It's been a long journey, but it seems that the Tesla Model S all-electric sport sedan is closer to production. The California-based automaker announced that it is on to the final road tests. The first phase of this model which is called Alpha, began in 2010 which includes both computer simulations and test-drives of prototype vehicles.
It's been a long time to produce the Toyota FT-86 RWD Coupe but we will get the first glimpse of Subaru's version at the upcoming Geneva Salon in March, which is a joint project from the two companies. The Subaru Rear Wheel Drive Sports Car Technology Concept” will share the spotlight with the Impreza Concept and the Trezio mini MPV, both of which will receive their European premiere at the Swiss motorshow.
The Subaru coupe will be powered by a boxer engine, possibly the same four-cylinder unit lent to Toyota for the FT-86. As for the company's two European premieres, the Impreza Concept was first shown in LA last November and previews a new design direction for the production model, while the Trezio is a re-badged version of the Toyota Verso-S mini MPV, which will be offered in Europe with a 1.3-liter gasoline and 1.4-liter turbo diesel engines.
During the last week's Detroit Auto Show, Audi revealed the 2012 A6 Hybrid. This hybrid variant is capable of achieving 38 miles per gallon and can run up to 62 miles per hour on electricity alone but Audi is not sure of when this car will be available.
Johan de Nysschen, the president of Audi in America tells that the timetable for A6 hybrid is not yet determined. He also said that this gas and electron-powered sedan may not be available until 2015.
The 2011 Detroit Auto Show was more eventful for BMW than it intended. As its workers were working to load the BMW 7 Series onto a truck, a pair of thieves came in and drove off the luxury car which was worth around $140,000. The local police was not able to track the stolen car but the BMW Assist equipped in this series locates a vehicle if it's stolen and hence the car was found. The price of the BMW 7 Series would definitely be worth for its price!
We are big fans of the 2011 Kia Optima. Even a lot of customers would prefer the Kia Optima than the Hyundai Sonata. Even Cars.com has though this and has honored Optima as the "Best of 2011" award. This was mainly due to the fuel economy and driving experience offered in Optima.
Runners-up are the BMW 5 Series, Chevrolet Cruze, Chevrolet Volt (North American Car of the Year), Honda Odyssey and Nissan Leaf. All these vehicles are good but the Optima's strong presence within the mid-size sedan segment – the most-shopped segment in the auto industry – is a huge achievement for Kia.
Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said that the German Automaker will decide this year about shuttering its production of Maybach. Cars like Bentley and Rolls-Royce which were considered to be competitive for Maybach has seen failure during the economic downturn.
Lexus has launched a new CT 200h hybrid model to its Japanese line-up in order to boost its sales in the home market. It's first entry in the premium-compact segment is also its cheapest price in Japan ranging from 3.55 million yen to 4.33 million yen. This car was mainly designed considering European customers. This car is also available in North America, China and a few more countries will be added to its list soon. It's available at $29,120 in U.S.
Mini is completing the 10th anniversary of its brand and hence the automaker has unveiled the Paceman Concept. It has announced that this concept will be in production in the near future.
At the Detroit motor show, Ian Robertson, the Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG said that he is very thrilled for the first time because a seventh member of the Mini family will be unveiled soon.
Mercedes Benz launched the 2012 S350 Bluetec at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. It's a diesel-powered S-Class destined for consumption only in United States. Audi, BMW and Jaguar don't provide an oil-burning version in U.S. The technical specifications of the 2012 S350 Bluetec has not been revealed but it would be powered by the same 3.5-liter Bluetec V6 found in the E-, ML- and GL-Class vehicles.
In the late 2009, when Honda launched the Accord Crosstour, it was told that the only available powertrain would be a V6. Now VTEC reports that a memo has been sent to the dealerships states that a four-cylinder Crosstour will be available this year.
Though the details about the sedan has not yet released, we can assume that it would have the same 2.4-liter engine currently available in Accord. VTEC also reports that a larger four-cylinder unit is currently in works for the CR-V crossover. We can expect that the four-cylinder engine will only be available on lower-trim Crosstours, likely without an all-wheel drive option.
