Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Now Available In Germany

Begining Monday 16 November 2009, Mercedes-Benz outlets as well as the brand's sales partners in Germany will begin taking orders for the new SLS AMG. It is going for €177,310 (including 19 per cent VAT) in Deutschland or approximately US $264,000 at today's exchange rates.

Volker Mornhinweg, Chairman of the Management Board at Mercedes-AMG GmbH. said "Following a high-profile world premiere at the IAA, we are very excited about the SLS AMG's commercial release on Monday. There is huge interest in our new super sports car and we are convinced that the SLS AMG will captivate our customers,"

Malaysians who have extremely large bank accounts may check out with Naza to see if they have a unit to spare. My guess the SLS AMG will drain up to RM 3 million from your account taking our country's taxation rates fit for the Guinness Book Of World Records. Along with the Super Car customers can opt for a host of upgrades to make your SLS even more exclusive, you can check out some of the main options in the list below. :

• AMG ceramic composite high-performance braking system: €9500 net/ €11,305 gross
• AMG performance suspension with a stiffer setup for optimum lateral dynamics: €1200 net/€1428 gross
• AMG light-alloy wheels in a 5-twin-spoke design, size 9.5 x 19 inches (front) and 11.0 x 20 inches (rear), tyre sizes 265/35 R 19 (front) and 295/30 R 20 (rear): €950 net/€1130.50 gross
• AMG forged wheels in a 10-spoke design, size 9.5 x 19 inches (front) and 11.0 x 20 inches (rear), with tyre size 265/35 R 19 (front) and 295/30 R 20 (rear): €2000 net/€2380 gross
• AMG performance steering wheel in leather/Alcantara: €400 net/€476 gross
• AMG sports bucket seats: €3300 net/€3927 gross
• AMG carbon-fibre engine compartment cover: €4000 net/€4760 gross
• “AMG alubeam silver” paint finish: €10,000 net/€11,900 gross
• “AMG monza grey magno” paint finish: €3250 net/€3867.50 gross
• AMG carbon-fibre trim (front stowage tray and rear stowage compartment including lid, AMG DRIVE UNIT surround, surrounds for the centre console, shiftgate and rear, trim strips for centre console and door armrests): €3500 net/€4165 gross
• AMG interior carbon package (carbon-fibre trim, trim on seat backrests and sides, door sill panels): €3500 net/€4165 gross
• Leather nappa exclusive single-/two-tone: €2500 net/€2975 gross
• Memory package with electric seat and steering column adjustment, as well as four-way lumbar support: €1225 net/€1457.75 gross
• 6-disc DVD changer: €660 net/€785.40 gross
• Bang & Olufsen BeoSound AMG surround sound system: €5900 net/ €7021 gross

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VW Jetta TDI Cup Street Edition Announced For US

Volkswagen is planning to bring in the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup "Street" Edition to US dealerships beginning next year. If you happen to attend last year's SEMA, you might have caught a glimpse of the concept it was based on.

The Jetta TDI Cup "Street" Edition comes with similar body kit to the version shown off during previous TDI Cup races. One will notice modifications done on front bumper, side skirts and rear valance, and large, red, caliper brakes were added. The brakes are covered by 18-inch Charleston wheels. Sport suspension and sway bars were taken from the GLI.

Under the hood there is the 140 horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine that generates a healthy 236 ft-lb of torque. It is paired to either a six-speed manual, or DSG paddle-shift transmission. Highlights of the interior includes Interlagos cloth-lined sport seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Volkswagen mention that the Jetta will be priced form $25,000 & qualifies for a federal tax credit of $1,300. Sales commencing in the beginning of January 2010.

Source : WorldCarFans

Porsche Boxster Spyder

The Original Porsche 550 was a sports car manufactured between 1953 & 1956. It was the sports car that the legendary American Actor James Deen died in 1955. Fast forward to the present time, the decedents of 550 now better known as the Porsche Boxster (987) comes 2.9 liter flat-six boxer engine with Direct Fuel Injection and the option of having Porsche's signature Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) dual clutch gearbox.

The upcoming Boxster S will be revealed to the public during the Los Angeles International Motor Show in December. The new Boxster weighs in at just 1,275kg, which is 80kg less than the Boxster S and enough to make it the lightest Porsche on sale today. Under the hood one will find the 3.4-litre 'boxer' engine, newly tweaked to put out 320bhp. The six-speed manual gearbox will be a standard feature while the PDK twin-clutch will be available as an upgrade.

porsche claims that the Bosxter fitted with the PDK gearbox will do the century sprint(0-60 mph) in 4.8 seconds hitting a top speed of 166mph. Paddle-Shifters has taken the place of the steering wheel mounted controls. The next gen Boxster strive to be greener at the same time by returning consumption figures of 30.4mpg

The new Spyder Boxster will be on sale in the UK come Febuary 2010 with a price tag of £44,643.









Source : Autoexpress

Audi Avatar For 2032

An Audi Fit for 'Ang' the Avatar also known as the Air bendder. Just Joking but this is the work of art penned by aspiring automotive designer Edwin Conan. Edwin shared with us his view on how the future Audi electric supercar may look like in 2032. The Avatar is a low slung vehicle that seats 3 in a McLaren F1-style ‘V’ arrangement.

