ACWay

During the Auto China show in 2012, the star of the Honda booth is the Concept C which is a design study that gives consumers a glimpse of what is to come for the Chinese market.

The “C” in the car have intrigued the fans and the Japanese car manufacturer have come up with meanings like China, Challenge, or Cool. The production version of the mid-size vehicle will be exclusive to the auto lovers in China. The car will be built thru a collaboration of Honda with the Guangqi Honda Automobile. It is expected to go on sale by 2013.

According to insiders, the conceptualization for the family car was initiated by the Chinese associates of Honda while the development of the idea, design, and other details were done thru cooperation between their teams in Japan and China.

Aside from unwrapping the Honda Concept C, the joint venture of the firm called Guangqi Honda Automobile revealed plans of having a third assembly line to be built on their ZengCheng factory.

The works on the additional production line will start before the end of this year and will be fully operation by 2014. Honda plans to have an initial production of about 120,000 vehicles. The Japanese car manufacturer plans to up the ante to about 240,000 units once things are going smoothly during production.

The Nissan 370Z has been facelifted and was recently displayed at the Chicago motor show earlier this month.

The new Zed car is the 2013 MY for the 370Z. The biggest changes include the softer lines of the snout which now features a daytime running lamp made of LEDs near the outer portion of the bumper which gives it a more masculine appearance. The boomerang headlights are still there and the character lines on the hood.

From the side, the new Nissan 370Z you will not miss the red brake calipers and the 19 inch rims if you opt for the Sport Package version. The stock rims for the 2013 Nissan 370Z are a bit smaller at 18 inches. Other features on the back are the red reflector on the bumper and the dark trim for the fuel gauge.

In terms of performance, the work has been minor too. The Sport Package 370Z has an upgraded shock absorbers while the Nismo borrows the GT-R’s higher quality brake fluid and hoses. Before it took a 2009 370Z about 111 feet before it screeched to 0 from 60 miles per hour. It will be nice to know how the new set up improved the stopping ability of this ride.

The facelift did not touch what is inside the engine bay so the 3.7L V6 still outputs 332 horsepower with a torque of 270 lb-ft and abut 350HP and torque of 270 lb-ft for the Nismo. The engine is still linked to a 6-speed manual transmission while there is an option for a 7-speed automatic gearbox except for the 370Z Nismo.

We expect the official announcement of the sticker price before June this year when it is schedule to hit the showrooms.

Originally a concept vehicle when unveiled at the 2000 Paris Auto Show, the Porsche Carrera GT actually went on to become a production supercar debuting at the 2003 Geneva International Motor Show. Its estimated price tag of US$350,000 put the super-fast car in the league of exotic vehicles. Composed of carbon-fiber monocoque chassis running on light magnesium wheels, the V-10 engine hit speeds of 205 mph and could accelerate from 0 to 62 in 3.9 seconds and incredibly from 0 to 124 mph in a mere 9.9 seconds.

Evidently, the concept for the Porsche Carrera GT was conceived at Le Mans, the 24-hour race. With sixteen victories behind them, Porsche engineers wanted to create a race car that could handle high speeds while being extremely lightweight. The result was supposed to be a prototype proving that technologically, the feat was indeed possible and doable. But once the public saw the car, it was overwhelmingly received, and development began on a street-legal model. By the time it went to market, the MSRP was US$440,000.

What made the car so exceptional was that it was conceptualized and built upon Porsche’s strength in racing. It was also a car of its own, not a newer version of something else. Using leading edge engineering and technology, the Carrera GT advanced from the original 5.5 liter rated at 558 hp to the 5.7 liter 612hp engine. Most intriguing about the design was the block which was actually a component of the car’s structure. Two seater, six speed manual transmission, ceramic clutch, stainless steel exhaust, and titanium connecting rods all contributed to the allure of this luxury sportscar.

Cosmetically, the Carrera GT was smart-looking and sleek. It was offered in standard colors Guards Red, Fayence Yellow, Basalt Black, GT Silver and Seal Grey, as well as custom hues if requested. Soft leather adorned the interior, multi-functional liquid-crystal instrument display perfected navigation, and all models sported the iconic left hand ignition. In earlier days, the ignition was placed to the left of the steering wheel so that racers could jump into their cars, starting the car with their left hands and using their right hands to shift gears.

The removable roof came in two pieces weighing only about five pounds each. The Carrera was equipped with custom-fitted five-piece luggage set, a sound system, front and side airbags and optional air conditioning. The 2005 model was upgraded slightly to include a glass wind-blocker screen, the ability to adjust the seat height, and the chassis number was placed on a magnesium cover on the center console.

