2013 BMW X1 Facelift spied for the first time

Right on queue, the BMW X1 facelift was caught by spy photographers for the first time outside their test facility in southern Germany.

The facelifted X1 is right on time as the compact SAV hits its 3 year mid-life crisis. Therefore, we can expect a restyled model to arrive by the end of 2012 since production started at the end of 2009 in Leipzig.

As the black camouflage on a white colored prototype indicates, the car has newly designed front and rear bumper fascias as well as a new design inside the headlamps. The rear tail lights in these photos are the same but they will change later in the development.

Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/111120238707/2013-bmw-x1-facelift-spied-for-the-first-time#ixzz1fRWwgGnV

Supercharged Toyota GT 86 in the pipeline

The Toyota GT 86 and their Subaru and Scion siblings have been well received so far, however general consensus is there is still room for improvements. You might be pleased, yet unsurprised to hear the Japanese manufacturer is working on an even hotter version.

The source of the information comes from the GT 86's chief engineer Tetsu Tada who has confirmed the hotter model is well past the consideration stage. In fact, test cars are already out on the road and being evaluated by Toyota Racing Developments.

The existing Subaru sourced 197bhp (147 kW / 200PS) 2.0 naturally aspirated boxer engine will benefit from a supercharger which should boost the overall power output by at least 50bhp. The existing chassis is believed to be strong enough to easily cope with the extra power, but Toyota will be working on an improved suspension system.

Interestingly Tada also revealed some performance specifications of the standard model. This is something we have been craving for since the unveiling of the Toyota GT 86, Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ. The standard GT 86 will accelerate from 0-62mph (0-100kph) in around 6.8sec in addition to a top speed of 143mph (230 km/h).

Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/111120238709/supercharged-toyota-gt-86-in-the-pipeline#ixzz1fRWI9ebI

Audi developing new stylish language

Audi has been heavily criticized for making their models look alike, but that's about to change.

Speaking at a recent event, design director Stefan Sielaff confirmed Audi is developing a new styling language that will attempt to give their three model lines (sedans/wagons, crossovers and sports cars) a unique identity. Dubbed AQR, the program will establish common styling attributes that will only be used across certain body styles.

For example, sedans could get a sloping grille while crossovers would have a more upright one. This sounds like a minor change, so it will be interesting to see what the design team comes up with.

In addition, future e-tron models could receive bespoke styling to help distinguish them from their conventionally-powered counterparts.

Read more: http://www.worldcarfans.com/111120238727/audi-developing-new-styling-language#ixzz1fRV2v3hc

TOP 10 CAR MANUFACTURERS

Haven’t you seen millions of cars roaring around in your neighborhood every day and night? Have you ever wondered who would be the top manufacturer among all the cars? Well today we’d cover the top 10 motor vehicle manufacturers in the world. I tried googling and wikiying and could come up with this list, and I hope its right to its best extent.
Any suggestions and changes are really welcome. Here comes the list of Top10 motor vehicle/car manufacturers in the world.10. Fiat (Italy)


10.FIAT

The 10th manufacturer on this list is Fiat S.p.A., an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial and industrial group based in Turin in the Piedmont region. About 2,524,325 volume of units are manufactured every year. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli.


9. Suzuki (Japan)









Suzuki Motor Corporation is the 9th largest automobile manufacturer in the world by production volume with almost 2.6 million units approx. released every year. Suzuki has 35 main production facilities in 23 countries and 133 distributors in 192 countries.Suzuki was founded in 1909 as Suzuki Loom Works by Michio Suzuki.


8. Hyundai-Kia (South Korea)









At number 8 on the list of top ten motor manufacturers is South Korean manufacturer Hyundai-Kai who produce 2,777,137 cars approx. every year. The Indian subsidiary of Hyundai Kia Automotive Group, the Hyundai Motors India, is the country’s second largest car manufacturer. The Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967. It became the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group when Hyundai Motor Company purchased 51% of South Korea’s second-largest car company, Kia Motors in 1998.


7. PSA Peugeot Citroen (France)










Peugeot Citroen, which of course is the producer of both Peugeot and Citroen models, is the seventh largest automaker in the world and the second largest in the Europe. The total volume manufactured per year is 3,325,407 units approx. In December 1974 Peugeot S.A. acquired a 38.2% share of Citroën. In May 1976 they increased their stake of the then bankrupt company to 89.95%, thus creating the PSA Group. PSA’s old TU engine family has been replaced by Prince engine(link here) which was designed by the joint venture between PSA and BMW.


