GM to launch Chevrolet in Korea

Daewoo may be General Motors’ only established brand in the Korean auto market, but it will soon add another: Chevrolet. GM revealed today at the Busan motor show that it will begin selling bowtie-badged vehicles in South Korea in 2011.

The Alpheon is being positioned in the Korea market as a luxury model at the top of the Daewoo range. It is fitted with a 3.0-liter V6 and a six-speed automatic transmission. GM Daewoo said the car will go on sale in the second half of the year.

GM Daewoo says the "Alpheon becomes a stand-alone luxury product brand in GM Daewoo's product portfolio." Much like its Korean couterpart, Hyundai, have made inroads into the luxury sedan segment with the Genesis model.






Press Release

GM Daewoo's All-New Luxury Sedan Debuts at 2010 Busan International Motor Show

Alpheon is GM Daewoo's entry into the upper-midsize segment

Busan, Korea - GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo) unveiled its much-anticipated luxury sedan, the Alpheon, at the 2010 Busan International Motor Show today.

"With the introduction of the all-new Alpheon luxury sedan, we have added another attractive model to our product portfolio and our first entry in the fast-growing upper-midsize segment in Korea," said GM Daewoo President and CEO Mike Arcamone. "I am confident that the Alpheon will surpass the demands of the most sophisticated luxury sedan buyers in Korea."

Another highlight of the GM Daewoo stand is a seven-seat compact multi-purpose vehicle, the Orlando show car, which is making its first appearance at an international motor show in Asia.

In addition, GM Daewoo has on display the Lacetti Premiere and GentraX race cars, and a Matiz mini-car artistically wrapped in pink.

With "Advancing Style" as its theme for this year's Busan International Motor Show, GM Daewoo has 18 vehicles on display that showcase its automotive industry design expertise.

Alpheon - Stylish Luxury Sedan

The Alpheon is based on the same GM global architecture as the Buick LaCrosse, one of the three finalists for 2010 North American Car of the Year.

GM designers and engineers from Asia, Europe and North America targeted the luxury sedan as a global product that would meet the highest quality and performance standards in the most sophisticated markets.

At first glance, the Alpheon's sculpting design flows in all directions, giving the vehicle a tightly wrapped appearance and a fast, coupe-like profile. Its dynamic and elegant body styling is highlighted by sharp side lines, short overhangs and fenders wrapped precisely around large wheel housings, giving it the presence of an upscale large sedan (2,837-mm wheelbase and 4,995mm body length).

With a unique emblem on its front "waterfall" grille, the Alpheon becomes a stand-alone luxury product brand in GM Daewoo's product portfolio.

The innovative design philosophy continues in the Alpheon's interior. The flowing shape of its instrument panel design offers a distinct, confident and upscale impression. The refined look is an integrated center stack design that incorporates ice-blue light-emitting diode (LED) ambient lighting along with premium infotainment features. Adding to the use of soft-touch materials and low-gloss trim panels rather than traditional wood applications is indicative of exceptional and luxurious craftsmanship.

Powered by a 3.0-liter V-6 engine combined with a six-speed automatic transmission, the Alpheon will ensure responsive performance when it is launched in the second half of this year in Korea.

Clarkson guests for CCB, sort of...

Okay, not quite. This is allegedly an article by Jeremy Clarkson destined for The Sunday Times. The reason I’ve nefariously pinched it is that I've been told it’s been pulled due to its content and is destined never to see the light of day. Now having had a quick gawp I reckon Clarkson’s prose is on top form here and it seems like a shame to let it go to waste. Those with an irony deficiency may claim it's the tiniest bit xenophobic, but I think they’d be rather missing the point. Needless to say if you do happen to be Jeremy Clarkson or The Sunday Times or an expensive lawyer hired by either and you take objection to this I can remove it and issue a grovelling apology post-haste. In the meantime, here it is.

Get me a rope before Mandelson wipes us all out

I've given the matter a great deal of thought all week, and I'm afraid I've decided that it's no good putting Peter Mandelson in a prison. I'm afraid he will have to be tied to the front of a van and driven round the country until he isn't alive any more. He announced last week that middle-class children will simply not be allowed into the country's top universities even if they have 4,000 A-levels, because all the places will be taken by Albanians and guillemots and whatever other stupid bandwagon the conniving idiot has leapt

I hate Peter Mandelson. I hate his fondness for extremely pale blue jeans and I hate that preposterous moustache he used to sport in the days when he didn't bother trying to cover up his left-wing fanaticism. I hate the way he quite literally lords it over us even though he's resigned in disgrace twice, and now holds an important decision-making job for which he was not elected. Mostly, though, I hate him because his one-man war on the bright and the witty and the successful means that half my friends now seem to be taking leave of their senses.

There's talk of emigration in the air. It's everywhere I go. Parties. Work. In the supermarket. My daughter is working herself half to death to get good grades at GSCE and can't see the point because she won't be going to university, because she doesn't have a beak or flippers or a qualification in washing windscreens at the lights. She wonders, often, why we don't live in America.

