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Saab unveils 9-5 Turbo Special Edition
Saab has launched a limited edition of the ageing 9-5 in a last attempt to increase its sales, while the company waits for the next-generation model.
Called “9-5 Turbo Edition”, this special 9-5 is offered with two specifications and a choice of three trim levels. The Turbo Edition adds 17in five spoke alloy wheels, leather sports seats heated front and rear, electric driver’s seat and headlight washers. The Aero Turbo Edition includes DVD satellite navigation and electric seats.
The Turbo Edition is available with two petrol engines, the 148bhp 2.0-litre unit and the 182bhp 2.3-litre engine and one diesel engine, the 1.9 TiD unit. The Aero version is powered Bentley
the 256bhp 2.3-litre engine
All the versions are available in both saloon and estate bodystyles. The entry-level starts at £19,995, while the Aero version costs £24,995.
May 17, 2008
Nissan forecasts 30% profit slump
Nissan has announced that its profit for this fiscal year will decrease by 30.5% due to a worsen global economy.
After announcing a £3.9 billion profit for the 2007 fiscal year, the Japanese carmaker has announced its profit would slump 30.5% to £2.4 billion. The company executives blame the weak dollar damaging the US profit, the rising material costs and rising gas prices.
Nissan will release new models this year in an attempt to maintain global sales despite gloomy markets. The carmaker has recently unveiled the new Teana destined for Asian market, the Maxima for the American market. Later this year, the eagerly-awaited 370Z, the infiniti G37 convertible will be also launched. In Japan, the carmaker will renew the top-selling Cube model.
May 17, 2008
Audi wins European Inventor of the Year 2008
The European Patent Office has named the German carmaker European Inventor of the Year.
The honor is bestowed on companies whose ideas have made significant contributions to Europe’s economic growth and competitiveness. Audi was recognized for the invention of Audi Space Frame technology (ASF).
The ASF is for Audi what was aluminum for the disappeared French carmaker Panhard. It is a high-strength aluminum frame structure into which the panels are integrated so that they also perform a load-bearing function. The Audi Space Frame comprises a complex structure of extruded profiles and cast nodes. The Audi Space Frame was first presented to the world public at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in 1993 as the body of an Audi A8.
“The award is a testament to our lead in lightweight aluminum design technology, an area that is so important for the automobile industry,” says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi.
The Audi A8, the Audi TT Coupé, the TT Roadster, the Audi R8 and the Lamborghini Gallardo are all equipped with Audi Space Frame technology.
May 17, 2008
Cadillac CTS-V on the ‘Ring
The 7:59.32 lap is really impressive for a saloon and GM has released a video footage of the lap.
The car used for the lap is 100% identical to the production version claims Cadillac, but you will need to be as expert as the driver John Heinricy to play with the gearbox as he does.

May 16, 2008
GM adopts downsizing
GM has unveiled two new petrol engines destined for Europe and other regions, a 1.4-litre unit and a 1.6-litre engine.
With the two new engines, GM finally yields to downsizing by launching two new engines which will both featured on the Zafira MPV.
The first engine is a 1.4-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder which will be available from 2010. The engine will produce an estimated output ranging from 120bhp to 140bhp and torque values of 129 to 148 lb ft. It will deliver an approximate 8 percent improvement in fuel consumption compared to a higher displacement naturally aspirated engine with similar output claims the carmaker and will be EURO 5 compliant. The new engine includes include a turbocharger integrated into the exhaust manifold, full variable valve timing, thermal management, flow-controlled oil pump, and a reinforced crankshaft and connecting rod.
The second engine is based on the 1.6-litre engine. With the turbocharger the power output jumps to 150bhp, while the torque output is boosted to 155 lb ft. This new engine will be launched next year.
May 16, 2008
Chevrolet unveils a cheaper diesel-powered Captiva
Chevrolet has reshuffled the Captiva’s range by adding a new entry-level diesel, while keeping the same 148bhp engine.
Until now, the entry-level for a diesel-powered Captiva costed £20,395, or £3,400 more expensive than the entry-level petrol-powered version. Chevrolet finally offers the diesel engine with the LS trim level which decreased the price tag to £18,295. The equipment featured on the LS level still includes air conditioning, glass-flip tailgate, electrically-adjustable heated door mirrors, eight-way adjustable driver’s seat, a powerful six-speaker RDS radio/CD player with MP3 socket, steering-wheel mounted audio controls, front, side and curtain airbags, remote control two-stage deadlocking and charcoal-effect roof rails.
