Vesti iz auto-industrije

[Geza]

Kako Chevrolet priprema kupce za dizel verziju Cruza.

[Geza]

Maserati Kubang concept makes final show stop
Production model due at 2014 Detroit show, sources say

The Kubang concept, shown, will next appear in production form with a different name.



BEIJING -- Maserati says that the Beijing auto show will be the fourth and final auto-show appearance for its Kubang SUV concept.

"After Beijing, we will retire the Kubang concept. Our SUV will reappear in its production form and with its final name in due time," Maserati CEO Harald Wester told Automotive News Europe on the sidelines of the show here.

Sources say the production version of the SUV will appear at the Detroit auto show in January 2014.

Unveiled last September at the Frankfurt auto show, the Kubang also has been displayed at auto shows in Dubai and Detroit.

In Beijing, the Kubang was located near one of its future rivals, the Lamborghini Urus concept.

Maserati, Lamborghini and Bentley want to enter the SUV niche a decade after Porsche broke with tradition and rolled out the Cayenne in 2002. The SUV -- not the brand's iconic 911 -- accounted for half of Porsche's 118,867 sales in 2011.

Demand for luxury SUVs, including the Cayenne and Mercedes-Benz GL class, is forecast to climb 49 percent in China to 265,200 units in 2015, according to IHS Automotive.

Maserati plans to start European and U.S. sales of its new SUV in the first half of 2014. Media reports say that the Lamborghini Urus will arrive in 2017 at the earliest.

Maserati's SUV will share its underpinnings with the Jeep Grand Cherokee and will be built by Chrysler in Detroit. Maserati will supply gasoline and diesel engines from Italy. The Fiat subsidiary aims to sell 20,000 to 25,000 units of the SUV a year.

[Laki021]

Kako Chevrolet priprema kupce za dizel verziju Cruza.

Hehe, posle ovog prospekta, verujem da vise nikom nece pasti na pamaet da posumnja u dizel, ebali su mu kevu

[Floyd]

Jos da naprave jednu epizodu Simpsonovih u kojoj Homer kupuje nekog dizela i uspeh je zagarantovan

[Geza]

Back to Alpine: May 25 in Monaco?



The return of Alpine is a very old sea serpent surfaced at regular intervals. Since the arrival of Carlos Tavares at the head of Renault and its positive statements on the subject, hope fans regained some strength. All this could be realized on May 25th in the streets of Monaco F1 Grand Prix.

If we are to believe the journalist Renaud Roubaudi assiduously that feeds a blog dedicated to the automobile, Renault issued a statement (not found) indicating that the mark would be presenting an iconic car celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Alpine A110 was born in 1962 will certainly be this car. The tribute will consist of a communication operation scheduled the day before the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco with the presence of a concept running through the streets of the Principality. Accuracy of small importance, this concept would develop 400 hp!

Return of ALPINE
http://iedei.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/r ... -may-25th/

“I confirm that the new Alpine Renault will be officially unveiled in Monaco Friday, May 25, the surrounding of 13h30/14 h and a World Champion Formula 1. After doing some laps on the circuit, the Alpine will park in front of the barge moored in the Red Bull Monaco harbor which will be held the press conference. Carlos Tavares, Executive Vice President of Operations for Renault, Laurens van den Acker, Design Director of Renault and Alain Prost, Renault Ambassador , will present all three. And POA that will immortalize this memorable day on video …”

[Geza]

Bez neke zvanične potvrde. Citroen DS-X, planiran za kinesko tržište, treba da se pojavi u prodaji za dve godine.





Vizuelno sličan Hypnos konceptu.

[Geza]

Podaci o prodaji hibridnih vozila na američkom tržištu.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_ele ... ted_States

Nekako me je Honda CR-Z najviše razočarala. Cela ta koncepcija hibridnog kupea je trebala da bude samo dopuna u ponudi, a ne glavni adut. Bez jednog snažnog benzinca nema neke zadovoljavajuće prodaje.

[Geza]

Poslednji SAAB 9-3 na proizvodnoj traci.

[Geza]

Povezana vest.

