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Diatto GT Ottovu by Zagato put into limited production
2007-07-27 06:24:00
Zagato is a famed Italian design firm known for some of its quirky modifications on conventional sports cars. Ferrari and Maserati are frequent customers and styling is love it or hate it. First shown in Geneva, Zagato's reincarnation of the Diatto marque resulted as the Diatto GT Ottovu. Zagato will put the Diatto into production with a mere 99 units.The Diatto marque dates back to some 170 years. Known prominent as builders of fine horse-carriages, the Turin-based firm moved on to luxury train cars and later as one of the first automobile makers. The brand slowly vanished from the luxury car league during the pre-war era.The Diatto GT Ottovu is based on an in-house steel frame with aluminum body. The front-engine vehicle is powered by Ford's 4.6L V8 with tune-ups by Roush and Cosworth, resulting in a staggering 530hp. Zagato claims the car can propel itself to 60 in the three-second area, which is stunning by the numbers itself.99 examples mean it's just as difficult in getting...
More About: Design , Production , Atto , Mite , Limited

Da Bomb: Fiat 500 sells out in 3 weeks, extra production demanded
2007-07-26 06:06:00
Fiat's 500 should be titled the most successful car launch of the year for 2007. After being on sale for only 3 weeks, the cute little bug has blew off Fiat's sales projections. Fiat planned to build 58,000 units of the 500 for this year with annual build capacities planned for 120,000. Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne prompted a boost to the annual build capacity to 140,000 after the mind-blowing success.Being in showrooms for a mere 3 weeks, the 500's done for the whole year. "As of yesterday, we had received 57,000 dealer orders for the 500, of which 51,000 are from Italy and 6,000 are from France,? stated Marchionne.Fiat has already initiated in expanding its Tychy plant in Poland to accommodate the extra units rolling off production. Ford is prepping for launch of their next Ka supermini, due to go on sale next fall. The Ka is built alongside the 500 and the Fiat Panda in Poland. By next year, the Tychy plant will be capable of assembling 140,000 Fiat 500s, 240,000 Fiat Pandas and...
More About: Fiat , Sales , Production , Extra , Bomb

Frankfurt: Kia reveals first official image of Pro-cee'd
2007-07-26 02:53:00
Last year, Kia pulled the wraps off the pro_cee'd Concept in Paris. The concept previewed the three-door iteration of the popular cee'd range. It gained copious amount of praises in the media and garnered lots of attention for the Korean automaker. The Pro-Cee'd joins the line-up consisting of the 5-door hatchback and the estate. A fourth model was planned to join the family. The ex_cee'd Concept, unveiled in Geneva, was Schreyer's first shot in Kia and the proposed cabrio variant. Kia later axed the plans for a production version.The Pro-Cee'd shares its look heavily from the 5-door hatch. However, the 3-door hot hatch is longer, lower and wider in every dimension than its conventional sibling, meaning the similarities are only visual. The concept to production transition took away some of the juice, but it's agreeably one of Kia's best. Powertrain options will be consistent with the 5-door, offering a 1.4L and 1.6L petrol, as well as a 1.6L diesel.Other than a brief press ...
More About: Frankfurt , Image , Official

Price Attack Pt.2: Cadillac spills the beans on 2008 CTS official pricing
2007-07-23 01:34:00
You gotta hand it to those who legally acquire information as important as this and post it up. A member over at Cheers and Gears, the forum that brought us shots of the Dodge Challenger and a little tale along with it, posted up the official pricing for Cadillac 's 3-Series fighter, the CTS. Scanning through the price list, the standard CTS with the 263hp 3.6L VVT V6 and a manual transmission will start at $32,245. Upgrade to the automatic on the base model for $1300 more. If you want auto standard, step up to the 304hp 3.6L VVT DI V6 for $34,995, which is not really a big premium to pay for a 300hp RWD sedan. Want to add a manual tranny onto your near-perfect family-friendly sports car? It'll set you back $1300 too. An AWD option, available on both trims, is a $1900 premium.Not perfect enough? Cadillac will offer a wide array of packages including the Luxury Collection ($2600), Premium Luxury Collection with a hefty $8165, Performance Collection ($3300), Luxury Level One ($1000) ...
More About: Beans , Price , Official , Pills

