New Car Collection Blog's

The restructuring of Honda’s new model programme that led to the death of the new Honda NSX is much more extensive than previously thought. Honda is completely dismantling its plans for the next two years as it attempts to deal with the rapid collapse in new car sales across the world.
Among the casualties of Honda’s rethink are a range of rear-wheel-drive cars to be sold under the Acura brand, a proposed V8 engine, a successor to the Honda S2000 and a convertible based on the forthcoming Honda CR-Z coupé.
Acura, Honda’s US-market luxury rival for Infiniti and Lexus, has been hit hardest by the changes. Not only has it lost the NSX successor — due to be branded as an Acura but killed off last month — but the programme to develop new rear-drive cars aimed specifically at the BMW 3, 5 and 7-series has also been canned.
The basic planning on the cars had been carried out, and the first model to enter production was to be a BMW 7-series rival, due in 2015. It was meant to provide Honda with a credible alternative to established premium rear-drive brands. The future of the next Honda Legend is also in doubt.
Development of a new V8 engine for the rear-drive cars has also been stopped. The new Honda V8 was seen as the wrong engine at the wrong time, and it was opposed by some Honda engineers who viewed it as too big, heavy and unnecessary. Honda product planners have also had trouble figuring out how to make the engine cost-effective.
It’s not just big cars and big petrol engines that have been wiped out. The proposed drop-top version of the new Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe has been abandoned, along with any successor to the Honda S2000, which will die this year.
The current pair of Honda Accords (one for the US, one for the rest of the world) could also be replaced with a single model; that could save billions in development costs.
Honda is now concentrating on building more hybrids and a new small city car. It aims to build 500,000 hybrids by 2012, including the new Honda Insight and the world’s first hybrid supermini, a petrol-electric Honda Jazz due next year. It should be capable of 80mpg and emit just 90g/km of CO2.

Thanks to: Autocar

Great Danes are know for their presence and power – and this one is no exception. Known as the Zenvo ST-1, it’s Denmark’s first foray into the supercar arena.The aggresive body is hand-built from carbon fibre wrapped around a light steel frame – but its performance should be even more eye-popping. Powered by a 7.0-litre V8 fitted with both a turbo and supercharger, its makers claim it will produce a staggering 1,104bhp.The ST-1 will achieve a 0-60mph sprint time of three seconds and rocket all the way to 120mph in just under nine seconds. But it might not quite be the Bugatti beater, as despite a huge power-to-weight ratio of 1,055bhp per ton, top speed is limited electronically to 233mph. Just as impressive is the fact that the car was conceived less than five years ago. Zenvo Automotive was formed in 2004, with the aim of creating a hand-made and high-performance yet useable supercar – so the ST-1 should make as much sense on the street as it does on the track. The Nissan GT-R-meets-Audi R8 styling is sure to win the car a place on many bedroom walls, but prospective buyers will have to be quick. Production is scheduled to start later in 2009, but just 15 models will be made for specially approved buyers. Prices have not yet been announced. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

Take a look at Audi’s pocket rocket! This stunning machine is the S1 – a super hatch flagship that will sit at the very top of the German firm’s all-new small car range. Gunning for high performance small cars such as the MINI John Cooper Works and the forthcoming Alfa MiTo GTA, the S1 will be the ultimate evolution of the A1 line-up, packing 200bhp and a Quattro four-wheel drive chassis. But it’s the looks that will have buyers beating a path to Audi’s showrooms. Taking the compact, chunky A1 three-door shape – previewed by the Metroproject Quattro concept, revealed at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show – the S1 adds an aggressive bodykit. It features flared arches, filled with 19-inch alloy wheels, a neat roof-mounted spoiler, and a particularly aggressive front end with a low front splitter, deep air intakes and menacing daytime LED running lights. Chrome highlights finish the visual upgrades. The A1 line-up is set to benefit from a wide range of innovative, small capacity, forced induction engines including a turbocharged1.2-litre TFSI unit for the entry-level model – and the S1 will be no different. Under the bonnet will be a development of the same supercharged and turbocharged 1.4-litre engine as the VW Polo GTi (Issue 1,044) and SEAT Ibiza Cupra. In those models, the unit produces 178bhp – but thanks to some upgrades and a tweak of the ECU, the tiny powerplant will produce in excess of 200bhp and 300Nm of torque. Hooked up to a seven-speed S-Tronic twin-clutch gearbox, the S1 should provide shattering performance. Expect a 0-60mph time of around six seconds and a top speed electronically limited to 155mph. However, it’ll also be economical too – that small capacity should mean it’ll return 35mpg combined. Making sure all that power reaches the road is a four-wheel drive system, biased 40:60 in favour of the rear wheels. Together with lowered and stiffened suspension, the little Audi should feel every inch the baby Quattro, offering lightning reactions and amazing grip. It’s also likely that Audi will make its magnetic dampers available too. These will work in conjunction with Drive Select – a system which offers owners the choice of several driving modes including Dynamic and Comfort, allowing them to sharpen steering, throttle and suspension response according to road conditions. Indeed, the S1 is likely to be a real technological tour de force. Audi has already previewed many new ideas on the Metroproject concept car, including an interface that allows owners to control many of the car’s functions through their mobile phones. This is likely to be an option on top-spec models such as the S1. Factor in a sporty cabin with a flat-bottomed steering, figure hugging, lightweight seats and aluminium pedals and the result will be a high quality small performance car with real showroom appeal. It won’t come cheap, though. While entry-level A1 models are likely to kick off at £13,000 when sales start in early 2010, the S1 will weigh in at £25,000. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

