Bugatti Veyron

Bugatti Veyron, originally uploaded by Chris Wevers.

Jeep at Tuki - HDR

Jeep at Tuki - HDR, originally uploaded by ctandjung.

Lexus SC 430 HDR

Lexus SC 430 HDR, originally uploaded by marcp_dmoz.

2010 ICOTY & IMOTY Awards announced

Though the 2010 ICOTY & IMOTY titles have been announced almost a month back, constant traveling at the beginning of the year kept me extremely busy to post it on time. Nevertheless, it's an important event which couldn't be left out without posting either.



Modeled along the likes of the North American, European and Japanese Car of the Year awards, all the major automotive publications in the country, along with JK Tyre have instituted these awards which is now recognized in the international level. Now in it's fifth year of running, the 2010 Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) and Indian Motorcycle of the Year (IMOTY) award-winners have been announced. No surprises in both the categories, as Tata Nano and the Kawasaki Ninja 250R have been selected for the top honors in the country. It's ironical to know the fact that the title-winning bike is costlier than the car selected for the title. In fact, you can get two Tata Nanos for the price of a Kawasaki Ninja 250R.

 

Tata's diminutive Nano has been on a spree of winning awards including Car of the Year awards from individual automotive publications like Autocar India, Overdrive and the like. The Nano is the height of Indian innovation and by developing this automotive icon, Tata has made the world to crane and look towards Indian engineering. Production constraints apart, there is absolutely no reason why the Nano will not succeed in the domestic level though I am skeptical about it's success in the international arena. (Pic Courtesy: Overdrive)

When Bajaj introduced the Kawasaki Ninja 250R in India, it presented Indians with a gift which they have not received before - "Affordable Sports Biking". Though people with very deep pockets had their choice when it came to sports bikes (Hayabusa, R1, etc.), others were forced to settle for something from the crowded 150cc segment or the monopolized 220cc segment. Hope Bajaj lives up to the hype created by the bike and does not discontinue this bike within months of launching it in the market like it does for most other models.

Super Riviera

Super Riviera - 211 of 365, originally uploaded by SRivera.

Salon auto 2010 - Dodge Mustang Headlights

Salon auto 2010 - Dodge Mustang Headlights, originally uploaded by mcsdwarken.

MINI Countryman em v�deo

Depois de das fotos do MINI Countryman o fabricante do carrinho, agora com 4 portas, disponibilizou dois v�deos.

Ford Figo undergoing final rounds of Testing

It's raining news about Ford now. Till very recently, it seemed as if Ford and GM have exchanged their jobs in India from what is happening in the USA. When GM India was on a spree of launching attractive models one by one at competitive prices (Captiva, Cruze and Beat), Ford was in it's dormant best with no new models to boast of. This is just quite opposite to what's happening in USA (and rest of the world) where Ford is staging an amazing comeback.



Ford finally broke the shackles and woke up from it's slumber when it's CEO Mr. Alan Mulally himself unveiled the company's new big hope in India - the Figo hatchback. Though the Figo (and Ford) missed the limelight at this year's Delhi Auto Expo, it seems that Figo is getting ready to be launched very soon in the market. A friend of mine happened to spot a fleet of Figo test mules being tested in NH45. From the snaps, it's quite obvious that these are almost 99% production ready cars undergoing some final rounds of testing and tweaking before its let out in the market.



Meanwhile automotive media have already driven the hatch and have come out with good, positive reviews. Ford fans, rejoice. The Figo is here finally !!!

Nova Opel Meriva agora em v�deo

Novas rodas da linha Vectra

A linha Vectra top de linha ganha novas rodas de 17 polegadas. Na vers�o Elite 2010 as rodas tem um novo desenho. J� no Vectra GT-X o desenho continua o mesma por�m a parte externa foi �diamantada� e o interior foi pintado de grafite.

Os amortecedores receberam nova calibra��o para receber as novas rodas, segundo a montadora com a nova altera��o o carro ficou mais est�vel e seguro e proporciona um maior conforto em pisos irregulares.

Ford sweeps 2010 North American Car & Truck of the Year Awards

Ford, the American giant which is on a stunning comeback trail across the world, has made a clean sweep of the 2010 North American Car & Truck of the Year Awards with it's Fusion Hybrid and Transit Connect taking home the titles respectively. Earlier, Honda in 2006 and General Motors in 2007 had won both the titles and this is the third time in the 17-year history of the awards that a single manufacturer becomes the recipient of both the titles.

