Rolls Royce has just launched a dedicated website for its latest model, Ghost, which will be available this fall. Those visual configurators have been always available for all the BMW vehicles, so it was expected to see it for the Ghost model as well. The “visualizer” gives the options to learn more about the EX200/Ghost and also to select different color combinations, both interior and exterior. We have seen plenty of spy photos so far showcasing the exterior design, but there was a shortage of interior shots. As expected, the interior design is in-pair to company’s luxury standards, controls are neatly sculptured surrounded by chrome, and as usual, plenty of wood trim and fine leather. Now, you have the ability to combine all these options and see how they blend together. Those of you hoping to get a price associated with the options, well, you might have to wait a little longer, Rolls Royce has omitted to provide any pricing at this point. Expect to see the production model at the Frankfurt Auto Show this Fall. Rolls Royce Ghost Configurator Read more: Rolls Royce Ghost configurator now online

An investment in the future: the Aerodynamic Test Centre. No other car maker is as committed as the BMW Group to making lasting and substantial investments in the enhanced efficiency of new models. Building the new Aerodynamic Test Centre, the BMW Group now has even greater competence and qualifications than before in the area of innovative technologies contributing in the medium and long term to the further improvement of all BMW and MINI models in their fundamental strengths and benefits. For optimisation of the car’s aerodynamic qualities improves both its performance and efficiency, as well as the driving stability offered by the car on the road. Precisely this is why optimum aerodynamics is already a fundamental factor today in the development of new models. Building the ATC, the BMW Group is giving even greater emphasis to the ongoing enhancement of aerodynamics as an essential cornerstone of the EfficientDynamics philosophy. Optimised aerodynamics have a direct impact on the car’s fuel economy and emission management, a reduction of air drag by 10 per cent offering the customer a reduction in fuel consumption on the road by more than 2.5 per cent – and even such an at first sight “insignificant” improvement is of great importance to the BMW Group as part of an overall package for the enhancement of efficiency. With BMW Group cars already offering excellent aerodynamic qualities today, further improvement and, indeed, optimisation, calls for a substantial investment. So making such an investment in the ATC, the BMW Group clearly expresses its intention to use all facilities also in future in order to improve both fuel economy and emission management to an even higher standard. The ATC offers new options and potentials in analysing the aerodynamic qualities of a car – and at the same time flexible processes applied at the ATC as well as its location in the immediate vicinity of the BMW Group’s Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) optimises the integration of all activities in the overall process of vehicle development. In future, therefore, the BMW Group’s aerodynamic specialists will be working next door and hand-in-hand with BMW’s designers, constructors, engine specialists and other experts. Over and above such enhanced integration...

Another bad day at the office just about all you need to say to sum up the British Grand Prix from a BMW Sauber stand point. Once again the car suffered badly with tire heating issues from Friday onward. Robert Kubica had one technical issue after another in every practice session leaving him precious little time to track down the proper setup for the car. Silverstone was to be another step forward for the team with the introduction of a new front wing design, but it was soon clear that the F1.09 actually took a step backward. Heavy on fuel, no grip, light on fuel no grip and on it went.Starting from P12 for Kubica and P15 for Heidfeld it was clear that either one or both drivers would start the race very heavy on fuel, that fell to Kubica who with the combination of a heavy fuel load and the prime tire option to start the race hopped to gain a few spots through pit stops. That wasn’t to be the case as once again he could not manage to heat the tires and was painfully slow through cornering and almost 1.5 seconds a lap slower than a blisteringly fast Sebastian Vettel at the front. Heidfeld didn’t fair much better. Although he didn’t experience any technical problems during any practice session the inability to heat the tires was common to both cars adding at times up to .5s loss per lap. Once again for Heidfeld, he suffered contact on the first lap that sent a small piece of his front wing sailing off the track. By only a few laps later he received a call from his engineer to pit for a nose change because of a load loss at the affected site. Heidfeld made the decision to remain out and only pit as scheduled. It probably was the right call to stay out although his lap times suffered. If he had pitted that early, he would have re joined dead last and a good half a lap behind the car in front of him with no chance to recover anything. Despite the lack of pace in Silverstone, Mario Theissen is fighting on with some significant improvements slated for Germany and beyond. For more information on the BMW Sauber F1 team, please visit BMWF1blog.com View post: Formula 1: British Grand Prix Review

