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Chery set to mass-produce new-energy cars
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from : Gasgoo
Chery Automobile will mass produce all its new-energy vehicles by 2010, said Yin Tongyue, director of the automaker to Xinkuai Newspaper.
The Anhui-based automaker showcased four new-energy vehicles — Tiggo 3, Riich M1 EV, A3 hybrid and Futwin Coupe II — at the 2009 Shanghai auto show which had curtains fall yesterday.
“We rolled out the S18 pure electric sedan on February 16, and we will make efforts to put it on sale by the end of 2009 or the beginning of 2010,” Yin said.
Chery Auto has a broad layout of electric vehicles, ranging from mini vehicles, small cars, middle-sized cars to SUV and MPV, according to Yin.
Russia: AvtoVAZ Getting Government Aid
MOSCOW — OAO AvtoVAZ, Russia's biggest carmaker, is to receive the equivalent of $117.5 million in interest-free loans from state-run VTB Group, as part of a $734 million effort to salvage the automaker, battered by slumping sales and mounting debt.
The loan is part of measures to stabilize and improve the situation in the Russian auto industry, stricken here as elsewhere in the world. VTB Group, Russia's second-largest bank, issued a statement saying the loans will enable the troubled automaker to replenish its working capital.
The agreement was reached late last month during a visit to AvtoVAZ by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. At that time, Putin told workers at the plant that the government would support the company's $2.6 billion investment plan with an interest-free loan worth $734 million.
And, to forestall the likelihood of social unrest, he stressed that all workers will keep their jobs and ordered that… Read the rest of this entry
Tuner Special: ASMA Phantasma65
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The look, though…perhaps more blunt than was strictly necessary. (Photo courtesy of ASMA)
HOLZMADEN, Germany — ASMA Design has squeezed an additional 121 horsepower out of the Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG, but that's just a subtle alteration compared to the brash look of the Phantasma65.
The design is trumped with a supersized-Schick grille flanked by large openings that duplicate the headlight shape — four times. Vertical fender vents at the front and rear are interrupted by crude horizontal strakes. Out back, the rear diffuser is just as blunt as the rest of the package, with tic-tac-toe simplicity. ASMA has set the car on 22-inch wheels and extended the fenders with a wide-body kit.
The twin-turbo V12 now makes 725 hp and 805 pound-feet of torque and is capable of hitting 60 mph in less than 3.8 seconds. Top speed is also raised to 205 mph.
Aston Martin One-77 Picks Up a Prize, Shows Off Interior
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Curvaceous cabin is filled with carbon fiber and leather trim. (Photo courtesy of Aston Martin)
LAKE COMO, Italy — The last wraps came off the Aston Martin One-77 over the weekend at the Concorso d'Eleganza here. The curious finally got a good look at the supercar's two-tone cabin, which is done up in carbon-fiber and leather with an emphasis on dramatic curves.
The One-77 also won the Concorso d'Eleganza design award for concept cars and prototypes at the weekend event here. The Aston Martin beat out such competitors as the Infiniti Essence and the Morgan Aero Supersports. It's the first prize for the One-77, with Aston Martin reportedly signing up buyers for all 77 units it will build.
The hand-crafted interior features bucket seats in white with dark gray inserts and pale blue-gray interior panels. A sweeping center console and dramatically curved air vents round out… Read the rest of this entry
Noblesse Oblige: Toyota President, Grandson of Founder, to Race at the Nurburgring
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Toyoda will be driving the Lexus LF-A at the N?rburgring 24 Hours to kick off his ascendancy to the presidency of the company. (Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.)
TOKYO — Let's see Carlos Ghosn try this: Incoming Toyota president Akio Toyoda will participate in the 36th ADAC Zurich N?rburgring 24 Hour Race in a Lexus LF-A next month. Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, will be one of four members of the factory team contesting the endurance race in Germany.
Toyoda, 52 years old, has been previously seen taking the Lexus LF-A out in public, on Japan's Fuji Formula 1 circuit at Toyota's Motor Sports Festival last fall.
He doesn't take over the company until June; the race starts May 23. On his corporate biography, Toyoda is said to consider reading his “favorite pastime.”
