Audi A5 Sportback

The 1st official picture. Just a teaser so far.
Audi has also mentioned that the US market will not get this car.

I guess they still think Americans don't like hatchbacks...


Here is a teaser video.

Review: 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXL

With great fanfare, General Motors has introduced the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, a vehicle with which the automaker hopes to jump-start a sweeping brand transformation for the tired Tri-Shield. For Buick to be a success in GM's post-bailout, post-bankruptcy era, the brand must dump its well-deserved reputation as the preferred marque of last-time buyers. (Average age of previous-model LaCrosse buyer: Around 70.) For better or worse, as it scrambles to get more – and younger – drivers behind the wheel, Buick has elected to position itself as America's Lexus in a bid to give itself some premium cachet.

Frankly, that's a pretty tall order, but if first impressions mean anything, the Buick LaCrosse might be crowned GM's savior on appearances alone, because it's that attractive, especially compared to the fish-faced namesake it replaces. The 2009-and-prior LaCrosse looks like the unfortunate love child of a third-generation Ford Taurus and a Mitsuoka Orochi. Or, put plainly, it looks like some ugly Chinese car. By comparison, the 2010 LaCrosse is classy and stylish. Therein lies the delicious irony: the 2010 Buick LaCrosse's glitzy looks were, in fact, jointly developed with GM China's design team. Go figure, and be thankful. In the metal, this ride draws plenty appreciative stares.

Viewed in profile, the 2010 Buick LaCrosse's fast-looking roofline sweeps down into a short, high rear decklid. Acres of sheet metal reside under the greenhouse, and to mitigate the ensuing slab-sidedness, the designers employ a Lexus-style chrome strip along the bottom of the door panels along with a corresponding indent in the bodywork. What really breaks up the monotony, however, is the 21st-century version of the Buick sweep-spear, implemented here as a crease in the bodywork that turns the LaCrosse's chunkiness into a something a bit more voluptuous-looking. The LaCrosse CXL's chrome-finished, seven-spoke 18-inch wheels fill out the wells nicely, and the 19-inchers you get with the top-spec Lacrosse CXS would look better proportioned still.



Arched headlamps flank Buick's signature waterfall grille, and the lower bumper openings turn down into a frown at the corners. It makes for a sterner look than the bewildered, four-eyed face sported by the old LaCrosse. The hood ventiports on the new LaCrosse are also purely ornamental. Moving aft, tail lamps resembling chrome-edged flower petals finish off the rear end. From an exterior styling perspective, the new Buick LaCrosse drips curb appeal all over the sidewalk.

The good news continues with the swanky interior, elegantly decked out in a tasteful two-tone motif in the case of our tester. Material quality gets a solid thumbs-up, and GM goes so far as to add stitching to some of the soft-touch door and dash surfaces, making them look as though they're wrapped in leather, when in fact it's merely a visual sleight-of-hand. Don't laugh – it works. The front seats are comfortable and reasonably bolstered, but the best seats in the house may be one row back. At 40.5 inches, rear seat legroom is very good. That's more than the Pontiac G8 – no slouch in the department at 39.4 inches – just shy of the Toyota Avalon's 40.9 inches, and simply obliterates the 35.9 inches you'll get as a backseater in the Lexus ES350. If you don't get to ride shotgun in the LaCrosse, it's no penalty to be relegated to the back, where you can sit back and enjoy the quiet cabin in great comfort. Go ahead, cross your legs. You can.



A sweeping, beautifully-designed cockpit envelops the driver and front passenger in leather, attractive woodgrain and a variety of soft-touch surfaces. Beyond GM's new corporate steering wheel (leather-wrapped, heated and with woodgrain on top) is a padded binnacle shrouding the LaCrosse's attractive and unique tach and speedo gauges. Their ice blue illumination is further accented by cool ambient lighting that dresses up the instrument panel at night. The snazzy-looking layout layout stumbles a bit when your eyes land on the parts bin-special driver information and radio displays – similar to the ones you'll find in the Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox and GMC Terrain. They work fine and are eminently readable, but the look isn't as polished as, say, the audio display in the Cadillac CTS (or something in that general vein), whose higher-res presentation would better fit the premium theme GM says it's trying to get at with the revamped Buick.

The LaCrosse's center stack features the familiar, two-dial radio setup you expect to find in a GM car. Below the station preset keys, you'll find a total of 24 additional buttons, controlling various other audio and HVAC features. In daylight, the arrangement is a bit busy, but still usable. At night, however, it can be hard to discern what's what, as the area becomes a jumbled sea of little blue words and icons. One rainy evening, the windshield fogged up quickly and we spent more time looking down at the instrument panel for the proper buttons to make the adjustments than we would normally be comfortable with, particularly at highway speeds. The wheel-mounted cruise and radio controls work great, and there are enough station presets that we seldom needed to reach for the manual tuning dial at all.