Then you have the chaps and chapesses who can't stand the constant raids on their wallets and their privacy. They can't understand why they are taxed at 50% on their income and then taxed again for driving into the nation's capital. They can't understand what happened to the hunt for the weapons of mass destruction. They can't understand anything. They see the Highway Wombles in those brand new 4x4s that they paid for, and they see the M4 bus lane and they see the speed cameras and the community support officers and they see the Albanians stealing their wheelbarrows and nothing can be done because it's racist.

And they see Alistair Darling handing over £4,350 of their money to not sort out the banking crisis that he doesn't understand because he's a small-town solicitor, and they see the stupid war on drugs and the war on drink and the war on smoking and the war on hunting and the war on fun and the war on scientists and the obsession with the climate and the price of train fares soaring past £1,000 and the Guardian power-brokers getting uppity about one shot baboon and not uppity at all about all the dead soldiers in Afghanistan, and how they got rid of Blair only to find the lying twerp is now going to come back even more powerful than ever, and they think, "I've had enough of this. I'm off."

It's a lovely idea, to get out of this stupid, Fairtrade, Brown-stained, Mandelson-skewed, equal-opportunities, multicultural, carbon-neutral, trendily left, regionally assembled, big-government, trilingual, mosque-drenched, all-the-pigs-are-equal, property-is-theft hellhole and set up shop somewhere else. But where?

You can't go to France because you need to complete 17 forms in triplicate every time you want to build a greenhouse, and you can't go to Switzerland because you will be reported to your neighbours by the police and subsequently shot in the head if you don't sweep your lawn properly, and you can't go to Italy because you'll soon tire of waking up in the morning to find a horse's head in your bed because you forgot to give a man called Don a bundle of used notes for "organising" a plumber.

You can't go to Australia because it's full of things that will eat you, you can't go to New Zealand because they don't accept anyone who is more than 40 and you can't go to Monte Carlo because they don't accept anyone who has less than 40 mill. And you can't go to Spain because you're not called Del and you weren't involved in the Walthamstow blag. And you can't go to Germany .. because you just can't.

The Caribbean sounds tempting, but there is no work, which means that one day, whether you like it or not, you'll end up like all the other expats, with a nose like a burst beetroot, wondering if it's okay to have a small sharpener at 10 in the morning. And, as I keep explaining to my daughter, we can't go to America because if you catch a cold over there, the health system is designed in such a way that you end up without a house. Or dead.

Canada's full of people pretending to be French, South Africa's too risky, Russia's worse and everywhere else is too full of snow, too full of flies or too full of people who want to cut your head off on the internet. So you can dream all you like about upping sticks and moving to a country that doesn't help itself to half of everything you earn and then spend the money it gets on bus lanes and advertisements about the dangers of salt. But wherever you go you'll wind up an alcoholic or dead or bored or in a cellar, in an orange jumpsuit, gently wetting yourself on the web. All of these things are worse than being persecuted for eating a sandwich at the wheel.

I see no reason to be miserable. Yes, Britain now is worse than it's been for decades, but the lunatics who've made it so ghastly are on their way out. Soon, they will be back in Hackney with their South

African nuclear-free peace polenta. And instead the show will be run by a bloke whose dad has a wallpaper shop and possibly, terrifyingly, a twerp in Belgium whose fruitless game of hunt-the-WMD has netted him £15m on the lecture circuit.

So actually I do see a reason to be miserable. Which is why I think it's a good idea to tie Peter Mandelson to a van. Such an act would be cruel and barbaric and inhuman. But it would at least cheer everyone up a bit in the meantime.

Audi Releases “The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge”

In celebration of the April 26 world premiere of Iron Man 2 in Los Angeles, Audi of America, Inc. announced that it is launching a social media competition called “The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge” in support of its prominent presence in the film.

This is actually a social media competition which asks for the competitors to submit an up to two-minute video that displays their ideas for better living through the use of technology. The winner of the Audi Tony Stark Innovation Challenge will receive a 15,000 USD prize to fund the idea.

Tony Stark is forgoing weapons manufacturing and adopting a new business philosophy. As part of his latest venture, Tony has joined forces with the Stark Expo and Audi to challenge you to submit ideas for "Better Living through Technology."

Tony Stark will be seen throughout Iron Man 2 in his Audi R8 Spyder, the new soft top convertible version of the R8 super car which was featured in the first Iron Man. In addition to the R8 Spyder, the A8 sedan will also be showcased in the film.





Press Release

Audi announces “The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge”

- Contest calls for ideas for “living better through technology”

- Winner receives $15,000 to help fund their idea and a tech-lovers’
adventure

- Social media program to support the Audi Iron Man 2 integration

HERNDON, Va., Apr 27, 2010 - In celebration of the April 26 world
premiere of Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment’s Iron Man 2 in Los
Angeles, Audi of America, Inc., announced that it is launching a social
media competition called “Stark Expo & Audi Present: The Tony Stark
Innovation Challenge” in support of its prominent presence in the film,
which releases on May 7. Beginning April 28, consumers can submit up to
two-minute videos that showcase their ideas for better living through the
use of technology, just as Tony Stark did with the Stark Expo. Participants
then must rally members of their Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social
media networks to rate, comment, and discuss their ideas. Full contest
information and rules are available at www.TonyStarkInnovationChallenge.com.

“Achieving progress through technology is the message behind Iron Man 2,
and this idea is fundamental to Audi,” said Scott Keogh, Chief Marketing
Officer, Audi of America. “The partnership in Iron Man 2 celebrates our
shared focus on innovation, and this contest allows anyone with a great idea
to not just express it, but potentially make a true difference within their
industry.”

“The Tony Stark Innovation Challenge” mirrors Tony Stark’s desire to take
Stark Industries in a new direction, using his vast intellect and resources
to eradicate problems through technology. Submissions will be judged by Audi
on their ability to:

• Make the world a better place by solving a problem or improving an
existing solution

• Articulate and demonstrate expertise of the “better living through
technology” philosophy

• Have a scalability and adaptability to potentially change the way we live

• Showcase innovation, adventures, and intelligence worthy of Audi and Tony
Stark

• Appeal to the general audience as viewer ratings will help determine top
entries

The winner will receive:

• $15,000 in funding to develop their concept

• Their experience documented and featured on www.audiusa.com

• A four-day trip for two to California including air transportation, hotel
and meals

• Transportation in the latest innovation from Audi, the 2011 A8

• Spa treatments, tailored cocktail attire, and grooming to perfect their
Stark style

• A tour of Audi Design Center in Santa Monica

• A VIP day with the ICON Aircraft team, joining them in flight and water
testing of the innovative ICON A5 aircraft (one of Tony Stark’s toys)

• A day at the Audi Sports Car Experience to drive Tony Stark’s favorite
car, the Audi R8 on a racetrack

Audi will also be lending its support to the film through activities
including a month-long late night TV and national cable campaign and an
online presence on Fandango.com and Movies.com. The brand is also unveilng
an all-new Audi Iron Man ad that will run in cinemas in the month leading up
to the film release. Additionally, Audi is sponsoring the re-launch of
Marvel.com that will include a digital comic book featuring the R8 Spyder.

Tony Stark will be seen throughout Iron Man 2 in his Audi R8 Spyder, the
new soft top convertible version of the R8 super car which was featured in
the first Iron Man. In addition to the R8 Spyder, the A8 sedan will also be
showcased in the film.

The video submission period starts April 28, 2010 and ends June 9, 2010.
The voting period starts April 28, 2010 and ends June 13, 2010. Approved
submissions will be posted to the site within 48 hours. Users can rate video
submissions once per day, for the length of the contest participation period
on a scale from one to five. Final ratings will be calculated toward the
final score of each entry and will help determine the grand prize winner.
Finalists will be selected shortly after the submissions end. Clearance,
notifications and interviews will take place between June 17, 2010 and June
25, 1010, and the winner will be announced the week of June 28, 2010. Prizes
will be redeemed in August 2010. Submissions are only accepted in English
and from residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C. who are 18 and over and who
possess a valid driver’s license.

Lotus Engineering demonstrates the lightweight future of the passenger car

Lotus Engineering conducted two studies to look at the possibility of developing passenger vehicles from 2017. The specialised lightweight sports car maker says its long-time philosophy of weight reduction will benefit potential customers in the areas of fuel consumption and C02 emissions.

company engineers discovered that by improving the aerodynamics by 80 counts, the car netted a six mile per gallon improvement in its highway fuel economy rating (note: a "count" is a thousandth of a point of a Cd number, so reducing a Cd of 0.150 by 50 counts would give you a Cd of 0.100). On the flipside, taking out 400 pounds of stuff only improved the car's highway mpg by one mile a gallon, though that's largely because of the Newtonian "an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force" hubbub.

The interior systems include 50% lighter seats, climate control hardware, navigation electronics and others. There is a high level of component integration for space maximisation and weight minimisation. An example is the audio/ air conditioning/navigation touch screen which also contains the shifter and parking brake functions. Chassis and suspension components are to be downsized, the glazing and width of the windscreen possibly reduced and replaced with an appropriate, lower weight substitute.





Press Release

• Study by Lotus Engineering concludes that a vehicle mass improvement
  of 38% versus a conventional mainstream vehicle can be achieved at only
  3% cost.

• Efficient design and lightweight materials significantly reduce CO2
  emissions.

Lotus Engineering has conducted a study to develop a commercially viable
mass reduction strategy for mainstream passenger vehicles. This study,
released by the International Council on Clean Transportation, focused on
the use of lightweight materials and efficient design and demonstrated
substantial mass savings. When compared with a benchmark Toyota Venza
crossover utility vehicle, a 38% reduction in vehicle mass, excluding
powertrain, can be achieved for only a 3% increase in component costs using
engineering techniques and technologies viable for mainstream production
programmes by 2020. The 2020 vehicle architecture utilises a mix of stronger
and lighter weight materials, a high degree of component integration and
advanced joining and assembly methodologies.

Based on U.S. Department of Energy estimates, a total vehicle mass
reduction of 33% including powertrain, as demonstrated on the 2020 passenger
car model, results in a 23% reduction in fuel consumption. This study
highlights how automotive manufacturers can adopt the Lotus philosophy of
performance through light weight.