With the 148bhp, the Captiva 2.0 VCDi LS accelerates from 0-60mph in 10.8 seconds, with a top speed of 112mph.
At £18,295, the entry-level Captiva is £1,900 cheaper than Kia’s base model Sorento, over £2,000 less expensive than the cheapest diesel Nissan X-Trail, and more than £3,500 less pricey than the five-seat Hyundai Santa Fe 2.2 CRTD GSi.
May 16, 2008
Audi to lauch a 610bhp RS6?
An insider has revealed that Audi plans to launch a RS6 Plus which will offer 610bhp.
The current RS6 is currently the most powerful estate ever, but still Audi wants to move the challenge up by selling a more powerful version. The news comes as a surprise. Indeed, recently Audi executives said in an interview with Car that the RS6 would be the last powerful Audi model. However, the German marque sold a RS6 Plus in the past with the former model. The RS6 Plus got a 30 bhp boost from 450 to 480bhp. The limited edition featured 19in wheels to replace the 18in on the normal version. 999 units were built.
The RS6 would also get a 30bhp boost increasing the power output from 580 to 610bhp. However, future buyers will have to wait until 2011 before driving it as the Plus model will be a way for Audi to celebrate the end of the current generation according to the sources.
May 16, 2008
10 millionth Opel Astra built
The 10 millionth Opel Astra rolled off the assembly line in Bochum, Germany seventeen years after its launch.
The 10 millionth Astra is a Silver Lightning Station Wagon 1.7 CDTI. The front-wheel drive Astra is produced in eight plants on two continents. In Europe, the current models are built in Bochum, Germany; Antwerp, Belgium; Ellesmere Port, United Kingdom and Gliwice, Poland. As a truly global car, the Astra is also fully or partially assembled in Russia, the Ukraine, Brazil and Serbia. It also is the first compact class model since the Kadett B that is sold in the USA. The Saturn Astra is built in Antwerp.
The British buy the most Astras. Last year, 119,082 units were sold in the U.K. The second-largest market is Germany with 74,226 units, followed by Italy with 43,128 vehicles and Spain with 41,282 units. The most popular Astra in Western Europe is the 1.6 ECOTEC model Enjoy.
May 16, 2008
Porsche won’t build the Cayenne in the US
In a previous post Petrol-Head reported that the future US plant built by VW might also be used by Porsche. The German sports car maker ruled out the need to build a model in there.
A spokesman has revealed that Porsche has no plan to build the Cayenne in the US and also said that Porsche will be immune to the weak US dollar until 2013.
The rumour started when Stefan Jacoby said that the future plant would need to build at least 200,000 cars per year to be profitable. The Touareg will be on of the few models built in the future facility. He also added that in addition to the Volkswagen models, the group was looking at other brands. This is where Audi CEO, Rupert Stadler, said that extra capacity might be used to build the Q7 and maybe the Q5.
As the Porsche Cayenne shares its inner-structure with the Touareg and the Q7, the German newspaper Handelsblatt, said the Cayenne could share production at VW’s future U.S. plant. If one of these vehicles were to be built at the new U.S. plant, there’s very little reason why the others couldn’t. Well, Porsche isn’t a conventional carmaker. Porsche has reminded us that it is above the other brands.
May 16, 2008
More than one million Prius in the world
The million milestone was passed by the Toyota Prius at the end of April.
Initially launched as a niche vehicle, the Prius became a mainstream product for the Japanese giant. The Prius started its career in December 1997 in Japan. Reserved to the Japanese market at first, the Prius was exported in small quantities in Europe and the US in 2000. The second generation launched in 2003 brought the Prius to the media attention thanks to a smart campaign based on Hollywood stars.
Of the 1,028,000 Prius sales worldwide, 591,600 were sold in North America and 315,000 in Japan and 100,700 in Europe Toyota said.
Toyota also claims that Prius vehicles worldwide have contributed to a significant reduction in CO2 emissions by producing approximately 4.5 million tons less CO2 when compared with petrol-powered vehicles in the same class and of similar size and driving performance. This is a bold claim from Toyota as the carmaker doesn’t explain how it calculated the amount of CO2 and the engines taken into account in the comparion test.
May 16, 2008