Hop over the break to meet TERII, Honda's "most advanced vehicle theft-deterrent system ever made" in the video that follows.
Read more »
We also played along with MINI's "ingenious" Camper trailer and optional roof tent creations, and the $236,000 Cooper Yachtsman amphibious vehicle, as well as Planet Subaru's, blazingly fast solar-powered Tribeca crossover.
Read more »
We were right to suspect that Kia would change the name of the car for the United States and Canada, as 'K9' is more often than not associated with the word 'canine' in this part of the world.
Instead, we will come to know it as the new 9'Series after the company adopted the use of numeric names with an apostrophe between the number and the word 'Series' in a similar fashion to the European Cee'd.
And that's not the only change to the original K9. Under the guidance of chief designer Peter Schreyer, the company's U.S studio in California redesigned the car's front grille to address critics who felt that the K9's appearance was too close to similar offerings from BMW.
Read more »
The single solar panel is mounted on the Japanese crossover's roof feeding a Di-Lithium Crystal Transductor that serves as a capacitor and a very powerful electric motor that replaces the Tribeca's traditional boxer engine.
Read more »
Following the presentation of the two camping solutions, the British brand has crafted together a new amphibious model called the MINI Cooper Yachtsman and revealed it online before it makes its world premiere at the New York International Auto Show, right beside the Hudson River.
Read more »
The first solution goes by the name "Cowley caravan" and offers everything one needs for a luxurious camp out including two sleeping berths, a twin-burner gas-stove, a water tank with pump and dish-washing facility, a solar module to charge the on-board battery and a 230-volt power connection to supply the refrigerator, TV/DVD and hi-fi stereo system.
The retro-styled trailer is only 120mm (less than five inches) wider than a MINI Clubman from mirror to mirror and tips the scales at just under 300 kg (661 lb).
If you don't like carrying around a trailer at the back, the German colonizers of MINI have designed a second solution called the "Swindon" roof-top tent, which can be fitted on all three models.
Read more »
Other automotive-related April Fool’s Day jokes found around the net include: Autoblog’s Honda Accord Crossdressed Cabriolet; Pickuptruck’s 2012 Cadillac DRW Platinum Heavy-Duty Pickup; BMW’s costly M3 Pickup Truck (the joke here is that it won’t enter production because the ute is real); and Jalopnik’s announcement that AOL’s new empress, Arianna Huffington, bought the site and merged it with Autoblog to create Autoblognik.
Read more »
On the 2011MY Charger, the force-fed four-pot delivers a maximum output of 225HP and a peak torque of 250 lb-ft / 340Nm at just 1,900 rpm.
The Detroit automaker said that the gasoline engine “ensures performance that matches or exceeds that of a 3.0-litre V6 whilst still delivering the moderate fuel consumption which is typical of a compact, 4 cylinder unit”. The new powerplant will be matched exclusively to a new automatic "TCT" twin dry clutch transmission with eight gears.
For the time being, the much anticipated template rollback will be limited to Jalopnik, with Gawker’s other sites, including Jezbel and Gizmodo as well as the upcoming blogs of Murilee Martin, Junkyardo, and Matt Hardigree’s Steve McWeiner, to keep the redesigned layout – at least until further notice. Carscoop attempted to contact head honcho Ray Wert for a statement, but he was not available at the time due to a photo shoot.
Link: Jalopnik
Read more »
The sport ute packs the same 420-horsepower 4.0-liter V8 engine under the bonnet as the rest of the M3 range, which includes the Coupe, Convertible and Sedan models, adding a rear-axle load capacity of up to 450 kilos or 992 pounds.
The load bed itself is clad in high-grade structured aluminium sheeting and provides the biggest cargo capacity ever offered on a M vehicle – up to 20 standard 46-inch golf bags, according to BMW. It’s also the first M3 to be equipped with a trailer tow hitch.
BMW said the kerb weight of the pickup undercuts that of the M3 Convertible by around 50 kilograms or 110 pounds. Interestingly, BMW’s designers also fitted the M3 Pickup Truck with a Targa top, which shaves another 20kg or 44 pounds and at the same time, lowers the car’s centre of gravity when removed.
Read more »
Here's the round up with our April Fool's Day automotive hoaxes. We hope you enjoyed all of them and we promise to come up with even better ones next year.
News reports are coming in from around China that GM's former CEO Rick Wagoner has accepted an offer from domestic automaker CLN Auto Company Inc. to take the reins of the Oldsmobile brand, the rights of which CLN Auto purchased from General Motors a few weeks ago. Details are still shady, but it looks like GM is so desperate for cash that it decided to sell the historic nameplate to the Chinese automaker. Unfortunately for Oldsmobile fans in North America and Europe, CLN Auto secured the use of the name solely for the domestic market.Contrary to the U.S., just like Buick, Oldsmobile has a strong allure to Chinese buyers. The country's last emperor was a large fan of Oldsmobile owning more than a dozen cars. "They adore the image of American vehicles," said China Auto Resources CEO, Jiang Li, in a report. "They just can't seem to get enough of them, so it makes a lot of sense," he added. We'll have more on this developing story later on in the day.
