Keep Reading: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG – Official Photos and Info
Source : Google Reader
Tuesday 20 March 2012
2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Photos and Info: The V12-Powered Roadster Lives
2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Photos and Info: The V12-Powered Roadster Lives:
In an age of engine downsizing and emissions-reduction mandates, one might expect the V-12 engine—volumes of which never were very high in the first place—to hit the endangered-species list. But Mercedes-Benz and AMG are keeping the breed alive at least for the near future, sliding the brands’ mighty twin-turbocharged twelve-pot into the latest SL roadster to create the latest SL65 AMG. With a price tag expected to top $200,000, the new super-roadster will create a veritable glut of six-figure, 500-plus-hp droptops in Benz showrooms, joining the $198,675 SLS AMG Roadster and the cheaper (at an estimated $140,000) 2013 SL63 AMG. The SL65 arrives this November. It will be available in 10 or so standard paint colors, the most important of which is brown.
Keep Reading: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG – Official Photos and Info
Source : Google Reader
Keep Reading: 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG – Official Photos and Info
Source : Google Reader
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake Spied, Drooled Over
Mercedes-Benz CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake Spied, Drooled Over:
What It Is: The ultra-powerful AMG derivative of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Brake. Don’t be misled by the application of the term “shooting brake,” however, which is normally used to denote two-door station wagons. Mercedes has applied the term to a conventional four-door wagon here, obviously inspired by its constant referral to this car’s basis, the CLS sedan, as a “four-door coupe.” But whatever you call the CLS or its derivatives, you can’t call them ugly.
Why It Matters: Premium station wagons have been around for a long time and are hugely popular in Europe, but what’s notable here is that it’s based on a model with practicality as perhaps its last priority, the CLS. Even though this car will offer slightly more cargo room than the regular CLS63, it turns the concept of a wagon into a bit of a reductio ad absurdum. Customers will choose the CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake for its looks, not because it carries a lot of potting soil.
Platform: There are no significant changes from the regular CLS63, which essentially is a re-bodied E63 AMG. This is Benz’s mid-size, rear-wheel-drive platform, which shares many components, including powertrains throughout the lineup, with the more compact C-class and the bigger S-class.
Powertrains: There will be only one engine: the M157 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-8. Output stands at 518 hp is basic form, and can be cranked to 550 hp with the optional Performance package. Torque is rated at 516 or 590 lb-ft, respectively. It all goes to the rear wheels, with the traction-control system working hard to keep the rubber from turning into smoke. The transmission will be Mercedes’ seven-speed automatic that features a wet clutch pack in place of a conventional torque converter. Expect a “race start” launch-control function, too.
Competition: The CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake slots in somewhere between the upcoming Audi RS6 Avant and the RS7 Sportback. With the M5 Touring no longer being made, BMW lacks a competitor in this arena, but the Cadillac CTS-V wagon will give this CLS a run. There’s internal competition, too, in the equally quick but much-more-practical E63 AMG wagon.
What Might Go Wrong: Not much: Few extra costs will be incurred in creating this beast, which relies heavily on dipping into the Mercedes brand’s parts bin.
Estimated Arrival and Price: If it comes to the U.S.—and it likely wouldn’t do so before the 2014 model year—it could cost upwards of $120,000.
Source : Google Reader
Why It Matters: Premium station wagons have been around for a long time and are hugely popular in Europe, but what’s notable here is that it’s based on a model with practicality as perhaps its last priority, the CLS. Even though this car will offer slightly more cargo room than the regular CLS63, it turns the concept of a wagon into a bit of a reductio ad absurdum. Customers will choose the CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake for its looks, not because it carries a lot of potting soil.
Platform: There are no significant changes from the regular CLS63, which essentially is a re-bodied E63 AMG. This is Benz’s mid-size, rear-wheel-drive platform, which shares many components, including powertrains throughout the lineup, with the more compact C-class and the bigger S-class.
