BMW 7-Series Teaser Poster Appears at Golf Tournament!

While we’ve seen more spy shots of the new BMW 7-Series that we can remember, this is the first “official” teaser picture of the forthcoming Bavarian luxury sedan. The teaser poster that displays a darkened view of the 2009 7-Series’ front end was seen at a BMW sponsored Golf tournament. BMW’s new flagship model will make its public debut at the Paris Auto Show this fall. Read more about the 2009 BMW 7-Series here.

Mercedes Planning Electric A-Class with Lithium-Ion Batteries for 2010

Citing inside company sources, German newspaper “Automobilewoche” is reporting that Mercedes-Benz will market an electric version of the current A-Class in 2010. According to an unnamed senior manager in the automotive industry, the current generation A-Class’ sandwich construction with its double floor is ideal to fit the batteries without performing any serious modifications to the vehicle.

The newspaper also supports that Mercedes-Benz is currently in talks with Tesla for the supply of the lithium-ion batteries. Compared to nickel hydride units, lithium-ion batteries are not only more powerful but they also weigh less.

NISMO to Test Tuned Nissan GT-R at Tokachi 24H

Nissan’s official motorsports and performance division, NISMO, will enter a specially-prepped Nissan GT-R into the 15th Tokachi 24-hour race, to be held from July 20th to 21st in Hokkaido. The NISMO GT-R that will be based on the standard production car will be equipped with the newly-developed NISMO tuning parts and competition motor oil jointly developed with MOTUL. The GT-R specific NISMO tuning parts used in the race will be available as accessory options to GT-R customers this summer

Team Director Taro Kumagai said, "This is the first Nissan GT-R to race based on the standard road-car specifications. Our target is to complete the race distance, testing both the performance and reliability of the car. Following its success in Super GT, we know that GT-R fans want to see the car compete in this kind of endurance racing series.” -Continued

Team:
Entrant: NISMO
Entry Name: MOTUL NISMO Racing Team
Vehicle Name: MOTUL NISMO GT-R
Team Director: Taro KUMAGAI
Drivers: Masami KAGEYAMA, Tetsuya TANAKA, and Kazuki

Car Specification:
Base Vehicle: NISSAN GT-R (R35)
Engine: VR38DETT
Displacement: 3799 cc
Max. Power: over 480 ps/6400 rpm
Max. Torque: over 60 kgfm/3200-5200 rpm
Weight: over 1600 kg
Tyres: Bridgestone Racing POTENZA

Kia Koup to Enter Production in 2009, No Hatchback Version for the U.S.

The production version of the Kia Koup Concept that was previewed earlier this year at the New York Auto Show will go on sale in the States during the third quarter of 2009, according Lee Hyun-soon, president of Hyundai-Kia Motors' R&D division. Kia's first ever Coupe model will be based on the replacement for the Spectra, teaser shots of which have already appeared throughout the web.

The Spectra sedan, that may bear a different name, will be available in the U.S. by mid-2009. According to Lee, the Spectra hatchback will no longer be sold in the U.S. as the Korean automaker believes that the Coupe variant will easily outsell it.

Via: AN (Sub. Req)

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X Drawing Customers from German Brands

An in-house study of UK customers buying the new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X since the car was launched in March 2008 has shown that 38% of the exchanges offered against the Twin Clutch SST (Sports Shift Transmission) model have been from premium German brands, while 31% have been from other Japanese competitor brands.

On the other hand, sales of the manual transmission have been dominated by the FQ-360 variant, with the majority (40%) coming from existing EVO owners. However, a further 19% of part exchanges came from premium German marques and 20% from other Japanese manufacturers. According to Mitsubishi, several super cars have also been traded in against new Lancer Evolution Xs, with one dealer handing over a Lancer Evolution X FQ-300 SST and a cheque for £90,000 against a Ferrari F430. -Continued

Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi UK’s Sales and Marketing Director stated that, “this shows that the new Evolution X is certainly attracting people out of German cars, especially into the SST, and that the manual gearbox car is not only attracting traditional Evo customers, but also customers of other Japanese marques.”

