Author: yoann besnard

Alfa Romeo might call the baby Alfa ‘Furiosa’

In conjunction with a few leading European car magazines, Alfa Romeo launched a naming contest for its future supermini six weeks ago. The emotive marque allowed users of national websites to choose their favourite name among a shortlist of 12 names. In the end, Furiosa came out on top. It does not mean that the next baby Alfa will get this name. Indeed, according to Autocar, one of the company’s sources said that “it [Furiosa] doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it?”
Alfa Romeo is poised to shake up the supermini market and the tiny Alfa might become its biggest-selling model. Internally known as 955, the three-door supermini is based on the Grande Punto platform. A wide range of engines will be on offer, starting with a 105 bhp 1.4 litre Multiair four with variable valve timing, followed by a selection of 1.4 and 1.8 turbos with 135, 180 and 230 bhp. The ‘Furiosa’ will also come with diesel engines, including the 1.2-liter JTDm with 120 or 150 bhp. The Alfa upmarket supermini will be unveiled at the next Geneva Motor Show.
The final list in order of popularity:
1. Furiosa
2. Ventura
3. Sparvo
4. Mod
5. Eno
6. Nevo
7. Fira
8. Agea
9. Solea
10. Velvetta
11. Milo
12. Everso
November 21, 2007
VW will invest £20 billion between 2008 and 2010

Volkswagen Group has announced that it will invest £20 billion between 2008 and 2010 in manufacturing and new models. With the goal to overtake Toyota in 2018, the German manufacturer has to modernize its factories in order to cut cost and produce more with less.
Germany will receive half of the total amount as VW plans to expand on the US market and in China. India might also be on the plan. The £20 billion will also be used to add 20 new vehicles to the Volkswagen range by 2010.
It seems that every carmaker has set plans to dominate the world. Toyota, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen all have a struggling national market and growth is abroad. The American market and the Chinese is where the fiercest battle will be and all of them plan to gain market share. The problem is the market can not be extended indefinitely. There will be winners and heavy losers.
November 20, 2007
NIssan plans to sell 1,500 GT-Rs per year in the US

With a highly competitive price tag of $69,850 for the entry model, Nissan has limited ambitions for the GT-R on the American Market, Indeed, the Japanese carmaker plans to sell 1,500 cars every year.
This conservative sales forecast might become more than a problem for Nissan. On the Japanese market, the manufacturer expected to sell around 200 cars for November. In less than two weeks, it recorded 2,282 sales. At this rate, it would be able to sell 25,000 cars per year, only on the Japanese market. If we consider with a very rough calculation that the US has twice the population of Japan, Nissan might sell 50,000 cars per year. Add the European sales and it might reach 55,000 sales per year. It would be more than a triumph for Nissan. But let’s come back on earth. Nissan has only the capacity to build 12,000 GT-Rs per year at this moment. Speculations are opened and some dealers plan to markup the GT-R as high as $15,000 per vehicle. It will still be far less expensive than the Porsche 911 Turbo, which costs $122,800.
How will the GT-R perform in Europe? The car has an estimated price tag of £60,000. If it is less expensive than the 911 Turbo, it is still very expensive. Despite having no Nissan badge, except on the deck lid, the GT-R will remain a Nissan for European customers who are more attracted by the brand than the cars themselves.
Source: Autoblog
November 20, 2007
Venturi Fetish and Eclectic to be on sale in April 2008

Do you remember the Venturi concept cars unveiled at the 2006 Paris Motor Show? One of them, dubbed Fetish, was a electric powered roadster and the other known as Eclectic was a wind and solar powered four-seater vehicle.
According to Autoweek.nl, the Monaco-based carmaker has recorded six orders for the Fetish and will start production next year. It will be officially on sale in April 2008 and Venturi plans to build 50 cars per year. Compared to Tesla which collaborated with Lotus for its roadster, Venturi designed the car itself and used carbon-fiber to cut weight. The electric engine produces a power of 250 bhp and a torque of 162 ft-lb. With its 2156 lbs, the Fetish has a top speed of 100 mph and can run the 0-60 mph in less than five seconds.
The odd Eclectic model is powered by a small 22 bhp engine and is charged by solar cells. Thanks to its Spartan interior, the four-seater vehicle weighs 770 lbs. Unlike the Fetish, which will cost £200,000, the Eclectic has a price tag of £20,000.
November 20, 2007
Mazda Demio/2 Sedan unveiled

Mazda will unveil the four-door Mazda Demio/2 at the 2007 Guangzhou Motor Show this week. Designed especially for the Chinese market, the small saloon will be built the Changan Ford Mazda joint-venture. Designing a sedan form a small car is always a difficult exercise., but Mazda designers succeeded in drawing that looks like a small four-door Mazda 3 from the back. The saloon keeps the appealing style of the hatchback.

