Cambridge, Massachusetts: Sun Catalytix Corporation (Sun Catalytix), an energy storage and renewable fuels company, today announced the completion of its $9.5-million Series B funding round led by Tata Limited (Tata), with participation from existing investor Polaris Venture Partners as well as other investors. The funds raised in this financing will support continued development of the company’s breakthrough catalyst technology. Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover, has joined the Sun Catalytix board as a representative of Tata.

“The funding secured in this round will enable Sun Catalytix to continue to move its technology forward and to deliver prototypes,” said MIT professor and Sun Catalytix founder Daniel Nocera. “We are delighted to have attracted Tata, a global and visionary company, as an investor and to have the continuing strong support of Polaris Venture Partners.”

The Sun Catalytix technology utilises innovative catalysts made of earth-abundant elements that split water and generate hydrogen and oxygen from water and renewably-generated electricity in benign and simple operating conditions. By eliminating expensive precious metals and substantially reducing balance of plant costs, Sun Catalytix’ technology promises to enable the conversion of electrical, solar or wind energy to storable energy at transformative cost targets. Sun Catalytix systems target the generation of hydrogen from water at significantly lower costs for industrial applications, for energy storage, and for use as a renewable fuel through internal combustion engines or fuel cells.

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In what happens to be a race to lower down rooflines, add doors to coupes, make boots bigger with hatch type lids and still retain the uber-luxury feel and exclusiveness, Audi has yet again wondered the automotive fraternity around the world by throwing the covers off the new A7 Sportback.

The car sticks to the now-standard four door coupe profile with a swooping profile with a low roofline ending in a rather chic looking hatch at the rear. The front of the car stays Audi to the core with the usual grille and LED headlight treatment. The design has been carefully executed to allow for decent head and leg room inside apart from the usual Audi-spec interiors including options like a 15 speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo.

Huge lot of new technologies finds its way into the car with names like Engine Thermal Management, Start-Stop Control, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Adaptive Headlight Beams et al. The other usual traction and stability control nannies can all be expected.

Coming to the juicier engine department, Audi surprisingly is sticking to V6s for now, giving a disparity between the recently launched A8 luxo barge and the A7. The smallest of the range is a 201bhp 2.8L V6 aimed at hefty economy figures while the top of the range punch packer is a supercharged 3 litre V6 belting out 295bhp. There is a 3.0L V6 diesel in two trims with 201bhp and 241bhp. All engines can take this car onto the tonne mark in under 10 seconds with the slowest rated at 8.1 secs while the fastest at 6.5 seconds. Also on the cards are pretty decent fuel economy figures with the diesel topping the range at 44mpg on a combined European driving cycle.

So impressive stats, a design that borders on the interesting and imaginative and trademark Audi build, refinement and luxury should sum up the new Audi A7!

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Enthusiasts may step up, pop a bottle of bubbly and start celebrating now! Or better still, chuck out any bubbly plans and go the miser way and start saving up to grow immense bank balances, those to the tune of a 630 grand of US Dollars.

After reaching what is supposed to be a sound business case for the lusty 918 Spider concept hybrid sports car, which is the equivalent of a 1000 letters of intent to purchase this modern marvel, Porsche has finally given the word go to the engineers at Zuffenhaussen, their

manufacturing facility just outside Stuttgart for production.

Expect the car to hit the market in an year or two with that speculated hefty price tag. Technical specifications have already been much lauded with a V8 belting out 500BHP supported by 3 electric motors at the rear of the vehicle. The usual slew of variable electronic nannies are present to keep the right side of this car up on the autobahn when you decide to take the pedal to the metal also letting for the right amount of fun too. A seven speed PDK is on the cards as are a 0-62 mph timing of 3.2 seconds and a 198 mph top speed claim.

Needless to say, for what is a spiritual successor to the venerable Carrera GT and a marvel in recent automotive history, the world is waiting desperately!

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Just when you thought that the Ferrari 458 Italia is the most ground breaking car out of the gates of Maranello in a while since the days of the Enzo or better still, the F40 and that it couldn’t get any better, they do it again, by making a hotter Challenge version of it. And its all looking fabulous!

To compete in the 2011 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli, which would be a one-make series, this car has been mildly fettled to comply with race standards. The engine remains the same 570 BHP 4.5L V8 (Don’t worry, its powerful enough!) but the tranny has been kindled to give better race worthy ratios out of the dual clutch transmission, with the provision of the E-Diff electronic differential from the standard 458 which is the first time application for a track-only Ferrari.

