RPMGO Car Blog |
- In Depth: 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
- Honda Fit EV Concept Released
- Report: Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept
- Nissan Ellure Concept Revealed
- 2015 Lotus Elise Preview
- Chrysler Invests $843 Million
- Rumor – GM Launching Chinese Baojun Brand
- Mitsubishi Planning A 2013 Plug-In Hybrid
- Hyundai-Kia Group Overtakes Toyota Sales In Europe
| In Depth: 2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:42 AM PST  2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Jens Schulenburg, who is Bugatti's vehicle engineer chef, recently stated that it is not possible to customize the standard Veyron to be just as fast as the limited edition Super Sport model."To get more horsepower, you need more cooling. To get more cooling, you need more airflow through more and bigger radiators. To accomplish this, you need to redesign the front end. When you do that, you change the aerodynamic balance of the car at speed. To rebalance the car, you need to change the roof and rear fascia." What did we learn from this? That the Super Sport edition that has a staggering price of $2.58 million is not just a Veyron with a performance chip installed. The SS is a heavily modified version of the standard 1011 hp, quad-turbo, AWD, sixteen-cylinder hypercar. Although the original Veyron was a success as Bugatti sold 260 cars since it was first introduced back in 2005, why would they make such a big fuss for the Super Sport taking into consideration that only 40 cars will be produced? The standard edition manufacturing will stop once they hit 300 units. Julius Kruta, Bugatti's Head of Tradition said that the current standard model owners want a more dynamic and exciting driving experience and once the Super Sport was announced, the preorders were made by the current Veyron owners. The Super Sport now features NACA ducts instead of the roof-mounted engine air scoops that are available on the standard model; it has a more open front fascia which is more vertical because the car now requires extra ducting and cooling. In addition, the back of the Veyron Super Sport is now reshaped for aero and a new rim design was implemented that will provide a more efficient brake cooling and better exhausting. Even more than that, the weight of a wheel has shrunk with six pounds, making the car even lighter than before. All these modifications offer the car a more aggressive and integrated exterior appearance. Moving inside, nothing really has changed in comparison to the standard model and put side by side with the Grand Sport, the car looks less elegant but that is not necessarily a bad thing as the business-look fits very well into the picture. The aluminum instrument panel structure is made out of a single piece of metal and what Bugatti did is they acquired enough aluminum from the same batch so that they could have the possibility to manufacture all the interior pieces needed for the entire 40 car batch of Super Sports. Why? Because the different batches of metals absorb color with various results which meant that not all cars would have been the same.  2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport In order to add the extra 20 % power to the Super Sport, the engineers at Bugatti had to install 10% larger turbochargers to the W16 8.0-liter monster. In addition, the car got new intercoolers that permit a more flowing boost – 1.5 in comparison to 1.2. At 6,400 rpm the driver is able to control all of the horsepower – 1,200 hp and the max torque is obtained between 3,000-5,000 rpm (1,106 pound-feet), which is 1,000 higher in comparison with the standard Veyron. The engineers at Bugatti made several changes to the seven-speed DSG hydraulic gearbox which now features stronger cogs for the 2nd and 3rd gear, a revised programming, a taller 7th gear and the cooling is now more efficient than before. The brakes of the Super Sport are the same with the standard model which means that it has the same carbon ceramic discs, measuring 11.8-inch in the back and 15.70-inch in the front. The brakes feature 6-piston calipers in the back and 8-piston in the front. The units were slimmed down with 110 pounds and now feature a more efficient cooling and ducting. Although several weight reducing methods were implemented to the car, the Super Sport is still a heavy automobile at its 4,100 pounds. The Super Sport rides on hand-made Michelin 20-inch tires (365mm in the back and 265mm in the front). The price for four of these tires is $42,000 / set. The tires have 5mm of useful tread which gives them about 10,000 miles autonomy in normal driving use. The car is capable of doing 258 mph but the production units will be electronically limited to 248 mph in order to maintain the rims shod in functional rubber. We are eager to find out what will the other competitors bring to the table to steal the no.1 position of the fastest production car in the world. Now, the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is without any doubt the fastest automobile ever produced and it looks like it will remain in the same position for a good amount of time. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:40 AM PST  Honda Fit EV Concept Honda has big plans of introducing new alternative-energy automobiles that will further increase their sales. For this reason, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Japanese manufacturer announced their Fit EV Concept along with the plug-in hybrid platform that will develop other environment-friendly vehicles. The officials at Honda stated that the car "hints strongly at the direction and styling for Honda’s upcoming production Fit EV all-electric vehicle", but we think that this is not entirely true as the car has the same styling as the upcoming production Fit EV all-electric vehicle, except the garish EV decals. The autonomy of the car with a lithium-ion battery of yet unannounced specifications, will allow the Fit EV to travel 70 miles on a single charge. Honda said that it will do even 100 miles on the LA4 city cycle but only 70 miles "when applying the EPA's adjustment factor," – with other words, real world usage. The car will feature three distinct driving modes: Econ, Normal and Sport. The first one offers a more generous driving range (17% more than Normal and 25% more than Sport). In order to further increase the maximum range of the car, the Fit EV will "coach" the owner of the car to drive more efficiently and recommend turning off the air conditioning system from time to time which might get a little annoying to be honest. The engineers at Honda said that with the Sport mode activated, the care will behave like a normal small-sized conventional car that has a 2.0-liter engine. The engineers affirmed that the electric power unit that equips the Fit EV is derived from the FCX Clarity. This is a very good thing taking into consideration that electric motors offer an excellent low-end torque and the gas-powered Fit's piddling 106 lb-ft, which means that the electrical version might be more agile than the conventional model. The top speed of the model will be 90 mph which is 25 mph lower in comparison with the standard model.  Honda Fit EV Concept Moving inside the car we notice that nothing has really changed in comparison with the regular model, except of course for the EV dash. In the right binnacle, the gas gauge was replaced by a charge-level meter and in the left we have a status indicator that tells the driver if the electric motor is charging or discharging the lithium-ion batteries. We also have the three buttons for the driving mode: Econ, Normal and Sport. A very popular practice these days regarding electrical vehicles is a smartphone application that will allow the owner of the car to check out the state of the car's batteries without having to go to the car to find out. This application can also allow the driver to remotely power up the climate control system when the Fit EV is connected to the grid so that it will eat less battery at ignition. The car will come as standard with a navigation system so that the owner won't have any problems finding the closest charging station for the Fit EV. The lithium-ion batteries of the car need "lees than 12 hours" for a full charge on a 120-volt outlet and less than 6 hours for a 240-volt one. At the Los Angeles Motor Show, Honda also showed the world their idea of a public charging station which is in fact a slender white gas pump-esque tower that features an electrical cord hanging off of it in comparison to the regular dirty fuel hose we are all used to for decades. As far as the private charging is concerned, people that want to purchase the Honda Fit EV should seriously consider fitting their homes with a 240-volt unit because the production of this car will start in 2012 and it will be available for sale in Japan and United States. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Report: Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:38 AM PST  Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept Earlier this year at the Paris Auto Show, everybody was waiting to see the replacement of the Murcielago but the Italian only teased us with this stunning Sesto Elemento Concept. The successor of the fastest production model from Lamborghini will be announced next year in March at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show. If we take a closer look at this concept we will notice that it has a compact design although it has a mid-engine layout with a very short rear overhang. We are all accustomed to the wedgy shapes of the Lamborghini models but this one is even more spectacular than the Reventon – which was the ultra low-volume spinoff of the Murcielago a few years ago. The Sesto Elemento Concept shocked the crowed with its plethora of air vents, triangular elements and spoilers that protrude from or perforate its body. The concept was designed with a racing-type quick-refueling system and the rear end of the car is wide open in order to allow curious visitors to have a closer look at the exhaust system which is installed through the engine cover above the taillights. The roof and the front end of the car are marked by sharp folded creases and the back part of the roof has two intake ducts as well as two parallel lines of five holes that are located above the cylinder banks. Below that we find the powerful V-10 power unit. These hexagonal shapes of various elements of the car were inspired by Bertone's ex-designer, Marcello Gandini – the one who created the beautiful Miura in the 70s and the stunning Countach back in the 80s. Although the shape of the car is quite familiar to the most of us, the design of the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento is somewhat different in comparison to previous models manufactured by the Italian automobile maker. These wild and bold designs of the car relate more to a video game of some sort or to a very courageous tuning program. In fact, there were a few discussions at Audi about whether to show the car or not at the Paris Auto Show, taking into consideration that the Sesto Elemento Concept is different than previous Lamborghini models. We are happy that the bosses at Audi showed as this stunning car.  Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept We haven't mentioned the fact that the entire body of this concept is made out of matte-finish carbon fiber – a very expensive and light material that allows the car to have a curb weight of only 2200 pounds. Combining this figure with the V10 engine capable of outputting 570 hp at 8,000 rpm and a torque of 398 lb-ft at 6,500 rpm – the performance of the car should be jaw dropping. Officials at Lamborghini have stated that the Sesto Elemento Concept needs only 2.5 seconds in order to reach 62 mph. Top speed of the car should be approximately 200 mph. The uberlight carbon fiber was used not only on the exterior panels of the car, but also for the crumple zones, wheels, front subframe and for the passenger-holding monocoque. Aluminum was used for the rear subframe in contrast with the rest. The powerful V10 engine is linked to an E-gear 6-speed automated manual gearbox and the power is transmitted through Lamborghini's proprietary all wheel drive system. It seems that although it was presented as a concept, the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento might go into a very limited production of 10 units, 5 of them being already preordered after the unveiling of the car at Paris back in September. The rumored price for this stunning car is about $3.4 million. If it will go into production, we will be able to see it next year and do a full review of this outstanding car that has an incredible weight of only 999 kg. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Nissan Ellure Concept Revealed Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:35 AM PST  Nissan Ellure Another major release at the Los Angeles Auto Show was Nissan's Ellure Concept, a concept sedan sized very similar with the Maxima and the Altima models. The model is a small preview of what the future Nissans will look like, but it is not a depiction of any one model (like the Infiniti Essence that did not foretell a production model coupe). According to Nissan officials, women do not want sedans, but at the same time they do not enjoy a coupe because it is not practical enough nor do they like sport utility vehicles as they find them not exciting enough. Taking these factors into consideration, the Japanese auto maker wanted to give the sedan a brand new image and bring the female customers back. We find the Nissan Ellure to be a very beautiful car with a split personality which is definitely not a bad thing, taking into consideration that it is intended for regular day-by-day use for the ladies, but it can morph into a lounge space during the nights. The name of the car is as you might have already noticed a combination of two words. The first letter comes from "electric" – thus referring to the hybrid powertrain of the car and the "ellure" gives the car an interesting approach. To many people the hybrid aspect of the car is the most appealing taking into consideration the fact that it is Nissan's first in-house hybrid system development. The Altima hybrid benefits from Toyota's gas-electric system and it is sold only in selected markets. The hybrid powertrain of the Ellure is the result of the arrangement made with Infiniti (M35h), but this time fully adapted for the front wheel drive of the Nissan. The hybrid system of the Nissan dubbed "Pure Drive" benefits from two clutches. One is "sandwiched" between the electric motor and the regular engine; while the other is located between the driveline and the transmission of the Ellure. The car is equipped with a continuously variable transmission in comparison with Infiniti's M35h that uses a 7-speed automatic gearbox. The engine that powers the Ellure is a 2.5-liter, supercharged 4-cylinder that is capable of producing 240 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The electric motor produces 34 hp (25 kW) and 147 lb-ft, fitted with lithium-ion batteries of yet unannounced capacities, but Nissan said that they will offer a high level of autonomy. Thanks to the hybrid powertrain of the Ellure, the concept's design offers more flexibility as it takes up just about the same space as the Maxima or the Altima, but its wheelbase is about five inches longer than the other two models which means more space for the interior. The interior space is more generous thanks to the fact that the wheels have been placed far to the corners. The full-width display allows the driver to see the gauge as well as the rest of the info. The 3-person rear seat "flows" into the door panels and the front passenger gets a useful pop-up footrest.  