Is the Sonata the right play? Hyundai has yet to sell a hybrid in the US, and it’s first hybrid will be the Sonata hybrid. Without a unique hybrid, can Hyundai really compete in the hybrid cars segment? Certainly, Hyundai’s debut of its Blue Drive Hybrid system at the LA Auto Show – featuring lithium polymer batteries – was extremely compelling. Still, how much will this technology cost, and without a unique hybrid offering, does lithium polymer matter? I’m not sure, but after today’s impressive jump in vehicle quality by Hyundai , I can’t help but wonder if Hyundai isn’t ready to kick up its entire operation a notch – an operation significantly focused on fuel economy. Hyundai has made numerous forward looking statements on CAFE, hybrids, etc. in recent years, but has this all been just talk – typical auto industry PR – or has Hyundai been preparing for this walk all along? Hyundai might just now be finding its stride, and if Hyundai has also mastered the lithium polymer battery for hybrid cars…….well, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Here is the original: Hybrid wild card: Hyundai and its lithium polymer battery

Between 23 June and 16 August 2009, Mercedes-Benz will be presenting a special exhibition with automotive safety as its theme. The Experimental Safety Vehicle (ESF) 2009, which we’ve covered in great detail last week , gives a fascinating insight into future systems, whilst ESF vehicles of yesteryear document the history of safety technologies from Mercedes-Benz. Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it. “In this exhibition we are going to be showing visitors exactly what the Mercedes-Benz safety experts are currently working and experimenting on, and we shall be using the S-Class (S 400 HYBRID) to illustrate what they are doing”, explains Michael Bock, Manager of Mercedes-Benz Museum GmbH. “Once again the Museum is set to become a showcase for innovations, and those who visit us will be among the first to find out precisely what the future might hold in store – from the spotlight function or an auxiliary brake in the vehicle floor to inflatable metal structures in the doors.” We tend to take safety features such as airbags, ABS and belt tensioners for granted nowadays, but just a few decades ago systems like these were actually unimaginable. Three safety vehicles from the past are being used in the exhibition to recount the history of safety technologies at Mercedes-Benz and developments that have taken place since the 1970s. A research area invites visitors to take an active role in discovering and experiencing the highlights, and there will be an expert on hand to explain the Mercedes-Benz safety philosophy and innovations. This special exhibition is open daily, except Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The presentation is situated in the “Fascination of technology” section on the lowest level of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, and there is no entrance fee. There is more to discover on the milestones in vehicle safety in the permanent exhibition in the “History of mobility” section. The show is just one of the highlights forming part of the “Museum Summer”, and up to 6 September 2009 the museum will also be attracting visitors with a whole series of exciting exhibitions, events and specials, where members of the public will be able to unwind in a relaxed atmosphere and take in a film at the open-air...

