Fiat Doblo to Challenge Ford Transit Connect

The new Fiat Doblo is all about space and with Chrysler involved, it is assumed that the vehicle will make it to the shores of the U.S. If this were true, then the Dolbo will be in direct competition with the Ford Transit Connect. The battle will be great and interesting to see how Fiat will fair stateside. Read more

Heathrow Airport rolls out driverless pod taxis

Two years ago you may have heard that Heathrow Airport planned to roll out driver-less pod taxis, at the time the idea seemed a bit far fetched and it sounded more like something out of a science fiction movie. However Heathrow Airport are now rolling out these driverless pod taxis.

These new pods are called the ULTra Personal Pod cars, and they can transport four passengers and their luggage at a time. They run on their own road network and are capable of speeds up to 25mph. They are powered by batteries which means they are more environmentally friendly than the current coaches Heathrow use Read more

GM Chevy Volt miles per gallon figures outlined

The GM Chevy Volt, which could go on sale on eBay, is thought to achieve at least 230 miles per gallon in the city, this would work out to around $2.75 in electricity for each 100 miles driven. These are the miles per gallon figures outlined by General Motors. Read more

Interior: Aston Martin Rapide

A few images have appeared on AutoBlog showing the new Aston Martin Rapide, from all angles the car looks extremely sleek and stylish, however one thing that has shocked people is the fact that the interior (which seats 4) gives everyone the full GT experience, whether they are in the front or the back. Read more

Tuk Tuk coming to USA: $10,000 starting price too high

If you have ever visited Thailand, then you will have seen how primitive their roads and vehicles are. The vehicles that I am talking about it the Tuk Tuk, and although they do not look up to the job, they certainly serve their purpose. Well you will soon be able to experience these small vehicles in America as EPA and DOT have approved Tuk Tuk USA. Read more

Tesla Model S Electric Car: 300 miles on one charge

Times are hard for most of us and we have to try to make our money stretch as far as possible, and that also includes how much we spend on running costs for our vehicles. Oil prices are down as low as they have been in years, but that still does not stop us wanting more for our money, and that is where the Tesla Model S Electric Car comes in. Read more

Mobile Phones On London Underground: Plans Frozen

Transport for London (TFL) has announced that they have frozen its plans to offer a mobile phone service to the millions of passengers that use the Underground service every day. A trial was conducted on the Waterloo and City line, and the results were not credible enough for enabling passengers to use the mobile phone service. Read more

2010 Subaru Legacy News

Japanese auto magazine Best Car has released what they say are images of the new 2010 Subaru Legacy (7270). These images look to be close to what the final production model will be like, but this is not the final design. Read more

Alfa 149 photos: similar to MiTo and 8C Competizione

We have managed to locate some photos of the new Alfa 149, this hatchback is stunning and take inspiration from the MiTo and 8C Competizione. Like most Alfa’s the 149 has a sporty look, while still giving enough space for passengers at the rear. Read more

Ryanair allow mobile phone calls on planes: international roaming rates

Ryanair is to allow passengers to make calls on their mobile phones on their planes; it is thought that the service will be implanted within weeks to at least ten of their aircraft. The technology will eventually be spread across to the rest of Rynair’s fleet of 50 planes.

Ryanair’s deputy chief executive, Howard Millar, has said that the cost of making these calls will be similar to that of Read more

2009 Honda Fit gets a price

Japan’s popular subcompact car, the Honda Fit was launched last October but they have now announced an updated version that will be available in Canada as a 2009 model. The launch date that Honda gave was September 15.

The updated model has had the width, the overall length and the wheelbase increased, which has given passengers more space. They have also increased the maximum cargo capacity to 1622 litres, which is up from the previous 1186 litres. And I know how handy a little extra space can help for all those shopping trips.

Because the Honda Fit has gained a little extra weight, the engineers have grafted a brand-new 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine. You have the choice of either a 5 speed automatic or manual transmission that produces 117hp.

There will be four versions available, the Sport at $19,280, the LX at $17,380, the DX-A at $16,280 and the DX at $14,980. You can also check out all our auto news here.

Source: Read

2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner earn 5-star rating

The 2009 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner compact sport utility vehicles added to Ford’s leading number of top-safety-rated vehicles by earning five stars in each of the government’s crash-worthiness tests. The results top the Toyota RAV-4 and, with the 2009 Escape’s improved fuel efficiency, offer better combined safety and fuel efficiency ratings than the Honda CR-V Read more

Nissan’s new electric car and hybrid

This is a test version of Nissan’s new electric car and it’s in the popular Nissan Cube design. Business Week was able to test drive both the new electric and hybrid near Tokyo.

