And to refresh your memory, the Lotus Evora features a 280HP 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine paired with a 6-speed manual transmission gearbox.

(Source) Auto Spies

Related posts

• Lotus Evora (3)
• Range Rover Sport Styling by Concept802 (1)
• Porsche and Ford Top 2009 Ideal Vehicle Awards (2)
• Lotus Evora Shows Up at the 2008 LA Auto Show (1)
• Lamborghini Making a Jump to Luxury Cars? (0)

There were no definitive reasons given for Hyundai’s pull out but it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it has something to do with expenses. If Hyundai participated, they would have to address other costs that include outlays, staffing and other support materials for any new model they would be unveiling as well as the space rental for the duration of the event. as well as the space rental for the duration of the event.

With their pull-out, the Tokyo Motor Show looms like a showdown among Japan’s familiar car brands. Only two other foreign car companies remain for the event and these are Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen and Lotus. With 3 weeks to go, will they stay or will they go?

(Source) NY Times

Related posts

• Vehicle Companies Advancing with Radar-Based Obstacle Detection Systems (1)
• Toyota FT-86 Concept Car (1)
• New Cars Becoming Cheaper than Used Cars (2)
• Mazda Set to Unveil New Engine and Transmissions at Tokyo Motor Show (0)
• Mazda Going Back to Full Force (0)

There were no details of the buyout packages as of yet. Similar to the fate of most popular car brands, BMW is likewise succumbing to the economic pinch and the best they can do for now is look out for the welfare of their workers in an orderly manner.

By BMW’s estimates, about 5,000 people work at the local plant, including some contract workers may be cut due to the poor sales and rising operation expenses being incurred by the company to date.

(Source) News Observer

Related posts

• Hyundai Skips Tokyo Motor Show (0)
• BMW withdraws from Formula One circuit (1)
• £100,000 Ferrari F430 Snubbed (2)
• Would You Buy an Apple Electric Car? (0)
• Would You Be Interested in a Bulletproof BMW 750i? (3)

Among the brands that have benefitted from this massive effort include marquee car brands like Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Hyundai, Mercedes, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroen, and Ssangyong.

Harman International thus continues its reign for delivering the necessary car infotainment needs dating back to its first car radio in 1949. Harman has pioneered a continuing series of automotive multimedia innovations including surround sound, DVD video, turn-by-turn and 3-D navigation, wireless connectivity, and driver safety features.

An estimated 20 million vehicles on the road today are equipped with Harman systems under the Company’s flagship brands including Becker, Harman/Kardon, Infinity, JBL, Lexicon, and Mark Levinson.

(Source) Press

Related posts

• GfK Asia Enters the Tire Industry (1)
• Wheego Electric Cars Launched (1)
• The Mercedes Benz S-Class is a Mobile on Wheels (1)
• Jaguar and Land Rover Debut in India (0)
• “Mobil 1 The Grid” Television Series Premieres March 27 (0)

“In today’s economy, car buyers take many factors into consideration – styling, safety features, fuel economy and more,” says George Peterson, president of AutoPacific. “IVA winners deliver the most of what consumers are really looking for in their vehicles.”

The selection doesn’t seem that easy. Most cars offer great features while others leave it up to the buyers to modify. The Porsche and Ford Motor vehicles are equipped with one of the common and yet unique features which some would leave if the survey is any indication.

But basing it on tradition, these two car models have lived up to their name and such a selection should not really be surprising. For 2009, the top-rated premium brand is Porsche, outscoring Buick and Jaguar for the most ideal premium vehicle brand honors. The top-rated mainstream brand is Ford, outscoring Mercury for top mainstream brand results. Porsche and Ford were also the highest scoring premium and mainstream brands in the 2008 IVA rankings.

(Source) Press

Related posts

• Volkswagen GTI Named 2010 Automobile of the Year (0)
• Vintage Cars Highlights Knysna Motor Show (0)
• Toyota Hits 1 Million in Turkey (0)
• Pricelock and Hyundai Announce Fuel Lock Program (1)
• Lotus Evora Wins Performance Car of the Year Award (0)

Jaguar will be unveiling the XF, XFR and the XKR sedans while Land Rover will start its business with Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover sport utility vehicles. Being fully imported models, all the six cars carry a heavy price tag starting Rs 63 lakh and going up to Rs 92 lakh.

“The launch of Jaguar and Land Rover is something that is quite memorable in the context of our history and heritage of Tata Motors. This is a company that belongs to us and we are proud of it.”

While the economy is still in turmoil for most parts of the world, no sales forecasts were unveiled by Tata Motors just yet. Right now, all they can do is stay optimistic, similar to what most business are banking on today.

(Source) Business Standard

Related posts

• Jaguar Landrover Needs No Bailout (2)
• Jaguar Land Rover Recalls Discovery 3 Cars in China (1)
• Tata Taking Land Rover & Jaguar Into India Market (0)
• Royal Bentley Limousines Converted to Run on Bio-Fuel (1)
• Range Rover Sport Styling by Concept802 (1)

Ford is in a statistical tie with Japanese car brands based on a study by J.D. Power and Associates. Overall the Ford brand improved by 10 points since last year’s study.