Competition: The CLS63 AMG Shooting Brake slots in somewhere between the upcoming Audi RS6 Avant and the RS7 Sportback. With the M5 Touring no longer being made, BMW lacks a competitor in this arena, but the Cadillac CTS-V wagon will give this CLS a run. There’s internal competition, too, in the equally quick but much-more-practical E63 AMG wagon.
What Might Go Wrong: Not much: Few extra costs will be incurred in creating this beast, which relies heavily on dipping into the Mercedes brand’s parts bin.
Estimated Arrival and Price: If it comes to the U.S.—and it likely wouldn’t do so before the 2014 model year—it could cost upwards of $120,000.
Source : Google Reader
2014 Jaguar C-X75 Supercar Nears Testing Phase: Turbines Out, All-New Four-Cylinder In
2014 Jaguar C-X75 Supercar Nears Testing Phase: Turbines Out, All-New Four-Cylinder In:
The Jaguar C-X75 sports car, previewed by a concept at the 2010 Paris auto show, is nearing production. Jointly developed with Williams F1, the lightweight hybrid will be powered by two powerful electric motors (one at each axle), with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine pulling range-extension duties. This four-cylinder engine is not a commodity part but an entirely new unit co-developed with Williams F1.
The two miniature gas turbine engines that served as range extenders in the concept car won’t make it into series production—and were never intended to, we are told from a source within the company. Rumors abound on a racing version that makes use of the turbines, but we couldn’t get firm confirmation. Jaguar has promised that research on the turbine technology continues—including via Indian mother company Tata Motors—but it is far from ready to be offered to customers for street or track use.
The roadgoing C-X75 will be a 200-mph-plus supercar; performance targets include 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds and 0 to 100 in less than six. It will be sold in the U.S. for around $1 million. Tests of prototypes should begin within the next few months, so you may want to start pinching your pennies. Expect the final car to arrive in late 2013 or early 2014.
Source : Google Reader
The Jaguar C-X75 sports car, previewed by a concept at the 2010 Paris auto show, is nearing production. Jointly developed with Williams F1, the lightweight hybrid will be powered by two powerful electric motors (one at each axle), with a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder gasoline engine pulling range-extension duties. This four-cylinder engine is not a commodity part but an entirely new unit co-developed with Williams F1.
The two miniature gas turbine engines that served as range extenders in the concept car won’t make it into series production—and were never intended to, we are told from a source within the company. Rumors abound on a racing version that makes use of the turbines, but we couldn’t get firm confirmation. Jaguar has promised that research on the turbine technology continues—including via Indian mother company Tata Motors—but it is far from ready to be offered to customers for street or track use.
The roadgoing C-X75 will be a 200-mph-plus supercar; performance targets include 0 to 60 mph in less than three seconds and 0 to 100 in less than six. It will be sold in the U.S. for around $1 million. Tests of prototypes should begin within the next few months, so you may want to start pinching your pennies. Expect the final car to arrive in late 2013 or early 2014.
Source : Google Reader
Mercedes-Benz Kills Slow-Selling R-Class in the U.S.
Mercedes-Benz Kills Slow-Selling R-Class in the U.S.:
This year marks the end of the road for Mercedes-Benz’s R-class crossover in the U.S. A Mercedes-Benz spokesman says that the company can no longer make the business case for the R, sales of which have dropped precipitously since it was introduced in 2005. Sales of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama–built R-class peaked in 2006, its first full year on the market, at 18,168 units. Just 2385 were sold in 2011.
The R-class still will be manufactured, however, with the vehicle proving relatively popular in China, Mexico, and Canada. In 2011, Chinese shoppers bought five times the number of R-classes that Americans did. Even for export, though, R-class production will continue only until 2015. By then, the stodgy crossover will be a decade old, and Benz’s factory in Tuscaloosa will be on the finished side of a $2.4-billion expansion setting it up to build the next-gen C-class and a new, ML-based sporty crossover, which we believe will be called MLC.
