The Land Rover Defender LXV has been unveiled and is on sale now. The new special edtion model has been built to celebrate Land Rover's 65th anniversary and comes with a range of cosmetic upgrades. Equipment includes 16in "Sawtooth" alloy wheels and a union flag decal on the rear of the car. Santorini Black paintwork with a contrasting Corris Grey roof, grille, headlight surrounds and facia comes as standard. Interior upgrades include leather upholstery with LXV-embossed head restraints and orange contrast stitching. Land Rover has confirmed that 65 cars will be produced, in 90" hard top form, with a 2.2-litre diesel engine. Prices start from £28,765.

Source: telegraph

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The Opel Mokka will join the growing number of pint-sized SUVs to be sold in Australia. General Motors’ German brand has finally confirmed the Mokka will join its local line-up, which currently comprises the Corsa city car, Astra small car and Insignia mid-sizer. The Opel Mokka is available in multiple variants in Europe but from launch will be limited to just a front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models when it reaches Australia in the third quarter – both powered by the same 1.4-litre turbocharged engine seen in the locally made Holden Cruze.

The four-cylinder produces 103kW and 200Nm and puts its power to either the front wheels or all four wheels via a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox. In manual guise, the Opel Mokka 1.4 turbo AWD accelerates from 0-100km/h in 9.9 seconds and uses 6.4 litres per 100km according to the European fuel cycle. All manual versions come with engine stop-start. Opel Australia says it is also interested in offering a diesel alternative. A 1.7-litre turbo diesel is available in Europe that has 96kW and 300Nm, and uses as little as 4.5 litres per 100km in front-drive, manual gearbox form, though the local operation has suggested another diesel option is on the cards.

Other petrol engines aren’t ruled out, either, for a later point for the German-built SUV. Europe currently also offers the Mokka with a 85kW 1.6-litre four-cylinder. The company isn’t revealing pricing at this stage, but the baby SUV is likely to start somewhere above $25,000 and below $30,000. At 4.3 metres long, the Opel Mokka about the same size as the Mitsubishi ASX as well as a raft of new upcoming rivals that include the Ford EcoSport, Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008, and its twin the Holden Trax.

Comfort and safety technologies will include a reverse-view camera as standard on all models, while the Opel Eye front camera with forward collision alert and lane departure warning systems will also be available.

Opel Australia is understandably keen to get the Mokka into the local market considering the popularity of SUVs, and the fact its sales numbers remain relatively humble for now since its return to the Australian market as an official brand – rather than rebadged Holdens – in August 2012. The brand has sold 463 vehicles to March 2012, though still has a fairly limited dealer network as it strives to establish itself locally.

Source: caradvice

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The new Micra will be manufactured at the Renault plant at Flins, near Paris, from 2016 with output reaching 82,000 vehicles per year, the companies said in a statement on Friday. France's Industrial Renewal Minister Arnaud Montebourg said the deal "was just the beginning for Renault in France and towards (products) made in France".

Renault said the labour pact signed last month increased "the competitiveness of its French plants, and enabled the company to assign the new Nissan production to the Flins plant". Renault's management had pushed strongly for the labour deal with unions, arguing wages and working hours needed more flexibility if car manufacturing in the country was to survive the severe downturn in the European car market.

The deal is also in line with new labour market flexibility measures that are set to become law next month and which the French government hopes will boost employment and restart stalled economic growth.

"This announcement is good news for Flins, but also for all Renault plants in France," said Renault Group chief executive Carlos Ghosn. "The efforts committed by our employees under the Renault Agreement are beginning to bear fruit."Renault's pact with unions will see wages frozen in 2013 and working hours increased, but in return, the company has pledged to keep all of its five plants in France open until the end of 2016. Although it plans to cut 7,500 jobs in France, those will be made through natural attrition and early retirement.

Under the deal with Nissan, the French automaker is committed to ramp up its annual production volume by 180,000 cars in plants in France to 710,000. In that increase, 100,000 of the cars will be new Renault products, and the remaining 80,000 will come from partners.

A Renault spokesman told AFP that "other opportunities may present themselves (with the partners) that we won't fail to study". Patrick Lienard, an FO union official at the Flins plant, said other announcements are soon expected to follow "for the two other sites". There has previously been talks about producing Nissan Primastar vans at a plant in Sandouville.

Another union representative, Bruno Mathiez of the CFE-CGC, called the announcement "excellent news that we didn't expect that early. This proves that Nissan has confidence in us following the agreement". Nissan, which has its own European manufacturing sites in Britain, Russia and Spain, said these would soon be at full capacity and it had looked for options within its alliance with Renault.