They found the electric Cube nimble and quick on the test track but the batteries are under the rear seats and weigh around 300kg.This made the rear seats higher than they should be and gave passengers a more uncomfortable ride.

Nissan’s electric car is due to launch in 2010, in the United States and Japan. Nissan say that the car will be different to any current model and their lithium-ion batteries offer significantly improved performance and are half the weight.

Nissan hope that the improved performance over current nickel metal hydride cells will help make them the leader in hybrids and electric vehicles.

The new Nissan hybrid answers many questions but it also raises many questions as well, read the hands-on review from Business Week here.

You can read other news about hybrid cars here.

2009 MAZDA Details: CX-9, MAZDA6, CX-7, MAZDA5, RX-8 & More

MAZDA6 Sports Sedan - The 2009 MAZDA6 is all new, and built specifically for the North American market. Lessons learned from the first MAZDA6 and Mazda’s newer successful vehicles - especially the Mazda CX-7 and award-winning CX-9 - encouraged a clean-sheet approach to building the best mid-size sports sedan the US market has ever experienced.

All efforts have been focused on a single four-door sedan bodystyle offered in two basic series: the MAZDA6 i powered by a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and the MAZDA6 s powered by a 3.7-liter V-6. The lineup also includes a comprehensive choice of equipment levels, interior colors and distinct interior trims Read more

WhiteKnightTwo from Virgin to be unveiled today

For years companies have been looking at ways to launch passengers into space, today we will come a step closer to this dream. WhiteKnightTwo is the world’s largest carbon fiber airplane and will be unveiled today in the Mojave Desert in the United States.

WhiteKnightTwo will airlift Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, this is the Virgin’s commercial space rocket. WhiteKnightTwo will lift SpaceShipTwo to 50,000, where the spacecraft will then blast into orbit.

Back in 2006 it was thought that RAF Lossiemouth as well as Machrihanish in Argyll was to be possible sites for WhiteKnightTwo to take off. Now it looks as though Moray is the front runner.

It is thought that Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, actress Victoria Principal and Virgin Galactic’s founding astronauts will be gusts at the unveiling today.

For more information visit: Evening Express

Full-electric version of 2008 smart fortwo pure coming

With the current crisis on fuel it seems that more of us are now choosing to purchase smaller cars, and none are more popular than the 2008 smart fortwo pure. Do not think for one moment that just because it is a small car you are compromising your safety. Read more

Nissan Motor Co announce the first all-new Teana in China

Nissan updated its premium sedan Teana to fit for growing China automarket and at this year’s 2008 Beijing International Auto Show they revealed the all-new Nissan Teana premium sedan. Today we are hearing that Nissan Motor Co has announced the first all-new Teana in China. Read the press release below for the full information.

TOKYO (June 16, 2008) — Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., today announced that the first all-new Teana, the flagship model in the company’s line-up in the Chinese market, rolled off the lines at the Xianfang plant of Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. (DFL), Nissan’s partner in China.

The premium sedan made its global debut at Auto China in April 2008 where it received the “Best World Premier” award.

“The first generation of Teana in China accounted for nearly half of total global sales for that model in the five years from 2003,” said Toshiaki Otani, managing director of Dongfeng Nissan Passenger Vehicle Company. “As China is the largest market for Teana, DFL and Nissan considered the needs of the Chinese customers very carefully in developing the next generation model.”

The concepts of modern luxury and moving comfort guided the development of Teana, and contributed to the hospitable and relaxed ambience drivers and passengers experience with the vehicle.

Dongfeng Nissan Technical Center (DNTC) played a vital role in gathering market information for the development of Teana for China. Working with the Nissan Technical Center (NTC), DNTC conducted automotive testing across China and made necessary modifications, such as enhancements in quietness, in order to best match the needs of the Chinese market.

Teana is powered by the company’s highly regarded V6 engine (VQ25DE and VQ35DE), combined with XTRONIC CVT and incorporating Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) for a smooth ride and better fuel economy. Teana also is offered with a 2.0L gasoline engine (MR20DE).

Teana is built on the newly developed “D” platform, which optimally balances a flat, comfortable ride with quietness, refined handling and stability.

The special grade Teana XV offers a distinctive design in the front bumper, front grille and rear bumper, along with metallic painted 17-inch alloy wheels. Other unique features of the Teana XV grade are a top-loaded sunroof and a Bose 5.1 channel sound system.

