Filed under: Consumer The new Kia Cee’d will go on sale in the UK on June 1st, priced from £14,395. It’s the second generation Cee’d, and brings the Korean company full circle – the first generation car kicked off a revolution for Kia, catapulting the company from maker of cheap and not-so-cheerful budget runabouts to middle-market stalwart capable of rattling the mainstream. The new Cee’d doesn’t do anything groundbreaking, but improves on its predecessor markedly – it’s more stylish, higher quality, and cheaper to run on average. Kia’s class-leading seven-year warranty – introduced with the first Cee’d – remains. The car represents two firsts for Kia: a direct injection engine and a dual-clutch automatic gearbox are both offered for the first time. Better late than never. Two petrol engines and two diesels are available off the bat: 1.4- and 1.6-litre diesels, and petrols of the same capacity. The bigger diesel returns 76mpg and 97g/km, thanks in part to start/stop. It develops 126bhp, and is more economical than the 1.4 diesel, with 89bhp, which can only muster 69mpg. The most powerful Cee’d is the 133bhp 1.6-litre petrol. Kia designed and developed the Cee’d in Europe, and promises a much better drive than before; the car has a stiffer chassis, and it has independent rear suspension – not a given for a family hatchback. Standard equipment is improved, while tech introduced for this generation includes an electric parking brake, heated steering wheel, two-zone air con, and electrically adjustable memory seats. Three-way adjustable power steering (switchable between Comfort, Normal and Sport) comes with higher models. And in a refreshing fit of model designation simplicity, Cee’ds trim levels are named 1,2,3 and 4. The most you’ll pay for a Cee’d, before options, is £23,795 for a dual-clutch 1.6-litre diesel in top spec. That’s only a few hundred pounds less than you’ll pay for a top whack Focus. How times have changed.   Go here to read the rest: New Kia Cee’d due to hit the UK The rest is here:  New Kia Cee’d due to hit the UK

Filed under: Videos That’s 400 metres, not 400mph. The bike you see above managed 0-402 metres in 6.94 seconds, to be precise – and it’s a new world record for a quarter mile on an electric bike. The Lawless Electric Rocket was driven by Larry ‘Spiderman’ McBride at Virginia Motorsports Park in the US. You can see the attempt in the video below. McBride took the record from himself, having achieved a 7.47 time in September 2010, crossing the line at 177mph; this time around, he passed the post at 201mph. The Lawless drag bike is based on the 2010 model, but was fettled by the famous motorcycle builders at Orange County Choppers (they’re got their own telly show), using a new electric drivetrain built by an assortment of electrical specialist companies. The bike’s electric motor puts out an astonishing 1,000bhp, drawing power from a 121kg battery pack. That’s about the same as having a Gavin & Stacey -era James Cordon strapped to the undercarriage. The team aims to improve the bike further and do the run in under six seconds as some point. Thanks to Gizmag for the story.   Excerpt from: Video: Electric drag bike does 0-400 in 6.9 seconds Here is the original post: Video: Electric drag bike does 0-400 in 6.9 seconds

Filed under: Latest News Skoda has unveiled an extremely wide version of the tiny Citigo at the Worthersee show. The Citigo Rally is a concept car only, nowhere near hitting the shops – the “rally-car-inspired study” is a publicity stunt that’s come out “at a time when the Skoda Citigo makes its appearance in Europe’s premier markets.” Still, it’s awesome. Here’s how Skoda explains it: It impresses with its massive bumpers, rear wing, generous air intake in the front apron and forged 18-inch wheels with low-profile tyres promising high stability and ample traction. Other rally features include generously sized fenders and massive door sills, which add a few centimetres to each side of the Citigo. A centrally mounted exhaust end pipe dominates the car’s rear. The diffuser function is integrated into the rear bumper. The wing, which extends the car’s roofline, is designed to increase downforce during driving. Skoda’s Worthersee stand also included a Citigo ‘DJ Car’, featuring a set of decks and the ability to “retract” from the B-pillars back, so it becomes a mobile stage. The Worthersee show is an annual celebration of all things Volkswagen and fast. This was the 31st show.   View original post here: Citi wideboy: Skoda unveils Citigo WRC car Original post:  Citi wideboy: Skoda unveils Citigo WRC car