The withering of R-class sales, and its overall failure here, should offer a valuable lesson for automakers: If you build it, shoppers won’t necessarily come. The R-class is more the result of a focus group’s abstract list of “wanted” features rather than an object of desire—or, at least, of rational appeal. A crossover but not, the R-class was pushed on SUV-obsessed American shoppers who have not shown themselves receptive to tall wagons or clever ways of hauling three rows of people. But Benz—and its competition at Audi and BMW—are still pursuing niche-intensive product strategies. Sharing platforms reduces the cost of offering so many vehicles in so many shapes, but if it’s folly, it’s still folly.
Source : Google Reader
This year marks the end of the road for Mercedes-Benz’s R-class crossover in the U.S. A Mercedes-Benz spokesman says that the company can no longer make the business case for the R, sales of which have dropped precipitously since it was introduced in 2005. Sales of the Tuscaloosa, Alabama–built R-class peaked in 2006, its first full year on the market, at 18,168 units. Just 2385 were sold in 2011.
The R-class still will be manufactured, however, with the vehicle proving relatively popular in China, Mexico, and Canada. In 2011, Chinese shoppers bought five times the number of R-classes that Americans did. Even for export, though, R-class production will continue only until 2015. By then, the stodgy crossover will be a decade old, and Benz’s factory in Tuscaloosa will be on the finished side of a $2.4-billion expansion setting it up to build the next-gen C-class and a new, ML-based sporty crossover, which we believe will be called MLC.
The withering of R-class sales, and its overall failure here, should offer a valuable lesson for automakers: If you build it, shoppers won’t necessarily come. The R-class is more the result of a focus group’s abstract list of “wanted” features rather than an object of desire—or, at least, of rational appeal. A crossover but not, the R-class was pushed on SUV-obsessed American shoppers who have not shown themselves receptive to tall wagons or clever ways of hauling three rows of people. But Benz—and its competition at Audi and BMW—are still pursuing niche-intensive product strategies. Sharing platforms reduces the cost of offering so many vehicles in so many shapes, but if it’s folly, it’s still folly.
Source : Google Reader
2014 Jeep Liberty Spy Photos: Fiat-Based Platform, New 3.2L Version of Pentastar V6
2014 Jeep Liberty Spy Photos: Fiat-Based Platform, New 3.2L Version of Pentastar V6:
What It Is: A mule for the next-gen 2014 Jeep Liberty caught testing wearing an Alfa Romeo Giulietta shell. The compact SUV replacement for the venerated Jeep Cherokee, the Liberty arrived for 2002 and was revamped for 2008. Despite Jeep’s best efforts, the Liberty never quite lived up to the Cherokee’s reputation for rugged simplicity and suburban chic.
Keep Reading: 2014 Jeep Liberty Spy Photos – Future Cars
Source : Google Reader
Keep Reading: 2014 Jeep Liberty Spy Photos – Future Cars
Source : Google Reader
Production Ford Tourneo Van Unveiled for Europe, Provides Clues for Larger U.S.-Market Transit
Production Ford Tourneo Van Unveiled for Europe, Provides Clues for Larger U.S.-Market Transit:
Ford has revealed the first member of its next-gen van family, the Tourneo Custom. The van (pictured above) is not the same as the Transit we’ll get here in the U.S. in 2013. That rig will be larger and rear-wheel drive; this Tourneo is smaller and front-wheel drive. The two vans aren’t completely separate, however—their underpinnings are vaguely related, and we’re told the Tourneo’s styling previews that of the heavier-duty Transit. That’s a good thing.
First shown off in slightly overstyled concept form just last month at the 2012 Geneva auto show, the Tourneo wears Ford’s latest Kinetic design language. Although a few details have been toned down, overall the van’s appearance survived the transition from concept to production well. No “for a van” excuses needed here: Ford has created quite a handsome piece, one which features the same creases, bulges, and swept-back look as the Focus and Fiesta. Inside, the familial link to several recent global Ford models continues, with available Sync infotainment and the cockpit-like dash styling.
