Car News
Vauxhall Ampera price
The Vauxhall Ampera price was announced today, and the good news is that UK’s first extended-range electric vehicle is also qualifying for a Plug-In Car Grant of 5,000 GBP.
The Vauxhall Ampera price starts at 28,995 GBP after the grant, and dealership arrival across UK is scheduled for early 2012.
When using only electric power the Vauxhall Ampera is able to cover up to 50 miles, while the car’s range extends to 360 miles when the engine/generator also starts to produce electricity.
Gemballa Porsche Cayenne 958
The German tuners from Gemballa are back with their first project under the company’s new ownership, and as you can see, their new creation remains true to the old values, and we’re talking about the extreme design that made Gemballa famous.
This custom SUV is based on the new Porsche Cayenne 958 and only a limited series of 30 units will be produced.
On the long list of exterior upgrades, the Gemballa Porsche Cayenne 958 features a new front bumper with larger air intakes and daytime LEDs, a new apron, a vented bonnet, new side sills and side vents, a redesigned rear spoiler, new taillights, and a sports exhaust system with four tailpipes.
Mini Minor Concept
According to recent info that surfaced the intertubes, Mini is preparing to debut the Mini Minor Concept at next year’s Geneva Motor Show. Apparently the news has been confirmed by Wolfgang Armbrecht in an interview offered to Autocar, and it seems like the Mini Minor Concept will be the same size as the original Mini, entering the market as a rival for Toyota iQ and Smart ForTwo.
Production version of the Mini Minor Concept will most likely begin in 2013, and in terms of motorisation, the car will use the new generation 1.5-litre 3-cylinder engine developed by BMW.
BMW 5 Series Hybrid info
The BMW 5 Series Hybrid has recently been spied in Munich, Germany, as two prototypes were spotted wearing the ‘Hybrid Test Vehicle’ sticker at the back.
These prototypes were based on the 535i version BMW 5 Series, and if you head over to the WCF site, you’ll see that that no exterior changes have been made. We could however see a few minor tweaks on the production version BMW 5 Series Hybrid which will be launched sometime in 2011.
Top Gear Christmas Special trailer
We’ve seen a portion of it already, which presented the boys after landing in Iraq with a cargo plane, and now we bring you the official Top Gear Christmas Special trailer which gives you a hint of what you’ll miss in case you won’t tune in on December 26 on BBC2.
Clarkson, Hammond and May will play the role of three wise men crossing the dessert to Israel in a BMW Z3, a Fiat Barchetta, and a Mazda MX-5 which serve as camels, while on December 21 Top Gear will air the their first episode from series 16, in which they have fun with a Mercedes SLS, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, and a Ferrari 458 Italia in New York.
Honda Civic Concept
The Japanese car maker has published a single sketch with the Honda Civic Concept which will debut at the 2011 North American International Auto Show in January.
Through this teaser photo with the Honda Civic Concept we get a hint of what will the ninth generation Civic will look like, and as you can see the car features a sleeker, more aerodynamic design.
The next generation Honda Civic will go on sale in spring 2011, and most of the lines seen in this sketch will most likely make it on to the production version.
Cadillac CTS-V Coupe racecar
Cadillac has just announced that it will return to racing in 2011 with the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe racecar, a specially prepared version obviously based on the CTS-V Coupe, which will compete in the Sports Car Club of America World Challenge.
The North American automaker says the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe racecar had been designed to validate and enhance Cadillac performance, and the two teams that will participate in the upcoming SCCA World Challenge GT Class will include Andy Pilgrim, Johnny O’Connell among drivers.
Irmscher Chevrolet Camaro SS
German tuner Irmscher have created an unique version Chevrolet Camaro SS which was unveiled at this year’s Essen Motor Show and which can also deliver a serious punch in terms of performance, thanks to a series of upgrades.
Starting with the exterior changes the Irmscher Chevrolet Camaro SS comes with a set of 22 inch black alloys and door, bonnet and roof decals, plus on the mechanical side, the main upgrade that enabled a considerable increase in power is the addition of a supercharger and a new exhaust system.
Mercedes SLS E Cell review video
AutoExpress has published their review with the Mercedes SLS E Cell, telling us what they think of the electric version Gullwing sports car.
The Mercedes SLS E Cell features 324 lithium ion batteries, that take around 3 hours to charge and give a range of about 125 miles plus four electric motors (one of each wheel) for a combined output figure of 527 bhp (7 percent less than the regular SLS) and 880 Nm of torque (a third more than the V8 powered model).
2011 Jeep Compass photos and details
Chrysler has just released official photos and details with the new generation 2011 Jeep Compass which as you can see has changed in terms of design, as it borrowed various styling cues from the larger Grand Cherokee model.
The 2011 Jeep Compass enters the compact SUV range with improvements made in terms of fuel efficiency, ride quality, steering, interior equipment and materials and production will take off at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Belvidere, Illinois.