| Jaguar XK60 Anniversary Edition Posted: 25 Jul 2008 05:27 AM CDT  Guess what? We have an anniversary. Jaguar XK has reached 60 years. Perfect moment to launch an anniversary model at the London Motor Show. The first sport model, the XK120, debuted in 1948, followed by many generations of successful cars with the XK indicative. To celebrate such a long history, the British producer has presented a special edition called the Jaguar XK60. Based on the current generation XK, the new vehicle is powered by 4.2 liters V8's and 298HP. Among other changes there are 20" Senta wheels, aluminum change gear, new front spoiler, rear ventilation chrome-plated grille and chrome-plated evacuation. Prices start at 60,995 pounds for the Coupe, and 66,995 for the Convertible.
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| Ford Has $8.7 Billion Loss on Writedown, Truck Sales Posted: 25 Jul 2008 05:20 AM CDT  “In the financial report, Ford said that it took $8.0 billion in special charges to write off the value of troubled assets — including a $5.30 billion charge for Ford North America. The North American unit posted a $1.3 billion pre-tax loss in the quarter compared with a $270 million loss during the same period a year ago.” Ford said it will produce small cars and double output of fuel-saving engines as record gasoline prices sap U.S. truck sales. “Every number was close, but every number was on the wrong side, on the negative side,” said Dan Poole, vice president of equity research at Cleveland-based National City Corp. Ford had $26.6 billion in automotive cash at the end of the quarter, down $10.8 billion from a year earlier. The F-150 slide has contributed to a 24 percent industrywide decline in full-sized pickup sales this year. Ford also announced that the next-generation Ford Explorer midsize SUV will come out in 2010 and be built on car underpinnings, making it more fuel efficient than the current truck-based model. And it announced it will build a seven-passenger car-based crossover vehicle for Lincoln in mid-2009.
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| Mazda Kazamai to be unveiled at Moscow Posted: 25 Jul 2008 05:13 AM CDT  Mazda announced that on 26 August, at MIAS (Moscow International Auto Show), they’ll unveil their latest crossover, the Mazda Kazamai (Japanese for 'swirling crosswinds'). he model is based on the new Zoom-Zoom technology which balances three key factors: a sporty driving style, an ecological engine and safety and was inspired by other concepts like Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai. The sporty Kazamai is designed to be a dynamic and fun-to-drive car, with four wheel drive and a direct injection engine. Although the roof is very straight and low, making the car small, it will be equipped with 22 inch wheels. Kazamai will be presented along with the SUV CX-9 – which is „2008 North American Truck of the Year". Complete information will be available immediately after Mazda's press conference at 10:15 a.m. local time, on August 26 at the Mazda stand. Bookmark, E-mail or Share 
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| Carbon fiber for all from Japan Posted: 25 Jul 2008 05:09 AM CDT  Carbon fiber is the most used material to help save weight in today’s industry, especially in the car manufacturing one. A lighter car makes for better fuel economy and fewer emissions which is a great thing in the market nowadays where fuel economy has a bigger and bigger impact on models with the rising price of oil, and fewer emissions look good on any car’s spec sheet especially for the clients who want to really make a difference on the environment. But carbon fiber unfortunately has a high cost of production, such is the case that it is widely used on high-end cars, BMW implementing carbon fiber roofs for their top end performance M branded models like the M3 or M5, other supercars benefiting from this composite material are Nissan’s GT-R or GM’s ZR1. This high cost of production has prompted several Japanese firms like Toray Industries and Mitsubishi Rayon to work closely with car manufacturers like Nissan or Honda to develop cheaper ways of production thus making it more available for all car makers and helping the whole industry develop better and lighter cars. This project wasn’t left to chance by the Japanese government, which, according to Nikkei, will provide over the next five years about $20 million. The goal of this project ? By 2010 the mass production of this material will make cars lighter by 40%.