Korean automaker Kia has announced the launch of a new aero kit for the Soul crossover. Aside from the aesthetic rewards, buyers will be happy to know that the aerodynamic doodads also reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions through a simple and low-cost system called Air Propulsion and Retardation Installation Line. The system is said to rely on microscopic sensors built into the bumpers which constantly monitor wind speed and deploy panels when the wind is sufficient to provide additional directional impetus according to the car's behavior.
Systems Manager Kuasimati Seoulitsou from Kia's Advanced Technorave Research Institute in Mabuk, said: "The big problem with most emission reduction systems is that they are expensive. We wanted to come up with an answer that didn't cost the earth and could be retrospectively applied to cars already on the road."
"Tests of this system at our Nong Dam facility have shown that during windy weather fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 25 per cent and emissions by anything up 40 per cent. Even in calm weather using the system simply under braking can result in reductions of 10 per cent and 15 per cent respectively," he added.
The new aero kit system will be available on all Souls ordered after midnight on March 31, 2011. Prices will be announced in a few hours.
The European trademark office has done it again; following the premature leaks of the 2010 Mazda3, Renault Megane Coupe and the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster, the latest slip out from the bureau concerns the first official photos of Mercedes-Benz' new B-Class hatch that will compete head on with the Audi A3 and VW Golf. According to our sources, the new B-Class will be unveiled sometime in 2010 with sales starting in Europe towards the end of the year and in the U.S. and other international markets, during the first half of 2011.
Mercedes-Benz officials have high hopes for the new B-Class that will spawn a whole range of models including a three-door hatchback, a small four-door coupe sedan in the likes of the CLS called BLS plus a small SUV model that will most likely be named BLK.
Power will come from a variety of naturally aspirated and turbocharged gasoline engines as well as 'uber' clean diesels including the range-topping 2.2-liter CDi with an output of 204-horsepower. There's also talk of a gasoline-hybrid variant but Mercedes-Benz has yet to confirm the rumors.
We were planning to show you Hyundai UKs April Fool's Day joke tomorrow, but since certain websites were in a hurry 'to break' the story a day earlier for reasons that we fail to understand, there's no point of holding onto it anymore. The Korean automaker's practical joke of the day involves the launch of a new i10 model that's "specifically targeted at the booming market among world and religious leaders." You can read the "fool" press release right after the jump.
Hyundai is proud to announce the launch of a new i10 model specifically targeted at the booming market among world and religious leaders.
The first demonstrator is due to be trialled by a German customer who currently resides in Italy.
The Korean manufacturer has identified that many global leaders are becoming concerned about the emissions from large limousines and adapted 4x4 vehicles which traditionally form the basis of all presidential, papal and prime ministerial transport.
In addition, the global financial crisis has made it necessary for political and faith leaders to adopt less ostentatious lifestyles, including more cost effective vehicular solutions.
As a result, Hyundai is to build a range of specially-adapted vehicles using the acclaimed i10 city car as their basis. Powered by the new 1.2-litre Kappa engine, the special i10s produce only 119g/km of CO2 and are easier to manoeuvre among large crowds of adoring subjects.
The first of this special range has just been completed by Hyundai's skilled coachbuilders. The roof of the i10 has been specially raised in order to accommodate the relevant VIP in either a standing or seated position, while the rear seats have been swapped for a single, electrically adjustable item from Hyundai's flagship Grandeur.
As a demonstration of the bespoke options available, all leather has been removed from the seat facings and the upholstery is made up of parts of a tapestry woven by monks from the Indian city of Utta Bullacs. The cloth was nicknamed 'holy sheet' by Hyundai's specialist trimmers.
Although details of the security package are confidential, this special i10 has features over and above the standard model's central locking. Part of this involves an innovative, lightweight composite armour built into the top of the car. This material, named Armour Protected Roof Integrated Lining®, was originally developed for use in offshore powerboat racing in Switzerland.
In order to meet recycling and sustainability targets, part of the armour is made from a fully organic material. The 'string' part of runner beans is actually lighter and stronger than Kevlar when woven into matting and encased in resin made from tree sap. The panels of Weave Bean™ add just 25g to the weight of the i10.
Hyundai's head of specialist vehicle conversions, Paul Legg, said "traditional personal movement solutions for global leaders are no longer seen as appropriate. The i10 is the perfect car for any ruler wanting to draw a line under excessive spending."
Other conversions currently being developed include a pink 32-foot stretched i10 limo being built for Ben Datroof, lead singer of top-selling Dutch boy band Pork Pie. The band's manager, Mick Etayk, said "The Hyundai will be particularly appropriate transport for Pork Pie. There are five boys in the band, so they'll have ten eyes in an i10!"
As with all Hyundai cars, the i10 special conversions are covered by a five year, manufacturer-backed warranty which is fully transferable to new owners after general elections, military coups and early evictions from reality TV programmes.
True, we did get a bit carried away with April Fools’ Day here at Carscoop but we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Our top hoax yesterday was the Jaguar XF-C Coupe Concept which was the result of a late night love affair with Adobe’s Photoshop. The Audi TT 1.4 TFSI was also something that we made-up, but don’t be surprised if the German carmaker actually offers this powertrain on its sports coupe in the near feature. The most obvious pranks were of course the SEAT “electro-reflective paint” and the KIA kee_wii articles.