Ferrari have showed in lighter yet stiffer suspension bits like aluminium bushings, single-rate dampers, stiffer springs and a lower ride height. Also part of the package are centre nut 19 inch wheels, wider rubber and the Brembo braking system from the 599XX. Any indications as to where Ferrari is going from here? A 458XX?

Ferrari also put in the F1-Trac Traction Management system in the car, so expect a lovely Mannetino switch on the wheel. No Bluetooth telephone buttons here though, with Fezza focusing on weight trimming at a high rate with light weight body shells and carbon fibre literally flooding the scene. Fiorano timing stands at 1 minute 16.5 seconds, so this car is fast! Got them stashes lying around? Got a boy racer hidden in you? Get the cheque ready then!

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Porsche’s new controversy, amidst the hugely talked over VW take-over attempt, the foiled plan and its drastic circumstances, should be the 918 Spider. The hot hybrid, shown previously as a concept car at this year’s Geneva Motor Show once again hits the power button on the rumour mills.

The car is speculated to be priced at $630,000 now as per sources that also earlier suggested the confirmed production run of the vehicle. Porsche has about 2000 people ready to put their cash on the table for the car which is quite a deal also as per the sources.

Technically, the car is quite a marvel from Porsche, which is quite a surprise for a manufacturer who hardly breaks a mould and makes a new one, and is highly famous for its stubborn attitude. As earlier reported, expect 718 BHP from a combination of a V8 engine and 3 electric motors. These horses shall be sent to the all the wheels via a 7 speed PDK (a double clutch gearbox) for the rear ones and directly from the motors to the front wheels. Expect a 3.2 second run to 62mph while a Nordschleife run of 7:30 seconds was announced by Porsche. So, is it the successor to the Carrera GT then? So say most enthusiasts, given this cars performance run as per those numbers, and its Carrera-esque looks!

Given a 78mpg US cycle, and several drive modes to offer the best compromise between range, power and fuel efficiency, the greens should be happy with the fastest Porsche to hit production!

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Shelby SuperCars, a small time firm making big time sensational machines in Washington had been silent when their top car, the Ultimate Aero had been moved off the altar at the Top Speed Record Stakes by the new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. But now, they have smoothly announced that they aren’t going to wait and watch as the Bugatti’s busy stealing the show.

SSC has announced that a new car from the firm is almost ready and shall be out by the end of Summer 2010, which means that it should be out sometime now! They claim that the car is going to up the ante on all “fronts”.

SSC also hoped to be entirely correct politically, hence the statement congratulated Bugatti and said that they knew it was only a matter of time for the record the Ultimate Aero carried to be broken. The car hit a top speed of 256.23mph on a 12 mile closed stretch of road in Nevada. The Bugatti broke the record at VWs 21 mile Ehra-Lessien test track in late June letting the SSC hold the record for 3 years beginning 2007 when it claimed that accord.

So, as summer is about the let go, wait is on for one more tough fight for the Fastest Production Car crown!

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With electric cars, hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells stated to be the drive mechanisms of the future, Mercedes came out with their own version of one of these ‘whirring’ technologies. Yes, whirring because, it’s an electric car powered by four whirring electric motors and producing an equivalent of 525BHP. The first electric hypercar? Quite possible be.

Mercedes Benz has been working on an electric version of the SLS AMG supercar as per their own confirmations and then several leaked images on the web. Now they’ve officially confirmed the prototype and even showed the world a small briefing of the car in a video showing former Formula One Driver David Coulthard testing the acceleration of the car, along with some official images.

The car features four electric motors for each of the four wheels located at the back of the vehicle revving upto 12000 rpm and producing a total of 525 horses coupled with 649 lb-ft of torque. The 0-62mph run is tagged at 4 seconds, a slightly 0.2 seconds slower than the gasoline SLS. The battery pack consists of 324 Li-ion polymer cells to stack up powers capable of taking loads upto 480 KW.

To take on the added weight of the car’s all wheel drive system, Merc had to revise suspension at the front by replacing the double wishbone setup with a more sturdy multi-link setup with pushrod damper struts. Also to lower the overall weight, this behemoth sees the adoption of composite disc brakes in place of the gas powered car’s cast iron discs.

