Nissan Ellure Concept - Auto Shows

Full disclosure: Your author is not a woman, nor is he in his 30s or 40s. So when we were given a preview of the Nissan Ellure concept in a Metro Detroit conference room a few weeks prior to the L.A. show, we forgave ourselves for not falling in love with the styling. That’s not to say it isn’t a good-looking car, because it is, but it’s not aimed at us. Then again, when we see it next to its auto-show neighbors—including the Murano CrossCabriolet, the new Quest, and the nearly indescribable Juke—our relative acceptance of the design may change.

The Ellure, as you might have surmised by now, is a concept sedan from Nissan, sized very close to the Altima and Maxima. It’s supposed to hint at the styling direction for the company’s future sedans, but isn’t a depiction of any one model, much in the way that the stunning Infiniti Essence concept didn’t foretell a production coupe. Women, Nissan says, are rejecting sedans but don’t want a coupe (not practical enough) or an SUV (not exciting), so this concept was intended to “re-imagine” the sedan and bring those buyers back. The Ellure is somewhat of a split-personality car, intended for normal, everyday use by ladies on the go, with the ability to transform into a lounge space come nightfall. Nocturnal professionals need not apply.

Hybrid Name, Hybrid Tech

The name is a mash-up of two words, with “allure” being the obvious one. The first letter comes from “electric,” in reference to the hybrid powertrain. To us, this is the more interesting part of the concept, as it provides a look at the brand’s first in-house hybrid system. (The current Altima hybrid, which is sold only in a handful of markets, uses a gas-electric system licensed from Toyota.) The setup installed in the Ellure is basically a version of the arrangement that will be used on the Infiniti M35h, but adapted for front-wheel drive.

The Pure Drive hybrid system uses two clutches; one is sandwiched between the engine and electric motor, and the other between the transmission and the driveline. Whereas the rear-drive Infiniti uses a seven-speed auto, this Nissan gets a continuously variable transmission. The engine is a supercharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder good for 240 hp and 258 lb-ft; a 25-kW (34-hp), 147-lb-ft electric motor is fed by a lithium-ion battery of unknown capacity—Nissan says only that it’s “powerful.” No system-output totals are provided, but we’d be happy with the supercharged four and no electric assist at all.

Lounging (All the Way) Around

The hybrid powertrain allowed for some flexibility in the concept’s design. While the Ellure takes up about the same amount of space as an Altima or Maxima, its wheelbase is almost five inches longer than those cars’. The wheels have been pushed far to the corners, which frees up interior space for that lounge atmosphere. Open the concept-y suicide-hinged rear doors and you get a good look at the wraparound interior; a full-width display panel shows gauges and other information, and the three-person rear seat flows into the door panels. The headrests and center console “float,” and the front passenger even gets a pop-out footrest. The Ellure’s panoramic glass roof is broken up by a V-shaped trim piece that houses mood lighting. Ambient light lives in pockets around the interior and helps define the day-to-night transition.

It’s all wrapped in carbon-fiber body panels. While at first glance the design is evocative of a four-door coupe’s, closer inspection reveals that the normal sedan shape is retained and that only the shape of the side glass and its trim looks coupe-ish—the conventional backlight is preserved and headroom isn’t sacrificed. There’s also some eye-trickery with a fuel-saving bent; clear acrylic bits in the grille and the 21-inch wheels give visual depth while keeping air flowing over them. A full undertray also helps airflow and therefore efficiency.

There are Earth-amicable touches elsewhere. (Women like those, right?) Recycled materials are used all over the cabin, including something called eco-suede for the seats. The carpet is edge-cut wool felt that’s sandwiched together to make a flowing, unrepeated design—Nissan says it has the added benefit of being water-repellent.

We anticipate this new design language will surface some time in the next couple of years on new Nissans aimed at both genders. The same goes for the hybrid powertrain, which can’t come soon enough, since Nissan has heretofore been a virtual non-player in the segment. While neither the shape nor mechanicals are groundbreaking, we’re okay with concepts being grounded in reality every once in a while. Now if only we could say the same about some of Nissan’s latest production offerings. Murano convertible, anyone?

Nearly 30 years after Fiat sold its last car in the U.S., the 2012 Fiat 500 officially makes its debut at the Los Angeles auto show. Cute as a button—or at least a New Beetle or Mini Cooper—the 500 will be powered by a 101-hp, 1.4-liter four-cylinder with 97 lb-ft of torque when it goes on sale in January. The little four-cylinder is assembled in Dundee, Michigan, and utilizes variable valve timing and lift to achieve a best of 29 mpg city and 37 highway when equipped with the manual transmission. A multinational effort, the 500 is being assembled in Toluca, Mexico, in the factory that used to screw together Chrysler’s PT Cruiser.

