London witnessed the launch of a much awaited car recently when Land Rover’s new Evoque a.k.a. LRX concept bowed down to the public. The LRX has been in the news and spying shots for quite a long time now since it’s much loved surprising show up at an Auto show some time ago.

The car is currently showed off as a two door coupe filling the gap and the need for a cool 2 door Rangie that was nimble and an easy city run about too. It is being called the Evoque and production is to be up at the company’s Halewood facility. A four door model is also likely to be a part of the company’s plans for the car.

The car is quite unsurprisingly, the lightest, smallest and the most fuel efficient vehicle in the line up of LR just to keep the greens happy. So finally LR does have a car which does not carry the tag of killer of Polar Bears as Jeremy Clarkson of BBC TopGear fame puts it. The design of the car sticks true to the evocative LRX concept and hence might be the name! Company sources suggest a small four cylinder turbo charged engine to keep decent power figures and appreciable fuel economy figures. Expect a two wheel drive version as an option powering the front wheels while the regular Range Rover spec four wheel drive trains will be standard.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Mercedes Benz’s upmarket coupe, the CL, has been given a slight refresher and this new car was unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed recently. The car has been showcased in both its versions the CL550 and the CL600 and details have been let out.

The new car gets a mildly upgraded exterior with a new grille to fall in the line of the current Merc line-up with new headlamps featuring LEDs wrapping around the usual Xenons. Most of the exterior remains the same with new wheels to go with the slightly new look. Of course new tail lights are part of the package. The usual interior upgrades are all there with the most impressive feature being a Lane Departure Warning System which vibrates the steering wheel to warn the driver of an unintended or unsignalled lane entry or departure.

The smaller of the CLs, the CL550 gets a new 4.7L V8 pumping close to 420HP and an impressive 516lb-ft of torque to pull this luxo barge to 60 mph in 4.9 secs. The engine features a host of technologies like Spray-guided Gasoline Injection, low friction pistons, a new cooling system, etc to pump out that featured horsepower and torque figures while saving up on emissions and fuel consumed. The big bore CL 600 does have the same 6 Litre V12 pumping a hefty 510HP.

Pricing is yet to be announced and the car might go up on sale after the Paris Motor Show debut in September. So, if you’re into Merc and continent cruising and don’t want a sedan (Is that too much of a niche?), then watch this space for release updates!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tesla has launched an upgraded version of its infamous ‘Roadster’ recently. The car is expected to debut with the opening of the company’s 2 new showrooms at Copenhagen, Denmark and Newport Beach, California.

The car features some improvements based on customer feedback. There is a new front fascia and a new rear diffuser. New directional forged wheels are on offer in silver and black colours. The car features improved interiors with better sound proofing and more comfort and luxury. It also has better hardware for power control for exceptionally hot climates while the basic powertrain remains unchanged.

Tesla has begun production of this variant and the models shall be hitting showrooms soon. Earlier Tesla also revealed a few sizzling model concepts based on the Model S platform and are on a roll by setting up some good number of showrooms at select cities around the globe as earlier reported. Seems like the electric car maker is aiming high! Given the ambitions and the direction in which this firm is going, nobody’s about to complain!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 2% [?]

The plant at Gaydon, England that makes the finest and the most beautiful cars in the world has dished out a slightly revamped beauty that didnt actually need a revamp. Or may be , if you ask a hard core enthusiast, he’d say it did and it got it this time. Yes, Aston Martin has come up with a slightly revised DB9 which is going to make its world debut at the famed Goodwood Festival of Speed in England next month.

The car features slightly revised exterior that features a new bumper, slightly brighter radiator grille, new head lamp surrounds, new door sills, a revised and better looking intake, new silver finish brake callipers, 20 inch alloys and clear lens rear lighting. Enough to make it all the more tougher to distinguish from the DBS? Inside the car gets advanced Bluetooth communication devices, and a Bang & Olufsen hi-fi system. The best part has to be the introduction of adaptive damping system in the place of the old passive damping system. Now, even an Aston can ride harsh and turn at the flick of the wheel, all thanks to the Sport Button, not that it was any less sporty earlier.

A minor disappointment is that there are no changes to the engine hence the 500 horses remain. However, Aston promises to continue this philosophy of constant change with minor changes in the chassis, pollution control and every other department one can think of occurring periodically. Aston head Dr. Ulrich Bez spoke highly of the DB9 as the perfect representation of the Aston Martin spirit by being the right combination of sportiness, performance, luxury, style, and grand touring exuberance. One couldn’t agree less with avant-garde design, engineering and craftsmanship at work!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Automobili Lamborghini SPA has reached a major milestone in its production history by making the 10,000th Gallardo recently which rolled out of the firm’s location at Sant’Agata Bolognese in Italy. The car is a midas yellow Gallardo LP560-4 coupe being delivered to a customer in China.

