RPMGO Car Blog |
- Montante Maserati 8CTF Bike Revealed
- Mini Folding Bike, On Sale This August
- 2012 Subaru Impreza Revealed
- F1 Team Lotus Buys Caterham
- Buick Reaches The 3 Million Mark In China
- Chrysler Group Plans On Repaying All Government Loans
- Seat’s SUV Will Be Based On The Audi Q3
- Jeep Working On New Models For Europe
- GM Might Regain No. 1 Spot
- BMW Z2 In The Works?
| Montante Maserati 8CTF Bike Revealed Posted: 29 Apr 2011 05:00 AM PDT  Montante Maserati 8CTF Bike Yet another bike revealed under the name of a car manufacturer is this Montante Maserati 8CTF. This special edition bike has been developed by the Italian automaker in partnership with specialist Montante Cicli. Dubbed the 8CTF, it celebrates the 70th anniversary of Wilbur Shaw's victory in the iconic 500 miles of Indianapolis which he managed to accomplish driving a Maserati 8CTF.  Montante Maserati 8CTF Bike They are going to make only 200 units of this bike and each one of will wear a unique number. Each bike is going to be produced according to the measurements of the owner. It is a single speed bicycle that features silver Trident hubs, inspired by the automaker's supercharged 3-liter engine, along with a special logo that resembles to the one that identifies the car's chassis.  Montante Maserati 8CTF Bike The Montante Maserati 8CTF costs 3,600 Euros, without shipping.  Montante Maserati 8CTF Bike Source: Maserati via ZerCustoms Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Mini Folding Bike, On Sale This August Posted: 29 Apr 2011 04:30 AM PDT  Mini Folding Bike A popular trend among car manufacturers these days is to launch overpriced bikes. Joining the group is Mini with its Folding Bike, priced at $728 (499 Euros). The bike was developed for those customers that spend a lot of their time in crowded cities and Mini says that when folded, it's small enough to fit in any of the company's models.  Mini Folding Bike The folding bike has a lightweight aluminum frame and a simple folding mechanism, allowing it to be folded / unfolded in a matter of seconds. It collapses along the crossbar and handlebars so that it will take up a limited space. Customers can also retract the saddle and the pedals can be folded up, making it very easy to handle.  Mini Folding Bike With a curb weight of only 24 lbs (11 kg), it is very easy to carry around. It has 8 gears and 20-inch wheels. The chain is teflon-coated in order to prevent soiling that is caused by chaing oil. Other goodies include mudguards and a gel saddle. It will be offered in a matte black paint finish with a couple of silver highlights, like the brand logo on the handlebars, the "Mini" lettering on the crossbar, as well as the British flag on the rear forks. As you can see from the photos, the bell and the chain are finished in neon yellow.  Mini Folding Bike It will be available starting with this August at select Mini dealers and on the company's German online store.  Mini Folding Bike Source: Mini via Carscoop Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Posted: 29 Apr 2011 04:00 AM PDT  2012 Subaru Impreza At this month's New York Auto Show, Subaru unveiled the 4th generation of its Impreza model, bringing the 4-door and 5-door variants. The new model has the same exterior dimensions as the outgoing model, but offers a more spacious cabin and better fuel economy. Subaru also said that the new Impreza is more fun to drive; we'll have to wait and see about that.  2012 Subaru Impreza The wheelbase of the 4th generation Impreza has grown by 25 mm, while the bottom end of the A-pillar has been extended 200 mm toward the front. In addition, the door structure has been modified and all of these changes have brought more elbow and shoulder space, along with more room for the passengers in the back and the driver now benefits from an improved field of vision. Cargo space has also gone up and Subaru says that in the sedan you can put in four golf bags, while in the hatchback version you can store three.  2012 Subaru Impreza The U.S.-spec version comes with the company's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive system and is powered by the third generation of Subaru's 2.0-liter boxer engine, which will be linked to either a standard 5-speed manual gearbox or the new Lineartronic Continuously Variable Transmission.  2012 Subaru Impreza This new engine produces 148 hp, which is 22 hp less than the previous one; and 145 lb.-ft (197 Nm) of torque. This smaller engine has managed to do 36 mpg in the preliminary in-house tests, which is a record for a U.S.-market all-wheel drive production model. To achieve this figure, the engineers over at Subaru had to implement a few weight saving techniques, managing to drop the Impreza's curb weight to only 2,910 lbs (1,320 kg), and also they've optimized the car's aerodynamics and fitted it with low-rolling resistance tires.  2012 Subaru Impreza As far as the design is concerned, it looks pretty boring if you ask me, although Subaru said that they have used the "Smart & Classy" concept. Inside, we find a 3-spoke steering wheel, a round speedometer and rev counter, not that exciting at all.  2012 Subaru Impreza No word about availability and price list yet.  2012 Subaru Impreza Source: Subaru via Carscoop Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Posted: 29 Apr 2011 03:30 AM PDT  TeamLotusCaterham A few days ago, the Formula One Team Lotus owners have announced the acquisition of Caterham, a lightweight sports car manufacturer, but they didn't say how much money they had to pay for finalizing the transaction. The England-based Caterham company became popular for rolling out the Seven model, which is a 2-seater lightweight sports car that was designed by Colin Chapman, the founder of Lotus, who sold the rights of the vehicle to Caterham back in 1973. Team Lotus announced that there aren't going to be any changes as far as Caterham's management is concerned.
