Daihatsu releases new compact gasoline car on market

Daihatsu Motor Co. began marketing its new compact car "Mira e:S," the most fuel efficient non-hybrid gasoline car on the market.

The car runs around 30 kilometers to the liter, and is Daihatsu's try to capture a share of the green car market with an extremely efficient gasoline car. Such cars have been called the "third" type of green car after hybrids and electric vehicles.

"We've returned to the things that create compact cars appealing. Low price, good fuel economy, and little use of resources and forced them to the limit," said Daihatsu President Koichi Ina at an announcement of the Mira e:S's sale in Tokyo. In add-on to superb fuel economy, the Mira e:S's price tag has been kept low, with prices starting at 795,000 yen.

The car carries a new engine with enhanced fuel-burning efficiency and a function that turns off the engine automatically when speed drops to seven kilometers per hour or lower. By finding ways to decrease the number of parts, engineers made the car around 60 kilograms lighter, or about 8 percent lighter, than earlier cars in the Mira line.

To maintain prices down, Daihatsu used parts from Chinese and South Korean makers for the first time. "We cannot permit our company to be adversely affected by foreign exchange rates," said Ina, who expressed his intent to increase imports of parts from abroad.

"Interest in compact cars has grown-up, and we are expect a boost in demand," said Ina. The company predicts high sales of the new car: 120,000 for the first year, and 50,000 for the rest of this year.

The company plans to initiate technology used in the Mira e:S into other car models, including ones made and sold in Indonesia and Malaysia.

Chevrolet Beat Diesel Car Faces a New Challenge

General Motors India (GMI) has recently established the diesel version of its most popular hatchback Chevrolet Beat, which has acknowledged rave reviews and gushing response. Chevrolet Beat's petrol model and LPG version have already received warm welcome from Indian customers.



GMI has great hopes from the newly launched Beat Diesel model and anticipates that it will certainly add to its reputation. At the launch of the diesel variant, GMI President and MD, Karl Slym said, “Offering a diesel engine developed for Indian consumers in our most popular model is a momentous achievement for GM India.”



The Beat Diesel was designed with the goal to effectively cope up with the fuel worries as it provides the ARAI certified mileage of 24 kmpl. Beat Diesel accompanies 1.0 XSDE SMARTECH Engine, designed specifically for Indian market by the Bangalore based GM Technical Centre in partnership with GM Power-train Europe. It renders 58.5 PS at the rate of 4000 rpm with 150 Nm torque. Furthermore, Beat Diesel will prove to be economical as the engine oil will need to be changed only once in 1.5 years. The car allows better fuel economy and superior emission performance too.

The model's 65% high-strength steel body cage provides better resident safety. The sleek and stylish interior of the model is complemented by an advance in-dash integrated ice-blue lit music system. Additionally, the new Chevrolet Beat Diesel model costs between Rs. 4.40 lacs and Rs 5.5 lacs and comes with three years or 1 lac kilometre warranty.



GMI has great hopes from Beat Diesel and expects it to touch new borders of success; however, the way is not as smooth as it was speculated. The dynamics of auto business will surely change after the government indicated on Thursday that dual pricing of diesel may be introduced to remove the subsidy enjoyed by car owners.

Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, affirmed in the Lok Sabha that passenger cars were consuming about 15% of the diesel supplied in the country and that "we can try to work out mechanism, so that this section is not subsidised".



Oil Minister, Jaipal Reddy, also supported the Finance Minister's concern about the subsidised diesel. Besides, all these statements are coming at a time when most of the car manufacturers are working hard to maximize their share of the domestic diesel car market. Moreover, the number of sales of diesel cars has risen over the last few years only as diesel is cheaper than petrol.

All the car manufacturers have voiced their bear on as any change in policy or an additional tax on the fuel would harm an already sulky auto market. Besides, domestic car sales has already faced constant decline, which is 10% year-on-year in July. This is the worst statistics since the 7% decline in January 2009.



