Toyota’s plans for Nurburgring 24 are big
This weekend motoring enthusiasts are going to flock to a few small villages in Germany so they can sit around and watch the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.
If the fans are a little excited, that’s nothing compared to the roller coaster of joy, pain, agony and exhaustion the manufacturers are going through.
Toyota Nurburgring 24
Take Toyota for example, they just announced the kind of plans they are fielding for the special event and nothing about it seems easy.
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BMW presents five-door 114i and M135i models
BMW released details and photos for the five-door versions of the new 114i and M135i. The first one is powered by a 1.6-liter petrol unit able to produce 101 horsepower and 180 Nm of torque for a 0-100 km/h acceleration in 11,2 seconds.
The top speed of the model is rated at 195 km/h with fuel consumption figures of 5,5 liters/100km and CO2 emissions of 129 g/km.
2013 BMW M135i
On the other hand, the more potent BMW M135i comes with a 3.0-liter turbocharged engine able to deliver 315 horsepower at 5,800rpm and 450Nm of torque from 1,300rpm.
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Confirmed for Paris: 2013 Chevrolet Trax
There are still several months until the beginning of the 2012 Paris Motor Show but this doesn’t seem to ring any bell with the Americans at Chevrolet.
They’ve just announced that the 2013 Chevrolet Trax will be one of their stars at the French event.
2013 Chevrolet Trax
If this seems a little out of the blue to you, it’s because it is. The Chevrolet Trax hasn’t really been heard of outside some patent filings.
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2012 Hyundai Elantra under investigation
Here’s something nasty and unexpected, the 2012 Hyundai Elantra has gone under investigation for some serious safety concerns.
A recent accident involving one such car in the US had very unpleasant end for the driver. He wasn’t killed or seriously injured but there was a problem that could lead to both.
2011 Hyundai Elantra
The incident saw all the airbags deploy properly and do their job. All but one of the side airbags which did more than that.
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Active Sound Symposer with Ford Focus
Just what sports drivers wanted, Ford added a sound symposer to their Focus model. Now the car’s engine will not just sing- it will roar!
It took an addition of a small tube- the sound symposer. It amplifies throaty frequencies that most enthusiasts crave in sports cars. Engineers amplified the lower range frequencies of the engine. These frequencies that lie between 200 Hz and 450 Hz are loved by auto enthusiasts.
This sound tube concept was used in the past on Mustang. But the sound symposer is a unique tool because it has an electronic valve that opens/closes according to gear selection, accelerator pedal position, and engine speed. The valve gets more aggressive in lower gears and quieter in higher gears. This effect was impossible to achieve with traditional sound tubes.
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Bentley Continental GT – actually has decent fuel economy
Decent fuel economy is, of course, one of the stupidest things to say about the fuel economy of a road burning monster the likes of the Bentley Continental GT.
The thing is, they’ve recently introduced a twin-turbo V8 powered version of the grand tourer and the British were quite proud of the 40% increase in fuel economy they achieved.
2013 Bentley Continental GT V8
As it turns out, it wasn’t all hot air. Though it’s still one of the big gas guzzlers that frighten eco minded people to death, the V8 does well.
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All-new BMW 3 Series Touring introduced
BMW officially unveiled the new 3 Series Touring, the wagon version of the popular German model. Scheduled to enter the European markets this year, the new model increases in dimensions and provides more space for the passengers and luggage.
The model’s range starts with the BMW 328i fitted with a 2.0-liter developing 241 horses followed by two diesels.
2013 BMW 3 Series Touring
The first one is the 320d which benefits from a 2.0-liter turbo diesel producing 181hp and a more powerful 3.0-liter six-cylinder with 255 horsepower, a power train which propels the BMW 330d.
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BMW officially unveils the M Performance Edition of the M3 and M5
The Germans from BMW officially unveiled the M Performance Edition for the current M3 and M5 high-performance models.
The Munich-based car maker decided to make the two models even more attractive offering the M Performance Edition which brings few styling upgrades but no performance tweaks.
BMW M3 & M5 M Performance
First up is the BMW M3 which receives a set of three different frozen exterior finishes including red, white and blue paint.
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Mini John Cooper Works GP posts ‘Ring time
It often gets a little annoying to go through the hierarchy of every car maker’s model lineup but Mini are really putting us to the test with this new car.
They’re creating a new top of the line option, it’s no longer the JCW but this Mini John Cooper Works GP. The GP part is where things really begin to happen.
Mini John Cooper Works GP
Not only is that a reference to Grand Prix racing, it’s quite the special enthusiastic model to those who have a feeling for track day action.
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Volkswagen CrossPolo Urban White announced
Volkswagen decided to present the Urban White special edition for the new CrossPolo, a limited model which will be offered exclusively in the home market, Germany.
The new Urban White edition features a special pearlescent white finish along with new 17-inch alloy wheels, tinted windows and gloss black side mirrors and roof rails.
Volkswagen CrossPolo Urban White
Under the hood you will find a comprehensive engine range including three diesels and four petrol units. The entry-level model is powered by a 1.2-liter petrol unit delivering 68 horsepower and coupled to a five-speed manual transmission.
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