Haihaupro: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

MT's New Ignition Show Tries Out the Lamborghini Aventador in Italy

The Aventador is a welcome sight, no matter how many times you've seen it before. Just listening to its 700-horsepower, 12-cylinder engine firing up is enough to make your spine tingle. Imagine then having Lamborghini's flagship supercar at your disposal for 24 hours…

Enter the world Motor Trend's Ignition show. For their premiere episode, the show's hosts flew over to Italy to see what it feels like driving the Aventador at the Nardo testing facility as well as on a twisty road.

The high resolution video waits for you after the break.

If there's one thing the stock McLaren MP4-12C has in abundance it's power from the mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine which is rated at 600PS (592HP) and 600Nm (442.5 lb-ft).

However, Texas-based tuning firm Hennessey Performance begs to differ as it believes the MP4-12C could do with some additional horses under the hood – 200 of them, to be precise.

In the season premiere of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson apologized for all the tension caused by the show's Christmas special and announced that from now on, the show would try to be as politically correct as humanly possible.

Clarkson also promised that Top Gear would quit its wild stunts and concentrate on informing its viewers on matters such as fuel consumption, bicycle riding, camshaft operation and trunk space.

Well, that lasted for a little over 20 seconds before the TG trio got back to their usual antics like driving NASCAR racers and maxing out a Lamborghini Aventador, a McLaren MP4-12C and a Noble M600 at the Nardo high speed track in Italy.

Less than one year after Ford showed the B-MAX study at the Geneva Salon, the Blue Oval unwrapped the final production model of its new entry in the European small MPV segment. The official presentation will once again take place at the Geneva Motor Show this March

The transition from concept to production has not brought any significant changes to the design of the Fiesta-based model, but that was something we expected given that last year's model was more showcar than pure concept.

From the single picture released by Ford, we can see that the production B-MAX lost the chrome grille trim (though we wouldn't be surprised if we saw it on a higher grade model) and gained a set of visible door handles.

Unlike European motorists, the vast majority of U.S. car buyers prefer their vehicles’ engines to consume gasoline and not diesel. Across the pond, diesel-powered models account for half of all vehicle sales, reaching at times as high as 70 percent of the market in countries like Italy and France.

Residents of the Old Continent have been choosing diesel over gasoline models for a very obvious reason: a diesel engine is on average 40 percent more efficient than a gasoline unit.

With the emissions problems that plagued previous generation diesel engines now solved and the added benefit of low-end torque, which is quite useful in real world driving, opting for a diesel is the obvious choice when it comes to everyday models.

Manufacturers are also investing heavily on diesel technology. Even Porsche - of all makers, offers diesel versions of its Panamera and Cayenne models. BMW recently rolled out M-Performance badged diesel models (albeit with three turbos). But it’s not power they’re after, but the need to comply with fuel consumption and CO2 emission regulations.

You never know who (or what) may drop over by your house at night but somehow a large SUV crashing into your bedroom and landing on top of your bed isn't what 34-year old Michael Sweat had in mind when he pulled the covers over his shoulders.

It all went down last night when police started chasing a motorist in a BMW X5 after he didn't stop over motor vehicle violations at around 12:30am local time Tuesday morning.

Mazda's U.S. arm is recalling 52,390 Tribute SUVs from the 2001 and 2002 model years that were manufactured from April 20, 2000, through July 19, 2002, because of a potential problem with the brake master cylinder reservoir cap, which can break, and leak brake fluid. Read more »

Meet Optimus, a Monstrous Dodge Ram 3500 Truck with 1,200HP and Over 2,000 lb-ft

We've shown you a lot of insane pickup trucks on these pages but this one is quite the find - and not only because it has the potential to emit as much CO2 as a small country with every sudden move of your right foot.

Nicknamed Optimus, the heavily modified Dodge Ram 3500 truck is powered by a twin turbocharged Cummins diesel engine that churns out a whopping 1,200 horsepower and an even more mind-blowing 2,000+ lb-ft (2,711Nm) of peak torque! A pretentious beast indeed.

There used to be a time when bolting a turbocharger into a bog-standard engine was more than adequate. As the horsepower wars escalated, twin-turbochargers appeared in high-performance models.

Truth be told, even the most daring of tuners would stay away from adding a third turbo. BMW was the one of the first manufacturers to make it a hat-trick with its new 3.0-liter M-Performance tri-turbo diesels – and it was quite a surprise.

