[Photo Source: Autoblog]

The Specs

The concept car is capable of giving out as much as 503 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque. With that kind of power, the car can go from zero to 62 miles per hour in just a span of 3.9 seconds. The maximum speed of the car can also go up to 186 miles per hour.

The performance of the Design Vision GTI is further enhanced by its 20-inch wheels with carbon ceramic brakes that measure 15 inches at the front and 14 inches at the back. Then, its chassis has undergone some improvements as well. Hardware upgrades were given by engineers to the car in order to make the car very compact in dimension but will have a wider body and a lower stock.

The Design

The new Volkswagen car will sport an entirely new design. Among the things that it retained is its traditional brand logo at the front end as a shout out to its fans. Moreover, the traditional GTI colors of black, red and white are kept. As compared to the previous GTI, it is 0.6 inches shorter, 2.2 inches lower but 2.8 inches wider. There is an increase in the track size too, measuring around 62.2 inches at the rear and 62.8 at the front.

In the exterior, the dashboard of the car has been freed from unnecessary elements like switches and knobs. On the other hand, the console in the dashboard is strictly positioned on the driver’s side, maybe to prevent the person seated on the passenger side from tinkering with it.

In addition, X-shaped crossbars have been inserted at the rear seats and the door handles were replaced by red straps like the Porsche. A camera has been installed in its A-pillar to capture images from the front track or the driver’s area.

Source: Autoblog

The SSC Tuatara is groomed to take over the position of Bugatti Veyron Super Sport as the world’s fastest production car. However, the lack of updates about the status of the car has led some people to speculate that the development of the vehicle may have encountered a roadblock.

According to Motor Authority, this is not the case. In their interview with SSC, the company stated that the development of their upcoming masterpiece is still ongoing. The company added that they are achieving progress with the Tuatara according to plan. In fact, they even said that they have reached a milestone recently.

The Milestone

The said milestone is the completion of the car’s final testing and the checking of the the auto’s dual-turbocharged 7-liter V8 engine. When they attached the new engine on a dynometer, it easily gave out a reading of 1,350 hp with 1,280 lb-ft of torque. The gasoline that was used on the engine was a 91 octane, the report added.

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, only has 1,183 hp. So, that means the Tuatara will easily beat it later in terms of engine power.

On top of that, the stated 1,350 hp is not yet the maximum output of the Tuatara. SSC pointed out that it is only the standard output. The engine is easily capable of going up to 1,700 hp if pumped with a race fuel. Then, it can go up to 275 mph, which is enough to overtake the 267 mph top speed of the Veyron.

Aftermath of the Dyno Test

When the dynometer testing was done, the engine was disassembled for inspection and the engineers did not notice any stress in its components. The source said that the components of the engine still looked new after the event. The engine was further tested also using the Ultimate Aero Supercar of SSC to see its actual road performance, which gave out impressive results.

Source: Motor Authority

This morning, the new 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid was featured in the Shanghai Motor Show. The car debuted together with two Panamera longwheel versions.

According to the press release of the company, the Panamera S E-Hybrid is an evolved version of the last Panamera S Hybrid. Aside from the slight modifications in terms of design, the new hybrid car will have a better electric-fed motor, more efficient battery and more compatible with charging stations at home and in public.

The car is capable of giving off 95 hp, a 48 hp higher than its predecessor. The lithium-ion battery of the car will be its main energy source. The output of the battery has also been enhanced at 9.4 kWh, which is a huge leap from the previous version’s 1.7 kWh. Then, the charging for its battery on a 240V power outlet lasts two and a half hours with its incorporated on-board charging component and Universal Charger.

From a complete halt, the car is capable of building up a speed of 60 seconds in just a span of 5.2 seconds only. Its maximum speed it pegged at 167 mhp. No detail was released regarding its energy consumption though, but Autoblog speculates that the car may be capable of going 20 miles when the speed is maintained at a maximum of 84 mph. There are no information revealed on its powertrain too but Porsche said that it is more improved than the last Panamera hybrid model.

For a luxury car this good from a world-renowned brand, expect to dish out a price of $99,000. However, the price of the car in local dealerships may be subject to change due to additional charges like tax, delivery and other costs. The release of the new car will be in the latter part of the year based on the publication by the luxury car brand.