Our 500 is not exactly the same as the car sold in Europe. To pass more stringent crash regulations in the U.S., the 500 has a new rear structure and a slightly different torsion-beam rear-suspension design. Other differences between the U.S. and European versions are mostly related to comfort: wider and flatter seats, more sound-deadening material, and the addition of an armrest for the driver. Mechanically, a conventional six-speed automatic transmission will be available. Fiat’s tuning of the chassis and electric power steering are slightly different as well, with the latter actually being slightly quicker than the European steering.

Pop, Lounge, and Sport

Three trim levels will be available. The most basic will be called Pop, and it starts at $16,000. Standard equipment will include air conditioning, 15-inch steel wheels, stability and traction control, anti-lock brakes, seven airbags, power windows and locks, and a tire-repair kit. For those who demand more luxury in their tiny Italian cars—and who doesn’t?—Fiat will offer the $20,000 Lounge trim level, which adds a fixed glass roof, 15-inch aluminum wheels, satellite radio, fog lights, a Bose audio system, leather seats and steering wheel, cruise control, Bluetooth, and a USB port for MP3-player integration.

The version we’re most likely to plunk down our lira for is the $18,000 model. Fiat calls it Sport, but it’s not any more powerful than the other 500 models; the moniker comes from the firmer suspension tune. Additionally, the Sport is upgraded from the Pop with 16-inch aluminum wheels, red brake calipers, unique front and rear fascias, a Bose audio system, and Bluetooth. Options available among the various trim levels include heated seats, a removable navigation system by TomTom, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, an $850 power sunroof, and the automatic transmission for $1000.

Retro Car, Retro Colors

For personalization, buyers of the 500s will have their choice of 14 colors (including four retro colors that were available on the original 500), four different interior colors, and a customization program that will allow them to select from several different body graphics. Clearly, Fiat is following Mini’s game plan, which allows buyers to express their personalities by putting stripes or other embellishments on their cars.

The 500 will be joined by the 500C convertible (it’s really more like a giant fabric sunroof) in the summer of 2011. Those seeking more power may want to wait until the fall of 2011 when the 500 Abarth goes on sale. Fiat has not yet announced how much power or even what engine will be under the U.S.-market Abarth’s hood, but we’re expecting around 170 hp from a turbocharged version of the standard car’s 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine. An electric version of the 500 will arrive at the end of 2012, and Fiat promises to produce 5400 of these in the first full year of production. Considering the unknown interest in a microcar from an Italian brand with a shoddy reputation amongst those consumers who have heard of it, that number might be better applied as a decent first-year sales goal for all 500s. But given this car’s cute looks, individualization options, and forthcoming Abarth version, Fiat’s American future is certainly brighter than it was 30 years ago.

2011 Nissan Quest Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows

When Nissan desperately craved a minivan to sell in the 1990s, it partnered with Ford to rebadge the Mercury Villager as the original Quest, an arrangement that lasted for another generation. The Villager was killed in the early 2000s, so Nissan then struck out on its own to create the funky third-gen Quest on the bones of the Altima sedan, but sales were terrible, generating rumors that the company would pull out of the segment altogether. A fourth Quest was in the cards, though, and to bring the van to life, Nissan found another partner: itself—specifically, the Japanese mother ship.

Indeed, the 2011 Nissan Quest is twinned with the Japanese-market Elgrand, a strategy that allows the automaker to hedge its bets against picky U.S. shoppers; if we don’t buy the thing, production ostensibly can be re-allotted to Japan. (That’s where this new Quest will be built, unlike the previous model, which was assembled in Canton, Mississippi.) It’s a strategy that makes sense, but might need to be enacted sooner rather than later: Innovative styling isn’t typically among minivan buyers’ highest priorities, and this new Quest is as bizarre-looking as its slow-selling predecessor. That said, we like this van’s samurai-helmet-meets-the-suburbs look, and its wraparound glass and slabby body sides create some visual drama—at least as much as you can expect from a minivan, anyway. The new model’s styling is based on that of the Forum concept, which was penned in the U.S.

Give Me More of Those Hot, Hot Features

Bold looks tend to turn off minivanites, but features and ease-of-use get them hot and bothered. As you’d expect, the Quest’s second and third rows fold to accommodate all the flat-pack furniture you can buy, but the chairs aren’t removable and don’t fold into the floor; instead, they fold forward to make a flat load surface, which Nissan notes allows constant access to the deep cargo well behind the third row. That well gets its own 60/40-split cover, too. Dodge, of course, offers the Stow ‘n Go second row, where the seats fold into the floor. In the Odyssey, the third row folds forward like the Quest’s, and must then be flipped back into the cargo well to create a flat load floor, which Nissan’s press materials imply is a terrible inconvenience.