"The decision to propose the vehicle to Renault to build at one of its European plants benefits Nissan in several ways including capital expense reduction, foreign exchange exposure reduction and working capital reduction through shorter supply chains," the company said in a statement. Renault, which also owns Dacia and Samsung brands, still managed a net profit of 1.77 billion euros ($A2.25 billion) last year as it is less dependent on the European market, where its sales dropped by 18 per cent last year.

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Minivans are not cool. Carmakers have tried everything from extroverted styling to filling their ‘vans with legions of LCD monitors, but they’re losing the battle against perception. Honda has tried harder than most, even resorting to a 1970s-themed ad campaign for the Odyssey.

Honda’s latest attempt at a cool minivan is the Concept M, which was just unveiled at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. The Concept M definitely looks like a minivan, albeit one designed by the same person who designed the talking robots for Michael Bay’s Transformers movies. It’s rare to see a car with not one, but two sets of side air intakes, but that front end is pretty tall. Those gaping holes, and the unusual two-tiered grille, hide some of the Concept M’s girth.

Another interesting touch is the intense sculpting of the wheel wells. They’re pulled so far out from the sides of the car in back that some clamp-like pieces of trim can fit around them. We wouldn’t say the Concept M is pretty, but it definitely stands out and has a more aggressive look than any vehicle designed to haul packs of schoolchildren has a right to.

It’s also truly mini: Whereas Honda’s own Odyssey is getting decidedly maxi in size, the Concept M is intended as a compact minivan, along the lines of the Mazda5. Vehicles like that have always occupied a small niche in the United States, but that won’t be a problem for Honda if it decides to put the Concept M into production.

Source: digitaltrends

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Maruti Suzuki has announced that its Swift Dzire saloon and Ertiga MPV have been awarded the India Design Mark: Good Design Award. This award recognises product designers and the products created as being well designed, reliable, offering true value for money and, also being manufactured in a responsible manner. In 2012, the Wagon R and Swift hatchbacks had received the same award.

The jury for the India Design Mark, which has been initiated in cooperation with the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP), comprises some of the leading design experts and senior faculty members of India’s leading design institutes. The Dzire, which sold 169,571 units in 2012-13 and the Ertiga, which sold 76,375 units, are among the top-selling models in the country.

Commenting on the award, C V Raman, executive director (Engineering), Maruti Suzuki India, said: “The core philosophy at Maruti Suzuki is to design products which have the highest standards in design and engineering. This prestigious award for the second consecutive year is an acknowledgment of our passion and commitment to maintain the highest design standards for our cars. It also showcases our maturity in design engineering.

Source: hindustantimes

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The two Detroit giants, Ford and GM, are working in conjunction to design and develop a pair of new automatic transmissions. The move is to fend off the competition in the race to offer highly efficient automatic transmissions. Increasing the number of cogs is the trend now. Land Rover has already showcased its 9-speed transmission which was developed jointly with ZF and so did Jeep with its 2014 Cherokee.

It’s time for Ford and GM to step up their game as the joint development seems to be the fastest and the cost effective way. Wall Street Journal reports that the two American bigwigs have already started the work on new 9- and 10-speed transmissions which would go into a range of their future portfolio. The higher number of gears enable a wider choice of gear ratios which ensure high efficiency under different operating conditions. The transmissions will be designed for both front and rear wheel drive vehicles.

While the new gearboxes share basic architecture and hardware, the automakers will adopt their exclusive software to make them suitable for their vehicles. There are no further details about the development and no investment plans have been made public.

This is not the first time Ford and GM have joined hands to develop transmissions. Both companies had worked together twice earlier. The 6-speed transmission with front wheel drive for cars like Chevrolet Malibu and the Ford Fusion were one of their previous joint developments. The partnership would enable both manufacturers to keep pace with their competitors. Considering that Ford resorts to the ‘One Ford’ global strategy, we could get the new transmissions in one of the future cars that Ford has promised us.

Source: indianautosblog

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This is the new Audi S3, a near-300bhp four-wheel drive hot hatch that’s as quick as a Porsche 911 and a rival for BMW’s M135i and the forthcoming Mercedes A45 AMG. Is it a VW Golf GTI turned up to 11, or just a faster Audi A3? Read on for our first drive review of the new Audi S3…

How does the new Audi S3 measure up against the old Audi S3?
There’s more power, more torque, but less weight, fewer emissions, and improved fuel consumption. The turbocharged four-cylinder beneath the bonnet has exactly the same cubic capacity as the outgoing 1984cc engine, but it’s actually completely new. Power has climbed from 261bhp at 6000rpm to 296bhp produced from 5500-6200rpm, and torque is up from 258lb ft (at 2500-5000rpm) to 280lb ft (at 1800-5500rpm).

But fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have improved too, thanks to both the new engine and a 60kg reduction in the kerbweight (a result of the lightweight MQB platform shared with the latest Volkswagen Golf). There’s little between the six-speed manual and optional six-speed dual-clutch S-tronic ‘box (£1480, and fitted to our test car) but opt for the latter and the S3 will officially return 40.9mpg and emit 159g/km (the old S3 S-tronic managed 34mpg and 193g/km CO2). That, and with the S-tronic gearbox the S3 is seven-tenths quicker to 62mph, the 4.8 seconds it needs is the same as a Porsche 911 Carrera.

I’m not sure the new Audi S3 looks like a 300bhp hot hatch…
True. Apart from the extra aluminium orthodontics in the front grille and intakes, a few discreet S3 badges, and the aluminium-look mirrors, there’s little to differentiate this Audi from any other A3 with the S-line bodykit. The only really distinguishing feature is the new set of quad exhausts, a trademark ‘S’ model feature that wasn’t on the outgoing S3 due to cost issues and engineering difficulties.

Yet inside the S3 does feel special. The regular A3’s high-quality cabin is already a minimalist delight, with its slimline pop-up multimedia screen, aircraft engine-inspired air vents and thin metal-effect spar dissecting the dashboard. And the S3 adds new grey dials with a built-in boost gauge, a great set of diamond-quilted seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, and (in our S-tronic model) a chunky set of gearshift paddles.

Access to the back seats is no more than okay, but a more practical five-door S3 will arrive in summer 2013, and that Sportback model should carry a premium of around £600.

How does the new S3 drive?
Like any other A3 if you’re just going through the motions of the daily commute. It’s quiet and refined, the S-tronic ‘box slips smoothly between gears, and the seats are comfortable and supportive.

But fiddle with the Drive Select system, select the Dynamic setting, and the S3 changes character. An ‘electromechanical sound actuator’ in the dash and two valves in the exhaust turn up the noise, so now the 2.0T snarls richly as the revs rise (though there’s no turbo roar like in the RS6) and with each upshift there’s a lovely deep whoompf from the quad pipes.

The Dynamic setting also sharpens the gearshifts, and the S3 follows the revised R8 supercar and finally has a set of paddles that aren’t the size of TicTac packets. Strangely, the RS6 (launched at the same event) has kept the old small paddles, but unlike the RS6 – which won’t ever change gear if you use the Manual mode – the S3’s S-tronic ‘box always upshifts when you reach the limiter.

The S3’s steering gains some extra weight too in the Dynamic setting, so although there’s no more feedback, the slight lifeless spot around the dead-ahead position is banished, and a Focus ST-style variable rack means the ratio gets quicker as more lock is applied. It’s not quite as quick into corners as the Ford, or as sharp as a Megane RS, but the S3 does manage to feel light and agile as you pitch it down a good country road.

All S3s feature 25mm lower ‘S’ sports suspension, but although there weren’t any major issues to report with the ride on smooth German roads, as ever it’ll take a drive in the UK before we can deliver a definitive verdict. An A3 S-line on 15mm lower sports suspension struggles on our rough roads, so ignoring the optional 19s but going for the adaptive magnetic dampers might be the best choice. Our car didn’t have the trick dampers, but again they can be tweaked through the Drive Select system – and if you don’t want the steering, gearbox, engine and suspension in Comfort or Dynamic, or trust the Auto setting to match your driving style, then you can mix and match it all yourself via the Individual mode.

But the S3’s trump card is its traction. A Focus ST or Vauxhall Astra VXR will torque steer out of tight corners or even in a straight line, yet even when we were treated to torrential rain and hail, the S3 never had trouble transferring its torque to the sodden roads.

Verdict
The Audi S3 has always been a good all-round hot hatch, but this latest version has a broader repertoire: it’s more refined and the cabin is unmatched in this class, and it’s also more fun to drive hard. The S3 isn’t quite as involving as any of the Ford/Vauxhall/Renaultsport crowd, but I’m not sure that matters when the rest of the package is so complete.

Source: carmagazine

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BMW has announced Australian pricing and specifications for its all-new M6 Gran Coupe, following the big performance sedan's unveiling in December. Available in Australia from around July, the M6 Gran Coupe will wear a $299,500 price tag (plus on-roads), entering above the $292,500 M6 Coupe and the $308,500 M6 Convertible. Like its two-door siblings, the M6 Gran Coupe is powered by a thunderous twin-turbo 4.4 litre V8, producing 412kW and 680Nm of torque.

Source: themotorreport

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Honda’s much talked about, entry level sedan, Amaze is slated for launch on April 11. This car will be Honda’s debut in the diesel vehicle segment.

Lots of hopes are pinned on Amaze, Honda’s first lower C segment sedan, as the automaker is losing out to its rivals in market sales mainly due to the fact that not a single car in the car maker’s line-up has a diesel variant.

Honda will introduce the Amaze in India with both petrol and diesel options. It has already been launched in Thailand with a petrol engine only. The car is based on the platform of its existing small car Brio, which was developed exclusively for the Asian markets.

The company's Indian arm Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) is leaving no stones unturned to make the launch a grand success. Apart from readying maintenance package, extended warranty schemes and exchange offers with the Amaze. Top executives of the HCIL are making personal home visits to its Brio owners, to take their feedback and learn from their needs. Here is a quick check on the top five cool things about the car that one must know, if you are planning to buy one.

Price: Honda has priced its new car very sensibly, keeping in mind the price range of its close competitors Hyundai Accent, Toyota Etios, Chevrolet Sail, Tata Indigo XL and Mahindra Verito, which varies between 4.5 lakhs to 7 lakhs. Honda Amaze’s petrol variant is expected to start at Rs 4.79 lakh while the diesel model will start at the base price of Rs 6 lakh.

Mileage: Honda Amaze is powered by a 1.5 litres 4 cylinder iDTEC EarthDreams engine. The 1.5 litres engine has a peak power output of 100PS and develops a peak torque figure of 200Nm. This makes the sedan more powerful than the diesel variant of the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire.

The diesel engine of Amaze is an all aluminium unit which makes it the lightest engine in its class.
Moreover, the most important concern of mileage has been well taken care of. The 1.5 litres diesel engine will give Amaze a fuel economy figure of 25.8 kmpl! (ARAI certified)

Looks: Honda Amaze is the sedan version of its hatchback car Brio. Hence, one may find many similarities between the two. But, the carmakers have cleverly designed to offer more interior space than the Brio. This is courtesy a lengthened wheelbase and new angle for the rear bench.

It comes with the two-slatted chrome grille and the wider front fender that makes it look a bit bigger than the Brio. The new tail-lamp design gives the increased perception of width. It is 380mm longer compared to Brio and the height is 1,505mm. The rest of the design and exterior features remain the same as Brio.

The entry level sedan Amaze qualifies for the excise duty benefit, enjoyed by small cars in India and will directly take on Maruti Suzuki's Swift DZiRE, the current undisputed segment leader. At present, any car with a petrol engine capacity under 1,200 cc or diesel engine under 1,500 cc, but length shorter than four metres, attract an excise duty of 12 percent.

Well, the car looks very promising and Honda seems to have a bright future. We hope to see several units of Amaze hitting the Indian roads.

Source: zeenews.india

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Following the meltdown of two lithium-ion battery packs in Japan – one at a dealer, the other at an assembly plant – Mitsubishi has halted Japanese production and sales of its Outlander plug-in hybrid. The decision affects only Japan at this stage, as the company tries to determine whether a fault could affect the i-MiEV sold in the U.S, but it in fact has yet to determine the exact cause.

“We announced this issue before a recall to tell the consumers immediately for their safety,” said Mitsubishi spokeswoman Namie Koketsu in an interview with Automotive News. “We’re still trying to determine which cars are affected and the root cause.”One meltdown incident in which an actual fire resulted occurred March 18 when a pack at Mitsubishi’s Mizushima assembly plant. The battery in an inspection room started smoking and an hour later it caught fire, according to reports.

Mitsubishi is in the meantime advising owners of the Outlander plug-in to not recharge their vehicles. As for its U.S. launch expected some time next year, the vehicle has been anticipated for the past few years, and Mitsubishi has said it does not expect the problem to delay its American release.

To date, Mitsubishi has sold 4,000 of them in its home country after beginning sales January 24 and this has been quite the achievement given that only 2,500 units of the regular gas-powered Outlander sold since an October 2012 launch. Mitsubishi’s batteries were made by Lithium Energy Japan which is a joint venture with GS Yuasa Corp.

GS Yuasa also made the batteries that grounded the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Although not proven yet, Mitsubishi is suspecting the issue can be traced to a defect in manufacturing. Batteries also supplied by Toshiba, and equipped in lower trim level i vehicles, are believed to be OK.

Source: hybridcars

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