Dr Robert Hentschel, Director of Lotus Engineering said: "Lighter
vehicles are cleaner and more efficient. That philosophy has always been
core to Lotus' approach to vehicle engineering and is now more relevant than
ever. Lightweight Architectures and Efficient Performance are just two of
our core competencies and we are delighted to have completed this study with
input from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency to provide direction for future CO2
reductions. We believe that this approach will be commonplace in the
industry for the future design of vehicles."

The study investigated scenarios for two distinct vehicle architectures
appropriate for production in 2017 and 2020. The near-term scenario is based
on applying industry leading mass reducing technologies, improved materials
and component integration and would be assembled using existing facilities.
The mass reduction for this nearer term vehicle, excluding powertrain, is
21% with an estimated cost saving of 2%.

A benchmark Toyota Venza was disassembled, analysed and weighed to
develop a bill of materials and understand component masses. In developing
the two low mass concepts, Lotus Engineering employed a total vehicle mass
reduction strategy utilising efficient design, component integration,
materials selection, manufacturing and assembly. All key interior and
exterior dimensions and volumes were retained for both models and the
vehicles were packaged to accommodate key safety and structural dimensional
and quality targets. The new vehicles retain the vision, sight line, comfort
and occupant package of the benchmarked Toyota Venza.

Darren Somerset, Chief Executive Officer of Lotus Engineering
Incorporated, Lotus' North American engineering division which led the
study, said "A highly efficient total vehicle system level architecture was
achieved by developing well integrated sub-systems and components,
innovative use of materials and process and the application of advanced
analytical techniques. Lotus Engineering is at the forefront of the
automotive industry's drive for the reduction in CO2 and other greenhouse
gas emissions and this study showcases Lotus Engineering's expertise and
outlines a clear roadmap to cost effective mass efficient vehicle
technologies."

Mass and Cost Summary

Base Toyota Venza excluding powertrain		Lotus Engineering Design
System	Weight (kg)	2020 Venza		2017 Venza
		% Mass Reduction	% Cost Factor	% Mass Reduction	% Cost Factor
Body	383	42%	135%	15%	98%
Closures/Fenders	143	41%	76%	25%	102%
Bumpers	18.0	11%	103%	11%	103%
Thermal	9.25	0%	100%	0%	100%
Electrical	23.6	36%	96%	29%	95%
Interior	252	39%	96%	27%	97%
Lighting	9.90	0%	100%	0%	100%
Suspension/Chassis	379	43%	95%	26%	100%
Glazing	43.7	0%	100%	0%	100%
Misc.	30.1	24%	99%	24%	99%
Totals	1290	38%	103%	21%	98%

The full report, entitled ‘An Assessment of Mass Reduction Opportunities for
a 2017 - 2020 Model Year Vehicle Program' can be found at the following
link:

http://www.theicct.org/documents/0000/1430/Mass_reduction_final_2010.pdf

ENDS

The 2020 Passenger Car Technical Detail

Body

The body includes the floor and underbody, dash panel assembly, front
structure, body sides and roof assembly. The baseline Toyota Venza
body-in-white contained over 400 parts and the revised 2020 model reduced
that part count to 211. The body-in-white materials used in the baseline
Venza were 100% steel, while the 2020 model used 37% aluminium, 30%
magnesium, 21% composites and 7% high strength steel. This reduces the
structure mass by 42% from 382 kg to 221 kg.

The low mass 2020 body-in-white would be constructed using a low energy
joining process proven on high speed trains; this process is already used on
some low volume automotive applications. This low energy, low heat friction
stir welding process would be used in combination with adhesive bonding, a
technique already proven on Lotus production sports cars. In this instance,
the robotically controlled welding and adhesive bonding process would be
combined with programmable robotic fixturing, a versatile process which can
be used to construct small and large vehicles using the same equipment.

Closures/Fenders

The closures include all hinged exterior elements, for example, the front
and rear doors and the rear liftgate. One alternative approach included
fixing the primary boot section to improve the structure, reduce masses and
limit exposure to high voltage systems. A lightweight access door was
provided for checking and replacing fluids.

The closures on the baseline Toyota Venza were made up of 100% steel. The
low mass Venza closures/fenders would be made up of 33% magnesium, 21%
plastic, 18% steel, 6% aluminium with the other 22% consisting of multiple
materials. The mass savings are 41%, a reduction from 143 kg to 84 kg.

Interior

The interior systems consist of the instrument panel, seats, soft and
hard trim, carpeting, climate control hardware, audio, navigation and
communication electronics, vehicle control elements and restraint systems.
There is a high level of component integration and electronic interfaces
replace mechanical controls on the low mass model. For the 2020 model the
instrument panel is eliminated replaced by driver and passenger side modules
containing all key functional and safety hardware. A low mass trim panel
made from a high quality aerated plastic closes out the two modules. The air
conditioning module is incorporated into the console eliminating the need
for close out trim panels; heated and cooled cupholders are integrated into
the HVA/C module. The audio/HVA/C/Navigation touch screen contains the
shifter and parking brake functions and interfaces with small electric
solenoids. This eliminates conventional steel parking brake and shifter
controls and cables as well as freeing up interior space.

