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Saturday, June 21, 2008
The new Audi A4 will become a really important player in the premium mid-size sedan class, even though the competition from the new Mercedes C-Class and the BMW 3-Series is pretty tough. So Abt got to work and created this, the AS4 tuning program for the A4. And they sure did a pretty good job, ’cause it looks great. Exterior mods include new front skirts, new side wings, new rear spoiler and new rear skirt with quad exhausts integrated.
And that’s not all, because Abt also worked on the performances and offers two performance kits, the Abt Power and the Abt Power S. First, there’s the 1.8-litre turbocharged TFSI engine, which develops 160 hp in the production version, but power output is increased to 200 hp and 310 Nm of torque with the Abt Power S kit and 240 hp with the Abt Power S kit. Then, there’s the 143 hp 2.0 TDI unit, which develops 170 hp (Abt Power) and 200 hp (Abt Power S). The 2.7 TDI develops 190 hp (Abt Power) and 230 hp (Abt Power S), while the 3.0 TDI now produces 300 hp with the Abt Power S performance kit. read more...
More emotion in design for top-model Touareg - Hofele-Design gives the power car from Wolfsburg a more elegant and emotional note.The new styling kit for the VW Touareg consists of a complete front bumper with four distinctive additional lights, new LED day driving light and a double light with cornering light and fog light. Big air intakes provide the intercooler of the big engines with more air.
Trapezoidal tailpipes made of stainless steel are integrated into the new rear apron. The under ride protection is removable to give access to the trailer coupling. Side skirts, a rear roof spoiler and a rear door panel are also part of the styling kit. Additionally available is the hood scoop “Power Dome” which gives the ordinary hood more dynamic.
A Duplex stainless steel muffler provides an adequate sound for this luxury car.
Pirelli tires in the size 295/30 R22, mounted on the mighty 22 inch “Reverso 22” designer wheels take care about the right traction. The car can be lowered 40mm either with sport springs or an ETS module which lowers the air suspension.
© Source: seriouswheels.com
Friday, June 20, 2008
As a successful race driver and team manager on the international stage, Herbert Hartge applies motor sports technology know-how into each of his BMW-based vehicles. The reason a racy all-wheel-drive vehicle is now fully suitable for hunting on even the most challenging terrain situations, lies not only in the fact that hes able to fall back on a wealth of gathered rallye sport experience: Herbert is truly an avid and passionate hunter.The modified X3 renders his passion. As HUNTER it embodies a fine sleek manner of moving expertly and stylishly over rough and smooth. The necessary ground clearance of 23 cm is provided by longer spring/damper units, additional front spacer blocks and very good all-terrain-pneus (255/55 R 18) which are mounted on HARTGEs CLASSIC 2 light alloy wheels.
The full range of HARTGE performance enhancements naturally extend to the version for the bhp-spoiled hunters society. In the 3.0sd 335hp/246 kW (factory 283 hp/210 kW) blow the mort through the hunting horn. The power-plus is gained through tuning of the electronic control unit (ECU): within technical territories tuner HARTGE is already a famous hunting authority.
Automatic differential locks on both axles ease the HUNTERs ability to stalk through difficult terrain. Stainless steel grating protects and guards the radiator from damage due to thick underbrush or rocks.
Again, this X3 clearly demonstrates its supremacy on off-road terrain. HARTGEs HUNTER enriches the hunting scene as an off-road vehicle, which in contrast to the British Landy or German G-Class.
superior 520 HP and powerful 701 Nm
Compressor motor with increased cubic capacity
High Performance Twin Screw Supercharger
sporty aerodynamic kit
resonant sound with stainless steel exhaust system / extravagant exhaust tailpipe design
22” or 23” wheels, high performance braking system
elegant sporty interior
Elegance, discreet sportiness and understatement have always been the characteristics of British cars. The car enhancement specialist and registered automobile manufacturer from Krefeld was unable to resist the attraction of these vehicles over 30 years ago. It has for many years been a refuge for customers wanting it to individualise their Jaguar or Range Rover and emphasize its typical characteristics. Arden’s latest development is the AR7. It is based on the Range Rover LM, which Arden completely converts and provides with more overtaking prestige. The base vehicle which is impressive due to its sheer size becomes captivating with its extraordinary sporty look. Meanwhile enhanced performance of the Range Rover compressor motor contributes to the sporty driving performance.
