Author: yoann besnard

The Phaeton will return to the US

VW Spokesman Andreas Meurer confirmed that the next-generation Phaeton luxury executive will return to the US.
However, the next-generation will be sold at a lower price tag and will be smaller in order not to compete with the Audi A8. Besides, the future Volkswagen saloon will share its inner structure, powertrains and suspension, with the Audi A6, but will feature a unique exterior and interior styling, and chassis tuning.
Volkswagen ceased to sell the current model as a result of poor sales in 2005. In its best year, the company never sold more than 2.000 units on the American market.
February 6, 2008
Smart ForFour to return

Due to poor sales, Mercedes ceased the production of the ForFour in the middle of 2006 and ruled out a possible come back at that time. The company changed its mind and is serious considering bringing back the four door Smart model.
This news doesn’t totally come as a surprise. Indeed, other car makers have announced that they would build small cars in order to comply with stricter emission regulation. Among them, Volkswagen revealed the four door Up! concept car at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.
This time, Daimler would go on its own to develop the future ForFour which would share its inner structure with the current ForTwo model. Daimler executives think the car suffered from a design that had no links with the two door model. The former ForFour shared its underpinnings with the Mitsubishi Colt.
February 5, 2008
Spyshots: baby Rolls
The first spyshots and information about the baby Rolls are emerging on Internet. The future limousine has been spotted in the streets of Munich.
The future entry level Rolls Royce will share its underpinnings with the future 7-Series which will go on sale from 2009. Secrecy surrounds the powertrain although it is rumoured that the future Rolls Royce would be powered by the same V12 as the Phantom model and by a smaller engine shared with the 7-Series. According to some insiders, the baby Rolls might also feature a diesel engine.
The future saloon will be priced at £160,000 to £180,000, which is £70,000 to £90,000 less than the Phantom.
February 5, 2008
A Chevrolet Silverado hits the 1 million miles mark

At a time when cars are considered no better than razor blades and car makers want us to believe that a model has a lifespan limited to four years, it is refreshing to learn that an American car owner will soon hit the one million miles mark with his 1991 Chevrolet Silverado pickup.
Franck Orsenic bought his secondhand pickup in 1996 with 41,000 miles on the clock. Since then he drove it more than 950,000 miles which is an average of more than 80,000 miles per year! He’s just now 1,200 miles from the one million mark and will put his pickup into retirement. When asked about his secret, the lucky owner just says he just changed oil every 3,000 miles.
February 4, 2008
Volvo to recall 82,000 S40 and V50

Volvo has announced it will recall 82,000 vehicles due to a rust problem that might lead the vehicle’s engine to stall. The recall only concerns the five-cylinder petrol powered models that were built between 2005 and 2006.
The problem concerns the cars sold in region where corrosion is a major issue. Volvo Cars spokeswoman Maria Bohlin said recalls were being made in the company’s “corrosion markets,” in which the cars are exposed to more rust-speeding factors such as rain, snow, or road salt. The main countries are Sweden, of course, Germany and the US.
The problem has been located in the fuel pump electronic module, which controls the fuel supply to the engine. The electronic module is situated in a way that it can be affected by corrosion, which would lead to the fuel supply being cut off.
February 4, 2008
BMW to build a city car

According to AutoExpress, BMW is currently working on a small car set to compete with the Smart ForTwo and the future budget model Volkswagen in order to reduce its fleet average emission levels and comply with the 2012 EU emission regulation.
According to the sources, BMW won’t feature hybrid technology as result of cost cutting. Instead, the small car would be powered by small turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. Sitting on a front-wheel drive platform, BMW engineers would ensure the city car offer enough driver appeal.
The lineup would be positioned below the BMW Mini despite a similar length. BMW is seriously considering selling the car under a new label. Some observers talk about a possible revival of the Isetta brand. The car would be built by Magna-Steyr which will also build the future Mini Crossman. However, engines and powertrains would still be built by BMW.
February 4, 2008
Lancia future plans revealed