While the LaCrosse's steep A-pillar angle helps make the car look great on the outside, it wreaks havoc on driver visibility, effectively blocking your view of any street you plan to turn left onto. Likewise, the rear view is compromised by the LaCrosse's high rear deck, which contributes to rearward visibility that's downright SUV-like. It's a trend that's maddening and unlikely to go away anytime soon. A standard-equipment rear-view camera, as GM offers on the cheaper GMC Terrain, would work wonders here. Alas, a cam is only available in the laCrosse if you order the stereo with nav system. Without it, backing out of a space in a crowded supermarket parking lot can become a white-knuckle affair, since little kids are obscured by the high rump.

Trunk space is actually pretty skinflint, especially for a big vehicle, at just 13.3 cubic feet. It's a shame, too, as the trunk itself is deeper than the short rear deck would suggest. We slid a stroller in lengthwise without even folding back the handle, and it fit with room to spare. The issue is that the usable area is sacrificed in the name of big, intrusive gooseneck hinges. The hinges are blocked off, so there's no danger of crushing your cargo, but the space they occupy would have added a sizable amount of cargo-carrying capacity had GM set up the trunk with struts instead. It's a missed opportunity. Yes, the Lexus ES uses a similar setup, but that's no excuse.



But our biggest disappointment came from the 252-horsepower and 215 pound-feet of torque provided by the direct-injected 3.0-liter V6 sitting under our all-wheel-drive LaCrosse CXL's clamshell hood. In this 4,196-pound car – yes, it's a porker – the 3.0-liter six is a leisurely performer at best and overmatched at worst. The middle-spec bent six is perfectly acceptable in around-town runabout duty, but when you come upon a situation demanding more power, like highway passing, frustration sets in as the oomph on tap is hardly on-demand. Flipping the six-speed auto into manual mode offers little relief; in our experience, it only served to make the faint noise emanating from beyond the firewall a little more audible, with no real difference in tangible forward momentum.

The 280-hp and 259 lb-ft of twist from the 3.6-liter V6 in the stepped-up LaCrosse CXS clearly seems like the better choice for this car, and we wish it's what we had when the LaCrosse paid its visit to our garage, but you also forego the option of all-wheel drive by opting for the top trim level. If you live in a region where you want the added confidence that four-wheel grip bestows in winter weather, you're stuck with the 3.0-liter. Given our experience with the 3.0-liter V6, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder that'll be available as an option in the base CX trim (the 3.0 V6 is standard) doesn't seem like something we would ever see ourselves going for.



In a separate aside, the mere presence of the LaCrosse CX, which comes with standard cloth seating and steel wheels, doesn't exactly jibe with the whole Lexus-alternative meme that the marketing department is working so hard to cultivate. Look for something like that at a Lexus store, and the salesman will gently direct you to his Camry-selling brethren across the street. Likewise, the LaCrosse CX seems like an equipment mix better suited to a Chevrolet dealership. Airport rental, anyone?

Behind the wheel, the LaCrosse's hydraulically-assisted steering delivers great overall response and feedback, but a smidge less power assistance would be more than welcome. On-center feel is good, and the sedan stays pointed where you want it without any vagueness or slop in the wheel. Dynamically, the Buick is competent if not exciting. Hell, it's actually pretty boring, which, when you consider that the Lexus ES is the named benchmark, is not necessarily a derogatory judgement. Sound isolation is excellent, engine noise is well-muted and if your local DOT isn't known for maintaining silky-smooth roads, the imperfections you drive over are swallowed up ably, with little more than muted thumps making themselves heard and felt inside. Best of all, the suspension delivers comfort without resorting to the wallowy feel that characterized "American luxury" for so long. Drive it hard into a corner, and the LaCrosse protests with understeer, but the reality is that it's not a car that begs to be driven hard in the first place. Refinement and good manners rule the day here, and the LaCrosse is at its best when you take it easy and let it coddle you.



In the end, we walked away from the 2010 Buick LaCrosse CXL impressed, but not completely blown away. If you're looking for excitement, you'll find it in the car's dazzling visual presentation, but its mild-mannered demeanor means it can be a bit of a snooze from behind the wheel. Then again, if the 2010 Buick LaCrosse is the American Lexus that GM so desperately wants it to be, maybe this blend of outward glitz and reserved composure is exactly what the doctor ordered. Time will tell.

[Source: Autoblog]

2009 Land Rover Fire & Ice Defender

More real life pictures of the 2010 Taurus

2011 Mustang to get new 3.7Liter V6

Finally.
The Mustang won't be using the old Explorer engine anymore. Starting next year.