6. Nissan (Japan)










Nissan Motors stands sixth in the list of top 10 motor vehicle manufacturers. It is among the top three Asian car companies. Nissan Motors was founded in 1932. Nissan faced severe financial difficulties in 1999 and entered an alliance with Renault S.A. of France. The Nissan VQ engines, of V6 configuration, have featured among World’s 10 Best Engines for 14 straight years.5. Honda (Japan)


The Honda Motor Company secures the fifth place with total volume of 3,912,700 units approx. per year. The Civic and the Accord were in the top five list of sales. Honda superseded Nissan in 2001 and became Japan’s second largest car maker. Honda is also the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and the internal combustion engines. Honda produces more than 14 million internal combustion engines each year. The company was founded by a self-taught engineer Soichiro Honda on 24th September 1948. The first production car from Honda was the S500 sports car. Also, Honda was the first Japanese automobile
manufacturer to release a dedicated luxury brand, Acura in 1986


4. Ford (USA)








Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. Presently, it is world’s fourth largest car maker with 2,145,000 units of global sales. It should be noted however that Ford does have a popular range of vans and other non passenger vehicles. In 2007, Ford fell from second to third-ranked car maker for the first time in 56 years, behind only General Motors and Toyota. As of 2008, Ford has become the second largest automaker in Europe (only behind Volkswagen), with sales that occasionally exceed those in the United States and large markets in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.


3. Volkswagen (Germany)










At third on the list is German business Volkswagen group with a total of 6,517,288 cars rolling off the production line. A large proportion of these cars are likely to be from the ‘Golf’ range. Volkswagen is second-largest market is China, where its subsidiary, Volkswagen Group China (VGC), is by far the largest joint venture automaker, selling more than one million vehicles in 2008.The German luxury car company was founded on May 28, 1937 under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. Adolf Hitler wanted a “people’s car”. Volkswagen literally means ‘people’s car’ in German.


2. General Motors (USA)









By sales, General Motors ranked as the largest U.S. automaker and the world’s second largest. General Motors had the third highest global revenues among automakers on the Fortune Global 500. Amongst GM’s more famous brands worldwide are Cadillac and Chevrolet. General Motors was established in 1908 by William C. Durant. GM was world’s number one car company for consecutive 77 years from 1931 to 2007.


1. Toyota (Japan)









Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation is the world’s largest car manufacturer. It manufactures about 9,237,780 units per year. The widest produced model is likely to be ‘Corolla’ which is one of the most popular and best selling cars in the world. The Japanese giant has been severely affected by the 2007-2009 financial crises with a loss of US$4.4 billion. The company was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937 as a spinoff from his father’s company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. In 1934, it created its first product, the Type A engine, while still a department of Toyota Industries.

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2013 Land Rover Range Rover Spy Photos - Future Cars

Even for a vehicle with such historically long lifecycles, the Land Rover Range Rover is overdue for a full updating. You may remember that the current truck was designed under BMW ownership, updated by Ford, and recently got new engines and an interior under Tata rule. One generation, three parent companies. Three consecutive British prime ministers have no doubt ridden in them, too. Fortunately, as these spy photos—and those we previously captured—suggest, an all-new Rover family is just around the bend.

Given Land Rover’s convoluted full-size lineup—LR4, only-slightly-larger Range Rover, and LR4-based Range Rover Sport, which is smaller than either—we’re not entirely certain which model this is. In general proportion and in details such as the door handles tucked into the body line, it bears strong resemblance to the big-dog Range Rover. But the cut line of the rear door and the greenhouse, which tightens toward the back of the truck, make the body of this mule look very much like a hacked-up current-gen Range Rover Sport.

It’s also tough to tell what’s happening at the rear corners, thanks to a pair of blinders that have been slapped on, but the rear glass looks to have a slightly sharper slope to it and more streamlined trim at the edges. Overall, regardless of which model this is, it seems like the goal will be refining the current shape for better aerodynamics and lower wind noise, without losing the classic Range Rover silhouette.