Price Attack Pt.1: Subaru releases pricing of Impreza, WRX
2007-07-23 00:56:00
This doesn't come directly from Suba ru 's own mouth, but courtesy of a hullabaloo Subaru dealer, we bring you the leaked official pricing of the new Impreza and the WRX. The base 2.5L Impreza is set for a starting suggested MSRP of $16,995, a grand less than the outgoing 2.5i model. The higher-end WRX, which comes standard with a turbocharged 2.5L boxer-four with 224hp, will start at $24,350 for the sedan and $24,850 for the better-looking hatch. The base 2007 WRX Sedan cost $24,995, which means its replacement is $645 less.Also in the line-up is the Outback Sport variant of the hatch, which will be priced from $19,995. A $645 destination charge is added for every model, so don't forget the folks from TheCarBlogger told ya so .[Source: Autoblog]
More About: Price , Ease , Attack

Official: Next Honda Fit/Jazz to bow in Tokyo this October
2007-07-23 00:50:00
Following the heels of Honda 's popular subcompact car hitting the 2 million sales milestone, the next-generation Fit was recently confirmed to debut in Tokyo this October. In his regular mid-term speech of what's going on at Honda, Takeo Fukui (CEO of Honda) confirmed the arrival of the next iteration of the aging Fit. The current Fit, sold as the Jazz in the European market, was introduced in 2001 and continues to generate strong sales to this date. The Fit was launched in America and Canada last April and Honda deems it a success.We have no clue as to what Honda has come up with for the next Fit, but reports say the guy in charge of the design department is Toshiyuki Okumoto. Translation? The lad who brought us (or rather the Europeans) the current Euro Civic Hatch, which looks to be ahead of its time. The new Fit will arrive in North American showrooms by summer of 2008.[Source: Honda]
More About: Official , Onda

Frankfurt: Ferrari unveils 430 Scuderia, successes 360 Challenge Stradale
2007-07-19 03:31:00
The successor of the famed 360 Challenge Stradale (which happens to be the piece de resistance on our banner) looks to have done its job right. We've seen spy pics of prototypes running around the Nurburgring since wizard fans were (and still are) on their knees waiting for the seventh Harry Potter book to come out. This is our Deathly Hallows and the waiting has paid off. The Scuderia joins the Coupe and the Spyder in the F430 line-up. The newbie is the more track-oriented variant of the trio. Its engine is modified to churn out 27 more horsepowers than the conventional F430, to an impressive 510hp. The Scuderia weighs 220lbs less than the F430 and therefore, the horsepower to weight ratio is a mind-blowing 1hp per 5.4lbs.Some other exclusives for the Scuderia include an integrated traction control and stability control. The icing on the cake is that the Scuderia will be unveiled in Frankfurt by none other than the Prancing Horse legend, Michael Schumacher. Continue reading to vie...
More About: Ferrari , Ferr , Allen

2008 Ford Kuga crossover (Iosis-X) to debut in Frankfurt, sketch released
2007-07-19 03:03:00
This one is added to our huge list of European Ford s that we want, but we don't get. I think we have enough to start a petition. Ford unveiled the Iosis-X Concept in Paris last fall, which was a preview of Ford's future crossover for the European folks. The Frankfurt Autoshow is right near our door and Ford released some teaser information along with an attractive sketch of the vehicle.Named the 'Kuga', the crossover will sit on Ford's C1 platform, which also underpins the Ford Focus, Mazda3, Volvo S40, and the Land Rover LR2. The Kuga is Ford's attempt to combat the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and the Nissan Qashqai. The name, which distinctly sounds like a British pronounciation of Mercury's Cougar, clears any speculations made like the X-MAX. The design, which derives from the Iosis-X Concept, seems to have stayed intact in the concept to production transition.The Kuga is slated to go on sale across Europe in early 2008. Folks in North America will have to deal with the Escape...
More About: Released , Crossover , Sketch

