Hyundai has been trying to shake the image of providing a low quality product since the first round of cars was introduced to the U.S. in 1985 (the first generation Excel looked, felt and drove like it was assembled by preschoolers.) Since then it has taken great steps to improve all quality on its cars, and now it seems the big boys might be taking notice. Hyundai can confirm that General Motors and Toyota were some of the first to line up to buy one of the 800 Genesis sedans in its first month of sales.
This is nothing new. All car companies keep a fleet of the competition to compare and dissect, but what makes this news is how quickly the two auto giants snatched up the new car. The Genesis is Hyundai’s first attempt at large luxury car for a low price, and Hyundai hopes this is the final shift into full legitimacy with all of the American public.
TopSpeed currently has the 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe in our fleet, and we will be bringing you a full report on how Hyundai is doing in there quest for quality in the upcoming weeks.
UPDATED with video of Cadillac Global Products Director John Howell talking about the car, including why a wagon is being introduced in the U.S.
Cadillac is getting serious about the European market, and that’s evident with the premiere of the CTS Sport Wagon today at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. While wagons have not always been the preference for North American customers, the extra space finds favor with European customers. The wagon was a natural evolution for Cadillac considering the CTS was designed to compete with sedans from Germany such as the Audi A4 and the BMW 3-Series. The more aggressive lines suggest that the CTS Sport Wagon is going after A4 Avant customers.
The base engine in North America will be the 3.6-liter 263 horsepower V-6. Optional will be a the 3.6-liter with added direct injection, which increases output to 304 horsepower. There is also a 2.9-liter turbo-diesel V-6 engine option making 250 horsepower for the European and Asian markets. The gas engine V-6 Sport Wagon’s fuel economy is expected to be similar to the peak rating of the sedan’s 26 mpg highway rating. All will be available with either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission as well as all-wheel drive.
After few months of waiting for someone to give Jaguar’s newest cat a meaner growl, Arden, the British tuning company specialized in Jaguar cars, finally unveiled its customized AJ 21 based on the Jaguar XF. As you can see from the photos the new vehicle features a new body kit consisting in a completely re-designed front bumper with integrated daytime running LED’s in the Audi style, new side sills, a trunk spoiler and a re-designed rear spoiler with integrated exhaust system and rear air diffuser.
Under the hood, the 4.2 liter supercharged V8 engine was replaced by a much stronger 4.5-liter engine capable to develop 550 hp. The 2.7-liter V6 engine offers now 250 hp, with 43 hp more than the standard version. Also a new suspension was added in order to improve the stability of the car, together with new 21-inch alloy wheels. No words about the price yet.
That is not a Reventón pictured above, but rather a new Polish sports car (insert your joke here.) Lamborghini should be quite happy with the new design coming from Veno Automotive, after all imitation is the most sincerest form of flattery.
Veno has ambitious goals for the car. It says the supercar will be made from carbon fiber and the chassis can withstand the force brought on by 1000 horsepower. It will be available in coupe and roadster versions and will feature an array of gadgets like a night vision camera with pedestrian detection, onboard computer with internet access and doors that open with the touch of a button.
The current engine choices look like Audi’s 4.2-liter V8 engine developing 350, 450 and 700 HP. Veno says that by next year they will be able to offer the 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 from the Corvette ZR1. There is also mention of the company working on an electric version. That’s a lot of choices for a car that has a planned run of about 50 examples total.
All this sounds great, but it would be nice to see an actual car first. Until then enjoy a sideshow that someone on Youtube was kind enough to put together of all the available pictures of the Polish supercar.
Veno Automotive has not yet named this car. May we suggest staying away from names of famous bulls.
Ever wonder how long it takes to go from road car to rally car? Over the next few minutes, you’ll see a what it takes and how long it takes to build a champion Subaru rally car.
Since 2004, General Motors has sold this version of the Astra around the world through different companies like Opel, Vauxhall and Holden. Last year Saturn got its own version of the world car. For 2009 the Astra gets updated to keep it in line with its foreign cousins.
The Saturn Astra is offered in three-door and five-door models, each featuring a taut, European derived suspension that delivers a sharp, responsive driving experience. Power comes from a 1.8L, 138 hp four-cylinder engine, and highway fuel economy for the manual transmission-equipped Astra is rated at 32 mpg; 30 for Astras with the available automatic.
The Saturn Astra comes in two trim levels (XE and XR) for five-door models, and a single trim (XR) in the three-door configuration.
There are no secrets left about the Lotus Evora. We’ve already seen all the official photos from Lotus of this new mid-engined 2+2 coupe. This is just the first time we get to see it in its element down at Germany’s Nurburgring.
Powering Lotus’ new GT will be a Toyota 3.5-liter DOHC V6 making about 280 horsepower. While that usually isn’t a lot of power for a car that wants to hang with Aston Martins, its Lotus’ founder Colin Chapman’s motto that saves the car. He believed "to add speed, add lightness", and the under 3000 lb weight of the Evora will insure a fast ride.
For those who don’t know, DiMora Natalia SLS2 Supersedan represents the most luxurious car. Still under development, the car promises to be the most expensive car on the market, more expensive than a Bugatti Veyron. In order to sustain its price, the manufacturer announced that the car will be built using the most exclusive materials, one of them being the "Barotex inorganic fibre" made from volcanic rock.
According to Lilo Beuzieron, CEO of Barotex Technology Corporation, "Not only is lava rock more abundant, but our manufacturing process requires far less energy. It is friendly to the environment, and the automobiles built with Barotex are lighter, so they use less energy every mile traveled." So be ready, prepare your money and wait for the launch of this new sedan that is said to be powered by a 16-cylinder engine capable of developing an astonishing 1200 hp!
Lamborghini is bringing a few of its “must-see” cars to the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach this weekend. Included in this showcase will be the 2009 Gallardo LP560-4, 2008 Reventón and the 1989 Lamborghini P140 prototype.
The 2009 Gallardo LP560-4 is the latest from Lamborghini. It replaces the current Gallardo by offering a new 5.2 liter V-10 engine, permanent four-wheel drive transmission and an improved suspension.
The Reventón is Lamborghini’s ultra-exclusive supercar. It is Lamborghini’s most powerful and most expensive car ever. It is built from carbon fiber, and there are only 20 in the world. Although the mechanics are heavily based on the Murciélago LP640, the output of Reventón’s 6.5-liter V-12 is upgraded to 650 horsepower.
The P140 is significant because it bridges the gap between the Jalpa and the Diablo. The Jalpa was the “affordable” Lamborghini. It was built to compete with sub-supercar types, similar to the current Gallardo. Although it was never it was put into production, the P140 provides a clear visual evolution that took Lamborghini into the 90s.
Ka, Ford Ka. Inserting a car into a movie is nothing new. One of the best examples is if it wasn’t for Dustin Hoffman running around California in his Spider for the movie “The Graduate”, Alfa Romeo may have not existed very long in the U.S. at all. A lesser example is the new Mondeo’s warm reception it got in the last James Bond film “Casino Royale”. But the film gave Ford some great buzz about the new family sedan, so now it’s trying it again, this time with the budget-minded Ka. But Bond’s ego can’t fit in the little car so it will be given to his female friend.
So far there have been no announced plans to bring the Ka to the U.S. Possibly if the Ka gets real interest from American moviegoers, then it might become part of the other European models Ford will offer in the USA. For the new movie “The Quantum of Solace”, Ford has assembled a new Ka that is unique with metallic gold paint and an exclusive exterior graphics and interior trim combination. So much for machine gun headlights and grill mounted missiles.
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