According to Edwin, each wheel housed beneath the 4 protruding fins has its own electric motor. We are looking into a vehicle that can do a century sprint 0-60mph in 2.9 seconds with top speed of 225 mph which is a hair raising figure by today's standards. Technically speaking the Audi Avatar will be a zero emmision vehicle.

Source : Autoexpress

Opel Corsa ecoFlex achieve 3.7liter/100km

Come January 2010, Opel will be releasing the Corsa ecoFLEX to the European nations. The Corsa ecoFlex is powered by a 1.3-liter CDTi diesel engine with a variable geometry turbo for a total output of 95HP, or 28 per cent more power than the existing 75HP Corsa ecoFLEX. As the title suggest this Corsa consumes 3.7 l/100 km (63.3 mpg US or 76.3 mpg UK) of fuel & releasing just 98 g/km CO2 as a three-door. The 5-door version emits 1g/km more than the former means you can still save on your annual road tax.

Among the engineering works involved in achieving these figures includes lowering the car by 20mm to improve aerodynamics, more efficient wheel caps & optimizing the air flows via the air intakes. In addition to that, new 175/70 tires that are roll-resistance-optimized and fitted to lighter, 14-inch steel wheels.

The transmission unit is a 5 speed manual with elongated gear ratio. In line with Opel's goal of producing a fun yet eco-friendly car, 190 Nm of torque available between 1750 and 3250 rpm provides that extra oommph to pull away from traffic. The ecoFlex takes 12.3 seconds to reach 100 km/h (62mph) from a standstill with a top speed of 177 km/h (110mph) . Oh by the way I find the car bears striking resemblance to the Hyundai i20. What do u think?





Source : Opel

Volkswagen New Midsized Sedan For US

Volkswagen of America has begun campaigning for the upcoming Mid-Sized Sedan (NMS) by releasing a black 7 white sketch. According to WorldCarFans, the NMS will be bigger than the Passat but cost 8000$ less. This will put the sedan in direct competition with the popular Camry & Accord. Volkswagen is choosing to build the NMS in Chattanooga, Tennessee to take advantage of the weak dollar.
Source : WorldCarFans

BMW X3 Spied !

Another spyshot posted here. This time it is the BMW X3 which I feel looks cheap & uninspiring if parked next to an Audi Q5. I perceive this SUV to be BMW's ugliest of all so hopefully the next edition will much better. Judging by the initial spyshots things are going in the right direction.







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AutoAlert : Audi A5 Sportback Launched

It was just last month when alot of hype was generated about pictures of the Audi A5 floating over the web. Now the luxury Hatchback has been officially unveiled to the masses. Audi claims the vehicle offers the best of various vehicle genres namely the emotion & elegance of a coupe without sacrificing on practicality of a station wagon. Audi further added that the vehicle is 36 millimeters (1.42 in) lower than the A4 Sedan; with its short front overhang, long wheelbase, wide track and the four frameless doors with their slender window lines, it is the very picture of sporty elegance.

Under the bonnet there are three petrol and three diesel engines to choose from, including a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 211hp and a 3.2-litre V6 with 265hp. Both offer impressive performance, and will get you from 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds. The 'entry level' diesel engine churns out 170hp propelling the car to 62mph in 8.7 seconds, this is followed by the 2.7 TDI follows with 190hp and acceleration to 62mph in 8.2 seconds while the most powerful of the diesels, the 3.0 TDI puts out 240hp and sees the Sportback from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds.

The drivetrain on offer ranges from manual, multitronic or seven-speed S tronic depending on the engine & trim. The chasis features lightweight construction suspension with Balanced axle load distribution. 17 inch wheels will come as a standard with options up to 20 inches for better handling & aesthetics.

The cabin is a hallmark of all things Audi as it is blessed with high quality materials with two powerful MMI navigation systems available. For those planning for a long balik kampung (returning to hometown in Malay) trip will be glad to know there 480 liters of boot space that goes all up to 980 liters with the back seat down. Prices starts from £27,000 in the UK and 33,650 euros in other parts of Europe.

AutoAlert : BMW X1 Unveiled

The X1 has embrace the automotive world after spending some time teasing its fans mainly through the facebook account set up by BMW. The table below shows the power plant options available to propel the SUV along with other vital information pertaining to the respective engines. Owner of the Diesel variants has a good reason to smile as the X1 sDrive18d with rear wheel drive, putting out only 136g/km of CO2 and using only a measly 5.2 liters per 100km. My guess this figures refers to the European spec X1 as diesel is very much popular overthere. Expect BMW to have more petrol variants in other markets.

The interior features a 40:20:40 split backrest at the rear which can extend the 420 liter cargo area up to 490 liters if you set the backrest angle to something more vertical, or if you just drop them down, storage goes up to 1,350 liters. If you find the X1 to mundane for your liking then you can opt to customize your X1 with kits available from the likes of Alpina or other 3rd party accesories developer to further enhance your X1's wow factor.