Geneva 2008: Audi A3 Cabriolet

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Article written by Vlad

At the Geneva Motor Show, besides the Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans, another interesting display at the Audi was the new Audi A3 Cabriolet.

Like all Audi’s convertibles, the A3 cabrio is fitted with a classic fabric top (lighter and allows more luggage space when folded) which opens hydraulically in nine seconds and is offered partially automatic and fully automatic, the latter being a specially soundproofed acoustic top. Like you’d expect, the safety is very important at a convertible model and materials like high-strength steels were used and the car also has plenty of reinforcement features.

The A3 Cabriolet customers will have four engine choices: the 1.9 TDI with 77 kW (105 hp), the 2.0 TDI with 103 kW (140 hp), the 1.8 TFSI with 118 kW (160 hp) and the 2.0 TFSI with 147 kW (200 hp). They will also be able to choose the S tronic dual-clutch transmission. The first customers will get their cars this spring.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

25,000 Dodge Vipers produced

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Article written by Vlad

Chrysler announced that the 25,000th Dodge Viper was produced, at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan. The milestone vehicle was a 2008 Viper SRT10 and Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli handled the car to the lucky owner, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch, who said: “To be an active part in celebrating the 25,000th Dodge Viper to roll off the assembly line is an extraordinary honor and one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

The Dodge Viper concept was first introduced at the 1989 Detroit NAIAS and the first car was produced in 1992. Check out more photos of the 25,000th Dodge Viper and a video from the ceremony after the jump.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Another unlucky Audi R8, in Portugal

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Article written by Vlad

Don’t know why, but it seems the Audi R8 is one unlucky car. We wrote about R8s crashed in Germany, in Russia and in the UK (not really a crash, but soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo lost control of his car and was very close to an accident). This time a Portuguese guy lost control of his Audi R8 in Oporto, Portugal, right in front of the city’s hospital. There were no injuries, but the car was pretty damaged, after climbing the sidewalk and also hitting two Mercedes that were on display.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Opel releases new Insignia teaser photo

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Article written by Vlad

As some of you probably know, the next generation Opel Vectra will be called the Opel Insignia and will be presented on July 2nd, at the London Motor Show. The car is based on GM’s Epsilon II platform and rumors say it will also replace the Saturn Aura in the US.

Besides this teaser photo, Opel also released an image of the upcoming Insignia’s headlamps, which will feature a new AFL technology, which has a lot of very interesting features, like the automatical adjustment of the headlamp beam distribution and LED daytime running lamps for less electricity and fuel.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Porsche Traveller, ugliest design study we’ve seen in a long time

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Article written by Vlad

Fortunately, this is not an official Porsche concept car, but a result of Ivan Volkov’s imagination. There’s not much to say about it, except that it looks horrible, we hope that Ivan will stay off the vodka and that Porsche will not take into consideration this design. We even started thinking if the Lamborghini Alar is still the ugliest concept we’ve seen.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

P.Diddy to take drunk celebrities home

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Article written by Vlad

Actually, not taking them at home by himself, but offering them a car and a driver that will safely take them home after a tough night of partying and drinking. P.Diddy announced that he will launch a car service that will provide celebrities the possibility to go home without having to drive, avoiding all those DUI charges and paparazzis.

I’m sure this is good news to Lindsey or Paris, but I’m thinking that if one of these celebs gets drunk, wants to go home and they’re not capable of calling for a cab, what makes Diddy think they’ll call his service? Oh, and how do you qualify as a celebrity?

Here’s what one of the rap star’s reps said: “After partnering with Ciroc vodka, he wants to make sure everyone’s partying responsibly […] making sure nobody gets arrested!” Yeah, right, good luck with that!

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Guy paints car like police cruiser, officials are ok with it

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Article written by Vlad

Did you know what are the two things you need to do in order to be allowed to paint your car like a police cruiser? Easy, all you have to do is own a car that isn’t in your local police car fleet and then not act like a policeman while driving it. Yup, that easy. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting this to be like this.

Jesse Virgil wanted to paint his 2007 Ford Mustang to look like a police cruiser from the “Transformers” movie because Thomas, his 7 yo son is a really big fan of the movie. Virgil said: “My intent was to re-create the movie car. When I came back from Iraq, I tried to spoil him. I wasn’t the best dad before.” However, before starting working on it, he adressed the city’s police department and asked them if they’ll allow him to do that.

And they said that, as long as he doesn’t act like a cop while driving the car, everything’s ok. Of course, there are some differences between an actual police car and Virgil’s car. For example, the “To protect and serve” slogan was replaced with “To punish and enslave” and, instead of telling people to dial 911 for emergencies, the car says “dial 411 for theater information.” Later, he added a bar of emergency lights, but these are not actual lights and their only use is to make the car look more police-like.