Source: Porsche

The Shanghai Motor Show does not start until April 21. But, just recently, Mercedes-Benz already announced the features of their Concept GLA which is yet to be unveiled in China.

The Mercedes-Benz Concept GLA is a premium compact Sport Utility Vehicle or SUV that will come with the usual 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and 4MATIC all-wheel drive similar to the new models of the brand said AutoBlog. Then, its engine will have an output of 208hp with a displacement of 2.0 liters.

The exterior of the SUV is a sight to behold due to its curvaceous style from the hood to the rear. It also has grille designs that house the three-point logo of Mercedes-Benz in front. The 20-inch wheels come in 5-spoke design with 255/45 R20 tires. The rest of its features are based on an evolved Coupe concept of the brand that combines the themes of power and leisure to complement the new model’s “Escape the Everyday” slogan.

The impressive look of the exterior is further enhanced by its luxurious interior. The inside of the car offers contrasting leather coverings with aluminum highlights to put emphasis on its major parts. Notably, the interior designers employed saddle craftsmanship technique for the leather covers. Hand-stitched seams that can stretch up to a combined length of 65 feet were used to hold the material together making it not only stylistic but also very durable.

You might find the features to be somewhat standard knowing that most of the concepts for the design were obviously borrowed from other vehicles of Mercedes-Benz. But a distinct flavor has been added to the new SUV to make it stand out from its predecessors and contemporaries.

The most heavily hyped feature of the auto is its all-new headlamps that were engineered to utilize laser technology. With new technology, the car will offer better illumination of the road. However, it does not end there. The headlamps can serve as video projectors too. The GLA has detachable HD cameras on the roof that will go together with the projector. In addition, the fans in the cooling system of the headlights provide a “sparkle effect” as well to give out improved visuals.

Check out the photos below of the Concept GLA:

Watch out for the upcoming Shanghai Motor Show also, which will be held on April 21 up to April 29, to get the juiciest updates related to this upcoming SUV of Mercedes-Benz.

Sources: Autoblog and BenzInsider

Cars with no drivers are no longer new in the realm of science fiction. We have seen cars that are capable of going into auto-drive in comics, books, movies and other media that deal with futuristic themes.

In reality, scientists have already come up with blueprints for these kinds of cars of the future. But presently, no one has ever come up with traffic-ready cars with no drivers. However, the technology that can put the concept into fruition is just around the corner says the Manufacturing.net website.

In Kansas City, the largest city in Missouri, the tandem of Tim Sylvester and Amol Khedkar are trying to make driverless cars into a reality.

Integrated Roadways, the office being run by Sylvester, is planning to incorporate electronic sensors in the streets that he is planning to develop. The sensors will detect and prevent cars of the future from going over the speed limit, swerving and smashing into each other.

Then, just a couple of blocks away from Sylvester’s office, Khedkar, who is currently a doctoral candidate, is creating a software that would let cars without drivers communicate with each other electronically. This would let the cars of the future synchronize the way they work so that they can make safe turns or change lanes when needed without the intervention of a human. Right now, he has a prototype for it but it seems like it is not yet ready to go into the open.

Khedkar is already three years into the project, and according to the report, he should speed up its completion because scientists and companies are about to make driverless vehicles happen. Google and other inventors claim that the world may be able to witness a car without driver in more or less five years, the news source added.

Citing Google reports, the source states that Google has already logged more than 300,000 miles of testing of its system that will enable a car to operate without the need of a driver. But this does not mean that there were no technical difficulties that stemmed out during the testing. In addition, the driverless cars were said to have problems in snow-covered roads.

Luxury car makers, notably Mercedes-Benz, BMW and others, have introduced advanced safety and navigational systems to their new generation cars that are not only guided by GPS but could also spot road signs, detect crossing objects, brake automatically, plus other automatic features. You can read more information on the subject in the articles published on popular car websites like AutoBlog and BenzInsider.

If this is to be believed, the days of human drivers could very well be numbered. But whether automation will promote road safety or worsen it remains to be seen when these autonomous cars come out.

