04 July 2008
Written by
Udit Bhandari (
)
Published on July 4th, 2008 @ 10:10:57 am, using 184 words, 23 views
All car manufacturers are facing the brunt of high fuel prices, however GM is facing more heat as it’s product portfolio is not oriented towards high fuel efficiency as compared to the Japanese or even European manufacturers. GM wants to get out of this sticky situation and the car which it thinks can get it out of the hole in America is the Chevrolet Beat mini car. The Beat is a small 3 door hatchback with a 1.2 litre turbo gasoline engine which can deliver upto 40 mpg. The Chevrolet Beat is more than a foot shorter than anything else which GM sells in the U.S market currently.
At the New York Auto Show this year the Beat managed to attract quite a few onlookers mainly because of it’s ultra hip, fast and the furious type styling. Th car’s wheelbase is stretched out with the wheels at extreme corners to generate maximum interior room.
I expect the Beat to do well in the U.S market with maximum sales coming from young buyers who can afford the $10,000 estimated starting price and need high fuel efficiency too.
03 July 2008
Written by
Udit Bhandari (
)
Published on July 3rd, 2008 @ 01:09:08 pm, using 370 words, 178 views
BMW’s now long in the tooth 7 Series has been losing the sales game to more able competitors like the Mercedes S Class and the Audi A8. BMW is looking at hitting back with the latest generation 7 Series which it has revealed now. The old 7 Series had the typical Bangle design effect, people either loved it or hated it but the new 7 Series has a new design lineage which BMW hopes would please majority of it’s intended customers. The fifth generation 7 Series comes with a host of technology innovations including a revised range of gasoline and diesel engines, chassis and suspension modification and a new-age in-car entertainment system, basically a lot of ammo with which it can fight off the S Class and the A8.
American customers will be offered just one engine to begin with, the 400 bhp twin-turbo V8 with 442 pound/feet of torque capable of propellng the 750i from 0 to 60 mph in less than 5.2 seconds and up to a top whack of 155 mph. Ultimately, buyers would be able to choose from options of a 326 bhp twin-turbo 3 liter gasoline and a 245 bhp 3 liter diesel.
The new 7 Series is longer and lower than its predecessor and also rides on a wheelbase that has been increased by a considerable 3.3 inches. The body is fashioned primarily from aluminum, which is used for the hood, roof, doors and fenders to reduce the car’s weight thereby improving performance and fuel economy which is estimated to be in the range of 20 mpg in normal urban driving conditions.
A new 2nd generation iDrive system finds its place in the new 7 Series which can be used to gain access to the car’s Internet function as well. Driver assist systems on the new 7 include active cruise control with a new stop-and-go capability, lane departure warning, blind spot detection, heads-up display, night vision with pedestrian detection and sideview and reversing cameras. That’s bleeding edge tech to make sure BMW’s tech savvy customers keep themselves busy behind the wheel or in the back seat.
Though BMW has not officially announced a launch date for the U.S, we estimate March 2009 is when we would see this new work of tech-art roll into showrooms here. BMW would be banking on this one.
Written by
Udit Bhandari (
)
Published on July 3rd, 2008 @ 12:36:22 pm, using 133 words, 26 views
Hummer has launched the latest version of it’s H3 dubbed the H3 Sensation in Europe. The H3 Sensation was rolled out on Wednesday by GM Europe in Switzerland. This seems like GM Europe’s last ditch effort to spruce up sales of the gas guzzling SUV by offering customers many goodies at no extra cost, including a high end Monsoon sound system, a unique body-color grille, power glass sunroof, black tubular side steps, black roof crossbars and an in-dash 6 CD changer. Hummer says the goodies are equivalent of about $6,300 and are being given away for free. Europeans are being battered by $6-$9 per gallon as prices yet Hummer is optimistic about their latest offering. The H3 Sensation is not going on sale in U.S.A though and would only be sold across the ocean.
Written by
Udit Bhandari (
)
Published on July 3rd, 2008 @ 12:12:57 pm, using 123 words, 32 views
Now you can roam the world in 3D on the internet through other people’s trips. Google Earth’s latest innovation lets you mark an entire road trip and document place marks and pictures along the way which friends and family can view in 3D. When starting out a trip the origin needs to be marked and then each place of importance/activity can be marked along with specific pictures and notes e.g: sightseeing stops, eateries, motor sport venues etc. You can send links of your trail to friends and family who can check your trip out trough Google Earth’s three dimensional rendering of the view from start to finish. Learn more through googletouring.com’s tutorial on how to start documenting your own trips.
25 April 2008
Written by
Udit Bhandari (
)
Published on April 25th, 2008 @ 03:04:22 am, using 134 words, 223 views
Volkswagen’s BlueTDI engine technology, a next generation turbo diesel developed especially for the North American market is set to debut in the Jetta in mid 2008 according to a company release. This common rail engine is based on the high-tech TDI, which was first introduced in Europe in 2007 with the Tiguan. The BlueTDI engine already satisfies the Euro-5 standard that comes into effect in autumn 2009 but in order to meet specific operating conditions in some states of the U.S. (eg- California), this 4 cylinder engine was modified.
The Jetta BlueTDI is touted as one of the cleanest and most economic
cars of its class in the world. On the highway, for example, this engine can reach up to 60 miles per gallon! The 2.0 litre engine is also not a slouch with 140 PS and 320 Nm of torque.
13 March 2008
Written by
Sid (
)
Published on March 13th, 2008 @ 12:41:58 am, using 250 words, 159 views
Nissan may have fallen behind its close rivals in the race for the hybrid car market but they seem to be getting geared up to compete in the market for the next generation EVs. It’s not the first vehicle of its kind from the carmaker though; Nissan will be presenting the new electric concept car at New York Auto Show ’08.
Though the name of this EV shown above is yet unclear, right now it’s being called as the “Cube”. By 2010, the Cube will be available in America and Japan as a fleet vehicle. This fleet testing will continue for about couple of years and in 2012 the ‘Cube’ would be made available to individual buyers.
Nissan has partnered with the Japanese electric giant, NEC Corporation to make the ‘Cube’ a reality. The Cube small car will be powered by lithium ion batteries. Currently, a very similar model is available in Japan but only the next generation model of this vehicle would come to America. The New York Auto Show ’08 will put more light on Nissan’s EV but company officials have said that the next generation of EVs would be built on similar lines and styling as the ‘Cube’.
This new generation, eco-friendly Nissan will be capable of attaining a top speed of 75 mph with a range of 100 miles and will take about 8 hours to recharge. Though the ‘Cube’ looks very tardy and won’t add zilch to your image, it does do a lot for your ‘green image’.
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