The Tourneo can be had with either eight or nine seats, and in short- and long-wheelbase configurations. In keeping with the van’s upscale pretensions, high-tech options like a backup camera, lane keeping and driver alert, and Sync-enabled emergency assistance are all available. Forward motivation comes from a 2.2-liter diesel that’s available in three outputs: 99 hp, 123 hp, and 153 hp. Auto stop-start technology is standard, as is a six-speed manual transmission.
As for the full-size Transit coming in 2013, we already know it will get a version of the F-150′s EcoBoost turbocharged, 3.5-liter V-6 and rear-wheel drive. But we won’t know how much it will resemble the Tourneo until Ford reveals that lineup of commercial vans later this year.
Source : Google Reader
Ford has revealed the first member of its next-gen van family, the Tourneo Custom. The van (pictured above) is not the same as the Transit we’ll get here in the U.S. in 2013. That rig will be larger and rear-wheel drive; this Tourneo is smaller and front-wheel drive. The two vans aren’t completely separate, however—their underpinnings are vaguely related, and we’re told the Tourneo’s styling previews that of the heavier-duty Transit. That’s a good thing.
First shown off in slightly overstyled concept form just last month at the 2012 Geneva auto show, the Tourneo wears Ford’s latest Kinetic design language. Although a few details have been toned down, overall the van’s appearance survived the transition from concept to production well. No “for a van” excuses needed here: Ford has created quite a handsome piece, one which features the same creases, bulges, and swept-back look as the Focus and Fiesta. Inside, the familial link to several recent global Ford models continues, with available Sync infotainment and the cockpit-like dash styling.
The Tourneo can be had with either eight or nine seats, and in short- and long-wheelbase configurations. In keeping with the van’s upscale pretensions, high-tech options like a backup camera, lane keeping and driver alert, and Sync-enabled emergency assistance are all available. Forward motivation comes from a 2.2-liter diesel that’s available in three outputs: 99 hp, 123 hp, and 153 hp. Auto stop-start technology is standard, as is a six-speed manual transmission.
As for the full-size Transit coming in 2013, we already know it will get a version of the F-150′s EcoBoost turbocharged, 3.5-liter V-6 and rear-wheel drive. But we won’t know how much it will resemble the Tourneo until Ford reveals that lineup of commercial vans later this year.
Source : Google Reader
2013 Ford Mustang GT Convertible Driven: Small Adjustments Keep the Good Times Rolling
2013 Ford Mustang GT Convertible Driven: Small Adjustments Keep the Good Times Rolling:
The challenge of keeping an automotive legend evergreen increases in direct proportion to its age, which makes the perpetuation of the Ford Mustang one of the most formidable assignments in American autodom. How well the stewards of this 49-year-old icon discharge their sobering duty is a function of their creativity, their understanding of both Mustang loyalists and potential Mustang wannabes, and—the essential element—budget.
Keep Reading: 2013 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Convertible – First Drive Review
Source : Google Reader
Keep Reading: 2013 Ford Mustang GT 5.0 Convertible – First Drive Review
Source : Google Reader
Porsche Developing Panamera Plug-In Hybrid
Porsche Developing Panamera Plug-In Hybrid:
Porsche is working on a plug-in hybrid version of its Panamera five-door hatchback. No official word comes from the company, but our sources indicate that the plug-in model will come to market during the 2013 calendar year. It’s not clear yet whether the car will be sold alongside the plugless Panamera S hybrid or if it will supplant that model, but it will likely make a bit more power than the S hybrid’s 380 hp. We expect the internal-combustion portion of the equation, an Audi-sourced, supercharged 3.0-liter V-6, to remain the same.
The launch of the plug-in hybrid should coincide with the Panamera’s midcycle face lift. An entirely redesigned, second-generation Panamera is several years away, and it will be built on a new modular VW Group rear-wheel-drive platform dubbed MSB (“Modularer Standard-Baukasten“). When that car hits the road in five or so years, expect big reductions in weight and large gains in power.