The engine line up will be likely similar to the Hatchback’s with a 75 bhp 1.3 litre petrol engine and two 1.5 litre units, which deliver 84 bhp and 103 bhp. On the Chinese market, the four-door MAzda 2 will join the current lineup that includes the Mazda 3 and Mazda 6.

Do not expect to see the car on our roads. The is no real demand for tiny sedans in Europe and Mazda will probably focus on selling the Mazda 2 and the new Mazda 6.
November 20, 2007
Is GM the future leader of hybrid cars?

In an interview given to the CNBC, GM CEO Rick Wagoner declared that the American carmaker will release a new hybrid vehicle every three months until 2011. He said: “We will have one new hybrid coming out every quarter for next four years. We’ve got four on the market right now. We are getting in the game with a range of technologies.”
With such a high rate of new hybrid variants, GM might become the biggest seller of hybrid cars on the American market and Toyota might lose its leadership.Added to the current 16 hybrid vehicles already available, GM will have 32 hybrid cars in its range.
Oddly, we will not see any of these future hybrids in Europe as GM plans to focus on developing efficient diesel engines. GM does not see any demand for hybrid cars in Europe as the diesel powertrains offer similar, if not better, efficiency than hybrid engines.
November 20, 2007
Dubai Motor Show: MTM R888

The German tuner MTM has decided to boost the Audi R8 and has revealed the R888 model at the Dubai Motor Show. The triple 8 are not a typing mistake but it is the power announced by MTM: 888 bhp.

MTM did not plan to work on the R8 but an European customer found the normal Audi R8 to be too slow. So, the tuner was asked to give a boost to the car. It equipped the 4.2 litre V8 with two turbochargers. It delivers 888 bhp and a torque of 610 lb-ft. The modified R8 run the 0-60 mph in less than 3 seconds and has a top speed of 223 mph.

The car can be yours for £200,000 and Dubai Motor Show was probably a better show to unveil the beats to potential customers.
November 20, 2007
Samsung QM5’s brochure

Samsung had revealed the QMX SUV at the 2007 Seoul Motor Show, but we still were waiting for more detailed pictures. Thanks to a leaked brochure, here are the first pictures of the interior. Do not expect to discover a traditional Korean design. In order to cut cost, the Samsung SUV share almost all its components with the future Renault Koleos. Here, even the dashboard looks like a Renault’s. It will be on sale next year.
November 20, 2007
Video: Tesla Roadster

Autobloggreen had the privilege to drive the Tesla Roadster and released a video of the driving test. Listen carefully. We can not hear the engine. Some might find the experience very disappointing while others will appreciate the silence.
November 20, 2007
Spyshot: Cadillac BRX

Here is the first spyshot of the future Cadillac BRX. Eagerly awaited by the dealers to replace the slow selling SRX, the BRX will be a crossover, smaller than the current SRX. It will go on sale at the end of next year.
Despite being shot with a Saturn Vue, known as the Vauxhall Antara model in the UK, the BRX will not share its platform. The future Cadillac crossover will be based on the Theta Premium platform which is a combination of the current Theta platform and the future Epsilon 2 platform.
The BRX will be longer than the Vauxhall Antara (180 inches) but shorter than the SRX (195 inches). The future crossover will feature the Cadillac’s design vocabulary, characterized by sharp lines. It will be equipped with two V6 engines. The entry level will get a 2.8 liter petrol engine. The top of the range will be a 3.6 liter petrol engine. The new crossover will be available with front- and all-wheel drive layouts.
The BRX will probably never come to Europe. Nevertheless, the future Saab 9-4 X crossover will be based on the BRX. For the European continent, expect to see a diesel engine.
Source: Jalopnick
November 14, 2007