Autoblog.bz

Lexus will unveil a GS 350 with an F Sport package during the SEMA show this week. The new kit will spotlight interior and chassis upgrades plus a distinct exterior trim.

The GS 350 F Sport edition will feature the V6 3.5L engine that gives out 307 horsepower that is also being used for the standard version of the GS 350. It will also have the sequential shift 6-speed automatic gearbox coupled with the powerful engine plus the shifters.

Included in the F Sport pack will be 19 inch rims, sport tuned adaptive suspension, stiffer bushings, bigger stabilizer bars, and bigger brakes in front. The models on rear wheel drive configuration will also get different widths for the rear (265/35R) and front (235/40R19) tires and variable gear ratio. The All Wheel Drive version will be rolling on 235/40R19 tires on all fours.

Buyers can opt for the new LDH or Lexus Dynamic Handling that goes with dynamic steering for the rear. According to Lexus, this can help customize the suspension tuning to adapt with the speed of the car, conditions of the road surface, and style of driving and at the same time manage the steering angles of the rear and front wheels to improve the turn in response, control, vehicle agility, rear grip, and cornering.

The interior of the F Sport will come with a sport seat with 16 possible settings. The sport seat will have better lateral support, thigh support, lumbar support, adjustable seatback, and side bolsters. The cabin will have aluminum trim, perforated leather, and aluminum pedals. Consumers can order for leather in Cabernet Red.

You can choose from five colors for the GS 350 F Sport edition. There will also be new hues of Liquid Platinum and Riviera Red. The F Sport will have a special mesh grille, special badge, and sport bumper for the front.

Mazda has rolled out motorsport -influenced versions of the Mazda2 and the MX-5 which will be marketed as limited edition run units.

The MX-5 will have the Sport Black version that took its inspiration from the GT racer MX-5 that goes head on with Lotus, Ferrari, and BMW in the Britcar Production GTN Championship

The street version takes its form based on the Sport Tech Roadster Coupe that has 2.0L powerplant and that can give out around 160 bhp. It will also have a hard top roof that is retractable. The limited version ride will come in several finishes like Velocity Red, Crystal White, and Spirited Green.

The MX-5 Sport Black will roll on 17 inch gunmetal alloy rims and will be boasting of an interior dominated by black leather, steering wheel in Black Piano, and limited version floor mats. It will also have the Sport Tech standards like the Bose sound system, cruise control, fog lights, air conditioning, and a hands free kit for Bluetooth.

Mazda will only make 500 samples of the MX-5 special edition for the UK market. The tag price for this ride is expected to hit £22,995 .

The Mazda 2 Black on the other hand will be taking its cue from the Tamura version 1.3L that produces 83 bhp. It will have sports trim rear bumper, vinyl oof, fog lights, privacy glass, and 16 inch alloy wheels. The aircon , fog lights, Bluetooth kit, and limited matting come as standard offerings.

The Black version Mazda2 will come in white shades, green and True Red similar to the shades used for the MX-5. There will be 618 units of this on the UK market and sticker price starts at £12,395.

Both vehicles will be on sale this month.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 2010 New Beetle and its corresponding convertible model failed to meet the new set of safety requirements that were made effective last September 2010. As a result, Volkswagen is replacing all of the 27 models that were released just recently.

Reports say that these Volkswagen Beetle units have failed the barrier tests that were issued by the U.S. government. In response to the crisis, the Volkswagen Group has issued a statement saying that the final assembly process of the said units happened during a specific “brief period” after the new regulations have taken effect. It’s easy to track which units are affected as the VIN numbers of the 27 units can be viewed at the agency’s website.

According to NHTSA, Volkswagen dealers are ready to offer a replacement for the said vehicles, ones that are made compliant with the new September 2010 regulations. The specific figures translates that there’s one unit of 2010 New Beetle Convertible and twenty-six units of the 2010 New Beetle models that are being recalled. As a defense, the carmaker has issued a statement that no actual harm, injury, or crash has been ever reported due to its failure to comply with the said regulations.

The owners of these said 2010 New Beetle units were contacted and notified started February 1. 2, 2011 or they can dial (800) 822-8987 and get in contact with Volkswagen themselves to talk about the procedures to be done.

Find your next Heartland RV at arbogastrvs.com

The car enthusiasts at Road&Track and Motor Trend decided to put the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe to a battle test between its top rival at home and two German competitors just before it rides into the showrooms sometime next month.   The three sports coupes—Ford Shelby GT500, Audi RS5, and the BMW M3—were tested side-by-side with the newcomer Cadillac CTS-V Coupe.