Kia preps for Frankfurt debut of Schreyer-designed Coupe Concept
2007-07-18 15:12:00
No, that is not the official name. Kia released a preliminary press release of their anticipated two-door coupe concept. Along with that came an official teaser image and we can sum up that this will be one heck of a car. Back in March, we posted an article of Kia's Audi TT-rival's upcoming debut in Frankfurt . The project 'Snowflake' sounds redundantly similar to the project code name for the Audi TT, 'Raindrop', when it was in developmental stages. But wait, Peter Schreyer, the head-designer of Kia in Europe and the head of project 'Snowflake', has an impressive design portfolio with one example being the MKI Audi TT. Schreyer has been responsible for the designs of some iconic vehicles such as the TT and VW's New Beetle.As mentioned above, the official name of the vehicle is still under the walls of Kia. The mystery coupe concept will be unveiled in Frankfurt on September 11th, 2007. Schreyer stated that the coupe will "surprise the entire automotive world when people can...
More About: Once , Concept , Coupe , Debut

Milestone: Honda reaches the big 2,000,000 in global Fit/Jazz sales
2007-07-18 14:38:00
The Fit, introduced in 2001, was Honda 's attempt in the hot subcompact segment in Japan. At that time, the Fit was portrayed as near-revolutionary with its Magic Seats and modern design. Maybe that is why Honda thought the 5 year old design would face no problems when the Fit was scheduled to go on sale in April of 2006 for us folks. Surprisingly enough, the Fit exceeded demand and since its launch, more than 77,000 Fits were sold in the US. Last week, we rambled about the dealer shortages expected for Fits in the US.The domestic Fit accounts for nearly half of the milestone, 962,000 to be exact. In Europe, where it's called the Jazz , places second with a staggering 419,000. The Fit is sold in more than 100 countries around the sphere. The vehicle is known as the Fit in Japan, China and both North and South America. The regions where the car is known as the Jazz (apparently, 'fit' resembles 'fitta' which is a slang for the female what-what in Norwegian and Swedish) include Eur...
More About: Sales , Global , Milestone

Spied: 2008 Chevrolet Aveo5 caught, interior shot
2007-07-17 20:01:00
The Chevrolet Aveo, a rebadged GM Daewoo Kalos, was The General's answer to the rising popularity of the subcompact cars in North America. The Aveo Sedan and Hatchback were unveiled in 2004 and sales were going strong. The cars offered sub-par fuel economy and poor driving, but offered the features for a relatively cheap price and that was enough to win over the hands of many Americans. By 2006, the Aveo was lagging behind its competitors and made the move of redesigning the vehicle, only 2 years after the predecessor was shown. While the sedan received the new design, the more popular hatchback model stayed as is and continued on for 2007.In an amusement park lot in South Korea, the photographer spotted the updated Aveo5 and managed to snap three pics. We think the black camo and the distictive yellow paint was enough to grab his attention. The front will receive the signature Chevy grille similar to the Malibu, while the rear will receive new taillights. The interior will be lift...
More About: Shot , Caught , Interior

Confirmed: Updated Mercedes-Benz C Sportcoupe to be named CLC
2007-07-17 19:17:00
The compact hatchback variant of the C-Class by Mercedes -Benz has long been on hiatus in North America since 2005. The three-door hatchback was Merc's answer to the BMW Compact. The C Spor tcoupe was unveiled in 2000 alongside its estate counterpart. Sales were slow since its debut, especially in North America, and it forced the German automaker to resort to scrap. However, the upper-management folks changed the plans at the last minute and decided to keep the Sportcoupe.Mercedes-Benz has confirmed the release of an updated C Sportcoupe after a 3 year hiatus. It will still sit on the old W203 platform, but feature an updated front fascia resembling the new W204 C-Class. It will be unveiled at the IAA (Frankfurt), which is around two months from now.Auto Motor und Sport reports that Mercedes-Benz has announced a change in name for the updated C Sportcoupe. The CLC, the newly announced name, will go on sale in Europe in April of 2008. It is highly unlikely the CLC will cross the Atlan...
More About: Mercedes Benz

