Dan Roth
Etc., Euro, Hirings/Firings, Bentley

Rather than spend your day looking up “gonnectigizoink” at Wikipedia, a better use of the internet might be to find a job. The problem is that it’s just so hard to find anything that matches our niche skillset. Bentley is looking for more global candidates to fill their open positions, and has launched a website in hopes of snagging applicants. Currently, there’s only opportunities if you want to locate yourself in Crewe, but there’s 40-plus openings for everything from Logistics and IS to student programs. Bentley’s hoping that opening up positions to the world at large, rather than relying solely on the old guard of newspaper adverts and recruitment firms will bring in more potential candidates. We’ll be watching it like a hawk for the high performance test driver position to open up. In the meantime, we’ll be compiling a fanciful delusion of a curriculum vitae.

[Source: Inside Line]

Source: Dream Job: Bentley launches online employment portal

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The Suzuki Grand Vitara range is set to welcome a much needed powerful and economical turbo-diesel variant to its line-up next month.

Backed by high customer demand, the diesel variant will also receive a full compliment of standard equipment with a $34,990 price tag.

Boasting a 1.9-litre Direct Diesel injection System (DDiS) intercooled and turbocharged engine, this new Vitara will sport a modest 95kW and an all crucial torque figure of 300Nm from just 2000rpm.

“That makes the new turbo-diesel version not only the most powerful in the Grand Vitara line-up but also the most economical, sipping just 7.6 litres of diesel to cover 100 kilometres.”

To put this into perspective, the Grand Vitara - which is by no means a small car - could travel from Sydney to Melbourne on a single tank of fuel.

With a diesel particulate filter, it easily meets strict Euro IV standards, with harmful carbon monoxide emissions kept to just 0.50 grams per kilometre.

The diesel engine also compliments the Grand Vitara’s off-road credentials as one of few compact SUV’s to feature a dual range transmission.

Inside you will find a host of safety equipment including ESP with traction control, six airbags and ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist.

Standard luxuries such as cruise control, MP3 compatible CD player, climate control air-conditioning and power windows and mirrors all contribute to the appeal of the turbo-diesel Grand Vitara due to hits showrooms February 1.

CarAdvice will have a first steer available within the next few days.

Source: Suzuki add diesel to Grand Vitara

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The U.S. is the single biggest market for Lamborghini so it comes as little surprise that the Italian supercar brand will be setting up a separate sales company exclusively for the States – the first of its kind outside Italy. Lamborghini currently makes about 40% of its sales in the U.S. alone, with the numbers increasing from about 100 unit sales as recently as 2001 to close to 900 last year. At the same time the number of dealers has increased from 14 to 30.

The new offshoot will be called Automobili Lamborghini America LLC and it will be headed by Pietro Frigerio, the current regional sales manager for the western U.S. A location for the new sales department is yet to be determined but expect to see it located on either of the coasts, reports .

Currently dealers can wait up to several weeks at a time to receive information on items ranging from service bulletins to special requests for customers. The new U.S. base should help to cut down those wait times. “Having operations here allows us to be more flexible with our dealers,” Frigerio said.

Source: Lamborghini setting up U.S. sales branch

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More details surrounding the ensuing talks between BMW and Daimler are starting to emerge, with the latest information coming directly from Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche. Those who have followed the saga of the BMW and Mercedes cooperation talks know that the two makers have been cautious - to say the least - in working together, but at the same time the continuous nature of the talks show that both are interested in the idea.

Speaking with German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Zetsche told reporters that discussions so far had centered on the shared development of powertrains rather than complete vehicle platforms and that BMW was the most logical carmaker for Daimler to partner with. BMW previously ruled out any platform sharing deal because it doesn’t need any. Daimler, on the other hand, requires a new, more premium design for its next-generation A and B-Class (codenamed C412).

The first deal expected to be announced is the joint-development of new four-cylinder engines for the next-generation B-Class and Mini. Germany’s carmakers are worried about development costs for a new range of low-emissions powertrains. BMW and Mercedes also want to increase the number of shared drivetrains to match the level that Audi enjoys by being partnered with Volkswagen.

Source: BMW and Daimler talks focus on engines

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Noah Joseph
Motorsports

Following the unfortunate cancellation of this year’s Dakar rally, race organizers are examining a number of potential alternatives to permanently move the race away from northern Africa. Last year’s race had stages canceled due to security considerations, but this year’s event, which would have been going on right now, was the first to be cancelled in the rally’s history. With reports now suggesting that the French foreign ministry’s urging to cancel was based on direct threats from Al Qaeda to the Dakar rally itself, last year’s modified race will likely have been the last to run the traditional, if oft-modified, route.

ASO – the French outfit that organizes the event, along with the famous Tour de France bicycle race – has considered a number of alternatives, including Dubai, Australia, and even running the distance from Paris all the way to Beijing, but reports are now suggesting that following the offer from the Chilean tourism minister, a deal has already been signed to hold the rally beginning next year on a route from Argentina to Chile and back.