Citroen C-Crosser Gets 2.4-liter Petrol Engine & CVT Gearbox

Citroen is enhancing its C-Crosser range in the U.K. with a new model that features a more powerful, 170hp 2.4 litre petrol engine that can be combined with a new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). There are two available trim levels, the VTR+ and Exclusive with prices starting from £19,995. Standard equipment includes automatic folding of the reclining and sliding split rear seats, cruise control, light sensitive headlights, ABS with EBD and ESP and 6 airbags. -Continued

New Models	R.R.P. OTR
VTR 2.4i 170hp 5 speed	£19,995.00
VTR+ 2.4i 170hp CVT	£22,495.00
Exclusive 2.4i 170hp CVT	£25,195.00

Proton to Enter Indian Market in 2009

Malaysian national carmaker Proton has announced its plans to enter the burgeoning Indian market that currently supports annual sales of about 1.5 million passenger vehicles. Initially, the Malaysian company will market three models, the Savvy, the Saga and the Persona with sales expected to begin in early 2009. Proton is also negotiating with a joint-venture partner in India to manufacture and market its cars. "We are looking at a number of possible joint venture partners in India with a strong focus on marketing," said Syed Zainal, managing director of Proton Cars.

Seat Ibiza SportCoupe Image Gallery Update

Seat has released further images of its new Ibiza SportCoupe that’s set to go on sale in European markets this summer. Furthermore, the Spanish automaker announced details on the three-door hatchback’s engine line-up that will initially consist of three petrol units; 69Hp 1.2-liter, 85Hp 1.4-liter and 105Hp 1.6-liter, and three diesel engines; 80Hp 1.4-liter, 90Hp 1.9-liter and 105Hp 1.9-liter.

In 2009 the Ibiza SportCoupe’s range will be enhanced with the addition of the highly anticipated FR and Cupra sport versions equipped with the VW Group’s TSI turbocharged petrol engines. -Image gallery after the jump

OMG! N.C. DMV Site Samples WTF License Plate – LOL!

Last July, a 60-year-old teacher from Fayetteville in North Carolina (N.C. for short) complained to the state Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV for short) about her “WTF” (what the f… for short) licence plate after being tipped off by her grandchildren. In response, the N.C. DMV notified around 10,000 holders of the license plates with the allegedly offensive letter combo that they can replace them for free.

End of story, lesson learnt? Not exactly as this week N.C. DMV officials were informed that the same letters appeared on the agency's own web site on a sample personalized plate (WTF-5505). “I can't believe it," DMV Commissioner Bill Gore told reporters when he was informed about the online hitch. "Obviously, I didn't know it was there."

Prodrive Gives Police Officers Lessons on the Subaru Impreza GB270

The “loveable” fellas at the UK Essex Police ANPR (Automatic number plate recognition) team, also known as the ‘Interceptors’, have been taking high performance driving tuition from motorsport specialists, Prodrive. The Interceptor team, which consists of 21 members, recently replaced its front wheel drive cars with the Prodrive prepped Subaru Impreza GB270s that are equipped with a turbocharged boxer engine developing 270Hp.

Why the Corvette Z1’s Nurburgring Time Shouldn't be Compared with the Nissan GT-R

We’ll give GM plenty of kudos for creating a sports car that officially lapped the famous Nurburgring in a mere 7 minutes and 26.4 seconds as it puts plenty of supercars costing double its price to shame, but ultimately, its somewhat unfair to compare the Corvette ZR1 with the Nissan GT-R. True, in our article on the ZR1’s Nurburgring time we mentioned that GM’s sports car beat the Nissan GT-R (7 minutes and 29.03 seconds), but we only did it to give you a comparable example of how good the Corvette is.

