As Germany’s two biggest automotive players, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been setting trends and pioneering new ideas for decades.
But what happens when these two vehicular juggernauts enter unexplored territory – will they come crashing to the ground with an almighty aluminium-alloy thud?
Mercedes is currently working on its new R-Class, a range of people movers or mini vans that will add power and prestige to what is at present a largely utilitarian genre, and BMW is also working on a luxury people mover.
The people mover or MPV market is currently dominated by Asian and American car makers, but Europe is now getting in on the act. (Read post…)
Designer’s Iman Maghsoudi’s creation, Ferrari Monza, may wery well be the beggining of flying car production we all dreamed of when we were child. It’s styling, obviously borrowed from Enzo’s, aerodynamic in nature, allows it to go over 200 km/hr. Obviously not intended for casual driving or cruisin’, this is a vehicle for those in some serious need for speed. So, this concept will be a good minute before we see any flying autos. (Read post…)
Designing a car is an art and sometimes the graphic designers outwit the automotive ones in their own trade. The reason is that designers like Bruno Delussu (French) are never bothered about the technical specifications as to what will power the car, but simply let their imagination flow to create what pleases the eye. (Read post…)
Got a cool $25 million to throw around? Why not to get a Strand Craft 122 superyacht with matching supercar?
As boat accessories go, a bespoke supercar is probably the most extravagant. But that’s exactly what millionaire buyers of the $25m Strand Craft SC122 will get.
Beating the Bugatti Veyron hands down for exclusivity, the supercar has 880bhp from its twin-turbo V12 engine and a claimed top speed of 234mph. Only six will be built, each capable of hitting 60mph from rest in 3.2 seconds. (Read post…)
Honda fans have been in the dark for years – “will we ever see another Honda/Acura NSX in North America?” Well all, cheer up, you may have one as early as 2011. For lovers of Honda in Canada and The United States we have fantastic news: 2011 may bring a production model Honda Supercar.
An unsourced report says that a road-ready version of the HSV-010 GT race car, which will be redubbed Honda NSX (and an Acura variant as well) is being developed to fight the Lexus LFA. (Read post…)
Apparently Honda has been watching too much Akira, as their all new Honda 3R-C Concept motorcycle looks somewhat similar to the red crotch-rocket from that famous anime. Prior to an official unveiling at 2010’s Geneva Motor Show (one of Europe’s largest car shows) Honda has released these pics of the weird little tricycle 3R-C.
Honda has dubbed their 3R-C “an all-weather three-wheeled urban vehicle concept.” Quit a mouth full, it’ll look great in press releases. What are the odds this ride will ever see the light of day outside of showroom floors? Not very likely. (Read post…)
The Chrysler LLC group has rolled out fresh pictures and a new video with some B-Roll footage of its all-new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee a couple of weeks ahead of the SUV’s U.S. market launch in early June.
The 2011 Grand Cherokee will be offered with a choice of two engines including the Chrysler Group’s all-new 290HP 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine that delivers up to 23 mpg, and a 5.7-liter HEMI V8 with 360-horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. (Read post…)
Ever since Opel lifted the covers off the stylish GTC Concept back in 2007, there have been rumors flying throughout the internet and the media about a production version of the study that would essentially replace the Vectra-based Calibra of the 1990.
And while many (yours truly included) may support that an Astra-based sports coupe sounds like a more reasonable and lucrative proposal for Opel, Car Magazine has returned with an update on the Calibra II / GTC Concept story.
The report claims that the four-seater coupe is still under consideration but if it gets the final okay, it could go on sale as early as 2013, which sounds plausible given that the car would be more or less a two-door version of the Opel Insignia (sold in the U.S. as the 2011 Buick Regal). (Read post…)
When I first saw the press pictures of the all-new Porsche Panamera, I thought: “it looks like a giant roach.” At a recent showing at Quail Lodge during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance weekend in California, I had the chance to see it up close. What a difference in person! Not only does it not look like a roach, it’s absolutely stunning in person. Now I know as a member of the Fourth Estate, I am supposed to be composed and non-biased in my writing. Forget it! I am gaga over the Panamera and I don’t mind losing a journalistic point or two by saying it.
The Panamera is the first ever sedan (technically a four-door hatchback) from Porsche, and their marketing tag line for the car is “Four, uncompromised.” And boy did they get it right. It is a true Porsche in every detail, and should have no trouble swaying even the most diehard 911 owner to at least test drive one. Porsche has not always been successful in straying away from the “pure,” rear-engine layout that made the 911 a legend. The 924 was tagged a VW in disguise, and the 944/968 and 928 were blasphemed for having water cooled, front engine layouts. Boxster and Cayman arrived with true Porsche DNA, and the Cayenne literally saved the company. With that trio, the so-called mistakes of the past had been corrected. And now, a Porsche sedan. (Read post…)
Automobile fascination paired with spectacular race car design – that is the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3. The racing version of the SLS AMG has been conceived as a customer sport vehicle for participation in race series based on FIA GT3 regulations. Meticulous lightweight construction and optimized chassis, brakes and aerodynamics deliver uncompromising dynamics. The extra special SLS AMG will make its race track debut in 2011.
As defined in the FIA GT3 regulations, the AMG 6.3 liter V8 engine is virtually identical to that of the series production vehicle. Thanks to its low weight, the acceleration figures for the GT3 – 3.7 seconds for the sprint from 0 to 60 mph – are considerably below the already excellent figures for the series production vehicle. Depending on gear ratio, the top speed is more than 186 mph. In contrast to the series production vehicle, the SLS AMG GT3 is equipped with a six-speed racing transmission with sequential shift. Thanks to its compact construction, the race-tested transmission offers considerable packaging benefits – ultimately, the GT3 version has less ground clearance than the series production vehicle. The driver shifts gear using two shift paddles on the steering wheel. The transmission is mounted directly on the rear axle and connected to the V8 engine via a torque tube, which has a very high degree of flexural and torsional stiffness. (Read post…)