The new Cadillac CTS-V Coupe is supercharged by a 6.2L V8 engine that powers the CTS-V sedan.  It has a peak torque of 551 lb-ft and 556-hp.  The new sports coupe has two options for transmission:  a Hydra-Matic 6L90 6-speed automatic transmission that comes with a paddle-shift controller or a Tremec TR6060 6-speed manual transmission that comes with a dual-disc clutch.  This mean sports coupe can accelerate 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds.  Along with the Brembo brakes, it also has 4-piston calipers at the rear as well as 6-piston calipers at the front.

continue reading…

It is official. The king is gone. BMW recently announced that it will end the production of the BMW M5. The German car marque has officially ended the E60 version of the V10 after 5 years of production and 20,548 units. The numbers surpassed the E3 powered by a V8 even though this beamer had an extra year on its production calendar.

continue reading…

On the internet there are many cars for sale at a good price with quality.

For years, the production of alternative energy vehicles faced skepticism from consumers. Some thought that the production costs would be too much for the economy to handle, while others declared certain energy sources too difficult to maintain. Today, Americans are finally warming up to energy-efficient cars. According to surveys conducted by Capital One Auto Finance, more and more people are thinking about owning a hybrid.

While 96% of Americans still don’t own alternative energy vehicles, 76% have tried driving one, and 78% of the participants believe that these vehicles are here to stay. This is a pretty impressive number for a technology that can turn lifestyles around completely. Apparently, less than 30% of the American population is unwilling to let go of their fuel-run cars.

To boot, 23% of respondents believe that hybrid or alternative vehicles will contribute more than half of automotive sales in the next ten years. This is more optimism than expected from most Americans, and it gives us more confidence that it’s possible for Japan to make half of its vehicles alternative-fuel-dependent.

continue reading…

Find Car Insurance deals at quoteme.ie

Top carmakers battle it out no holds barred at FIA GT1 racing featuring their race cars based on their production vehicles. Recently Nissan uncovered the new GT1 racer in the form of the Nissan GT-R.

The car is a product of the collaboration between Nissan, NISMO, Sumo Power GT, and Swiss Racing. The GT-R GT1 is stripped down as focused as it could be. The details about the car are limited but it will join the battle for supremacy in 10 GT1 races kicking off in Abu Dhabi.

The previous Nissan race car used a V-8 VK56DE racing powerplant that has a displacement of 5.6L and is capable of giving out 600 horsepower and has a torque of 480 pound feet. The racing engine is coupled with a 6-speed Ricardo sequential transmission with a triple plate clutch.

continue reading…

Many may have been wondering what happened to the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee unveiled by Chrysler during the 2009 New York Auto Show. The new vehicle is nowhere to be seen. If you are a fan of Cherokee, you do not have to wait too long since the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be out by the second quarter of 2010.

Michael Manley, Jeep CEO, explains that they have completed the development work and they are not studying how the new Cherokee should be priced and package.

The 2011 Grand Cherokee will be the first major launch of the brand under the helm of the Fiat Group and its top executive Sergio Marchionne. The different brands of Chrysler have been hungry for new releases in recent years because of the company’s poor performance and resulting financial struggle.

Looking at the design lines of the Jeep Grand Cherokee displayed at last year’s auto show in New York, it seems it will be able to boos the numbers for the brand and reverse its fortune of a 31% drop in sales back in 2009.

continue reading…

When it comes to modifying high-end cars, one can go from the extreme to the insane then to the level of Mansory. Once again, they make all eyes go big as they Mansory-nized a Chopster of Porsche Cayenne. They dropped the ride and made almost everything carbon fiber. This is just another day at the office for the designers.

The transformation isn’t pure Mansory effort since they were able to purchase the Rinspeed arm of Porsche. They purchased the tuning firm last November. But it is so obvious that all the creative juices applied on the Chopster is from Mansory.

The facelifting Mansory to the Porsche Cayenne made it wider by 80 mm. They also injected some upgrades to boost the SUV’s performance which included a seemingly overkill on the braking power of the vehicle. The tuning team installed 375 mm in the rear while doing 420 mm rotors on the front which looked normal brakes inside the 23×11 wheels.

continue reading…

The market of the auto industry undeniably shrunk as the global economy struggled in the past year. Mini thinks ahead and expands its network of dealerships in the United States. The car maker, operating under the umbrella of BMW, will have 34 new stores strategically located in different states. The move will bring the Mini dealerships to 120 in three years time from the current number of 86.

The car maker plans to reach more people as they plan to build on bigger metros and markets which are new to the brand. According to an insider, Mini is planning to increase their sales in double percentage digits compared to the 54,077 units sold in 2008. To achieve their goal, the aggressive expansion is really a necessity.

What Mini aims for is not really indicative of the current demand of their North American market but it is the vision of the company to push their sales up. This entails also improving the demand for their cars by 2011.

It is really quite a risk to take since the economy is set to slowly recover in a matter of years. Growth will come not in months but in years if all improvement factors fall into place. With new models to be released, Mini might just get what they foresee.

continue reading…