The front seats mount to the structural sill and tunnel structure
eliminating conventional seat mounting brackets (10 kg) and the need to
locally reinforce the floorpan. The composite front seat structure utilises
proven foam technology; the seat mass is reduced by up to 50%. The rear seat
support structure is moulded into the composite floorpan eliminating the
need for a separate steel support structure. The front and rear seats use a
knit to shape fabric that eliminates material scrap and offers customers the
opportunity to order their favourite patterns for their new vehicle. Four
removable carpet modules replace the traditional full floor carpeting; this
reduces mass and allows cost effective upgrading of the carpet quality. The
floorpan is grained in all visible areas. The 2017 production interior mass
was reduced from 250 kg to 182 kg with projected cost savings of 3%. The
2020 production interior mass was 153 kg with projected cost savings of 4%.

Chassis/Suspension

The chassis and suspension system was composed of suspension support
cradles, control links, springs, shock absorbers, bushings, stabilizer bars
and links, steering knuckles, brakes, steering gearbox, bearings, hydraulic
systems, wheels, tires, jack and steering column.

The chassis and suspension components were downsized based on the revised
vehicle curb weight, maintaining the baseline carrying capacity and
incorporating the mass of the hybrid drive system.

The total vehicle curb weight reduction for the 2020 vehicle was 38%,
excluding the powertrain. Based on the gross vehicle weight, which includes
retaining the baseline cargo capacity of 549 kg and utilising a hybrid
powertrain, the chassis and the suspension components were reduced in mass
by 43%, with projected cost savings of 5%.

Front and Rear Bumpers

The materials used on the front and rear bumpers were very similar to the
existing model to maintain the current level of performance. One change was
to replace the front steel beam with an aluminium beam which reduced mass by
11%. The use of a magnesium beam was analysed but at the current time
exceeded the allowable price factor.

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning

The air conditioning system was integrated into a passenger compartment
system and an engine compartment system. This section addressed the under
hood components which included the compressor, condenser and related
plumbing. The under hood components were investigated for technologies and
mass.

The study showed a relatively small mass difference for the underhood air
conditioning components based on both vehicle mass and interior volume.
Because of the highly evolved nature of these components, the requirements
for equivalent air conditioning performance and the lack of a clear
consensus for a future automotive refrigerant, the mass and cost of the
Toyota Venza compressor, condenser and associated plumbing were left
unchanged for both the 2017 and 2020 models.

Glazing

The glazing of the baseline vehicle was classified into two groups: fixed
and moving. The fixed glass is bonded into position using industry standard
adhesives and was classified into two sub groups: wiped and non wiped.

Factors involved in making decisions about glazing materials include the
level of abrasion it is likely to see during the vehicle life, the
legislative requirements for light transmissibility, the legislative
requirements for passenger retention and the contribution it will make to
interior noise abatement.

The specific gravity of glass is 2.6 and the thickness of a windshield is
usually between 4.5 mm and 5 mm, therefore the mass per square metre of 5 mm
glass is approximately 13 kgs. The high mass of glass provides a strong
incentive to reduce the glazed area of the body, reduce the thickness of the
glass and find a suitable substitute that is lighter. Fixed glass on the
side of the vehicle offers the best opportunity for mass reduction.

The mass of the baseline glazing was retained for both the 2017 and 2020
models; this was a conservative approach. It is possible that coated
polycarbonate materials may become mainstream in the 2017 - 2020 timeframe
for fixed applications.

Electrical/Lighting

The estimated mass savings for using thinwall cladding and copper clad
aluminium wiring, as used on the 2017 model was 36% versus the baseline
model. The lighting technologies section reviewed included diodes, xenon and
halogen. The study also reviewed a variety of wireless technologies under
development for non-transportation applications that could be used in this
time period pending successful development for mobile applications.

Ford Fiesta S1600 Special Edition

Ford has announced a limited series sport variant of the Fiesta model - the Fiesta S1600 - for the U.K. market.

The Ford Fiesta S1600 is based on the Fiesta Zetec-S and comes with a range of extra equipment. The power of the Ford Fiesta S1600 comes from the 1.6-litre Duratec Ti-VCT petrol engine that develops 120PS which can be fitted with a Mountune engine upgrade package.

The Fiesta S1600 is based on the Zetec-S trim level and adds a range of sport equipment such as heated leather sports seats, motorsport-branded floor mats and scuff plates, and alloy pedals.

The exterior sports a body-styling kit including a new front bumper, large rear spoiler and diffuser, 17” white alloy wheels and a choice of white or blue body colour with motorsport stripes.

On the interior, the Fiesta will get heated, stitched leather sports seats with standard side-airbags, leather steering wheel, handbrake cover, and gearknob, plus Motorsport-branded floor mats and scuff plates.

The Fiesta S1600 will be limited to only 650 units and is now avaiable for order at Ford dealers in the U.K..
Prices start at £16,665 (€19,152).




Press Release

NEW FORD STAR WITH STRIPES - FASTER FIESTA CONTINUES PROUD HERITAGE

BRENTWOOD, Essex, 26 April, 2010 - The thoroughbred lineage of fast Fords has a new addition to the family, in the eye-catching new Fiesta S1600.

