Mazda Minagi Concept

Mazda has recently published full details of the Minagi Concept which will make its first appearance in March at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. This interesting concept will most likely be a preview of an upcoming compact crossover and at the same time it is Mazda's latest iteration of the "Kodo" Soul of Motion design idea. The first car that had this styling was the 2010 Shinari Concept and now it is available in the shape of a crossover which looks quite nice.

This Minagi crossover benefits from Mazda's upcoming powertrain, chassis design and vehicle body which means that it will have a SKYACTIV power unit, a SKYACTIV gearbox and a SKYACTIV-body and chassis that according to Mazda are able to combine weight reduction with ample safety features.

Mazda Minagi Concept

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Mazda will be presenting this Minagi Concept if we think about the fact that the Tribute model is long overdue and needs either a serious facelift or an entirely new model.

When Mazda will be launching a new crossover it will most likely be called CX-5 and will have to resist in front of some serious competitors like the Toyota RAV4, Volkswagen Tiguan or the soon-to-be-released BMW X1. It is very possible that the crossover will have a partial all-wheel drive system in order to improve fuel efficiency.

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Preview – Mazda Minagi Concept

2011 Honda Odyssey

From start we should say that the 2011 Honda Odyssey doesn't look like a traditional minivan and it seems that it has borrowed a couple of styling ideas from the Civic model, dropping the Accord Crosstour-inspired styling which wasn't that great. Although the front and back of the car don't do mate up well in profile, take them individually and you have a pretty good looking front and rear appearance. The flying buttress D-pillar aids the rear end of the car achieve a more contemporary appearance, similar to those of the crossovers.

The engineers at Honda really wanted to make the back of the car more entertaining and have come up with a bunch of new features for the rear-seaters. The first one would have to be that the third row of the Odyssey has two sets of LATCH anchors while the second row can have three sets. Unlike Chrysler, Honda didn't use the seats folding into the floor technology as they think that there are rare situations in which we would need a minivan to act like a pickup truck. Instead, the Japanese automaker developed a system that allows the second row seats to be moved laterally in order to make room for passengers or car seats while at the same time improving the third-row access through the center. In addition, that optional second-row-center seat can be moved upfront so that an infant car seat can be placed closer to its parents.

2011 Honda Odyssey

The cockpit of the Odyssey is pretty similar to other Honda and Acura models we have seen before. The one thing that we don't like about it is the fact that the climate controls are located above those for the navigation and audio systems, a huge error taking into consideration that most of us set an automatic temperature level and after that we barely look at it.

The minivan has been fitted with a V6 3.5-liter that outputs 248 hp and a 250 pound-feet of torque. The engine revs quickly and offers a terrific throttle response plus Honda did a very good job matching the gear's ratios of the all-new (optional) 6-speed automatic gearbox. As standard equipment, the 2011 Odyssey comes with the VCM – Variable Cylinder Management which is capable of shutting down two or even three of the engine's cylinders when you do not need the power, thus improving the fuel efficiency.

2011 Honda Odyssey

Along with a couple of other measures, including the 100 pounds weight reduction, allowed the Odyssey to obtain excellent EPA ratings. The minivan will do 18 mpg in the city, 27 mpg on the highway and 21 mpg combined with the standard 5-speed automatic transmission. With the optional gearbox, the car improves those numbers by a single mile-per-gallon. Pretty impressive for a minivan that has a curb weight of about 4,400 pounds. These figures allow it to be the most efficient 8-passengers car at the moment.

It wouldn't be a real minivan if it didn't had some video screens for the kids in the back which is why Honda decided to offer an optional 16.2-inch widescreen that folds down from the headliner in the second row. Also available is a more conventional screen, measuring 9 inches. However, you need to know that the big screen is in fact two normal-sized displays that are united. Although you can stretch out a movie on both screens, these were designed for selecting two video sources and playing a video format on both screen will look quite bad. Although it has a HDMI port, video game fans shouldn't get excited because most of today's games are widescreen high-definition and they will not look very good on the optional screen.

2011 Honda Odyssey

The biggest disadvantage of the 2011 Honda Odyssey is without any doubt its price tag. Although the starting price is pretty attractive at only $27,800, if you want to get that 6-speed optional gearbox you also have to get the DVD player and the navigation system as these come bundled. This optional package will set you back $1,500 and we don't understand why the DVD and the nav system must come bundled with the gearbox. We will have to wait and see if the Odyssey can face other cars from this segment like the Nissan Quest.