Filed under: Consumer Car accessory store Halfords has been voted the worst in Britain for customer service by users of Which?, the consumer website. Halfords enjoys near iconic status in the UK – the name is synonymous with chavs car parts in the same way McDonalds is with obesity cheeseburgers. But that doesn’t mean we enjoy going there. According to the survey of 11,000, Halfords scored 51 out of 100 for customer service, with respondents calling the staff “unhelpful and rude,” among other things. That’s in start contrast to the best store in the UK, cosmetic retailer Lush, which scored 83. John Lewis and the Apple store both scored 81. Quoted in The Sun , a Halfords spokesperson said: “Our feedback shows thousands of customers each week love the help we provide.”   Original post: Halfords voted worst store in Britain Read the original: Halfords voted worst store in Britain

Remember the Aston Martin Lagonda Concept? If you don’t, be thankful. It is a vehicle who nobody liked in the first place, and its styling hasn’t worn well with time. Lagonda was a design study by Aston Martin, who was looking to launch Lagonda as a separate brand in order to sell luxury SUVs. The reception it received was strikingly similar to the way everyone reacted to the Bentley EXP 9 F Concept this past March. While Aston expanded its reach with the Rapide (and hideous Cygnet…), building an SUV was ruled out under the Aston Martin name. The premise of the Lagonda made sense though; Aston did its research and concluded it would do very well in the United States and emerging markets. The research was spot on, and they apparently arrived at that conclusion earlier than Bentley and Lamborghini. But, the Lagonda SUV was never given the green light due to the horrible reception it received. The smart thing to do would have been to try again, but we haven’t heard much since – until now. Autocar says the Langonda SUV isn’t dead. The profits are proving too hard to ignore. When Porsche was independent, it made a similar decision to produce the Cayenne. The pressure is on to diversify when you’re an independent manufacturer. Much less so when you’re under a corporate umbrella (*cough* Lamborghini cough*), but we digress. Buyers in the U.S lap SUVs, as well as in countries like China and India. Chinese and Indian buyers apparently aren’t into super cars as much as SUVs, due to poor road conditions. Also, IHS Automotive analyst Colin Couchman says: “The traditional markets for supercars — the US and Europe — are still depressed…although the Chinese market remains buoyant, that won’t feed through to Aston because the Chinese don’t yet see the value of displaying their wealth through owning an expensive sports car.” SUVs have a lot more potential for growth, that’s for sure. We aren’t opposed to the idea either – big, luxurious SUVs are cool. However, they need to be sold under the right brand and styled properly The Lagonda Concept didn’t do the trick in that regard. If they go back to the drawing board and produce something that looks good, we could see this thing working out. Ulrich...

Here is the full speech of Dr. Norbert Reithofer at the Annual General Meeting of BMW AG. The BMW boss highlights some of the successes and accomplishments in 2011, and what to expect in the future. Ladies and Gentlemen Mobility is what drives us. And this applies to your company too. We not only enable people to move from A to B but we also touch their hearts. Being mobile is and always will be a basic human need. We cannot do without it – in our Western hemisphere, where our mature markets lie. And people in the growth regions are seizing their opportunities for individual mobility – economically, socially and personally. Mobility drives progress. It gives people a sense of freedom and individuality. It brings growth, employment and prosperity. For 96 years, mobility has been the growth driver of Bayerische Motoren Werke Our products stand for motion: automobiles, motorcycles, financial and mobility services. Premium is our business model. And when it comes to premium we are the clear leaders. 1.67 million customers last year – that was more than ever before and more than our competitors. And by we, I mean over 100,000 BMW associates of over 90 different nationalities. They all possess the same passion for mobility and motion. They make our success possible in the first place. They fully identify with our products and with our company. And our customers feel it. They know it is true whenever they purchase a car or a motorcycle from our product range. We are ahead of the competition and we intend to stay there. This is what drives us. We also want to meet your needs and your expectations as our shareholders. Your investment must be profitable. We think and plan long term – just as you do. You stood by us throughout the financial crisis. And you are now with us as we move into a new era of mobility. Your loyalty to this company is appreciated. Mobility today takes on many forms and also faces many demands. The car is now an indispensable element of our daily lives, and this means mobility now encounters new challenges. Just think about the latest Club of Rome forecasts. We ourselves are responsible for the way our world is developing. How can we make it a world worth living in for more and more people? These are all questions we ask ourselves. And all...

