Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Video: Audi Sustainable Mobility: Hybrid

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Porsche Panamera Diesel kit tuned by speedART

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speedART has released a new kit for the Panamera Diesel named PS9-300D. This new kit for the 3.0 V6 diesel pumps the output to 296 hp (221 kW) and torque to 479 lb-ft (650 Nm).

Also included is a front chin spoiler, side skirts, rear diffuser, a double wing rear spoiler, and new front and rear air intakes.

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

2015 Porsche 960 Supercar Intel

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Porsche's new supercar codenamed 960 is said to be released as a 2015 model. It will fit in the Porsche line up between the 911 GT2 RS and 918 Spyder.

With the goal set to rival against the Ferrari 458, engineers are looking at a mid-engine twin-turbo 3.8-liter boxer producing 600 hp.

Rumor on the price is said to be around €250,000 to €400,000 ($340,125 to $544,200)

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Porsche 911 Hybrid and Targa models coming soon

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The two biggest pieces of news is the Carrera Hybrid based off the GT3 Race Hybrid technology, and the Carrera Targa with removable hard-top that pays tribute to the Porsche of yesteryear. Follow the link below to read all about Porsche's plans with the new 991 over the next 14 years.

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Video: Details on the Porsche Boxster E

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Friday, September 23, 2011

Video: 2012 Volkswagen Golf R drive Q & A

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New TechArt Kit for Porsche 911 Turbo with 700hp

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TechArt has just released a new powerkit for the current (997) 911 that produces 700 horsepower. This allows a 0 to 100km/h in just 2.8 seconds.

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Video: Porsche - The Future of Motorsports

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Audi Urban Concept first drive report

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Follow the link below to read the artical from Automobile magazine.

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Next Generation VW Phaeton could come in 2015

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Details on the third generation Volkswagen Phaeton are scarce but it is being suggested that this new version will be nothing like that last two. With fuel efficiency and luxury as the goal.

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Thursday, September 22, 2011



CAR Magazine has the first ride report of the 2012 Porsche Carrera S with legendary Porsche driver Walter Rohrl. Follow the link below for the preview of what will be in the October 2011 issue of CAR Magazine.

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A recent report has come out stating that the 2012 Carrera S posted an identical lap time of the (997) GT3 around the Nürburgring of 7 minutes and 40 seconds.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

SpyShot: 2013 Porsche Cajun

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Spotted testing on the nürburgring disguised as a heavily modified Audi Q5 with wider fenders and roll cage.

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Video: Design of the 2012 Porsche 911

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SpyShot: 2012 Porsche 911 testing new variant

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The 2012 911 was caught testing recently with a new rear wing and slightly different bumpers. Could their be a hotter version on the way?

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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Video: A Tour of the Porsche Stand in Frankfurt

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Spy Video: B8 Audi RS4 Avant testing on the Nürburgring

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Audi files patent for New RS5 Cabriolet

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While Audi never officially talked about the possibility of presenting a convertible version of its RS5 sports car, the idea has been circulating ever since the debut of the coupe.

But now the most concrete evidence that Audi will go ahead with the RS5 Cabriolet has surfaced with patent pictures.

Under the hood will get the same 4.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 with 450-horses and 430 Nm (317.15 lb-ft), matched to Audi's seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission and quattro all-wheel drive system, as the RS5 Coupe.


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Audi S8 drive review

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At first glance, this S8 is a big improvement fromn the old, delivering even sharper performance, vastly improved fuel economy, and a firm but controlled ride of refinement.

The big news was the twin turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 direct-injection engine that powers the latest S6 and S7. This powerplant 69bhp and 80lb ft more than the old model’s naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10.

What's it like to drive?
On light throttle loads in third gear or higher there are no telltale signs apart from a digital read-out within the instrument that the new engine’s advanced electronic management system has chosen to close down the inlet and exhaust valves of cylinders 2, 3, 5 and 8 in the interests of fuel saving and lower emissions.

This perception is achieved, in part, by what Audi calls active noise cancellation – a system used to suppress the typical hum and what they describe as other intrusive acoustic elements of the engine when running in four-cylinder mode.

With added throttle, the delivery is uncannily smooth and extremely linear across a wide range of revs. There’s no discernible turbocharger lag of any kind, just a compelling and boundless seam of energy all the way from the 800rpm idle all the way to the 6500rpm cut-out point. And to top it all off, there’s a lovely deep burble through the exhaust that grows in intensity as you pile the revs on.

In lower gears, a combination of the new engine’s heady torque loading and the latest iteration of Audi’s Torsen four-wheel-drive system provides for rabid straight-line speed, as evidenced by Audi’s official 0-62mph time of just 4.2sec – or 0.9sec faster than the old S8. Considering its relatively small capacity by performance car standards, its in-gear performance is extraordinary.

Where the big Audi really excels is on damp roads. Big applications of throttle out of slow corners fail to upset its composure, even in the wet. As an all-season proposition, it is going to take some beating.