But the Quest comes with its own inconveniences. Total passenger volume is about what you’d expect for the segment—all range from 160 to 170 cubic feet or so, depending on equipment—but the Quest’s non-removable seats eat up a fair chunk of cargo room when they’re flattened. At a maximum of 63.6 cubic feet behind the second row, it lags 20 to 30 cubes behind the Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna, and Dodge Grand Caravan. And its 108.4 cubic feet with the second and third rows folded trails the Odyssey by more than 40 cubic feet. (Admittedly, that Honda figure is with the seats pulled out, and only Toyota gives a figure for a folded, but installed, second row: 117.8 cubes.) The Quest is in line with its peers behind the third row, with 35.1 cubic feet available, though, and Nissan says that the step-in height through the sliding side doors is lower than on other minivans, which is a nice touch for both small kids and older folks.

Trims and Equipment Rundown—Take a Deep Breath

The Quest comes decently equipped to battle the segment leaders, but doesn’t appear to offer many innovations of the type that sway shoppers. The lineup starts with the $28,550 S, works through intermediate SV and SL trims, and is topped by the LE. (Pricing for the other trims is unavailable as of this writing, but we expect it to hew as close to the Japanese competition as the base price does.) The S could stand for “stripper” here, with the highlights of the features list being 16-inch steelies, cloth seats, cruise control, manual front seats, a four-speaker stereo, and keyless entry and starting. Move up a rung, and you add a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power-sliding side doors, 16-inch aluminum wheels, a six-speaker stereo with 4.3-inch color display, iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, a backup camera, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

The SL opens up the ability to add option packages, including a rear DVD entertainment system with 11-inch screen (the Honda and Toyota both offer much larger screens that feature split-display capability for multiple inputs), a set of two opening sunroofs, and a Bose package that adds to the DVD player a bunch of speakers and satellite radio. It also nabs roof rails, a power liftgate, heated and powered front seats, leather upholstery, and an easier-to-operate third-row folding mechanism. The full-boat LE includes all of the above save the optional dual sunroofs, and it’s the only way to get a built-in nav system, Nissan’s fancy air-purifying climate control, and a blind-spot warning system, which are all standard. It also has a power function for raising the third row.

One neat feature: The tire-pressure-monitoring system on all Quests has a feature first seen on the Infiniti QX56, whereby the hazard lights flash when air begins flowing into the tire, and the horn softly beeps when the desired pressure is reached.

Familiar Powertrain

The Quest powertrain consists of Nissan’s VQ35DE V-6 mated exclusively to a CVT; the engine is the same as the one in the Altima and Murano with which this van shares its platform, so we expect lively acceleration. The 253 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque found here are pretty much in line with the Odyssey (248 hp/250 lb-ft) and Sienna (265 hp/245 lb-ft) V-6s, but pale a bit in comparison to the Grand Caravan’s 283 hp and 260 lb-ft from its Pentastar V-6. The Quest, like nearly all of its competitors, routes its power only to its front wheels; the Sienna is the only one that can be ordered with all-wheel drive. Size-wise, the Quest pretty much falls in line with those three segment leaders, although it’s a bit narrower and taller than those offerings.

With engine output similar to its peers’, no huge advancements in minivan flexibility or fabulousness, and somewhat compromised cargo room, it’s going to be tough for the Quest to stand out. It seems Nissan is again depending on styling to separate its minivan—a dangerous path, as the company should well know—and it’s not as though the segment leaders have made any recent missteps. The new-for-2011 Odyssey and Sienna drive well and offer at least one standout feature this Quest doesn’t, and the 2011 Grand Caravan has taken big leaps forward in powertrain and interior refinement. We’re looking forward to gathering all these vans and seeing if the quirky Nissan can improve on the third-gen’s fourth-of-five showing in our last minivan comparo, but it seems this Quest—on paper—may end up where the old one left off when it goes on sale early next year. At least it looks pretty rad.