Of the three car finalists, Ford Fusion Hybrid scored 241 points leaving behind the Volkswagen Golf/TDI/GTI (146 points) and the Buick LaCrosse (103 points). One of the jurors summed up the verdict as "Though not the first hybrid on the market, or even the second or third, The Fusion Hybrid is simply the best one ever built. In addition to delivering terrific mileage, it looks and drives like a regular car - and a very good one indeed."



Amongst the truck finalists, Ford's Transit Connect had 213 points followed by the Chevrolet Equinox (183 points) and the Subaru Outback (94 points). Jim Mateja, of the Chicago Tribune, said "A U-Haul that fits in your garage. Holds people and soooo much of their stuff - bikes, snowmobiles, lawn movers, skis, tents, boats, ladders, furniture, you name it. Defines multi-purpose and boasts a reasonable price even when you add side and rear windows and back seat."

The fact is that both are worthy winners from a deserving manufacturer which is doing almost everything right at the moment. Last year, the North American Car of the Year was the Hyundai Genesis and North American Truck of the Year was Ford F-150. My guess on the title winners turned out to be partially correct with the Fusion Hybrid hitting the bull's eye and the Chevrolet Equinox failing to make the cut.

Mini Crossover ou Countryman

A BMW revelou oficialmente o crossover Countryman, o quarto modelo Mini. Ele � o primeiro quatro portas da linha que continua com linhas retro porem com voca��o para fora de estrada.

O Countryman vem com tra��o 4x2 e 4x4 os motores ter�o tr�s tipos a gasolina e duas Diesel, com pot�ncias que oscilam entre os 90 e os 184 CV.

Ele ter� capacidade para acomodar quatro ou cinco ocupantes - a op��o de tr�s lugares traseiros n�o ter� custos adicionais -, enquanto a bagageira varia entre os 350 e os 1170 litros.

Ele deve chegar em meados de 2011 por 25 mil euros para a vers�o basica e ser� apresentado no Sal�o de Genebra.

Red Machine in Detroit Autoshow

2010-NAIAS-2266, originally uploaded by not_Aaron.

Mustang Shelby GT350 2010

A Shelby, divis�o esportiva da Ford, apresentou a nova vers�o do Mustang GT350. A s�rie foi criada h� 45 anos.

O novo GT350 vem com motor V8 5.0 de 412 cv. Com supercharger, o propulsor chega a atingir 500 cv. Para aumentar o desempenho ele tem sistema de escape fornecido pela Borla, freios com discos de 14� e pin�as de seis pist�es na dianteira, produzidos pela Baer, al�m do sistema de suspens�o esportiva completa, desenvolvida pela Ford.

No interior ele traz na coluna A, marcadores de press�o do �leo, combust�vel e press�o de trabalho do supercharger. Tapetes da s�rie GT350, e tamb�m uma plaqueta de identifica��o.

Mais fotos da nova Opel Meriva

A Opel divulgou divulgou mais fotos da segunda gera��o da minivan Meriva.

A nova Mariva ter� seis op��es de motores para os europeus. Com pot�ncias entre 75 cv e 140 cv com transmiss�es manual de 5 ou 6 marchas ou autom�tica de 6 velocidades.

Interior interior do novo Meriva

A Vauxhall, subsidi�ria inglesa da Chevrolet divulgou as fotos do interior da nova gera��o da Meriva.

A nova gera��o da Meriva ser� apresentada no Sal�o de Genebra, que inicia em mar�o. Ela n�o tem previs�o para chegar ao Brasil.

Sideways.

Sideways., originally uploaded by Lucian Bickerton.

Mustang GT doing what it should do; drifting.

Charger

Charger3, originally uploaded by Lessprit.

not scalextric

not scalextric, originally uploaded by delphwynd.

Porsche GT3 R 2010 para as pistas

A Porsche apresentou no Sal�o Internacional do Autom�vel Esportivo, que acontece em Birmingham, no Reino Unido, o novo 911 GT3 R.

O esportivo foi desenvolvido para as pistas com base nos regulamentos da FIA GT3, tendo como base o 911 GT3 Cup que foi apresentado no Sal�o Autom�vel de Frankfurt.

O GT3 R pesa 1200 kg e tem o motor boxer de seis cilindros de 4,0 litros e 480 cavalos. Com caixa de seis velocidades.

Mesmo sendo desenvolvido para as pistas ele traz ABS, controle de tra��o e sistema eletr�nico de acelera��o. As lanternas traseiras tem tecnologia de LED

Clique nas fotos para ampliar: