Jaguar to partner with Williams F1 to create hybrid supercar

Jaguar announced last week that they were going to develop the Jaguar C-X75 in association with Williams F1 who will provide their engineering expertise in areas including aerodynamics, carbon composite manufacture and hybrid technologies. The production of this hybrid supercar will be limited with only 250 built.

This is the first time the two companies are collaborating to produce one of the world’s highest performance and environmentally sustainable supercars. The production of Jaguar C-X75 is expected to create more than one hundred highly-skilled jobs in the UK.

The new car will have an internal combustion engine along with electric motors and emitting less than 99g/km CO2 emissions.

The car will reach 0-60mph in less than 3 seconds and 0-100mph in less than 6 seconds with a top speed in excess of 200mph. The car will have a lightweight, all carbon-fibre chassis and prices are expected to start from £700,000.

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Volvo concept - The Tiandi / Universe

Volvo recently unveiled their global concept car called the Tiandi or Universe at the Shanghai motor show. The curvy and more flashy look indicate the direction the Volvo is going to take under Geely, Volvo's new Chinese owners.

Even though the Volvo Cars chief Stefan Jacoby says that the Geely was not involved or influenced the car's design or development, they are clearly targeting the Chinese with this new concept.

The car features a unique grille shape and low-set headlights. Will post more details and pics as I get them.

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New VW Beetle

The new VW Beetle was unveiled at the Shanghai motor show recently. The new generation Beetle is longer (4,278 mm in length ), wider (1,808 mm in width) and lower (12mm less at 1,486) giving it a more masculine and sporty appearance. The Beetle is not really seen as a guy's car and I guess they are looking to change that.

The roof extends back further, the windscreen is shifted back and the boot capacity has also increased at 310 litres, up from 209 litres in the 1998 model.

The Beetle has four seats, with a split-fold rear seat for added versatility.

It will be available in 3 trim levels, namely, Beetle, Design and Sport with a wide range of innovative options, ranging from Keyless Access through satellite navigation systems and a panoramic sunroof to bi-xenon headlights and LED daytime running lights.

In the Beetle will be available in a choice of four engines: three petrol – a 1.2-litre TSI 105 PS, a 1.4-litre TSI 160 PS and a 2.0-litre TSI 200 PS; and one diesel – a 1.6-litre 105 PS with BlueMotion Technology. The latter is fitted with Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems which gives it a combined fuel consumption of 65.7 mpg and carbon dioxide emissions of 112 g/km.

Safety features include standard ESP and six airbags but also a laser-welded and galvanised body structure.

The car is expected to be available to order in the UK in the summer and arriving in showrooms early in 2012.

Tags: Volkswagen 21st Century Beetle Revealed

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The Jaguar XKR-S

Click here for the complete XKR - S Specifications

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Ford on the rise in India

Ford India recorded the highest ever sales in the first quarter for the company with 97% year-on-year (YonY) growth for the quarter ending March 2011. They sold over 10,000 vehicles there in March, making it the highest selling month so far. This was driven by strong sales of the Figo.

The Figo was selected as Indian Car of the Year (ICOTY) 2011.

The car is being exported to South Africa, Nepal and Mexico.

Production at Ford India has crossed 100,000 units in a single financial year (April 2010-March 2011) as well.

The Ford Fiesta will be launched in India later this year.

Ford India has a dealer network of more than 170 outlets in 100 cities across India.

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Only green cars allowed in cities

The European Commission plans to gradually phase out ‘conventionally fueled’ vehicles from cities here. According to the new set of transportation plans adopted by the Commission cities here will cut down in half the number of petrol and diesel cars by 2030 and completely remove them by 2050.

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New Aston Martin Virage

A new Aston Martin Virage had it's world debut at the Geneva Motor Show on 1 March, 2011. The new Virage comes somewhere between the DBS and the DB9 and combines outright sports car performance with luxury, comfort and refinement. With it's signature swan wing doors, the Two-door, two-plus-two coupé has a distinct modern look.

The front mid-mounted 6.0 litre V12 engine produces 490 bhp (365 kW/497 PS) and 570 Nm (420 lb ft) of torque and gives a maxmum speed of 186mph. The engine ismated to a six-speed Touchtronic II automatic transmission mounted on the transaxle contributing to perfect 50:50 weight balance.

The car features a newly developed Adaptive Damping System (ADS) which intelligently ‘reads’ the road to provide optimum road holding, adapting to different conditions. The system now selects up to five different stiffness settings within normal mode, and a further five stiffer settings within sport mode.

Aiding driver control, a ‘Sport’ button on the facia allows the driver to select a sharper throttle response and faster gear changes while also holding the gears without automatically shifting up at the revolution limiter.

With regards to stopping power, the Virage comes with Carbon Ceramic Matrix (CCM) brakes as standard.

Inside the car, a 6.5 inch high resolution display uses the latest graphics and maps powered by Garmin software to visually and aurally guide the driver to their destination.

Prices for the Virage starts from £150,000 and is on sale now.

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