iCar: When VW met Apple

Last year it became known that Apple and Volkswagen were in talks about the possibility of building an "iCar" that would be upgraded with a series of products from the producer of the omnipresent iPod. We’re not entirely sure whether or not these images from the latest issue of Autobild magazine are the result of a photoshop artist or if they are the real deal (less possible), but the iCar depicted here, sure looks like something that could have resulted from the cooperation between the two companies. –Continued

Via: Autobild

Toyota “Aygo Crazy”: 200Hp RWD Concept to Premiere in London

Making its public debut at the British International Motor Show in London at the end of July, the Aygo Crazy that we first told you about here is a one-off model, fettled with the same 1.8 VVT-i unit that powered the final generation Celica and MR2 Roadster, rear-mounted and driving the rear wheels through the Roadster’s five-speed manual gearbox. The addition of a Toyota Motorsport turbo conversion kit boosts power output to 200Hp and torque to 240Nm

The Aygo Crazy gets no electronic handling aids, no power steering and no ABS. What it does get is a set of custom-made body, 17-inch alloys and beefy Goodyear 225/45 rubber along with a carbon fibre rear wing taken directly from the 200mph race cars in the American Champ Car series, purpose-built sports seats with four-point safety harnesses and a full roll cage. The suspension comes straight from the MR2 Roadster, with MacPherson struts front and rear qand adjustable Tein dampers while the front and rear track are one inch wider than on a standard Aygo. -Continued

Weighing in at just 1,050kg (approx 2,200 lbs), Aygo Crazy is capable of going from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 5.7sec and on to an estimated top speed of 127mph or 204 km/h.











AYGO CRAZY vs AYGO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE

AYGO CRAZY

AYGO

Type

Rear-mounted four-cylinder 1.8 VVT-i with TMG turbo conversion kit

Front-mounted three-cylinder 1.0 VVT-i

Valve mechanism

DOHC 16-valve

DOHC 12-valve

Displacement (cc)

1,794

998

Bore x stroke (mm)

79.0 x 91.5

71.0 x 84.0

Compression ratio

10.0:1

10.5:1

Max. power (DIN hp @ rpm)

200 @ 6,700

68 @ 6,000

Max. torque Nm @ rpm

240 @ 3,400

93 @ 3,600

TRANSMISSION



Clutch type

Uprated Helix

Dry, single plate

Gearbox type

Five-speed manual

Five-speed manual

Gear ratios

1st

3.166

3.545

2nd

1.904

1.913

3rd

1.310

1.310

4th

0.969

1.027

5th

0.815

0.850

Reverse

3.250

3.550

BRAKES



Front

328mm ventilated discs with 4-pot Brembo callipers

247mm ventilated discs

Rear

280mm ventilated discs

200mm drums

SUSPENSION



Front

MacPherson strut

MacPherson strut

Rear

Dual-link MacPherson strut

Torsion beam

Dampers

Tein, adjustable


STEERING



Type

Rack and pinion, electric power assisted

Rack and pinion

Ratio (:1)

13.2:1

16.5:1

TYRES AND WHEELS



Wheel size (in)

17x7.5

14x4.5J

Tyres

Goodyear 225/45R17

155/65 R14

DIMENSIONS



Overall length (mm)

3,500

3,405

Overall width (mm)

1,800

1,615

Overall height (mm)

1,500

1,465

Front track (mm)

1,475

1,420

Rear track (mm)

1,460

1,410

WEIGHTS



Kerb weight (kg)

1,050

790-890

PERFORMANCE



Max speed (mph)

127 (est)

98

0-62mph (sec)

5.75

14.2

Video: Revised Camaro Bumblebee from Transformers 2 Film

Here we go again; just as we were getting used to not hearing anything about the Transformers Movie, our friendly Autobot Bumblebee from the second installation of the Tranformer film called “Rise of the Fallen” has made its way into the internet well before the movie hits the screens in summer 2009.