For celebrating this transaction, Caterham is going to build a limited-run series of Team Lotus Special Edition Sevens. They will offer only 50 upgrade packages (25 for UK and 25 for the rest of the world) that can be applied on the Superlight R500, the range-topping model that produces 263 hp and can hit a top speed of 150 mph. Click here to view the embedded video. The price for this package is going to be 3,000 pounds and it includes a special Lotus livery, in the company's traditional green and yellow colors; a plaque that features the signatures of Jarno Trulli and Heikki Kovalainen, who are the drivers of the Team Lotus F1; along with an invitation to a tour of the Team Lotus F1 factory, located in Hingham, Norfolk. Source: Team Lotus via Carscoop Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Buick Reaches The 3 Million Mark In China Posted: 29 Apr 2011 03:00 AM PDT
General Motors introduced its Buick sub-brand in China back in 1999 and since then they've managed to sell more than 3 million cars. The rise of the middle class in China is becoming more and more important for GM, especially if we take into consideration that Buick's largest market can be found there. In 2010, Buick's sales in China rose by an impressive 23% to a new all-time record of 550,010 units. In the United States, they've sold 51.9% more cars, reaching 155,289 vehicles. Buick has a network in China consisting of more than 400 dealerships that sell cars like the Regal, Enclave and the La Crosse. In addition, they also commercialize China-only models, like the Excelle XT, which is based on the Opel Astra, the Holden Caprice-derived Park Avenue and the new GL8 MPV. Last year, General Motors managed to sell 1,033,307 cars in China, and became the country's largest passenger carmaker that was able to sell more than one million cars in a single year. Source: Buick via Carscoop Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Chrysler Group Plans On Repaying All Government Loans Posted: 29 Apr 2011 02:30 AM PDT
Fiat is only a few steps away from owning 51% of the Chrysler Group as the latter has announced a few days ago that it will repay all the loans provided by the United States and Canadian governments in 2009. The $7.53 billion that the Auburn Hills-based automaker owns will be repaid during Q2 2011 which ends in June. To get the money, Chrysler will have to use a new term loan facility, along with issuing new debt securities that are going to be sold to institutional investors in a private offering, along with proceeds from Fiat's recent cash infusion that increases its stake in Chrysler. Chrysler will have to pay $5.8 billion to the United States Department of the Treasury and another $1.7 billion to the Canadian federal and Ontario governments. As we previously mentioned here on rpmGo, CEO Sergio Marchionne has announced that Fiat wants to take majority stake in Chrysler in 2011 and for accomplishing this; they have to buy another 16% of Chrysler for $1.27 billion, which will raise the company's position to 46%. Later on this year, they will buy another 5% to obtain the majority stake. For increasing ownership to 51%, Fiat must roll out a 40 mpg model in the U.S. Source: Chrysler via Carscoop Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Seat’s SUV Will Be Based On The Audi Q3 Posted: 29 Apr 2011 02:00 AM PDT  Seat IBX Along with the new Audi Q3 that will be produced at VW Group's Martorell factory in Spain, there is another car that will be built there: Seat's new compact SUV, which will be based on the Q3. According to the British car magazine What Car, the production version of the Seat IBX crossover study will be introduced sometime next year and it will share the same platform as the Audi Q3.  Seat IBX The first SUV concept developed by Seat was the Tribu, which was shown in 2007 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. That one was supposed to spawn into a production model but because of the difficult financial times, it was axed.  Seat IBX This time, there are bigger chances that Seat will launch an SUV, despite the fact that the production model will look a lot different from the 3-door IBX concept. Most likely, the production version will feature a 5-door configuration and it will sport conventional combustion power units, as opposed to the full-electric setup of the IBX, which uses an electric motor for powering the front wheels and sports a battery package that allows the car to be driven for up to 28 miles (45 km).  