Rabu, 30 Mei 2012

2013 Skoda Superb testing in China

2013 Skoda Superb
Skoda is working on a facelift for the Superb, it will debut in Europe in early 2013 and in China in the third quarter of 2013. These spy shots are, according to Chinese media, the very first pics of the 2013 Superb in the world. The facelifted car will get an all-new front, design-wise in line with the Skoda MissionL concept.
2013 Skoda Superb
The Superb is made in China by the Shanghai-VW joint venture. Price starts at 170.000 yuan and ends at 270.000 yuan. Three engines available: 1.4 TSI, 1.8 TSI and 2.0 TSI. The Superb has become a popular alternative for various Volkswagen-branded sedans, it doesn’t however steal to many sales from other auto makers.
2013 Skoda Superb
More changes at the back, license plate frame moved from the bumper to the boot cover, light-clusters are new and small reflective strips have been added in the lower bumper. More spy shots of the 2013 Superb will likely follow soon.
Via: Sina.com

Selasa, 29 Mei 2012

Top Coolest Cars

Anybody should want to drive a cool car. But what makes a car cool? A cool car is one that should raise your coolness quotient. It should be a car that people don’t see all the time. It’s not the car that the stereotypical soccer mom drives that is full of rug rats in the backseats, nor is it one that is chromed out and loaded with flashy rocket boosters.
A cool car is the car that you might take your new crush out on a date in. It’s the car that turns heads and makes you the center of all your friends. Ultimately though, it’s the kind of car that steals your thunder. In a sense, a cool car should have sex appeal. A cool car is very self-satisfied, not caring about what others think. It is precisely this kind of coolness which is uniquely beautiful and magnificent. A cool car should manage magnificence in an effortless manner.
The Top 10 Coolest Cars with Pictures:
1. Ferrari FF
0-60 mph: 3.7 seconds. 660 hp. Cost: $700,000.
Drive carefully. This is a supercar on ice. You can’t get cooler than this. This is the car that you want to be the first guy driving, not the second. Imagine driving across a snow bank in the Alps with the fresh, icy wind in your face. I would trade anything and everything (not really) for this all-wheel-drive Ferrari. I’m going to say that this car doesn’t even look perfectly beautiful. In fact, that is why I love it: it doesn’t really care what you think and still give you the kind of performance only experienced by kings. Heck, it will mock every idea you had about what makes a car powerful. P.S. The computer system on the FF can vector its torque and braking pressure depending on tire grip conditions. AWESOME for driving to your winter home in Aspen.

2. Spyker C12 Zagato
0-60 mph: 3.8 seconds. 500-650 horsepower. Cost: $648,000.
The C12 Zagato was designed with F1 styles into its highly ornate body. The Zagato is powered by an engine with 500bhp and can go up to 650bhp with a supercharger. It is a mad house. Despite being priced at $648,000, its raw coolness quotient comes from unmatched aesthetics and power. The C12 Zagato is a cool car fit with skill, beauty, and passion. It is the car you want to take your lover or spouse out on a date with.


3. Jaguar XKR-S
0-60 mph: 4.2 seconds. 550 horsepower. Cost: $132,000.
At first the XKR-S does not look like much with its inconspicuous style. But seeing it in action can make it grow on you. The styling of the XKR-S was never about looks: it’s all about performance. This car pounces like a beast with an AJ V8 power-plant fitted with a twin-vortex Roots supercharger that altogether pack 550 hp, 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds, and a top speed of 186 mph. Did I mention that this car comes only in Italian racing red and French racing blue? That’s all you need really. The architecture of the XKR-S is all about perfect geometry and aerodynamics—it doesn’t get much cooler than that. Expect to drop $132,000 for this beast.

4. Audi R8
0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds. 525 horsepower. Cost: $114,200.
The Audi R8 sports 525 womping horses that wail at 8700 RPMs. The body styling is very stealthy and doesn’t scream “look at me!” yet turns as many, if not more, heads and plenty of stares and possibly picture-snapping, too. The pricing is steep at $114,200, although you do get what you pay with this car.

