2011 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive Photo Gallery

Following the successful launch in European cities the new smart fortwo electric drive will take to the roads of North American cities from the autumn. The electrically powered trendsetter has been rolling off the production line since November 2009 – and due to the huge demand the initial production volume has been increased from 1000 to 1500 vehicles. The second generation smart fortwo electric drive is equipped with an innovative and highly efficient lithium-ion battery. It is neatly accommodated between the axles, which means that space is not compromised in any way in the intelligent two-seater vehicle. A 30 kW electric motor is fitted at the rear. This provides for very good acceleration and high agility with 120 Newton metres of torque that are immediately available.

2011 Smart Fortwo Electric

2011 Smart Fortwo Electric

2011 Smart Fortwo Electric picture

2011 Smart Fortwo Electric gallery

2011 Smart Fortwo Electric view

2011 Smart Fortwo Electric

2011 Smart Fortwo Electric

2010 Jaguar XKR 75 Special Edition Photo gallery

Production of the XKR 75 will be limited to just 75 vehicles, which will be available to order from July 2010 in the UK priced from £85,500 OTR. Customer deliveries will commence during October.

2010 Jaguar XKR 75 Special Edition

2010 Jaguar XKR 75 Special Edition

2011 ABT Sportsline Audi A8 Pictures

Renowned for its astonishing VAG automobiles conversions, ABT Sportsline, the Bavarian aftermarket expert has exclusively unveiled the details on its astonishingly elegant creation, the new ABT AS8. The extraordinary luxury ride is based upon the recently launched, new-generation premium sedan 2011 Audi A8 and offers more sophisticated yet unobtrusive sporty vision.

2011 ABT Sportsline Audi A8

2011 ABT Sportsline Audi A8

2011 ABT Sportsline Audi A8

2011 Jaguar XJ Saloon Price

The new Jaguar XJ offers unique style with its distinctive design, generous accommodation and impressive predicted residual values. The vehicle offers class-leading combination of round-the-clock support and minimised running costs. Furthermore, the number of extras is endless.

2011 XJ Saloon is a perfect choice especially for owners, who demand exceptional luxury at reasonable cost of ownership. Jaguar XJ has further minimised running costs by lightweight aluminium structure, which not only contributes to lower fuel consumption when driving, but also significantly reduces the car’s overall carbon footprint. More than 50 per cent recycled aluminium is used to build the bodyshell.



The Long Wheelbase model offers extraordinary cabin space – a full metre of rear legroom and ample headroom. The boot is also impressive – 520 litre, so it can accommodate two large suitcases and a full set of golf clubs. XJ Long Wheelbase comes with illuminated rear vanity mirrors, four zone automatic climate control, rear privacy glass, a rear electric window sunblind and manual rear side window sunblinds. Rear business trays become standard on Portfolio and Supersport models.
The Jaguar XJ is powered by 3.0 Litre V6 Diesel , which offers class leading fuel consumption of 39.2mpg, and emissions of only 189g/km CO2.

The new Chauffeur Programme is available to Jaguar XJ and XF customers. It offers licenced a range of unique benefits to maximise the productivity and cost-effectiveness of their vehicle. The support package includes:

-A like-for-like replacement vehicle – minimise downtime with a like-for-like replacement vehicle in the event of a mechanical breakdown during the vehicle warranty period. Vehicles will also be PCO licenced for London based chauffeurs

-Jaguar Chauffeur Insurance – tailored hire and reward insurance available through Jaguar Cars Finance with a £500 insurance contribution for the first year of the policy – peace of mind and a significant saving for chauffeur businesses

-Jaguar accident management – part of Jaguar Chauffeur Insurance, a comprehensive service for fault and non-fault accidents, including arranging repairs at a Jaguar approved repairer and the provision of a like-for-like replacement vehicle which will also be PCO licenced for London based chauffeurs

-Quintessentially Jaguar – one year’s membership of a dedicated global ‘concierge’ service, to provide assistance with special customer requests, such as theatre or restaurant bookings

-Priority servicing and repairs – to ensure vehicles are back on the road, washed and valeted, as soon as possible

-Tailored finance – a range of tailored finance options, including flexible Jaguar Contract Hire profiles with varying annual mileage options, with or without maintenance

2011 XJ is priced at £56,900 on the road. The Jaguar XF 3.0 Litre V6 Diesel, with 42.0mpg combined and 179g/km CO2 is priced from £34,900 on the road.