The Lexus LF-A will race in Division 2… Read the rest of this entry
NASCAR: At Talladega, Seven Spectators Get Hurt by Crash
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The legendary Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama was the scene of a crash where seven spectators were hurt by flying debris. (Photo courtesy of Talladega Superspeedway)
TALLADEGA, Alabama — A crash at the finish of the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway Sunday sent Carl Edwards' Ford flying toward the steel cable-and-wire mesh fence that is supposed to protect spectators. Seven in the stands were injured.
The fence did as good a job as could be expected, but pieces of debris from the shredded No. 99 Ford made their way into the grandstands, and seven fans sitting in that area had to be treated for injuries. None of the injuries was reported to be serious.
The wreck happened near the spot where, in 1987, Bobby Allison had a similar accident, with similar results. Edwards and Brad Keselowski were dueling for the victory, and Keselowski got the nose… Read the rest of this entry
Revealed: Morgan Aero SuperSports
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Aluminum roof panels can be detached and stored in the trunk to turn the Aero SuperSports into a roadster. (Photo courtesy of Morgan Motor Company)
MALVERN, England — The Morgan Motor Company wants to get its second century off on the right foot, so to speak, with a limited-edition model, the Morgan Aero SuperSports. Intended to go into production in early 2010, the hand-built two-seater features removable roof panels and will sell for around $185,500.
The Aero SuperSports is built on a platform that's shared with the Morgan Aero Eight GT3 and the Aero Max. The company has built 100 copies of the latter model this year and last and plans to use the same aircraft-style aluminum body panels on the new car. The Aero SuperSports also will boast lavish applications of hand-stitched leather and polished hardwoods, as well as the latest electronic gadgetry.
Bankruptcy “More Probable,” Says GM, as It Officially Kicks Pontiac to Curb
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Hummer H2 will die and General Motors hopes to get rid of the Hummer brand before long. (Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation)
DETROIT — General Motors officially killed off its storied Pontiac muscle-car brand on Monday and hurries to unload Saab, Saturn and Hummer by the end of 2009. GM is becoming a shadow of its former self, offering just 34 nameplates in 2010 — 13 lower than the prior plan and a reduction of 29 percent from its 48 nameplates in 2008.
The risk of bankruptcy is now “greater” today than at any point, said GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson in a press conference Monday morning. “The task is formidable,” he said. “It [bankruptcy] is more probable.”
“It's a question of whether we're successful in the bond exchange,” Henderson added.
GM needs an agreement with unsecured-bond holders to eliminate $27.5 billion… Read the rest of this entry
Mcchip VW Golf GTI VI with 252HP to Premiere at Tuning World Bodensee
If the new Volkswagen Golf GTI's 210 horsepower turbocharged four pot isn't powerful enough for you, the tuners at Mcchip have readied a rather straightforward performance package that will be officially revealed at this week's Tuning World Bodensee in Germany. A quick ECU tune that has been priced at €849 (around US$1,150) adds another 42HP and 100Nm or 74lb-ft bringing the total output of the 2.0 TSI to 252HP and 380Nm or 280lb-ft of torque.
In addition to the engine software upgrade, Mcchip's tuning proposal for the 2009 VW Golf GTI also includes a sport suspension kit from H&R that brings the hot hatch a few inches closer to the ground as well as beefier 19-inch alloy wheels in a black finish from OZ plus a set of 'racing-stripes' available in various colors.
2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Image Galore with 107 Photos
Get ready to take a ride into the past with our mega-gallery of the cars that shined at the 2009 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy that celebrated its 80th anniversary. The overall winner of the show was a dazzling 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C 2900B Berlinetta Touring owned by American Jon Shirley that swept three prizes, including the coveted “Best Car of Show” by the jury, and the “Coppa d'Oro Villa d'Este” and “Trofeo BMW Group Italia” by public referendum.
Aside from the classic production and concept models, the 2,600 visitors who flocked to the grounds of Villa Erba in Cernobbio also had the chance to admire some brand new vehicles such as the Aston Martin One-77 that won the concept cars and prototypes award as well as the Bertone Mantide, Morgan Aero Supersports V8 and the Rolls Royce Ghost.
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