Source : Google Reader
Porsche is working on a plug-in hybrid version of its Panamera five-door hatchback. No official word comes from the company, but our sources indicate that the plug-in model will come to market during the 2013 calendar year. It’s not clear yet whether the car will be sold alongside the plugless Panamera S hybrid or if it will supplant that model, but it will likely make a bit more power than the S hybrid’s 380 hp. We expect the internal-combustion portion of the equation, an Audi-sourced, supercharged 3.0-liter V-6, to remain the same.
The launch of the plug-in hybrid should coincide with the Panamera’s midcycle face lift. An entirely redesigned, second-generation Panamera is several years away, and it will be built on a new modular VW Group rear-wheel-drive platform dubbed MSB (“Modularer Standard-Baukasten“). When that car hits the road in five or so years, expect big reductions in weight and large gains in power.
Source : Google Reader
Lighting Lab
Lighting Lab:
I love the obvious inspiration behind this one-of-a-kind lamp design by Michael Samoriz. The Microscope LED Lamp aims to inspire designers, artists and other creatives to view their desk not merely as a desk, but as a laboratory where they can experiment with imagination.
Designer: Michael Samoriz
-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(Lighting Lab was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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I love the obvious inspiration behind this one-of-a-kind lamp design by Michael Samoriz. The Microscope LED Lamp aims to inspire designers, artists and other creatives to view their desk not merely as a desk, but as a laboratory where they can experiment with imagination.
Designer: Michael Samoriz
-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(Lighting Lab was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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Source : Google Reader
The Plug Lamp
The Plug Lamp:
Doesn’t it seem like it’s impossible to find an open outlet when you need one?! The Plug Lamp provides a clever (and cute) solution to this problem by incorporating an outlet into the base so power is always handy!
Designer: Form Us With Love for ateljé Lyktan
-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(The Plug Lamp was originally posted on Yanko Design)
Related posts:
Doesn’t it seem like it’s impossible to find an open outlet when you need one?! The Plug Lamp provides a clever (and cute) solution to this problem by incorporating an outlet into the base so power is always handy!
Designer: Form Us With Love for ateljé Lyktan
-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(The Plug Lamp was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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DIY Postcards
DIY Postcards:
I love the fact that we can setup our own photo printing system at home and get creative with it. However there is the limitation of routing the pictures via a computer and then printing them. The Postcards Printer eliminates this step; it doubles up as a digital photo frame and a printer. Creating excusive postcards for posting or just plain photos, both options look awesome with it.
Designer: Sun Feng
-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(DIY Postcards was originally posted on Yanko Design)
No related posts.
Source : Google Reader
I love the fact that we can setup our own photo printing system at home and get creative with it. However there is the limitation of routing the pictures via a computer and then printing them. The Postcards Printer eliminates this step; it doubles up as a digital photo frame and a printer. Creating excusive postcards for posting or just plain photos, both options look awesome with it.
Designer: Sun Feng
-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(DIY Postcards was originally posted on Yanko Design)
No related posts.
Source : Google Reader
Perfectly Warmed Bath
Perfectly Warmed Bath:
When you are in for a long soak, the cycle of water turning from comfortably warm to tepid to cold is frustrating. On rare occasions I indulge in draining out some cold and refilling with the warm water. But my eco-conscious mind chides me for it! Anyways, Warm On pebbles look to resolve this problem innovatively. The pebbles are sensor-fitted heat-radiating artificial stones that maintain the water temperature for a set duration. So from start to finish you can have the same water temperature without any guilt. Awesome!
Designers: Sunmi Hwang, Hyunjoo-Lee & Jiwon-Seok
-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(Perfectly Warmed Bath was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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When you are in for a long soak, the cycle of water turning from comfortably warm to tepid to cold is frustrating. On rare occasions I indulge in draining out some cold and refilling with the warm water. But my eco-conscious mind chides me for it! Anyways, Warm On pebbles look to resolve this problem innovatively. The pebbles are sensor-fitted heat-radiating artificial stones that maintain the water temperature for a set duration. So from start to finish you can have the same water temperature without any guilt. Awesome!
Designers: Sunmi Hwang, Hyunjoo-Lee & Jiwon-Seok
-
Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!
(Perfectly Warmed Bath was originally posted on Yanko Design)
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