By Rick Spina North American Vice President, Quality Today’s quality announcement by J.D. Power and Associates suggest it’s time for perception to sling-shot its way into reality when people think about General Motors — especially when it comes to quality. When I hear or read disparaging remarks about GM vehicle quality, I get rattled because more often than not, the comments are not true. For all the naysayers out there … get this … in the J.D. Power & Associates 2009 Initial Quality Study , Cadillac, our flagship brand, improved by 19 percent since last year’s study and comes in third, just behind Lexus and Porsche. That’s pretty darn good considering brands typically improve around 5 percent a year. And Chevy, our volume leader, eliminates the quality gap to join company with very competitive import brands like Honda and Toyota. Simply put, the quality gap is history. Thirteen GM models placed in the top three of their segments, one less than Toyota. Two of our plants earned the Silver (Oshawa Car) and Bronze (Bowling Green, KY) quality awards. In fact, seven of the top ten plants in North America are GM plants, which is a true testament of our manufacturing capability. There are many third-party studies that report on vehicle quality and they all use various methodologies to gather data. We pay close attention to this particular study because it represents the voice of our customers. We listen carefully to what they say about their vehicle ownership experience. Their input is translated into engineering requirements, or specifications if you will, and incorporated into our continuous improvement initiatives. We’ve been working on improvements for a long time, we’re getting good results in many areas and admittedly we have work to do in others. I can assure you, though, quality is integral to everything we do. Quality doesn’t just happen, it is deliberately planned early in the design phase of vehicle development where aggressive targets are set for every phase of development, including vehicle assembly in our plants. Numerous quality check points, or ‘valves’ as we call them, allow for thorough reviews to make sure customer needs and expectations will be met. Of course, there are hundreds...

The so-called “Cash for Clunkers” bill has been passed by House Democrats, but now it is revving up to jump another hurdle – the Senate. This new bill proposed by the Obama administration would give consumers a voucher worth up to $4,500 for trading in their old gas-guzzling vehicle. This voucher could then be used to buy or lease new, more fuel-efficient cars. The idea is to boost new auto sales and give a big green thumbs-up to the environment. However, some proponents of the plan speculate that the bill will not meet either of these objectives. First, with the current economic situation, many doubt that consumers will be rushing to purchase new vehicles. Nationally, the unemployment rate is hovering around 9.4% and banks are continuing to tighten lending practices. This is not the ideal situation for consumers to be car shopping – even with the $4,500 voucher. Additionally, billions of dollars worth of tax payer money have already been invested in the auto industry bailout, yet new car sales are expected to drop from 13 million in 2008 to 9.5 million in 2009. Car sales were down 34% in May of 2009 from the same month in 2008. Adding even more money to the ailing auto industry, the Cash for Clunkers program is expected to cost taxpayers about $4 billion. This leaves one to ask about the environmental impact and if the cost will be worth it. The program may not make as big of a positive environmental impact as some other bills that are being proposed at this time. Supporters of the Cash for Clunkers bills estimate passing it would take a million gas-guzzling cars and trucks off the road in the first year. However, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that this figure will be closer to 625,000 new fuel-efficient car sales. Any environmental benefit of the Cash for Clunkers bill that may be achieved could be far less than those anticipated from the Obama administration’s new CAFE standards, which mandate a combined average fuel efficiency of 39 miles per gallon for passenger cars and 30 miles per gallon for light weight trucks by 2016. Regardless of whether the Cash for Clunkers bill is passed, consumers will still need to insure their vehicle – fuel-efficient or clunker. Whichever car needs to be insured, consumers can get a free car insurance...

The AMG sports suspension and ADAPTIVE BRAKE high-performance braking system are every bit a match for the effortlessly superior drive units: the two top-of-the-line models, the S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG, raise the bar in terms of driving dynamics thanks to new high-tech systems. Less steering effort, more agile handling with the same outstanding straight-line stability – the new Direct-Steer system in a nutshell, which is now fitted as standard on the S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG. A key feature of the Direct-Steer system is the variable-ratio steering rack that operates using purely mechanical means. While the power steering around the central position utilises an indirect ratio to promote excellent straight-line stability, this alters from a steering angle of around five degrees: really small steering angles are all it takes to perform precise cornering, noticeably improving handling on winding country roads. The steering angle requirements have also been modified, enabling the driver to steer the AMGsaloons far more easily, particularly on urban roads. Compared with a steering system with a constant ratio, the number of revolutions from lock to lock is reduced by around 25 percent with the Direct-Steer system. More here: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG And S65 AMG: AMG Sports Suspension And High Performance Braking System