Audi has also tweaked its eight-speed automatic gearbox with alterations to the torque converter and a new electronics package. It shifts with great conviction, both on light loads and wide open throttle, while offering stop/start and brake energy recuperation functions that helps the new S8 achieve a 6.3mpg improvement in combined cycle consumption at 27.7mpg.

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SpyShots: Audi QS / QRS

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After many rumors and speculation, these photos are the first evidence of the sports version Audi Q3. Spotted at the Nürburgring showing some different aesthetics and larger brake discs. Under the hood is believed to be five-cylinder 2.5 TFSI with 300 bhp.



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Monday, September 19, 2011

SpyShots: 2013 Audi A6 Allroad Quattro

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Spy photographers have caught these pictures of the new 2013 Audi A6 Allroad Quattro. The test car has a visibly higher ground clearance along with the Allroad plastic cladding to protect the bodywork and tall roof rails similar to the previous Allroad models.

Under the hood with the A6 Allroad Quattro making use of the same diesel and gasoline powertrains found in the new Avant combined with the Ingolstadt-based firm's transmission options and all-wheel drive system. The new A6 Allroad Quattro should make its appearance at one of the upcoming motor shows.



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Video: Discussing the Audi R18 with Dr. Wolfganf Ullrich

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Volkswagen Up! first drive review and more intel

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It's amazing that it's taken VW so long to have a proper stab at the city car market. OK, so it had the Lupo a decade or so back, but the Fox that replaced it was very much an afterthought. The Up isn't. This is VW, a serious car company, getting mighty serious about small cars. The Up, it believes, will be its biggest selling car across the globe when it goes on sale in December.

A three door with a three-cylinder 1.0-liter engine and the five door version was unveiled at the Frankfurt Show. According to Ulrich Hackenburg, VW's vastly important R&D boss, "there will be an engine with more than three cylinders, and maybe one with less, too". There will also be other bodystyles on this new platform as well. Yep, VW is going to be pushing the Up hard.

VW isn't famed for its packaging, but by pushing the wheels right out to the corners and maximising the wheelbase, it's achieved impressive things. Then there's the quality. There are some brittle plastics around, but the bits you touch and feel have been lovingly crafted. Of course VW has only been able to do this by cutting corners in other areas. There's no one-touch for the electric windows, nor reach adjustment for the steering, for instance. But what matters is this is a VW where it counts - comfort, seating, ergonomics, design, layout, texture, atmosphere, practicality and all the rest. Much effort has been expended in this car's creation.

The engine is all-new, all-alloy three cylinder which should be prone to vibration, especially as it doesn't have balancer shafts. VW has worked hard - and successfully - to eradicate as much harshness as possible without losing the nice thrum that three cylinders are famed for. Of course it's not especially powerful, but then it doesn't need to be because that's not what a city car is about. The same engine delivers either 59bhp or 74bhp. It doesn't like high revs, tending to tie itself in knots as the 6000rpm redline hoves into view, but between 2,000 and 5,000rpm it hauls along quite well. The five speed manual's nice, too.

Shame about the dull throttle response and soft steering feedback, but maybe VW is right and some measure of handling sharpness should be sacrificed in favor of a smooth ride. Job done in that case, because the Up behaves better than most cars in it's class.

There's certainly pleasure to be had from the Up, but it doesn't have the Panda's eagerness nor the Aygo's nimbleness. Despite its size, it feels more mature than that, more serious.

There's that word again. But what you actually take away from the Up isn't a feeling that it's all rather grown-up, but that this is a clean, fresh design, a new take on the city car that's typically VW, and has been honed and perfected over a long period of time. It'll be a steal if VW can keep the price low, and the options are tempting too.

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Friday, September 16, 2011

Volkswagen Beetle Fender Concept

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The high-performance Beetle R Concept was joined at VW's Frankfurt Motor Show stage by a second conceptual study that pays tribute to famed U.S.-based music instrument manufacturer, Fender.

Mimicking the styling used on an electric guitar customized by Volkswagen Design, the Fender Telecaster, the bespoke Beetle study is painted in a high-gloss "Black" finish with a fine red line framing the side windows.

Other special features on the outside include the chrome and aluminium accents on the door mirror caps, door handles, the trim strip beneath the side windows and side sills, while the twin tailpipes are arranged as they were on the original Beetle.

The concept Beetle rides on 19-inch wheels with polished aluminium caps, while track width extensions on the rear axle shift each of the wheels 10 mm outwards. Finally VW lowered the car's suspension by around 30mm.

Inside, the dashboard is trimmed in two-tone wood design pattern found on many Fender guitars, while certain controls on the center console were redesigned to look like those used on Fender's guitar and bass amplifiers.

Last but not least, the Beetle Concept features high-end audio system from Fender and a special socket in the boot area that allows for an electric guitar to be plugged in with its sound played over the subwoofer that is also integrated in the boot.



