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Mazda rolled off the 100,000th Demio/2

Only eight months after domestic production started, Mazda built the 100,000th Demio confirming the success encountered by the small Mazda in Japan but also in Europe.
The Mazda Demio, known as 2 model in Europe has been delivered to 34,389 units in the first six months on the Japanese market while in Europe 12,591 units found an owner four months after it hit the showrooms.
Well born, the Mazda 2 took the second place in the 2008 European Car of the Year thanks to a bold design but essentially to its focus on weight reduction. The Mazda is around 100 kilograms lighter than the previous model while almost all other competitors grew in size and weight.
February 14, 2008
Tiff Needle drives the Aston Martin DBS

Tiff Needle drives the DBS and really likes it.
February 14, 2008
More details about the Nissan GT-R V-Spec

Nissan will start selling the GT-R V-Spec at the end of this year. The V-Spec will be more powerful and will include aerodynamic upgrades.
While the standard GT-R’s engine delivers 473bhp, the sportier V-Spec will have an output boosted to 550bhp. Along with the power boost, the engineers focused on weight reduction. The V-Spec will be 150kg lighter than the normal GT-R. The power-weight ratio will drop from 271bhp per tonne to 346bhp, a 28% increase.
The V-Spec will come with a set a aerodynamic appendices such as side skirts and splitter. On the inside, the car will feature carbon fiber panels but will keep its current equipment and dashboard.
Nissan has set the goal to break the Nürburgring record lap which is 7 minute 25 second and to take on the Porsche 911 GT2 and GT3. The V-Spec will be £20,000 more expensive than the normal version.
February 14, 2008
Mercedes-Benz CL65 AMG tuned by Väth

Here is the Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG spice up by the German tuner Väth. More power, upgraded braking system and lowered suspension.
If you feel unhappy with the power delivered by the 6.0-litre V12 petrol engine, Väth raises its power to 718bhp. The CL 65 AMg can then reach a top speed of 211mph with the removal of the electronic speed limiter.

The coupé is also equipped with an improved braking system and lowered suspension. The exterior styling features 20” alloy wheels and a carbon-fibre front spoiler lip and rear diffuser parts.
Source: autoblog.nl
February 14, 2008
Mazda might produce a MX-5 coupé

Mazda is seriously considering launching a coupé variant of the successful MX-5 roadster. The future coupé would go on sale from 2010.
According to the Japanese car magazine Best Car, there is 60% chance that we will see the coupé hitting the showrooms. 2010 is also the year Mazda will likely revamp the roadster.
The coupé won’t be built on the same assembly lines as the roadster. It will be produced at a small scale by Mazda R&E, the Research and Engineering department of the company which compromises the probability to see the coupé being exported outside of Japan.
This is not the first time Mazda would build a coupé derived from the roadster. The previous generation featured a coupé also sold exclusively in Japan.
February 14, 2008
GM to build a Mini competitor?

During a presentation of the Volt’s progress, GM left drawings of what could be a future new Mini competitor sold under the Saab label.
The car was a three-door hatchback with two different designs and varied colour schemes. One design featured a B-pillar with a rear end similar to the famous Chevrolet Nomad’s while the other didn’t feature any B-pillar but a spoiler at the rear end. One of the car is presented as a future Saab model while the other features the Saturn badge.
On the renderings realized by Motor Trend, both cars feature large wheel arches and small side windows like the Mini does. The supermini success generates a lot of interests from other car makers. Alfa Romeo will join the fight at the end of the year, while Mercedes will likely launch its competitor in 2011. The recent success encountered by the iconic Fiat 500 showed there was enough room on the segment for new contenders. But, with more actors on the field, there will be a fierce struggle for a share of the pie and GM might once again arrive after everybody and might just sweep up the crumbs.
Click here to see all the drawings
February 14, 2008
Toyota to unveil the Urban Cruiser at Geneva

Along with the eagerly-awaited iQ at Geneva, the Japanese car maker will also reveal the new Urban Cruiser, a small SUV based on the Ist sold in Japan.
While observers expected an all-new small SUV destined for the European market, Toyota just imports the Ist model. The car maker has the cheek to call it a ‘urban all-road vehicle’ in the press release. The Ist’s design won’t likely please European consumers with its dull design and the paint scheme, although trendy in Japan, won’t help matters.
No information is available regarding the engines, but it is a fairly safe bet that the Urban Cruiser will feature the 1.5-litre petrol engine used in the Ist. It has an output of 108bhp at 6000rpm and a torque of 101 lb ft at 4400rpm.
My advice to Toyota: next time please avoid sending us your worst domestic models.
February 14, 2008
Rendering of the future baby Alfa by Quattroruote

The Italian magazine some spyshots and renderings of the future small Alfa due to be launched at the next Paris Motor Show.
Internally known as 955, the three-door supermini will 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 turbocharged 1.4-litre and 1.8-litre units with outputs of 135, 180 and 230 bhp. The baby Alfa will also come with diesel engines, including the 1.2-litre JTDm with 120 or 150 bhp.
It hasn’t been yet confirmed if the car will be called ‘Furiosa’ after the naming contest organized last year or will be christened with another name.
Alfa Romeo expects a lot from the three-door supermini in term of sales. The company aims at selling 100,000 units per year.
Click here to see all the pictures
February 14, 2008
Aston Martin to open a test center on the N?rburgring

Aston Martin has announced that it will open a new engineering test centre at the N?rburgring circuit in Germany at the end of May of this year.
Along the testing purpose of the new centre, Aston MArtin also considers using the facilities for future customer activities. Everybody can pay £12 to run on the circuit but having a support team not far is always welcome.
Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez, said: “When we open the Aston Martin N?rburgring Test Centre at the end of May this will be our second major new facility in less than 12 months since the company entered new ownership.” Two months ago, the company opened a new design studio in Gaydon.
It is rumoured that Aston Martin development program has suffered from its independence. Under Ford ownership, the British car maker was able to use the Ford facilities to test its future models.
February 14, 2008
CAW president: “I have a dream. Banning imported cars in North America”

Canadian Auto Workers president Buzz Hargrove is the kind of guy you’re not sure you want to to have as a friend as you get the feeling he would blame you for all the problems occurring in his life.. Indeed He wants the Canadian prime minister to make a public statement saying Canada will no longer allow car imports from Japan and South Korea unless they open their markets to North American vehicles. Why don’t American car maker make proper car for a try that people want to buy for once?
“I’m very fearful. Every month when I look at the numbers, the market share losses just keep growing. [For] Ford and GM I think there’s only one scenario if you don’t stem the market share losses,” he said, following a meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa. He blamed the number of imports from Asia and Europe that far exceed the number of vehicles shipped there from Canada.
The reality is that the cars the Canadian factories build are not designed for European and Asian roads. Too large and too thirsty, the American cars also suffer from a poor build quality, a poor reliability and a poor ride, except for a few models which meet a certain success on our shores.
The Canadian Auto Workers also wants the Prime Minister to help persuade the United States to take the same action in a new North American auto pact. Sometimes, utopia is a nice refuge.
February 14, 2008