Now, according to a report from British publication Autocar, Porsche is going down the same road. Unlike BMW, though, it’s not for a diesel version of the Panamera or the Cayenne, but for the gasoline-powered flagship version of the latest 911.

Draining all the publicity it can get from the Juke-R's appearance in Dubai where it competed against the Lamborghini Gallardo, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Ferrari 458 Italia supercars on a makeshift track, Nissan has now released official footage from the race.

This is the third video we've seen of Juke-R's win in the past two weeks, so we won't blame you if you've had enough of…Nissan's Groundhog Day. The rest of you can watch the new clip right after the break.

As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, Mopar revealed a new limited edition version of the Chrysler 300 that will go on display at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show from February 10-19 before it arrives in dealerships this summer with a starting price of $49,700, which includes $825 for destination.

The Mopar '12 300 will be built in a limited run of 500 units, all of which are painted in a black exterior finish with bespoke Mopar appointments such as the black chrome grille and accents, tinted lights, blue pin stripes on the profile and hood, plus “Mopar 75” fender badges and a set of color matching 20-inch forged alloy wheels.

The Chrysler division's tuning and performance arm also made changes to the interior that features black leather with blue accent stitching on the seats and steering wheel, a unique Mopar shifter handle, special sill plates and badges, and matte carbon hydrographic accents on the instrument panel and center console sections.

Like most carmakers this Super Bowl season, Lexus gave us a small teaser of the commercial it will air during the big game on February 5 earlier this month.

However, you won't have to wait for the football match to see Lexus' first ever Super Bowl ad its entirety as the Japanese brand has just unleashed "The Beast", which is the name of the commercial featuring the 2013 GS saloon.

The 30-second long spot, which will run at the end of the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVI, shows the new executive model breaking free from a metal container. If you look at the back, you'll see four more boxes which Lexus says represent the additional new models it plans to reveal later this year.

Last September, during the Frankfurt Motor Show, General Motors executives were confident that their European operations were following the company’s restructuring plan to the letter and would break even.

Less than two months later, real-world results proved them wrong. In the first nine months of 2011, GM's European operations lost US$580 million before interest and taxes. Breaking even went down the drain.

In addition, restructuring, closing the Antwerp plant and cutting 5,800 jobs through September 2011, cost the company US$900 million. And that’s not all: its European division has cost GM more than US$2.34 billion since 2009, when it called off its plans for selling the company, and a staggering US$13 billion since 1999.

The already available in Germany new 3.0-liter BiTDI V6 engine from Audi has arrived in the UK market heading the diesel lineup in the A6 Saloon, Avant, Allroad Quattro and A7 Sportback.

Audi's most potent V6 diesel lump comes equipped with a two-stage turbocharger group as well as a start-stop and recuperation system delivering 309HP (313PS) from 3,900-4,500rpm and a generous peak torque of 650Nm (479.4 lb-ft) from 1,450 to 2,800rpm.

While it may feature a rear wheel drive arrangement, the lack of ponies under the Lada Riva's (or 2105) bonnet makes spinning its tail a tiresome act for any driver. This man tried his best but at the end, the Russian sedan just gave up and fell on its side.

You can watch the video after the break – skip to around 2:07 if you're not impressed with the driver's skills to view the mishap.

The second Mopar tuned model on its way to the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, which takes place during the second week of February, is the 2012 Fiat 500 Stinger. Mopar's American take on the Italian city car integrates two stage kits along with a special Giallo (yellow) exterior paint.

The first package begins with black racing decals on the Fiat 500's profile and roof graphics in black checker followed by a set of larger 17-inch Abarth Hyper Black alloy wheels with wider 205/40 R17 performance tires, tinted lights and a new exhaust tailpipe.

On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the Chrysler Group's parts and service arm Mopar will be displaying four specially crafted models at next month's 2012 Chicago Auto Show including the Dodge Dart "GTS 210 Tribute".

Once it goes on sale later this year, Mopar plans to offer more 150 accessories and parts for the new Dart sedan, improving both its looks and performance.

The "GTS 210 Tribute" comes fitted with two packages. The first stage is all about aesthetics adding a ground effects kit with matte-black trim pieces such as a lower chin spoiler, side sills, rear spoiler and rear-diffuser panel.

