Ram hybrid coming in 2010

According to The Detroit News, the big joint development program formed several years ago between General Motors, Daimler, Chrysler and BMW to develop a two-mode hybrid system for light duty vehicles is over. With all four automakers now having launched versions of the gas-electric system, the joint program is being wound down and the Troy, Michigan office where engineers from each company collaborated will be closed by the end of this year. Most of the joint work actually ended last June and many of the staff have already been relocated to other facilities.

The Mercedes-Benz ML450 hybrid and BMW X6 ActiveHybrid are both going into production right about now using a version of the two mode transmission built by Daimler. Chrysler, which briefly built a version of the Durango and Aspen SUVs with the hybrid system last year, remains committed to re-launching the system in the Ram pickups in 2010. At this point, however, it looks unlikely that the planned light-duty hybrid will launch anytime soon in the Ram 1500.

[Source: The Detroit News]

The 2010 Acura Alms

The 2010 Acura Alms is getting ready for the most awaiting ALM series. American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is a heritage of endurance sports car racing in both the United States and in Europe, which is represented by the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Competition in the American Le Mans Series features sports car multi class racing of production based grand touring machinery and the sports car prototypes, with both the relentless privateers and factory entered manufacturer teams battling for victory.

The key features to the success in this racing are engineering and state of the art technology ranging from electronics, aerodynamics to fuel efficiency. The current teams in these ALMS include Acura, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, Aston Martin, BMW, Panoz, Ferrari and Lexus.

The American Le Mans Series is one of the fastest growing sports cars racing series in the United States, with swiftly growing fans around the world. Acura is likely to quit the LMP1 prototype program in the ALMS. The teams of Acura, Fernandez racing, De Ferran MotorSports and Highcroft racing are likely to move to the IndyCar racing series. This will lead to the end of sports car effort by the company, while rumors say that the company will excel in the race and increases its sales.

According the Adrian Fernandez, the team owner, "The future of 2010 Acura Alms does not look good from everything you see and you hear and it does not look good to me". A spokesman from the Acura said that an announcement on company's racing plan is uncertainly scheduled for September, possibly prior to Petit Le Mans.
Check out the latest Acura Alms Wallpapers.

Here are some Acura Wallpapers Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geof_Ryan

Top 6 Most Anticipated Audi Models

Audis plan to expand its range of models from 30 to 42 vehicles by the end of 2015 is clearly under way and official announcements made throughout the year can confirm that. A random range of highly efficient and innovative vehicles are at full throttle at Ingolstadt and some of them have being spotted at Nurburgring racing tracks or in the surrounding areas of Audis headquarters.

From the Detroit Auto Show in January to the Frankfurt Motor Show last month, Audi has presented revolutionary car concept and some exciting new models that raised a lot of eye brows in the Automotive Industry. With some many exciting new Audi models announced, we couldn't decide which one is our favourite, so we created a list of what we think are the top 5 most anticipated Audi Models for you to vote for your favourite.

And the nominees are...

Audi A1 (model range)

The Audi A1 is based on the 2007 Metroproject, presented at the Tokyo Motor Show in the same year. But recently Audi announced a full range of A1 variants that will include cabriolets, avants and a more sportive version the Audi S1 as well as a hybrid 4x4, do I hear anyone say Audi Q1?

Expected release date: March 2010 (Geneva Motor Show)

Audi RS3

The Audi RS3 will be the icing on the cake on one of Audis most popular line of models, the A3 model range. No tech specs and performance features have being confirmed by Audi but it is believed that the RS3 will be powered by the same 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbo unit as in the TT-RS, capable of delivering 335bhp and 450Nm of torque to all four tyres via the quattro 4WD transmission.

Expected release date: March 2010 (Geneva Motor Show)

Audi Q3

Another Q-badged SUVs is on the drawing boards at Ingolstadt. The Audi Q3 will seat the above the proposed Audi Q1 and the recently launched Audi Q5 on Audis SUVs range. Again no tech specs and performance features have being officially announced but we can show you some mouth watering pictures of how the Audi Q3 will look like.

Expected release date: 2011

Audi RS5

Expected to be the second highest revving V8 engine on the market, only losing to the new Ferrari 458 Italia, the RS5 is likely to be labelled with the HDZ concept which translates to high rev concept, which allows a free flowing high revving affair with high torque levels available from 2500rpm. To cope with such power the RS5 will be fitted with the top notch 7-speed S-tronic transmission.

Expected release date: March 2010 (Geneva Motor Show)

Audi R4 with E-tron Concept

The Audi R4 has been the centre of discussion of savvy sports car fans for the past couple of years, it is soon to become a reality and what is more exciting is the recently presented e-tron concept is set to the top the range of the R4. With its 300bhp output and an incredible 4,5000Nm of torque, the Audi R4 is expected to sprint from 0-62 in mere 4.8s, only 0.2 behind the Audi R8 V8; Top speed is likely to be increased to 140mph nearly 20mph more than the original E-tron concept.