Saab Fans to Collect Online Donations to Buy Last Saab Ever Produced

The death of Saab has greatly saddened the automotive world. Saab, the choice of architects everywhere, made quirky and typically Swedish cars on drastically redesigned GM platforms, to great effect. Even 30-odd-years ago, their cars were among the most advanced and safest in the world. Their philosophy of making safe cars with a dash of sportiness and Swedish simplicity had a constant, but relatively small dedicated fan-base all over the world.

The members of SaabsUnited have decided to chip in as much as they can and buy the last Saab ever to be produced. It a 9-3 Griffin which is scheduled to roll off the production line at the end of the month. Their plan is to raise the necessary cash, through donations, to buy and then permanently place the car in the Saab Cars Museum, where it belongs.

The matter of buying the car is a tad complicated as the vehicle requires a legal guardian (an owner) as the car cannot legally belong to the museum. A way has been devised in which the museum cannot move the car without the owner’s consent and the owner cannot move the car without the museum’s consent.

It is a nice initiative and we wish them good luck in raising the necessary money to make it happen.

[Geza]

Next Subaru WRX could get electric turbo

About the future Subaru WRX we have heard all kinds of rumors, including the fact that it will drop the "Impreza" from its name and it will be simply called WRX. After that we heard that Subaru will place under the hood of the new car the same turbocharged 2.0-liter boxer engine found in the BRZ. And now the speculation continues: new rumors suggest that the car will in fact feature an electrically-operated turbo engine.

According to Drive.com.au, Subaru is working to trap heat energy from exhaust gases, generating electricity to power the turbo. This new system will create power more efficiently with less turbo lag. But no matter what engine we will see under the hood, the next WRX will keep the same continuously variable transmission used in the standard Impreza.

The same source is also reporting that the next WRX "will be completely distinctive from the current Impreza, it will look considerably different." The model will also be featuring very significant technical changes and innovations.

Expect to see the new Subaru WRX launched sometime next year. A STI version will also follow.

[Geza]

Nova dva mala terenca iz Volkswagena.

VW will launch two small SUVs

Volkswagen unveiled the Buggy Up, based on the Up minicar, at the 2011 Frankfurt auto show.

FRANKFURT -- Volkswagen plans to add two SUVs positioned below the Tiguan compact model because of booming demand for such vehicles, a newspaper report said.

The launch of a subcompact SUV and a smaller model based on the new Up minicar is "certain," German business publication Handelsblatt reported on Monday, citing company sources.

A VW spokesman would not confirm the models to the paper, saying only: ''SUVs are very interesting. Our modular production system allows us further spinoffs. We haven't made a decision yet.''

VW had planned to build a subcompact SUV based on the Suzuki SX4. It was to be called the Rockton, according to some media reports, but the ending of the VW-Suzuki alliance killed the project. Now VW will base the model on the Polo, Handelsblatt said.

VW has shown an SUV concept based on the Up and called the Buggy Up at recent auto shows and the company says it has been well received.

Albrecht Reimold, head of VW Skovakia, which builds the Up, told Handelsblatt that the minicar's lineup will be expanded with new variants but declined to discuss specific details about an SUV version. "It's certainly an area we must look at," he said.

Handelsblatt said an Up SUV would be sold for well under 20,000 euros.

Later this year, Opel/Vauxhall will launch the Mokka, the first subcompact SUV from a German automaker. Opel is targeting annual sales of 50,000 units. French brand Peugeot plans to join the segment next year with the launch of a SUV-styled crossover based on its new 208 compact.

In 2011, more than 200,000 subcompact SUVs and SUV-styled crossovers were sold in Europe. Market analysts IHS Automotive estimates that the sector will grow to 500,000 annual sales by 2018.
******************************************************************

Opel prestaje sa proizvodnjom Astre u Nemačkoj 2015. godine.

Opel Reportedly Mulling to End Astra Production in Germany in 2015

General Motors' struggling Opel brand may end production of the popular Astra compact model at its Rüsselsheim plant in Germany after the presentation of the next generation model in 2015, according to a report from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ).

Citing unnamed senior labor representatives who are involved in restructuring talks, the German newspaper wrote that GM's top brass in Europe is proposing to transfer production of Opel's second bestselling model after the Corsa to its existing factories in Ellesmere Port, England and Gliwice, Poland.

