Hummer H2 Cabrio Spotted in Abu Dhabi

Leave it to the United Arab Emirates to remind us that not everyone is affected equally by the economic crisis. This highly-customized Hummer H2 convertible was spotted in front of Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace Hotel.
Mods to this monstrosity include custom paint job with matching red leather interior, which seems to be an odd choice for the gulf coast city surrounded by desert. Hopefully, there is some innovative seat-cooling system installed as well. The truck has seven seats, and chrome wheels set in wider arches. Also pictured is what appears to be an aftermarket fiberglass hood scoop with integrated Hella lights.Good thing it's fiberglass; wouldn't want to add more weight.Just as unnecessarily lavish is the hotel itself, which opened in 2005. Marble floors, a large golden dome, gold touches in many of the rooms, and a vast green lawn brought the construction cost of this building to $3 billion. Stays in the smallest room, a 592 square foot space (55 m2), starts at $400 nightly. The 7,319 square foot (680 m2) Palace Grand Suite costs upwards of $11,500 per night, and comes with a limousine, multiple 61-inch plasma screens, raised jacuzzi, and butler.
Maybe he'll clean the sand off your H2, if you ask.

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An article in the Detroit News about Ford's ongoing electric vehicle program has let a few facts slip out about the upcoming "battery electric vehicle" (BEV) that Ford says it plans to bring to market by 2012. Developed in conjunction with the plug-in Escape Hybrid that's due to debut a year before it, the BEV will be based on the new global Ford Focus platform which debuts in 2010, and will be a fully electric vehicle, with no gasoline engine component. Ford is aiming for the vehicle to have a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge. "Project M," as it has been internally dubbed, is a joint venture between Ford and Magna International, Inc. Critics are already wondering if a 100-mile range will be enough for the average commuter. The upside to Ford's Focus-based BEV is reduced cost; with less complexity than a hybrid and most of the construction sourced from a single supplier - Magna. Ford's BEV will likely cost much less than the Chevrolet Volt, whose starting price has been estimated in the $40,000 range.

Lexus LS May Get V6

Malaysian car journo Paul Tan is reporting that Lexus is planning on introducing a Lexus LS V6. Any new engine option could come when the LS gets a facelift, possibly next year. The current Lexus LS saw an introduction back in 2007. Historically, Lexus has done facelifts on their LS range every three to four years.Now in its fourth generation, the LS 460 and 600h both come with V8 engines. The LS 460 features a 380 horsepower (342 hp in some markets) 4.6-liter unit with an eight-speed automatic. On its own, the 5.0-liter V8 on the 600h produces 389 hp and up to 383 ft-lb of torque. When the hybrid's electric motor is factored in, the car gets use of 438 hp.With car companies introducing lower-powered, less-expensive versions of their vehicles to fit changing consumer tastes, a Lexus LS 350 could get the same engine previously seen on the Lexus GS 350 in the U.S. and Japan. The 3.5-liter V6 generates 311 hp and 278 ft-lb of torque, similar to the BMW 740i.Source

Nissan at Geneva: NV200 Concept Passenger Version to Debut

Nissan will debut a passenger van version of the upcoming Nissan NV200 line-up at next month's show.The three-row MPV has dual sliding-doors, with easy access to the rear bench. Interior configuration can be changed quickly, to utilize more cargo space or to seat seven. Nissan cites the design as being "flexible, comfortable and convenient," making this a realistic option for "large families on the move." Nissan is apparently trying to tap the all-important travelling circus market.You may remember the debut of the Nissan NV200 concept van (pictures attached) during the Tokyo show back in October 2007, when the company showed off a multi-purpose unit that had a police command van feel to it. The rear extended outward, showing its capacity to hold a varied combination of tools in a hidden pocket, while creating a rear "pod" inside. That pod features a seat held in place on a track, a folding tabletop with built in computer, keyboard, video equipment, and flatscreens, all of which moves into and out of position as the rear is expanded and contracted.Nissan will offer both van and combi versions of the new Nissan NV200. A release date has not yet been set.

Toyota Aygo Revised for 2009

Toyota has revised the Aygo for the UK market. The smallest Toyota sells more than 100,000 units a year in Europe alone. Two new models called the Aygo Blue and Aygo Black have been added to the Aygo range. The cars still feature the three-cylinder 1.0-litre VVT-i engine that produces 67bhp (50kW) and 93Nm of torque. Mated to the engine is either a five-speed manual or a MultiMode transmission system.

