Don’t look now but Lamborghini is planning to invade the luxury car industry or as reports would have it. The funny thing is that I have always looked up to the Lambo as a luxury car in itself, though on a different level. And if the Italian car manufacturer’s intent is for real, expect the big leap to give Porsche and Aston Martin to be in for some good competition for their concept luxury cars.

What will the luxury Lambo have to offer? Well here are some of the things to watch out. The luxury model will be equipped with an all wheel-drive transmission and a V10 engine. It will come in a four-door sedan based on the Estoque concept. On whether the rumor is for real or not, the idea is not far-fetched.

(Source) Auto Spies

Tags: car industry, car manufacturer, drive transmission, funny thing, italian car, lambo, Lamborghini, leap, luxury car, luxury cars, luxury model, Porsche, wheel, wheel drive

Continue reading...

By now you may have heard of probably the worst storm ever to hit the Philippines in years. Tropical storm Ketsana (Ondoy) hit the country hard, leaving a lot of people homeless and cars floating like rafts. Motorists practically had no choice as the flash floods easily brought up their cars and carried the vehicles away just like feathers.

The storm has passed but the damage has been dead. Thousands of cars were either filled with mud or being towed by mechanics to their shops, opting not to start them up for fear of further damaging their computer boxes which were certain to be damaged during the flood.

This is the first time that such a fortuitous event hit the country. A lot of the cars were practically brand new, ranging from luxury cars to 4×4s. To give you an idea of the degree of damage, here are some images and a sample video of the unfortunate mishap.

Image Courtesy: Grace Olfindo and Levi Sevilla

Tags: computer boxes, damages, feathers, flash floods, flood, fortuitous event, luxury cars, mechanics, motorists, philippines, rafts, tropical storm, unfortunate mishap

Continue reading...

Make room for another luxury car in the market as the 2010 Jaguar XJ has been revealed. Similar to the tradition that Jaguar has brought to the world of luxury cars, the 2010 Jaguar XJ offers a mix of seductive look and performance stemming from the light weight aluminum body that it now comes in.

The 2010 Jaguar XJ will be available starting December for $72,500.

The complete lineup:

• 5.0-liter naturally aspirated XJ and XJL (385hp) with a $72,500 and 79,500 MSRP, respectively
• 5.0-liter XJ and XJL Supercharged (470hp) with a $87,500 and $90,500 MSRP, respectively
• 5.0-liter XJ and XJL Supersport (510hp) with a $112,000 and $115,000 MSRP, respectively

(Source) Press

Tags: aluminum body, aspirated, jaguar, jaguar xj, light weight aluminum, liter, luxury car, luxury cars, tradition

Continue reading...

Daimler finally launched its own hybrid car version, the Mercedes Benz S Class which will come either in electric or petrol. The new hybrid Mercedes is now available in Europe, options that should give aspiring car owners of choosing between fuel consumption or electric power, the latter of which has been which many are talking about as of late.

The “CO2 champion of luxury cars,” as Mercedes bills it, nonetheless cranks out 186 to 189 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, remaining one of the biggest polluters on the road, well above the European average of around 160 grams.

“For years, the German automobile sector did not believe hybrids had a chance…..but at a certain point, under market pressure, the industry changed its mind,” said Stefan Bratzel, professor at a specialized auto center in the western city of Bergisch Gladbach.

Despite being branded as anti-environment for its continued production of fuel-powered cars, the new Mercedes Benz S Class electric version should somehow even the odds. At least this time, car buyers can be given the choice, something that is obviously a business prerogative when it comes to choosing which car is wise to buy considering the current world economic situation.

(Source) Auto India

Tags: auto center, automobile sector, car buyers, car owners, car version, cranks, Daimler, fuel consumption, german automobile, hybrid car, hybrids, luxury cars, Mercedes-Benz, new mercedes benz s class, polluters, prerogative

Continue reading...

The call for cars to start applying some eco-friendly decency is on and Lamborghini happens to be one of them. For their part, the target is to cut their carbon emissions by 35% by 2015, a move that will surely be welcomed with open arms in the car industry.

Add to that they will be making their models lighter, adding another factor in efficient motoring as they take some load off the fuel consumption of their popular luxury cars. To top it all off, their manufacturing plants will be cutting emissions as well, turning to solar panels for better heating and lighting systems needed today.

The firm has already launched an updated Gallardo LP 560-4 with an 18% reduction in CO2 emissions by using direct injection to the engine.

