Green light for electric vehicle grant
29 July 2010
More
Citroen’s best rally jump pictures
27 July 2010
Golf has St Andrews, F1 has Monaco, but rallying’s spiritual home is the flat out blast through Finland. The sport’s annual visit to the university town of Jyväskylä gets underway on 29 July. The event is synonymous with huge jumps, and this year celebrates its 60th anniversary.
The event is usually dominated by Finnish and Swedish heroes - the Roll of Honour includes famous names like Hannu Mikola, Markku Alen, Tommi Makinen and Ari Vatanen.
Just four other nationalities have taken the top step of the podium - Spaniard Carlos Sainz, Estonian Markko Martin and French drivers Didier Auriol and Sebastian Loeb.
And as Loeb looks set to make 2010 his seventh WRC championship by taking a record 59th overall win, here’s a gallery of Citroen’s greatest jumps.
More
Mercedes CL63 AMG revealed
27 July 2010
Meet the CL with a difference. Hot on the heels of the facelifted two-door coupe range, Mercedes has revealed official details of the hot AMG version. And as you’d expect, the newcomer is both more powerful and more fuel efficient than before.
The CL63 retains the name of the outgoing car. But instead of using a naturally aspirated 6.3-litre V8, the car gets the firm’s all new direct injection biturbo 5.5-litre V8. The unit comes in two states of tune. In standard form, the engine produces 537bhp and 800Nm. But with optional AMG Performance Package, this rises to 563bhp and 900Nm.
As a result, performance is impressive. The CL accelerates from 0-62 mph in 4.5 seconds, and has an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. The 62 mph mark is reached in just 4.4 seconds with the AMG Performance package, with the top speed increased to an electronically limited 186 mph.
In addition to the extra power, thanks to direct injection, a stop start system and a slick seven-speed auto gearbox, the new car is 38 per cent more fuel efficient than the previous model, returning 26.9mpg.
To distinguish the CL63 AMG’s exterior from lesser models, the coupe gets new lightweight 19-inch alloys, and an AMG bodykit, while the interior benefits from a sports steering wheel.
New technology includes the variable ratio Direct Steer system, Torque Vectoring Brake to reduce understeer and AMG sports suspension. Customers will also get a number of personalisation options through the AMG Performance Studio and designo lines.
The new CL63 arrives in October, and will be joined on sale by the 621bhp twelve-cylinder CL65 AMG.
More
Audi A7 pictures leak out
27 July 2010
Audi has sprung a leak! These are the first pictures of the firm’s A7 Sportback, which have hit the web in advance of the car’s media debut tonight. Just four images have been leaked, but they reveal that the newcomer retains many of styling clues from the distinctive A7 Sportback concept which was shown at the Detroit Motor Show in 2009. Official details will be confirmed at tonight’s unveil which will be held at the Pinakothek der Moderne München, a modern art museum in Munich. Auto Express will have all the details on Audi’s new challenger from 9pm this evening so be sure to check back later!
More
Porsche confirms electric car
27 July 2010
It’s official, Porsche is going battery powered! The firm has confirmed that it is in the process of building three electric Boxsters which will begin testing in Stuttgart next year.
Not only will the cars provide Porsche with a test bed for its electric powertrain, the Boxsters will be fitted with black box recorders to log every single input made by the driver, giving the firm’s engineers an insight into how an electric Porsche might be used.
The project was confirmed by Porsche CEO Michael Macht, who said “we will definitely be offering an electric sports car in future. But such a concept only makes sense if it offers product qualities typical of a Porsche.”
The all-electric car joins Porsche’s ever-growing lineup of alternatively powered vehicles, which includes the hybrid Cayenne and GT3 R hybrid racer. The firm will introduce a hybrid Panamera next year, and is also expected to officially confirm production of the hybrid 918 Spyder supercar later this year.
More
|