“A company is like a human being. As long as it goes in for sports, it is fit, well-trained, full of enthusiasm and performance.” These were the words of Robert A. Lutz, BMW AG Board Member Sales, back in 1972. They were the words christening the youngest subsidiary of BMW AG at the time, BMW Motorsport GmbH. Today the company is called BMW M GmbH. But it is just as fit, well-trained, full of enthusiasm and performance as it was 40 years ago. The early 1970s were the dawn of a new age for BMW: A new, young Board of Management under Eberhard von Kuenheim had set out to strategically power and pursue the ongoing success of the Company. This included the construction of a new head office – the legendary BMW Four-Cylinder – as well as the establishment of BMW’s own in-house Sports Division. Quoting Robert A. Lutz once again: “With sports always being a driving force at BMW, also while the Company was developing dynamically in the business world, it was only obvious at this point that we should concentrate and consolidate our activities in motor sport.” Indeed, demand and untapped opportunities exceeded the potentials and capacities of the former Sports Department by far. The BMW 1800 TI and 2000 TI, as well as the entire 02 Series, were the most popular competition cars winning one race after the other. But BMW itself was able to meet only a fragment of the overall demand, the vast majority of cars being prepared, run and sold by tuning companies. Since the mid-1960s, BMW had also been involved in Formula 2 – and in the years to come hardly a team anywhere was able to enter this Formula successfully without BMW’s high-performance power units. Countless racing wins and European Championships by BMW dominated the scene. 1972: A team highly experienced in racing forms BMW Motorsport GmbH. BMW Motorsport GmbH, facing the challenges described, took over on 1 May 1972. The Managing Director of this team of specialists originally made up of 35 employees was Jochen Neerpasch, an ex-Porsche works driver and Ford’s Racing Manager in Cologne before moving to Munich. He immediately attracted a whole group of racing drivers destined to leave their stamp on BMW Motorsport for decades to come: Chris Amon, Toine Hezemans, Hans-Joachim Stuck and Dieter Quester....

Can’t get enough of Smart cars? Then the place to be is Berlin. The place is crawling with these cars, which according to Daimler aim to take over a big slice of the city’s growing urban auto per-minute rental pie. Just last month, Daimler decided to deploy the largest fleet of its Car2go short-term rental service program, turning a blind eye to BMW’s own DriveNow two-to-one service. It’s all part of a grand scheme to lure in not only drivers in Berlin but in urban regions across Europe in the midst of fading interest in car ownership. Car2go chief Robert Henrich shares that “it’s natural that competition shows up. It shows that we have the right business idea. Our intention is clearly to remain the leader.” Both Daimler and BMW are making their move to win over customers who are looking for per-minute car rentals as car-sharing membership is expected to balloon up to around 15 million people nine years from now. Watcha’ think folks? Would you pay 29 cents a minute to drive around Berlin in a Smart car? Source: businessweek.com See original here:  29 cents a minute lets you buzz around Berlin in a Smart car