AvtoVAZ, Russia's biggest automaker and the manufacturer of the Lada, will begin production of a new compact sedan based on the running gear of an as of yet unspecified Renault model.

According to Bloomberg news, AvtoVAZ CEO Igor Komarov said that the first examples of the new four-door Lada would roll off the assembly lines at the end of February.

The classically styled BMW Z8 roadster has fallen into the hands of German aftermarket firm Senner Tuning, which has presented a new sports package with a selection of performance upgrades.

In stock form, the Bavarian roadster sports the E39 M5's 5.0-liter V8 engine delivers 400-horses and a peak torque of 500Nm(368.8 lb-ft).

After the addition of a sports filter, a custom exhaust system and a light ECU tune, output is lifted to 450-horses and 535Nm (394.6 lb-ft) with Senner stating that the modded Z8's top speed is in excess of 300km/h (186mph).

It’s no secret that Volkswagen has wanted to add Porsche to its portfolio for quite some time now. After Porsche tried to acquire the VW Group without any success, the two companies decided in 2009 to complete a merger until the end of 2011.

The plan, however, was put on hold after lawsuits followed in the U.S. and Germany by Porsche shareholders who claimed that the latter had attained a debt of €10 billion (US$13 billion) in acquiring the majority of VW’s common stock.

2013 SRT Viper First Official Teaser Leaves us in the Dark

We suppose it goes with the Viper's slithery nature to keep in the dark, but we can't say we're enthralled with the first official image of the Chrysler Group's re-branded sports car that was released just moments ago on the firm's Facebook page.

The black and white picture outlines the front end of the model, which seems like it will keep the familiar face of the previous generation Vipers, but that's about it.

We'll remind you that the new Viper drops the Dodge nameplate and adopts the SRT moniker.

When you are trying to win a tough competition, you should be aware that with great risks come great rewards if you succeed but great pains if you fail.

At the Snowmobile finals during the Winter X Games 2012 that took place in Aspen, Colorado, on Sunday night, we saw a lot of both including the painful crash of Justin Hoyer on a double backflip attempt in the Snowmobile Best Trick competition and the scary free-fall of Colten Moore in the Snowmobile Freestyle event.

However, we also witnessed a truly spectacular front flip from Heath Frisby – the first ever of its kind in an official competition – during the Snowmobile Best Trick finals.

You can take a look at the videos right after the jump, just note that the third clip with Hoyer's accident isn't for the faint-hearted...

Just last week, we told you about McLaren and its plans to enhance the range of its new MP4-12C sports car with an open top version that may be named MP4-12S (for Spider).

Using the info that has been circulating around the net, Teamspeed and artist Wildspeed came up with a handful of renderings to give us a visual of what the McLaren MP4-12C Spider may look like when it comes out of its shell (or so to speak), within the next year.

The state of California has been at the forefront of the nation’s regulations when it comes to reducing emissions since the 1970s. And now it has taken another step in this direction by approving the Advanced Clean Car program.

It is a set of regulations that aims to reduce emissions and, among other things, requires 15.4 percent of all new vehicles that will be sold by 2025 to be all-electric, plug-in hybrids or powered by fuel cells.

By implementing this program, California regulators wish to reduce passenger vehicles emissions by 34 percent between 2014 and 2015, and overall smog-forming emissions by 75 percent. It’s a goal similar to the federal standards proposed by President Obama.

Mazda engineers continue the development of the next generation "6" sedan's chassis and mechanical hardware under the cloak of the existing model's body panels, albeit in modified form as you can see from the wheel arch extensions on this prototype that our spies snapped in Europe.

If you're wondering what the new Mazda6 will look like, then all you have to do is take a gander at the photos of the swooping Takeri concept car displayed at the last November's 2011 Tokyo Motor Show.

The handsome study with its voluptuous curves generally received praise for its design. Hopefully, the production Mazda6, which is due sometime in 2013, won't stray too far away from the original concept.

The Honda group isn't playing games with its Super Bowl spots this year, that's for sure. After recruiting Matthew Broderick to reprise his role as Ferris Bueller in the 2012 Honda CR-X ad, the Japanese firm's premium brand Acura has hired its own stars for its first ever Super Bowl appearance.

The new Acura spot for the upcoming NSX features comedian Jerry Seinfeld with Tonight Show host Jay Leno making a special appearance towards the end of the commercial, the extended version of which you can see right after the break.