General Motors India President Karl Slym said "We are for market-driven price of diesel. Already the sales of car and passenger vehicles are sluggish in the domestic market and any change in policy will further impact it". However, GMI is not taking it as a fatal issue, as the Vice President of GM India, P. Balendran, adds, “We have diesel models, but diesel has other advantages than simply being a cheaper fuel. Diesel technology today is cleaner and fuel efficiency of diesel vehicles is higher. We would rather let the consumer choose according to his requirements”.

There are lot of hurdle race in the way, but GMI hopes that all these issues will not hurt Beat Diesel sales that much as it is ready to face all challenges boldly.

Cumbria's M-Sport launches two new rally cars

M-Sport has launched the new Ford Fiesta Regional Rally Car (RRC) – a variant of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC - to customers at the Cumbria-based company’s testing ground at Greystoke Forest this week.

The new Ford Fiesta RRC is based on Ford’s Fiesta RS WRC which arrogated a podium clean sweep at the FIA World Rally Championship season-opener in Sweden earlier this year.

Both cars share the same DNA but the Fiesta RRC features a 30 mm engine restrictor and aerodynamic modifications to qualify for the regional regulations. The RRC is supplied as a WRC variant with a kit of parts to enable it to be changed over to WRC specification in six hours.

The Fiesta RRC is directed at rallying’s most experienced drivers and marks the next step for drivers in their career after the extremely successful Ford Fiesta S2000.

The car is built to comply with FIA regional rally rules and the versatility of the car lets it to compete in national championships in its RRC guise but also in the World Rally Championship in its WRC variant. The Fiesta MS1 will complement the Ford Fiesta R2 and turn out to be the first step in Ford’s ladder of opportunity.

The MS1 is intended as the initial step for drivers in global markets including the USA, China, India and South America. Facebook pages have been set up to watch the progress of the new Fiesta RRC and Fiesta MS1 as they contend in regional rallies throughout the world.

M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

“We are delighted to introduce the new Ford Fiesta RRC and the Ford Fiesta MS1 as both cars offer competitors more flexibility to help further their rallying career. M-Sport have been looking to expand the range of rally cars available to our customers and the latest additions have allowed us to provide two extra rungs to Ford’s ladder of opportunity.

The Fiesta MS1 offers drivers an introduction to rallying at an affordable level whereas the Fiesta RRC/WRC provides experienced drivers with the highest level of rally car but also includes the necessary components to convert it into a regional rally car. I look forward to revealing our new cars to the world rallying scene and to monitoring their performance in regional championships across the globe.”

World's 'most efficient' electric car unveiled by Gordon Murray

Gordon Murray has unveiled an electric car he claims is the most efficient in the world.

The T.27 shares its design with the ultra-compact T.25 city car revealed last year, and uses the same innovative manufacturing processes to deliver a three-seater EV with a 100 mile real-world range.

Gordon Murray Design's new model gets a modified 33bhp electric motor mated to a single-speed gearbox. The T.27 is limited to 65mph, but is said to hit that speed in less than 15 seconds.

It will return that performance while using significantly less energy than its rivals. According to Murray's company, the Smart EV uses 29 per cent more energy per km, with the Mitsubishi iMiEV and Mini-E on 36 per cent and 86 per cent.

Like much of the designer's work, the secret here is the T.27's low kerbweight. Murray has delivered a realistic electric car which weighs in at just 680kg, including the normally prohibitively heavy battery.

On unveiling the car, Murray said: ''Lightweight is the most powerful tool we have in our armoury in the fight against emissions and fuel expenditure. This is true of all cars and especially so with electric vehicles.''

The T.27 is intended as another showcase of Gordon Murray Design's new iStream manufacturing method, and turning it into a production actuality depends on someone investing in the entire process.

That could just be a matter of time though, as the firm is said to already be in discussions with three interested parties.

Mr Money: Best selling new cars reduced by 20 per cent

Vauxhall's latest deal sees almost all of its new models greatly reduced in price as it competes with Ford to become the bestselling car manufacturer in Britain.

