Superchips Ford Fiesta

Yesterday the guys over at Superchips revealed their new power upgrade for the Ford Fiesta, the model equipped with the 1.6 TDCi engine. By remapping the ECU, the engineers were able to squeeze an additional number of 23 ponies @ 4,275 rpm and 36 Nm of torque @ 4,159 rpm. This tuning program can be installed for both the 88 hp and the 95 hp versions of the 1.6 TDCi engine. The increase in torque is produced right around the rev range which will allow the Fiesta drivers to overtake other cars easily, at least that's what Superchips said in the official press release.

According to Superchips, with the help of this ECU remap, this Fiesta model is able to outrun the top-of-the-line Zetec S model that offers 118 hp. More than that, the fuel consumption will remain at the same level, despite the power increase and in some cases the car will be more fuel efficient thanks to the low rev torque available.

Superchips have announced that this upgrade will be for sale in about 80 centers around the United Kingdom, at a starting price of 399 pounds (including VAT + installation). Customers will also get a 12 month / 30,000 supplementary full vehicle warranty when they buy the remap package.

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Superchips Ford Fiesta Revealed

Toyota Land Cruiser 60th Anniversary Special Edition

In order to celebrate 60 years since the first generation of the Land Cruiser was launched, the Japanese automaker Toyota revealed a special edition which will be available for both standard and V8-powered versions.

Here are the most important features of this special edition: triple-zone climate control air conditioning, rear privacy glass, 18-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery,  electric & heated front seats, rear parking monitor, crawl control, rear seat entertainment system, HDD navigation system, JBL audio system with 17 speakers, multi-terrain select system and others as well.

The price for the model fitted with the Euro 5-compliant 3.0 D-4D power unit starts from 49,950 pounds and for the V8 version from 61,950 pounds. Both models are already available for ordering.

The automaker also announced a 3-door version of the Land Cruiser that will only be offered with the LC3 trim. The car can be ordered only with a manual gearbox and will offer five seats, VSC – vehicle stability control with A-TRC – active traction control, 6-speaker audio system, front fog lamps, Bluetooth, smart entry and start system and climate control. This 3-door version is already available at a base price of 30,395 pounds.

According to the official press release, Toyota has sold more than five million units of the Land Cruiser in 188 different countries and regions worldwide. The latest generation of this popular SUV was introduced in 2008.

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Toyota Land Cruiser 60th Anniversary Special Edition Announced

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Concept

In September 2010 at the Paris Auto Show, Chevrolet presented the hatchback version of their Cruze model and despite the fact that they called it a concept, it will go on sale in Europe and Asia-Pacific in a couple of months. The car is being engineered by General Motors' Holden division, located in Australia and it won't be sold in the United States, at least not anytime soon, in comparison with other cars like the Pontiac G8 and the Chevrolet Camaro.

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Concept

At the end of last year some spy shots appeared with the hatchback version of the Chevrolet Cruze and now the automaker made it official, stating that the production model will be exhibited this March at the 2011 edition of the famous Geneva Motor Show.

Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Concept

The car will look even better than the sedan version and will benefit from a larger cargo space. Except that, it will basically be the Cruze you all know, with the same choice of engines and gearboxes as well as the same options and features available.

Sales will most likely commence at first in Europe this summer. No word about the possibility to bring the Chevrolet Cruze hatchback to the United States market. We'll let you know if we hear something.

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Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback Production Model Confirmed

MINI Cooper JCW

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the MINI brand, the JCW – John Cooper Works is the company's official tuning arm and besides producing a wide range of upgrades for the cars it is also responsible for MINI's motorsports efforts.

Yesterday MINI revealed a new JCW range of factory-fitted accessories available in the kit form. These tuning kits have been available for some time with the hard-top version of the MINI Cooper, pretty soon customers will be able to get them for the convertible version as well.

MINI Cooper JCW

The full kit will include a JCW aero kit (which can also be purchased separately) that will give the car a more aggressive appearance while lending the front, rear and flanks of the cars a sportier look.

In the front, the JCW-fitted MINI has a deep lower chin with a lower grille opening and functional brake ducts. Other highlights of this package include the custom rear bumper which was modeled off the design of the unit on the MINI challenge cars; and the updated side skirts.

MINI Cooper JCW

The cars will roll on 17-inch light alloy rims that are available also on the current John Cooper Works cars. In addition, it will come with upgraded brakes and more lenient traction control and electronic differential settings.

