Archive for March, 2010

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Aston Martin Rapide

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

Speed and style for the rich and famous
By Nauman Farooq

Car companies are always looking for the “Next Big Thing.”

In the 1980’s it was the minivan. The 1990’s belonged to the SUV craze, and the last decade has been all about hybrids.

Aston Martin Rapide

Aston Martin Rapide

It looks like the next big thing is the automotive industry might just be four-door supercars.

Porsche has one, Audi is about to have one, Bugatti is working on one, and Lamborghini is thinking about one.

Aston Martin on the other hand has just come out with one. It’s called the Rapide and it’s their first four-door car since the Lagonda bowed out in 1989.

Don’t go around looking for any similarities between the Lagonda and the Rapide though, they might have the same company emblem on their noses, but where the Lagonda was ugly, the Rapide is simply gorgeous. (more…)

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Geneva: Production models coming this way

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Hot and interesting, all-new or fully redesigned

By Marc Lachapelle

The Geneva auto show was again replete with gorgeous European cars that will sadly not cross the Atlantic but thankfully also several that will, in addition to new entries from Asian brands making their world début at Palexpo.

Audi R8

Audi R8 Spyder

The Audi RS5 rolled in, powered by a 450-hp, direct-injected version of the excellent 4.2-litre V8 that is bound to find its way under the glass rear hatch of the R8, along with its 7-speed dual automated clutch gearbox. No date set for RS5’s arrival on this continent, though. As well, the A1 compact hatch was shown in Geneva with a hybrid powertrain but is unfortunately not yet ready for prime time in North America. (more…)

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Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Extended-range sports car at the electronic vanguard
By Marc Lachapelle

Lotus is back in F1 this year and Colin Chapman’s philosophy lives on in the cars designed by Group Lotus, owned by Malaysian carmaker Proton. In Geneva, Lotus Engineering unveiled the Evora 414E Hybrid, a concept that embodies its core principles: lightweight construction, efficiency, leading-edge electronics and exceptional dynamics.

Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept

Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept

Based on the new 2+2 sports car that will be coming to North America this year, the Evora 414E Hybrid is named for the 414 horsepower (in PS, the German measure) produced by its innovative plug-in and extended-range hybrid powertrain. This equates to 408 SAE horsepower and Lotus says its hybrid sports car can sprint to 100 km/h in about 4 seconds. About as quick as a supercar or the all-electric Tesla roadster, largely built at Lotus cars, by the way.

Each of the 414E Hybrid’s rear wheels is driven by an electric motor that produces 204 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. By modulating the output to each wheel individually Lotus uses ‘torque-vectoring’ to define the car’s handling. The system should finely control understeer and oversteer, prevent slides as would a conventional yaw control system and enhance high-speed stability. Agility and turn-in are also improved beyond steering input by accelerating the outside driven wheel a touch more. (more…)

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Aston Martin Cygnet

Monday, March 8th, 2010

By Nauman Farooq

The name Aston Martin holds lots of street cred. Just utter its name to anyone and immediately they imagine a sleek and sexy super sports car that James Bond goes to work in.

Aston Martin Cygnet

Aston Martin Cygnet

You’d have to imagine really hard to picture agent 007 in their latest offering though. It’s called the Cygnet, and it’s their first ever attempt at a city car.

Aston Martin believes the Cygnet is a “tailor-made solution designed for the heart of the city.” The whole idea is, that since most major city centers are clogged with traffic, hence highly unsuitable for a supercar like their flagship DBS, you can still have a city car that has most of the style and luxury of an exotic car, but in a much smaller package. (more…)

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In Pictures: Geneva 2010 Press Days

Monday, March 8th, 2010

An insiders look at the 2010 Press days for the 80th International Motor Show in Geneva.

Geneva 2010

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Smart trip north to Inuvik 2010

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Tiny ForTwo a novelty turned protector after crossing Arctic Circle in mid-winter
By Michael Bettencourt

Inuvik, NWT – The ‘Inuvik or bust’ message scrawled into the slush-covered rear of our tiny Smart Fortwo somewhere north of Whitehorse was not meant to be taken literally. But in the midst of a 2,610 km trek to Inuvik, the furthest north one can drive in Canada and likely North America year round, it seemed like only one would prevent the other.