The film’s producers –in cooperation with GM of course- have given the Camaro based Autobot a more aggressive look thanks to a Z28-like sport treatment that includes a new front bumper with a spoiler, a hood scoop and a slightly different paint job. See more images along with a small video after the jump. -Continued







Via: Autoblog.com , Source: Transformerlive

Miss Car Saleswoman : Citroen-Dongfeng’s Vivi

The gal you’re looking at the picture above –that is if you haven’t already skipped this part to check out the gallery after the jump, is Vivi. We don’t know her last name, but we do know that she works for a Citroen-DongFeng dealership somewhere in China and that she was voted Miss Car Saleswoman by the folks at WO magazine.

We’re not good in translating Chinese, so we’ll try our best to make a story from the images provided by WO. Apparently, Vivi is quite successful in her work thanks to her unique approach to (male) customer needs. It may seem that she can be clumsy at times constantly dropping her pen or forgetting to close a few buttons on her blouse, but that’s part of her strategy to make customers feel as cosy as possible.

Once she succeeds in relaxing them, Vivi goes to phase two, which involves a demonstration. Unlike your usual car salesman that attempts to talk his way through a sale, Vivi prefers the show and tell tactic. For example, she won’t just say that the car’s heater is good; she’ll actually get inside and blast the heater until she sweats her skirt off. According to her stats, at that point, 99% of male buyers are convinced that the Citroen Vivi has everything a man could ever need. -Continued


















Via: Le Blog Auto , Source: WO

Peugeot 207 CC «ELLE Magazine» Edition

As if the tres-chic 207 CC wasn’t conspicuously feminine enough, Peugeot UK went ahead and introduced a limited edition version, the styling of which was created by readers of ELLE magazine as part of a competition to design their own car. ELLE provided readers with a choice of exterior colours and interior designs, and the winning designs were then put into production by Peugeot. -Continued

The result was four 207 CC ELLE models, each with a different bespoke leather interior and available in four interior/exterior colour combinations to suit every style:

  • ‘Glamour Mode’ – Thorium Grey metallic with black leather and Mulberry trim
  • ‘Classic Couture’ – Lacerta Yellow with black leather interior with a graphite trim
  • ‘Rock Chic’ – Diamond black with black leather interior with a pale pink trim
  • ‘Urban Chic’ – Silver and black leather interior with a bright blue trim

Inside, the 207 CC ELLE features unique quilted centre panels on the seats, door and side trims, ELLE logos embossed into the front seats, a carbon leather trimmed instrument cowling with contrasting stitching, leather gear lever gaiter with contrasting stitching and ELLE embroidered floor mats.

Additionally, owners of the 207 CC ELLE will also receive special ELLE branded leather accessories (hopefully not like the ones they give for free in their magazine...) to match the cars’ interior: key ring, credit card holder, coin purse and a leather service / handbook wallet. Power comes from a 120Hp 1.6-liter petrol engine with prices starting from £18,495 (on-the-road).









2011 Mazda9 Luxury Sedan Rendering

If the all-new U.S. spec Mazda6 turns out to be a success, there is a possibility that the Japanese carmaker could consider adding a larger sedan in its car range. Just to be clear, we don’t have any information whatsoever that Mazda is actually considering a move like this. This rendering, created by the guys at CGI Automotive, is just a random attempt to show us how a larger Mazda9 echoing the style of the smaller Mazda6 could look like. We can’t say that we’re thrilled about this car’s styling. -Continued

Now, if we had a say in Mazda’s board, we’d propose an aggressively styled 4door-coupe model based on a slightly extended version of the U.S spec Mazda6 platform priced in the $30,000 range and equipped with AWD and V6 turbocharged engines. Think of it as a Mercedes CLS with AMG-like performance and a C-Class price tag. What do you think of our idea?

Pic via: CGI

Update: Ford Focus RS Pictures Official After All

Earlier today, Ford released two official images and initial details on its long awaited Focus RS –see here. As you might remember, a couple of days ago we showed you a set of pictures depicting a greenish Focus RS but we weren’t sure whether or not they were official as it was evident that they had been photoshoped.

However, we spoke with Tom Phillips from Autoexpress who also runs the Car Tribe website and he confirmed they were indeed official pictures leaked from Ford. Looks like the folks at Ford came up with these photoshops to either illustrate what the car might look like when it enters production or maybe even to persuade company board members during early development stages that they should go ahead and give the... green light. -Continued.


Link: Car Tribe