Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
PSA Peugeot Citroen willing to give control to GM - report
2013 Peugeot 2008
Sources say the Peugeot family has accepted they will lose control
PSA Peugeot Citroen's founding family is reportedly offering to give General Motors control of the company in return for a substantial investment.
Details are limited but the latest round of negotiations appear to involve a wide-ranging joint venture that would put General Motors in charge of a new business entity that controls Opel, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroën. The talks started late last year but broke down shortly thereafter. However, sources have told Reuters "The Peugeot family has now accepted that they'll lose control, so this is no longer an issue."
In return for a substantial investment, GM wants free rein over the proposed joint venture. This would enable the company to reduce overcapacity by eliminating jobs and closing factories. However, this would face strong opposition from politicians and labor unions.
Both companies declined to comment on the rumors, but GM CEO Dan Akerson has previously said "We don't have any intention of investing additional funds into PSA at this time. If we see something changes, we'll evaluate that."
Morgan 3 Wheeler lineup could expand with new engines & body styles - report
2011 Morgan 3 Wheeler - 25.2.2011
Quickly becoming one of the brand's most popular models
The Morgan 3 Wheeler has an undeniable charm and that has struck a chord with buyers who are snapping up the model at an unprecedented rate.
Speaking to Autocar, Charles Morgan said “The response to the 3 Wheeler has far exceeded our expectations, both in volume and youth appeal." As a result the company is on track to sell over 600 units this year which would put it ahead of more traditional models like the 4/4, Plus 4 and Roadster.
The sales momentum has also spurred debate about new variants with different body styles and engines. There's no word on what we could expect but the original three-wheeler had a Family Runabout variant with seating for four people.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Audi A7
| Posted on 06.27.2013 18:00 by |
The 2014 A7 risks being overshadowed by the high-powered S7, as well as the track-ready RS7 for the first time in the United States. Buyers may quickly discover that the relatively simple and affordable A7 is the pick of the range. With all the luxury and exterior drama, via a 2014 Black Optics package and S-line trim, the A7 is no wallflower. It can also haul serious mass its huge trunk on its way to 60 mph in under 6 seconds.
The A7 is a mutant of a car in the ultra-conservative luxury sedan world. Style it all you want, but do not add a hatchback or call it a coupe. Where it starts to make sense is in the decadent fastback proportions and more than a little Lamborghini Estoque about the rear end.
The Audi seals the deal with a huge tailgate that opens to a wagon-large cargo area and rear seats that can fold down for loading antiques.
The A7 has a low roofline that is a significant 3-inch drop from the A8 above it. And while the A7 looks enormous, it is about half a foot shorter than the A8, as well.
The A7 does not have this fashion coupe space all to itself. It is nearly $20,000 cheaper than the Porsche Panamera that packs the same freaky hatchback luxury charm. The A7 also takes aim at the Mercedes-Benz CLS550 Shooting Brake and the BMW 650i Gran Coupe, making this one big German party.
None of these over-styled cars ever age very gracefully but the A7 is in the unenviable spot of being the oldest among this group of brand-new competitors. Don't count out the $65,000 A7, as this battle has only just begun.
Click past the jump for the full review of the 2014 Audi A7 3.0T with highlights on the new equipment and performance options.
Audi A7 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 27 June 2013 18:00 EST.
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BMW 1 Series M Coupe by Sportec
| Posted on 06.27.2013 19:00 by |
Even though it has been out of production for over a year now, the 1 Series M Coupe remains one of the coolest models ever offered by BMW. To sweeten the pot even more, BMW built just 2,700 units, making it one of the most appreciated BMW models.
German tuner, Sportec, obviously loves the 1 Series M, as it is serving up a pair of upgrades for the compact Bimmer. In its natural state, the 1M Coupe is plenty powerful, as it delivers a total of 335 horsepower at 5,900 rpm and 332 pound-feet of torque from 1,500 rpm to 4,500 rpm. This is enough to launch the compact coupe to 60 mph in just 4.6 seconds.
In Level 1, Sportec reprogrammed the ECU to push the output to a total of 385 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. By our estimation, Level 1 should drop the naught to 60 mph time to about 4.3 seconds.
Level 2 is more complex, as and includes a larger oil cooler, a downpipe with 100-cell metal catalytic converter and a sports air filter. As a result, the TwinPower 3.0-liter in-line-6 engine delivers a total of 420 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, which we estimate to drop the 0-to-60 time to just over 4 seconds.
Click past the jump to see the BMW 1 Series M Coupe by Sportec in action and other details on this custom 1 Series M.
BMW 1 Series M Coupe by Sportec originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 27 June 2013 19:00 EST.
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Thursday, June 27, 2013
1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Auctions for $1.3 Million at Barrett-Jackson
A 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept was auctioned at the 2013 Barrett-Jackson auction for $1,375,000, the auction has seen some one-off projects auction at very high prices such as the Original 1966 Batmobile that auctioned for $4.62 million.
This Diablo was a product of the director of automotive design for Chrysler in 1953, Virgil Exner Sr., who was given the responsibility to design all of Chrysler’s concept cars starting in 1954. Exner would then collaborate with Ghia, one of the best body builders in Italy to come up with the Diablo Concept. Designed in a wind tunnel, the Diablo is one of the largest custom bodied convertibles ever built by the Ghia body builder and in its second phase it retained a full convertible top.
They used a 1956 Chrysler 300 with a 392 cubic inch V8 engine featuring two four barrel carburetors, automatic push-button transmission and a ton of chrome in the engine compartment. Every detail on this car was fastidiously gone over by Virgil Exner including the pitchfork emblems, emblem on the gas filler lid which is in the trunk area and the sculpting on the exhaust tips, which reportedly took Virgil several days on the drawing board to get the design just perfect.