Although the South American rally likely won’t happen this year, when it does it will likely revert to Dakar’s traditional January 1 starting gun and take the place of the Pampas Rally in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup.

[Source: Autosport]

Source: Dakar looks at alternatives, South America tops list

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Simona Alina
Filed in: Toyota | 2008 | hybrid cars | Detroit Auto Show

Toyota announced it will provide several Toyota Prius plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) prototypes at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit for executive shuttle service to and from the Cobo Center.

The prototype Prius plug-in hybrids are similar to the vehicles that were recently given to two University of California campuses. These vehicles are being used for research and testing as part of Toyota’s on-going sustainable mobility development program with the University of California at Irvine’s Advanced Power and Energy Program and the University of California at Berkeley’s Institute of Transportation Studies.

The PHEVs in Detroit, as with the vehicles at the universities, are early-development prototypes that will be used for evaluation of real-world customer use and acceptance, ride-and-drives by regulatory officials and NGOs, and technical research and development.

"Our goal with these early prototype vehicles is to begin the process of understanding customer wants and needs in order to help determine the optimal balance between electric vehicle miles, charge time, battery size and cost," said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager.

A conventional gas-electric full hybrid system, such as that found in the Toyota Prius, is powered by both an electric motor and a gas engine. The system operates in pure-electric mode, pure-gas mode, or a combined gas-electric mode, depending on vehicle speed and driving conditions. The electric motor is powered by a dedicated battery pack that is kept charged by electricity generated by the gas engine and the vehicle’s regenerative braking system. The fact that the hybrid battery never needs to be plugged into a recharging station has been one of the primary selling points with mainstream consumers.

The prototype plug-in hybrid system is designed to operate in a similar manner to the current Prius, switching from pure-electric mode, to gas-engine mode to a blended gas-electric mode. With the addition of a second nickel-metal hydride battery pack, the plug-in Prius can store greater levels of electricity and is charged by plugging into a standard household electrical outlet. With more electric power in reserve, the vehicle is capable of operating in pure-electric mode for longer periods of time and at much higher speeds than the current Prius. The added electrical power also produces substantial gains in fuel economy and a reduction in total tailpipe emissions versus current conventional hybrid systems.

Given its commercial success, it is no surprise that further advancement of hybrid technology is a top priority for Toyota. In May 2007, cumulative sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles worldwide topped the one million mark, a global sales target the company hopes to hit annually in the early 2010s.

Source: Toyota Plug-in into production starting 2010

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Frank Filipponio
Detroit Auto Show, Etc.

click above for a high-res gallery of fresh faces from Detroit

Detroit upheld the tradition of auto shows employing numerous pretty faces to keep the journalists focused on the right product at the right time. It seems the Italian marques are the ones using this tactic most egregiously (Lamborghini also hired a guy in a bull costume for good measure), but almost every manufacturer had at least one model on hand. Like Los Angeles, Detroit also had a few celebrities in attendance to make the press conferences more entertaining. We also saw a few presidential candidates as well, but their faces are anything but fresh. Enough of the talk, you want to see the pictures. Click away to enjoy some of the faces we’ve seen in Detroit.

Gallery: 2008 Detroit: Fresh faces from Motor City

Source: Detroit 2008: Fresh faces from Motor City

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When Mercedes rolled out the odd-looking F700 concept at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show many speculated that it was destined to become just another pointless exercise in automotive styling. Not so according to people close to the project. Latest reports claim both the technology and design of the car will eventually make its way onto the next-generation S-Class due in 2012.

As these renderings suggest, the next S-Class will be heavily influenced by the F700 design study. Mercedes described the F700 as a “futuristic interpretation of the classic sedan,” which you’d be safe to interpret as being the inspiration for the next iteration of the carmaker’s longest running sedan model.

Like the current model, the new car will come in both short and long wheelbase versions and will be powered by a range of V6, V8 and V12 powerplants – both naturally aspirated and turbocharged. However, new to the lineup will be the introduction of a highly tuned four-cylinder model. Mercedes in fact used the F700 to preview the new powertrain, dubbed DiesOtto, again giving clues as to what to expect in the next S-Class.

Mercedes also used the F700 to preview its new active PRE-SCAN suspension, a system that scours the road ahead using two lasers and automatically adjusts the suspension to suit. Another feature is the new SERVO-HMI (Human Machine Interface), which features a virtual operating assistant that the driver can converse with. Expect to see similar systems in the new S-Class and toned down versions in other future models.

Also joining the lineup will be a new range of hybrid-electric diesel models powered lithium-ion batteries. Two concept versions of the current S-Class with the new hybrid powertrains were also on display at the Frankfurt Show. The most fuel efficient version, the S300 Bluetec Hybrid, was powered by a four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain producing 224hp with a maximum torque 560Nm and managed a 44mpg fuel economy rating.

Source: Preview: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S-Class

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