And it almost did.

smart fortwo

smart fortwo

But first, think of a checklist of things you’d want in a vehicle for a long road trip up north in the middle of winter: all-wheel drive or 4×4 traction to help get through deep snow, high ground clearance (ditto), and plenty of cargo room for extra food, emergency supplies, and warm weather gear would all be high on the list. Our two-seat Smart, a city commuter more used to battling parking police than high polar winds, had none of these. (more…)

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Volvo S60

Monday, March 8th, 2010

By Nauman Farooq

The four-door coupe segment is getting more and more popular. Mercedes-Benz started this whole trend nearly five years ago with the introduction of the CLS, and since then, VW, Audi and even Hyundai have gotten on with this styling trend.

Volvo S60

Volvo S60

The latest company to follow this trend is Volvo with their new S60. “The no. 60 is reserved for our sportiest models” says Stephen Odell, president and CEO of Volvo cars.

He goes on to say, “now with the S60 we’re placing ourselves on the true enthusiast’s radar.”

To really get the enthusiasts attention, the new S60 will be launched with their 3.0-liter, straight-six, turbo-charged engine which develops 304hp. There will be four more engines on offer, including two diesels, but no word yet which ones will be offered in Canada. While front-wheel drive is standard, all-wheel drive will be available across the range. Same with the choice of gearboxes, six-speed manual is standard, while a six-speed Geartronic automatic is available as an option. (more…)

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Bentley Continental GTC Super Sports

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

By Nauman Farooq

A decade ago, the Volkswagen Group was feeling rather wealthy and wanted to go shopping for some car companies.

Bentley Continental GTC Super Sports

Bentley Continental GTC Super Sports

In a giant scoop they picked up Lamborghini, Bugatti and Bentley.

At the time, Bentley was a rather small company with three models to offer to its customers, the Arnage sedan, the Continental T coupe, and the Azure convertible.

However, with Volkswagens money, Bentley started developing a new line-up of cars. First up was an all new coupe named the Continental GT (2004). This vehicle used a lot of the technology that was developed for the VW Phaeton sedan, and this included its all-wheel drive system and its engine, only in the Bentley, the massive 6.0-liter W-12 motor had gained two turbo-chargers resulting in 552 hp. (more…)

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Mercedes-Benz F800 Style leaps ahead

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Concept coupe-sedan pushes design and technology envelopes
By Marc Lachapelle

The superb F 800 Style concept could prefigure the next CLS or C-Class sedan but Mercedes has simply revealed it as a ‘research vehicle’ in Geneva. The F 800 follows the twelve such ‘studies’ shown by the dean of automakers in the past two decades, starting with the Auto 2000 in 1981. The most recent was the long and sleek F 700 luxury sedan unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Auto Show and powered by the ground-breaking DiesOtto engine.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz F800

This time, the Mercedes-Benz advanced engineering group and design studios teamed up to create a slimmer and more compact sedan 4.75 metres in length. It’s just a touch shorter than the current 4.91-metre CLS which created the new ‘coupe-sedan’ styling trend after its launch in 2006.

The F 800 Style looks stunning, with short overhangs and sculpted flanks that are strangely remindful of the infamous and controversial ‘flame-surfacing’ treatment championed by a Bavarian arch-rival. It is unique for its rear doors that slide open rearwards, in parallel with the body, making access easier for passengers in tight parking spots. (more…)

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Ferrari goes Hybrid too

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Maranello’s F1-inspired Hy-KERS Concept
By Marc Lachapelle

Despite huge development costs and great hopes of making Formula One racing more eco-friendly, the Kinetic energy recuperation system (KERS) used by some teams during the 2009 season has been dropped for this year. The technology does work and both Ferrari and McLaren have won races thanks to it.

Ferrari HY-KERS Concept

Ferrari HY-KERS Concept

The hallowed Italian maker has also used its experience with the KERS system in F1 to create a lightweight hybrid powertrain it plans to use on its production cars. The system is first seen in the Hy-KERS, a prototype based on the 599 GTB Fiorano that is displayed at the Palexpo in Geneva.

Ferrari promises that the new system can be adapted to any of its powertrains, regardless of the engine’s position in the cars. The intention is to shrink their carbon footprint by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, the most infamous of the dreaded ‘greenhouse’ gases.

(more…)

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