Buyers of brand-new cars can look forward to a price war in the showrooms this summer, with numerous top-selling models being formally discounted by a fifth before the haggling even starts.

As I reported lately, Vauxhall dealers have set the price agenda by taking it upon themselves to offer selected fresh-from-the-factory models discounted by thousands of pounds. But now the manufacturer has bigheartedly stepped in and instructed them to slash the price of new cars by 20 per cent across the board, for at least a month.
Even already reasonable models such as Agila are cut by £2,000-plus, while the Corsa and Meriva both have more than £3,000 off. The saving is nearer £5,000 on the British-built Astra Sports Tourer, and customers who choose an Insignia VXR Nav 2.8i V6 24v Turbo 4x4 auto will enjoy savings starting from £7,165.

Under the terms of the "Vauxhall Countdown" programme, the vast popular of the company's most popular models come with 20 per cent off – but only when a car is ordered or registered between June 17 and July 18 2011. Cars ordered prior to the 17th of this month but still not delivered will also be eligible – but only if registered between the particular dates. It's worth noting that the industry-leading 20 per cent reduction applies to the list price only and excludes factory-fitted options, delivery and other on-the-road charges, and that bottom-of-the-range Expression models, plus ES/Tech, Zafira Exclusive and Astra GTC, are excluded.

Motoring Memories: Duesenberg J and SJ, 1928-1937

Among the thousands of automobile nameplates throughout history, America’s Duesenberg J and SJ ranked with the worlds greatest. They were the equal of such famous marques as England’s Rolls-Royce, Germany’s Mercedes-Benz, France’s Bugatti, Italy’s Isotta-Fraschini and Spain’s Hispano-Suiza.

The J and SJ were the creation of German-born Fred and August Duesenberg, who came to America as children in the late 1800s. Growing up in Iowa, they were keen cyclists with enough natural mechanical capacity to build their own race-winning bicycles.

With the emergence of motorized vehicles, the brothers were soon dabbling in motorcycles and cars. In 1906, with backing from a Des Moines lawyer named Mason, they began production of the Mason car, a high-quality performer that won hill climbs and races. The company prospered and in 1910 was bought out by the Maytag Company, improved known for washing machines than for cars.

By 1913 the Duesenbergs were able to classify their own Duesenberg Motor Company in St. Paul, Minnesota, to build automobile and marine engines. They were soon producing winning racing cars that were made famous by such legendary driving greats as Eddie Rickenbacker and Ralph Mulford.

This attracted New York capital and in 1916, a $1.5 million venture was organized and a enormous factory constructed for the Duesenberg Motors Corp. in Elizabeth, New Jersey. This was during the First World War, and car building was late while the plant turned out aero engines.

When the war ended in 1918 the brothers returned to the car-building venture with a four-cylinder engine, but their hearts weren’t actually in it. This led to their departure, leaving them free to think on their real love, an eight-cylinder overhead camshaft racing engine.

Lotus Looking to Partner with a Major Automaker Says Company CEO

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar has made several changes to the storied British brand since he joined the company in 2009 and he’s not done yet. In a recent interview he made known his desire to see Lotus split off from its present Malaysian owner Proton, in search of a major global automaker – like Toyota.

According to Bahar, Lotus will need a partner in order to offset the cost of meeting strict new emissions ratings and crash tests. If a partner can’t be establish, Lotus could look at spinning off into a private company with publicly traded stock.

Rumors of a tie-up with Toyota are only too simple to generate with both automakers sharing a long-term partnership, with Toyota supplying engines in cars like the Elise since 1994.

Bahar’s plan is to build up Lotus as a serious rival to Porsche, with total sales reaching everywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 units annually by around 2015. In order to achieve this significant growth Lotus has already unveiled its New Era plan to expand several new models including a new Elise, an Esprit and even a possible city car, among others.

According to a report by Inside Line, the company is developing a latest aluminum tub to be shared across these models, which weights 220-lbs less than the 520 lb one used in the Evora.

New BMW 328 Hommage

BMW has uncovered a surprise new car this weekend at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este classic car demonstrate, to mark 75 years of the BMW 328.

The BMW 328 Hommage is an amazing modern day reinterpretation of the 1930s classic, which BMW has dramatically debuted at the lavish Italian classic demonstrate.

It is the latest in BMW’s line of ‘Hommage cars’. These are design studies created by BMW’s chief stylists, which are their take on how a model line could have evolved had it remain in production.

The first BMW Hommage car was the 2008 BMW M1 Hommage: be expecting such models to become a BMW staple in future years, as a celebration of the firm’s past icons.

Style by BMW design director Adrian Van Hooydonk, the BMW 328 Hommage is a streamlined design with the ‘taut surfacing’ style that seems to be developing into a prospect BMW theme.

The silhouette is flat with a strong wedge shape and a distinctive front bonnet line. All design elements have been done to make the 328 Hommage look very low, extensive and sporting.

The kidney grille is also famous, while the leather straps and distinctive alloy wheels with ‘knock-off’ centre bolts extra add to the retro air. It is an incredible-looking machine that MSN Cars will bring to you in fuller detail next week.

Europeans see U.S. market for new small luxury cars

As head of Mercedes-Benz USA in the late 1990s, Mike Jackson was determined to keep the clumsy, expensive A-class small car out of the United States.

The original A class, you would say, 'Oh, my God. I will never be capable to sell that to anybody. What can I do to keep it out of the U.S. so I don't have to deal with it?'" Jackson recalls.

Americans were unwilling to pay premium prices for little cars then, even if the cars wore luxury nameplates. And sales of such cars remain low.

But European luxury brands aim to change that noticeably in the next few years. Eager to increase sales and meet strict government fuel economy standards, they plan to roll out new small cars with premium prices and luxury content.

Now Jackson's on board. Mercedes-Benz unveiled a concept version of the redesigned A-class coupe in April at the New York auto demonstrate. Jackson, on the other side of the fence as CEO of AutoNation, the country's biggest automotive retailer, calls it completely beautiful.

Daimler car sales up 7.7% on China demand

FRANKFURT - GERMAN carmaker Daimler said its passenger car business sold 7.7 per cent more vehicles in April, helped by continued tough demand for luxury cars in China.

We continue to be hopeful about the second quarter, during which we want to boost sales above last year's level,' Mercedes-Benz Cars sales chief Joachim Schmidt said in a statement on Wednesday.

Vehicle sales in China, including Hong Kong, jumped 47 per cent to a record level of 16,536 units. In the United States, where the largely car market grew 18 per cent in April, Mercedes-Benz sales edged up 2.3 per cent.

Rival BMW earlier said it expected US sales to persist growing while Chinese demand would slow this year.

Rutgers student club designed, assembled race car shown at N.Y. International Auto Show

NEW YORK — On the main floor of the New York International Auto demonstrate last weekend, thousands of car lovers crowded around the glitzy displays where Chevy, Volkswagon, Toyota, Ford and dozens of other carmakers unveiled their most recent models and concept cars.

One floor up, 6-year-old Cameron Birnbaum climbed into a little race car with wide eyes. Among the hundreds of vehicles at the auto show, this one was special, Rutgers University senior David Gumpert explains to the Boston boy and his mother.

We intended it ourselves. And we take it out and race it, said Gumpert, an electrical and computer engineering major from Hunterdon County.

Man bailed after reservoir deaths

A man has been bailed after a collide in which a woman lost her mother, husband and two foster children when their car plunged into a reservoir. The woman has been described as "deeply traumatized".

The 23-year old man, detained on suspicion of causing the four deaths by dangerous driving, has been released on bail.

The four people died, believed drowned, when the people transporter they were travelling in plummeted into a reservoir in Wales on Wednesday. It is believed that the man's Ford Mondeo may have been accountable for forcing the people carrier off the road.