Old-School but High-Tech

Technology will no doubt play a large role in the next Rover’s launch, and the most obvious bits peeking out in these photos are the LED clusters in the headlights. Behind them, expect a new hybrid powertrain to brighten the stately SUV’s eco image. Land Rover previewed this powertrain with the Range_e concept earlier this year. That vehicle used a diesel V-6 paired up with a plug-in hybrid system, but if the company intends to sell a Range Rover hybrid to U.S. customers, it’ll most likely have to use a gas engine.

As for the traditionally motivated models, we expect Land Rover to get a few more years out of its selection of 5.0-liter V-8s, both naturally aspirated and supercharged. Minor updates may eke out some gain in efficiency, but a larger increase likely will come from a jump from six- to eight-speed automatic transmissions, the new industry standard. As usual, Europeans will benefit from a range of turbo-diesels while we will not. A concept might preview a production model in the next year, but don’t expect production to start until the end of 2012 at the earlies

Audi A7 TDI

The A7 turns heads. Everywhere. You would think that the metallic beige Audi isn’t unique enough to catch the jaded Mumbaikar’s eye, but that’s just what it does. Credit goes to its low, brooding stance and slit eyed headlamps, but where the A7 is racier than the regular German executive cars is with its Mustang-like fastback rear. We think it looks fantastic and other road users seem to unanimously agree.
We like what’s under the skin too. The A7 shares its innards with the A6 and, indeed, the A4 and A8, all these models using Audi’s MLB platform. It may look like a coupé, but the car occupies quite a bit of real estate. At a shade under five metres long and almost two metres wide, it is longer and wider than an A6, but smaller than an A8.

And, like its siblings, the engine is longitudinally mounted and sends power to all four wheels. Audi’s tried and tested 3.0 V6 diesel motor has been improved for the A7 by using higher injection pressures, new camshaft profiles and a revised turbo. As with most Audi Quattro systems, this one sends 60 percent of its power to the rear axle. Suspension is by way of double wishbones up front and a multi-link setup at the rear with Audi’s adaptive air suspension taking care of damping. A lot of the body is aluminium, including the front suspension struts, so this car weighs in a rather light 1770kg (for its size). The 54/46 front/rear weight distribution is impressive too.

This is a long, low car, and it feels that way when you get in. You stoop to enter, and sit a lot lower than in conventional saloons of this size, but it’s a comfortable place once inside. We liked the interior’s craftsmanship and trimmings that make it feel quite special. The swooping dashboard and door inserts, the precision machining of the aluminium centre console controls and the showy arrival of the MMI system’s screen that rises out from a slot in the dash, all create an alluring first impression.

At the rear, the fastback roofline will scuff the scalps of taller people, and sitting three abreast is a bit of a squeeze. Legroom isn’t bad but what makes it a tad uncomfortable is the upright seat back. The underlying message here is don’t buy this car if the rear seat is a priority. The boot is reasonably spacious and though it’s a bit shallow, it makes up with its length and you can split and fold the rear seats for a bigger load area.

There’s no stinting on equipment. Standard features include adaptive air suspension, two-zone climate control, a fuel saving start-stop system, Audi’s Multi-Media Interface, a parking system with a reverse camera, and 18-inch alloy wheels. The options list is quite long too, so you can really spec it up. But, as with all Audis, the spare tyre is a space saver.

Drive it, and you’ll see the A7 is much more than just a looker. Press the engine start button and the 245bhp, 3.0-litre V6 diesel starts and settles into a beautifully refined idle. The strong point of this engine is the way it makes its 51kgm of torque. It peaks at a low 1400rpm and stays there all the way to 3250rpm. Keep the engine spinning in this range (easy to do via the seven-speed, twin-clutch auto) and you’ll find a car that is rapid in its responses. Flat out, it moves off with convincing urge and performance is befitting of its sporty looks – 100kph comes up in a very rapid 6.6sec and 200kph comes up in under half a minute. The engine is incredibly smooth and refined for the most part, and gets audible only when nearing its redline.

If there is a slight hiccup with the powertrain, it’s that the transmission occasionally hesitates when you want to kick-down. Using the paddleshifts cures this problem, so it is best to do so when you want a quick overtake.
Adding to the car’s relaxed highway manners is the tall seventh gear which gives it long legs. It’s a shame then that there is so much tyre roar in the cabin, especially over concrete roads. It’s the one thing that stops it from being as relaxed a tourer as some of its German rivals.