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Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid headed for Detroit unveiling

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Even though public days for the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show have only just begun, details on the upcoming 2012 Detroit Auto Show are already starting to emerge. Volkswagen sources have divulged that they will unveil its Jetta Hybrid in Detroit and sell it by the end of 2012.

Reports claim the Jetta Hybrid will feature a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine and an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

Rather than aspire to Prius-like numbers of 51 miles per gallon city and 48 mpg highway, VW is more conservatively shooting to meet the 44/44/44 (that's city/highway/combined) marks set by the 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid. VW hopes that the addition of a gas-electric model will further fortify the Jetta's bid for alt-fuel efficiency excellence, a movement currently spearheaded by the popular TDI diesel model.

In related news, sources also confirm that there will be no Jetta Coupe model offered – this, despite a warm reception for the NCC concept shown in 2010.

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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Volkswagen Polo R WRC up close in Frankfurt

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Volkswagen announced earlier this year that it would be entering the World Rally Championship starting in 2013 with the Polo R, and we got our first glimpse of the race car here in Frankfurt. While it's easy to see the similarities to the road version, the Polo R WRC has been transformed into an all-out rally car with widened fenders, a fully stripped and caged interior, and plenty of carbon fiber on the body. Under the hood is a race-prepped version of Volkswagen's 1.6-liter STI engine producing something in the range of 300 horsepower. 300 HP! This is a Polo, people.

Volkswagen is no stranger to rally racing, having won the 1986 Group A championship with a Golf GTI 16V and more recently finding success in the Australian and Finnish Rally Car Championships. VW also hopes to transfer some of the knowledge gained from competing in the Dakar Rally, which it has won the past three years.

We'll have to wait and see if the Polo R WRC finds similar success in motorsports, but with Volkswagen's backing, we wouldn't be surprised to see it on the podium soon enough. That won't be for a few years, though, so in the meantime, check out the photos of the car on display in Frankfurt.



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Video: Audi at the 2011 IAA Frankfurt Motorshow

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SpyShots: Audi RS4 Avant B8 at the Nürburgring

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While the automotive world is busy with the Frankfurt Motorshow, Audi’s engineers have been busy testing what we think to be the new Audi RS4 around the Nürburgring.

With its big air intakes at the front, the wider fenders and the massive oval exhaust pipes, this beauty really stands out (even in the camouflage).

Although unconfirmed for now, we expect the engine to be the same 4.2-liter V8 found in the RS5 (331kW @ 8250rpm and 430Nm @ 4000rpm), unless Audi plays the downsizing game and gives the RS4 a twin-turbo V6?

This prototype also shows the lights and grille from the upcoming facelift that will come all over the Audi A4/S4 range.



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Making its world premiere in close-to-production form is the Eterniti Hemera, which the newly formed London-based company refers to as the "world's first Super-SUV".

A close look at the Hemera reveals that the vehicle is more or less a heavily modified Porsche Cayenne, which itself is based on the VW Touareg.

Eterniti claims that all body panels on the Hemera are new and made of carbon composite materials, while the company added that is also working on bespoke LED headlamps and lenses that will make it on the final production model.

Furthermore, Eterniti said that the interior, which is in the final stages of prototype testing and will be revealed later in the year, will be "almost 100% unique" to the SUV model.

Aside from the re-packaged interior, and the lightweight carbon-composite skin, the Hemera will also receive a modified 4.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine producing over 620bhp for a top speed in excess of 180mph or 290km/h.

The Hemera will be hand-assembled at a new factory in London. Production is set to start in early 2012, with first deliveries expected by the summer of the same year.

Eterniti said that while prices have yet to be confirmed, the Hemera will carry a base price tag of around £150,000, or approximately US$237,000 / €174,000 at the current exchange rates.



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Not as easily spotted as its Spyder relative, the Audi Urban Concept Sportback more closely matches the renderings we saw before the start of the Frankfurt Motor Show. That's not to say we were totally prepared for the quirkiness of either version, but at least the Sportback's carbon fiber reinforced plastic body was somewhat known to us.

Under the CFRP, the Sportback and Spyder share the same all-electric powertrain. That means two electric motors with a combined output of 15 kW (20 PS) of continuous power and 47 Nm (34.67 lb-ft) of torque as well as a li-ion battery that has 7.1 kWh of usable energy (total size unknown) and offers a range of 45 miles. Getting from zero to 62 mph (the concept's top speed) takes a gentle 16.9 seconds, which would be fine if Audi ever releases this vehicle for sale in its intended environment: the city.

Perhaps even more appropriate for a city getabout, the battery pack can recharge in just an hour from a standard 230-volt household current. If you have access to a 400-volt, three-phase current fast charger, that drops to approximately 20 minutes. Both concept vehicles are also ready with Audi Wireless Charging (AWC) technology, which uses contactless induction from a 3.6kW primary coil installed into a parking spot, say, to automatically start refilling the battery pack when you pull the car into place. Audi didn't say how long this wireless charging takes, just that it "is comparable to that of other charging technologies."

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