Spied: 2009 Hyundai Tiburon (BK)
2007-07-16 20:29:00
Information on Hyundai 's anticipated RWD successor of the Tiburon have been subtle for the past couple of days. We posted up an article of a focus group's recount of the new Tiburon, confirming that the Tiburon will be a serious player in the market. Today, we got a couple of amateur spy photos of the BK caught testing in a freeway in South Korea. Thanks to a little traffic jam the engineers encountered, the photographer managed to snap some quality shots of the BK in near idle.These latest shots tell us that the new Tiburon will be considerably longer than its predecessor, nearly the same length as the Infiniti G35 Coupe. Just as the Veracruz benchmarked the Lexus RX350, the Tiburon seems to have benchmarked the Infiniti. The new Tiburon will be available with a 2.0L 215hp turbo and a modified 3.8L V6 producing around 280hp. It is likely the same powertrain will be found on the entry-level V6 Genesis.Rumors are emerging of the fact that the BK is not the replacement of the Tiburo...

Subaru drops Legacy Wagon and Outback Sedan
2007-07-16 19:12:00
For 2008, Suba ru has simplified the Legacy /Outback line-up with the deletion of the Legacy Wagon and the Outback Sedan . That only leaves the Legacy Sedan and the Outback Wagon in the dwelling. In our opinion, the Outback Sedan is good riddance, especially for Subaru as it performed poorly in sales. Also, for the hefty price, we would just upgrade to a AWD sport-ute. The Legacy Wagon, however, will be missed as it was the only station wagon in America that aggregated performance and practicality.The Legacy Wagon is still on sale and going strong in Japan. According to Subaru, this move is an attempt to differentiate the Legacy and the Outback more. Unfortunately, it makes sense.[Source: Autoblog]

FINALLY: 2008 Hyundai Veracruz adds LG Navigation system
2007-07-12 06:53:00
The Hyundai Veracruz stirred copious amounts of attention when it was unveiled in Detroit this January. Albeit being targeted at the Toyota Highlander and the Honda Pilot, Hyundai went further and benchmarked the Lexus RX350. A Hyundai versus a Lexus? Motor Trend took a shot at it and surprisingly the Veracruz surpassed the Lexus.A big turn-off for the Veracruz, however, was the lack of the availability of an in-dash navigation system or even Bluetooth. What did we say about Hyundai's efforts to improve every year? For 2008, the Veracruz Limited can be opted with a LG-designed in-dash navigation system. With that, you can also opt for Bluetooth wireless technology on all trims in the line-up. These new additions will further boost the Veracruz's already strong sales. Other features previously optional on the Limited will now be standard on its flagship trim including memory seats and proximity key entry.Even though the Lexus RX350 is still the king here, we'd say the Veracruz is ...
More About: System , Navigation , Finally

Opel releases 2008 Opel Agila full press-kit
2007-07-12 03:47:00
Opel released the full press kit of the Agila subcompact car, slated to debut in Frankfurt this September. What's funny to note is that its showroom date is set for next spring which seems like an eternity to us. The Agila will be only available in Europe as of launch, and there are no reports that indicate the Agila's arrival in the States as a Saturn in the immediate future. At launch, the Agila will be available with two petrols, 1.0L 65hp 3-cylinder and a 1.2L 86hp 4-cylinder. Also in the list will be a 1.3L common-rail turbodiesel producing 75hp.The Agila shares platform with its identical sibling, the Suzuki Splash. They sit on a shortened Suzuki Swift platform and both will be assembled alongside each other in Suzuki's Hungary plant. Continue reading for a hi-res image gallery and the official press release.[Source: Opel]PRESS RELEASE: NEW OPEL AGILA: FRIENDLY, DYNAMIC, FLEXIBLE * Design: Five doors, seating for five adults * Functional: Versatile thanks to practical ...
More About: Opel , Press , Full , Lease

