Continuing our Challenger SRT8 saga, here’s the second video clip of Dodge’s retro-penned muscle car (see the unveiling at the Chicago Auto Show here). Apart from the exterior and interior beauty shots, this 5-and-a-half minute long promo film includes running footage where we not only get the chance to hear the 425 HP Hemi V8 growl like an angry lion but we also see the Challenger SRT8 smoking its rear tires. Check out the vid right after the jump. -Continued

Source: Action Video: Dodge Challenger SRT8 Burning Rubber

Continue reading...

Anthony Kodack
Filed in: BMW | Celebrity Cars | stunt

     document.write(’ tell a friend’);     Post a comment

Last year, BMW Motorrad’s Chris Pfeiffer became the first Indoor Streetbike Freestyle World Champion by winning every round of the indoor event that took place at the SWISS-MOTO Motorcycle, Scooter and Tuning Exhibition in Zurich, Switzerland.

Chris Pfeiffer

Chris and his F 800 were up against 16 other competitors from nine nations, yet Pfeiffer was unbeaten in Saturday’s qualifying rounds and both of Sunday’s final rounds, posting near perfect results in front of thousands of spectators.

From 21 to 24 February, Chris and his BMW F 800 will be back in Zurich’s Exhibition Centre to defend his title at the show which officially ’kick-starts’ the 2008 motorcycling season.

Chris Pfeiffer

This is the second Indoor Streetbike Freestyle World Championship and the best stunt riders in the world will all be trying to outdo each other with breathtaking displays of tricks, wheelies, stoppies and various other crowd-pleasing antics. As winner of last year’s event, 2007 World Champion Pfeiffer will undoubtedly start the competition as favourite. However, the 37-year-old from Halblech in Germany won’t be leaving anything to chance:

"It’s very important for me to retain this title," said Chris. "The indoor world championship is my favourite contest. The small area requires very technical riding and perfect control, and the spectators are very close. I like that."

Chris Pfeiffer

Hoping to capitalise on any mistake that Chris might make will be a whole host of top riders, including Brazil’s Antonio Carlos Farias (who finished as runner-up in 2007), Humberto Ribeiro from Portugal and Balázs Herczeg from Hungary. For the first time there will also be a Swiss contestant - Victor Chelenkov, a 21-year-old from Geneva - but he will be up against some tough competition. The 16 participants come from 12 countries, principally from Europe and the USA but the current champion is not fazed by any of the other ’big names’.

"Success in freestyle is more about riding well than hoping for the other riders to make mistakes. Almost everybody makes mistakes in our sport under the high pressure of a competition, so that’s normal. I have some new variations in my circle combos and some new stuff that I’m working on but it’s too early now to say what I will include in my four runs. The atmosphere is great and unique at this contest because the spectators are so close to the action. I like this and it pushes me to the limit."

World Championship contestants have to ride bikes with a minimum cylinder capacity of 550cc. Thursday and Friday are set aside for training, while the first qualification rounds take place on Saturday. The final races will be on Sunday, with the new World Champion being ’crowned’ at around 4pm. An asphalt track is being specially laid for the prestigious competition, which has a prize fund of 18,000 Swiss Francs.

Chris Pfeiffer

"It’s a big effort for the organisers, but they are building a brand-new surface just for our contest, which is fantastic," said Chris. "I had some trouble with the grip last year in the very beginning as it was a bit oily, but after two days of practice sessions the track was perfect with all the rubber laid down on it - I can’t wait!"

The SWISS-MOTO show at the Exhibition Centre in Zurich will focus on the very latest in motorcycles, scooters and quads. Visitors wanting to kit themselves out for the new motorcycle season will be able to take their pick from the huge selection of accessories and clothing, with approximately 180 exhibitors presenting a highly diverse selection of products. Last year, the four-day show attracted 61,000 visitors, not only from all over Switzerland but from right across Europe.

Source: World champion, Chris Pfeiffer, back to defend his title

Continue reading...

Chevrolet hopes their plug-in electric - gas powered Volt will become America’s sweetheart. Yet GM’s boldly going where the fully electric vehicle (EV) has gone before. Forget the EV-1. I’m referring to the Baker Electric of 1899. Thomas Edison’s first car (as an owner) was a commercial success, with an effective range of around 100 miles. Today's prototypes upon which manufacturers are presently lavishing hundreds of millions of dollars can double that. So what’s the big deal?

