Autos Review: 2011

Friday, May 6, 2011

Thursday, January 13, 2011

lamborghini Murcielago

lamborghini Murcielago

is a high-performance two-door, two-seat sports car that was produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 2001 and 2010. Often referred to as a supercar, it was the flagship of the automaker's lineup. The Murciélago was introduced as a coupé in 2001 for the 2002 model year, succeeding the famed Diablo supercar in Lamborghini's lineup. The car was the automaker's first new design in eleven years, as well as the first under the ownership of German automaker VW. It was styled by Peruvian-born Belgian Luc Donckerwolke, Lamborghini's head of design from 1998.
source : wikipedia.com

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Review And Specs nissan leaf

It seems that the electric car is back from the dead. You may have noticed that Nissan obviously no trend in hybrid cars. While other producers to pump more money into research and development of hybrid Nissan lead to a true all electric vehicle. The end result is the 2011 Nissan Leaf, the first mass produced all electric car to be placed on the sale of American consumers. The following is a description of the features and specifications.

New Nissan blades powered by a lithium-ion rechargeable battery making it one of the first vehicle of sophisticated technology. New lithium-ion batteries have a longer range and better acceleration than comparable size batteries nickel metal hydride. There are several ways to recharge the system. 1) Station Nissan for the family, which runs on 220 volts and must be installed by a certified electrician. This charger takes about 4 to 8 hours with full costs. 2) Leaves Commercial Base Station, this option only takes about 30 minutes but this time there are limited seats for this method. Nissan is currently working with various cities and companies across the country for commercial infrastructure charging points to be developed. The leaves have filled an estimated range of 100 miles.

There are two trim levels are available:

SV standard equipment includes keyless ignition, keyless entry, automatic climate control, 16-inch alloy wheels, power lock, power windows, cruise control, LED lights, tilt steering wheel, 60/40 folding rear seat, height adjustable driver’s seat, the computer travel, fabric made from recycled materials, Bluetooth, six-speaker sound system with CD player, auto dimming rear view mirrors, satellite radio, iPods and USB interface, additional audio connectivity and navigation system. Machine is 80 kilowatt synchronous electric motor powered by a battery 24 kWh lithium-ion batteries. Output of 107 horsepower and 207 pounds feet of torque. Standard safety equipment includes stability control, traction control, ABS brakes, airbags and side curtain airbags.

SL-Adding automatic lights, reversing cameras, solar panels mounted spoiler, fog lamps and cargo cover. All the machinery and safety standards remain the same.

All the leaves come standard with Nissan Nissan Connection, remote system that reports the battery data and to enable the climate control device.

Monday, January 3, 2011

New car sales drop for fifth month

New car sales have slumped for the fifth successive month.

Sales in November 2010 totalled 139,875 – an 11.5% fall on the November 2009 figure, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

The downturn this year reflects the ending of the Government’s car scrappage scheme which boosted sales in the second half of last year.

However, the fall last month was not as steep as had been anticipated and the SMMT is predicting total sales for this year will exceed two million.

Sales for the first 11 months of 2010 now stand at 1,907,029 – a 3.4% rise on the January-November 2009 period.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said: “New car registrations fell by less than expected in November, with demand from the fleet sector helping to offset the market rebalancing following the end of the scrappage incentive scheme.”

He went on: “Registrations are expected to fall next month, but demand may benefit from motorists looking to avoid the January VAT rise. This factor, coupled with the strength of the first half of 2010, means year-end volumes are expected to lift to over 2.03 million units – 2% up from last year.

“Next year will continue to be challenging as consumer spending tightens and the Government’s austerity measures take effect.”

The SMMT said the November 2009 new car sales included around 35,000 vehicles – more than 22% of the total – which were bought through the scrappage scheme. Sales in 2011 are expected to fall around 5% to 1.93 million.

Diesel cars took 53% of the market last month, while registrations of alternatively-fuelled cars jumped 83.5% to give them a 1.3% share of the November market. The top-selling models in November 2010 were Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, Volkswagen Golf.

Clunkers program generates 700,000 new car sales

new car sales

Walt Roche installs a motor mount on a 2010 Ford Focus today at the Wayne Stamping and Assembly plant in Wayne, Mich. Cash for Clunkers generated nearly 700,000 new car sales and ended under its $3 billion budget, federal officials say.

WASHINGTON -- Cash for Clunkers generated nearly 700,000 new car sales and ended under its $3 billion budget, the Transportation Department said today.

Releasing final data, the government said dealers submitted 690,114 vouchers totaling $2.88 billion. New car sales through the program ended late Monday and dealers were allowed to submit paperwork to the government until late Tuesday.