The woman at the wheel of the people carrier was the only person to endure the horrific accident, and was described today as "deeply traumatised" following losing her 84-year old mother, 66-year old husband, and two male teenage foster kids.

What ZipCar's IPO means for car-sharing

Car-sharing company ZipCar is expected to hit the public markets afterward this week, after some fits and starts caused by anti-trust issues in Britain. It would have an preliminary market cap of approximately $618 million, were it to price its IPO at the high end of its future $14-$16 per share range.

To get a better sense of what this listing could mean for the burgeoning car-sharing market, I spent various time on the phone with Shelby Clark, founding CEO of Relay Rides, a Google Ventures-backed company that lets users "borrow" their neighbors' car (ZipCar owns its individual fleet).

Up your street - Microsoft's take on Streetview

If you live in London you may see a car with cameras mounted on the roof coming down your street more the coming weeks. You are probable to assume that it's those folks from Google refreshing the Street view service which shows views along just about every road in the UK. But you'd be wrong - the car will be operated by Google's deadly rival Microsoft.

As it tries to make its Bing search engine a more potent rival to the company that dominates search, Microsoft is sending its cars crossways London to start building something called Street side. This service is already obtainable in the United States and is now coming to Europe. According to Microsoft, Street side "provides a true-to-life view you can explore to get a feel for a place and plan your activities. Travel along streets, view storefronts and parks, and navigate to destination without an address.

Ah, you might think, that sounds just like Street view. No, no, says Microsoft, it's very dissimilar. For one thing, we won't be going up every street, just sticking to downtown areas and traveler locations. For another, we will be distant more careful about telling everyone in advance that we are doing this.

When Google was gathering the images for Street view it ran into a number of privacy rows, particularly when residents of a village near Milton Keynes forced the driver of one of its cars to turn around and depart because they were sad about his cameras peering over their hedges.

Cars after Japan's quake: Toyota, Nissan, and Honda plan to restart production

Despite the huge difficulties the Japanese car industry is facing, analysts say automakers will be capable to recover in the year ahead.

Tokyo
As every car owner knows, it only takes one missing part to carry a car to a screeching halt. And the average car contains anyplace from 20,000 to 30,000 parts, many of which – even in American-made cars – come from Japan.

As disaster-hit Japanese automotive manufacturers and parts suppliers resist to resume operations, the global auto industry hasn't fairly come to a standstill, but it is suffering losses in production of hundreds of thousands of vehicles, amounting to billions of dollars.

We’ve already seen production at GM, Ford, Renault, and Peugeot being disrupt, says Christopher Richter, a Tokyo-based auto analyst for the Hong Kong-based CLSA investment group. The auto supply chain is a bit similar to a house of cards; and there are going to be some surprises popping up in the form of sudden shortages down the line.

Still, despite the enormous difficulties the industry is facing, analysts say automakers like Toyota, Nissan, and Honda will be capable to recover in the year ahead.

Putin rides first Russian hybrid car to see Medvedev

(Reuters) - Avid car lover and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin herd Russia's first gasoline-electric hybrid car on Friday to visit supporting partner President Dmitry Medvedev.

Called Yo-mobile, the car is a personal project of billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who has said it could bring Russia a spirited edge in the global automotive industry, where the country is better known for its boxy Lada cars.

I would like to drive your Yo-mobile to Dmitry Anatolievich (Medvedev), and demonstrate it to him ... I hope your Yo-mobile will not fall apart on the way, Putin told Prokhorov at a meeting just outside of Moscow.

About 5 kilometers (3 miles) detach Putin's Novo-Ogaryovo country residence, nestled in a pine forest exterior Moscow, from Medvedev's home in Gorki.

The car, whose name is a play on a Russian swear word, drives both on petrol and ordinary gas.

It has a rotary engine and uses ultra capacitators, an energy-storing device seen as an choice to lithium-ion batteries, which are installed on all other hybrid cars presently in production.