On the exterior front, there’s a new front splitter that moves a bit lower for more downforce at speeds over 75mph, while the lack of exhaust system has been exploited for the employment of a steeper diffuser for more downforce. The car features slightly wider grille with vents on the hood for cooling. Efficiency stimulators are the light 10 spoke AMG alloys with smooth surface technology and high efficiency LED headlamps. The other styling bits on the car remain unchanged save for a large touchscreen device on the centre console in the interior and other minor touch ups.

The car is still under testing and improvement programmes as the battery pack’s range et al are still unconfirmed. Yet, DC claims to have had an exhilarating drive with stunning acceleration but is doubtful about the top speeds given a single gear drivetrain. Merc should be interested in one of their G-Tronics after this statement! Production shall begin in 2013, so expect some heavy developments till then!

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On one hand, fight is brutally on to take the crown of the world’s fastest production car, and on the other, McLaren is silently sneaking master class mechanicals into a super exotic chassis to remake the legendary icon, the F1 supercar.

The project is known to be under the hammer at McLaren and was earlier expected to come around 2014. However, McLaren now optimistically expects the car to be ready for debut in 2012. McLaren are not free, enthusiasts must remember with their MP4-12C debut due sometime soon and with their ambitious installation of showrooms in select cities around the world.

The car is expected to be more ‘revolutionary’ in styling compared to the bland MP4 as per company sources but shall keep in tune with the styling direction from the original F1. On the cards are intelligent and attractive lightning and wheel fixtures. The middle seat driver layout of the original car may not be confirmed but a lot of weight saving is definitely on the cards as is already seen with the MP4. The car might have low emission alternatives for the main powerhouse but a hybrid is out of view as of now.

McLaren is about to ready another supercar which might slot in below the MP4 making this a trio of supercars with the new F1 as the flagship. The British maker has never been this serious about commercial market forays so we’re in for a definite treat!

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Pagani, the super exotic Italian hypercar manufacturer is planning big. The firm is planning move to a new factory facility in the town of Modena. The manufacturer is currently located at San Cesario sul Panaro near Modena in Italy, with their headquarters and a very small plant that churns out 50 of those Zonda behemoths an year.

The new facility comes into picture on the wake of Pagani’s plans to make a more ‘budget-friendly’ hypercar featuring a V8. This hence shall be a slight departure from that Mercedes sourced V12 which could be classified as one of the best musical instruments on the planet! The Zonda, on one hand, has had a very colourful lifetime with several variants like the C8, S, F, and the swathed in carbon R version which has been rumoured to be running rounds around other hypercar’s timings at the Nurburgring. The company’s upcoming car the C9 also, is expected anytime now! Hoping a good times for this marque!

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Aston Martin has come up with a new damsel and this one had a story to tell, the V8 Vantage N420, a new motorsport-inspired special edition, which brings an entire new dimension of sporting prowess and dynamic ability to the V8 Vantage range. Based upon the standard 4.7-litre, 420bhp, 180mph V8 Vantage, the Vantage N420 is the successor to the special edition V8 Vantage N400 and is available as a Coupe or Roadster.

The Vantage N420 has an interesting story. Far, far away in the village of Nürburg, Germany, in 2006, there was the annual Nürburgring endurance classic, a 24-hour run in which Aston Martin entered with a near-standard, road-registered V8 Vantage, “Rose”, driven by a team of employees, including Aston Martin’s CEO, Dr Ulrich Bez. They managed to finish 4th in class and 24th overall from a field of more than 200 specialized racing cars.

Ever since Aston Martin has returned to the same rendezvous to compete in this grueling endurance race and register several class victories and podium finishes with road-registered V8 and V12 Vantages and most recently the new four-door Rapide.

Getting back to the latest beauty and beauty it is with wider sills that combine perfectly with a carbon fiber splitter; bold 10-spoke diamond turned alloy wheels complete with gloss black finish, black mesh vents and ‘Graphitic’ tailpipe finishers make it the lightest Vantage as well as a super-hot looker! If there be any who doubt the N420’s killer looks, it comes fitted with the normally optional Sports Pack. Revised springs, dampers, anti-roll bars and the complete works along with retaining the V8 Vantage’s renowned poise, balance and long distance ability. Last but not the least; a new sports exhaust system that makes the engine’s purrs sound like a symphony!

Can’t wait to lay your hands on this one? How would be the rush, and the excitement?

The wise have said: patience is a virtue, so behold it, shell out £96,995 and wait till August for production begins next month!

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