The Bentley Continental GTC has received a facelift and added a Speed model to bring the cabrio into line with the rest of the GT range.
The power upgrades to the Speed (its W12 has 600bhp over the standard car’s 552bhp) mean that the cabrio is now capable of 200mph with the roof up. Roof down, it will do 195mph. The 0-60mph sprint is covered in 4.5sec, 0.3sec faster than a standard GTC.
The Speed also gets lowered suspension all round (by 10mm at the front and 15mm at the rear), with new springs and dampers. And the ESP system has a new mode, called Dynamic, that has a more ‘progressive’ intervention to allow the car to take corners more quickly.
The standard car also gets a new ESP mode, called Sport Traction, to improve its behaviour on loose surfaces. It also features revised suspension with new dampers which, Bentley claims, improve the ride over poor road surfaces.
The car's exterior styling includes a new grille and a new front bumper with bigger air intakes to improve engine cooling. The Speed also has bigger tailpipes and comes with 20-inch wheels. Inside, it features Mulliner-spec quilted leather upholstery and a new steering wheel.

Thanks to: Autocar

The Suzuki Kizashi has been cancelled, according to reports in the Japanese business press. The reports follow comments from Suzuki’s boss regarding the cancellation of the mid-sized family car.
In September Suzuki CEO Osamu Suzuki hinted that the firm was thinking about canning the Kizashi.
Now the continued failure of the global car market is said to be the cause for Suzuki’s decision to pull the plug on the Kizashi, which was going to be a family saloon aimed at the likes of the Ford Mondeo.
Suzuki has been hit particularly hard by a downturn in sales in India, where it is the market leader courtesy of its joint venture with local firm Maruti.
The four-door Kizashi, previewed by several concept cars and due for launch next year, was to be joined by an estate, too, and would have used a V8 engine in the US market.

Thanks to: Autocar

This is the new Mercedes E-class estate, spied undergoing final tests ahead of its on-sale date in October. It will join the new Mercedes E-class saloon, unveiled at next week’s Detroit motor show.
The new Mercedes E-class estate will be larger than the outgoing model. There’s no official word on boot capacity, but sources say the new E-class’s interior packaging has been greatly improved.
The new E-class estate gets a range of 2.5-litre, 3.0-litre and 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines, along with naturally aspirated and twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 diesels. The UK will also get a Mercedes E250 BlueEfficiency model, powered by the company’s new twin-turbo 2.2-litre four-pot diesel.
High-spec models will include an E450 and an E500, powered by a 340bhp 4.6-litre V8 and a 388bhp 5.5-litre V8 respectively. A 4Matic four-wheel drive system could be introduced on right-hand-drive versions from 2011.
In a bid to match BMW’s Efficient Dynamics green tech, Mercedes will add BlueEfficiency technology to all V6 E-classes as well as the E250. This package includes aerodynamic tweaks, disconnecting alternators and power steering pumps that switch off when they are not required.
Mercedes is keen to reintroduce advanced technology to the E-class, despite having to abandon brake-by-wire in the current car and being plagued by electrical faults on the previous model. Carry-over tech from the S-class will include an improved night vision system and the latest sat-nav. Lane departure warning and a fatigue detection system will be options.

Thanks to: Autocar

Cadillac makes no bones about attempting to set a new design standard for every segment it competes in, and the 2010 Cadillac SRX aims to up Caddy's style game in the all-important luxury crossover business. Its sights are set squarely on the Lexus RX350 this time around, and the proportioning has been altered toward that end. Gone is the third-row seating option that gives the current-gen SRX a slightly stretched look. Also gone is the rear-drive architecture.
Underpinning this reinterpreted SRX is a mixture of Theta (Chevy Equinox) and new Epsilon (Buick LaCrosse) transverse-engine front-drive hardware, so there goes the long dash-to-axle look. You may not miss it. The styling is dramatic, with all the trimmings we're coming to expect: a dihedral grille with jumbo wreath and crest flanked by jewellike Xenon projector-beam headlamps in front, body creases flowing back from a vertical faux air exhauster just aft of the front wheel, a coupelike side-window opening shape, tall vertical taillamps, and a sharp trouser crease running up the hood, down the dash, and right back to the tailgate. The sleek shape also improves SRX's drag coefficient from above 0.40 to 0.36.