Despite the negative backlash from critics, one obvious advantage of having cars on the road that are capable of running without human drivers is that the case of DUI or driving under the influence will be greatly reduced. This could result in less accidents and fatalities on the road.

Source: Manufacturing.net

The Model S has proved to be one of the most profitable electric cars ever, with sales numbers exceeding Tesla’s expectations. The Models S is an incredible feat of engineering that for the first time in electric car history offers the driving pleasure that is closest to a sports saloon. The practicality offered by the 400 km + range added with the performance is what is driving sales. While a lot has been spoken about the Model S’s performance and its well engineered electric powertrain, there is another piece of high-tech gadget which has not found much mention. The one of a kind touchscreen display in the cockpit.

The multi-touch display on the Models S is on a league of its won. While most luxury cars offer at best, 8 to 9 inch touch displays, the Model S sports a massive 17 inch unit that sits vertically on the dashboard. Touch displays even outside of cars rarely exceed the 10 inch mark! The presence of such a large touch screen is that the car does not sport the usual physical knobs and buttons to control the functions of the car. The only two physical buttons inside the Models S are used to operate emergency four way flasher and to open the glove box, respectively.

Every aspect of the car is handled by the touch display. The 17 inch screen allows for split screen display and large, well placed digital buttons allow for easy control of functions ranging from controlling the ride height, adjusting the air-con, playing music/FM, full fledged internet browsing, so on and so forth. Looking at the user interface it is easy to find similarities with iOS on an iPad.

As far as muscle memory is concerned, the state where one can operate buttons without looking at them because their positions are instinctively known, Tesla states the split screen UI, the large digital buttons and the fact that these buttons remain in the same position always means they are as good as physical buttons.

Check out the video below to get a preview of the 17 inch touch screen being used.

Video: http://youtu.be/TZ0HsN-tblo

Via: Carscoop

Italdesign Giugiaro, the Italy based auto design house, which was bought by Volkswagen in 2010, has always been interested in off roaders and SUVs. This time at the Geneva Motor Show the design house has come out with a concept vehicle that is part supercar and part off road vehicle. Called Parcour, the name of the modern day sport of parkour, the car looks just as capable of handling any terrain despite its sleek supercar looks.

Italdesign Giugiaro’s Parcour concept is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform and is also powered by the same 550 HP, 5.2-liter V10 engine. The gearbox is a 7 speed double clutch automatic transmission, which delivers power to all four wheels. Also, the Parcour sits on wheels 22 inches wide.

To give the Parcour its low ride design, while still maintaining its off road capability Italdesign has replaced the Gallardo’s traditional suspension system with that of the Aventador. However, instead of pushrods that the Aventador uses the Parcour has been given coilovers. There are over all eight coilovers – two for each wheel – which has been further fitted with a hydraulic system to electronically adjust the ride height. The suspension system even has a “second stage”, which basically turns the Parcour from a low riding supercar to a go anywhere off roader. The hydrulic system is capable of adjusting ride height between 8.3 inches and 13 inches, which is more than enough to handle most regular bad roads.

The Italdesign Giugiaro Parcour concept weighs in at 1,550 kg or 3,417 pounds, but manages to do a 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) sprint in just 3.6 seconds (when the ride height is lowered). Top speed for the Parcour is 320 km/h or 199 mph.

Italdesign has showcased three versions of the Parcour concept at Geneva – a coupe version, a roadster version and a race inspired coupe with racing livery and exposed carbon fiber. Sadly, the Italdesign Parcour is unlikely to go into production.

Running a car has never been cheap, but these days, keeping a motor on the road can cost a king’s ransom. However, for many people, owning your own car may in fact not be the cheapest option, and you could save money by leasing.

Depreciation

Cars are not like houses as most won’t go up in value. In fact, if you buy a new car, you’ll lose thousands the moment you drive it off the forecourt. While some cars hold their value better than others, nearly all lose money each year. High mileage only adds to the depreciation, so that the £20,000 you spent on a new motor could be halved in a just a few short years. However, with leasing, you never have to worry about depreciation.

Maintenance and servicing

In the old days, people could fix up their own cars, but these days, most cars are too complicated. Servicing, MOT and repair costs can be astronomical, but with a leased car, you don’t have to worry about it. If something goes wrong, just tell the leasing company and they’ll sort it out and ensure you get a replacement in the interim.