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Koenigsegg Agera

Koenigsegg Agera Specifications

Chassis
Brakes (Front)	Ventilated ceramic discs Ø 392 mm, 36 mm wide. 6-piston calipers. Power-assisted.
Brakes (Rear)	Ventilated ceramic discs Ø 380 mm, 34 mm wide. 6-piston callipers. Power-assisted.
Wheels	Koenigsegg forged Vortex generating aluminium wheels with centre locking
Wheels (F)	19” x 9.5”
Wheels (R)	20” x 12.5”
Tires Front	255/35 – 19” (Y)
Tires Rear	335/30 – 20” (Y)
Front Suspension	Cro-Mo subframe, with integrated crash members.
Rear Suspension	Semi-stressed engine and gearbox with support struts, for
Drivetrain
Transmission	Specially developed transversal transmission with paddle-shift.
Engine
Type:	Koenigsegg aluminum 4,7L V8, 4 valves per cylinder, double overheadcamshafts
Compression Ratio	8.9:1
Engine & Transmission
Power bhp (kW) at RPM:	910 hp at 6850 rpm
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM:	1100 Nm at 5100 rpm
Exterior
Tires F-R	Michelin, Unidirectional with asymmetric tread pattern
Body Type	Two-door, two seater with removable hardtop stowable under the front hood lid.
Length	4293 mm (169”)
Width	1996 mm (78.6”)
Height	1120 mm (44.1”)
Performance
Acceleration (0-100 km/h)	3.1 seconds

Fastest Sports Cars

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No matter whoever you are- irrespective of gender, financial status, taste and country, Cars are loved by all. Racing cars have always been a fascination for some and obsession for others. I remember reading a book from Eric Maria Remarque, Heaven Has No Favorites and there, one character was particularly engraved in my mind- the life of a car racer. Today, I am going to talk about those men on the road who challenge the winds when on full swing. No wonder, I am talking about my choice of 15 best sports cars of late.

I know that, some things are unattainable (mainly because of the price tag to which we laugh) for most of us. Sports car is a category where we find that relevant. But at the same time, we appreciate them too. Probably that is where a racing car races away from any other selfish issues and claims a worldful of admirers.

Renault DeZir Pictures

Renault DeZir Specifications

Body
Wheelbase	2,582mm
Chassis
Wheels	245/35 R 21
Drivetrain
Transmission	Rear-wheel drive Direct, drive, with reducer and forward/reverse inverter
Engine
Type:	Electric synchronous motor with rotor coil
Engine & Transmission
Power bhp (kW) at RPM:	110kW / 150hp
Torque lb-ft (Nm) at RPM:	226Nm
Exterior
Length	4,225mm
Width	1,968mm
Height	1,163mm
Curb Weight	830kg
Ground Clearance	110mm
Performance
Acceleration (0-100 km/h)	5 seconds
Drag Coefficient	0.25

Lotus Elite

….enjoy the new British Expression of Exclusivity
Ten days ahead of the official unveil at the Paris Motor Show the sun starts to rise for the dawn of Lotus’ new era - the Elite will redefine “modern classic”. So here it is, the Lotus Elite, the first taste of what’s to come from Lotus in the future. Look up elegant in the dictionary and you’ll find variations on the following 1. dignified grace in appearance, movement, or behaviour, 2. superb taste in design, style and 3. something elegant; the ultimate refinement.
The ground-breaking new Elite is exactly that. It’s compact yet chic body is elegance incarnate. It’s not only exquisitely elegant, in keeping with Lotus’ core values, it’s a car of substance incorporating some of the very latest technological innovations Lotus has to offer. The slick retractable hard top version and the optional use of hybrid technology with KERS are typical examples of Lotus tailoring technology to deliver perfect performance.
Dany Bahar, CEO of Group Lotus said: “There’s no denying that the Elite is breathtakingly beautiful to look at but it’s so much more than that, it’s a car that over delivers in all other aspects as well. One could say it’s a car of perfect contradictions, it’s compact yet spacious, high performing yet low emitting, lightweight yet still reassuringly solid. It’s a car that we are exceptionally proud of at Lotus and we truly believe that there is nothing else like it out there both in terms of styling and performance.
“Make no mistake, there’s a definite market requirement for the Elite – it’s the ultimate sports car feel with comfort and space. There will always be those who believe that Lotus should stick to small sports cars but we didn’t take the decision to design something like the Elite lightly, it’s based on months of careful research and planning. It’s worth noting this sector has been very successful for us in the past and now the Elite raises the benchmark higher still.” Set for release in spring 2014, this is an innovative, exciting GT that will set a new benchmark in design, performance and emissions. And it’s not all about sleek lines and stunning bodywork with this particular 2+2, what hides beneath this shark like exterior perfectly does the aesthetics justice. A front-mid positioned 5.0l V8 engine delivering up to 620 PS meaning drivers can expect to go from 0-100 km/h in approximately 3.5 to 3.7 seconds. ENDS