It may even be dramatic enough styling to make you forgive losing 9.5 cu ft of useful seating room (most notably an inch of front and 4.7 in. of rear legroom), and 8.3 cubes of overall cargo space (3.2 cu ft when the rear seat's up). It's to be expected, since the vehicle loses 4.8 in. of length, 2.2 in. of height, and 5.5 in. of wheelbase. Overall body and track widths are up roughly two inches. Of course, striving for global five-star crash ratings and providing the creature comforts demanded in this class conspire to inflate curb weights slightly (60-70 lb relative to the '09 V-6 SRX).
Speaking of engines, the new world order demands frugality, so two sixes are offered: a direct-injected 3.0L (basically a debored and destroked 3.6) producing 260 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque, and a 2.8L turbocharged unit (Caddy's first domestic turbo) borrowed from Saab/Opel, producing 300 hp and 295 lb-ft. The former boasts variable valve timing on both cams and burns either regular or E85 fuel, while the latter drinks premium and injects it at the intake ports. Both are mated to a six-speed automatic paddle-shifted transmission that helps boost base V-6 fuel economy by 10-15%, and highway fuel economy "in the mid-20s," for all, which would be a step up from the current model's 20-23 highway figures. The 3.0L can tow 2500 lb, the turbo 3500.

BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer has confirmed that the firm remains committed to launching a smaller, more affordable luxury crossover to accompany next year’s 5-series GT.
The new smaller BMW Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS) will be based on the facelifted 3-series, due in 2010. As such, it will further bolster the burgeoning ranks of models based on the 3-series platform, slotting into the line-up between the Touring and the next X3.
As with the 5-series-based BMW PAS, the 3-series crossover will come with rear-wheel drive as standard, but four-wheel drive will be offered as an option.
Designed to offer a slightly higher seating position than the BMW 3-series Touring, the five-seater should also adopt its larger sibling’s two-piece liftback for added versatility.
To help streamline production, the engines are likely to be drawn from the rest of the BMW 3-series range, with a future line-up of turbocharged four and six-cylinder petrol and diesel units mated to standard manual or optional dual-clutch gearboxes.
Earlier this year BMW stopped work on a project to develop a large SUV that would have given the firm a rival for the Range Rover. It blamed the collapse in SUV sales in North America for the decision.
BMW has also postponed plans for a future 8-series based on the CS concept, although there is a chance this car will still make production in the future.
When he was asked if the worldwide financial crisis had affected plans for the 3-series GT, Reithofer said, “We haven’t cancelled the development project for a crossover off the 3-series because it is considered a volume builder with which we can earn good money.”
BMW first rubber-stamped plans for the smaller PAS over 18 months ago, but a definitive production date has yet to be fixed. Reithofer has been studying proposals to build the new car at BMW’s Spartanburg factory in the US state of South Carolina, or the company’s Rosslyn plant in South Africa, the source of the majority of 3-series saloons sold in the UK.
The 3-series GT won’t go on sale until 2011. It should cost around £27,000 in the UK, at today’s prices.

With it's uique front lights, exclusive alloy wheels and Grand Edition badging, Mercedes is hoping that no one misses the most luxurious evolution yet of the popular CLS.
Available from March, the limited edition model offers a four strong petrol and diesel engine range, and gets a bespoke interior.
Highlights include alcantara headlining and leather seats. To finish, the Mercedes also gets high gloss wood trim on the dashboard, steering wheel and gearlever.
Standard equipment includes Mercedes COMAND multimedia system, parking sensors and Grand Edition badged floor mats.
Prices are yet to be announced, but drivers can expect to pay around £50,000 for an entry level CLS280. For more details click here