The Diablo is also fitted with power steering, power brakes, power windows, power top, power antenna and air conditioning. The size of this car is of 21′ long and very wide. This car has been in the same important collection for approximately 25 years.
[Via Autoblog]
1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Auctions for $1.3 Million at Barrett-Jackson
A 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept was auctioned at the 2013 Barrett-Jackson auction for $1,375,000, the auction has seen some one-off projects auction at very high prices such as the Original 1966 Batmobile that auctioned for $4.62 million.
This Diablo was a product of the director of automotive design for Chrysler in 1953, Virgil Exner Sr., who was given the responsibility to design all of Chrysler’s concept cars starting in 1954. Exner would then collaborate with Ghia, one of the best body builders in Italy to come up with the Diablo Concept. Designed in a wind tunnel, the Diablo is one of the largest custom bodied convertibles ever built by the Ghia body builder and in its second phase it retained a full convertible top.
They used a 1956 Chrysler 300 with a 392 cubic inch V8 engine featuring two four barrel carburetors, automatic push-button transmission and a ton of chrome in the engine compartment. Every detail on this car was fastidiously gone over by Virgil Exner including the pitchfork emblems, emblem on the gas filler lid which is in the trunk area and the sculpting on the exhaust tips, which reportedly took Virgil several days on the drawing board to get the design just perfect.
The Diablo is also fitted with power steering, power brakes, power windows, power top, power antenna and air conditioning. The size of this car is of 21′ long and very wide. This car has been in the same important collection for approximately 25 years.
[Via Autoblog]
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Auctions for $1.3 Million at Barrett-Jackson
A 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept was auctioned at the 2013 Barrett-Jackson auction for $1,375,000, the auction has seen some one-off projects auction at very high prices such as the Original 1966 Batmobile that auctioned for $4.62 million.
This Diablo was a product of the director of automotive design for Chrysler in 1953, Virgil Exner Sr., who was given the responsibility to design all of Chrysler’s concept cars starting in 1954. Exner would then collaborate with Ghia, one of the best body builders in Italy to come up with the Diablo Concept. Designed in a wind tunnel, the Diablo is one of the largest custom bodied convertibles ever built by the Ghia body builder and in its second phase it retained a full convertible top.
They used a 1956 Chrysler 300 with a 392 cubic inch V8 engine featuring two four barrel carburetors, automatic push-button transmission and a ton of chrome in the engine compartment. Every detail on this car was fastidiously gone over by Virgil Exner including the pitchfork emblems, emblem on the gas filler lid which is in the trunk area and the sculpting on the exhaust tips, which reportedly took Virgil several days on the drawing board to get the design just perfect.
The Diablo is also fitted with power steering, power brakes, power windows, power top, power antenna and air conditioning. The size of this car is of 21′ long and very wide. This car has been in the same important collection for approximately 25 years.
[Via Autoblog]
1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Auctions for $1.3 Million at Barrett-Jackson
A 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept was auctioned at the 2013 Barrett-Jackson auction for $1,375,000, the auction has seen some one-off projects auction at very high prices such as the Original 1966 Batmobile that auctioned for $4.62 million.
This Diablo was a product of the director of automotive design for Chrysler in 1953, Virgil Exner Sr., who was given the responsibility to design all of Chrysler’s concept cars starting in 1954. Exner would then collaborate with Ghia, one of the best body builders in Italy to come up with the Diablo Concept. Designed in a wind tunnel, the Diablo is one of the largest custom bodied convertibles ever built by the Ghia body builder and in its second phase it retained a full convertible top.
They used a 1956 Chrysler 300 with a 392 cubic inch V8 engine featuring two four barrel carburetors, automatic push-button transmission and a ton of chrome in the engine compartment. Every detail on this car was fastidiously gone over by Virgil Exner including the pitchfork emblems, emblem on the gas filler lid which is in the trunk area and the sculpting on the exhaust tips, which reportedly took Virgil several days on the drawing board to get the design just perfect.
The Diablo is also fitted with power steering, power brakes, power windows, power top, power antenna and air conditioning. The size of this car is of 21′ long and very wide. This car has been in the same important collection for approximately 25 years.
[Via Autoblog]
Monday, June 24, 2013
1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept Auctions for $1.3 Million at Barrett-Jackson
A 1956 Chrysler Diablo Concept was auctioned at the 2013 Barrett-Jackson auction for $1,375,000, the auction has seen some one-off projects auction at very high prices such as the Original 1966 Batmobile that auctioned for $4.62 million.
This Diablo was a product of the director of automotive design for Chrysler in 1953, Virgil Exner Sr., who was given the responsibility to design all of Chrysler’s concept cars starting in 1954. Exner would then collaborate with Ghia, one of the best body builders in Italy to come up with the Diablo Concept. Designed in a wind tunnel, the Diablo is one of the largest custom bodied convertibles ever built by the Ghia body builder and in its second phase it retained a full convertible top.
They used a 1956 Chrysler 300 with a 392 cubic inch V8 engine featuring two four barrel carburetors, automatic push-button transmission and a ton of chrome in the engine compartment. Every detail on this car was fastidiously gone over by Virgil Exner including the pitchfork emblems, emblem on the gas filler lid which is in the trunk area and the sculpting on the exhaust tips, which reportedly took Virgil several days on the drawing board to get the design just perfect.
The Diablo is also fitted with power steering, power brakes, power windows, power top, power antenna and air conditioning. The size of this car is of 21′ long and very wide. This car has been in the same important collection for approximately 25 years.
[Via Autoblog]