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| M200G Volantor flying car Posted: 25 Jul 2008 04:16 AM CDT  The new hybrid air-mobiles, will be fully automates so all the users would be just passengers. I am not talking now about flying saucers, I am talking about flying cars. A company from U.S. will start the series production for the firs flying car, which can fly up to a high of three meters from the ground so you don't need a pilot certificate) and can carry two passangers. Moller International already started to produce the parts for the M200G Volantor, a more realistic model then the old Cell Craft G440. "The best car for bad roads" as Dr. Paul Moller said, it will have the dimensions of a small car with a few differences like the fact that it will be able to take off vertically and land. Also the company announced that you will be able to drive your car above any surface, even above water. If you want to have one, you need to participate to an auction and have 150.000$. Bookmark, E-mail or Share 
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| Toyota is officially number 1 Posted: 25 Jul 2008 04:06 AM CDT  Its official: GM is no longer the world’s largest automobile manufacturer. Toyota sold 4.8 m vehicles in the first half of 2008, while GM managed to move 4.54m. Higher U.S. gas prices have “put an enormous amount of pressure” on GM’s truck sales, said Erich Merkle, an automotive consultant with accounting and consulting firm Crowe Chizek and Co LLC. “That is equating to lower sales for GM and causing them to now fall behind Toyota.” GM and Toyota were roughly even in 2007 for the top spot among the world’s automakers, with GM slightly ahead if sales from a China business were included. GM's sales in North America fell to 963,929 vehicles in the second quarter from 1.2 million, hurt by the slow U.S. economy and labor disruptions in the U.S. market, the company said. Sales in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East rose 17.7 percent, while sales in its Asia-Pacific region grew 14.6 percent, GM said. Sales rose 2.5 percent in Europe. Mike DiGiovanni, GM’s chief sales analyst, said most of the industry’s sales increase is expected to be in the so-called BRIC countries — Brazil, Russia, India and China." Certainly the biggest risk is the U.S. economic downturn and potential spill-over effects on the global economy,” he said.
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| Renault Megane III spied Posted: 25 Jul 2008 03:53 AM CDT  The Renault design team outdoes itself each and every new generation of cars. You can clearly see that the future Megane III has been radically changed, in these spy shots caught in the USA on a filming site. The new design lines the Megane up with the new Laguna and Clio and it is built on the Quashquai platform competing in C segment with Peugeot 308, yet to come Golf VI, Ford Focus and so on. It will most likely be available as a 3 or 5 door hatchback,and later as a sedan, station wagon, coupe-cabrio and most likely as a cross-over. Furthermore it will be built in France as well as in its Turkish sister factory. As a personal impression i am looking forward to the new Megane unveiling later this year (this autumn to be precise) at the Paris Motor Show as i believe that French designers are some of the best in the world and Renault has had its head-turning share of cars and all bets are that they’re not going to stop anytime soon. Source: WCF Bookmark, E-mail or Share 
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| Lumma Design tuning kit for the BMW 6 Series Posted: 25 Jul 2008 03:32 AM CDT  German tuner Lumma Design have specialised themselves in BMW’s (remember this?), and especially the 6-series, having now designed a new performance kit for the german sport coupe, after releasing a styling kit for the top of the range M6. This time, the influence from their M6 kit can be recognized, and the kit can clearly make the standard model as agressive as the standard M6. To this image contributes the new redrawn front spoiler, the extended rear spoiler, the new side skirts and the wing on the back of the car. All this in a pure white paint job make a trully brilliant car. But Lumma didn’t stop only at the exterior, inside they fitted a brand new suspension, resulting in a 35 mm drop in the ground clearance. The engine wasn’t left untouched, excepting the carbon fiber casing for the air filter and red accents on the valve covers, it was fitted with a new remaped ECU and a new sports exhaust system.
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| BMW to end Z4 production next month Posted: 23 Jul 2008 11:43 AM CDT  We already know that the next generation BMW Z4 will probably debut later next year and German magazine Auto Motor und Sports reports that the current generation production will end next month. A BMW spokesman confirmed that Z4 exports have already stopped for most markets and no special edition model is being planned to mark the end of production. The low value of the U.S. dollar against the Euro forced BMW to move the new Z4 (which will grow in both size and price) production from the Spartanburg, South Carolina plant to Germany, most likely at the Regensburg plant. Also, the extra capacity at the South Carolina plant will be used for the new X6 and the X3, which will hit US showrooms in 2010. Bookmark, E-mail or Share 
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| Land Rover introduces new green technologies Posted: 23 Jul 2008 10:54 AM CDT  At the London Motor Show, Land Rover has announced a £700 million investment over the next five years to make its cars more environmental-friendly. First steps will made later this year, when the Freelander diesel will get a new start-stop system which, according to Phil Hodgkinson, Product Development Director for Land Rover, will reduce CO2 emissions from 194g/km to 179g/km. After that, the rest of the range will gradually get this system. Besides that, Land Rover will follow up with diesel-electric hybrid powertrains and electric rear axle drive (ERAD) system, dubbed e-terrain technology which will allow the vehicle to move off without starting the engine as well as supplying extra power over tough terrain. “As well as new powertrain and transmission technologies we will also be looking to reduce the weight and size of our vehicles and you will also see a steep change in terms of aerodynamics" Hodgkinson added. Check out more photos after the jump.
Photo Gallery: New Land Rover Green Technologies
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