Nissan Ellure The car has a beautiful panoramic glass roof that has a "V"-shaped trim piece where the mood lightning rests conveniently. In the pockets of the car you will find ambient lightning that will enhance the day-to-night transition effect. The carbon-fiber material is predominant in the interior of the Ellure Concept. If you give a quick look at the interior you will think that it is a normal four-door coupe but if you pay extra attention, you will notice that the normal sedan configuration is predominant, except for the side glass which looks like it comes from a regular coupe model. The car rides comfortably on 21-inch rims and has a full undertray that improves airflow efficiency. Inside the cabin people over at Nissan used nature-friendly recycled materials and for the seats, something called "eco-suede" was used. Most likely, the models that Nissan will launch in the next 5 to 10 years will be inspired by the Ellure Concept and will be oriented for both genders, not only for the ladies. Of course, hybrid powertrains will be more present in the years to come. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:33 AM PST  2015 Lotus Elise One of the most important releases at the 2010 Paris Auto Show was the revival of the Lotus Elise, set to go on sale starting with 2015 at a basic price of approximately $35,000. The next generation of the legendary Elise will have just like the older models a mid-engine rear-drive layout, but with a new configured chassis – adapted from the Evora. Lotus' CEO Dany Bahar when asked to characterize the car, he said that it is "young, strong, confident, verging on ruthless". Having a closer look at the car we can strongly affirm that it is very different in comparison to the previous generation and has a very bold design which fits it very well. Many people affirmed that the design of the new generation is inspired by Toyota's latest model. It doesn't really matter where the car received its design at it looks very beautiful in our opinion. Speaking of Toyota, the engine that powers the Lotus Elise is a 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder, made entirely by the Japanese manufacturer. Similar with other current Lotus models, Toyota is the supplier of the power units. As standard, the car is equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox and for extra money; customer will have the possibility to get the Elise with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, developed entirely by Lotus.  2015 Lotus Elise The engine management programming was done by Lotus and although they did not specify if the power unit is supercharged or turbo, it will most likely have around 300 hp and a 243 lb-ft of torque. The weight of the 2015 Lotus Elise is 2414 pounds and it will do 0-62 mph in 4.3 seconds. The top speed will be 170 mph. The people at Lotus described the powertrain of the 2015 Elise to be a "mild hybrid", taking into consideration the fact that the power unit features a stop/start function which shuts down the engine at the stoplight and once the driver touches the throttle, the engine lights up. Unfortunately we will have to wait about 4 years until the Elise goes into production. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:29 AM PST  2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Chrysler is planning to invest $843 million to upgrade the Kokomo, Ind. transmission factory in order to start manufacturing a new front-wheel drive automatic gearbox for future models. With this significant investment, Chrysler will total its overall investments in the United States to almost $3 billion since June, 2009. Chrysler also said that that with the previous plans to upgrade the Kokomo plants by investing $343 million, those operations now stand to exceed $1.1 billion in renovations. On December 13th, the Kokomo City Council must approve a tax abatement for the upcoming operations. The officials at Chrysler said that by investing this amount of money it would help keep more than 2,000 jobs at the complex. Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler's CEO said that "For years, Kokomo has been at the center of our powertrain strategy and the potential of an additional investment reaffirms that position". Regarding Obama's visit to the Kokomo factory, it was an obvious effort to convince the general public that the massive $814 billion stimulus as well as the bailouts of General Motors Corporation, and Chrysler is starting to bring back important economic dividends. In 2009, before the United States government-funded cut its operation costs, Chrysler was on the verge of liquidation. The majority of the ownership was handed then to a union-affiliated trust fund and management control to Fiat S.pA. The president told the local reports present at the Kokomo unit and to the plant workers that "after a couple of tough years, this plant is now running at full capacity and that’s why I’m here today".  2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Since June 2009, Chrysler has made important progress for building a future successful enterprise, reporting an operating profit of $565 million for year-to-date 2010, announcing a $600 million investment in the Belvidere (III) assembly unit, adding a second shift of manufacturing (1,100 new jobs) for the Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit and launching the brand new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV in May. We hope that more and more automakers will follow the trend of Chrysler and invest more money in order to create more jobs so that the rate of employment will decrease in the next following years, after the financial crisis that still affect most of the world. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Rumor – GM Launching Chinese Baojun Brand Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:25 AM PST  Baojun 630 Sedan Although the North American General Motors group shed four brands during the past year, it seems that the Chinese group is in need for a new brand – Baojun. This new brand is the result of the collaboration between General Motors and their traditional allies Wuling and SAIC, and will manufacture very affordable cars for China's second and third-their markets. The current Chinese portfolio of General Motors consists of cars usually targeted for the premium target, in contrast with the first Baojun car, the 630 sedan which was entirely designed to keep all costs to a minimum, thus allowing it to compete with Geely and Chery cars. Kevin Wale, who is the president and managing director of the General Motors China Group, recently affirmed that "we carefully studied the market and customers. Quality, design, fuel economy, and durability were made a focus to appeal to local car buyers, particularly first-time buyers in the nation’s [China's] second- and third-tier markets."  Baojun 630 Sedan The Baojun 630 was inspired by the Demo Car concept designed by Wuling and it is in fact a modified version of the platform used for the older generation Buick Excelle – in turn inspired by the Daewoo Lacetti. The car will most likely be available with three different power units: a 1.5 liter DOHC I-4, a similar version of this engine with variable valve timing and a more powerful 1.8-liter DOHC I-4 with VVT. General Motors affirms that the cars will be Euro 4 compliant. For the near future, Baojun will manufacture only the 630 sedan at its SGMW's plant located in Guangxi Zhuang, China. General Motors is planning on producing and selling approximately 100,000 units per year if everything goes smoothly as planned. Although this is the only model available for the SAIC-GM-Wuling consortium, the joint venture officials are planning for a full lineup of automobiles if the 630 sedan will be a hit. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Mitsubishi Planning A 2013 Plug-In Hybrid Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:12 AM PST  Mitsubishi Px-MiEV The head of Mitsubishi's electric vehicle business recently affirmed that the company is planning on introducing a plug-in sport utility vehicle in 2013. The car will be similar with the Px-MiEV concept automobile that was exposed at the Tokyo Auto Show back in 2009, according to the senior executive officer at Mitsubishi Motor Corp. global electric vehicle business Yoshikazu Nakamura. He also affirmed that the car is in its latest stages of development. The 4WD Px-MiEV was equipped with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder that was linked to a hybrid system consisting of two electric motors (one for the front and the other for the back). Back in 2009 when it was unveiled, the officials at Mitsubishi stated that the car could run for 30 miles in the electric mode, before changing to the gas-electric mode. The i-MiEV will be available in Hawaii and three West Coast states when the US sales will begin in November 2011. The U.S. name of the vehicle was changed by Mitsubishi from "i-MiEV" to the "i powered by MiEV". The "i" model will be available starting with 2012. Nakamura affirmed that 43 Mitsubishi dealers located in Hawaii, Washingotn, Oregon and California will be selling the "i" in the first years of the United States sales. The Japanese manufacturer does not have a name for the car yet, but it will definitely carry the "MiEV" badge – "Mitsubishi innovative electric vehicle." Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Hyundai-Kia Group Overtakes Toyota Sales In Europe Posted: 24 Nov 2010 02:08 AM PST  2011 Hyundai Elantra The Hyundai Motor Group was proud to announce that it has sold more cars than Toyota in Europe and it is the most important Asian brand on the continent. With other words, Hyundai and Kia sold 521,369 cars during the first ten months of the year, according to the data gathered by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. The Toyota and Lexus sales are down 17% in comparison to 2009, with a total of 511,754 units sold. Compared to the same period last year, the Hyundai Motor Group raised its market share to 4.5 percent in Europe while Toyota dropped from 5 to 4 percent of the total amount of cars sold in Europe. Hyundai-Kia sold many cars in the slumping European automobile market, satisfying ongoing demand with the Kia Cee'd hatchback, the Hyundai ix20, ix30 and the ix35 sport utility vehicle.  Kia Optima Hybrid For the first ten months of 2010, the European market is down by 5 percent which means that 11.6 million cars were sold up until October despite the fact that Nissan sales are up 13 percent in the exact same period. As far as the United States sales for Hyundai are concerned, the Korean company has sold 21 percent more cars in comparison to the same period of 2009. Taking into consideration the latest cars launched by the Hyundai Motor Group like the 2011 Elantra or the Optima Hybrid, the company will most likely a very bright future in the years to come. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
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