5. Aston Martin One-77
0-60 mph: 3.4 seconds. 750 horsepower. Cost: $1,850,000.
Aston Martin was named the coolest car company in the U.K. It is the brand of choice for James Bond. And what I’m going to say is the One-77 is the coolest Aston Martin. Its style is of excellent workmanship that bleeds cool. The One-77 will do 0-60 in less than 3.5 seconds with top speeds higher than 200 mph. Depending on when you are reading this, the price of the One-77 can be at least $1.85 million.

6. Pagani Huayra
0-60 mph: 3.0 seconds. 700 horsepower. Cost: $1,300,000.
This car lacks all that is old world charm. While it can be a bit too flashy to actually be supercool, it is still a new kind of beauty, with a radical design and awesome performance. This Pagani can hit 0-60 in three seconds, with a top speed of 220. It will be in the market at $1.3 million dollars, not all of us will be able to afford one. Ultimately, its novelty and uniqueness makes it the new kid that everyone wants to meet.

7. Dodge Viper
0-60 mph: 3.6 seconds. 600 horsepower. Cost: $92,705.
A classic American muscle car. This was the car to have if you wanted to be cool. This car was never one that was based on anything else. It is very self-satisfied. It can do 0-60 in 3.4 seconds with a topspeed of 202 mph. What is special about the Viper is that it is never about comfort or luxury. Most cars in its price range around $92,000 cannot compete with it.

8. Chevrolet Corvette
0-60 mph: 3.4-4.2 seconds. 430-638 horsepower. Cost: $49,000-$111,000.
Another classic American icon. It is the everyday supercar. In comparison to the Viper, I think the Corvette packs more power and style for the buck. A Corvette will cost anywhere between $49,000 and $111,000.

9. Lamborghini Murcielago
0-60 mph: 3.3 seconds. 661 horsepower. Cost: $330,000 - 455,000.
The flagship supercar of Lamborghini. It is made as the most popular car posters, hung on the walls of many young people. This car was named after a fighting bull that best 28 sword strokes. The beastly name leaves a legacy for this car that makes anyone who owns it supercool. The Murcielago costs between $360,000 and $455,000. It's a bit overplayed and try-hard, hence it sits at #9.


One-Off BMW Zagato Coupe [Video]



BMW-Zagato-Coupe-Front-View
With the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa D’Este having just taken place on Italy’s picturesque Lake Como, new videos highlight one of the show’s primary stars, the BMW Zagato Coupe. The Coupe is the product of collaboration between the two storied automakers, and the videos, beyond giving us a better look at the one-off, feature designers from each side talking shop.
The idea with the BMW Zagato Coupe was to create an extraordinary, eye-catching vehicle that would make you want it at first glance. A quick survey around the office tells us they’ve beat that goal by the widest of margins. The coupe bears a resemblance to the BMW Z4 Hatchback, but with a more dynamically styled body, and more prominent grille and rear end. As you can see in our last video, it’s also got a distinct exhaust note.
Source: BMW, Marchettino
VIDEO: BMW Zagato Coupé - Making Of - BMW Group




Fisker Announces $100 Million Revenue From Karma

2012 Fisker Karma front three quarter drift
Despite such minor setbacks as a garage fire, Fisker’s Karma is still reaping in, well, the karma. Sales of the luxury electric plug-in car have made a nice $100 million in revenue for the young company, just in 2012.
The Karma retails for $103,000. And for the past 4 months this year, Fisker has sold 1,000 to customers in America and Europe. Fisker is moving onto a smaller electric vehicle, the Atlantic, which was previewed at the New York Auto Show a couple months ago. Presumably, some of this revenue will go towards Fisker’s new plant in Wilmington, Delaware, alongside a $500 million loan from the Department of Energy—but only if Fisker can keep its promises.
“We are encouraged by solid demand for the Karma,” Tom LaSorda, Fisker CEO and former Chrysler wunderkind, said. “Pending completion of investment sourcing, we are poised to press ahead with further market expansion and development of our higher volume model, the Fisker Atlantic.”
There are still some problems with the Karma that threaten to chip away at the company’s momentum. There’s that aforementioned garage fire that the NHTSA is now investigating—and the Karma hasn’t exactly had a stellar reputation for not breaking down or stranding its owners. The Karma has been on-and-off recalled sporadically, which is normal in the automotive world, but in the mysterious territory of electric cars, any chip in its reputation will be a reflexive damning of the entire enterprise. Hopefully the company can overcome this—because the Karma is, if anything, still pretty to look at.
Source: Bloomberg