“It is gratifying to see our commitment to quality paying off,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, Global Quality. “Ford has demonstrated consistent and continuous quality improvement. We’re now tied with the best of the Japanese automakers and we won’t be satisfied until Ford is the industry’s global quality leader.”

Among the cars that have contributed to Ford’s success included the Ford F-150, Mustang, Edge and Mercury Sable. But as far as Ford is concerned, that achievement is nothing. The goal, like any other car company to date, is to be the global leader in the car industry.

(Source) Press

Related posts

• US Government Injects 7.5 Billion to GMAC (0)
• US Auto Industry Sitting on Pins and Needles (0)
• Toyota Working on First Solar Car (0)
• Toyota Launches First Internal Combustion Hybrid Lift Truck (0)
• Toyota Australia Scales Down Car Production (1)

If everything goes well, we may soon see Samsung Vehicles being sold at Saturn stores. That is if Roger Penske gets anything concrete from his initial ice-breaking meeting with Renault executives. For the record, Samsung builds four passenger vehicles, all on Nissan underpinnings.

It’s not known which vehicles would be sold by Saturn or whether they would be current Samsung offerings or new ones based on Renault engineering. Also unclear: the corporate relationship between Penske and Renault-Nissan.

Curiously, it seems that Penske wants to place something new in the market. And with the turn of most motorists towards alternative cars outside that of the usual reliable car brands, you have to think what type of market study Penske saw that opened this all up.

It costs a lot to build cars in Europe, and the Astra, which, while finished more like a premium model inside than most in its class, was also priced a little bit higher and therefore didn’t sell as well as it could have, especially in this down market where price is everything. The new Saturn owner certainly won’t want to make that mistake.

(Source) CNet

Related posts

• REVA NXR Reveals Pricing (1)
• Renault-Nissan Selling Electric Cars to Chinese Market (0)
• Opel/Vauxhall Astra (0)
• Mazda Going Back to Full Force (0)
• Honda Shelves High-End Cars (1)

The secret towards being conservative in the auto industry is not on the cars you buy but on how well you know your car components. While some rely heavily on word of mouth, there is an online site that can help you visualize your car and make the necessary adjustments to be a wise motorist.

Carooma (carooma.com) today announced the beta launch of its online service which lets users configure and visualize auto parts and accessories on their own cars. As consumers spend less on new cars and more on options and parts, Carooma helps them get what they’re looking for.

According to a Reuters report dated September 3rd, 2008, U.S. auto sales in July sunk to a 16-year low and are have been falling for 10 straight months. Of 33 car brands sold in the U.S., only five posted increased year on year sales in August, while the rest reported an average decrease of 22.8% in sales, Autoblog reports.

To capitalize on this increasing demand, Carooma built an online application that lets users configure and view different combinations of auto parts from a variety of third party manufacturers with realistic 3D models. “With consumers spending thousands of dollars on customizing cars, we wanted to give them greater confidence in their purchase decisions, and help ensure that they’re getting what they want,” says AJ Mak, co-founder of Carooma.

Carooma also calculates the cost of selected parts so you know if what you are seeing is within budget. “When you talk about shopping for customized products, static pictures alone just aren’t going to work anymore, your shopping experience needs to be customized too.” said Mak.

(Source) Press

Related posts

• Rubber Industry May Suffer Soon (0)
• President Obama Orders 2,500 Hybrid Cars (1)
• No Rental Means No Auto Sales (0)
• Japan Car Market Production Plunges (0)
• GMAC Issues Statement on GM Court Bankruptcy Approval (2)

GfK Asia Commercial Director, Stanley Kee said, “In Europe, we have been tracking automotive since the 1980s and within automotive sector, Tire is one key focus. About 50% of the world rubber supply is traded via Singapore and recently the International Rubber Study Group (IRSG) has moved its office from London to Singapore. South East Asia key countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia contributes as high as 70% of the world rubber supply for tires, confirms the importance of this region to the world of rubber supply. Malaysia is crucial and domineering country in tire trade, and after its launch we plan to roll out Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Korea on top of China, as our initial phase of the automotive business. The second phase would include countries Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan.”

GfK Malaysia sees the region split of spare parts shop, garages and tire specialists excluding car brands service centers concentrating 37% in the Central Region, 26% in the North, 23% in the South, 8% on the East Coast and 7% in East Malaysia. The ratio of 674 automotive vehicle to one spare parts shop, garages or tire specialists, in Malaysia presently indicates good business opportunity but not without steep competition in today’s competitive world.

(Source) Press

Related posts

• Harman International Launches Audio and Infotainment Platforms for Automobiles (0)
• Jaguar and Land Rover Debut in India (0)
• “Star of India” Rolls Royce Up for Auction (0)
• “Mobil 1 The Grid” Television Series Premieres March 27 (0)
• Wheego Whip LSV Getting Ready for Launch (1)