Based on the popular Fiesta Zetec-S - with a generous standard specification that includes alloy pedals and Quickclear windscreen - the sporty Fiesta S1600 interior adds heated, stitched leather sports seats with standard side-airbags, leather steering wheel, handbrake cover and gearknob, plus Motorsport-branded floor mats and scuff plates.

On the outside, the sporting pedigree is made clear, through a comprehensive

body-styling kit that includes a unique front bumper with flared lower valence panel, extended side skirts, large rear spoiler and rear diffuser, finished with 17-in, white alloy wheels (16-in on diesel models). The newcomer's special paint finish is available in Frozen White or Performance Blue, with contrasting motorsport stripes.

Performance comes from a choice of Fiesta's responsive 1.6-litre, 120PS Duratec

Ti-VCT petrol engine, or improved 1.6-litre Duratorq TDCi engine, now with 95PS. For performance enthusiasts, a further engine upgrade package will be offered via Ford's established performance tuning partner, Mountune.

Fiesta S1600 continues a 30-year sporting Fiesta bloodline that began with the Mk1 XR2 in 1981 and has included Supersport, XR2(i), Si, RS and ST models.

Gill Palmer, Ford of Britain's Fiesta Product Manager, said: "Since its introduction, Fiesta and sporting pedigree have never been far apart and the latest incarnation of that is S1600, bringing extra motorsport feel to the award-winning Fiesta style and driving quality."

Fast Ford fans are encouraged to act quickly, with only 650 of these special faster Fiestas being created. They are available now from Ford dealers, priced from £16,665 on-the-road.

VW invites users to help create the Infotainment systems of the future

Open Innovation Contest, "App My Ride", begins on 3rd May

Wolfsburg, 26 April 2010 - Volkswagen is inviting designers, programmers, developers and interested users to help develop applications for the Infotainment systems of the future as part of the Open Innovation Contest, "App My Ride". With this contest, Volkswagen has become the first car manufacturer to use the idea of open innovation for the further development of its products.

In the so-called "App My Ride" competition, users can jointly develop new Infotainment applications with Volkswagen. A jury of experts will select the winner whose creativity will be rewarded with special prizes. "Our aim is to invite the international developer community to take part in designing a future system," says Prof. Dr Jürgen Leohold, Head of the Volkswagen Group Research. So-called apps, also known as application programmes for certain devices which are available through an online shop, have helped to contribute to the smartphone boom. Applications designed by users (User Generated Content) are of central importance to the boom and are made available online by other users. Companies like Apple and Google successfully aid this nearly inexhaustible source of innovation.

"A quiet revolution is taking place right now," explains Dr Johann Füller, CEO of the innovation agency partner to Volkswagen through the "App My Ride" competition, Hyve AG. "The customer-orientated culture of the internet places an enormous power in the hands of the users. Leading organisations are starting to harness this power to develop better solutions and increase their competitiveness." Exactly what the "App My Ride" contest is targeting.

Currently a prototype for Volkswagen's Infotainment system is being developed in which Flash applications designed by different creators can be accumulated. In order to research the potential of apps for the vehicle Infotainment system, Volkswagen is trying to produce the most varied collection of applications possible.

An "innovation community" open to all internet users will be created as of 3rd May 2010 for the competition under the following URL: app-my-ride.volkswagen.com. Here, participants in the competition can log in and either load programmed apps or send in their creative ideas for future ones. "The participants are supposed to imagine what the purpose of their ideal Infotainment system is and how it would work and now they have the opportunity to make it a reality. At the same time, you can analyse the existing apps on our platform and discuss their design, uses and purposes," explains Dr Peter Oel, Head of "Control Designs and Drivers" of Volkswagen Group Research.

To develop an app, the participants must have the following:

- An idea for an app to be installed in a vehicle

- Graphic design of the user interface

- Programming in Adobe Flash / Flex

The purpose, design and logical construction of the app should be geared towards the possible requirements of drivers and other occupants.

The participant's creativity will be rewarded at the end of the competition. The most innovative application will be chosen by the "App My Ride" community and a jury consisting of Volkswagen managers and external experts. Besides cash and non-cash prizes worth up to €14,000, a special prize for students will also be awarded. This involves a placement within Volkswagen Group Research in Tokyo, Shanghai, California or Wolfsburg. Moreover, the winner of the competition can also expect an exclusive trip to take part in an international vehicle presentation which covers the costs of the flight and hotel.

2010 NEW TOYOTA COROLLA REVIEWS

Now in its tenth generation, the bunched Toyota Corolla is the acknowledged nameplate in automotive history. And with acceptable reason: This is the quintessential abridgement car. It's small, inexpensive, fuel-efficient and reliable. Put gas in it, accord it the casual oil change and it will accommodate dependable busline able-bodied accomplished the 100,000-mile mark. That's why added than 200,000 Americans, from aerial schoolers to retirees, buy Corollas every year.

Since its 1968 addition in the U.S., the Toyota Corolla has appear in a array of anatomy styles, including sedan, coupe, auto and wagon. The accepted car, which is accessible alone in auto form, is larger, added and added big-ticket than aboriginal models, but still provides best of the accepted allowances of Corolla ownership, forth with a essentially added aesthetic active experience. However, the antagonism has bent up to the Corolla or alike anesthetized it, with several adolescent abridgement sedans alms a added affable and/or adventurous active experience, added appearance for your money and bigger body quality. The latest Corolla isn't a bad choice, but it's absent some of the afterglow that fabricated it history's acknowledged nameplate.