2011 VW Jetta Sedan

Look at these first official photos of the all-new 2011 Jetta Volkswagen sedan. The new Jetta was officially unveiled and will go on sale in the U.S. this October with prices starting at $15,995. Unfortunately, availability and pricing in Europe will be announced later.

The new Jetta’s exterior styling with the Audi-esque rear-end and Scirocco-like fascia was inspired by the NCC coupe concept car shown at the Detroit Show.

2011 Opel Astra Sports Tourer

The all-new Opel (Vauxhall in the UK) Astra Sports Tourer has been revealed at the Paris Motor Show on October. This euro GM’s station wagon model go on sale across Europe in November.

The exterior of the Astra Sports Tourer look like the Insignia ST. The Opel Astra Sports Tourer shares its footprint with its 5-door sibling, with a similar 2,685 mm-long wheelbase and front and rear tracks of 1544 and 1558 mm respectively.

2011 Honda Odyssey

Honda has pulled the first official photos of its all-new Honda Odyssey eight-seater minivan. The new styling and the 1.6-inches lower roofline give new Odyssey more character and presence over the current model.

The 2011 model is said to be wider over the current 2010 Odyssey and promises to be more functional and roomy with better interior lighting.

New interior features include an available entertainment technology that introduces high-definition connectivity and split-screen viewing.

The 2011 Honda Odyssey will be offered at least with 3.5-liter V6 petrol engine. Honda estimating a fuel economy for new Odyssey of 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway.

Peugeot-Citroen developing small car, sedan for India peugeot citroen new small car

We had brought news about Peugeot-Citroen’s Indian plans few days ago. Now the French car-maker has announced it is keen on exploring developing markets like India, China, Thailand and Brazil with market specific small cars and sedans.

Peugeot is looking to shy away from its dependency of developed markets and enter new markets where there are more prospects. Peugeot-Citroen has confirmed that it is working on two new models for developing markets, a small car internally called ‘Global Small Car’ and a cost-effective sedan (probably on the lines of the Renault Logan) dubbed the ‘M3-M4′.

Peugeot-Citroen is looking to launch these vehicles in the developing markets by 2013-14. The company is also looking to manufacture these cost-effective cars either in India, Thailand, China, Japan or the Latin America.

Peugeot-Citroen’s partner Mitsubishi is actively involved in this venture. Peugeot-Citroen’s strength is its ability to develop extremely frugal small displacement diesel engines. This would surely help the prospects of their new cost-effective cars in India at least.

2011 Mustang V-6

For a starting retail price of just $22,995, buyers get more than 300 horsepower, a six-speed transmission and the unmistakable sporty looks of one of America's favorite icons. The newest Mustang even has the best six-cylinder fuel economy rating ever in the car's 47-year history — 19 miles per gallon in city driving and 31 mpg on the highway, according to the federal government.

And this comes from a new V-6 whose 305 horsepower is just 10 less than the V-8 that was in the 2010 Mustang GT. It's a happy confluence of power and efficiency. But it's also surprising that it shows up in a famous sporty car. Mustang buyers typically don't make fuel economy a high priority.

Sold as a two-door coupe and convertible, the 2011 Mustang has a starting retail price of $22,995 for a V-6 coupe with six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic, which nets the top fuel economy rating, adds $995 to the price, for a total of $23,990.

Gosh, these prices aren't far from the $23,305 starting retail price for a more ho-hum 2010 Honda Accord coupe with 190-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and manual transmission.

Mustang V-6 prices also compare favorably with the starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $23,530 for a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro coupe with 304-horsepower V-6 and manual transmission. The lowest starting retail price for a Camaro with automatic is $24,525. Note that the top government fuel economy rating for the Camaro is 17/29 mpg with automatic transmission.

Meantime, a 2010 Dodge Challenger with 250-horspower V-6 starts at $23,695 and is rated at 17/25 mpg. There's no manual transmission in the Challenger. Neither the Camaro nor Challenger is available as a convertible.

The test Mustang was a 2011 Premium coupe with automatic transmission that had shift-it-yourself controls that don't require a clutch pedal.

GM recalls 1.5 million cars, trucks with heated wiper fluid

General Motors is recalling about 1.5 million vehicles worldwide for a problem with a heated windshield wiper fluid system that could lead to a fire. The recall affects a number of 2006-09 model pickups, SUVs and cars sold under the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer and Saturn brands. GM conducted a similar recall in 2008 but has had new reports of fires in vehicles that were supposedly fixed.