Source: AutoBlog.com

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In Depth – 2011 Honda Odyssey

Click here to view the embedded video.

A very rich Chinese business man just ordered a Fiat 500 which isn't something news-worthy. What we didn't tell you is that this Fiat 500 costs 500,000 Euros and it is done in diamonds and gold. The car we are talking about was commissioned from Fenice Milano, which is an Italian design house that labeled the car "La Dolce Vita Gold and Diamonds 200 hp".

And by gold we mean that the outside of the 500 features 24K gold particles in the special golden pearlescent white paint. In addition, there is also a gold thread finish to the hood also. That very wealthy Chinese business man will also get a diamond-encrusted IPad which was "accessorized" by the English house Stuart Hughes who named it – the Ipad Supreme Edition.

Inside this tiny and very expensive Fiat 500 there will be teak carpeting, leather and teak steering wheel with 24K gold controls. The instrument panel features a gold frame and the entire dashboard also benefits from 24K gold inserts which will be handcrafted by the artisans at Fenice Milano. The seats of the car are natural-colored Alcantara and have hand-stitched full grain leather for ultimate comfort.

The car itself is based on a Fiat 500C Abarth that has been customized by Romeo Ferraris who were able to up the power to 200 hp (147 kW) by using a new ECU unit as well as a new sport exhaust system and a boosted turbo. For the front axle, the car uses a Brembo kit with adjustable dampers.

Do all of the aforementioned worth 500,000 Euros? No.

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€500,000 Fiat 500C Ordered

2011 Chrysler 300

Despite the fact that the Chrysler Aspen Hybrid was almost a failure, CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that the automaker will not give up on the idea of making gasoline-electric cars. In a discussion with Automotive News, he said that the 300 Hybrid model will be launched in 2013. Although the info regarding this announcement are limited, we can tell you that this hybrid version will most likely carry the standard V6 3.6-liter Pentastar or the powerful V8 HEMI 5.7-liter engine.

Nothing is official at the moment, but the 2013 Chrysler 300 Hybrid will most likely get the HEMI engine as it is more suitable for a two-mode hybrid system which was jointly developed with BMW, Daimler and General Motors for the HEMI.

In that interview, Marchionne also said that in 2013 a new 7-seat Jeep Wagoneer luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) will be launched based on the platform used for the Dodge Durango and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. In addition, the company will most likely drop one of its two minivans, either the Chrysler Town & Country or the Dodge Grand Caravan. He said that the one that will be dropped will be replaced by "a people mover of some kind."

Source: AutoNews.com

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2013 Chrysler 300 Hybrid Gets The Green Light

It seems that Daihatsu will be leaving the European market due to "increasing development costs” and the “appreciation of the yen against the Euro". For this reason, the automaker will stop delivering cars to the European market as of January 31, 2013. The increasing development costs are due to the newly restrictions regarding CO2 emissions.

Although this is terrible news for some people, it shouldn't come as a surprise taking into consideration that since 2008, the European sales of Daihatsu cars have plummeted by 33% to only 19,300 cars in 2010. The most successful year for Daihatsu was 2007 when they managed to sell 58,600 units.

Daihatsu Terios

Despite the fact that the company will no longer sell cars in Europe, they said that after-sales support (including supply of spare parts) will not be affected by this decision so the ten countries in which the cars were sold will still continue to receive support.

The officials of the company stated also that they want to concentrate on the Asian market where Daihatsu is doing a pretty decent job. Another reason for the failure of the company in Europe is because now there are many automakers that are launching cars in the small segment, a market where Daihatsu was very strong in the past.

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Daihatsu Says Bye Bye To Europe

TAG Heuer MP4-12C Chronograph

TAG Heuer and McLaren are celebrating their 26-year long collaboration plus the 20^th anniversary of the legendary McLaren F1 by launching this limited edition MP-12C Chronograph watch. The design of this beauty was inspired from the soon-to-be-released MP4-12C model and has a matching color scheme along with a couple of exotic materials like carbon fiber.

This lightweight material was used for the dial of the watch that features sapphire inserts which reveal the mechanism. The latter is protected with the help of the titanium case which is very durable and at the same time minimizes the weight of the watch. This TAG Heuer watch comes with an alcantara leather strap which evokes the interior of McLaren's supercar, along with orange luminescent markers on the hands that are complemented by the orange stitching.