It is supposed to be getting a version of the 3.7 Liter already in used in other Ford models.
It will make over 275hp. Much closer to the Camaro's 300hp V6.

This should be a really nice car. There is really no need for V8s anymore in our new "2009 over $3 a gallon world".
(Which is what I just paid yesterday, by the way...)

Aston Martin DB8

Aston Martin DB8, originally uploaded by Rob Cherry.

Top Five Ferrari Cars Based on speed design and costs

Competition on the car market is huge. With over 20 car manufacturers and various models, it's definitely not a gap in the market. Ferrari however, has a huge automobile history. Ferraris are pure emotion. They aren't most reliable, one of the cheapest or practicable. But every Ferrari driver probably agrees that they are the best cars in the world. So which Ferrari gives you most thrill?



1. Ferrari Enzo (FXX)

A car is really good if Ferrari names it after its founder Enzo Ferrari. The Enzo FXX is a project still going, with the car getting updates still. The Enzo FXX is sold only when you're chosen by Ferrari and changes owner for about €1,300,0000. Maintenance is huge, about €40,000 per year. But everyone will look at you when you drive one, guaranteed. And when it's dark out… I dare you to take it out for a spin.



2. Ferrari F430 Ferrari's new race car, replaced the 360 in 2005. It has a maximum speed of 317 km/h and is sold starting from €180.000. Remarkable is that it's the official car of the Ferrari race classes and the car is rumored to be replaced soon.


3. Ferrari california Central front engine with maximum speed of 310 km/h. First Ferrari car with dual clutch and most recent Ferrari released. The California is the most aerodynamic Ferrari yet. It costs €140.000 and average maintenance costs are unknown.



4. Ferrari 550 Maranello It has an front V12 engine with an maximum speed of 323 km/h. Beautiful curves and nice a beautiful interior. It's not the best or most recent Ferrari but will give you a huge thrill. Why? Because it costs €70,000 if you search right, and maintenance average is lower than the 612. Biggest maintenance post is that the car eats tyres for breakfast.



5. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti It has an engine providing 533HP, a maximum speed of 315 km/h. It's biggest feature that sets it apart: it has four seats. It's still not a family car though, it will cost you €300,000 to purchase and if used as an everyday car about €10,000 per year to maintain.

Read this as intended with pictures of the interior and exterior. ferrari car top 5 list

Tuning a Mustang

Tuning a mustang can be simple or complex. There are a few ways to tune a mustang. The common way is through the use of a hand held tuner. The other way is by tossing the car on the dyno and testing tunes to get the maximum power and efficiency.
First, the hand held tuner. The typical mustang tuner is going to come with a few programs on it. Typically you get an 87 octane, 91 octane, and 93 octane tunes. Each tune has been dyno tested on a dynamometer which measures horse power and torque throughout the entire rpm ranges, so you can see the mustangs torque curves. The tuners also allow for speedometer recalibration for those who go to larger or different sized tires, or even for different axel ratios. They also read and clear DTC's (diagnostic trouble codes) or check engine lights. Typical gains on a diablosport predator mustang tuner are about 20 horse power. Most mustang tuners come with extra tunes for the people that have added an air intake or an exhaust system. Diablosport doesn't batch test their tuners when they make them either, they are all tested individually to ensure the best quality possible.

Second, you have the dyno tunes. Now remember, we mentioned that most mustang tuners were tested on a dyno before they are made for the masses. One thing that must be kept in mind here is that even though you might have ten of the same car that were produced on the same production line, the same day, they all seem to act just a little different. The tunes created on a dyno with the mustang that is being worked on are made specifically for that mustang and can generate slightly higher gains, but in most cases we're only talking about a few horse power. Tuning the mustang either way will also improve engine efficiency and improve fuel economy one to two miles per gallon, and sometimes even a rare three mpg. This is great for the weekend warriors that use their mustang to commute during the week, where they will have the maximum fuel economy, and then on the weekends they will have the maximum power.

Our preference here is the hand held tuner, because it gives the end user the ability to make the changes themselves. For example, you can tune your stock mustang and gain some really good power. You can then add a cold air intake, and alter the tune, and add an exhaust, and alter the tune. You can even add a supercharger or turbocharger system which require the use of a tuner to make the engine even run at all once the the forced induction system of your choice has been added. You also have the ability to get in touch with the manufacturer of the tuner. Diablosport for example, can create custom tunes for whatever someone is wanting to do to their mustang. You can see how four or five trips to the dyno guy for each time you add a part after having saved up for it, can get expensive. If all the parts that are ever going to be added to the mustang are all done at the same time, then the dyno tune is going to be the most accurate and produce the most power. If parts are going to be added over time, and for me, I'm always looking for the next mod for my mustang, then the tuner is the best way to go.