When you’ve endured a spate of bad publicity, any good news is welcomed. Fisker has recently experienced negative coverage thanks to issues with battery supplier A123 Systems, along with financial negations with the DOE surrounding its next model, the Atlantic. We haven’t heard much about the Atlantic’s future lately but sales of the Karma are rolling on. Fisker is aiming to secure private funding to continue development of the Atlantic, rather than relying on the Department of Energy. The small automaker has already raised nearly a billion dollars in private equity funds. For now, the future of Fisker’s plant in Wilmington, Delaware is in doubt. DOE funding was supposed to make sure the Atlantic was produced in the United States. The Karma is produced by Valmet in Finland, and Europe appears to be taking to it quite well. Fisker has announced that in the Netherlands is the second-best-selling luxury car brand in the “segment for high-end four-door models.” Yeah, that is a pretty narrow definition – but still, Fisker will take what it can get. According to Fisker, the Karma outsold the BMW 7-Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Audi A8 during the period from January to April. Tom LaSorda, Fisker Automotive Chief Executive, said: “This is a great achievement for Fisker and signals the potential demand in Europe, where we intend to sell 40 per cent of our output. It is an encouraging sign of progress following the Karma launch. But we have much more to do as we bring new models to market.” The model to top the charts? The Porsche Panamera. It is interesting to see that Fisker seems to be doing well in Europe. It introduced the Surf model (pictured) nearly exclusively because of the Europeman market. Whether or not the Karma’s European success has to do with fuel prices, style or regional production isn’t certain. European success is something that will probably figure heavily into future decisions about the Atlantic though. No related posts. Automoblog.net – A Car Blog for Auto Enthusiasts Go here to read the rest: Fisker Places Second In Dutch High-End Luxury Car Sales

How much do you hate going to a gas station? Would plugging your car in every night be even more of a pain? Or would it become a simple routine, much like plugging in your cell phone at night? Those are some of the main questions electric car advocates are asking this week at EVS26, the 26th annual Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. The answers, of course, depend on what you’re selling. As we discussed yesterday, electric car charging consumes much of the conversation at this year’s event. Traditional electric-car advocates like to point out that in surveys, owners much prefer plugging in to going to a gas station. Now a counterpoint is springing up. Several companies, including Delphi, Siemens. and Qualcomm, have developed inductive charging mats that allow drivers to simply pull into their garage (or another so-equipped parking place) and charge. No plugging necessary. Both the car and the parking space would have to be equipped for such wireless charging. Siemens estimates the installation cost of both parts would run about $2,000, or twice what a corded home charger would cost at that time. Qualcomm has developed a technology that would allow the car to charge if the driver got within 8 or 9 inches of the proper position over the charging pad. That’s enough leeway that as long as the car is between the lines of the parking spot, charging should take place. A dashboard light indicates if the charger isn’t engaged. Inductive charging could be a huge potential benefit for fleet customers such as car-sharing and rental car services, because drivers wouldn’t have to worry about whether the previous driver had remembered to plug in. Looking further out, if such inductive chargers were embedded along popular electric-car byways, they could periodically top up the battery, giving the cars additional range. Or, perhaps more importantly, it could allow automakers to install smaller, lighter, cheaper batteries. As for those who plug in EVs in the meantime, there may be a disconnect between those who have a home charger with a cord installed, and those who don’t. In the United States, charger standards specify the cord be permanently attached to the charger. This makes it simpler than filling with gas. You just drive up, open...

  A sign of emerging technology and a push to minimizing the environmental impact of automobiles has led to the sizable production of electric or electrified vehicles becoming a reality. Dismissed for a long time, cars using battery-backed propulsion are being inundated into a world where a well-performing counterpart (the internal combustion engine) has existed as the standard. Aside from driving range of a battery-powered vehicle, charging time is the biggest obstacle in operating an electric car. In the normal life of today’s motorists, the trip to a nearby filling station has been regarded as a practical way of refuelling a vehicle. Taking only a few minutes to pump multiple gallon of flammable fluid into a fuel tank, the prospect of waiting several hours for a battery to recharge is, indeed, unattractive. While most electric cars can be charged from a 120-volt outlet commonly found in households, there would be very few motorists who are willing to wait between 10 to 21 hours for charging their Chevrolet Volt or Nissan Leaf. In fact, the Tesla Roadster’s 120-volt mobile connector can take over 30 hours to fully charge the battery. Many electric car buyers are encouraged to pick one of many home charging stations such as the GE Wattstation that can greatly improve battery recharge times with 240 volts of power. With 240 volts, these power stations are capable of charging a Nissan Leaf from an empty to full battery in 7 hours from a wall unit. Found within commercial charging stations and can easily be wall-mounted to a garage. Now, as commercial charging infrastructure is furnishing in major cities, a quicker method than the 240-volt charger unit exists for delivering significant energy to an electric car in 30 minutes or less.     At the ongoing Electric Vehicle Symposium 26 at the LA Convention Center, the new reality for electrified motoring is DC fast charging units. Injecting a charge to a compatible battery with up to 500 volts, DC fast charging is being shot to the main stage for selling battery-powered cars and trucks to the public. Several major manufacturers of electric car charging stations have already or will soon commit to incorporating DC fast charging set-ups in public. Eaton, ECOtality and Schneider Electric are among the...