MINI Cooper JCW

As far as the cabin is concerned, the JCW version will bring custom door sills, a leather shift boot which will come with more red stitching for the manual modes, a gearshift knob that will have a red shift pattern and a leather steering wheel.

The upcoming JCW versions of the MINI Cooper will be available starting with the second quarter of this year as factory options.

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Info – 2011 MINI Cooper And Cooper Convertible JCW

Renault Wind Gordini

At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show which will be organized this March, the French automaker Renault will officially launch the Gordini version of the Wind roadster, ahead of a United Kingdom launch which will occur sometime in June.

The Renault Wind Gordini will most likely feature a 1.6-litre petrol engine that produces 131 hp and will come with a bunch of cosmetic modifications both inside and out, as seen on the current Gordini lineup.

Renault Wind Gordini

Outside, the Wind Gordini will roll on 17-inch alloy rims and will come with a special Amita blue paint with twin white racing stripes. In addition, the car will sport a grille trim, Glacier white door mirrors, a black glass roof, a rear wing and the traditional "G" badging.

Renault Wind Gordini

Inside the cabin, this special edition will offer a black and blue leather upholstery as well as blue and white door straps. The steering wheel will be wrapped in leather with a blue and white trim at the top.  The gear lever will feature a leather gaiter and the "Gordini" name.

Other models from Renault that are available in the Gordini version include the standard and Renaultsport version of the Twingo as well as the popular Clio.

No details regarding the price list have been revealed yet.

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Preview – Renault Wind Gordini

Brabus S350 ECO PowerXtra D6S

We all know Brabus for creating pretty impressive performance kits for Mercedes-Benz models. A couple of days ago they announced the new ECO PowerXtra D6S performance kit, developed for the S350 BlueTec mode. By doing so, the tuning specialist claims to have launched the world's very first tuned diesel-powered car that meets the Euro 6 emissions standard which will go into effect three years from now. The kit will be available for both RWD and 4Matic 4WD configurations and will add 55 hp / 52 lb-ft of torque, rounding up the power output to 313 hp / 509 lb-ft.

Brabus designed this kit to work as a plug-and-play device and it will increase the V6 3.0-liter diesel's output depending upon the selected shift mode of the 7G-Tronic Plus automatic gearbox. While in "eco" mode, the peak torque increases and the engine output remains the same, standing at 258 hp. For "sport" and "manual", the maximum power is also increased.

With this performance kit, the Mercedes-Benz S350 will do the 0-620 mph sprint in 6.5 seconds, onto a top speed of 155 mph (electronically limited). The kit can also be installed for the CLS 350 CDI BlueEfficiency as well as the E350 CDI BlueEfficiency, offering the same output.

All of these models are offered with a 3-year / 62,000 miles warranty and can come along with a Brabus stainless steel exhaust that has 4 tailpipes.

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Brabus Reveals The First Euro 6 Compliant Performance Kit For Diesels

2010 Volkswagen New Beetle Final Edition Coupe and Convertible

Here is something that you don't see every day, or better said, never. Probably one of the strangest recalls in the history of the automobile was announced a couple of days ago when the German automaker Volkswagen decided to replace 20 new Beetles with identical cars. Yes we know that this sounds confusing but they have a reason for this. It seems like there is an issue with the units manufactured and whether or not they complied with the particular crash test regulations.

Starting with Sept 1^st, 2010, all of the cars commercialized in the US had to be crash tested at a speed of 35 mph. The 20 Beetles we mentioned before were manufactured between the first of the month and 22^nd of September, but they were crash tested at 30 mph.

Sheriece Matias, who is VW's spokeswoman, said that these 20 cars must be taken off the road legally.

The customers that bought those Beetles will receive cars that were tested at only 30 mph, but the main difference is that these units were made before September 1^st, when the 30 mph speed was legal. This recall affects actually 27 cars and 20 of them are out on the road, according to Matias.

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VW Replaces 20 Beetles With Identical Ones

2011 Audi A8

A few years ago, value for money has not been seen as one of the major "musts" for luxury car customers but nowadays we live in a world of competitive value or better said, perceived value, and things have changed dramatically since then.

Lucky for us that there are resources from where we can get all the necessary info, like Strategic Vision's annual Total Value Index. With a 14^th-years old history, the latest edition shows us a clear winner in the luxury car segment – Audi.