The big deal: mass producing a comfortable, affordable electric vehicle (EV) that meets current safety standards, with sufficient performance, durability, driving range and recharge times to make it a viable alternative to existing, highly-developed gas or gas-electric powered alternatives. And that’s without considering recharging logistics.

Simply put, Americans depend on cars to do too much to depend on current EVs. Even using the latest Lithium-Ion battery technology, electric cars only really work for short commutes and errand runs in sleepy suburbs. Unless you can plug-in and recharge at a gas station in ten minutes, the average American owner will have to stash the EV on the weekend and break out the “real car.” Without credible highway capability and/or a quick recharge option, buyers with only enough money for one car will be making a petroleum decision. 

Yes, the auto industry’s best and brightest are on the case. Still, absent some miracle battery or materials breakthrough, it will be a long time before America sings the car body electric.

Of all the challenges obscuring America’s electric car future, safety is the biggest stumbling block. Simple physics tells us that the EV’s enemy is weight. Build a tiny EV out of balsa wood and the range issue disappears. Meanwhile, here in the real world, feather light, safe, mid-sized, mass-produced and affordable doesn’t compute.

To wit: the Tesla Roadster is a relatively minuscule, hugely expensive, light weight (carbon fiber) automobile with zero luggage space– and it still struggles to travel 200 miles on a single charge. Even with bleeding edge battery technology, a mass-produced (steel-bodied) mid-size car equipped with the requisite safety structures and devices (i.e. without Tesla’s airbag waiver) doesn’t stand a chance of matching a gas-powered car’s range or convenience. However, remove that barrier…

And you’re in the developing world, where safety takes a back seat to… everything. Which is why the development of the mass-produced EV will occur off-shore.

India’s Tata Motors recently unveiled the revolutionary $2500 Tata Nano. When Tata unveiled their "people's car," they claimed the machine passed frontal and side impact tests– without specifying whose tests they passed. It’s highly unlikely the Nano could meet American or European safety standards. More to the point, Tata immediately announced plans to build an electric Nano.

Ask any golf cart owner; cheap, small and light are the foundations for a successful EV. The Nano will make a perfect EV. It's small and light, thanks to a cardboard front axle and door panels made from ice chips. The machine’s target market isn’t overly-concerned with airbags, cupholders, leg room, highway cruising speeds or huge cruising distances. It's all about purchase price and operating costs. 

At the same time, Israel has just announced that it’s partnered with Renault-Nissan to build electric cars. In smog-soaked Tel Aviv, electric cars will shift much of the city’s transportation energy needs to from petroleum to cleaner energy generation sources, like solar, wind, and nuclear power (in Israel’s case, not using petroleum has other political benefits, too). The government’s action guarantees the economies of scale that will make it worthwhile for Renault to test the EV waters. Equally important, the gov’s inclusion will assure the lowering of any safety-related regulatory hurdles.

Phase one of EV mass production will begin in India, Israel, Africa, China and other “developing” countries, where driving conditions are right, the safety requirements are less substantial, and the government is willing to interfere with the market to make it worth a manufacturer’s efforts. And speaking of governmental interference…

Gasoline production and distribution in the developing world tends to be incredibly inefficient, expensive and corrupt (e.g. Zimbabwe’s ongoing gas rationing crisis). If these countries use electric vehicles, their citizens can generate motive power any number of ways on the local level: solar, wind, coal, burning garbage, whatever. So why wouldn’t they “skip” right to electric powered vehicles, and enjoy the economic prosperity that mobility brings? While realpolitik argues against this kind of energy “democratization,” the possibility exsts.

In any case, America will not be left on the EV sidelines. Once millions EV batteries are field tested, once manufacturers are churning-out large numbers of electric vehicles and their related components, the economies of scale will bring the cost down substantially– and spur more development. At some point, we’ll have our EV cake and put it in a large, comfortable, safe and practical automotive package, too.

Source: Together in Electric Dreams

Continue reading...

John Neff
Car Buying, India, Tata

click above to view more images of the Tata Nano

Anticipation for the Tata Nano in India is so high that the country’s used car market is taking a dive ahead of the car’s arrival later this year. Autocar is reporting that sales for India’s current most popular and cheapest car, a used Maruti 800, have already fallen 30 percent, and sales for a brand new Maruti 800 were down 20 percent last month. The Maruti is actually a rebadged version of the older Suzuki Altos. At nearly 200,000 rupees, it’s about twice as much to buy new as the $2,500 Tata Nano will be, despite being a smaller car. Indian car buyers apparently are not dumb. Why buy a new or used car today when you can wait until the end of the year and get a new Tata Nano for much less? The used car market in India could rebound a bit, however, after the Nano debuts. All those people waiting to buy one now might not end up liking the world’s cheapest car after they get a chance to drive one.

