2010 Ford Figo

Article file under http://www.topspeed.com/

The great American automaker, Ford, is invading their competitor’s markets by introducing the new Figo into the Indian market. The compact Figo is an all new car that features a fresh, contemporary shape that offers a distinct alternative to the traditional offerings in the city car segment with a shape that exudes the spirit of energy in motion with its bold fender flares and swept back headlamps.





Like all of the blue oval’s new car, the Ford Figo was designed with their consumers in mind. The all new body features lots of fresh fun elements like a large mouth front bumper, sporty alloy wheels pushed to car’s four corners, squared off rear end and subtle rear spoiler. Despite its compact size, the Ford Figo has a spacious interior with plenty of room for both passengers and cargo thanks to its taller roofline and more upright stance. Ford feels that this is the perfect car to combat the ultra affordable Tata Nano that is produced in the developing nation. The Figo’s size makes it the perfect car to navigate the narrow stretches of the Indian bazaars and markets without scarifying an ounce of style.





With Ford planning on bringing the equally compact Fiesta to the U.S. in the near future, the question that remains is whether or not Americans will have a soft spot in their hearts for a more spacious city car offering.



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Article file under http://www.caranddriver.com

BY JENS MEINERS, PHOTOGRAPHY BY Matthias Knödler

The 2010 Aston Martin V-12 Vantage is the perfect example of what springs from the deepest urge felt by enthusiastic automotive engineers: stuff the biggest engine into the smallest possible body. Aston Martin CEO Ulrich Bez, by all accounts, is truly an enthusiastic automotive engineer.



Proof? At Porsche, he spearheaded the 989 project, a four-door which still looks so right that the company won't let the prototypes come near the Panamera. Moving to BMW, he created the cultish Z1 roadster. He finally took the ultimate position at Aston Martin in 2000.

A Hot Rod for the Old Country

And so Dr. Bez could not leave his smallest child, the stunningly beautiful, compact, and neatly packaged V-8 Vantage, alone. He wondered whether the 5.9-liter V-12 that powers the elegant DB9 and the more aggressive DBS would fit in the car’s engine bay. It was nearly a given, since the V-8 Vantage is based on the "VH" platform that also forms the foundation of the DB9 and DBS, but the smaller car was never really designed to hold the massive, Cologne-built V-12 engine.



You can see now that the transplant was successful, albeit after extensively revising the V-8 Vantage’s front structure. Nevertheless, Aston Martin managed to achieve a near-perfect 51/49-percent front-to-rear weight balance. The extra mass of the engine, an additional 200 pounds or so, is partly offset by carbon-ceramic brakes and lighter wheels, as well as lighter seats and rear quarter panels. The total weight of the V-12 Vantage, at around 3700 pounds, is only about 100 pounds more than the V-8 Vantage.





This extra weight is effortlessly neutralized by the V-12's 510 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, available at 6500 rpm and 5750 rpm, respectively. The engine is tuned the same as in the larger DBS and thus catapults this relatively tiny coupe into a completely different league. We peddled a DBS to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds—a time identical to the one posted by the V-8 Vantage. Aston says the sprint from 0 to 62 mph takes 4.2 seconds in the V-12 Vantage, so we expect it would become the fastest Aston ever were we to test it—well, the fastest until the One-77 goes on sale. Top speed is now 190 mph, up from 180 for the V-8. However, what really makes the difference is the incredible agility and responsiveness of the engine.

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Spy shots: 2010 Opel Meriva MPV

Article file under http://www.motorauthority.com

GM’s next-generation Opel Meriva compact MPV has been caught undergoing testing once gain. Though it remains in full camouflage, many details are still discernible, including the overall shape, which remains close to the original Meriva concept from last year's Geneva Motor Show.



A very carefully placed extra segment of cladding appears to be hiding one of the most controversial lements of the concept’s design: the rear-window ‘kink’. The front door’s handle and the general construction of the doors and rubber strips indicate the rear-opening rear doors of the concept are gone. The suicide door configuration makes for better display in a car show booth, but is both inconvenient and hard to get past the legal department in the real world.



The simple and attractive front fascia, minimalist outlines, and overall configuration remain very close to the concept’s design, however. Small detail differences include the addition of a tailpipe (hidden on the concept) and the removal of the rear roof spoiler and addition of an antenna in its place.





The treatment of the rear windows and rear hatch area seem to indicate both the angular upsweep before the C-pillar and the hourglass-shaped rear hatch will carry over into production. The tail lights, though heavily camouflaged, carry a hint of the outline of the concept’s large and stylistic units as well.



The new Meriva is expected to make its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and should be sale across Europe by the end of the year.

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2011 Rolls-Royce Ghost

Article files under http://www.rsportscars.com

Source: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Pressclub

Autumn 2006, Paris motor show: Rolls-Royce Motor Cars announced that work had begun on a new model series. The new car would be in production and on sale by the turn of the decade. The only other facts confirmed at that stage were that it would be smaller than the Phantom saloon and priced somewhere between €200,000 and €300,000 before tax. Speculation about its style and specification began almost immediately...



Little was seen of the new car, codenamed RR4, until the spring of 2008, when Rolls-Royce released the first official sketches. The styling was instantly recognisable as a Rolls-Royce, although less traditional than previous models. At the time Chief Designer, Ian Cameron, said, “The RR4 has a more informal presence than the Phantom models with a greater emphasis on driving. In design terms this is expressed through its slightly smaller dimensions, yet with powerful, purposeful proportions. It is a true and uncompromising Rolls-Royce in every sense.”



As sightings of secret development models on the road increased, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars unveiled 200EX, the experimental forerunner to Ghost, at the Geneva motor show in March 2009. An instant hit, 200EX bore the trademark Rolls-Royce design cues but in altogether more compelling fashion. It was a clear statement of intent.





What the design team was seeking to create was a modern Rolls-Royce that achieved a new dynamism but remained true to its luxurious heritage. They had found inspiration in contemporary furniture, architecture and yachts but also in the spirit of the 1930s – that sense of adventure and endeavour – which they wanted to capture in the character of this new car.

“200EX is a modern execution of timeless Rolls-Royce elegance, breaking with some areas of tradition but retaining the core values that make our marque unique,” said Chief Executive Officer Tom Purves. “We expect the more informal design to broaden the appeal of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, attracting people who appreciate its fusion of refinement, new technology and contemporary style.”





After the show, 200EX embarked on a world tour, during which further information about the forthcoming production model became available. It would be powered by a new 6.6 litre V12 unique to the marque, delivering 563 bhp with extraordinary performance figures. It would ride on an intelligent air suspension system offering peerless ride and dynamics. And it would be called Ghost.

“Ghost is one of the most revered names in automotive industry,” said Tom Purves. “It evokes images of adventure and technical innovation. The first cars to bear the Ghost name were known not only for impressive dependability and refinement but also great flair and style.”



Following the overwhelmingly positive reaction to 200EX during its travels, very few changes were made in the transition to the production Ghost – a tribute to the remarkable achievements of Ian Cameron’s and Helmut Riedl’s design and engineering teams.

In September 2009, the new Rolls-Royce Ghost was formally launched to the world.

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Exotic Car Crashed Pictures

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