Seat IBX The model which should be out in 2012 will most likely be offered with a wide range of TSI and TDI engines, in both FWD and AWD variants.  Seat IBX Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Jeep Working On New Models For Europe Posted: 29 Apr 2011 01:30 AM PDT  2011 Jeep Liberty Jet One of the objectives of the Fiat-Chrysler alliance is to increase Jeep sales in Europe, which is the biggest export market for the brand. They aim pretty high taking into consideration that this year Jeep will most likely sell only 25,000 units, but their objective is to increase that figure to 125,000 cars by 2014. The company is hoping to accomplish this by bringing new smaller SUVs in Europe, along with updated versions of some of their current models. One of the new cars that Jeep will introduce in Europe is going to be a baby Wrangler, which will be manufactured in Toluca, Mexico and will be sold also in North and South America by 2014. A brand new compact SUV will replace the Compass/Patriot models and it will be built at Fiat's Mirafiori plant in Italy. Most likely, it will share a platform with a similar sport utility vehicle that Alfa Romeo is developing; a car that will be sold in the U.S. Alfa's model should be out towards the end of next year, while the Jeep will most likely be offered in both front-wheel drive and AWD configurations. In addition, Jeep will also bring the updated version of the European-spec Cherokee, dubbed Liberty in North America. It will be available with an AWD system (FWD is not of the equation yet) and should hit the dealerships in 2013. Under the hood it will feature Fiat-sourced engines, including a 2.0-liter gasoline engine that produces 170 PS. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Posted: 29 Apr 2011 01:00 AM PDT
General Motors will most likely regain the number one spot as far as production figures are concerned, taking into consideration the problems that Toyota has these days. As a quick reminder, GM held the throne for the largest car manufacturer in the world as far as sales are concerned from 1932 until 2008. The Detroit-based company had a lot of financial problems after 2008 when they had to file for bankruptcy. These problems allowed Toyota to gain the first position, but they will probably have to give it back to General Motors this year due to their production problems in homeland Japan, caused by the earthquake / tsunami that affected the country last month. What this means is that Toyota will probably not be able to manufacture enough cars in order to maintain their number one ranking. Aside from supply issues, the Japanese automaker is also facing a lot of recalls which have affected the sales over the last few years, having a negative impact on the company's image of reliability and quality. Over these last few years, Toyota was forced to recall about 14 million cars. As far as General Motors is concerned, they got back into shape very fast after solving their bankruptcy problems. In 2010, it was a very close race between Toyota and GM, the latter managing to sell only 30,000 units less than the Japanese company. Taking into consideration that the Detroit-based automaker is getting more and more involved in China, selling three times more cars than Toyota, it shouldn't come as a surprise if at the end of this year they will regain leadership. Source: Detroit Free Press via WCF Post published on Rpmgo.com |
| Posted: 29 Apr 2011 12:30 AM PDT  BMW Z2 (Rendering) According to our colleges from Auto Bild, BMW is working on the Z2 roadster which should be out sometime in 2014, although nothing is set in stone at the moment. Reports say that the Z2 will not be developed as a baby Z4 and it will feature its own DNA, We might expect to see some significant design upgrades to the Z4 in order to make room for its smaller brother, the Z2.  BMW Z2 (Rendering) Expect to see a lot of turbocharged 2.0-liter engines, which will probably make their way into Z2 variants like the 16i, 20i and the 28i, with horsepower figures between 160 hp (163 PS / 120 kW) and 268 hp (272 PS / 200 kW). Another possibility is that these output levels will be available from the company's 1.6-liter turbo unit. The estimated price for the entry-level model is 33,000 Euros. Post published on Rpmgo.com |
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