Porsche 997 reaches 100,000 units faster than any 911 iteration
2007-07-12 03:17:00
Porsche made history today when they rolled out the 100,000th unit of its iconic sports car, the 911. The current generation, the Type 997, has reached the milestone faster than any of its predecessors. Since the 997's first date of production in April of 2004, it has reached the milestone in a staggering short amount of time. The car in the spotlight, a red 911 Carrera S with a manual stick, is destined to a customer in the Frankfurt/Main area customer in Germany.History is in the making as another record is patiently waiting to occur for Porsche. On July 31st, the end of the 2006/2007 year, Porsche will have sold 36,000 units of the renowned sports car through the year, creating a new chapter in Porsche's books.[Source: Porsche]
More About: Porsche , Sales , Units , Tera , Porsche 997

Spied: Cheers and Gears member snaps Challenger!
2007-07-11 03:47:00
It seems the civilian espionage culture is on the heat with these latest shots of Dodge 's upcoming muscle-car reincarnation, the Challenger. A member by the ID of "schuby87" over at Cheers and Gears posted up these cell-phone shots of a silver Challenger mule near the Chrysler tech center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Unlike the previous mules snapped which were dark-red and black, this mule was silver and wore the same colossal 5-spoke wheels.This little story of amateur espionage evoked some juice as the engineers driving the Challenger were on the positive note when the photographer approached the mule. While the two cars were waiting at a traffic light, the photographer made some revs on his car and their cynical expressions quickly morphed into smiles. A classic story of amateur espionage turned into street battle against a million-dollar Challenger prototype quickly vanished as the engineers let off.Something we were able to catch was the absence of the B-pillar which would put ...
More About: Daimler-Chrysler , Snaps , Allen , Ears

Going to the source ain't the same anymore, embedded images added
2007-07-10 05:56:00
Taking effect from this very post, all our sources of the articles we post on TheCarBlogger will be embedded on the main image above the text. We got this idea from Autoblog (thanks folks) and decided to play with the complicating HTML to a great result. Up until this post, we played it the conventional way with the sources of our posts cited between some dull parentheses like this:[Source : Autoblog]Now, you can simply click the main image of the post above the text to be redirected to the source of the article. A sample image above demonstrates this new feature for easier comprehension. This is no big news, but we want to avoid any confusion from our readers who want to visit the source who traditionally look for the hyperlink at the end of the post. We will still cite our sources, however without the hyperlink like this:[Source: Autoblog]Our continuous pursuit in looking for the tiniest improvements for TheCarBlogger have been showing slowly as you might have seen some of our new ...
More About: Other , Images , The Source , Same

Recall: Nissan issues recall on 140,852 Altimas for potential engine fire
2007-07-09 22:11:00
Nissan has issued a massive recall on over 140,000 2007 Nissan Altimas for an air-filter defect that could cause fire in the engine bay. The models affected are the 2.5L 4-cylinder models. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)has initiated an investigation back in May when two reports were filed of fire caused while driving the affected models. The vehicles affected were either manufactured in the Smyrna, Tennessee plant from September 25th to May 11th or the Canton, Mississippi plant from October 30th through May 11th.Nissan dealers will replace the air-filters with improved flame-resistant ones free of charge. The recall has already initiated and will continue until October 1st, 2007. The Nissan Altima is currently the automaker's best-selling model in America and placed 9th in the national best-selling list for 2007. For more information, you can contact Nissan USA at 1-800-647-7261.[Source: CARSCOOP]
More About: Nissan , Issues , Recall , Fire

Volkswagen mulls diesel Rabbit for US market
2007-07-09 18:58:00
With the release of the Jetta Clean Diesel TDI coming to US showrooms in March, 2008, Volkswagen is considering expansion of the Clean Diesel line-up with the Rabbi t. The Jetta Clean Diesel TDI will be powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder producing 140 hp with 235 lb.ft of torque. The clean diesel powertrain is expected to expand throughout the line-up with the Rabbit first in line.VW states that the clean diesel engine will be drastically improved in fuel efficiency and emission levels over the current 1.9L diesel. Pricing of the Jetta CD TDI is expected to be higher than its gasoline counterpart and it will be available only in California and New England when it hits showrooms.
More About: Market , Green

