fourth and Kimi Raikkonen taking fifth. Ken Block fans will be bummed to hear the American driver finished 24th, due to a crash on day one, but he made up for in the following days, where he and co-pilot Alex Gelsomino managed to nab some impressive times, finishing 6th overall in three of the last stages in the rally. Overall, Loeb has 93 points, followed by Solberg who trails by 40 and Hirvonen who trails by 41 points. Last but not least, the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach, or simply put the ALMS Long Beach GP, also took place on Saturday, providing fans of racing a great city-circuit spectacle. This event saw 33 cars race at the same time on the tight circuit, which caused quite a lot of problems for many drivers. The race was won on the last turns by the crew of Simon Pagenaud and David Brabham, running in their #1 HPD ARX-01c LMP class racer, followed by Adrian Fernandez and Harold Primat, in their #007 Lola B09 Aston Martin, and Klaus Graf&Greg Pickett’s Porsche RS Spyder, also counting for the LMP class. LMPC class results saw Gunnar Jeannette and Elton Julian in the #99 Oreca FLM09, followed by Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker running in the #55 Oreca FLM09 and by the #36, driven by Tom Sutherland and JR Hildebrand. The GT class was won by Patrick Long and Joerg Bergmeister in the #45 Porsche 911 GT3 RSR, followed by Jan Magnussen and Johnny O’Connell in the #3 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and by Tommy Milner and Bill Auberlen in the #92 BMW M3 GT. Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Silly boys, trucks are for girls! Posted: 19 Apr 2010 02:52 AM PDT
And guys, if you’re looking for a present for your better half, you know where to find it: at the RevvNation Store! Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Toyota reported to pay $16.4 million fine, won’t admit mistake Posted: 19 Apr 2010 12:46 AM PDT  As most of you know, Toyota issued some huge recalls, affecting around 8 million vehicles, at the beginning of the year. According to the NHTSA, the carmaker knew for quite some time about the defects, but didn’t do anything about it. As such, the federal agency announce at the beginning of the month that it will fine the Japanese company with the maximum amount possible, $16.4 million. Now, a report from an insider, cited by Automotive News, claims the Japanese company will announced today that it will pay the money to the NHTSA. There’s a catch though, as the carmaker doesn’t want to admit any wrongdoing. It just wants to get it over with and start rebuilding the brand by addressing the lack of customer confidence. Bear in mind this isn’t for sure, as we can’t know just what Toyota will decide or how the NHTSA will react to this demand. Stay tuned for more news as they develop. Source: Automotive News Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Top Gear admits causing Icelandic volcano eruption Posted: 19 Apr 2010 12:30 AM PDT  As we’re sure most of you have gotten sick from all the media buzz concerning the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafallajökull volcano, the lads at Top Gear decided to shed some light on the subject, admitting that they actually caused the eruption when filming on location a few weeks ago. Now before you take this thing seriously, it’s just a joke, so don’t go reporting it to the Daily Mirror or something. James May did film on location in Iceland, using once again the rugged Toyota Hilux models from Arctic Trucks, but didn’t actually plant any C4 to cause the volcano’s eruption. Still, the Top Gear website did come up with a “scientific” explanation for all of this, coming from “reputed” media commentator Annalisa Kneejerk:
So there you have it. Want someone to blame for a huge ash cloud or airport delays? Top Gear is the perfect sacrificial lamb. Source: Top Gear Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Citroen Metropolis luxury limousine revealed before Beijing debut Posted: 19 Apr 2010 12:16 AM PDT  China, by all accounts, is set to become the largest car market in the world. As such, many European and American companies are trying to present products aimed at the Asian country. Judging by the latest premieres made before the Beijing Motor Show starts this week, the Chinese sure love some long limousines, as not only the 2011 BMW 5 Series long wheelbase model was revealed, but also the 2011 Audi A8 L. Now, Citroen isn’t content with letting the Germans have all the fun, and revealed the Metropolis concept, a luxury limousine that dwarfs its long wheelbase rivals at 17.38 feet (5.3 meters) and is as wide as a Maybach model at 6.5 feet (2 meters). The car is the first creation of the PSA Group’s Shanghai design bureau, but as you can see, uses many styling cues already found on other recent concepts like the Survolt, the Revolte or the DS High Rider. The model sits on the Platform 3 architecture, the same as the Peugeot 407 or the Citroen C6.  