Arden bodykit: better look, better driving behavior
Arden adapted its aerodynamic components to the Range Rover’s basic design in a masterly fashion. As usual with Arden, the kit looks as though it fits seamlessly. The completely re-designed, in total 6 cm wider front apron, which replaces the production part, features a hand-made stainless steel grill and air vents. These features emphasize not only the dynamic and powerful appearance, they also provide more effective air supply to the cooling units behind. Arden has made substantial improvements to the aerodynamics, effectively reducing lift to the front axle; this has a lasting benefit on handling performance at higher speeds. The LED daytime running lights deserve special attention. They comply with the future European standards and are harmoniously integrated right and left above the large air intakes. To complete the powerful appearance, Arden also enhances the Range Rover with wheel arch extensions, side skirts and a newly developed rear apron, which like the front apron features several grill inserts.
With regards to harmoniously designing the rear area, Arden adapted the design of the exhaust tail pipes of the stainless steel sport exhaust system,...get full review on : auto-power-girl.com
Monday, June 16, 2008
Earlier this month, the president of Kiribati warned the nations of the world that his country will be gone by century's end. Submerged under rising sea level, a casualty of climate change.
And even if, by some ridiculously well-timed miracle, everyone reduces their carbon footprint to near zero, the 92,000 island inhabitants “may be at the point of no return” where reversing the effects of the emissions already in the atmosphere will not come before their atolls get flooded. The president thus asked for help in resettling his people.
While very impolitic, he should demand from the worst polluting nations that as an act of “redemption” they should set aside “reservations” in prime real estate, for instance, some of the Hawaiian islands, where the entire population can collectively forge a new set of geographic identitites instead of being dispersed in diasporic communities around the world.
Maybe China is open to the idea of deleting a part of the Tibetan plateau and exporting the pulverized geology to the Pacific. They will, of course, argue that this a form of carbon emission trading.
Or the European Union could give the president an order or two of Vincent Callebaut's Lilypad.
Quoting Archinect, where we first saw this featured.
LILYPAD is a true amphibian - half aquatic and half terrestrial city - able to accommodate 50,000 inhabitants and inviting the biodiversity to develop its fauna and flora around a central lagoon of soft water collecting and purifying the rain waters. This artificial lagoon is entirely immersed, ballasting the city. It enables inhabitants to live in the heart of the sub aquatic depths. The multi functional program is based on three marinas and three mountains dedicated to work, shopping and entertainment. The whole set is covered by a stratum of planted housing in suspended gardens and crossed by a network of streets and alleyways with organic outline. The goal is to create a harmonious coexistence of humans and nature, exploring new modes of cross-cultural aquatic living.
Kiribati would probably need a less pimped out version, unless, of course, they realign their economy away from fish and phosphate towards eco-tourism — which leads us to wonder: will future climate change refugees become a new caste of service sector workers inhabiting a sort of Floating Hotel & Duty Free Mall, the port of call that comes to you, wherein the fine art of the greeting and linen folding is treated as a Masonic secret passed down from one generation to the next?
In any case, some more unabashedly digital images.
Meanwhile, this is MER, by PLOT, now BIG and JDS.
The Vortex of 80,000 Nikes
At some point in our recent automotive history, all wheel-drive (AWD) replaced front wheel-drive as the paranoid consumer's drivetrain of choice. The safety advantages of high quality snow tires (as needed) and a low center of gravity (in all cases) got lost in translation. Ready to capitalize on the AWD's popularity: the economy-oriented Toyota Matrix and the Subaru Impreza. Both diminutive scramblers aren't nearly as cheap or efficient as their front-wheel-drive cousins, and they won't off-road, tow a boat or carry seven passengers. Still, both cars offer a [potential] extra safety margin and [potentially] better handling. So if you had to choose one…
The Impreza and the Matrix were both recently restyled. The new Matrix looks like it's been hanging in Beverly Hills. And yet, even after a nip, tuck, stretch and smooth, the Matrix' bloated-Yaris profile remains. Though the car's tighter greenhouse and diving roof line improve on the prior model's anodyne anonymity, form comes at the expense of function (more on that later).