Honda Fit exceeds expectations, shortages expected
2007-07-09 18:42:00
The Honda Fit came out in the US market in April, 2006. 27,934 units were sold on that year and another 23,769 were sold in the first six months of 2007. However, Honda has stated that only 54,000 units of the Fit will be shipped from Japan for this year. Honda expects shortages in many dealers across America as the Fit is continuously generating sales. The Fit is no doubt a hit and it has surpassed their initial sales projections by a wide margin, especially regarding the fact that the North American Fit was introduced in Japan in 2001.Jim Smail, Honda dealer council chairman, stated, "We have so much potential for that car". The rising gas prices and the increasing awareness of the global environment has tapped many consumers into downsizing to these subcompact cars. The Yaris and the Versa has been going strong, with sales respectively of 46,522 and 37,802 in the first 6 months of 2007.[Source: Automotive News]
More About: Sales , Short , Onda , Expectations

Honda CR-V gains best-selling import car title in South Korea
2007-07-08 21:00:00
Import cars in South Korea are rising in popularity rapidly with 269 import cars currently on sale in the country. With the US-S.Korea Free-Trade Agreement Pact taking effect next year, the numbers will only continue to rise. This agreement will clear any tariffs placed on imports from the US to South Korea and vice versa.The first-half bi-annual sales numbers of the best and worst-selling import cars in South Korea were released today. The new Honda CR-V (Korean-version pictured) was the positive note with 1870 vehicles sold in the timeframe. On the negative note, the Saab 9-3 Arc SportCombi TiD did not make it past the showrooms with nil sales. In order of the highest sales to lowest, the top 10 selling import cars in South Korea were: Honda CR-V (1870), Lexus ES350 (1596), BMW 320d (880), Infiniti G35 Sedan (876), BMW 523d (772), Lexus LS460 (752), Lexus IS250 (706), Audi A6 2.4 (690), Peugeot 307SW HDI (524) and the Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI with 475 vehicles sold.Something inte...
More About: Selling , Sales

An In-Depth look at Hyundai's designs: Are they copycats?
2007-07-06 15:54:00
One of the most controversial and brutal topics in automotive forums and throughout the Net is Hyundai 's design philosophy. It seems that in most forums we approach, the words Hyundai and copy are in the same sentence. The word 'copy' is a very strong remark and it often indicates what some Chinese automakers have done and still are doing. In one case, the Chery QQ, a subcompact car in China, was so similar to the Daewoo Matiz, that its body parts actually fit onto the latter. We've heard of cases where Chery QQ consumers often go to a Daewoo dealership to have a hood replaced. The Daewoo was introduced in 1998, while the Chery was introduced in 2003. This case is a true example of an automaker illegally infringing other automaker's products for their own line-up.We initiated this mini-investigation when we approached a comment regarding the Hyundai Genesis, stating it's a copy of the yet-to-be-released 2008 Honda Accord Sedan. We think that is a tad over the line. Prototypes...
More About: Design , Copy , Look , Designs

Ford preps for 2008: Line-up at a glance
2007-07-06 00:29:00
Every automaker is prepping for the 2008 model year and Ford released information and images of their 2008 line-up today. All-new 2008 models were already announced, and today, we get to take a look at what Ford's keeping and changing for the rest of the line-up.The cars we're highlighting in this post are the 2008 Ford Edge, 2008 Ford Expedition, 2008 Ford Fusion and the 2008 Ford F-150. The big news for Ford this year is the inclusion of Sync, co-developed with Microsoft, for most vehicles in the line-up. And yes, the Ranger is still alive and going, with the addition of an iPod jack and standard tire-pressure monitoring system for 2008. Continue reading to view what Ford has in store for 2008.2008 Ford EdgeIn addition to the introduction of the optional Sync, changes are style-wise only for 2008. A Limited model is added to the line-up, which includes standard features such as an Audiophile sound system with nine speakers and chrome beltline. A new Interior Appearance Package a...
More About: Line , Lance , Glance , T A G