As reported in a previous post, Lancia will unveil the new Lancia Delta at Geneva and will be the group’s new attempt to relaunch Italian brand. Indeed the Delta model will be followed by a flow of new models in the coming years.
Lancia will expand its lineup by launching new vehicles and renewing current successful models. Likewise, low volume cars will be discontinued. The first car to disappear will be the Thesis executive saloon which we never saw in the UK. Set to compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class, the Italian saloon failed by sporting the ugliest grille we have ever seen on a modern production car. This is rather sad as the Thesis comes with an interior padded with leather whose quality compete with Rolls Royce’s. Interior quality was also praised by car journalists and considered by some to be better than the German clique.
The new Delta will be a five-door hatchback featuring an upmarket interior. Lancia might expand its portfolio through derived variants such as a SUV and new coupé-cabrio. Within the next few months a decision will be made on both cars.
2009 will be the year of the next-generation Ypsilon. Despite its qualities, the current model suffered from the competition of the BMW Mini model. This time, the new model will be available in both three and five doors body styles. The Musa which is quite successful in Italy and France, will be also be renewed. Although secrecy surrounds the future small MPV, it is already known that it will feature unique underpinnings as the Fiat Idea is being discontinued.
Lancia also plans to launch an exclusive coupé like Alfa Romeo did with the 8C Competizione in order to spearhead a revival of the marque. The future exclusive coupé might be dubbed Aurelia in reference to the past. The last Lancia model to refer to the Aurelia heritage was the Thesis saloon.
Source: AutoTelegraaf
February 4, 2008
Great Wall Florid got the green light

The Chinese car maker has been given the green light by the Chinese government to build the Florid model which is a rip-off of the Toyota IST/scion xA model.

The Chinese car maker had unveiled a series of small cars eighteen moths ago whose particular trait was to be a faithful copy of European and Japanese models. Without the least hint of embarrassment, Great Wall executives declared the cars were their own creation, but even the Chinese government didn’t believe it and ordered the car maker to suspend the project as the government didn’t want to be sued for infringement of patent. But at the latest congress, one decided that business was a priority and Great Wall can release its Florid Model.

Due to go on sale from May this year, the Florid will be powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine or a 1.2-litre diesel engine. The diesel engine comes as a surprise. Indeed, diesel engines are not common in China, but Great Wall has the ambitious plan to export the model to Europe. The car would be sold in Italy first and in the rest of Europe in 2009.
The Chines company is currently being sued by Fiat in China and in Europe over the design of the Peri model which is a rip-off of the current Panda. What will be the Toyota’s reaction? This is not the first time a Toyota is copied by a Chinese car maker. Indeed, Jonway cloned the RAV4 to build the UFO model. Unfortunately, Toyota did nothing because it didn’t patent the design.
February 4, 2008
Tesla delivered its first car

Tesla delivered its first production car on Friday to the company’s chairman, Elon Musk.
Despite the encountered difficulties, the start up finally succeeded in reaching the production stage which remains a bit complicated. The car was flown from England where the car is built at the Lotus manufacturing plant in Hethel while the batteries were imported from Tesla’s plant located in Thailand. Both parts were assembled at the company’s headquarters before being delivered to Elon Musk.
Tesla chairman called the moment “the beginning of the beginning”. In the meantime, he confirmed the first deliveries will start in mid-March. The first cars will be delivered with a temporary transmission before getting letter the final version of the single-speed transmission.
The second car will be delivered to Martin Eberhard who left the company at the end of November.
February 4, 2008
Spyshots: Audi A4 Allroad

The picture you see here is the front wheel of the future Audi A4 Allroad spotted during winter testing.
Like the Audi A6 Allroad, the car on the picture comes with similar wheel arches and side skirts. This Audi A4 also features a higher ride height and, of course, snow tyres. Normally, Allroad models are only available as an estate, but the spotted saloon might be only used for testing purposes.
The exact spec of this special A4 remains unknown although it is believed the car would be available with an engine range similar to Audi A6’s. There would be a 1.8-litre petrol engine with an output of 158bhp and a 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine producing either 138bhp or 168bhp.
Click here to see the pictures
Source: Worldcarfans
February 4, 2008