2011 Audi A8

Audi, with its A8 flagship as well as the A5, Q7 and the gorgeous TT, came out on top in the respective segments.  The people over at Strategic Vision determine the vehicle's "total value" by using the responses coming from well over one hundred thousand new car customers every year in order to compile a comprehensive collection of 442 different data points.

To start calculating the "total value" they first point out that owners make about value (e.g. price paid, expected fuel economy, innovation, expected resale value, expected reliability, etc.). After that, the study takes into consideration the importance of variables that make up the ownership experience which is in fact the worth of the attribute weighed against the expenses.

Here is the complete Total Value chart for all segments, as rated by the new car customers:

Small Car: Honda Civic Hybrid 814; Honda Civic Coupe 812
Small Multi-Function: Volkswagen Golf 790
Mid-Size Car: Ford Fusion 802
Mid-Size Multi-Function: Subaru Outback 760
Large Car: Volkswagen CC 806
Near-Luxury Car: Hyundai Genesis 852
Luxury Multi-Function: Lincoln MKT 815
Luxury Car: Audi A8 821
Specialty Coupe: MINI Cooper Hatchback 817
Premium Coupe: Audi TT Coupe 816
Mid Specialty: Honda Accord Coupe 781
Convertible: Saturn Sky 817; Volkswagen New Beetle Convertible 814
Premium Convertible/Roadster: Audi A5 Cabriolet 820
Minivan: Volkswagen Routan 748; Honda Odyssey 746
Entry Utility: Hyundai Tucson 800
Mid-Size Crossover Utility: Ford Flex 786
Mid-Size Traditional Utility: Toyota 4Runner 762
Large Utility: GMC Yukon 747
Near-Luxury Utility: Mercedes-Benz GLK 799
Luxury Utility: Audi Q7 798
Standard Pickup: Honda Ridgeline 732
Full-Size Pickup: Dodge Ram 1500 767; Ford F-150 766
Heavy Duty Pickup: Ford F-250/350 698

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Strategic Vision Study – Audi Is The Most Valuable Luxury Brand

Click here to view the embedded video.

If we look back to 2009, you'll remember that owners of the Nissan GT-R had a serious issue to think about. Their cars came with a launch control system, but by using it, they had to say goodbye to the warranty. The Japanese carmaker decided to avoid the "warranty nightmare" for the 2010 model and they ditched the system.

For the 2012 model, the Nissan GT-R can be fitted with the launch control system as it is listed as optional equipment. The Japanese engineers tweaked the system which now allows the drivers to use it four times in a row, before shutting it off so that the transmission of the car will not have to suffer.

Just like the first generation of the system, the new one, dubbed LC4 launches from 4,000 rpm but it does a better job at minimizing the wheel spin, making the new generation of the car (which is 45 hp more powerful than the outgoing model) a lot faster in a straight line race, comparing to the 2010MY GT-R.

The 530 hp / 448 pound-feet of torque coming from the engine allow the car to reach 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds, with the aid of the sophisticated electronic all-wheel-drive system and the dual-clutch transmission.

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Drag Race – 2012 Nissan GT-R vs 2011 Nissan GT-R

Porsche Cajun Artist Rendering

We mentioned the Cajun back in November and it is no secret that Porsche is currently working hard on a model that will expand its SUV lineup. Based on the Cayenne, the people over at Porsche said that due to the success of this sport utility vehicle, they will "investigate if there are other opportunities."  The head of sales and marketing, Bernhard Maier, said that the Cajun will be an in-house project and will share a platform with another Volkswagen Group brand.

Teamspeed member and rendering specialist Wild-Speed has developed his own view of the upcoming Cajun. The artist conceived the car as a three-door crossover with a sloping roofline that incorporates the styling elements from the latest Cayenne, 918 Spyder and Panamera.

Porsche Cajun Artist Rendering

The car got the green-light for production back in November and it will be an entry-level crossover, created in order to attract new and younger buyers. The car will be an "efficient and sporty model" with "typical Porsche features such as light weight, ease of handling and agility."

The Porsche Cajun will most likely be launched in 2013-2014 and upon its arrival it will have to face up some serious competition coming from the BMX X3, Land Rover Evoque and the Mercedes GLK.

Source: TeamSpeed.com via WorldCarFans.com

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2013 Porsche Cajun Rendered