[Source: Autocar via Winding Road]

Gallery: Tata Nano

Source: Tata Nano tanking used car market in India

Continue reading...

Lascelles Linton
Filed under: Geneva Motor Show, Natural Gas

BRA GmbH, PGO Automobiles and gasmobil partnered to create PGO Cévennes Turbo-CNG roadster, a car they will introduce at the International Auto Salon in Geneva (March 6 to 16). They are taking pre-orders now and may take the car into production as a series depending on demand. Interested? The projected price for this car is €48,000 (US$70,000).

The roadster has a top speed of 210 kph (130 mph) and does 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.5 seconds. It has a 4-cylinder, 1.6-liter turbocharged engine, 6-speed manual transmission and a maximum output of 110 kW (150 hp) at 5,600 rpm, with maximum torque of 210 Nm (155 lb-ft) at 2,300 rpm. As for fuel economy, it gets 6.7 liters gasoline equivalent/100 km, or 35 miles per US gallon and has a range of 450 kilometers (280 miles).

But who cares about fuel economy with a beauty like that, huh? There is a video below about what looks to be the classic version of the PGO Cévennes. I can’t tell: The entire thing is in French. Still worth a watch for any roadster fan.

[Source: Treehugger, Green Car Congress, YouTube]

Source: Video: PGO Cévennes Turbo-compressed natural gas roadster

Continue reading...

Sebastian Blanco
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, AutoblogGreen Q & A, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Chicago Auto Show

I came across the Bridgestone booth at the Chicago Auto Show while they were rehearsing for an upcoming press conference. Ex-NFL player Eddie George was running through the script and Bridgestone was showing off its Super Bowl commercials, but I was more interested in the booth’s “One Team, One Planet” display. I got a chance to speak about the environmental efforts that Bridgestone and Firestone have done and are doing with Dan MacDonald, Bridgestone’s director of media relations, and Michael Martini, president of North American Consumer O.E. for both Firestone and Bridgestone.

The short version of the tale is that the tire manufacturer is working on the reduce, reuse, recycle method. Whether it’s retreading a tire (a process that uses 68 percent less oil compared to making a new tire - 7 gallons vs. 22 gallons) or giving the State of Tennessee ten thousand acres to be set aside as a nature reserve, there’s a lot more going green here than low-rolling resistance tires. Don’t worry, we talk about that, too. Listen in here (8 MB, 17 min).

You can see high-resolution images of all the panels in the “One Team, One Planet” in the gallery below.

Gallery: Chicago 2008: Bridgestone’s green planet

Source: Chicago 2008: Bridgestone talks about “One Team, One Planet”

Continue reading...

Simona Alina
Filed in: BMW | suv | BMW X6

     document.write(’ Email’);     Post a comment

BMW launched a microsite for its latest SUV: the X6. The microsite is adding few more images, a new video and the official Germany launch date: May 31, 2008. No info about the US launch.

Opening the X6’s microsite you will not only be able to configure your dream SUV, but you will also be able to to watch the vehicle driving through the city, in a setting they have chosen, with personalized film clips.

The trip starts in the middle of the Double Cone at BMW Welt and continues through ultra-modern virtual architectural landscapes. Before the trip starts, the special shapes of the BMW X6 will be highlighted in a 360° rotation. Its design combines the sporting elegance of the larger BMW coupes with the powerful presence of a BMW X model. No other automobile can offer anything like the combination of fascinating features and capabilities provided by the world’s first SportsActivity Coupe.