Say Hello to 500: Fiat officially unveils the 500
2007-07-05 23:41:00
The wait is over. Fiat officially unveiled its anticipated 500 today, along with more than one hundred press shots. Following the 50th anniversary of the original iconic 500, the new 500 went on sale immediately. The 500 looks exactly like its ancestor and it follows previous retro-evolutionary vehicles like the MINI Cooper and the Volkswagen New Beetle. However, Fiat intends to market this at a low price which will definitely appeal to everyone. The 500 is widely customizable with a variety of roof designs, body decals, stylish wheels, and even different key styles.The Cinquecento will be available with a 69HP 1.2L, 75HP 1.3L turbodiesel, and a 1.4L producing 100HP. Fiat will later announce the Abarth version which will be packed with more juice than the conventional 500. Word is that we'll see the 500 sometime after 2010, which is pretty long away. However, if Fiat wants the 500 to be the iPod of cars as they've stated, they better hurry up and start ramping up production for ma...
More About: Official , Hello , Veil , Ally

Sydney meets Rio: Chevrolet Omega, Holden VE Berlina with a bow-tie, goes o
2007-07-05 17:41:00
Following the steps of Holden 's unveiling of the first engineering prototypes of the Pontiac G8, Chevrolet unveiled the Omega for the Brazilian market. Underneath the bow-tie badge is a Holden VE Commodore Berlina. Its predecessor ceased production in 1999, and was based on the Opel Omega (Cadillac Catera in US).The Omega CD is powered by a 3.6L Alloytec V6 producing 250HP (190kW). The RWD Omega won't be available with the V8, which will find a spot under the hood of the Pontiac G8. Follow the jump to view more images of the Omega.[Source: GoAuto]
More About: Sydney , Mega

EuroDisney celebrates 15th anniversary with Ford C-MAX
2007-07-05 17:17:00
Ford and Disneyland Resort Paris will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of EuroDisney together. Ford will become the official automotive partner for Disneyland Resort Paris. In return for Ford's sponsorship to an "established" attraction, the compact C-MAX will become the official car of EuroDisney's 15th anniversary. The agreement also initiates a marketing co-operation between the two corporate giants across Europe.The new C-MAX goes on sale in Europe this summer, and it will sit below its larger sibling, the S-MAX. Follow the jump to view the official press release.[Source: WorldCarFans]PRESS RELEASE: Ford to become official vehicle sponsor of Euro Disney under new agreementFMC Automobiles S.A.S. and Euro Disney Associés S.C.A. today announced a new agreement that will make Ford the official automobile partner for Disneyland Resort Paris.Under the agreement, Ford will evaluate specific sponsorship opportunities for an established Disneyland Park attraction. In addition, Ford ...
More About: Ford , Anniversary , Rates , Brat , Rate

BMW launches US 1-Series Coupe mini-site, 9 more images
2007-07-05 15:45:00
BMW launched the US mini-site of the 1-Series Coupe today. The introduction starts with the BMW 2002, and with a caption "40 years later", the 1-Series Coupe pops up. The mini-site offers the official goodies of the 1-Series Coupe we'll get. Along with that came nine stunning hi-res images that look tons better than the initial press shots. Visit BMW USA's website at the source link at the bottom to view the mini-site.Follow the jump to view these "stunning" hi-res images.[Source: BMW USA]
More About: Images , Site , Mini , Frankfurt

Mercedes-Benz unveils the C63 AMG: 451HP, 0-60 in 4.5 sec.
2007-07-05 14:52:00
After seeing multiple spyshots popping up on the Net daily, Mercedes -Benz has officially pulled the wraps off its M3-challenger, the C63 AMG. The C63 AMG is equipped with a 6.3L V8 powering 451HP and 443lb.ft of torque, hand-built by AMG. Its top-soeed is electronically limited to 155mph, but it has a 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds which should do justice. The C63 AMG is mated to AMG's Speedshift Plus 7G-TRONIC transmission. Paddle shifting is standard. The C63 AMG is also equipped with an electronic stability control that allows the driver to select the activation thresholds for the system to activate.The C63 AMG will make its public debut at the IAA (Frankfurt ) and will go on sale in the US in Spring 2008. For now, all we care to see is the long-anticipated comparison test of the German trio: Audi RS4, BMW M3 Sedan and the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. This will be fun to watch and bloody as heck.Follow the jump to view the official press release and a hi-res image gallery.[Source: Autoblog]...
More About: Mercedes Benz