The watch benefits from the Flyback function which will come in hand for pilots and track drivers as it allows the chronograph to be reset to 0 and start again instantly with the help of a single push button. In addition, the TAG Heuer MP4-12C has a tachymeter which indicates what distance is travelled and the chronograph is capable of recording the intervals between two areas.

TAG Heuer will be making only 1,000 units of this model and it will be available for purchase also through McLaren later on this year.

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TAG Heuer Preps MP4-12C Anniversary Watch

As if F1 and Moto GP weren’t spectacular enough, last week, the Ducati Moto GP team challenged the Ferrari F1 team to a very interesting contest consisting of two race, one in go-karts and the other in track-ready Fiat 500s. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Well, not exactly, because both races took place on a snow covered ice rink. We’re not gonna tell you who won and we’ll let you enjoy the video where you can see Valentino Rossi, Fernando Alonso, Nicky Hayden, Felippe Massa and Giancarlo Fisichella. Sound good, huh? Enjoy!

[Source: RideLust]

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[Video] When F1 and Moto GP move on ice

Chrysler 200 Convertible

The convertible version of the Chrysler 200 has leaked online, before its probable announcement at the 2011 Chicago Auto Show.

From the looks of the leaked pictures, the Chrysler 200 Convertible has been massively improved and this facelifted model (which is an updated convertible Sebring) has new bumpers, LED taillights, updated grille and restyled headlights. Similar with the previous models, the new one will be available with a metal folding roof or a traditional soft top.

Chrysler 200 Convertible

The interior has undergone some significant changes too as the model has now a new steering wheel, silver-painted plastic accents, soft-touch armrests and an updated instrument cluster.

Chrysler 200 Convertible

Most likely, under the hood we will find the same engine as the ones in the sedan version which means that the convertible will be available as standard with the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder unit that outputs 173 hp (175 PS / 129 kW) and 166 lb-ft (225 Nm) of torque. The optional engine would have to be the new V6 3.6-liter Pentastar that produces 283 hp (287 PS / 211 kW) and 260 lb-ft (353 Nm) of torque.

The Chrysler 200 Convertible will be sold in Europe as the Lancia Flavia.

We will be able to offer more info when the car will be unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show. Stay tuned.

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Chrysler 200 Convertible Leaked

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This is a making-of-video of the Mercedes ad called "Sunday Drivers" that features legendary F1 pilots like Michael Schumacher and Mika Hakkinen. This video goes behind the scenes at how Mercedes shot a commercial in some terrible winter conditions in the mountains in order to demonstrate the efficiency of the 4Matic all-wheel drive system. Unfortunately the video does not explain how two versions of this Mercedes ad came to be made.

The one you saw aired on German television and features the aforementioned Formula One legends ultimately get surpassed by an older gentleman (Franz Beckenbauer, won 1974 World Cup as a player and the 1990 World Cup as a coach) driving a G-Class Benz.

There was this other version that was released exclusively online where a young British woman overpasses Schumacher and Hakkinen, referring to them as "senior citizens." Our guess is that this one was good for the Internet but too cruel for TV.

The ad is pretty good in my opinion, featuring two of the greatest Formula One drivers and a football (soccer) icon from Germany plus the scenery looks great and those Mercedes look cool too.

The German automakers were always good at making ads for their cars, at least in my opinion.

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Making Of – Mercedes-Benz ‘Sunday Drivers’ Ad

If you have an old BMW 750i lying around your garage and want to ruin it, here is a brilliant idea: create this hideous Rolls Royce Phantom clone that looks awful from every angle. This replica is based on what I consider to find one of the most elegant cars of the last 25 years: the BMW 7-Series E32, the models made in the late 80s and early 90s.

There are so many things wrong with this car that we do not know where to start from. The most terrible thing about it is without any doubt that awful Rolls Royce sticker on the steering wheel. Plus, those wheels have nothing to do on a car like this one (assuming that it is an original Rolls Royce) and you can see that are very cheap models from far away.

The only good thing about it is the engine itself, the one from the BMW 750i, a V12 unit.

If someone with really bad tastes wants to buy this Rolls Royce Phantom clone, the asking price for this beauty is $75,500. With this amount of money, you could actually buy the latest generation of the 7-Series or a whole bunch of other cars that look way better than this cheap looking imitation.

Photos via MotoFilm.pl

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How To Ruin A BMW 750i