Expected release date: 2012 Audi A7

Back in January during the Detroit Auto Show, Audi presented the Sportback Concept Car which strongly indicated that an Audi A7 was on the drawing boards at Ingolstadt. In June official announcements were made regarding suspensions systems, transmissions and a full range of engines that strongly indicate that S7s and RS7 are also in the pipelines at Ingolstadt.

In your opinion which of the Audi models listed above is the most anticipated?

About the Author

Audi Nationwide experts in Audi contract hire and Audi lease options.

Living with a BMW

I spent three years driving a 1997 Dodge Stratus. This was not a bad car by any means especially for a kid. But when it was time for my sister to get the car, I needed a new one. After many hours spent on the internet I figured I would go with a Civic until my Dad said what about this? It was a 1999 BMW 328i 5 speed. After doing some research and finding out this car had a good price, and even cheaper than a 2003 Civic, it ended up in my driveway.

After having it for over two years I still love it. It is ten years old so there are some problems such as a slow window motor, and a wheel bearing going bad, but any car will have problems as it ages. I am still just as excited as I am the first day I bought it. Sometimes the highlight of my day is driving it.

I would say that it is the perfect balance for a daily driver. It gets about 28 mpg but still has enough power to have some fun. It has many luxury features that cheaper cars do not have such as heated leather seats, power everything, 10 speaker audio system, climate control, etc. It also takes corners with ease and still has a smooth comfortable ride. It is also a German engineered car, so it will last forever. After having the car for a year and also working at a dealership, allowing myself to drive many other BMWs old and new, I became very loyal.

I like the products BMW has to offer and I know my next car will be a BMW. I have talked to a few customers that feel the same way and even when they do have problems, they still said they would buy another one. A BMW is such a satisfying car that it is hard to make an owner so unhappy that they will never buy another one.

Just about whatever type of vehicle you need BMW has a solution, small to large sedans, SUVs, Sports cars, coupes, and roadsters. If you want your driving pleasure to be enhanced, I would highly recommend checking a BMW new or used, you won't be disappointed.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dan_L_McCormick

The Best Sports Car is the 2003 BMW Z8?

The 2003 BMW Z8 was a concept car manufactured by German automaker, BMW, during the period 2000 to 2003. This model was the production version of Z07 model. The popularity of the concept car stimulated BMW's decision to manufacture the production model, BMW Z8. Though the model had a good start, the production of the vehicle had stopped in 2003.

The 2003 BMW Z8 was released as a predecessor model to the BMW 507. The sports car is a two door two-seat convertible version, build on the FR layout. The sports car has the wheel base of 2500 mm. The length, width and the height of the car are 4,400 mm, 1,830 mm and 1,320 mm respectively. The curb weight of the car is 1,585 kilo grams. The sports car was designed by Henrik Fisker.

The power to the car comes from a 4.9 liter V8 engine and it is mated to a standard 6-speed manual transmission. The other optional transmission offered by the vehicle includes a five-speed automatic, which generates same amount of power as that of 6-speed transmission.

The sports car was first introduced at the 1999 Frankfurt Auto Show. The sports variant draws many styling cues from the famous 507 roadster model like twin kidney grille, long, sloping hood with round headlight blisters, striking leather interior with a simplistic layout and distinctive vents at the back side of the front wheels. The BMW Z8 featured all the necessary accessories and parts of a real sports car. The outstanding design, rarity and superior performance of the attracted customers towards the car.

Check out the latest BMW Z8 Wallpapers. Here are some BMW Wallpapers. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geof_Ryan

Tokyo 2009: Should Honda bring the Freed MPV to America?

Here in Tokyo, we were hanging around with some American Honda Motor Co. officials when they got their first up-close look at the Freed. The Freed is a compact minivan/MPV based on Honda's Fit architecture. For reference, the six-seat, three-row Freed is about 15 inches shorter than a Mazda5 and about 4 inches longer than a U.S.-spec Fit.

Freed's third row seats fold up against the sides of its body, leaving a completely flat load floor. At least two U.S. Honda PR people checking out the model loved the idea of offering it Stateside, although they'd be inclined to see two changes. Because of the micro-van's short length, they would drop the third row and move the second row back for more legroom. Additionally, the 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine (the same one used in the U.S. Fit) would also likely be replaced by something a bit larger for the our market – possibly a 1.8-liter or even a 2.0-liter.

[Source: Honda]

Tokyo 2009: Toyota FT-EV II concept

Toyota has revealed its latest plug-in electric concept car here at the Tokyo Motor Show. The FT-EV II is a followup to the iQ-based FT-EV that we saw in Detroit earlier this year but appears to be a ground-up design that takes advantage of the electric drive architecture. The iQ is promoted as a 3+1 layout because the presence of the steering column and instrument cluster force the driver's seat to be further back – limiting the already small rear seat behind it.

The new concept uses a complete drive-by-wire system with joystick-like controls that feature a steam-punk design motif. The result is wide open space in the front, which conspire with the very thin-shell seats to offer decent room inside. The car also has sliding doors on both sides. It's not known if this concept represents a design direction for an urban BEV that Toyota will likely build to meet ZEV mandates in the next five years, but it would seem to make sense for Toyota to do a custom design such as this.