So, what do you think, besides the coolness of the car, is it such a good idea to allow people to paint their cars like police ones? I mean, ok, the police doesn’t have Mustangs, but who knows exactly what cars the police has?

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Geneva 2008: Audi R8 V12 TDI Le Mans

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Article written by Vlad

At this year’s Geneva Motor Show, one of the stars of the Audi stand was definitely the special edition Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans, the first 12-cylinder diesel engine in a high-performance sports car. The six liters V12 TDI engine produces 500 hp and 1,000 Nm (737.56 lb-ft) of torque. The R8 TDI Le Mans from Geneva shines in the Brilliant Red paint finish and features a more sporty interior, with aluminum applications, steering wheel rim with a flat lower edge. But enough said, we’ll let you enjoy the Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans photos we took at Geneva. Click on the ‘Read More’ link below to see the photos.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Video: Maserati GranTurismo S promo

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Article written by Vlad

If there’s one other thing Maserati is good at, except creating beautiful cars, is releasing some really cool videos. After this video of the GranTurismo, which is one of our favorites, here’s another one, this time for the GranTurismo S. Make sure you check it out. Enjoy!



Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Record sales for Audi in 2007

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Article written by Vlad

Today, in the annual press conference held at Ingolstadt, Audi announced that 2007 was the twelfth consecutive record year for vehicles sales. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG, said: “We’re looking back on the most successful fiscal year in the history of our company: We have achieved the twelfth consecutive record year for vehicle sales and we were able to increase all of the key financial figures to new record levels – we call that qualitative growth, since only profitable growth can secure our competitiveness in the long term”.

Audi Group’s last year’s sales revenue reached €33,617 million (7.9 percent more than in 2006), with an operating result of €2,705 million (€2,015 in 2006). The profit before tax is also a new record, €2,915 million (€1,946 in 2006), while profit after tax was at €1,692 million (€1,343 in 2006).

In 2007 Audi sold 964,151 (905,188 in 2006) cars in more than 100 markets worldwide, the most important being the ones in Western Europe (650,407 units), of which Germany (254,014 units) and UK (100,712 units sold) are the largest, China (101,996 cars), USA (93,506 cars) and Eastern Europe (36,073 units).

Audi’s financial success was possible through the sale of highly exclusive cars such as the Audi Q7, models from the TT family, the Audi A5 and the Audi R8 supersportscar.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Video: Volkswagen Scirocco in action

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Article written by Vlad

Recently presented at the Geneva Motor Show, the Volkswagen Scirocco will definitely be a hit for the German producer. You can check out our previous post on the Scirocco here. And today we have new cool stuff for you, the first video of the car in action, released by VW. So, what do you think? Enjoy!



Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Speed Racer movie trailer plus photos from Geneva

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Article written by Vlad

On May 9th, the Speed Racer movie will hit cinemas and it looks like an interesting movie. Based on the classic 1960’s Japanese animated series chronicling the aspirations of a young race car driver as he attempts to obtain glory, with the help of his family and the Mach 5, the advanced car created by his father. The movie is directed by the famous Wachowski brothers who directed the Matrix trilogy. Enjoy the trailer and, after the jump, check out the photos of the Mach 5 car replica we took at the Geneva Motor Show.



Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Skoda produces its 2 millionth Octavia

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Article written by Vlad

Yesterday was a great day for Skoda, as the two millionth Skoda Octavia was produced at the Vrchlabí plant in the Czech Republic. The anniversary car was a silver Octavia Scout 2.0 TDI.

The production of the Skoda Octavia started in 1996 and the second generation was introduced in 2004. What’s interesting is that the first generation is still produced and is selling pretty good, as it offers great features for a very good price. So far, 1,315,000 first-generation Octavias and 685,000 second-generation Octavias were produced and last year Skoda delivered 72,529 Octavia Tour vehicles and 237,422 Škoda Octavias.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Video: The new Infiniti FX

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Article written by Vlad

At the Geneva Motor Show, Nissan introduced the second generation of the popular Infiniti FX. The SUV is scheduled to enter the Western European market in the last quarter of 2008 and here it is an official video released by Nissan today. Enjoy!



Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Geneva 2008: Renault Koleos makes world debut

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Article written by Vlad

The Renault Koles will be the French producer’s first entry into the highly competitive crossover market and it was introduced in world premiere at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The car is based on the Nissan X-Trail and it will be offered with several engines, including a 170 hp 2.5 litre Euro 4 engine. You can read more info in our previous post about the Renault Koleos, by clicking HERE.

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Geneva 2008: The all new Skoda Superb

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Article written by Vlad

Among the world premieres presented at this year’s Geneva Motor Show was also the new Skoda Superb. The Czech producer’s flagship will have a roomy interior and also a notable luggage space of 565 litres. Among others, the new Superb will feature 9 airbags, bi-xenon headlamps with AFS, touch-screen navigation system and parking assistant.