The ad shows Jerry Seinfeld going to extremes to be able to be the first one in line to buy the Acura NSX hybrid sports car (seen here in concept guise) that's scheduled to go on sale in 2015, only to be beaten in the end by Leno.

If there happens to be an opening for a professional bull rider over at CBR, then the man that tamed motorcycle number 73 at the United Arab Emirates national race series on the Dubai Auto Drome needs only to show this clip to be accepted. Check out the video and you'll see what we mean. Read more »

Cadillac Plans to Take Over the Limo Market from the Lincoln Town Car with its New XTS

General Motors has revealed new details on its plans for the limousine variants of the 2013 Cadillac XTS, which made its world premiere at last year's Los Angeles Auto Show.

The XTS will replace the DTS sedan not only in the passenger car market but will also take its place in Cadillac's professional vehicle lineup.

At the upcoming 28th Annual International Limousine, Charter and Tour Show that takes place February 13-15 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Cadillac will unveil the XTS "W20 Livery Sedan Package" for professional use, which from what we understand, will retain the regular XTS' wheelbase length.

However, GM said it is currently working on two more versions of the XTS, the extended sedan and limousine, which Cadillac Master Coachbuilder (CMC) licensed manufacturers can build for the chauffeured transportation market by the end of the year.

The onslaught of Super Bowl commercials continues today with four more spots from Hyundai, in addition to the South Korean firm's Veloster Turbo "Cheetah" ad that we showed you earlier today.

From the new spots, the one that stands out the most for us is the "All for One", which is a 60-second commercial that will air just before the big game starts. The ad features almost 200 actual Hyundai team members humming to the sounds of "Gonna Fly Now" from the movie "Rocky, and was filmed at the brand's Montgomery plant in Alabama.

General Motors' efforts to revitalize its Buick passenger and GMC truck divisions are not only limited to updating each brands vehicle lineup but also extend to refreshing their joint dealerships across the country.

The program includes a new exterior façade with updated signage, brighter and more comfortable showrooms with a customer greeting station as well as a lounge with free WiFi, while some dealers plan to go the extra mile and add a café or salon into the mix.

The strong economic growth in the Asia region continues to interest the Volkswagen Group, which has decided to begin “Semi Knocked Down” [SKD] assembly of its T5 Transporter passenger and Multivan commercial vehicles in Indonesia

The German firm will assemble the T5 models in Indonesia for the local market together with the importer Garuda Mataram Motor.

It's never a pleasant experience should your vehicle stall on a heavily trafficked public road with a lot of people watching, but we can't help but think that it has to be worse when it occurs to a €1.1+ million (US$1.3 million) Aston Martin One-77 that's capable of reaching a top speed of about 220mph (355 km/h).

And that is exactly what happened to one of the 77 owners of the exclusive Aston Martin model, not once, but more than a couple of times somewhere in France.

For the record, the One-77's 750bhp 7.3-liter V12 powerplant is linked to a six-speed automated manual gearbox with column-mounted paddles. Hop over the jump to check out the video.

The already heavily populated C-sized SUV segment has a new contender from Subaru, the XV, which slots right under the Forester in the Japanese firm's lineup.

The XV is in essence a crossover version of the Impreza hatchback with a reworked body with plenty of plastic cladding and a jacked up suspension. It arrives in the UK with a choice of three engines and an equal number of trim grades with on the road prices ranging from £21,295 to £29,995.

For the past couple of months, there were rumors circulating that Proton wanted to get rid of its loss-making Lotus unit selling it to either Genii Capital or SAIC. Then, on January 16, the Malaysian carmaker announced that DRB-Hicom had acquired the government's 42.7 percent stake in the company.

Analysts hailed this movement as a win-win situation for both parties. They obviously didn't factor in Lotus CEO Danny Bahar who, according to a report from The Sunday Times citing unnamed sources, is looking for a partner to join him in bidding for a buy-out of the British automaker.

Unlike Cadillac's previous failed attempts, the all-new ATS sedan was designed from a clean sheet to compete squarely against the best Germany has to offer in the executive compact sedan segment, namely the BMW 3-Series sedan – and possibly, the rest of the Bavarian model's range later on.

And if there's one thing GM's premium brand has been touting about the ATS more than anything else since it began teasing the car last summer, it's the fact that it's handling and driving dynamics were honed at the Nürburgring race track in Germany, which as most of you already know, is nicknamed "The Green Hell".