GM plans to disable the washer fluid heating module and will pay owners/lessees $100 for losing the feature. GM says it is aware of five fires, but no injuries or crashes.

Nearly 1.4 million vehicles are in the U.S. More than 100,000 vehicles are in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere.

Here is a list of vehicles and a summary of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's posting:

• BUICK / ENCLAVE 2008-2009
• BUICK / LUCERNE 2006-2009
• CADILLAC / CTS 2008-2009
• CADILLAC / DTS 2006-2009
• CADILLAC / ESCALADE 2007-2009
• CADILLAC / ESCALADE ESV 2007-2009
• CADILLAC / ESCALADE EXT 2007-2009
• CHEVROLET / AVALANCHE 2007-2009
• CHEVROLET / SILVERADO 3500 2007-2009
• CHEVROLET / SUBURBAN 2007-2009
• CHEVROLET / TAHOE 2007-2009
• CHEVROLET / TRAVERSE 2009
• GMC / ACADIA 2007-2009
• GMC / SIERRA 2007-2009
• GMC / YUKON 2007-2009
• GMC / YUKON XL 2007-2009
• HUMMER / H2 2006-2009
• SATURN / OUTLOOK 2007-2009

Manufacturer: GENERAL MOTORS CORP. Mfr's Report Date: JUN 04, 2010
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 10V240000 N/A
NHTSA Action Number: N/A

Ford expects to be 25% electrified by 2020

Ford predicts the electrification of America's auto fleet to happen a lot faster than most have expected.

Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of global electrification, told our colleague Jewel Gopwani at the Detroit Free Press that Ford expects 10% to 25% of its sales by 2020 will be vehicles that in some way run on batteries, up from about 2% now.

Of those electrified vehicles, 70% will be hybrids, 20% to 25% plug-in hybrids, the rest pure electrics.

For starters, Ford, which needs to give Lincoln new life as it kills off Mercury, says its new 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid has gotten an EPA sticker rating of at 41 miles per gallon in the city, 36 mpg on the highway. That beats what it considers the MKZ hybrid's top mid-size luxury sedan rival -- the 2010 Lexus HS 250h hybrid -- by 6 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway. Ford also claims a top speed on battery alone of 47 mph vs. 25 mph for the Lexus.

2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 Final Edition

Dodge has announced a specially styled, limited-edition Viper model, which carries the name 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 Final Edition. Designed to mark exclusively the final year of production for the current-generation Dodge Viper, the newcomer will be manufactured in limited number of only 50 units worldwide.


The new 2010 Viper SRT10 Final Edition differs from its series counterpart by a sleek, Graphite finished exterior with painted black center stripe traced in red and unique side sill badges. The Coupe and ACR Final Edition models pack also a black windshield surround.
The manufacturing process of the 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 Final Edition is scheduled to start in the early summer of 2010.

2010 Dodge Challenger SpeedFactory SF600R

SpeedFactory, the leader in modern Mopar supercars, today announced the industry's first 6spd manual, 600 HP ‘SF600R' Challenger, as part of their complete line of 2010 Mopar supercars.


The ‘R' designation in the SF600R Challenger denotes a SpeedFactory hi-performance, normally-aspirated, bored, stroked and balanced 6.1L Hemi block, increasing the displacement to 426 cu. in. (7 liters).

This modern 426 powerplant has an all-forged rotating assembly and features CNC ported aluminum heads with new valves, guides, seals, Bee Hive springs and titanium retainers. A custom Comp hydraulic cam along with an 85mm throttle body works with a CNC machined stock manifold that is port matched with a blended plenum to produce a dyno-proven 595-605 HP on premium-grade 91 octane pump fuel.

Additional SpeedFactory performance modifications include a CARB- certified high volume air intake and Corsa stainless steel cat back exhaust system for better breathing. The increased power is managed with a Centerforce clutch and a Getrag IRS with 1000 HP half-shafts. Handling is improved with performance springs and sway bars as well as additional front and rear strut tower braces. The SF600R Challenger rides on premium Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires mounted on staggered 20" BBS Black Edition CH-R flow-formed wheels.
The 2010 SF600R Challenger is priced at $73,900. and is available for immediate delivery.