Click “read” to watch the new launch video and see more images.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

var s230610 = new SWFObject(’http://www.topspeed.com/images/flash/flvplayer_article.swf’,'mpl’,'450′,’336′,’7′); s230610.addParam(’allowfullscreen’,'true’); s230610.addVariable(’file’,'http://streams.topspeed.com/IMG/flv/c/bmw_x6_launch.flv’); s230610.addVariable(’image’,'http://pictures.topspeed.com/IMG/frame-450×336/bmw_x6_launch_frame_3.jpg’); s230610.addVariable(’bgcolor’,'#FFFFFF’); s230610.addVariable(’displayheight’,'345′); s230610.addVariable(’javascriptid’,'mpl’); s230610.addVariable(’width’, ‘450′); s230610.addVariable(’height’, ‘336′); s230610.addVariable(’lightcolor’,'0xff8400′); s230610.addVariable(’backcolor’,'0×000000′); s230610.addVariable(’frontcolor’,'0xCCCCCC’); s230610.addVariable(’autoscroll’,'true’); s230610.addVariable(’largecontrols’,'false’); s230610.addVariable(’thumbsinplaylist’,'true’); s230610.addVariable(’logo’,'/images/ts/_ts_watermark_150.png’); s230610.addVariable(’overstretch’,'fit’); s230610.addVariable(’fsreturnpage’,'mediaplayer_article.html’); s230610.addVariable(’autostart’,'false’); s230610.addVariable(’link’,'http://www.topspeed.com’); s230610.addVariable(’linkfromdisplay’,'false’); s230610.addVariable(’shuffle’,'false’); s230610.addVariable(’repeat’,'list’); s230610.addVariable(’rotatetime’,'4′); s230610.addVariable(’link’,'http://www.topspeed.com’); s230610.addVariable(’linktarget’,'_blank’); s230610.addVariable(’fullscreenpage’,'http://www.topspeed.com/images/flash/flvplayer_article_fullscreen.html’); s230610.addVariable(’fsreturnpage’,'http://www.topspeed.com/-bmw-x6-microsite-ar51954.html’); s230610.write(’player230610′);

2008 BMW X6 Picture Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Source: BMW X6 microsite

Continue reading...

Simona Alina
Filed in: Lexus | 2008 | Chicago Auto Show | Lexus ES | luxury cars | Lexus RX 350 | special editions

     Post a comment

Lexus unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show two limited editions: the Pebble Beach Collection RX and ES. The edition will be limited to only 6,000 vehicles each and will be available beginning in mid-February for the RX and mid-March for the ES models. Also a SC 430 Pebble Beach Edition model will be introduced this summer and a 600h L Pebble Beach Edition will debut this fall.

The RX 350 Pebble Beach Edition will be available in three colors: Classic Silver Metallic, Obsidian Black and Truffle Mica. Truffle Mica is available on the RX only with this special edition package. The RX will feature new and unique design 18-inch wheels and chrome grille, a color-keyed rear spoiler and a special interior trim combination. Customized floormats, featuring Pebble Beach Company’s signature The Lone Cypress(TM) logo, are included. On the exterior of the RX, Pebble Beach Edition badging will be on the front fenders. The price for the RX Pebble Beach Edition package is $3,880.

The sleek ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition is available in the exclusive Truffle Mica color, as well as Tungsten Pearl Silver and Obsidian Black. The 7-spoke 17-inch wheels come with an exclusive liquid graphite finish while the interior of the ES features semi-aniline leather and a wood and leather steering wheel. The ES Pebble Beach Edition also features The Lone Cypress(TM) logoed floormats and special Pebble Beach Edition badging on the front fenders.

More after the jump.

Lexus today introduced the Lexus Pebble Beach Collection of vehicles at the Chicago Auto Show. The RX 350 luxury utility vehicle and ES 350 luxury sedan will receive Pebble Beach Edition packages for the first time, extending a relationship with Pebble Beach Company that began in 2003 and has since produced an SC 430 Pebble Beach special edition luxury hardtop convertible every year.

The goal of the Pebble Beach Collection is to evoke the feeling of exclusivity that comes with an excursion to the Pebble Beach Resorts. Both the RX and ES Pebble Beach Editions will feature signature colors, popular options and unique badging. Additionally, Pebble Beach Edition owners will have the opportunity to customize their ownership experience by selecting from one of three distinctive merchandise packages: Callaway Golf Experience, Travel Package or Epicurean Encounter.

Production of the Pebble Beach Collection RX and ES is limited to 6,000 vehicles each and will be available beginning in mid-February for the RX and mid-March for the ES models. In addition, a sixth version of the successful SC 430 Pebble Beach Edition model will be introduced this summer. To culminate the collection, an LS 600h L Pebble Beach Edition will debut this fall and will include a luxury travel experience to the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts.