But even though it uses an older platform, the Citroen Metropolis has a 2.0-liter V6 gasoline engine under the bonnet that runs in tandem with an electric motor. This, coupled with an overboost function, can generate 460 HP and 317 lb-ft of torque. The two units are kept in check by a seven-speed gearbox that sends power to all four wheels. Citroen insists the Metropolis luxury sedan emits just 70 g/km of CO2. Like with all recent Citroen concepts, we’re extremely pleased by its styling, and, with such impressive technical specifications, the Metropolis is looking very good. What do you think? Share your thoughts below. Source: Autocar Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Audi R8 V10 Spyder gets promoted with Iron Man 2 movie Posted: 18 Apr 2010 11:56 PM PDT  The Iron Man 2 movie is soon set to hit theaters around the world, and with it people will get to see comic book character Tony Stark wear his Iron Man armor and chase bad guys all around the world. But what will he do when he isn’t fighting crime and chasing girls? He’ll drive around in a beautiful Audi R8 V10 Spyder model, as the Ingolstadt manufacturer poured quite a lot of money into the film. In order to get back this investment, a new ad, promoting both the movie and the car, has been released. Hit the jump to see the new Audi R8 V10 Spyder Iron Man 2 ad. Source: Quattroholic Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Toyota reportedly planning Prius minivan for 2011 Posted: 18 Apr 2010 11:44 PM PDT  We know Toyota wants to further increase its hybrid offerings and will also launch some of these new models under the Prius nameplate. Now, a new report from Reuters, that cites Japan’s Nikkei daily business newspaper, says that the Japanese company is currently planning on releasing a Prius-based minivan model, that will use a lithium-ion battery pack, instead of the nickel-metal hydride one, currently found on the 2010 Prius hatchback. It seems that the new minivan will aim to offer a more efficient hybrid solution for those who want three rows of seats and the capability to carry seven passengers. The model is expected on the Japanese market in 2011 and the new batteries are set to be manufactured at a joint venture plant the carmaker has developed with Panasonic. While we can’t say for sure if this will come true, Toyota does want to make even more money from the hybrid business, so the new Prius minivan makes a lot of sense. Source: Reuteurs Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Production-ready Fluence Z.E gets pictured and details by Renault Posted: 18 Apr 2010 11:25 PM PDT  Renault is marching forward with its electric vehicle plans, and wants to be the first European carmaker to offer such models on a large scale by 2011. The main weapon helping the French company in this endeavor will be the Fluence Z.E. After being presented in concept form at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, the car has now been pictured in production-ready form, and will appear on the market in 2011. It will be manufactured at the Bursa, Turkey plant, alongside regular Fluence sedans.  The Renault Fluence Z.E. electric vehicle will use a motor capable of 95 HP and 166 lb-ft (226 Nm) of torque. Autonomy is pegged at 99 miles (160 km) and the top speed is limited at 83 mph (135 km/h). Its batteries can be charged at a 220 volt socket, for around 6 to 8 hours, at a 400 volt one, which will take just 30 minutes, or by using the QuickDrop system, which replace the battery pack with a new one in just 3 minutes. At first, the Fluence Z.E., alongside its more utilitarian-inclined Kangoo Express Z.E. will be leased in certain countries, but sales might begin soon after that, depending on the interest of customers. Source: Renault Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Video: Honda CR-Z gets artsy promotional footage Posted: 18 Apr 2010 11:04 PM PDT  Honda is really bent on promoting its new CR-Z hybrid hatchback model and spares no expense in getting people interested in this spiritual successor to the old CRX. The latest endeavor in this marketing campaign is a promotional video made by London-based film and digital agency Gaucho Productions. To get the prestigious artsy badge, the video goes all crazy with swooping shots, various digital effects and even fog machines, which, at least in their eyes, highlight the hybrid “sports” hatchback. Curious to see? Then hit the jump and check out this new promotional video for the Honda CR-Z. Source: ZerCustoms Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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| Toyota recalls 600,000 1998-2010 Sienna minivans over spare tire cable corrosion issue Posted: 18 Apr 2010 10:46 PM PDT  Road salt used against ice in norther states of the US is once again causing problems to a carmaker, this time adding another issue on the already full plate of Toyota. The Japanese company has just issued a voluntary recall covering 600,000 Sienna minivans, produced between 1998 and 2010. These models might see the cable that supports the spare tire to become corroded over time, and eventually fail, resulting in the spare tire coming off behind the car. As you can imagine, such a thing might be very bad for anyone riding behind you, especially in rush hour traffic or any such tricky conditions. The recall officially affects northern states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia. Owners will receive a notice to head to the nearest dealership to have their car checked up, but a fix has yet to be found, meaning you’ll have to head back later to have the car fixed. Until then, be careful not to tailgate any Sienna minivan. Source: Toyota Post published on Rpmgo.com Related posts:
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