The Toyota Corolla small sedan is available in five trim levels: base, LE, S, XLE and XRS. Base models are reasonably well-equipped but lack power accessories, which the LE model adds. The S model has only the base model's convenience features as standard but gains various sporty touches. The XLE is the most luxurious Corolla, while the XRS is less luxurious but features a larger engine and a sport-tuned suspension.

2010 NEW TOYOTA COROLLA Interior dashboard

Fuel economy has always been a Corolla hallmark. To this end, all Corollas but the XRS model employ an updated version of Toyota's venerable 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, which is renowned for its efficiency. This 132-horsepower power plant manages to make the current Corolla a hair faster than its predecessor while still returning comparable gas mileage. The XRS employs a 158-hp, 2.4-liter inline-4, which makes the car reasonably quick, with a predictable penalty at the pump.

2010 Beijing CHINA : ( 2011 ) New Volkswagen Phaeton unveiled

Volkswagen Phaeton 2011

Volkswagen is application the Beijing auto appearance as its ambience for the addition of their heavily revised flagship vehicle. The 2011 Volkswagen Phaeton will be awash with four altered agent choices, and will be accessible as a continued wheelbase. VW-owned cast Audi has had amazing success with continued wheelbase models in China, area they advertise continued versions of the A4, A6, and A8. Rival brands accept their own continued models, including the 2011 BMW 5-Series Continued Wheelbase, Mercedes-Benz E-Class LWB, and the Volvo S80L.

Volkswagen Phaeton 2011 interior dashboard

The abject akin Phaeton will be a adequate 5.06-meters long, while the continued archetypal will amplitude out a added 12 centimeters. New barter can accept to accept either two alone seats in the rear, or a three-person bench.

Engine choices on the car activate with a 276-horsepower (206 kW / 280 PS) V6 petrol engine, but a torquier turbodiesel V6 (236 hp / 176 kW / 240 PS) is additionally offered. VW brags that the V6 TDI is able of accepting the car to 100 km/h in about 8.6 seconds. No dart abstracts were accustomed for any added engine. The added two engines, a 330 application (246 kW / 335 PS) petrol V8 and a 444 application (331 kW / 450 PS) petrol W12, attending to be the aforementioned as two of the units currently on action with the car. This is disappointing, as those engines accept been about for four years now, and the car would acceptable account abundantly from accepting a added ammunition able achievement agent with absolute bang and stop/start.

Volkswagen skipped the blacked-out radiator grille awning on this car, in favor of chrome. The exoteric has been adapted from advanced to back, while the autogenous has been accustomed 18-way seats and four-zone altitude control.

BMW 328 Kamm Coupé

The BMW Classic has been creating some buzz around automotive circles. Recently the BMW sub-brand instituted a Motorsport division and then they rolled down around Munich in some old-school, classy chariots.

Recreating the BMW 328 Kamm Coupé, named after the German engineer Wunibald Kamm, became a project of BMW Classic over the years. In fits and starts, various recreation programs were begun and abandoned until the Munich-based automaker found the right partners to do the work in time to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Mille Miglia win.

The project intitiall started in the 1990s, but there was a serious lack of information regarding the car. Only after receiving aid from a private collector who had detailed photographs of the car (including "a good number of shots detailing the car's tubular frame construction") could they proceed.

The bulk of the work was done by René Große, who had previously restored the BMW 328 Touring Coupé and Mille Miglia Roadster for the BMW Museum. Using modern materials, such as plastic, carbon fiber and alumimum, Große came as close to recreating the famous racer as possible given that none of the original design drawings were still in existence. 

Aside from recreating the body of the car, BMW Classic also had to deal with challenges to reproduce the drive train, radiator, and the rear axle. Looks like they have done a great job looking at the pics.





Press Release

Back to the future - the BMW 328 Kamm Coupé

Today the BMW racing cars which made history in the 1940 Mille Miglia continue to enthral and delight wherever they go. For many years, however, the fleet of silver BMW racers has been one car short. The BMW 328 Kamm Coupé, named after the German aerodynamics pioneer Wunibald Kamm, disappeared without trace back in 1953. But now - 70years after BMW's famous Mille Miglia victory - BMW Classic has recreated this legendary racing car, once again illuminating an important milestone in both motor sport history and the development of vehicle aerodynamics. "We are very proud to be able to bring this car back into the public spotlight," said Karl Baumer, Director of BMW Group Classic. "We've come up against some major technical challenges, had many discussions and racked up countless hours of research, but when you see the car for the first time you can sense the passion and expertise invested in the project by everyone involved - all those years ago and today."

BMW was quick to appreciate the unique status of its Mille Miglia cars following the victory in 1940, and they were soon moved out of Munich into a rural hideaway to save them from potential destruction during the Second World War. The evacuation was successful, with all five surviving the hostilities essentially unscathed. However, in the upheaval of the immediate post-war period BMW lost track of the cars. With Allied soldiers scouring Germany for rare racing cars, it was hardly surprising that the three Mille Miglia Roadsters resurfaced in Russia, England and America. The winning Touring Coupé from 1940 was initially seized by the Americans before being whisked away by a senior BMW employee. However, it also found its way across the Atlantic when the employee decided to emigrate.