RX 350 Pebble Beach(R) Edition

The RX 350 Pebble Beach Edition will be available in three colors: Classic Silver Metallic, Obsidian Black and Truffle Mica. Truffle Mica is available on the RX only with this special edition package. The RX will feature new and unique design 18-inch wheels and chrome grille, a color-keyed rear spoiler and a special interior trim combination. Customized floormats, featuring Pebble Beach Company’s signature The Lone Cypress(TM) logo, are included. On the exterior of the RX, Pebble Beach Edition badging will be on the front fenders. The RX 350 Pebble Beach Edition is offered in both front-wheel and all-wheel drive and marks the first Lexus special edition model built in North America at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada. The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the RX Pebble Beach Edition package is $3,880. The base MSRP of the front-wheel drive RX 350 is $37,500 and $38,900 for the all-wheel drive model.

ES Pebble Beach(R) Edition

The sleek ES 350 Pebble Beach Edition is available in the exclusive Truffle Mica color, as well as Tungsten Pearl Silver and Obsidian Black. The 7-spoke 17-inch wheels come with an exclusive liquid graphite finish while the interior of the ES features semi-aniline leather and a wood and leather steering wheel. The ES Pebble Beach Edition also features The Lone Cypress(TM) logoed floormats and special Pebble Beach Edition badging on the front fenders.

Lexus Personalization Program

Owners of an RX or ES Pebble Beach Edition can customize their ownership experience with the Lexus Personalization Program. Three distinct categories of packages are designed to invoke the unparalleled feel of the world-famous Pebble Beach Resorts: The Callaway Golf Experience, Travel Sets, and Epicurean Encounter. Owners can select from item(s) in one of the packages.

The Callaway Golf(R) Experience

Four exclusive packages are designed to improve the look and performance of one’s golf game. One dozen personalized Callaway Golf Tour ix Golf Balls can be combined with a Callaway Golf Ft-I driver or Callaway Golf Hyper X driver and one X Hybrid. Three Callaway Golf X-Forged wedges and one Odyssey White Hot XG 2-Ball putter are matched to one dozen personalized Callaway Golf Tour ix Golf Balls. One case (12 dozen) of personalized Callaway Golf Tour ix Golf Balls is also available.

Travel Package

Pebble Beach Edition owners can carry style and refinement from their vehicle into a luxury hotel with one of three luxury luggage packages. A cafe- colored three-piece leather luggage set includes two cabin duffels, one carriage duffel, and personalized embossed luggage tags. Two pairs of Callaway Golf Eyewear complement the café-colored leather briefcase or the
cafe-colored leather tote bag.

Epicurean Encounter

Those owners interested in improving their culinary skills can choose the Epicurean Encounter. They can select a six-piece Viking(R) Santoku Cutlery Set including 10-slot maple knife block or a four-piece Viking Cookware set. Both come with a Viking Cooking School $200 gift card redeemable for cooking classes or merchandise online at vikingrange.com. The package also offers the option of a cafe-colored leather wine tote and a diverse selection of wines from member wineries of the highly regarded Napa Valley Vintners.

Source: Lexus Pebble Beach Collection RX 350 and ES 350

Continue reading...

Now that the Jaguar is about to enter a new era with less corporate directives and (hopefully) fewer Ford parts, we can expect a brand-new roadster in their line-up. Jaguar has been exploring the possibilities for quite a while. We saw the tour de force XK 180 in 1997. The F-Type concept unveiled at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show was drop-dead gorgeous. Although more compact and almost house-broken, the F-Type concept lacked production-necessary elements (e.g. a pair of robust A-pillars or reliable weather-proofing). Jumping from the past into the future, I imagine a smaller F-Type– leaving the XK at the top of the tree, playing in the same league with the Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK. If any manufacturer should play a neo-retro approach on a roadster, it's Jaguar. The low and inclined screen (with the A-pillars painted in black) should increase the “open-body” feel of the car and make a visual connection to the ancestors. The rest should be kept simple and tasteful; I just can’t imagine this car with aggressive side skirts and edgy spoilers. Speaking of the spoiler, I had it painted in black, so it can go almost unnoticed (with a slight nod to the XJ220). I know this car seems a bit dull if compared to the XK180 or the F-Type concept, but if you consider all of the safety regulations, environment protection issues and industrializing process involved, well there you have it. Or will, soon.

[For more Avarvarii photochopistry, click here]

avarvarii.com »

Source: TTAC Photochop: New Jaguar F-Type