The new Skoda Superb will be available with the following engines:

Petrol:
- 1.4 liter TSI - 126 hp/92 kW
- 1.8 TSI - 161 hp/118 kW, also 4×4 and AT
- 3.6 FSI V6 - 261 hp/191 kW 4×4 AT

Diesel:
- 1.9 TDI PD DPF - 105 hp/77 kW, also without DPF
- 2.0 TDI PD DPF - 141 hp/103 kW, also AT
- 2.0 TDI CR DPF - 171 hp/125 kW, also 4×4 and AT

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Geneva 2008: Mitsubishi Prototype-S

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Article written by Vlad

The Mitsubishi Prototype-S previews the next high-performance hatchback from Mitsubishi, which will compete Subaru’s Impreza WRX STi. Overall, the car looks good, but, like we said in a previous post, the front and the rear look like they’re from different cars. The awesome front part features the aggresive “Jet Fighter” grille in a matt black finish with mesh inserts and chrome surround, while the rear part is just dull and it looks like it was drawn in a hurry by the designers.

Under the hood, the Prototype-S features the 240 hp 2.0 liter Turbo engine which develops 343 Nm of torque and is mated to the Twin Clutch SST gearbox. The car also benefits from a full-time 4WD drivetrain featuring Mitsubishi Motors’ Active Center Differentia(ACD).

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Geneva 2008: Mazda2 three-door makes world debut

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Article written by Vlad

One year after the five-door version of the Mazda2 debuted here at Geneva, now it’s time for the Mazda2 three-door version to be presented in world premiere at the Swiss show. The car presented at the Mazda stand looks good especially in the red mica color (like the Mazda Ryuga concept presented last year at Detroit) and with the exterior sports package featuring lowered suspension, wider tread, projector-type headlamps and 16-inch painted wheels. On the interior, the car has also sporty accents, with Recaro® seats in racy red and black two-tone, matching red stitching on the leather steering wheel leather inserts and panels on the door trims.

Under the hood, the Mazda2 three-door hatchback will be available with the same engines as the ?ve-door hatchback:
• MZR 1.5-litre petrol with maximum power of 76 kW/103 PS at 6,000 rpm, maximum torque of 137 Nm at 4,000 rpm
• MZR 1.5-litre uses only 5.9 litres of fuel per 100 km (combined), produces just 140 g/km of CO 2
• MZR 1.3-litre Standard Power version with maximum power of 55 kW/75 PS at 6,000 rpm, maximum torque of 121 Nm at 3,500 rpm
• MZR 1.3-litre High Power version with maximum output of 63 kW/86 PS at 6,000 rpm, maximum torque of 122 Nm at 3,500 rpm
• Both derivatives of the MZR 1.3-litre petrol use just 5.4 litres of fuel per 100 km (combined) and produce just 129 g/km of CO 2
• MZ-CD 1.4-litre common-rail turbo diesel engine with maximum power of 50 kW/68 PS at 4,000 rpm and 160 Nm of torque at a low 2,000 rpm for lively driving fun
• MZ-CD 1.4-litre uses just 4.3 litres fuel per 100 km (combined) and produces a very low 114 g/km of CO 2
• Five-speed manual transmission standard for all engines

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Geneva 2008: Seat Bocanegra Concept

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Article written by Vlad

This year, at the Geneva Motor Show, the main attraction at the Seat stand was, no doubt, the Seat Bocanegra Concept. The Bocanegra previews the next generation Ibiza and also the new Seat saloon, which will be unveiled sometime in 2009. Seat’s president, Erich Schmitt said “the SEAT SportCoupé ´Bocanegra´ is a sporty, design oriented prototype, with which we want our brand´s position to stand out. At the same time, the ´Bocanegra´ is an outlook of the future design language of SEAT.”

Spanish for “Black Mouth”, the Bocanegra has an aggressive styling, with a large black front clad and cool LED lights (no wonder, since Seat is part of the VW, just like Audi, which began having LED lighting as a trademark). Besides those, the Bocanegra also features panoramic glass roof, side indicators at the tip of the door mirrors and 19 inch alloy wheels. The rear features a central tailpipe integrated in the rear bumper.

The concept is powered by a 1.4 liter twin turbo TSI engine, mated to a seven-speed DSG gearbox with steering wheel mounted controls. No further performance details were made available, but the Bocanegra features Seat’s “Agile Chassis” which enhances the sporty

Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com

Video: Renault Megane Coupe Concept

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Article written by Vlad

Earlier today we wrote about the Renault Megane Coupe Concept, a very interesting concept presented these days at the Geneva Motor Show and here’s the official video presentation of the concept. Enjoy!



Article Source: http://www.autounleashed.com