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Jeremy Clarkson would call what I’m having right now a crisis… My goodness it’s gorgeous! 9000 RPM sounds great, the transmission is apparently one of the best double clutch gearboxes ever developed…

And it sounds good too. :p

I’ll take one!

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Not willing to be the only ones uninvolved in the world’s greatest clean up, the New York Police Department told the Press that it will also be going green by introducing 200 hybrid cars to its fleet. Around the same time last year, NYPD officers began testing police-issue Nissan Altima hybrids.

According to the police forces’ spokesperson John McCarthy, the Altimas they testes were the very first hybrids fitted with an exclusive police package for patrol. NYPD wanted to test the performance of the vehicles in the field, first, before they agreed to sign up. Based on the recent announcement, it’s safe to say that the cops were pretty happy with the idea of having hybrids in their fleet.

With NYPD’s 200 hybrids, the Big Apple’s green car count will be raised to four hundred. What made NYPD sign up for the cause? Reviewers think that aside from cleaning up the planet, it’s because they’ll be making a lot of savings with the hybrids.

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The Vorsteiner GTRS3 is what you get when you throw in a lot of carbon fiber into the mix of the BMW M3 E92. You will be able to blend some excellent aerodynamic elements and some cool body modifications. The finish product will be the stealthy GTRS3 M3.

Check out our picture (but more so, check out the amazing video that highlights the whole car!) and note that the bumper in front was replaced by a carbon fiber assembly with a modular splitter. Notice the wider arch of the fenders and the side skirt works. The Vorsteiner body kit can also give you a race bonnet made of carbon fiber.

The rear portion makes use of arch extensions for the fender, a chrome emblem of Vorsteiner, carbon diffuser, and a wider arch rear bumper. There is also an option for a quad stainless steel exhaust setup.

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Japanese carmaker Nissan and its luxury division, Infiniti might not be leading the pack or really be lagging behind competition in coming out with hybrid vehicles but it doesn’t stop them from launching new gasoline-electric cars. The 2010 Geneva Motor Show will play host to the Infiniti M35 Hybrid which is a new version of the 2011 model of their M sedan.

The M35 Hybrid is expected to go on sale by 2011 coming in as a 2012 model. The green car from Infiniti is fitted with a V-6 engine under its hood that is combined with an electric motor capable of giving out 68 horsepower supplied by lithium ion batteries. The hybrid system will be coupled with a 7-speed transmission in automatic configuration.

The new Infiniti hybrid utilizes two clutches. One is placed between the V-6 3.5L and the electric motor which permits decoupling of the naturally aspirated powerplant when in power regeneration and electric mode. The decoupling is done to lower the mechanical drag and boost the efficiency of the motor. The other clutch links the electric motor to the car’s drivetrain.

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I love Audi. Heck, I drive an Audi – but seeing this commercial they put out just a couple weeks ago doesn’t really make me proud. I mean, yes, they’ve got some sexy looking cars – but their end message is still “everyone’s doing it, we’re growing so fast, join the herd”. I bought my Audi as a status symbol, not to have everyone driving a TT around town…

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A few years back, car enthusiasts can not imagine how being hybrid can fit into an architecture and engineering of sports cars. With the Tesla Roadster, R8 e-Tron from Audi, and other hybrids popping in the market right now, consumers have begun to accept that hybrids are the next in thing in automotive. It is also a big possibility that American sports car lovers will get their hands behind the wheels of a hybrid Chevrolet Corvette.

It is a long shot for Corvette to apply hybrid technologies to their future sports cars but the car manufacturer is committed to meet the tougher fuel regulations set by the United States federal government. The fuel standards will hit a demanding mark of 35.5 mpg by 2016.

Some car makers have opted to give their vehicles smaller engines to meet the clamor for greener rides by the market. Corvette might improve the technology of their V-8 power plants so they can meet the fuel mileage numbers. They plan to tandem the more efficient engines with tires having low rolling resistance and electric power steering. Improving the curb weight of future vehicles will also be another solution.

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With everyone hot on fuel efficiency these days, The 159 Alfa Romeo sedan will get brand new engines in the near future.  These new engines will follow the reigning engine philosophies of increased forced induction and lesser displacement.

The 159 sedan will get two new engines—a petrol engine that is turbocharged and a brand new turbodiesel engine.  The latter will replace the present 1.9L diesel unit with 150HP.  Other Alfa Romeo models like the Brera and Spider will eventually be getting a taste of these new engines.

The petrol engine bears a 1.8L displacement and because of forced reduction, the output will exceed the 200HP.  This will replace the bigger 2.2L that now powers that Alfa Romero Brera and Spider models that only comes with 185HP.

The new engine will emit lesser CO2.  If all goes well, these modifications will help push the car from 159 to 62mph about a second faster compared to the present engine.  It will also increase the mileage from 25mpg to 28mpg.

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