PORSCHE CAYENNE SALES RISE FOR JANUARY

STUTTGART, Germany – February 4, 2009: January 2009 saw Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, continue to move in a difficult market environment in the USA and Canada. At 1,746 vehicles, the number of deliveries to customers in North America was 36 percent lower than the previous year, with 1,658 vehicles going to the USA and 88 units to Canada.

AUDI A5 AND R8 LEAD JANUARY 2009 SALES

Audi today announced sales for the month of January totaling 4,722 units, a decrease from record January sales in 2008. Audi predicts its share of the U.S. luxury vehicle market will increase when all January 2009 sales reports come in compared to year-earlier results.

Lotus Exige S 240 - First Drive Review

Granted, we often get a bit technical here at Car and Driver, a nuance due in no small part to having an editor-in-chief who has an engineering degree from MIT and expects everyone to keep up with him during luncheon conversations, or at least nod enthusiastically. So the Mercedes, with well more than double the horsepower of the Lotus, is slower. How is this possible? The scales tell the story: The Mercedes weighs a portly 4910 pounds. The light-on-its-feet Lotus weighs a claimed 2100 pounds. The Mercedes has more than twice the horsepower but carries more than twice the weight. This, of course, points up an added benefit for the Lotus: an EPA-rated 23 mpg in the city compared with 11 mpg for the Mercedes. Light weight and utter simplicity have been the birthright of Lotus since the first one was built in 1948 by racing driver Colin Chapman. A very light car with a small engine could outrun a very heavy car with a large engine, Chapman reasoned, a thesis he proved on the racetrack over and over. Lotus became an enormous force in motorsports, entering Formula 1 in 1958 and winning the championship in 1963 and 1965 with Jim Clark, who died in 1968 while piloting, yes, a Lotus. That year, Graham Hill won the F1 championship for Lotus, and Jochen Rindt did the same in 1970, followed by Emerson Fittipaldi in 1972 and Mario Andretti in 1978. Future three-time champion Ayrton Senna won his first Formula 1 race with Lotus in 1985.

2010 Volkswagen GTI Revealed - Car News

VW wants to hype the smallish Polo at the Geneva auto show this March, but we don't really care. The significant news for us is the next-generation GTI, of which production-version pictures have now been leaked courtesy of worldcarfans.com.
The GTI was previewed with a concept car at the 2008 Paris auto show, and we are pleased to report that VW executives were truthful when they told us the concept was 99-percent true to the series production model. The only things that may differ from the Paris concept are minor interior trim details.
The new GTI comes with the current model's 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected four, but it is upgraded to 210 hp from 200. That's not class-leading, but smooth power delivery in a well-tuned package has made the GTI one of our favorites for years. It even made its third consecutive appearance on our 10Best list in 2009, despite the imminent model changeover.

LATEST FORZA CAR

News of the future content comes at the same time that the studio has released a barrage of stats and figures detailing the performance of the game over Xbox Live, including the number of gamers that have logged a Scoreboard time (over 520,000), the number auctions that have taken place (over 2 million), and the number of photos that have been uploaded (over 1.5 million).
The studio also clarified reports surrounding rumours that the game has been responsible for 'bricking' a number Xbox 360s, prompting the dreaded "Red Lights of Death", stating categorically that: "the game itself does not brick Xbox 360 consoles".

Audi to Unveil TT RS & A4 allroad in Geneva

its first official public appearance at the Geneva Motor Show this March. The TT RS is based on the TT but features several differences from standard TTs, not least of all its powerful new engine. Spotted testing a few times over the past 18 months or so, the TT RS will sit at the top of all TTs as the flagship model. In October 2008 WCF uncovered some details regarding the car through a leaked document. It uses a 2.5-litre turbocharged engine mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The engine makes 340hp (250kW) and 450Nm of torque and it's capable of hauling the car from 0 - 100km/h in just 4.5 seconds.
Another debut coming to Geneva 2009 is the A5/ S5 pair minus their respective roofs. The A5 and S5 Cabriolet will be shown for the first time in public months after spy pictures as well as official photos and details of both appeared. The A5 range consists of a number of engines such as the entry-level 1.8 TFSI producing 160hp (118kW) and a 2.7-litre TDI producing 190hp (140kW) and 400Nm.
Top of the pile is the S5 Cabrio now powered by a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 engine instead of the old 4.2-litre V8. It delivers 333hp (245kW) and 440Nm. Both A5 and S5 models use a canvass roof that opens in 15 seconds and closes in 17 seconds.
Lastly, the Audi A4 will also take a bow in Geneva, this time wearing allroad trim for both sedan and wagon versions for the first time. Like its big brother the A6 allroad, it's distinguished by a two-tone body kit with flared fenders and off-road style front and rear bumpers. The allroad also benefits from an increased ride height for more purposeful all-weather driving conditions as well as medium level dirt roads

