2011 Ac Cobra MkVI

Ac Cars have revealed today the first details and images of their new Ac Cobra MkVI, which will have its official debut next month at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The car will celebrate the company's 110^th birthday and promises to combine raw American muscle power with German engineering. Under the hood there will be a V8 Corvette engine that will output 430 hp, allowing the car to do the 0-60 mph sprint in less than three seconds, onto a top speed of 210 mph.

2011 Ac Cobra MkVI

The base price for the 2011 Ac Cobra MkVI is going to be 109,000 Euros, without the taxes. In Europe, the car will be available for sale in the United Kingdom, at the Brooklands Ac Heritage Center, located in Surrey. In addition, the car can also be purchased from AC Germany, located in Dresden. For those of you that live in the United States, Iconic Motors will be selling the model.

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Geneva Preview – 2011 AC Cobra MkVI

Porsche 911 Roadster By RUF

Ruf Automobile, Porsche's tuner, is currently working on ten electric cars with three different powertrains, based on the 911 Carrera (997). All of them will be put to the test in "real life situations". All of the prototypes will be developed in collaboration with Siemens AG and will be launched in the first half of this year.

The first variant will have a single motor concept and its electric motor will develop 241 hp (180 kW). It will feature a 29 kWh lithium-ion battery and Porsche's standard gearbox used for speed reduction. This model will have an estimated driving range of 93 miles (150 km) and will be able to hit a top speed of 137 mph (220 km/h). The car will be able to do the 0-60 mph sprint in 7 seconds.

The second variant will benefit from a twin motor concept, allowing the cars to do the sprint to 60 mph in 5 seconds, onto a top speed of 137 mph (220 km/h). The two synchronous electric motors will be able to deliver 335 hp (250 kW) and will be linked to a 2-speed automatic transmission. The car will have a wider driving range, capable of doing 124 mph (200 km) thanks to the bigger battery pack (36,6 kWh).

The third variant will be the one with the same twin motor setup, but with torque vectoring. RUF's engineers have mounted two separate gearboxes into the car, each powering a rear wheel. Driving range and acceleration will remain the same, but the estimated top speed will decrease to 112 mph (180 km/h).

Source: Carscoop

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RUF Working On Carrera-Based EVs

Seat Alhambra

Seat Alhambra, Volkswagen Sharan's Spanish sibling is now available with a permanent all-wheel-drive system, borrowed from the latest generation of 4×4 systems developed by the German automaker.

Seat Alhambra

According to the officials over at Seat, the 4×4 system has been tuned in order to offer "a surprising level of sporty driving fun" – I highly doubt that tough. The system is operated by a multi-plate clutch that is capable of sending the power to the axle that needs it the most. In case the front wheels start slipping, the electrically-driven annular piston pump builds up the oil pressure for the clutch in order to divert a large part of the driving force to the rear wheels.

Seat Alhambra

The Seat Alhambra fitted with the 4WD system will be available in conjunction with the 2.0-liter TDI engine that cranks out 140 hp, the most powerful diesel in the lineup. This power unit is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, allowing the car to reach a top speed of 118 mph (191 km/h). Not like it matters, but it will do the spring to 60 mph in 11.4 seconds.

Seat Alhambra

As far as the fuel consumption is concerned, the Spanish MPV will do 39.2 mpg (6 liters / 100 km) while the CO2 emissions stand at 158 g / km, thanks to the Ecomotive package that features an automatic start/stop system and a brake energy recuperation system.

Seat Alhambra

This version of the MPV will be available starting with this summer, in the Reference and Style trim levels, offering 5 seats inside the cabin. In the last part of this year, customers will be able to buy the Alhambra with a 2+2+2 seating configuration.

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Seat's Alhambra Minivan Gets 4WD

First Gen Fiat Multipla

The first generation of the Fiat Multipla has to be one of the ugliest cars in the world. It was a very wired car, much shorter and wider in comparison to other MPVs, and had two rows of three seats, in comparison to other cars in this segment that have two seats in the front. The first generation was shorter that the 3-door Bravo, upon which it was based.

First Gen Fiat Multipla

The main reason why I don't like the design of the car is the crazy way its bonnet meets the windscreen. Every time I look at it I think that a 5-year-old designed it. Those stalk-like mirrors and that mammoth glasshouse make the car look hideous.

2010 Fiat Multipla

Fiat learned from this huge mistake and they launched in 2004 a major facelift, offering a more restrained look. The second generation model doesn't look bad at all although it has a boring design, just like all MPVs.

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Why I Don’t Like The Fiat Multipla

I don’t know about the Stig, but Germans sure have gasoline running through their veins. The researches at the AutoNOMOS Labs in Germany have conceived and developed a ystem that drives a vehicle by reading a person’s brain waves. Yup, sci-fi aaaaaall the way.

The same research facility has previously tampered with an iPhone, so that it can drive a car. Now they’ve taken it to the next level. In order to achieve this feat, they taught a computer to read the electromagnetic signals from a set of sensors placed on the driver’s body. The entire concept is a long way from hitting the mass market, but it’s a start.

Still, we wouldn’t agree that this is the best idea. Our thoughts can be our worst enemy sometimes and giving a car directions from inside our head could be… at least dangerous. But, hopefully, we won’t get there soon.

Check out the explanatory video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Source: Jalopnik.

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Mind control driving. In Germany, of course

It seems that Nissan is having some serious problems keeping with the increasing demand for the Leaf. The Japanese automaker was forced to stop taking orders for its EV model so that they could concentrate on rolling out the existing ones. However, the company's projected production figures show that Nissan will be able to assemble only 10,000 Leafs until March 31^st. We say "only" because at the moment they have received about 27,000 orders from Japan, United States and Europe.