Japanese automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan accounted for 41 percent of the new vehicle sales, outpacing Detroit automakers General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, which had a share of nearly 39 percent. Toyota Motor Corp. led the industry with 19.4 percent of new sales, followed by General Motors Co. with 17.6 percent and Ford Motor Co. with 14.4 percent.

The Toyota Corolla was the most popular new vehicle purchased under the program, followed by the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry and Ford Focus.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said U.S. consumers and workers were "the clear winners" under the program. "Manufacturing plants have added shifts and recalled workers. Moribund showrooms were brought back to life and consumers bought fuel-efficient cars that will save them money and improve the environment," he said.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers said the program will boost economic growth in the third quarter by 0.3 to 0.4 percentage points because of the increased auto sales in July and August. An estimated 42,000 jobs will be created or saved during the second half of the year, the White House said.

The program, which began in late July, offered consumers rebates of $3,500 or $4,500 off the price of a new vehicle in return for trading in their older, less fuel-efficient vehicles. The trade-in vehicles needed to get 18 miles per gallon or less and were then scrapped.

It proved far more popular than lawmakers originally thought. Congress was forced to add another $2 billion to the original $1 billion budget when the first pot of money nearly ran out in a week. The extra money was supposed to last through Labor Day, but in the end, Cash for Clunkers ran only about a month.

Dealers loved the new sales, but reported major hassles trying to get the government to repay them for the rebates they gave customers. The government extended the deadline for them to file deals, but many still haven't received their money.

Peter Kitzmiller, president of the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association, said most dealers appeared to get their paperwork in by the Tuesday night deadline. He expressed hope the pace of repayments would pick up now that government officials are working through the backlog.

The Transportation Department said Wednesday that 2,000 people are processing dealer applications, but Kitzmiller said the rate of repayment hasn't increased. "I'm a little concerned that we haven't seen any improvement," he said.

The government said 84 percent of the trade-ins were trucks and 59 percent of the new vehicles were passenger cars. New vehicles bought through Cash for Clunkers had an average fuel-efficiency of 24.9 miles per gallon, compared with an average of 15.8 mpg for trade-ins, a 58 percent improvement.

American companies accounted for all the top-10 traded-in vehicles. The Ford Explorer four-wheel-drive was the most popular, followed by the Ford F-150 Pickup two-wheel-drive, the Jeep Grand Cherokee four-wheel-drive and Ford Explorer two-wheel-drive.

New Auto 2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt Car Picture

TATA'S NEW CAR in 2011

With spiralling fuel prices it is about time we heard some breakthrough!
India's largest automaker Tata Motors is set to start producing the world's first commercial air-powered vehicle.The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine's pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets by August
The Air Car, called the MiniCAT could cost around Rs. 3,50,000 ($ 8177) in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels.
The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 ($ 2).
The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued not welded and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators etc.There are no keys - just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees per 100Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where the 80% of motorists drive at less than 60Km. The car has a top speed of 105 kmph. Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 100 rupees, the car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometers.

As a viable alternative, the car carries a small compressor which can be connected to the mains (220V or 380V) and refill the tank in 3-4 hours. Due to the absence of combustion and, consequently, of residues, changing the oil.
(1 liter of vegetable oil) is necessary only every 50,000 Km).

2011 Ford Focus rendered speculation

The face lifted Focus range has reinvigorated the popular hatch, headlined by the aggressive performance flagship RS model, although this merely preempts the arrival of the all-new Focus due in 2011

The new model will take Ford’s kinetic design to its limits, offering a truly global package with international style, highly-efficient powertrains and innovative green technologies.

These artists’ renderings provide a glimpse at what we may be able to expect from Ford, combining the current kinetic motif with the “Bold American” theme currently employed by the Fusion and Edge crossover SUV.

Under the “One Ford” product strategy devised by CEO Alan Mullaly, the next-generation Focus is being designed and engineered by Ford of Europe which has been assigned the role as the brand’s centre for global small-car development.

This strategy has been formulated with the aim of reducing initial costs and improving manufacturing economies of scale by employing a single design for all markets rather than introducing separate designs for specific regions.

The car will likely debut Ford’s new C3 architecture which has been built as a versatile platform to suit a wider range of vehicle types including compact-crossovers and people movers, along with eventually forming the underpinnings of sister models such as the Mazda3 and Volvo range.

The new Focus will be the make-or-break car for Ford as the economic slump will no doubt eventually take its toll on what has so far proved to be the most resilient US car maker.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Volvo C30 Electric Car due 2011

Volvo C30

2011 Volvo C30 Protection System

The Volvo C30 has a patented front and rear structure using four different grades of steel to absorb and redistribute impact energy around the body of the coupe. Volvo's Whiplash Protection System and Side Impact Protection System with side airbags and Inflatable Curtain are also standard.The seat belts have pretensioners to protect the occupants against unexpected accidents.