Download: 24 Jan 2012

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Cadillac releases two new videos starring the recently unveiled ATS (watch the second one after the jump), the model that is about to challenge the more prestigious European cars in a class that has always been among the most competitive of the market. The model has been developed in good part in Europe, promises to be fun to drive and, in terms of comfort and luxury, it maintains the usual high standards that are typical of the American carmaker.

The model will initially be available with three petrol engine options: a 2.5-litre 4-cylinder producing 200 hp and 255 Nm of torque, a turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder unit delivering 270 hp and 352 Nm of peak torque and a 3.6-litre V6 generating 318 hp at 6,800 rpm with 362 Nm of maximum torque already available at 4,900 rpm. All these units can be coupled to either a manual or an automatic 6-speed transmission.

Source : Google Reader

Volkswagen Up! 5 doors: official pictures available

Volkswagen Up! 5 doors: official pictures available:

As it always happens, as soon as some naughty image of a new model leak on the internet, the carmaker promptly releases some official image of the exposed vehicle as well. This is what just happened for the new 5 door version of the Volkswagen Up! whose first grainy images taken from the licensing documentation appeared just a few days ago.

The new version of the German city car measures 3.54 meters in length, 1.64 in width and 1.48 in height, with 2.42 meters of wheel base that allows for an extra 789 mm of legroom for the passengers at the back. The load capacity of the trunk varies between 251 and 951 litres, according to the configuration of the rear bench. Aesthetically, the extra set of doors required a slight modification of the rear end, with windows and C-pillar now forming a 90 degree angle with the roof. This variant then loses the distinctive rack angle of the C-pillar that differentiates the 3-door version from its twin sisters Seat Mii and Skoda Citigo.

The 5-door version of VW Up! will be officially unveiled at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show (March 8-18) and should become available on the market shortly afterwards with a 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engine in power steps of 60 and 75 hp.

Source : Google Reader

Hyundai i20 facelift: spy shots

Hyundai i20 facelift: spy shots:

Here are some spy shots of the next Hyundai model that is up for a mid-life facelift, the i20. The pictured mule is wearing quite some heavy camouflage, but we expect the exterior of the re-styled i20 to be influenced by the design language adopted by the i40, especially as far as headlights and front bumper are concerned. The rear end should undergo a similar treatment too - as the abundance of camo on this mule would suggest - but this set of shots doesn’t say much on the subject. Since our photographers reported that the interior of the car was even more hidden than the outside (meaning that not only the dashboard was covered, front and rear seats were as well) we predict some major changes in the passenger compartment too.

Source : Google Reader

Kodak film division still profitable

Kodak film division still profitable:

Kodak, which announced last week that it was filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in the United States, has confirmed that its film division will survive as long as it remains profitable.

Speaking to the British Journal of Photography, a spokesperson for the business said "We have taken steps to sustain the business as it has declined, and we know that there are hundreds of passionate fans of film for the artistic and quality reasons they cite."

Profits

Several films, including a range of professional films, have been introduced or relaunched in the past three years, with the company claiming that there is still profitable demand for it.

Analogue photography has seen a resurgence in recent times, with firms such as Lomography, which produces cheap plastic film cameras, seeing increased popularity.

Silverprint, a UK distributor of film equipment, also speaking to the BJP said that it was worried that the "death" of Kodak had been misinterpreted by many as the final nail in the coffin for film and analogue photography, but disputed that fact, saying that sales of traditional film and paper had risen over the past 12 months.

Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection on 19th January after months of speculation that it would be doing so. It comes after years of falling profits for the company, which invented the digital camera but has focused its efforts on analogue photography and more recently, its printer division.

via British Journal of Photography

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Leica launching new cameras at Photokina?

Leica launching new cameras at Photokina?:

Rumours are circulating that Leica will announce two new cameras at Photokina 2012, taking place in Germany later in the year.

One of the cameras is expected to carry a cheaper price tag than we have come to expect from Leica, which is a premium photography brand. The rumours come courtesy of Twitter, with one feed from DSLR Magazine suggesting that it has been told by "informed sources" that Leica is working on the new models.

LeicaRumors is interpreting the tweet to mean that a new Leica M10 and a new mirrorless system are on the cards.

A new compact system camera is expected to have an APS-C sized sensor (at least) and will be compatible with Leica R lenses. The CEO of Leica, Alfred Schopf, has previously talked of a new compact system camera to sit between the current M and X line-up. The Leica M9 is the world's smallest full-frame interchangeable lens camera.

In a previous interview, Schopf said, "It's pretty obvious that at one point, we are going to offer something in between. But we have to look very carefully into what sensor parts we are using and what features we are offering."

Sensor

It is thought that the sensor would be at least APS-C sized as Leica has previously expressed it has no interest in the Micro Four Thirds format as used by Panasonic and Olympus.

Photokina is a bi-annual photography trade show, which takes place in Cologne. This year, the show will be between 18th and 23rd September. It often sees many big launches from photography companies around the world, although this year we are also expecting to see big things from the upcoming CP+ trade show taking place in Japan during the first week in February.

As Leica is a German company, it's perhaps more likely that it will wait until the country's own show in September to make any announcement.

Source : Google Reader

Sony and Fujifilm rivals for Olympus equity

Sony and Fujifilm rivals for Olympus equity:

A source has claimed that Sony and Fujifilm are the leading contenders to partner up with Olympus, which is looking to improve its finances after being hit with scandal in the latter part of 2011.

Several contenders have been named in the past few weeks, including Japanese rival Panasonic, and the Korean based Samsung.

Olympus, although perhaps most famously known for its camera division, also has a successful medical arm, which is where most of its profits come from. Sony is said to be keen to tap into the lucrative business of diagnostic endoscopes, which Olympus has a 70% global market share in.

Stock

Newspapers in Japan have reported that Sony's Chief Executive had given the go ahead for an equity deal. Meanwhile, shares in Olympus have risen by 8.2%, helped also by the Tokyo Stock Exchange's decision to keep the stock listed. Shares remain down by about 50% since October, when it fired its chief executive Michael Woodford which went on to a series of revelations about the company going back as far as 1990 to be revealed.

Fujifilm on the other hand, is also involved in the medical business, currently holding a 10% share of the endoscope market is reportedly interested in supporting the company, though Japan's antimonopoly rules could be a hurdle.

Any equity decision still appears to be far off, as negotiations are stunted by a lack of leadership at Olympus, which has seen several CEOs fired or dismissed in recent months. The current management has said it will not resign until the shareholders' meeting at the end of April.

Meanwhile, a group of shareholders is rumoured to be preparing a lawsuit against Olympus over the slide in share prices.

Source : Google Reader

Exclusive: Fujifilm: film sales decline is slowing

Exclusive: Fujifilm: film sales decline is slowing:

The rate of decline in analogue film sales is not as bad as expected, according to Fujifilm.

Speaking to TechRadar, Gabriel DeCosta, Product Manager for Fuji's film division, told us that it was "not all doom and gloom" and the division had plenty to celebrate.

"We're still profitable with our film, and while we are still seeing a decline, it is not as aggressive as it was six months ago.

"We're not entirely sure why, it could be to do with Kodak's decline, or it could be thanks to the resurgence in retro cameras, Lomography and that kind of thing," he said.

"The decline is not as bad as we had expected, or forecast for."

Although Kodak announced last week that it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US, it also maintains that its film division is still turning a profit, despite the increasing prevalence of digital cameras.

Comeback

It's fair to say that in recent months and years, there has been a serious resurgence in the popularity of analogue film, with companies like Lomography cashing on in on the trend with a range of plastic cameras that produce unpredictable results.

Even digital photography has been influenced by older models, with companies such as Olympus producing the PEN series of aesthetically retro cameras, and Fujifilm itself producing a host of very popular X Series cameras which also have a vintage feel.

Looking to the future, DeCosta said, "I give it three to four years, at least, before we start to see problems at Fujifilm, but even that's just a guess, nobody really knows the answer."

Along with the recent rise in popularity among amateurs, film still has a healthy market with various groups of people, including photography students and some professional photographers.

Source : Google Reader

24 Hours of LeMons Live Race Updates, Features, and More: Get ‘Em Right Here!

24 Hours of LeMons Live Race Updates, Features, and More: Get ‘Em Right Here!:

Car and Driver writers have been rubbing Bar’s-Leaks-smeared elbows with the miscreants who put on the 24 Hours of LeMons since the very first race, and so it follows— the way the Daewoo Maepsy followed the Holden Gemini—that we’d make an inexplicable sponsorship arrangement out of this common interest in a strangely competitive race series for $500 hoopties. What it means for you, the crapcan-racing fan: You’ll be able to keep up with the LeMons action right here on C/D.com.

Our 24 Hours of LeMons: Inexplicably Presented by Car and Driver page will offer live race updates, plus stories on ill-advised LeMons cars, even-more-ill-advised LeMons lifestyle choices, and any other rod-throwin’ LeMons mayhem we find in our travels around the country. Among the content you can find there already: race schedules, the best team costumes from the 2011 season, the most memorable Judgemobiles of all time, and past LeMons feature stories we’ve done at C/D.