Around town, the low driving position can be a bit intimidating at first, but you get used to it. That big rear window really makes it easy to see out the back though. It has a genuinely comfortable and pliant ride despite the big wheels and the low-profile rubber. With the adaptive air suspension in comfort mode, it absorbs bumps well and we love the way it dispatches bumps and expansion joints with solid thunks. The comfort setting does allow the car to wallow ever so slightly over undulations and small bumps do tend to catch it out but this isn’t too bad. Ground clearance isn’t as bad as we expected either – simply raise the car on its suspension and it’ll climb over most speedbreakers.

Audi’s drive select system (standard on the A7) lets you tailor everything from engine responsiveness, steering weight, suspension setting and even seatbelt pre-tensioning. Select the dynamic mode and the steering weights up a bit more and you can feel the suspension tightly controlling body movements. Around corners, the A7 displays phenomenal grip and fantastic body control and is quite fun to drive on a twisting road. The electrically assisted steering is a big letdown though – it feels too inert, lifeless and vague. If not for the desensitised steering, the A7 would have been quite a hoot to drive.

The A7 costs Rs 64 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) which means it sits exactly between the A6 and the A8 on price. It is expensive but that’s the price you pay for style. The A7’s looks, drivetrain and equipment are all compelling reasons to buy one. It rides well, is very refined and is a lot more practical than its shape would suggest. Sweet chariot it is.


Price Range (in lakhs)*
Ex-showroom Price Rs 64 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)
ENGINE
Fuel Diesel
Installation Front, longitudinal, all-wheel drive
Type 6 cyls in-vee, 2967cc, turbo-diesel
Power 245bhp at 4000-4500rpm
Torque 51kgm at 1400-3250rpm
Transmission
Type Auto
Gearbox Seven-speed twin-clutch
Chassis & Body
Length 4969mm
Width 1911mm
Height 1420mm
Wheel Base 2914mm
Weight 1770kg
Wheels 18 inch
Tyres 255/45 - R18
Suspension
Front Double wishbones
Rear Multi-link setup with adaptive air suspension
Steering
Type Power Electronic
Brakes
Front Ventilated discs
Rear Ventilated discs
Anti-lock Yes
Acceleration
0-20 1.02
0-40 1.93
0-60 3.11
0-80 4.74
0-100 6.67
0-120 9.18
0-140 12.29
0-160 16.38
0-180 21.46
Acceleration in Gear
20-80kph in kickdown 4.39
40-100kph in kickdown 5.31

Skoda’s future model plans

The future for Skoda seems bright in India with the company looking forward to another decade of rapid growth. Skoda has planned the introduction of an all-new range of models. The Czech carmaker intends to add more emotion to its design without compromising on practicality.

The upcoming Skoda Rapid, which will compete with the VW Vento, will be priced marginally cheaper, yet superbly built, if not as well equipped and will be more spacious. Skoda also plans to exploit the niche compact SUV market with different variants of the Skoda Yeti. A cheaper 110bhp version, will be launched later this year and an automatic version with a DSG ’box will come next year. The Laura RS, a sportier version of the current Laura, with a stiffer suspension and body kit but without an engine upgrade is also ready for launch this August

Skoda is also looking to introduce a Rs 4 lakh hatchback and a sub-four-metre saloon that will be based on the VW Up platform and will sit neatly below the Rapid. The company is also planning to bring the Octavia name back with the next-generation Laura, which will rival VW’s Jetta. The next-gen Octavia will be unveiled sometime next year.

Fiat hires Italian veteran to take on Volkswagen in Indian automobile market

Italian car maker Fiat has roped in 53-year-old Enrico Atanasio to turn around the fortunes of its struggling Indian operations as rivals such as Volkswagen rapidly ramps up its market share in the world's fast-growing automobile market after China. Atanasio will take charge as Fiat India's senior vice-president (commercial) to spearhead an initiative to boost product pipeline and overhaul marketing functions .

Two top executives in the commercial operations, Ravi Bhatia and Tarun Khanna, will report to the new Italian head. While Bhatia will coordinate with the joint venture partner Tata Motors, Khanna will be in charge of spare parts sourcing. Rajeev Kapoor will continue to be the president & Chief Executive Officer of Fiat India. The move to bring an Italian to the top management stems from Fiat's desire to align the Indian operations to the global brand. "It was felt that an Italian would help in better global brand positioning and in aligning the Indian operations with the global operations soon.