One of the most misunderstood of the “almost an M car” has to be the BMW 850CSi. Lots of debate circle around to this day whether BMW should have called the E31 850CSi an M8 or not. And with the recent introduction of BMW M’s “M Performance cars”, the 850CSi could very well have been a pre-cursor to those cars. As a top-of-the-range sports tourer, the 850CSi took over from the prototype M8. The 850CSi used the same engine as the 850i, which was tuned so significantly that BMW assigned it a new engine code: S70B56. The modifications included a capacity increase to 5.6 liters and power increase to 380 PS (279 kW; 375 hp). The engine can be identified by the “Powered by M” inscription on the central cam cover between the two banks of cylinders. The 850CSi’s modified suspension included stiffer springs and dampers and reduced the car’s ride height. The recirculating ball steering ratio was dropped 15% over the stock E31 setup. The 850Si also sported wider wheels, with the option of forged M Parallel wheels. The front and rear bumpers were reshaped for improved aerodynamic performance. Four round stainless steel exhaust tips replaced the square tips found on other models. The 6-speed manual gearbox was the only transmission option. In Europe all 850CSi’s came with four-wheel steering (AHK – Aktive Hinterachs-Kinematik). Production ended in late 1996 because the S70 engine could not be modified to comply with new emission regulations without substantial re-engineering. Today’s Imola Red 1994 example resides in Georgia USA. Thanks everyone for recommending the E31, I had forgotten how awesome this car really is! Keep your recommendations coming to manny@bmwblog.com [Source: BMW M Registry] Read more here:  BMW Super Bild Of The Day: 850CSi

This past weekend we stumbled across a 2013 Ford Focus ST wagon prototype, and so naturally our love of wagons—especially of the hot, turbocharged variety—kicked in and we snapped us some photos. The ST wagon debuted last year alongside the five-door hatchback that we’ll be getting here in the U.S. Unfortunately, the ST wagon’s inherent coolness doesn’t change the fact that we won’t be getting it—only Europeans will be able to taste this forbidden fruit. This tired wagon test mule sports a menagerie of assorted Focus parts, including non-ST “Titanium” badging and 18-inch wheels. However, the ST-specific front fascia, body kit, six-speed manual shifter, and center-exit rear exhaust betray its true identity. If you’re holding out hope that this ST wagon potentially has a future in our market because it was spotted in Michigan, allow us to drop the proverbial wet blanket on that idea. Automakers routinely test models destined for other markets in the States, so spotting this long-roofed ST on Midwestern pavement isn’t earth-shattering stuff. That’s a shame, because as much as we look forward to driving the ST hatch that goes on sale this fall, we’d love to have a crack at the wagon version. We were recently taken for a ride in a pre-production ST prototype in Europe and determined that it should match up nicely with Volkswagen’s GTI, the hot-hatch segment benchmark. The production ST wagon will be nearly identical to the turbocharged ST five-door, save for being slightly longer and able to carry more stuff. It will be powered by the same 247-hp, 2.0-liter turbo four as the hatch, and will be available exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission at launch. Comparison Test: 2012 Ford Focus SE vs. 2012 Honda Civic EX Instrumented Test: 2012 Ford Focus SE Hatchback Manual First Ride: 2013 Ford Focus ST We only wish Ford wouldn’t tease us with stuff like this—although we may weep gently if the company decides to give the ST wagon the full-race ST-R treatment. See original here: 2013 Ford Focus ST Wagon Spied; Still Not Coming Here See the original post: 2013 Ford Focus ST Wagon Spied; Still Not Coming Here