Only the Kamm Coupé remained in Germany, former BMW Director of Racing Ernst Loof having acquired the car for his personal use. By this time he had become a manufacturer in his own right, supplying speedy Veritas racing sports cars to customers in a resurgent post-war Germany.

However, he also laboured consistently under financial woes and a few years later he was forced to part company with the Kamm Coupé. Sadly, this automotive gem was not blessed with a long life under its new owner, succumbing to the scrap heap after an accident in the early 1950s.

There was certainly no denying the historical value of this very special car and, after BMW founded BMW Mobile Tradition in the mid-1990s to oversee an extended reappraisal of the company's history, plans were put together to build a reproduction. But the resurrection project proved to be a tricky undertaking. All design drawings for the car seemed to have disappeared into thin air and there was hardly a rich supply of historical photos around either. It was only with the hands-on assistance of a private collector in Munich that the project team were able to gather together a much larger selection of photos showing the car from a wide variety of angles. Indeed, these even included a good number of shots detailing the car's tubular frame construction.

Now it was time to tackle the exacting task of piecing together a likeness of the complete car from the available information. Computer specialists in the design department embraced the challenge. They started by scanning in the most detailed photos to use as a basis for a 3D geometry program. Then the few reliable constants, such as the wheel rim diameters, wheel offset, headlight size, door handles, wing nuts, indicators and BMW logos, were added until they appeared in the same position in every projection. Every image provided a fresh series of reference points for wheel arches, windows and other parts linked to the fixed constants. Gradually, the well of information deepened until the experts were able to produce a virtual solid model, in which every detail looked right in every view of the car. This was used to generate a program for a five-axis milling machine, which would cut an original-size model from a massive block of highly compacted foam.

A restorer was then commissioned to stretch an original BMW chassis by 20 cm and build a steel space frame according to the templates provided by the photos. However, not long afterwards the project was put on ice. As part of the concept design process for the new BMW Museum an idea was floated of rebuilding the intricate Elektron space frame of the Kamm Coupé as a showpiece for the "Lightweight design" area of the museum. An exact copy of the original space frame was duly produced with the help of a specialist based near Munich. Aluminium was chosen as the material in place of the original Elektron, and the frame's weight duly came very close to that of the original. Although this display frame was never intended to be used in an actual car, the Kamm Coupé idea remained on the table. In the end, it was a project initiated by the Meisterschule für Karosserie- und Fahrzeugbau Leipzig-Leisnig-Erlbach (master craftsmen''s college for body and vehicle construction serving Leipzig, Leisnig and Erlbach) in partnership with the BMW plant in Leipzig that got the ball rolling.

The original plan was to cover the existing steel space frame with aluminium body panels to replicate the external appearance of the car at least. The Meisterschule produced moulds of the foam model in which the panels of the outer skin could be shaped. The finished body has since been on display at the Leipzig plant.

With the 70th anniversary of the Mille Miglia victory fast approaching, BMW Classic was determined to bring its plan to recreate the Kamm Coupé to fruition. However, highly skilled specialists were required to turn the collection of individual parts into a car that could actually be driven. With his excellent BMW 328 Touring Coupé and Mille Miglia Roadster restorations for the new BMW Museum still fresh in the mind, it was clear that René Große - based in Wusterwitz in the state of Brandenburg - would be the right man for the job.

Große used the foam model as the basis for a glass fibre-reinforced plastic mould. This was then shaped (with the help of additional wooden elements) into a strong casing which was split down the middle into two parts. The 25 mm-diameter tubes for the space frame - made from an aluminium alloy that allowed work-hardening - were then fitted into these two half-shells. Extreme precision was the order of the day here, as no corrections could subsequently be made to the outer skin. All this endeavour was aimed at ensuring that the frame would get close to the 30 kg weight of the original. For the outer skin, the team used pure aluminium body panels from a second set supplied by the Meisterschule. The newly made panels for the inside - for the inner front wings, bulkhead, double floor section of the body, dashboard and fuel tank, for example - then had to be integrated into the mould.

The body experts in René Große's team called on all their skill and experience to fit the body to the space frame. An interesting detail of the construction were the 40-mm-wide aluminium strips which were welded to the frame at the outer edges of the metal skin. The outer skin was then edged inwards around these strips to a width of a few millimetres to achieve the visually intricate edges on the bonnet, windows, doors and wheel arches. This detail, like the design of the bonnet hinge and door hinges, had been patented by BMW. And that meant there were sketches available which enabled the team to render the new parts as close as possible to their original templates.

Other challenges included the technical tweaks which set the Kamm Coupé apart from its series-produced siblings, such as the set-back radiator, engine and transmission, modified rear axle and a host of other alterations requiring meticulous detailing.

The BMW 328 Kamm Coupé was finally handed over to BMW Classic in a brief ceremony in March 2010. That left only a short amount of time to prepare the newly created racing car for its big day at the 2010 Mille Miglia - 70 years after its last, memorable appearance in the race.