Such a move would boost annual production of the Astra from 145,000 to 205,000 units in Ellesmere Port in a three-shift operation, and from 185,000 to 240,000 cars in Gliwice, the report said.

The reason why GM's European branch is considering such a drastic option has to do with reducing costs, as the Ellesmere Port and Gliwice factories are said to be cheaper and more flexible to operate than Rüsselsheim, which pays its workers more. Since 1999, Opel has lost a total of $16 billion. In the first quarter of 2012 alone, Vauxhall and Opel racked up losses of some $256 million.

According to FAZ, Opel's works council at the Rüsselsheim assembly plant had agreed to accept pay reductions and other cost-cutting measures of up to €70 million (US$92.5 million) to fund the investments needed to upgrade the factory for the production of the next Astra.

Opel works council chief Wolfgang Schäfer-Klug told the German daily that moving production out of Rüsselsheim would be a "devastating mistake" for the company. "This is as if Volkswagen would stop producing its Golf model in Wolfsburg," said Schäfer-Klug.

FAZ reported that GM would take a final decision on the matter by the middle of May. Neither General Motors nor Opel would comment on the report.

[kvcali]

Nadprosečni rezultati i vrhunske ocene za Insigniju, Zafiru, Astru i Corsu

U nedavno objavljenoj ADAC-ovoj (Nemački Auto Klub) statistici kvarova za 2011., svih pet navedenih Opelovih modela postiglo je nadprosečne rezultate, sa Opel Merivom koja prednjači. Šampion fleksibilnosti u periodu od 2006. do 2011. postiže najbolje ocene svake godine i potvrđeno je da ima "znatno manje kvarova od proseka".

Opel Corsa je takođe postigla vrhunski rezultat: dobila je najbolju ocenu ADAC-a u periodu od 2009. do 2011. (2006. i 2010.: drugu najbolju ocenu). Već se istakla u DEKRA Izveštaju o kvarovima 2010., gde je bila krajnji pobednik sa najnižom stopom kvarova među svm testiranim vozilima. Najbolju ocenu u ADAC-ovoj statistici kvarova je takođe postigla Opel Astra, koja je dobila najbolje ocene u pojedinačnom plasmanu kao vozilo sa što manje grešaka prema rezultatima "DEKRA izveštaja o korišćenim automobilima 2012." Visoke rezultate na ADAC-ovim testovima ostvarili su i kompaktni van Opel Zafira za 2009. i 2011. godinu i Opel Insignia za 2011. godinu.

ADAC objavljuje statističke izveštaje kvarova od 1978. godine. Ove godine 230.000, od više od četiri miliona kvarova za koje je ADAC pozvan 2011., je ocenjeno da bi se sastavila rang lista. Statistika obuhvata modele vozila iz poslednjih šest godina koji su predstavili 10.000 novih podataka najmanje jednom tokom ovih godina u Nemačkoj. Razmatrano je više od 92 modela.

EDIT by mod: Ukoliko je tekst preuzet sa nekog sajta neophodno je navesti izvor.

[Geza]

GM's Opel to Build Next Citroen C5 Mid-Size Model, Says PSA Exec

New details about General Motors strategic cooperation with the PSA Citroen-Peugeot group surfaced today after Jean-Luc Perrard, head of PSA's factory in Rennes, France, told local newspaper Ouest France that Opel will build next generation of the Citroen C5, codenamed X8.

According to a report from Autonews Europe, Perrard did not say which Opel factory would manufacture Citroen's mid-size model, but there's a good chance it may be the Ruesselsheim plant that assembles the current Opel Insignia series.

The two automotive groups have said that GM will develop the platform(s) for midsize models such as the Opel Insignia, Peugeot 508 and Citroen C5, while the French group will take over subcompact segment with models the Opel Corsa, Peugeot 206 and Citroen C3.

The PSA group's Rennes factory currently builds the Citroen C5 alongside the Citroen C6 and Peugeot 508 midsized vehicles with production reaching 182,300 units last year.

Perrard told the French daily that the Rennes plant will compensate for the loss of the C5 by adding new models to its assembly lines and that the company is planning to invest €40 million in the site for this purpose.

Asked about Perrard's statements, a spokesman for the French automaker said that the two automakers have not finalized any plans yet. "The alliance working groups will communicate their final plans before the end of the year," he said. "It is too early to draw any conclusions."