2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

Bugatti Veyron Extended Warranty

Bugatti announced that it has introduced an extended warranty cover. The Bugatti Veyron extended warranty is extended to three and four years.

The Bugatti Veyron extended warranty covers every eventuality up to four years after the vehicles original delivery. The optional warranty for the Bugatti Veyron guarantees the mechanical and electrical components, the body- and paintwork, including a guarantee against rust throughout the entire vehicle.

The built-in telemetric system of the Bugatti Veyron can be used to provide early warning of any possible malfunction within the cars equipment. In the event of a failure, the warranty also provides for the delivery of replacement parts anywhere in the world.

In case your Veyron brakes down Bugatti S.A.S. will make you reach your destination. The warranty provides immediate breakdown service, plus towing free of charge if the car cannot be repaired on the spot. If they have to tow your car the Bugatti Veyron extended warranty also assures they will provide you with a replacement car of Audi A8 standards.

The Bugatti Veyron extended warranty will provide an anti-inconvenience check that can be used to cover any expenses resulting from a breakdown, such as hotel accommodation or travel tickets, without any need to produce receipts.

To enforce this warranty Bugatti has set up a special help line that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week where all calls are managed personally by a member of the Bugatti customer service.

The Bugatti extended warranty applies to a specific car and is transferable to the new owner Bugatti Veyron Extended Warranty in the event of the car being sold. For further details please contact your Bugatti dealer.

Zagato Bentley Continental GTZ

For 2008 the Bentley Continental GT has undergone a similar modification to the Ferrari 575 GTZ by Zagato in 2006. Perhaps the most noticeable change is the roof and tail section which recieves Zagato’s trademark double hump roof design and rounded tail. This is highlighted by the two tone paintwork, British Racing Green for the lower section and dark silver for the roof

Exotic Cars

Exotic cars are the ultimate in tuned cars. These vehicles come straight out of the factory tuned to perfection. While we all can’t afford exotic cars, many car tuning hobbyists create their own. In fact, with the right tuning car parts, know- how and maintenance, you can easily surpass the performance of even the most expensive and rarest vehicles on the road.

Direct Automotive

Any Pre-Owned vehicle , Any color, Any miles, Lowest cost! Guaranteed!
Direct Automotive is the only choice for any New GM car and truck in the nation.

rect Automotive is quickly becoming one of the countries largest stockists and distributors of OE and Non OE (replacement) automotive crash repair parts in the U.K.

Automotive advertising

In 1987, Company Founder & CEO, Jimmy DeFalco set out on a mission to create a Full-Service Advertising and Marketing Organization, to satisfy the demanding marketing and advertising needs of the Automotive Industry. Now, nearly 20 years later, accompanied by an entire team of industry leaders, DeFalco Advertising has surpassed $150 million in annual billing with a client roster of 150 of the most successful auto dealers in the country. If you aren't currently working with DeFalco Automotive Advertising, it's time to start.

2010 AC Schnitzer BMW Z4 E89

Another BMW X1 teaser

Desperate for attention...

Lamborghini Cala

Mercedes Benz SLR

Buick Invicta Car

The 2008 Buick Invicta Car is a four-door mid-size sedan car with a coupe-like roofline that showcases a new design direction for the GM brand. The 2008 Buick Invicta sedan makes its world debut at Auto China 2008, in Beijing. Powered by a 2.0L DOHC, direct injection turbo engine, the 2008 Buick Invicta may delivers 250 hp and 220 Nm of torque. The 2008 Buick Invicta engine transfers the power to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Press Release Buick Evolves Global Design Inspiration Into Invicta Show Car The sleek Buick Invicta show car revealed here in conjunction with Auto China 2008 is Buick’s strongest statement yet of its deliberately international plans. The four-door mid-size sedan with a coupe-like roof line presents bold direction for Buick’s new generation of vehicles in the world’s two biggest automotive markets – the United States and China.

Sallen Exotic Car

2010 Renault Twingo Gordini RS Gallery

2010 Renault Twingo Gordini RS Sport Car

2010 Renault Twingo Gordini RS Side View

2010 Renault Twingo Gordini RS Interior

2010 Renault Twingo Gordini RS Image

2010 Renault Twingo Gordini RS Rear View

2010 BMW X1

This is supposedly the production model. (Although it doesn't match 100% the official teaser)
And just like the rather horrific X3, it looks pretty cheap. With all that black plastic trim.
And, just like the X3, it won't actually BE cheap.

Saturn Vue as Chevrolet?

Ever wondered how the Saturn Vue would look like as a Chevy?
Well here it is. As a new 2010 model. In Brazil...

The Vue is one of the few models Saturn's new owner will keep selling for a couple of years. Like the Aura.
And the new Equinox would prevent it from being sold as a Chevrolet in the US anyway.

But still, not bad looking...