This is America and the key to ending foreign oil dependence Haters matter far more than battery car advocates realize Electric cars are so Audi 5000. No they’re not. They really make sense if you objectively analyze the data. Analyze this. Only a moron would pay extra for a car that has a range of less than 100 miles. Moron? Fox News watching neanderthal. Tree hugging fascist. There, problem solved. The truth is plug-in cars don’t make sense. Neither do hybrids. If they did, Toyota would be building nothing but hybrids, but they’re not. There just isn’t enough profit in them yet. However, one day battery-powered cars will make sense, without government incentives. When is hard to predict. For instance, if the true cost of foreign oil was charged at the pump, perhaps plug-in cars — hybrids minimally — might make real, upfront financial sense already. Yet, in Europe, where gasoline and diesel cost much more, hybrids and plug-ins are faring even worse than in America. Furthermore, 100 mpg plug-in vehicles just don’t resonate with most Americans, regardless of ANY evidence that suggests that such vehicles support up to 90 percent of average American travel. Like it or not, but perception matters. It really matters. The Audi 5000 sunk Audi’s US reputation for decades. The Big 3 still haven’t fully recovered from their Asian inferiority complex. Then there’s the history of diesel, ping-bang-boom-poof cars in the US. Perception matters. But the consumer studies suggest many consumers want electric cars, right? Yeah, and consumer studies for many years now have shown that the far majority of Americans are interested in buying hybrid cars, yet most simply don’t buy them, regardless of their noble intentions. When it comes down to it, people want to do the right thing, but they don’t. Not if it costs extra money. Not if it feels like they’re somehow giving something up — such as range. The consumer data proves this without any doubt. At the end of the day, it simply doesn’t matter if plug-in cars or hybrids are perfect. It matters what consumers think about them. Unless of course, the government forces these technologies on consumers. Which is a path problematic in and of itself for...

Two new engines with forced induction will join Jaguar’s roster in the company’s push to grow sales in the U.S., Europe, and China. A supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 has been derived from Jaguar’s outstanding 5.0-liter V-8, and will make 340 hp in most applications. The upcoming F-type sports car will debut the engine, and will exclusively offer a special 380-hp version. We’re guessing the high-po V-6 is being kept out of the sedans for now because it would overlap with the naturally aspirated V-8, which is rated at 385 hp. Since the F-type is probably not being engineered to take a larger eight-cylinder engine, there’s no risk of duplication. Jaguar isn’t talking about torque for either version of the supercharged six yet, but a variant of this engine previewed in the C-X16 concept car —the forbearer of the production F-type—delivered 332 lb-ft. Comparison Test: 2011 Audi A8L vs. 2011 BMW 750Li, 2011 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Instrumented Test: 2012 Jaguar XJL Supersport First Drive: 2012 Jaguar XKR-S On the smaller side, Jaguar is introducing a 240-hp turbocharged four. In all likelihood, this is the same 2.0-liter engine used in the Range Rover Evoque —itself borrowed from Ford—although the Jaguar version is rotated for longitudinal installation. Jaguar’s turbo four has the same displacement down to the cubic centimeter, bore, and stroke as the Evoque’s four, as well as Ford’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine in the Escape , Explorer, Edge, and more. Based on that, we’re pegging the still-not-announced torque rating for Jaguar’s version of this engine at a healthy 250 lb-ft. Both engines will use an eight-speed transmission, sourced from ZF and also used by BMW, Audi, Chrysler, Rolls-Royce, and Bentley. It’s likely that the F-type will also offer a manual gearbox with its V-6, but it hasn’t been confirmed yet. You’ll probably be forced to choose the automatic if you want the optional engine stop-start system, though. How Do They Stack Up? Jaguar is joining a growing list of premium automakers offering force-fed V-6s. BMW’s newest turbocharged inline-six makes 300 hp and 300 lb-ft in smaller cars like the 335i , and as much as 315 hp and 330 lb-ft in the big 740i . The supercharged...