It has been a while since we last saw Toyota advertising at the Super Bowl game, but the Japanese carmaker is back after a three-year hiatus with a new commercial for its redesigned 2012 Camry sedan.

The brand's 60-second long spot is called “Reinvented” and continues the same theme as the first ads of the 2012 Camry last year, albeit with a more cheeky and humorous tone.

Like clockwork, the Volkswagen Group is releasing pictures and details of its expanded range of city cars based on the Up!.

Following on from last week's introduction of the Volkswagen brand's five-door Up!, it's Skoda's turn to show a more practical but same-sized version of the Citigo.

The five-door Citigo will make its grand premiere at the 2012 Geneva Salon in March before it goes on sale across Europe together with the three-door version of the Skoda-branded car from mid-May.

We are eagerly anticipating the first official teaser photo of the next SRT Viper in the early morning hours of Tuesday but that's not all the Chrysler Group has in store for us this week.

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of Mopar, which is the group's automobile parts and service arm, the Detroit firm will present four specially modified vehicles that will go on display at next month's 2012 Chicago Auto Show (January 10 to 19).

Turbocharging and direct-injection technology are the latest fads when it comes to petrol engines in the auto industry.

While not a pioneer, the Volkswagen Group did its part to bring turbocharging to the masses beginning from the 1990s and its 1.8-liter turbocharged four that powered all sorts of vehicles. Today, the German auto group continues to lead the way with a variety of turbocharged (and supercharged) gasoline lumps, the most recent being its 4.0-liter V8 TFSI with up to 520-horses.

Yet surprisingly, one of the group's flagship brands, Lamborghini, does not have a turbocharged engine and this despite the fact that it has succumbed to the all-wheel drive trend made popular by Audi.

If you were expecting Matthew Broderick to mark his return as a 50-year old Ferris Bueller with a Ferrari mode l, you're out of luck as the much publicized teaser turned out to be a commercial for the all-new 2012 Honda CR-V, an extended version of which you can watch after the break.

Honda brought Ferris Bueller's Day Off back to life for the Super Bowl XLVI game with Matthew Broderick playing himself.

The two-and-a-half minute spot that pays homage to the classic 1980's movie shows Broderick skipping out on a day of acting work to enjoy his all-new CR-V.

The Japanese company says that it has hidden over two dozen references to the movie throughout the extended version of the commercial that will air on February 5 during the game. See if you can find them in the video that follows after the break.

It was to be expected that Hyundai's main commercial for the upcoming Super Bowl XLVI would encompass its most recent creation, the new 201-horsepower Veloster Turbo sports hatch that made its world premiere at the Detroit Motor Show earlier this month.

The 30-second spot is titled "Cheetah" and is slated to air on TV during the first quarter of the game. It shows a caged cheetah getting ready to race the Veloster Turbo. However, when the big cat realizes it can't beat the Hyundai model in speed it turns around to chase something a little more tasty.

Head over the break to see the new commercial along with a "behind the scenes" video before it airs on television.

Ford continues to downsize its engines in order to reduce consumption and lower CO2 emissions with the presentation of a brand-new 1.0-liter, three-cylinder EcoBoost petrol unit on its Focus family car range in Europe.

The new turbocharged engine replaces the naturally aspirated 1.6-liter petrol and is available with two power levels, the first of which produces 99HP (100PS) and delivers 58.9mpg UK (4.8lt/100km or 49mpg US) with 109g/km of CO2 emissions in the five door Focus.

Spy Shots: New BMW M135i with 320HP 3.0-liter Turbocharged Six

Earlier this week, BMW blew the covers off the first models of its new M Performance sub-brand, namely the M550d, X5 M50d and X6 M50d.

But that's only the beginning as the German firm plans to expand the range to include if not all, most of its models including the 1-Series five-door hatchback, a prototype of which our scoop photographers caught while testing in Europe (albeit with a fake 118i moniker on the tailgate).

So far, the most powerful model of the new 1-Series hatch is the recently announced 125i sporting a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine that puts out 218bhp and 310Nm (228 lb-ft) propelling the five-door model to 100km/h (62mph) in 6.4 seconds and on to a maximum velocity of 245 km/h (152mph).

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Monday, January 30, 2012

Saturday, January 28, 2012