The Impreza hatch's-sorry, "5-Door's" restyle offers a sleek, ovoid look that's both familiar and jarring. Subaru achieved this paradox by littering a restrained, attractive shape with unnecessary, eye-melting flourishes (e.g. icicle taillights, and faux-Chrysler pilot wings on the grille). Select the "sports grille" option and plain black mesh replaces your slice of plastic corporate flair, transforming the Impreza's styling.read more on :
www.thetruthaboutcars.com
The Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept is a sports car concept which could fill a gap in Toyota’s model lineup left vacant since 1997 and the passing of the Toyota Supra.
The Toyota FT-HS Concept could be powered by a 3.5 litre V6 working in conjunction with an electric motor, to allow for around 400 horsepower and performance figures in the 4 seconds to 60mph range. Another feature of the Toyota FT-HS Hybrid Sports concept is a retractable roof which can fold down into the space occupied by the rear seats, making it a two seater in this mode.
Inside the driver orientated interior of the Toyota FT-HS concept are angular control surfaces echoing the styling of the exterior. The seats of the FT-HS concept consist of thin red-orange colored pads attached to the surrounding structure, and the hubless steering wheel features paddle shifters for rapid gear changes.
Renault Megane is a small family car produced by the French automaker Renault since 1995. It is offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback, sedan, coupé, convertible and station wagon bodystyles. The Renault Scénic is the first modern compact MPV, and is based on the Megane. Megane GT is aimed at customers looking for driving pleasure from a car they can use on a daily basis. Its sports chassis ensures outstanding handling performance without compromizing the balance between comfort and handling.
Megane GT features specifically tuned dampers for optimized control of body roll whatever the driving style. Compared with the previous versions of this chassis used for Mégane 2.0 T and 2.0 dCi Dynamique, Megane GT's chassis comes with stiffer front and rear anti-roll characteristics aimed at combating body roll under cornering. The ESP has been especially calibrated as a function of the characteristics of Megane GT's sports chassis to ensure a comfortable ride whether driving around town or on motorways, while at the same time guaranteeing perfectly rigorous handling along twisty roads.
Concept cars give automotive designers a chance to let their imaginations run wild, often with outlandish results. But even by that measure, BMW has come up with something as strange as it is innovative -- a shape-shifting car covered with fabric.
Instead of steel, aluminum or even carbon fiber, the GINA Light Visionary Model has a body of seamless fabric stretched over a movable metal frame that allows the driver to change its shape at will. The car -- which actually runs and drives -- is a styling design headed straight for the BMW Museum in Munich and so it will never see production, but building a practical car wasn't the point. more
The types of cars we drive will change dramatically over the next five to 10 years but, meanwhile, we will see more hybrid vehicles as we move to what the industry calls "the gradual electrification of the motor car".
In other words, the petrol engines will get smaller and electric engines will get bigger until, eventually, we have the electric-only car. That's about 10 years away. A lot is going to happen between now and then.
In the coming years there will be countless calls for governments to reduce fuel excise and other taxes on fuel. There will be road blockades by truck operators here and overseas. But these will not sway the inevitable.
Some experts reckon unleaded petrol will be $2 a litre by the end of this year and $3 by the end of next year. Freaking out? Petrol is still cheaper here than it is in Europe and Britain.
The admission earlier this year by the world's biggest car maker, General Motors, that oil was indeed running out was the clearest sign yet of the change in the makers' attitudes. The company that killed the electric car is now going full speed ahead on electric vehicle development. It has subsequently announced the closure of four pick-up truck factories in the US and is considering selling off the Hummer brand. more