Powerful eight and twelve-cylinder engines are a traditional strength of AMG – and no less so than with the S 63 AMG and the S 65 AMG, the S-Class top-of-the-line models. The S 63 AMG is powered by a high-revving V8 naturally aspirated engine developing 386 kW/525 hp, the S 65 AMG comes with a biturbo V12 engine that delivers 450 kW/612 hp. Despite no changes having been made to the engine and performance values, it has still been possible to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of the two high-performance saloons. Excerpt from:  2010 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG And S65 AMG: Engines And Drive System

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen; I hope you all had a fantastic weekend. As you may remember, back in April, Mercedes detailed the revisions they made to their new S63 AMG and S65 AMG variants, and today they’ve done so again, this time in even greater detail. In total, there’s about five press releases dedicated to the model, so to bring you the info as quickly as possible, I’m going to publish the straight press content, starting with a general overview of the changes made to each. More:  2010 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG And S65 AMG: Model Overview And New Features

Alex Zanardi won back-to-back races in Brno, the Czech Republic this past weekend’s FIA World Touring Car Championship. Along with co-driver Sergio Hernández this makes it four wins out of the last six races in Brno for Roberto Ravaglia’s racing team and it was Zanardi’s fourth WTCC win So what, a racer won a race, what’s the big deal? The big deal is that Alex Zanardi has artificial legs, and for all intents and purposes, he should have died eight years ago. Zanardi is the guy in the middle of this photo. They guy with two different colored shoes and the two canes. He has to use those two canes to aid himself in walking around, but apparently doesn’t use them in the car. He’s a former CART double champion, and an all around nice guy. He also invented the post race doughnut/burnout thing that everybody seems to do these days. He was born in Bologna Italy, and, like all Italians, dreamed of glory in Formula One competition. He did stints with various lower ranking teams, but never had much luck – unless you count walking away from a super-heavy crash in his Lotus at Eau Rouge in Spa Belgium after one of the heaviest crashes I’ve ever seen. His career seemed pretty much over until he suddenly popped up racing for Chip Ganassi in the CART series. He took to it like a duck to water, and was clearly the guy to beat the two seasons he was champion (in 1997 & 1998). Hearing his heavily accented voice over the radio gleefully saying, “Time to make zee doughNUTS!!!” was one of the simple pleasures of being a race fan back then. Things took a frightening and dark turn in September of 2001. While exiting the pits at an oval track race in Germany, Alex got on it a little too hard, spun the car sideways, and stalled it at the pit exit. He was only sitting there for a fraction of a second when Alex Tagliani, and up and coming racer from Quebec T-boned Zanardi’s car at full racing speed. The accident literally looked like an explosion, with credit card-sized bits of carbon fiber flying like snow. Tag’s car came to rest, heavily damaged but with Tagliani seemingly unscathed, some yards down the track. Zanardi’s car sat largely where it had spun to a stop, only the front half was completely missing. There...

The Audi A3 TDI carries the updated styling cues seen throughout the entire lineup, and wears them nicely. Let’s play a word association game; when I say diesel what words come to mind? If you said: smelly, loud, sluggish, and/or boring you would be correct when referring to old diesels but you would be very wrong when talking about what is currently available. Need further proof of this? The Audi A3 TDI is here and more than happy to oblige. If you could not tell, this is in fact a diesel-powered Audi A3. The first thing I noticed when turning the key of this A3 TDI is the 2.0L turbo diesel comes to life not with a sputter and burble, but with a quiet purr. There is no old diesel rumbling, no old diesel exhaust stench and no old diesel noise. This new clean diesel technology in the Audi is run on common rail direct injection and piezoelectric injectors for smooth and efficient performance at all speeds. I addressed a few of the many words that spring to mind when thinking of old diesels, but let’s focus on the last one which was boring . Gone are the days of pushing down the gas pedal, waiting 10 seconds and then the car is off in a manner that is the exact opposite of a hurry. This A3 TDI is good for 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque. Those numbers don’t sound like much but all that torque is available at just 1,750 rpm. When I step on the gas – the car goes. Once I am moving, the A3 also handles surprisingly well for a heavy FWD car. It is fitted with multilink independent rear suspension and speed sensitive steering. I can feel the rigidity of the TDI frame when engaging a few twisties on a local back road. Audi always does stylish, simple, and sporty really well. This A3 is equipped with Audi’s S-Tronic transmission. It is a dual-clutch system and can be driven as a pure automatic, or I can decide when to shift by using the steering-wheel mounted paddles, or by moving the gear selector over to the right and moving it back and forth for up and down gear shifts. The paddles responded quicker than I expected, but I still would have preferred a manual transmission. In full automatic mode the transmission wanted to shift through the gears a little quicker than I would have liked, but this can be solved by moving the gear selector over...

