Those of you that are disgruntled with VW's decision to not bring the sexy Scirocco Coupe over to the States might find some comfort in the German firm's plans to stage the world debut of an all-new sporty coupe at next week's 2010 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.Called New Compact Coupe or NCC for short, the show car will give American consumers their first taste of an upcoming two-door coupe model that's based on the next generation Jetta four-door sedan and is destined primarily for the U.S. market.
Our sources tell us that the NCC concept is in fact an almost production-ready version of the Jetta Coupe though we're not sure if the German firm will actually use this name when the car is launched onto the market within the next year or so.
Similar in size with the current Jetta sedan, the two-door concept model will also showcase a new hybrid powertrain comprising of a small displacement four-cylinder TSI petrol unit and an electric motor that may find its way into the Jetta and the Golf in the very near future.
PS: Even though many car websites and blogs are claiming / assuming that the above drawing is / may be official, fact is, it's a Carscoop sketch...
The second Alpina B7 to be sold in the States after the first generation model that was offered as a limited edition for the 2007 and 2008 model years, will be available in both short- and long-wheelbase models.
The formal introduction of the car in the U.S. will take place at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show in February, and go on sale in Spring of 2010.
BMW's official performance partner has fitted the B7 with a modified version of the Bavarian firm's twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine with direct-injection that delivers 500-horsepower (compared to the standard 750i's 400HP V8) and a hefty 516 lb-ft (700Nm) of torque.
Linked to a six-speed sport automatic transmission with Sport and Manual modes, the V8 unit accelerates the rear-wheel drive sedan from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in just 4.5 seconds.
Alpina also recalibrated the car's Dynamic Damping Control and Active Roll Stabilization while the B7 sits 15mm lower up front and 10mm at the back thanks to the new, shorter springs. In addition, the Bavarian firm notes that the stability control now allows noticeably more slip at the driven wheels.
The B7 rides on newly styled 21-inch alloy wheels shod in MICHELIN PS2 tires size 245/35 R21 at the front and 285/30 R21 at the rear.
On the outside, the B7 is fitted with front and rear aprons, and a boot-lid spoiler which are said to reduce lift at the front by 30% and rear by15%.
As for the interior, the 7-Series-based model has been upgraded with blue illuminated door sill trims, an Alpina SWITCH-TRONIC steering wheel in hand-stitched LAVALINA leather, Black-Panel LCD screen instrument cluster branded with ALPINA and specific decorative trim. An additional ALPINA plaque indentifying the car is mounted on the inner roof panel just ahead of the sunroof
Prices for the new BMW Alpina B7 will be announced closer to the on-sale date.
Unlike the current Fiesta which had to be redesigned for North America to address safety, emissions and powertrain issues thus sharing only 60 per cent of parts with its European counterpart, the 2011 Focus has been engineered for all international markets right from the beginning.
According to Ford, around 80 percent of the2011 Focus parts by value will be common between the North American and European versions.
Depending on the market, the new Focus will be offered in various body styles including three- and five-door hatchbacks, four-door sedan and a hardtop convertible (CC).
F
ord has already unveiled the MPV variant of the new Focus in the form of the new five-seat C-MAX and its longer, seven-seater sibling, the Grand C-MAX at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show - pictured below. The Grand C-MAX has been confirmed for the U.S. with sales set to start in late 2011.
In Europe, the new Focus and the C-MAX models will be offered with several diesel and petrol engines including Ford's new 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged petrol with outputs ranging between 150 and 180 horsepower while in North America, there's talk about a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline unit with direct injection.
Both of these petrol units will be offered with Ford's dual clutch transmission.
We'll have the full story on the new Focus on Monday.
All 2010 models come with more standard content including 20-inch alloys, eight premium speakers with a 368-watt amplifier and 9-inch subwoofer, deep-tinted glass, Uconnect Phone, iPod Control, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, speed control and security alarm.
The MSRP for the base 2010 Dodge Nitro Heat is set at $23,995 and includes a $745 destination fee.
Building on the former SXT model, the new Nitro Detonator model features 20-inch Mopar polished/painted alloys, hood decal, eight speakers plus subwoofer, remote start, ParkSense rear-park assist and color-keyed premium cloth interior that matches the exterior paint color. The 2010 Nitro Detonator is priced at $25,995 (including $745 destination).
Finally, the Nitro Shock adds heated leather seats and a sun roof to the Detonator model and is priced at $26,995 (including $745 destination).
Dodge offers the 2010 Nitro in nine exterior colors, including a new Detonator Yellow Clear Coat.
According to forum member and driver of the 3-Series Coupe "M3KILL3R", the incident happened when in order to avoid some animals on the road, he panicked, swerved, hit the brakes and eventually lost control of the car which went flying straight off the edge of a cliff tumbling down the mountain.
Amazingly, he and his female passenger made it out alive with some minor injuries. Here's how "M3KILL3R" described the incident:
"Was bout 2 am on a saturday night jan.2nd, picked up a female friend who lives on angeles crest street and we headed up angeles crest mountain... Was taking her to a view spot for, u know...neways.
At mile marker 30.65, no speeding no nothing, max i went was 35mph.came up to a pretty bad ass turn...the second i turned i saw 3 animals of some sort kicking it on the road. I panicked, swirved, hit the brakes, hit dirt road which didnt help me from stopping.
Flew straight off the ledge... Flips+turns+tree+flips+turns+flips and landed on 3 rocks 426 feet down the mountain...both of us are okay...walked out clean...i just have a fractured collar bone and my whole left side is killing me like crazy. The female is perfectly fine, just a few cuts n bruises."
Via: 1Addicts , Photos: Photobucket
On the outside, the special edition model gains an available Deep Cherry Red Pearl Coat exterior paint, unique seven-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels, chromed belt, fascia accents and body-side moldings, roof rack with cross bars and "Walter P. Chrysler Signature Series" front door badging.
Pricing for the 2010 Chrysler Town & Country Walter P. Chrysler Signature Series is set at $33,365 (including $820 destination) with sales to begin in the first-quarter of 2010.