The Gallardo came into life in a ‘humble’ 500BHP variant back in 2003 and has seen several variants come into life since. The car has been very famous making it the largest selling model in the entire Lamborghini production history. The car has seen a Spider variant and was upgraded to a 550BHP version, the LP 560-4 and its corresponding spider version with some light and hot packages in the forms of the original Superleggera and the new LP 570-4 offered. The icing on the entire cake has to be the 2 wheel drive version to commemorate the services of legendary test driver Valentino Balboni, launched in his name. Its a surprising fact to note that the car took its inspiration in a humble coupe called Cala designed by Italdesign.

On the occasion of the 10,000th Gallardo’s rolling out of the factory, Stephan Winkelmann, CEO and President, highlighted the significance of the occasion to Lamborghini and spoke of the exclusivity and speciality of the uber Italian brand. Lamborghini is also seriously rumoured to be working on the Murcielago replacement, speculated to be called the Jota, which might be out in 2012.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Volkswagen’s much acclaimed 1.4L super and turbocharged engine had once again bagged the prestigious Engine of the Year award approved by automotive journalists around the world.

The combination of a supercharging and turbocharging makes the engine gain excellent fuel efficiency and power. It’s known to have given some impressive mileage figures even on minivans using the engine. Figures of the order of 33mpg on even the boxy Sharan are what might be called impressive. Well a lot of other hoods around the world share this engine under them. However, this hasn’t been employed for a North American market car so far but chances of a Polo featuring this little punter cannot be entirely ruled out.
VW Gasoline Engine Development Head Dr. Rudiger Szengel expressed his gratitude and pride on behalf of his team on receiving the award. Well winning this prestigious accolade twice, in a row and for a remarkable achievement as a small puny 1.4L engine belting out heavy numbers both in the mpg and the BHP department (a maximum rating of 148, to be precise), one can be expected to be proud, no less!

Popularity: 1% [?]

Jaguar is unveiling a nice ‘sublime’ green version of its uber coupe, the XKR at the famed Goodwood Festival of Speed to be held next month. The car is a limited edition XKR in dark Strathus Grey and is essentially a limited edition since Jags planning only 75 of it.

The car will feature a much improved drive train and mechanicals to retain the sporty touch. The engine’s a retuned version of the XKR’s 5.0L supercharged V8 putting out 522 BHP. The transmission is recalibrated to handle the extra power and the torque converter is developed to be err, strong. The car shall feature a beefed up exhaust system with a cross pipe and a larger outlet port for the aural and visual effects.

The dampers and springs are also recalibrated for added stiffness with aluminium parts. The car is expected to retail at around $128,000 and with a nice body kit for added aerodynamic efficiency, expect the car to be juicier!

Popularity: 1% [?]

The Swedish carmaker Saab, with its new Spyker ownership seems to be working hard to recover lost glory, market shares and accolades alike. Though a new 9-3 is expected sometime this year, reports suggest that Saab is working on an all new 9-3 due sometime in 2012.

The new car might just be tagged as the 93, and shall be a direct competitor to cars like the Audi A3. The car is expected to be launched as a sedan, followed by a convertible and a 3 door hatch variants in the pipeline. Also Saab is trying to tag the car as a successor the original 900 and 9-3. Expect an estate sportback version also in the offing somewhere down the time line.

Saab might be using the Delta platform sourced from GM and engines might be shared with MINI Coopers thanks to their collaboration with BMW. Expect the 1,6L diesel and petrol engines to make appearances in respective variants. Hence, the Saab might be comfortably deemed powerful given the compact nature of the much used Delta Platform. Saab might be using front wheel drive as standard and an optional all wheel drive tranny powered by either a 6 speed manual or a dual-clutch semi-automatic. Come 2012, good times might be ahead for the Swedish firm while power monger enthusiasts are waiting for the day when the Aero X concept Saab showcased shall be a reality!

Popularity: 10% [?]

The much exclusive electric car maker Tesla had a nice box of chocolates at their recent conference which was open to prospective investors right before their first IPO. Their hot electric saloon car, the Model S is expected sometime this year or soon. So Tesla used this box of chocolates to lure further investors.

Now before further confusion, let me just break it up that this box of chocolates is three models to be based upon the Model S, a convertible, a cross-over and a van. Tesla showcased renderings of these concepts and given that the Model S is a very exclusively good looking car, these renderings raise hope in good numbers.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk spoke about the models and Tesla’s aggressive foray into the Automotive Market this year and their strategies. He said that they would bind to company-owned dealership franchisees and make the car ownership experience as good as it might get. He also remarked that presently this is one of the worst retailing experiences one has in any market and that Tesla is positive on changing it. He also hope they would be able to cash in on providing hassle free warranty and service facilities which is not the case with licensed but privately run dealerships who try to gain profits on service and repairs.

He also added that the Model S saloon shall be made exclusive and desirable in its segment with never before seen features like 4G internet access, touch screen multimedia interfaces, etc accompanying class leading build quality and design. The car is expected to go fly off 50 showroom floors when it releases and Tesla plans to make 20,000 models a year and are said to reach the break-even point by 10,000 models. Well, it’s safe enough to say that the hordes of fans Tesla gained by selling the Roadster are waiting!

Popularity: 1% [?]