(Source) Verdict On Cars

Tags: car industry, carbon emissions, co2 emissions, fuel consumption, Gallardo, Lamborghini, lighter, lighting systems, luxury cars, manufacturing plants, models, verdict on cars

Continue reading...

In a move that is expected to prepare them for the larger demands for their small-sized cars, Toyota Motor’s of Japan has announced that they will be cutting costs in production for their compact cars by $1.44 billion annually. Toyota aims to approach their car manufacturing practices wisely as they are definitely learning the lessons from the debacle that has hit auto giants GM and Chrysler.

Toyota has been trying to compete with the big boys as luxury cars and eco-friendly concept cars have risen at the moment in attention. However, reality check reveals that with the growing interest and plans of most standing car companies, overlooking their famed compact cars such as the Corolla and the Vits should not be left out.

Hence, while the luxury and eco-friendly car market promise to rack in profits, the same is foreseen for their regular compact cars. And with the right tweaks, there is no doubt that they can expect some revenue contributions from these cars as well as people are wising up their motoring needs as well by turning to smaller compact cars that consume fuel economically.

(Source) Asia One

Tags: big boys, car companies, car market, Chrysler, compact car, compact cars, Concept Cars, corolla, GM, luxury cars, toyota motor, tweaks, vits

Continue reading...

Kuwait welcomes with open arms the arrival of the much awaited Audi S5. The Audi S5 is the high powered version of the Audi A5 grand touring coupe, bringing the latest 8-cylinder engine vehicle which was initially rumored to come out last Summer.

The Audi S5 is perfect for the motorists looking for luxury cars on a two-door coupe. The S5 carries a spacious grand touring sports car equipped with the usual four full-sized seats along with a generous luggage compartment and a vast array of luxury add-ons that are sure to perk up the expectations of high-end car enthusiasts.

With the introduction of the S5, Audi Kuwait is now offering customers a choice of 3 engines in this range: the A5 with a 211 bhp four-cylinder 2.0 liter turbo and a 265 bhp six-cylinder 3.2 liter; as well as the eight-cylinder 4.2 liter with a mighty 354 bhp on the Audi S5.

(Source) Zawya

Tags: array, Audi A5, audi s5, car enthusiasts, cylinder engine, grand touring, kuwait, luggage compartment, luxury cars, motorists, s5 audi, Sports Car

Continue reading...

One would think that due to recession, people would be turning towards domestic manufactured cars to save a buck. Surprisingly, that is not the case. Luxury car manufacturers such as Mercedes and BMW are still in demand and have likewise focused on producing small to midsized cars to make sure that they cover the middle-sized income earners.

According to a report released Thursday by Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association, Benz sold 761 cars, up by a staggering 25.8 percent from March. BMW recorded the third-highest monthly sales of 939 units, up 17.5 percent. 376 BMW 5-series mid-size sedans and 243 Mercedes-Benz E Class mid-size sedans were sold.

Domestic car manufacturers, like GM Daewoo, meanwhile, sold only 87 units of large sedan Veritas, while Ssangyong Motor sold 337 units of Chairman W, and Kia sold 748 units of Opirus. Volkswagen sold 656 cars and Audi sold 527 cars.

(Source) The Chosen Ilbo

Tags: bmw 5 series, distributors association, domestic car, GM, gm daewoo, KIA, luxury car, luxury cars, mercedes benz e class, Mercedes-Benz, mid size sedans, ssangyong motor, volkswagen

Continue reading...

If there was a company that would not be suffering from the economic downturn, it would be a rare occurrence. Luxury cars are expected to bear the brunt of this down times and Daimler just justified that as they have reported a decline of sales of their Mercedes Benz line.

Mercedes-Benz USA today reported April sales of 14,565 vehicles, a decline of 28.1 percent over April 2008. The volume leaders for the month were the C, GLK, and M-Class with sales of 4,274, 1,869, and 1,838 respectively. On a year-to-date basis, the company sold 54,799 new vehicles, a decrease of 29.7 percent over the comparable period last year.

Year to date sales now total 6,282 units which represents a 2 percent increase versus April 2008 year-to-date sales. Since its introduction in the United States, there are over 30,000 smart fortwos traveling the highways throughout America. The smart fortwo offers the right balance of power, outstanding fuel efficiency, innovative safety features, environmental friendliness and excellent value. There are currently 75 smart centers in 35 states.

(Source) Press

Tags: april sales, Daimler, date sales, economic downturn, environmental friendliness, fuel efficiency, luxury cars, mercedes benz usa, Mercedes-Benz, smart centers, smart fortwo

Continue reading...

China may be the only country right now that is showing positive sign of life as far as the car industry is concerned. Hence, with that in mind, the Shanghai Motor Show officially opened in China to which carmakers are expected to unveil 13 new models.

China has just overtaken the US as the world’s largest car market, with buyers spurred on by government incentives. US and European car sales are sharply down in the global recession.

Porsche kicked off the show on Sunday night by unveiling the Panamera, the German luxury carmaker’s first foray into the sedan segment. In another world premiere on Sunday, German automaker Daimler AG unveiled the remodelled Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG sedan. AMG sales nearly tripled in China last year.

The company says it expects government incentives to give sales of luxury cars a major boost this year. Beijing has introduced tax cuts on fuel-efficient cars and incentives for people in rural areas to buy newer models.

Organizers say the Auto Shanghai 2009 will feature 13 launches, mostly from local brands, but up from five at the show two years ago.

Most Chinese carmakers have so far focused on competing mainly on price with basic and often rudimentary vehicles, leaving foreign-branded cars to sweep up the mid- to high-end segments.

The show opens to the public for a week starting on 22 April.

(Source) BBC

Tags: car industry, car market, car sales, daimler ag, foray, fuel efficient cars, german automaker, global recession, local brands, luxury carmaker, luxury cars, mercedes benz s65 amg, Mercedes-Benz, panamera, rural areas, shanghai, world premiere

Continue reading...

Curvy Road is the oldest and the largest car share membership club in the United States. It specializes in the dealership of the exotic and premium cars. In 2000, it came up with the idea of exotic car share. The concept was approximately the same as the part ownership of corporate jets and  time-shares. Curvy road was among the first companies to have a vision of this exceptional idea of time-sharing of high-end luxury automobiles. The idea was to present an alternate choice of ownership of the exotic and high-end luxury cars.

This allowed the shareholders to own part of the driving rights of a great exotic vehicle, they would like to drive throughout the year, without worrying about the outrageous costs and troubles associated with the outright purchase cost of these vehicles. Since the creation of the company’s exotic car share idea, there are now more than seven hundred and fifty elite members, who share assorted types of premium cars available at the company. The company is enjoying a regular growth rate in its memberships.

Tags: Curvy Road, exotic cars, luxury cars, Part share

Continue reading...

One thing many car buffs may have overlooked when they checked out the new BMW 7 Series would be the actual material used in molding one of the best luxury cars in the market today. Have you ever wondered what made it so light and smooth to drive?

The new BMW 7 Series sedan, which made its debut in November 2008 with a host of “world firsts,” cruises out of showrooms with lightweight door components made from a unique aluminum product called Novelis Fusion(TM). This is the first automotive application of this innovative, multi-layered product, which Novelis has dubbed “The new aluminium(TM).”

BMW is the first automotive company to use Novelis Fusion in volume production. Several other automakers are testing the material or have already committed to its use.

There is significant potential for Novelis Fusion to help automotive manufacturers enhance their lightweight designs, be it in inner panels, outer panels, structural components or other parts. In the United States, Novelis Fusion has become a market leader for brazing sheet used in automotive radiators. The material is also generating great interest in a variety of other market applications.

(Source) Press

Tags: aluminum product, automotive manufacturers, automotive radiators, BMW, bmw 7 series, luxury cars, new bmw 7

Continue reading...

When you talk about luxury cars, Mercedes Benz will always be there among the top names. With the Mercedes-Benz E280, it still holds that pleasant appeal that has made this luxury brand a name to reckon with. But while it may be nearing the crossroads of its showroom aura, don’t count out this Mercedes-Benz E280 sports edition series that is expected to come out soon.

The E280’s 3-litre turbo-diesel engine musters up 140kW of power and a massive 440Nm of torque or pulling power. With the windows up and the sound system off, it’s difficult to tell that you’re driving a diesel car, except when the engine’s on the cold side.

Only then do you hear a faint far off rattle from the engine bay. Press down on the accelerator — in true Mercedes-Benz fashion you’ll need to mash it almost all the way to floor when performing overtaking maneuvers — and there’s a muted V6 growl and fist full of urge.

So while some are seeing the Mercedes-Benz as an aging brand, it still has its way of conquering cities and subduing the highways with its supple yet firm ride.

(Source) CNet

Tags: diesel car, luxury brand, luxury cars, mercedes benz e280, Mercedes-Benz, turbo diesel engine

Continue reading...