Ford has yet to release an official press release with the 2010 Ford Taurus and Taurus SHO pricing details but we’ve done some digging and have found the prices on the SE, SEL, Limited and SHO models. All 2010 Ford Taurus models are powered by a Duratec 3.5L V6 engine that produces 263-hp with a maximum torque of 249 lb-ft. The base level Taurus SE model will come with a standard 6-speed automatic transmission with prices starting at $25,170 (excluding taxes and registration fees). The 2010 Ford Taurus SEL and Limited models offer SelectShiftAutomatic with shift control paddles mounted on the steering wheel. Prices for the Taurus SEL and Limited models start at $27,170 and $31,710 respectively. All-wheel-drive is available as an option. Ford says that the advanced twin-turbo EcoBoost 3.5L V6 will also be available on the Taurus at a later date. The 2010 Ford Taurus SHO, powered by a 3.5L twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 making 365-hp and a peak torque of 350 lb-ft, starts at $37,170. The engine is mated to 6-speed 6F55 SelectShift transmission (with paddle-shifters) with a sophisticated all-wheel-drive system. The Taurus SHO also takes full advantage of a multi-link SR1 rear suspension design which enhances driver control. EPA-estimated fuel-economy comes in at 17/25 mpg (city/highway). Well, that’s it for the pricing details. You can check out the full list of options after the jump. + 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Road Test + 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Official Debut + 2010 Ford Taurus SHO Preview for Chicago 2009 + 2009 Detroit Live: 2010 Ford Taurus 2010 Ford Taurus Standard and Optional Features: Adaptive Cruise Control allows the driver to set the vehiclecruising speed while using radar technology to monitor traffic travelling up to 600 feet ahead, automatically adjusting Taurus speed to help maintain a safe distance between vehicles. Collision Warning with Brake Support is a new active safety feature, enabled by Adaptive Cruise Control. This system uses a radar sensor to detect moving vehicles ahead and provides a visual “heads-up” warning signal transmitted across the base of the windshield and an audible warning when slower moving traffic is detected ahead. The system also pre-charges the brakes and engages an electronic brake assist to help the driver stop more...

Over at AutoBlog Drew Phillips recently got the opportunity to take a tour of the Hurst Performance Vehicles headquarters in Irvine, California.  During the tour Drew got a chance to see how a stock Dodge Challenger is transformed into one of the limited edition Hurst Hemi Challengers .  Each of the Dodge Challengers goes through a … Here is the original post:  Hurst Hemi Dodge Challenger Facility Tour

This is a bit old, so forgive me if you’ve heard of this ridiculous story already. But— it seems like one dude, after suffering from a distorted “pimp sense” and chronic inferiority syndrome, decided to fix up his life and boost his self esteem…..by plating his BMW M5 in gold, complete with a chrome (platinum?) racing stripe. There are several parts I don’t understand about his decision. First off, why ? Second, if your self esteem was truly that low, why plate a M5? I assume that he is not short of money, with gold hovering at around 1000 dollars an ounce, so why not plate your Ferrrari? Or Bentley? Or Rolls? And third, if you get clipped, scratched, dented, or impacted in any way, it’s gonna be GOLD that falls off your car, instead of paint. Not to mention the problem of thieves trying to shave off your handles. More pictures after the jump: Source: Jalopnik © Gearhead Media – Please visit Automoblog.net for more great content. See the rest here:  Gold Plated BMW M5