Most likely, the remaining 17,000 units will be delivered in the next fiscal year that starts on April 1^st, during which the automaker will reach its maximum production capacity of 50,000 units at its factory located in Oppama, Japan.

Thanks to this increase in production, Nissan might take 33,000 new orders in the upcoming fiscal year, but nothing is certain at the moment. Toshiyuki Shiga, Nissan's Chief Operating Officer, said that the automaker wants to "deliver enough volume to the first lot" before taking new orders.

One of the viable solutions to this problem would be to open the new assembly lines sooner than programmed, but he ruled out this possibility due to the reason that work has just started on the factory that would provide the additional necessary lithium-ion battery packs.

The shortage could last longer than expected because the company's factory in the United Kingdom will start making the Leaf next year, while the Tennessee plant will start producing the EV in 2013.

Source: Autonews via Carscoop

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Nissan Cannot Keep Pace With Leaf Demand

Facebook is all the rage these days and we’re fully committed to it. Since we get a lot of interesting news there, we thought it might be a good idea to help you keep updated with all your The Fast and the Furious Five news. The cool thing is that you can get cool stuff, like pictures and videos and such from the actors themselves.
But it’s not fun if it’s not a race, so let’s see who has the fastest and the most furious fans on Facebook:

7. Tyrese Gibson – 2,300
6. Elsa Pataky – 4,339
5. Jordana Brewster – 38,440
4. Paul Walker – 421,463
3. Ludacris - 1,675,864
2. Dwayne Johnson – 2,093,416
1. Vin Diesel – 20,762,247

Vin Diesel’s gazillion fans are not only a large crowd, but they are also very committed and extremely active. It’s clear that nothing can replace heartfelt, personally written Facebook status updates.

Photo source.

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The Fast and the Furious Five – who has the most fans?

Maserati GranCabrio Sport

I've always liked the Maserati GranCabrio for one reason – it offers enough space for the people sitting in the back. There aren't many cars that can do that and on some models I can't even understand why they installed back seats because you simply cannot fit in there. Anyway, the Italian automaker Maserati will bring to this year's Geneva Motor Show the GranCabrio Sport, after launching the original model back in 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

The GranCabrio Sport will fit in nicely alongside the Quattroporte Sport GT S and the GranTurismo S. It will come with a more fuel-efficient and powerful version of the company's V8 4.7-litre engine, mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox made by ZF.

Maserati GranCabrio Sport

The naturally-aspirated engine will produce 450 hp (331 kW) and 510 Nm of torque. The Italian engineers managed to lower the car's fuel consumption by 6% thanks to the Friction Reduction Program that has also made the power unit more responsive to the driver's actions. With this engine, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport will be able to hit a top speed of 285 km/h.

The aforementioned 6-speed gearbox developed by MG will benefit from the super-fast MC Auto Shift software and has been developed directly from the transmission found in the Quattroporte Sport GT S.

Maserati GranCabrio Sport

The car will also have better handling capabilities thanks to the updated Skyhook active-suspension system that will feature a sportier tuning. In addition the GranCabrio Sport will benefit from grooved and drilled dual-cast brake discs.

Maserati GranCabrio Sport

Design-wise, the new model has a more pronounced dynamic appearance. In the front it has a black grille along with a Trident with red accents. The car's headlights have a black look with white sidemarks. The updated side skirts and the front corner splitters are both body colored.  Customers will have the possibility to choose a new color, dubbed "Rosso Trionfale" – inspired from the 50s racing Maseratis.

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Geneva Preview – Maserati GranCabrio Sport

IED Abarth Scorp-Ion Concept

Among the many new concepts set to be revealed this year at Geneva is the IED Abarth Scorp-Ion, which will be a 2-seater sportscar that will combine the company's core values of compactness and performance with an eco-friendly electric powertrain.

This concept was created by the students of the Masters of Arts in Transportation Design – work experience at IED, based in Turin, Italy. Developed in collaboration with Abarth, the Scorpion concept targets exploring the essence of the brand, independently from the Fiat models.

The concept measures 4,010 mm in length, 1,905 mm in width and has a height of 1,192 mm. The Scorp-Ion has a wheelbase that measures 2,350 mm and combines a 2-seat layout with an electric powertrain that is powered by lithium-ion batteries that were installed behind the seats, under the load floor. In order to optimize the available interior space, the concept benefits from four in-heel electric motors.

The seven students that worked at the Scorp-Ion concept were by the senior designer of Pininfarina, Luca Borgogno and Maserati's designer, Luigi Giampolo.

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Geneva Preview – IED Abarth Scorp-Ion Concept

2012 Mazda3

The 2012 Mazda3 has been revealed ahead of its public debut which will occur this year at the Canadian International Show. This mild facelift brings modified bumpers, an updated grille as well as new headlights. Customers will have to choose from a brand new set of 16- or 17-inch wheels.

2012 Mazda3

Most likely, the facelift version will have the same engines as the outgoing model. However, the Japanese automaker plans to offer a high-efficiency variant that will feature a SKYACTIV-G petrol engine, mated to a SKIACTIV-Drive automatic transmission. Although no specifications were revealed, the new 4-cylinder engine promises to deliver "higher torque at low- and mid-range", in order to offer "better drivability with less fuel consumption."

The 2012 Mazda3 will be launched sometime this fall.

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Mazda3 Facelift Revealed