However, we must put things into perspective. The 640Hp Corvette ZR1 is priced from $103,300, the 480Hp Nissan GT-R from $69,850. That’s a huge price difference -$33,450 or nearly 50% more. Practically, the GT-R should be compared with the 505Hp Corvette Z06 that starts from $72,125. Although this is not an official time, various sites (including Motortrend) have stated that the Z06 lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes and 42 seconds or 13 seconds more than the GT-R. -Continued

But to be totally honest, a sportscar’s Nurburgring time would be the last thing that would matter if we were in the market to buy one. Well before that we’d take into consideration a variety of factors including the emotional impact that the car has on us, the way it communicates with us on the road -maybe even on the track, and of course, the price tag. (Pic: Carscoop)

Lotus Eagle Teaser Picture – Official Debut at British Motor Show

The first all-new model to come out of the Lotus factory in 13 years, the Eagle, will be revealed on July 22 when the British Motor Show in London opens its doors to the members of the press. However, we managed to discover an official teaser image of the mid-engined 2+2 sports car that is rumored to be powered by a modified version of the Toyota Camry’s 3.5 V6 engine that in stock form produces 268Hp at 6,200 rpm and 248 lb.-ft. at 4,700 rpm.

Inside sources told Carscoop that the Japanese V6 engine will be offered in both naturally aspirated and turbocharged versions. The Eagle will essentially replace the top-of-the-line Esprit that went out of production in 2004 as Lotus will market the 2+2 lightweight coupe above the Elise, Exige and Europa. -Continued

Talking about lightweight construction, the Eagle will utilize the proven technology used in the Elise family of vehicles as well as the Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) shown as the APX (Aluminium Performance Crossover) Concept Vehicle.

At the Geneva Salon in March, Lotus showcased the front module of the Eagle’s chassis which consist of three distinct parts, with the centre occupant section being the largest. Bolted to this centre section are the rear sub frame to which the engine and rear suspension are attached and the front module that incorporates the bumper beam and side members.

Seat Ibiza SportCoupe: New Image Gallery

The SportCoupe is the three-door variant of the new Seat Ibiza hatchback that will make its first public appearance at next month’s British Motor Show in London. While these new pictures aren’t of the best quality, they do give us more views of the 3door Spanish hatchback, the first official images of which were released earlier this month.

The Seat Ibiza SportCoupe will be initially offered with two petrol engines, a 105Hp 1.6-liter and an 85Hp 1.4-liter along with a 90Hp 1.9-liter turbo diesel unit. Not exactly the sporty engine range we were expecting from Seat. Hopefully, the Spanish carmaker will not make the mistake and wait a couple of years before it starts offering the VW Group’s 1.4 TSi turbocharged petrol engine line-up. -More pics after the jump

Thanks for the pics Adam!

2009 Chevrolet Traverse Crossover Priced from $28,990

The newest addition to GM’s line-up of crossovers, the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse that will go on sale in the U.S. this fall, will carry a base MSRP of $28,990, including a $735 destination charge, for the 2WD LS model. Chevrolet will offer the Traverse in LS, LT and LTZ models in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations, however detailed pricing will be announced at a later date. -Continued

The Traverese that can fit up to eight passengers in three rows of seats (2+3+3) is powered by a direct injection 3.6-liter V6 engine with 288Hp that’s matted to a six-speed automatic gearbox.

Bell Aurens Longnose: Custom Made Land Rover with 235 to… 1,500+ Hp!

The Bell Aurens Longnose is the byproduct of two German Land Rover enthusiasts, Thomas Bell and Holger Kalvelage who got together through an online forum creating this one-of-a-kind off-roadster version of the classic Landie. Under the Bell Aurens Longnose’s never-ending bonnet lies a choice of two Rover V8 engines, a 4.6-litre with 235 Hp and a 5.0-litre delivering 280 Hp.

The German duo is also working on a V16 engine created by joining two Rover V8 engines. If the latter meets German MOT standards, it will be offered as 8.0-liter producing 420 Hp and a 10.0-liter with 700 Hp. However, the ultimate version (and probably the company’s ultimate promotional vehicle) will be powered by a 27.0-litre supercharged V12 engine, the Merlin, produced by Rolls-Royce to power an airplane, with a little over… 1,500Hp! -Continued

The basic price of a Bell Aurens Longnose with standard tail and a 4.6-liter V8 engine will be around €125,000 (plus tax). The German company will hand-build 10 cars a year with each model taking about 4 to 6 months to be delivered.

Via: WFC , Source: Bell Aurens