Teana, which will be available across China later this month, ranges in price from RMB 190,800 (USD: 27,652) to RMB 332,800 (USD: 48,232). DFL projects monthly sales of more than 8,000 units. Sales of the new Teana during its lifecycle are expected to double from the total sales of the first generation model.

First introduced in China in 2004, Teana has turned in sales of 166,000 units since then. Teana won the “Car of the Year award” in 2005 and was ranked No. 1 in the 2007 J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey (IQS) for the premium and mid-size class. Teana also was the first mid-size sedan to be rated “five stars” in the China New Car Assessment Program (C-NCAP).

The 2009 Ford Flex: Chief Engineer Gary Boes explains

The 2009 Ford Flex is a stunning car and Chief Engineer Gary Boes explains a little more about its features. The exterior of the car will get most people’s attention, but the interior will keep it. Boes explains and said “We have the sync technology, which is the voice recognition and activation of all of your audio controls, like your MP3 player and we also have a refrigerator, we like to sort of joke about it, we’re the first car in the world with a fridge and sync”. The compressor-driven fridge cools 40 percent faster than a home refrigerator, he explains “It can cool liquids or whatever you would want, it holds seven cans of pop and it does it in about third less time then your home refrigerator, so it’s very accessible and very convenient. It has a refrigerator mode and a freezer mode.”

Boes explains that the design of the Ford Flex is built based on what the consumers want; he said, “We don’t really care what people have done in the past, right? We wanted something that was an emotive design we wanted something that created that emotion and we wanted to put content in there that was out of the ordinary but yet desired by the customer, and so yea I think we really did unbutton our vest and really stepped back and gave the customer something they really want.”

They created a car that has individual space for passengers, adults or children and Boes said “We worked very hard on an individual space for kids in the back so if they look up they have their own individual sky-light, they have the refrigerator between them, they have a 110 volt power source, so they can play their MP3 players or their play stations, so we really tried to make an individual space for both kids and adults.”

The Ford Flex arrives in showrooms this summer with a starting price of just under $29,000.

Land Rover Defender Limo: 6×4 Puma Concept not just for prom

The guys from Sime Darby’s Land Rover which is based in Malaysia has decided to show of their limo version of their Land Rover Defender. Get one thing straight though, this 6X4 Puma concept is not designed to take a bunch of teens to their prom, it has been getting a lot of interest from Malaysian Armed Forces. The Land Rover Defender 6X4 Puma Concept has been designed and developed by Sasbilt Technologies Malaysia and Land Rover Malaysia, and the most noticeable difference with this vehicle is that it is a six-wheeler and has a long wheelbase of 3302mm.

The long wheel base is not just for show, this means that if the armed forces do decide to take up this 6×4 Puma Concept allows them to use a custom body for a different range of missions. The extra space in the rear allows for an electric generator which can power the powerful radio and satellite needed to communicate with team members, as well accommodate 4 passengers. This concept will basically be a versatile VSAT satellite vehicle which can be used in the battlefield. The vehicle will be powered by a 2.4 liter turbodiesel engine Ford Duratorq Puma engine.

I am not to certain how this long vehicle will work in the battlefield, Land Rovers have always been known for how great they are off-road but as this has a long wheel-base it could easily become stuck when it has to go over a hump or small rock formations.

Source - Paul Tan

Bus Simulator 2008, for PC from Avanquest Software

Bus Simulator 2008, a new game for PC from Avanquest Software, is released on schedule to retail today. The game combines driving and business simulation in a fun and unique way, testing the player’s bus driving capabilities, as well as commercial expertise to run a bus company.

The game takes place in the fictional metropolis of Megacity. 18 different routes need to be mastered during 34 missions. To be a successful bus driver, keep to the timetable and transport as many passengers as possible, avoiding reckless driving and lateness to maintain an impeccable reputation in the neighbourhood. There are 8 different bus models to choose from with more available to download online.

If the timetable is adhered to and enough tickets sold, the necessary cash flow to run the bus company is accumulated. Once in charge of the bus company the player can rent or buy larger buses but must take steps to maintain the vehicles. There is also the option to invest in advertising campaigns and special offers to attract more customers. Other business elements such as renting advertising spaces on the buses can be a useful way to generate extra cash flow.

Features of Bus Simulator 2008:

• Huge and well detailed city model with traffic and pedestrians
• Different view modes including overhead and cockpit (driver)
• Different weather conditions and times of day
• Online score tables
• Easy to use interface

Bus Simulator 2008 is priced at £19.99 and available from all leading PC retail outlets: PC World, Amazon, Staples, Play.com and other leading software stores, as well as Avanquest Software avanquest.co.uk from 9th May 2008.

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