Cost of finance

Few people can buy a decent car without resorting to some finance deal or another. The interest paid on car loans can mean you pay a lot more than the car is worth. When you work out the monthly costs of a finance deal compared to leasing a car, you’ll often find leasing is the cheaper option.

Change of model

Most vehicle manufacturers release a new model every few years, which means that the model you bought will soon be out-dated. Of course, you can sell it, but with depreciation and the cost of finance, you’ll end up out of pocket. With leasing, you can change your car regularly, enabling you always to be driving the latest model. In addition, if after a few months you decide you don’t like the car, you can always change it for another. If you are interested in leasing your next car, go to Mercedes-Benz-Leasing.co.uk for private car leasing deals.

Nobody likes a big servicing bill. However, by carrying out a few daily checks, you can minimise the chances of something going wrong with your bike and avoid costly repairs. Here are some maintenance checks worth conducting each time you take your bike out.

Bike chain

Most bikes are still chain driven and this should be checked daily. If the chain goes when you are out, it will leave you stranded, so always ensure the chain is well oiled and tension is right. If it is too slack, tighten it up, but make sure there is some free-play, otherwise you could end up with a snapped chain. Check for faults too. If you do find cracks or splits in the linkages, it’s time to get a new chain.

You can replace a chain yourself, as it is not too hard. These days, you don’t need to scour scrap yards to find a low cost replacement, either, no matter what type of bike you own. You can find parts on the internet for all makes of bike, whether European or Japanese. As Chinese bikes are now more common, even Chinese motorcycle spares online are easy to come by.

Brakes and fluids

Brakes should always be checked before you go out. Ensure both the front and rear brakes reach full travel when the pedal or lever is pressed then free up when the brakes are released. Check the fluid level and top up if it is below the LOW line.

Check coolant levels. If you find yourself topping up too frequently, the chances are you have a leak somewhere, which will need sorting. Remember to fill with enough antifreeze in the winter.

The oil level should be checked daily too. When doing this, make sure the bike is upright and on level ground. Remember, most dipsticks have levels for both hot and cold engines, so make sure you check the right one.

Steering, suspension and tyres

Check the handlebars are moving freely and are not catching on any brake cables or other obstructions. It is worth bouncing the bike a little to ensure the suspension play is smooth too. Make sure the tyres are at the right level (check cold, not after riding as the pressure will change when they are hot), and inflate if necessary. In addition, make sure the tyres are free of damage and wear.

Buying car insurance is a necessary component of getting your car on the road. Car insurance is obligatory in the UK, and no car can legally be on the road without it.

The basic precept behind car insurance is that it will protect both you and other drivers from incurring financial losses in the event of an accident or theft. For this reason alone it’s a great idea to have it, but car insurance will also ensure that you are able to keep your car in good working order which means peace of mind for any road user who is dependent upon their car for work or travel.

The Different Types of Car Insurance

What kind of car insurance you will need depends entirely upon your existing financial circumstances, as well as they likelihood of you needing to make a particular claim.

The types of available coverage are as follows:

• Liability – this can cover both bodily injury and property damage
• Personal Injury Protection – which can cover yourself and your car’s occupants.
• Collision – this covers damage to your car up to its book value and always involves a deductible.
• Comprehensive – this covers you against damage to your car incurred from theft, vandalism and natural causes, amongst other things.
• Towing and Rental

The Cost of Car Insurance

Car insurance can be costly and is dependent upon a number of factors, such as your age, driving history and the type of car you own.

The cheapest type of insurance available is TPO, or ‘Third Party Only’. This covers you in the event of your causing damage to another person’s car in the event of an accident, however it will not pay towards the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle.

There are many ways to keep the cost of your car insurance down, such as comparing quotes online from trusted providers such as www.autoline.co.uk. You can also save money by investing in Plus Pass (if you are a new driver), by including an older, more experienced person as a named driver on your insurance, or by choosing a car with a smaller engine which will be classed as a lower insurance risk than a more powerful vehicle. Insurance companies also offer discounts for drivers who install an insurance black box in their vehicle, which will help you to drive more safely.