Your host for much of the action will be Murilee Martin—a.k.a. Judge Phil of the 24 Hours of LeMons Supreme Court—and he’ll be taking the occasional break from his duties busting racers who “bought that M6 engine from some crackhead for 50 bucks” to bring you the coverage. On race weekend, he’ll provide updates on all the on-track action, including on the storied Humber Super Snipe v. Chrysler TC by Maserati rivalry.

The rest of the time, he’ll fill you in on wild car builds, heroic examples of Field Expedient Engineering, recipes for Valve Cover Chili, and other LeMons highlights. For those of you not familiar with the glorious, racetrack-property-value-lowering five-year history of the 24 Hours of LeMons, we suggest you check out Judge Phil’s Encrustation of 24 Hours of LeMons Nonsense for a crash course. Full LeMons info, of course, also is available at 24hoursoflemons.com

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Nissan Juke-R Driven: Riding the Frog-Faced Godzilla Lightning

Nissan Juke-R Driven: Riding the Frog-Faced Godzilla Lightning:

Question: When is a Nissan GT-R not a Nissan GT-R? Answer: When it’s a fat-fendered piece of lunacy with the face of a Nissan Juke. In other words, when it’s a Nissan Juke-R.

Keep Reading: Nissan Juke-R – First Drive Review

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Volvo to Split S60 Lineup with T5 AWD Model

Volvo to Split S60 Lineup with T5 AWD Model:

2011 Volvo S60

Volvo has added a new, lineup-splitting T5 AWD version of its S60 sedan, one of the brand’s few successful U.S. offerings. John Maloney, Volvo’s new U.S. president, revealed the information during an interview at the Detroit auto show. The T5 AWD announcement is hardly exciting stuff, but in light of recent subtractions from its U.S. lineup, any news that involves the addition of new models is potentially good for Volvo.

The new S60 T5 AWD will occupy the space—and find a home somewhere within the rather sizable $7150 price gap—between the $32,175 base FWD T5 model and the $39,325 AWD T6 variant. The T5 AWD will be powered by the same 250-hp turbocharged inline-five as the front-driver. (The T6—a very finicky example of which we have in our long-term stable—is powered by a smooth turbocharged 300-hp inline-six.) This new T5 will allow Volvo to counter competitors’ base-engine all-wheel-drive models, which include the BMW 328i xDrive and Audi A4 Quattro. The S60 T5 AWD goes on sale this summer, and exact pricing information will be available closer to its release.

Source : Google Reader

Diesel-Powered Mazda to Arrive in the U.S. in Early 2013

Diesel-Powered Mazda to Arrive in the U.S. in Early 2013:

A Mazda with a diesel engine finally will arrive in the U.S. in early 2013, spokesman Jeremy Barnes tells us. “It’ll be here between 15 and 18 months behind the launch of the Skyactiv-G gasoline engine in the Mazda 3.” That car hit the market in October of last year, so the math says to expect a diesel Mazda between January and April of 2013. This is just a few months later than originally projected.

Even though Mazda is describing the timing based on changes made to the Mazda 3, we shouldn’t expect that particular model to go diesel just yet. Our guess is that the compression-ignition engine will arrive first in the CX-5; the 3 and 6 are strong possibilities for diesel power in the following year or two. Mazda’s higher-spec 2.2-liter Skyactiv-D diesel four is the best candidate for U.S. service; in Europe, it makes 173 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. We did a deep dive on this engine when it first debuted, so check out our full rundown for more details.

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Volkswagen Introduces Five-Door Up! Variant for Europe

Volkswagen Introduces Five-Door Up! Variant for Europe:

Volkswagen dropped a non-surprise today in the form of the five-door variant of its Up! city car. We’ve pretty thoroughly covered the three-door Up! since its debut at last year’s Frankfurt auto show, including a first-drive report, and found it to offer handsome styling, decent road manners, and excellent fuel economy. This five-door version was previewed in part by the Cross Up! concept, which VW showed in Frankfurt along with five other concepts based on the Up!.

The differences between this new model and the three-door, as you’d expect, are minor. The five-door Up! shares all of its exterior and interior dimensions; trim-level designations; and either a 60- or 75-hp, 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine with its slightly less practical sibling. Besides the two additional doors, the five-door’s only cosmetic difference is a flatter beltline. (The three-door’s rear windows feature a jaunty upkick.) If you were expecting the Up! with extra doors to gain the capacity for a fifth passenger, you’re out of luck—it still seats just four. Like the standard Up!, the five-door will stay in Europe. It goes on sale there this summer, and it will cost €475 more than the three-door model.

Source : Google Reader