Thanks to: Auto Express

Hot hatch fans rejoice – the Golf GTI is getting a little brother! VW has an all-new Polo on the way in 2009, and is readying the wildest, fastest and sportiest version ever to top the range.Following in the footsteps of the MkV Golf GTI – which showed VW could still produce amazing performance cars when it launched in 2004 – the Polo GTI looks set to be a sales smash hit.As you can see, the flagship won’t be short of visual aggression. All the classic GTI design cues are there, from the piano black grille highlighted in red to the GTI badging and deep air intakes. Neat touches include muscular flared arches, filled by gorgeous alloys. The look is finished off by a subtle roof spoiler and bodykit – and the result is by far the mostdistinctive Polo ever made.Inside, the cabin will see some dramatic leaps in quality, with similar soft-touch plastics to those in the latest MkVI Golf. But what will really make the newcomer stand out will be its detailing – which includes figure-hugging sports seats, red piping and racy aluminium pedals.The next Polo will be similar in size to the outgoing machine. But as it shares the PQ25 small car platform that underpins the latest SEAT Ibiza, more space has been freed up inside. Using this chassis as a base, company engineers will also add stiffer springs and thicker anti-roll bars, plus sophisticated traction and stability control systems.When it was launched, the MkV Golf GTI set the standard for modern performance VWs, and the Polo GTI aims to have a similar impact. It will combine accurate steering and limited body roll with a compliant ride. Completing the package is a set of upgraded brakes.However, the Polo’s hottest asset will be its engine: a 1.4-litre supercharged andturbocharged four-cylinder TSI, which will grace the Ibiza Cupra early in 2009. This produces 178bhp and 250Nm of torque in the GTI, and gives a 0-60mph time of around seven seconds and a 140mph top speed.What will make the car fun to drive will be the way its power is delivered. The combination of turbo and supercharging means there will be a broad spread of torque at low revs, with muscular urge continuing all the way to the red line. The engine’s small capacity will also translate into strong economy and CO2 emissions. Figures of 40mpg and less than 150g/km are expected.As with the Cupra, the GTI gets a six-speed manual box as standard, with a fast-shifting seven-ratio DSG box an option.While the new Polo is set to make its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the GTI won’t be seen until early 2010. A price of around £15,500 is likely. For more details click here.

Thanks to: Auto Express

Hey readers! I just wanna say Happy New Year 2009. Hoping we'll be a better person, I hope my blog will be better too, and automotive industry is getting better. Don't forget to keep visiting my blog. Thanks to readers who has visited my blog. Wish u all the best.

The bad economic situation doesn't seem to be getting in the way of the plans Fisker Automotive, the boutique hybrid electric automaker. Fisker is taking advantage of its 2009 Detroit Show presence by announcing that it will roll out a concept vehicle called the Fisker Karma S alongside the $87,900 production version of its slick-looking Karma sedan.
An educated guess is that the S -- short for the Sunset on the fender -- is a convertible concept vision of the Karma. Fisker has experience building open top vehicles in the past with the Fisker Coachbuild Tramanto. The Karma S also appears to have some sort of cooling duct cue in the fender behind the wheel well, which scallops into the door, lending it a side pipe feel -- an indication that the vehicle will be more than just a chop-top Karma from a design standpoint.Fisker says the Karma Concept S will generate 403 total horsepower from its two electric motors, slightly lower than the Karma's reported peak output 408 hp. We're also assuming the 2.0L turbocharged Ecotec four sourced from General Motors that produces 260 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque will also be on board as well. The engine doesn't send its power directly to the wheels. Instead, much like the E-REV system on GM's coming Volt, it merely serves to charge the lithium-ion battery pack of the Karma's electric drivetrain though a generator.The Karma S Concept will also employ Fisker and Quantum Technologies "Q-Drive" powertrain. In friendly, eco-conscious "Stealth" mode, the Karma moves under electric-only power and can travel 50 miles using only energy from its lithium ion battery pack without using the engine. To conserve energy, acceleration and top speed are limited (the latter to 95 mph). When shenanigans are desired, the driver can select "Sport" mode for the full array of power. Here, the Karma can reportedly accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 125 mph. All this while the car behaves like a normal hybrid vehicle complete with regenerative braking, and engine start/stop technology. Fisker estimates the total range at 300 miles.

It’s been scarcely two months since we got our first look at the 2010 Ford Mustang at the Los Angeles auto show, and Ford is already showing us what else it can do with its redesigned pony car. The new 2010 Mustang Shelby GT500 is being introduced at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show (NAIAS).
As with the outgoing Shelby GT500, the new super Stang wears muscled-up bodywork to reflect its superior status within the Mustang lineup. Most evident is the even scarier two-story grille bracketed by HID headlamps set deep beneath the canted brow. The hood domes high over the big engine and features redesigned, industrial-strength heat extractors. Other than the requisite Cobra badge and lower trim stripes, the bodysides are common to lesser Stangs, while the rear end features a diffuser-esque bumper treatment and a rear spoiler that protrudes several inches off the decklid. Filling out the coupe’s wheel wells are a set of 19-inch alloys (convertibles get 18s) that could be the best-looking rollers ever offered on a Mustang, shod by Goodyear F1 Supercar tires specially formulated for the car. Ford has also made the 2010 model year the first since the late 1960s that the GT500 convertible may be ordered with factory racing stripes. Well, there goes the aftermarket.