republican debate | Car: July 2011

Sunday, July 31, 2011

2012 Volvo C30

The hatchback door is still the same, but buyers will easily see the exterior reparations over the previous year trims. New 5-Door Design will have a change to the rear lights, and the nose is also the slope of the sides and top. Volvo has not manufactured for exhibition display prototype car, but counted on the car to have the appearance is more slender, may be to compete against the Volkswagen Golf Direct. Lattice, square-shaped grille will return as will the twin headlight arrangement. 5-cylinder turbocharged engine will probably be standard on all trims; for now, known as the T-5 and R-Design Currently, these trims may save their name or be changed everything by the late summer release date. The 2.5L engine in the current models supports 227 horsepower, and the hybrid is wished to be comparably powered, but details of the actual battery pack and what engine it is combined with is still a secret. The 30 mpg highway fuel efficiency is hard to beat, and it is unlikely that Volvo will make any reparations that cut into this impressive statistic.

The 2012 Volvo C30 equipped with anti-lock brakes and the Electronic Brake Assistance feature. There are front passenger and driver airbags, front side-impact airbags, and side curtain airbags for thetail passengers. The C30 has a fully falling out steering column, Whiplash Protection system, LATCH system for added child safety, daytime running lights and glass tailgate. The uplevel R-Design arrives standard with front fog lights, and the car comes with strategically placed side positioning lights.

2012 Volvo C30 Interior

2012 Volvo C30

Volvo C30 2012

2012 Volvo V60

From the design viewpoint the focus was on making the car as close to a coupe as possible, while retaining that handy extra space at the rear. The sports wagon does not aim to compete with the traditional estate car. For the customer who wants a lot of load space, there is our V70 or XC70. The pronounced wedge shape and the slim coupe-like roof line of the new V60 are accompanied by the shoulder profile along the car's sides, creating a gentle yet powerful double wave from the headlamps at the front to the tail lamps at the rear.

The 40/20/40-split rear seat and the fold-flat front passenger seat make it possible to combine passengers and load in a remarkably flexible way. Each backrest in the three-piece rear seat is folded with exceptional ease to create an entirely flat load floor. The rear seat headrests can be folded electrically. The load area has been designed for maximum utilisation of each available millimetre. The 1095 millimetre wide tailgate in combination with extra space behind the wheel housings and under the load floor is an example of the systematic approach adopted to ensure generous load capacity. The rear seat can be specified with integrated child booster cushions in the two outer seats.

Volvo Sensus is an excellent example of how Volvo Cars refines the driver environment. All information is presented on a five-inch or seven-inch colour screen in the upper part of the centre stack. The screen is positioned high up to make it easy for the driver to keep his or hers eyes on the road. All the functions can be controlled via buttons built into the steering wheel or via touch buttons located just below the colour screen. If the customer chooses a multimedia audio system, Volvo Sensus comes upgraded with the larger seven-inch screen that also displays information and images from the navigation system, phone, reversing camera, panorama camera, DVD player, digital TV and so on. The Bluetooth connection has been upgraded to allow not only hands-free phone conversations but also music streaming from a preferred Bluetooth enabled portable music player. Volvo is actually the only brand to offer Bluetooth music streaming throughout the entire vehicle range.

2012 Volvo V60

Saturday, July 30, 2011

2013 BMW i8 Concept

The BMW i8 specifications sheet reveals an equally impressive and innovative technology. Acceleration of 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) comes in under five seconds while offering a fuel in the European cycle of under three liters per 100 kilometers (approx. 94 mpg imp). These figures are currently beyond the capability of any vehicle powered by a combustion engine. Thanks to its large lithium-ion battery which can be charged from a domestic power supply, the BMW i8 Concept can travel up to 35 kilometers (approx. 20 miles) on electric power alone. Passengers’ high comfort levels remain a priority for BMW and the 2+2-seater offers enough space for four people, giving it a high level of everyday practicality.

BMW i8, with its innovative plug-in hybrid concept, combines the modified electric drive system from the BMW i3 Concept – fitted over its front axle – with a high-performance three-cylinder combustion engine producing 164 kW/220 hp and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) at the rear. Working in tandem, they allow the two drive systems to display their respective talents to the fullest, delivering the performance of a sports car, but with the fuel consumption of a small car.

2013 BMW i8 Concept Interior

2013 BMW i8 Concept Back Angle View

2013 BMW i8 Concept Side

2013 BMW i8 Concept Track

2013 BMW i8 Concept Fast Track

2013 BMW i8 Concept Amazing Look!

2013 BMW i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe

BMW is now concentrating on the development of the first cars to wear the “i” logo, hybrid range-extended and full-electric plug-in vehicles. The i8 plug-in hybrid sports car is scheduled to arrive in the market in 2013. 2013 BMW i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe is based on the 2009’s Vision Efficient Dynamics concept model, undergoing cold weather tests in Northern Europe. It was believed that the i8 would keep the concept model’s mechanical hardware with a 163HP 1.5-liter three-cylinder diesel engine located behind the back seats, and two electric motors, one positioned between the diesel engine and the six-speed double clutch transmission, and the other in the front of the vehicle.

BMW R&D chief Klaus Draeger revealed that the diesel unit will be replaced with a gasoline engine in the production model but while the electric motors will remain. “We want to sell it all over the world. Diesel is only really relevant to Europe,” Draeger was quoted as saying.

2013 BMW i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe Different View

2013 BMW i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe Interior

2013 BMW i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe

2013 BMW i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe Back

2013 BMW i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe Open Doors

2013 BMW i3 Hybrid Sports Coupe

2013 BMW i3 & i8 Hybrid Sports Coupe

2012 Mercedes S Class

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class has been the industry leader in technology and innovation since, well, ever. Famous for safety features such as electronic traction control, driver and passenger airbags, electronic ABS and many many more, the story went that if you ever wondered what cars of the future will have as standard technology, look no further than the S-Class.

Internally dubbed the W222, the new S-Class will be available in four different bodies: short wheelbase, which will debut first in 2012; standard wheelbase, coming a year later; an S-Class Coupe, which replaces the CL in 2013; and a four-seater convertible in 2014. It’s been nearly 20 years since we’ve heard the nomenclature, S-Class Coupe. This dates back as far as the W140 and W126 S-Class Coupes. But never has there been an S-Class Convertible since the famous vertical headlighted W108-109 280SELs. So Mercedes is going a bit retro on us.

2012 Mercedes S Class Front

2012 Mercedes S Class Interior

2012 Mercedes S Class Front Angle View

2012 Mercedes S Class Back

2012 Mercedes S Class Black

2012 Mercedes S Class Interior

Friday, July 29, 2011

2012 Rolls Royce Cars

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars was acquired by the BMW Group in 1998. These days, Rolls-Royce models look more like ordinary cars again (albeit very smart ones), instead of five-star hotel lounges on wheels. The latest Phantom, launched in 2003, shows all the care in design and power in performance that have characterised the company’s cars over the previous century. Easy-access coach doors that open from the centre, a curved rear seat that facilitates a feeling of sociability between passengers, umbrellas that sit in compartments in the rear doors: everything has been thought of. A new one will cost you around £250,000.

Production is now carried on at a specially designed, environmentally friendly facility at Goodwood in West Sussex. This is not far from the famour Motor Museum at Beaulieu, and only 20 miles from Henry Royce’s final home, a house called Elmstead in the village of West Wittering. The nearby Goodwood racing circuit is used for testing new cars, and overseas orders can be shipped from the port of Southampton. It feels like a fitting home for what remains the world’s most prestigious car maker.