Archive for July, 2009
Spy shots: Modified Gumpert Apollo Speed hits the ‘Ring
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by admin.
German sports car manufacturer Gumpert unveiled a faster version of its Apollo supercar back at March’s Geneva Motor Show named the Apollo Speed. Building on previous versions like the Apollo Sport and Apollo Race, the new Speed had been further engineered to tackle high speed runs.
Setting apart the Speed from previous Apollo models are bigger wheel arches, a new front splitter and revised air intakes. However, development of the car is far from complete as evidenced by this prototype version spotted testing at the Nurburgring in Germany.
Gumpert Apollo
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Preview: Mercedes Benz C-Class facelift
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by admin.
The latest generation W204 Mercedes Benz C-Class has been on sale since 2007 and will be due for its mid-cycle facelift around 2010. As this computer generated rendering suggests, the car’s designers won’t be mucking around with the stylish look of the current model, instead choosing to focus on only minor changes such as new bumper, headlight and wheel designs.
Besides the styling changes to the exterior, there will almost certainly be some updates to the interior and a number of mechanical changes.
C-class cabrio
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Preview: Next-generation Mercedes Benz SLK
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by admin.
The SLK roadster has served Mercedes Benz well over its life since introduction in 2004, and like all cars its once-cutting-edge design has become somewhat tired, despite a mid-cycle facelift. An all-new SLK is in the works, however, and it’s been spotted on numerous occasions testing in Germany.
Aside from the car’s general proportions not much is clear due to generous slabs of camouflage cladding. Nevertheless, the car’s LED daytime running lights, common to all of Mercedes’ most recent models, are obvious.
2011 Mercedes Benz SLK 63 AMG
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Muscle car wars heat up as Camaro outsells Mustang in June
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by admin.
Ford or Chevy. Camaro or Mustang. Bud or Coors. These are just a few of the great debates of our time, and while none are likely to find a final answer anytime soon, Camaro enthusiasts just got some more ammunition for their position, with the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro outselling the 2010 Ford Mustang in monthly sales for the first time since 1993.
The sales tally for June was 9,320 for the Camaro and 7,362 for the Mustang, reports Automotive News. To be fair, the Mustang has been on sale for several months more than the Camaro, so the early demand surge may taper off as time goes on.
On the other hand, GM sold 14,000 Camaros before the car ever went on sale, so what we’re seeing now could just be the mainstream market’s desire for a good-looking American coupe.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro Official Photos
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Mercedes to base next-gen A and B-Class on Toyota MC platform?
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by admin.
Toyota’s small-car prowess is rapidly being recognized by some of the giants of the automotive industry, including Aston Martin, which is building a re-styled iQ for its own brand. The next to borrow from Toyota could be Daimler, if the latest word from Germany holds true.
The next-gen A-Class and B-Class small cars could be based on the Toyota MC platform, according to Auto Motor & Sport. Why would Daimler and Toyota concoct such an alliance? Efficiency, of course.
Or as it’s termed – often ominously – in the industry, ‘synergy’.
Mercedes-Benz compact family renderings
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Report: GTbyCitroen supercar to see six-unit production run
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by admin.
Since the GTbyCitroen supercar crossed the pixel-reality barrier and leapt out of Gran Turismo 5 and onto the street, talk of a limited production run has circulated. Now that talk is taking shape, with an expected production run of just six cars according to the latest reports.
Back in December we brought you the first hints that the French-branded Sony Playstation video game car might see actual sales, but the newest information claims to be based on inside information from Citroen’s product chief Vincent Besson, reports Autocar.
The low-slung and futuristic supercar will be priced around £1.1 million ($1.8 million) – about the same as the comparatively common Bugatti Veyron.
Citroen GT Concept car at Paris Motor Show
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BMW uses social network sites to promote the new BMW X1
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by admin.
Edmunds InsideLine just posted an interesting piece of news around the recently revealed BMW X1: BMW is heavily using the social media sites to promote the X1 and to reach out to the targeted younger crowd.
After the X1 concept unveiling at the Paris Motor Show last fall, BMW launched a Facebook page dedicated to the X1 which soon has become an important medium of reporting new information. Within a few months, the Facebook X1 page is reporting over 1,700 members.
With the fast rising of Twitter, BMW opened an X1 Twitter account as well, which as of today has over 500 followers waiting daily for more X1 photos and information. And of course, Youtube could not have been left off out of the social media circle and all the official videos were released through the BMWWebTV account.
This brings us back to an article we wrote back in May where we talked about BMW X1 urban vehicle being geared towards a younger demographic who enjoy outdoor activities and would still like to use a spacious car to transport their surfboards, skis, snowboards or climbing equipment. Most of the people fitting this profile spend a lot of their time online and connected, so reaching out to them by using Twitter, Facebook or Youtube, is just brilliant and…..it can be very cost effective.
According to Automotive News, the average age of a BMW buyer is 48, so there was obviously time for a new approach in order to reach the right X1 audience and frankly, these social networks not only offer that medium, but they also offer a large user base and……it is pretty much free.
Tony Douglas, innovations manager at BMW’s Munich marketing department, says, with the social networking audience, “You don’t buy it; you have to earn it. Content and timing has to be good, and you use a bit more brainpower. It is not the blind media spend.”
Same thoughts are shared by Shawn Ticehurst, marketing communications manager of BMW North America who told Inside Line that “[we] are targeting a younger crowd with the X1, opening up a whole new gamut of buyers. The use of things like Twitter, Myspace and Facebook is [not only] a way to appeal to a younger buyer, but we also see them as media opportunities that are continually growing. [BMW] is getting into those medians while they are in a fairly young phase.”
BMWBLOG had a similar discussion back in February with Tom Plucinsky, BMW’s Product and Technology Manager in North America, where we touched this subject prior to all these Twitter and Facebook initiatives. We saw an opportunity there as well, the same as we have seen with our blog and we’re glad to see that BMW is constantly looking for new ways to connect with their customers.
BMWBLOG is a huge advocate of social media and most of our efforts in the past years focused on social networks and connecting with our readers and fans. In a way, we believe we were one of the first auto blogs to make use of these social tools and even our latest project Be A Designer is another example of how we involve the BMW community.
[Source: Edmunds ]
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Lotus Elise Black & White editions revealed
Posted on 01. Jul, 2009 by admin.
While Lotus is certainly known for its minimalist philosophy of design, it is also increasingly known for the incredible multitude of special-edition models offered. Today we get to add another pair to the ranks – the Bell & Colvill Black & White editions.
The pair of special cars features the monochromatic theme that lends them their name, a special tri-stripe down the middle of the car, upgraded microfiber interior materials, upgraded wheels and a special rear diffuser.
The options packages – both Black edition and White edition – will be available from Bell & Colvill, the longest-established Lotus retailer, and only on Elise R and Elise SC models, reports Lotus Enthusiast.
Despite the appearance-only nature of the Black and White editions, pricing sits at a fairly healthy £1,950 ($3,200).
Lotus Elise Black and White Editions
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