Mercedes-Benz E350 Estate CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Avantgarde

IF there’s a more relaxed and versatile all-round family car than the Mercedes E-Class Estate then I’d like to know what it is.

I’m not sure how much of a priority console is for Mercedes-Benz designers but it feels like it’s the starting point for this car and pretty much everything revolves around it.

From the moment you sit in you feel relaxed and very at home. In fact the at home analogy is fairly accurate.

With the possible exemption of a Range Rover it’s the closest automotive experience I’ve had to sitting at home and relaxing in my living room.

The seats have the kind of adjustment controls you might wait for to find flying club class, to the point where I was still discovering what some of the buttons did after a week. I also liked the fact that you feel as if you’re sinking in to them yet they’re still extremely supportive.

At the risk of stating the understandable you actually have to wonder whether the E-Class Estate is just a little too comfortable for its own good – to the point where you’re in danger of nodding off at the wheel.

Perhaps with this in mind the designers have very gently come up with a range of gizmos that will prevent you doing so.

But on a serious note this safety technology is completely state-of-the art, all encompassing and actually very useful.

Mercedes Benz USA Gives the SLS AMG GT3 a Walk-Around

Mercedes Benz’s US division has launched a five-minute video devoted to the stunning SLS AMG GT3. The company’s Assistant Product Manager, William Vetter, was present at the Amelia Island Concours D’Elegance to show off the car and offer an in-depth look at the many unique features.

The racer got a lot of concentration at the event, thanks in part to its white paint that has a matt finish. The body kit is not something that should be ignored either, as wide use has been made of lightweight carbon fiber. The big splitter and the winglets at the front force the front down. Unlike the production car, there are air vents on pinnacle of the wheel. Other aerodynamic modifications include a cowling in the sides that are used to cool the rear brakes.

The hood features a central opening for the taking out of heat from the engine, while side openings in the front fenders facilitate air flow through the wheel arches. Weight optimization measures comprise the application of extremely lightweight polycarbonate for the side and rear windows and, if specified, for the front windshield as well. The most famous piece of the car is the huge rear wing that produces down force a can be adjusted.

Vetter then moves on to the interior of the car and the racing navigation wheel, which features paddle shifters. One of the most attractive features of the interior is a button that detonates two pyrotechnic charges that blow up the doors if the car is upside-down.

Tata Chairman Says U.S. Car Will Cost ‘$7,000 or $8,000’

Tata Motors struck headline gold in 2008 with the 100,000-rupee price tag ($2,172) for its Nano city car. But if the Indian automaker succeeds in bringing a vehicle to the United States, the car’s window sticker will forfeit a good deal of its shock value.

Last week Ratan Tata, the Tata Group chairman, discussed sales and pricing prediction for a United States city car after a symposium at Cornell University’s College of Art, Architecture and Planning. Mr. Tata is an alumnus. The symposium was held in concurrence with an exhibition that explored the design and development of the Nano.

It won’t be a $2,000 car; it will be a $7,000 or $8,000 car, Mr. Tata said during the Q&A session. But it will still be, in proportional terms, a car that the U.S. would accept.

The ultimate vehicle, he added, would be produced with the same design philosophy and frugal engineering that informed development of the Nano.

Mr. Tata was not asked whether the Pixel, a scissor-doored runabout that was exposed in concept form at the Geneva auto show this month presaged neither an American Tata nor whether the company still intended to bring the Nano in a few form to the American market.

SUBARU SHOWS SPORTS CAR 'ARCHITECTURE CONCEPT'

While Toyota grabs the headlines with its second-generation of the FT-86 concept, Subaru has, er, a glass model that doesn't actually depict what its version of the shared sports coupe project will seem like at all.

In fact, apart from the common dimensions of the car, the only real significance of this unveil is the visual proof that Subaru's version of the car will be rear wheel drive - and how the drive train layout really looks.

This is a shame: while Toyota bathes in the generated excitement, Subaru admits that its more meagre budget is being spent on really engineering the thing. The firm is leading the partnership, and it will be building the dissimilar cars for both companies as well.