[Geza]

Auto legend Carroll Shelby, father of Cobra, dies

Carroll Hall Shelby, the Texan who created the famous Shelby Cobra and uncounted other high-performance machines that turned the auto world on its ear, and made it a whole lot more fun for 50 years, died in Dallas Thursday night at age 89. He had been hospitalized for pneumonia.

Shelby, who affected the aw-shucks demeanor of the chicken farmer he once was, said, "I never made a damn dime until I started doing what I wanted."

What he wanted was, if you will, power for the people, automotively speaking.

"I love horsepower," he said more than once.

Beyond just his efforts in the small world of hot-rodding, Shelby influenced how Detroit automakers thought about high-performance, and he proved that hard work and bit of guile can make a hero.

But to achieve that, he had to jump from chicken-raising — his fowl all died of a disease one year — and into full-time auto racing, which he'd been doing on the side, in the 1950s. He was a success — at first continuing to wear the work overalls that he did as a farmer — and parlayed that reputation into a foothold as a car builder.

The litany of significant cars he created is long, running from the original 1962 AC Cobra — small British sports car with a big (for the times) Ford engine — through a sojourn at Chrysler and a stint with GM via a failed Oldsmobile-powered car, back to Ford. He was involved with development of Ford's GT 500 Mustang, the 2013 version of which is certified as the most-powerful regular-production car in the world.

His love affair put him into the orbit of industry giants of the time, as he more and more successfully showed car companies that powerful engines in lightweight cars was a viable and roadworthy combination on which he and they could make a lot of money.

He became good friends with Lee Iacocca who was president at Ford Motor when Shelby began as a car builder. The relationship continue when Iacocca moved to Chrysler.

Iacocca serendipitously happened upon on a small dinner in a Los Angeles restaurant some years back, intended as an intimate schmooze between Shelby and a journalist. Iacocca plopped down at the table and he and Shelby started telling stories.

Among them, how the two began their relationship.

Iacocca said Shelby was pestering him for money to build the original Cobra, and was so persistent that "I finally gave him the money to get him out of my office."

Much later, in 2010, Shelby was facing two challenging phenomena: Mortality, and the changing nature of the go-fast auto business. At the time, he was taking 25 pills a day, tooling around in a motorized wheelchair and talking about passing the torch at Shelby American, the company he set up to build small numbers of exciting cars, as well as parts.


He noted that extracting the most performance from an engine had become an exercise in computer programming, not tinkering. "I don't have the power to fight all the problems that I used to anymore," he said at the time.

"I've had a good run. I've built a lot of things that work and a lot of things that didn't work." He estimates that of the 165 car projects he tried over his lifetime, seven or eight turned a profit. Big enough, it seems, to keep the enterprise rolling.

His was a bold approach to car crafting that was too in-your-face for mainline car companies to conjure in-house. They let him come up with wild machines under their sponsorship, then refined them into cars the automakers could sell as high-performance halos.

Along the way he came up with a recipe for a mean bowl of chili, sufficiently infamous to spark an annual beat-this chili cookoff in Texas, and later even ventured into fashion timepieces.

He began his car building with subterfuge. Hoping to give the impression he was producing a lot of the original 1962 Cobras, he kept repainting the two he had built so car magazines would show them in a variety of colors.

And he had to fend off another giant, his eventual friend Robert E. Petersen, founder of Motor Trend and Hot Rod magazines, for the affections of a woman.

Petersen saw himself as merely taking advantage of an opportunity. Shelby recalled it as a work of infamy: "He'd tell her, 'You don't want to go around with a chicken farmer. And he'll lose (races), anyway'."

Rumors began circulating about a health problem when the affable auto man failed to appear as scheduled at the New York auto show in early April to promote his latest creations, the 950-horsepower Shelby 1000 and the 1,100-hp Shelby 1000 S/C.

Shelby published an update on his Facebook page in late April to say, in the vein of Mark Twain's "the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated," that he had been hospitalized for pneumonia, but was "resting comfortably with family and working on getting better."

[Geza]

Fiat Panda uskoro dobija 4x4 pogon. Na slikama su prikazane neke karakteristike.