Slight Price Jump for 2013 Toyota Venza Crossover


2013 toyota venza front right angle
Toyota has release pricing information on its 2013 Toyota Venza midsized crossover.
The top-of-the line 2013 Toyota Venza XLE trim saw the biggest price increase compared to 2012, varying from 4.8 to 5.3 percent; that roughly translates to a $1,500 price hike. The mid-level 2013 Toyota Venza Limited saw modest increases between 2.5 to 2.6 percent, or around a $950 increase. The base Toyota Venza Limited Edition saw a small bump around 1 percent, which also translates to around $950 price hike.
Toyota simplified the pricing and feature structure of the Venza for 2013, standardizing many features, including standard blind-spot detection and the addition of puddle lights under the outside rearview mirrors. The 2013 Toyota Venza is now available in three new exterior colors - Attitude Black, Cypress Pearl, and Cosmic Gray Mica - and three new interior colors as well (Black, Ivory, and Light Gray). One of the biggest additions to the Venza is the availability of Toyota’s all-new Entune infotainment system.
Toyota released pricing information on its LexusScion, as well as other Toyota models earlier this year.
Source: Toyota

Perodua Launches Production Version of Myvi Wolfrace Design Edition


More than six months after Perodua teased a concept of its Myvi supermini prepped by UK tuning firm Wolfrace Design, the small Malaysian carmaker has launched a limited production version of the car, of which only ten units will be built for Britain.
The special edition model is fitted 17-inch Wolfrace Brooklands alloy wheels along with a silver and red graphics kit including stripes along both sides of the car, with chequered flags, Wolfrace Design logo to the rear doors and Wolfrace logo on the tailgate.
In addition, Wolfrace Design has equipped the Myvi with new front entry guards individually numbered from one to ten.
The Myvi Wolfrace Design will be available in a choice of either Ebony Black or Medallion Grey metallic paint finishes that are both provided at no additional cost.
Standard amenities include air conditioning, four electric windows, electrically adjustable door mirrors, power steering, integrated radio/CD player and a Wolfrace travel mug. For an additional £1,000, Perodua will enhance the Myvi with a leather/alcantara interior.
Absent from the production model are the concept's red tailgate spoiler and mirrors, tinted windows, twin chrome exhaust, and lowered suspension with Eibach springs.
Power for the Myvi Wolfrace Design comes from the same 1.3-litre petrol engine with 86hp found in other Myvi variants.
So in other words, it took Perodua and Wolfrace Design 7 months to create a limited edition of 10 cars with racing stripes and a set of alloy wheels…
On-the-road-prices for the Myvi Wolfrace Design start from £7,999.
Via: carscoop 

PHOTO GALLERY:

A Very Lucky Pedestrian Walks Away from a Life-Threatening Accident


As the saying goes, you do not know what tomorrow will bring. One moment you are enjoying a walk and the next you are staring at death heading your way.
As luck would have it, this man managed to walk away unscathed from an extremely dangerous situation when a car lost control and smashed into a vehicle parked right beside him.
See how it happened from the security camera footage in the video after the break.

VIDEO:


Photo Tour of Volkswagen's Southern Wörthersee Fest in Georgia


Did you know that the Volkswagen Group has been hosting a Wörthersee Tour in North America for the past six years?


Though not as famous as its namesake in Austria, which is by far the largest gathering of Volkswagen enthusiasts in the world, this year's edition of the Southern Wörthersee Tour was attended by some 8,200 visitors in 3,800 cars.
The event took place from May 18 to 20 at the Bavarian-themed town of Helen in northern Georgia with VW enthusiasts arriving from all over the country in a wide variety of cars ranging from classic Beetles and Buses to crossover-ized Golfs and tuned Touaregs and even a pickup-truck version of the Golf.
You can get a taste of the vehicles that were on show in the high-resolution gallery and a couple of fan videos from YouTube that follow below the jump.


Via: carscoop 


VIDEO:
PHOTO GALLERY:

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