Audi A4 Outsells BMW 3-Series in Germany

The Audi A4 is not only Audi's top selling vehicle, it was also purchased more often in Germany than the BMW 3-Series. 2008 figures for the A4 have been released, with over 98,714 units in Germany. The Audi A6 and Audi TT also topped their segment, with 45,304 and 10,630 vehicle registrations, according to the company.Audi claims the A4 was second only to the Volkswagen Golf in terms of overall sales in Germany. Both brands are owned by VW. The figures also show a great boost for Audi, with increased sales in Germany, and all of Western Europe. Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler said, "Audi is presently experiencing stronger growth than any other premium brand in the region - and thanks to new models we will maintain this dynamism.""In a difficult market environment, we want to further expand our market share in Germany and Western Europe."The 2009 model year Audi A4 was released in April 2008. The '09 S4 Sedan and Avant arrive in European dealerships this quarter. Not a bad birthday present for Audi's 100-year anniversary. Audi sold more than one million vehicles worldwide last year. BMW still leads them as the global luxury brand, having sold 1.12 million in 2008.

Audi's Electric Car Plans Surface

Audi is not falling behind the in electrification of the motor vehicle. The company has plans that reach beyond 2014 to introduce a wide variety of eco-friendly cars. These plans were approved by its board of directors this past December.
At the bottom end Audi will introduce the E1 based on Volkswagen's Up! concept (pictured in this rendering). But it will make it look very different so as not to be accused of badge engineering. Initially tiny petrol and diesel engines will be offered, followed by a full-on electric motor. Hybrid packs were considered too big for this size of vehicle.
An Audi E2 would be higher than the E1 and be the small eco sports car. It will share some of its components with the VW BlueSport production car and run on 1.2 FSI (75bhp/110Nm) or 1.2 TDI (75bhp/180Nm) engines. There may not be an electric option for the E2 as running costs are currently very prohibitive.

Audi A7 Sportback concept

Audi's Sportback concept will make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show which begins in less than a day. These are the first leaked images of the car. The Sportback concept represents the future Audi A7, a four-door 2+2 coupe said to be larger in size than the current A6. As much as it is a concept, Audi's recent design philosophies are all over the Sportback including those LED lights and the smiley grille, though this time it's upside down.
The vehicle's roofline and smaller rear window shows a fastback blueprint which could mean the A7 is a full-on hatch. It will be built on Audi's new modular longitudinal build kit (LBK). This modular setup can be adjusted for length, width and height to suit whatever application it's needed for. Other future large Audis are expected to use the same chassis setup.

Audi R8 V10 5.2 FSI Quattro - 2009 NAIAS

After a long time trying to make it out from under heavy camouflage, watching it go up in flames in testing, admiring it in pictures and getting to know its powertrain better, the Audi R8 5.2-litre V10 is finally within public reach. Uncovered during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the R8 V10 looks ready to create lots of rubber trails and put smiles on many faces.

Q5 Hybrid Back in Audi Product Plan for 2010

According to Audi's leaked rollout schedule the mid-sized Q5 Hybrid is coming to market in February 2010. However recent reports suggested that Audi had canned the Q5 Hybrid project. Now new evidence says that it's back on the 2010 menu. At the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit VW Group head of powertrain development Wolfgang Hatz told Autoweek that Audi would have to bring out at least one hybrid model in order to compete.
"If you look at what you have to spend to get the advantage of the hybrid and what you have to spend on other technologies like diesel, the diesel is much more cost-effective," Hatz stated. "We have to do hybrids in order to show people that we are able to do them."

2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan

Instead of a windscreen, air deflectors are utilitzed. Roll bars are built into the two scoops rising over the seats. To keep weight down, the entire body is made from carbon fibre. The owner of the vehicle can close off the vehicle with two carbon-fibre tonneau covers, carried in the trunk.

Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss in Detroit

Today marks the end of a long chapter in supercar history. The last car ever to be produced by a cooperative effort between Mercedes-Benz and McLaren, the Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss was officially unveiled today, providing a bittersweet close to the partnership.

Chrome Mercedes C63 AMG

These pictures of a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG finished in chrome were found posted on a web forum. They were apparently taken in Dubai. Although the C63 AMG comes in a range of 10 colours, 7 of which are metallic, none of them is chrome.
Mercedes revealed the C63 AMG in July 2007 and launched it in September that same year. Based on the W204 platform, the car is the flagship model in the C-Class range. It's powered through the rear wheels by a normally aspirated 6.2-litre V8 engine that produces 451hp (336kW) and torque of 443 lb-ft (600Nm). The official 0 - 100km/h time is 4.5 seconds.

Opel Vauxhall Insignia OPC VXR leaked photo

A picture showing the Opel Insignia OPC/ Vauxhall Insignia VXR has been leaked. The high-performance sedan shows the same vertical front air intakes that featured in the Opel GTC Concept. The GTC Concept was unveiled at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show and it previewed the Insignia's design language.

BMW M1 Protoype Artists Rendering

A two-seat BMW to be called the Z10 ED has been planned. According to those close to the project, the Z10 ED will be an advanced green supercar that will showcase BMW's engine power technology without compromising the environment. It's the product of the company's secretive Technik division which was responsible for bringing to life such cars as the Z1 and the Z8 straight out of its workshops.

Mercedes SLK Gullwing

Mercedes is currently working on a new sportscar to be slotted under the SLC supercar. The new Mercedes-Benz SLK Gullwing would be a hybrid, with an all-electric range of 120 miles, according to Auto Express.

2011 BMW 6-Series Convertible Prototype Caught Testing

BMW has done well with the various coupes and convertibles under the current 6-Series lineup. Sales are estimated at over 20,000 annually with the second generation 6. Introduced in 2003, it received a facelift in 2007. Third generation changes will be subtle, with the intention of marketing the car on mass appeal instead of to a niche. Expect the new 6-Series to have sportier styling, despite increasing in size. Shorter overhangs at the front and back, even though a longer wheelbase is expected. A more aerodynamic roofline, seen in the spy photos, is also expected.

EXTENSIVE MODIFICATIONS FOR 2009 PORSCHE 911 GT3 RSR

Stuttgart. The successful Porsche 911 GT3 RSR takes off into the new model year with extensive modifications. The most powerful race car based on the Porsche 911, which last season secured wins in the American Le Mans Series and at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, competes in the GT2 class at international long distance races.

AC SCHNITZER UNVEIL LIMITED SLIP DIFFERENTIAL FOR BMW 1-, 3-SERIES & MINI

SCHWABACH, Germany – January 22, 2009: There’s no driving pleasure without the right engine power: But what’s the use of pressing the gas pedal hard, if the power doesn’t get to where it’s needed?

RESIDUAL VALUE FORECAST FOR MERCEDES-BENZ: NEW E-CLASS WITH THE LOWEST DEPRECIATION

Stuttgart - In three years time, the new E-Class will be the car with the highest resale value in the entire luxury segment. According to calculations by the market research institute Bähr & Fess Forecast in Saarbrücken, the new E 250 CDI will then realise up to 62.5 percent of its current new price, and it has therefore received the accolade of “2009 value retention champion” awarded every year by the motoring magazine Auto-Bild.

ŠKODA OFFERS LIMITED EDITION OCTAVIA vRS

Škoda is introducing the new Limited Edition Octavia vRS which is sure to draw the eye of motorists looking to get even more value for their money.

TEN YEARS OF UNSTOPPABLE SUCCESS FOR THE BMW X5

MULGRAVE, Australia – January 23, 2009: BMW driving pleasure entered a completely new market segment ten years ago with the debut of the BMW X5.

BMW NAMED AS GREENEST PREMIUM MANUFACTURER

BRACKNELL, United Kingdom – January 23, 2009: BMW has the lowest average CO2 emissions of any premium car manufacturer for the second year in a row according to new independent research. Courtesy of its award-winning EfficientDynamics programme, BMW records a UK fleet average of 159.4g/km based on all BMWs sold in 2008.

MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS WINS ‘BEST LUXURY CAR’ AT WHAT CAR? AWARDS

MILTON KEYNES, United Kingdom – January 23, 2009: The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been honoured as Best Luxury Car for the third consecutive year at the What Car? Car of the Year 2009 awards.