Porsche 918 Spyder

The 918 Spyder prototype combines high-tech racing features and electro-mobility to offer a fascinating range of qualities: An emission level of just 70 grams CO2 per kilometre on fuel consumption of three litres/100 kilometres (equal to 94 mpg imp) truly outstanding even for an ultra-compact city car, on the one hand, combined with the performance of a super sports car and acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in just under 3.2 seconds, top speed of 320 km/h (198 mph) plus, and a lap time on the Nordschleife of Nürburgring in less than 7:30 minutes, faster than even the Porsche Carrera GT, on the other.

The 918 Spyder is one of three Porsche models with hybrid drive making their world debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. This trio – made up of Porsche’s new Cayenne S Hybrid SUV with parallel full-hybrid drive, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid racing car with electric drive on the front axle and a flywheel mass battery, and the two-seater high-performance 918 Spyder mid-engined sports car with plug-in hybrid – clearly demonstrates not only the great bandwidth of this new drive technology, but also the innovative power of Porsche as a genuine pioneer in hybrid drive.

The highly innovative 918 Spyder concept car combines Porsche’s Intelligent Performance technology, high-tech in motorsport, and classic but modern design to make a truly convincing statement.

The Porsche 918 Spyder with plug-in hybrid provides the performance of a thoroughbred super sports car on fuel consumption of just three litres/100 kilometres in the New European Driving Cycle, equal to a
CO2 emission rating of 70 g/km.

This open two-seater is powered by a high-speed V8 developing more than 500 bhp and running at maximum speed engine of 9,200 rpm as well as electric motors on the front and rear axle with overall mechanical output of 218 bhp (160 kW).

The V8 combustion engine is a further development of the highly successful 3.4-litre power unit already featured in the RS Spyder racing car and positioned midship in front of the rear axle, giving the car the right set-up for supreme performance on the race track through its good balance.

Power is transmitted to the wheels by a seven-speed Porsche-Doppel-
kupplungsgetriebe also feeding the power of the electric drive system to the rear axle. The front-wheel electric drive powers the wheels through a firm transmission ratio.

The energy reservoir is a fluid-cooled lithium-ion battery positioned behind the passenger cell. The big advantage of a plug-in hybrid is that the battery can be charged on the regular electrical network. A further point is that the car’s kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy fed into the battery when applying the brakes, thus providing additional energy for fast and dynamic acceleration.

A button on the steering wheel allows the driver to choose among four different running modes: The E-Drive mode is for running the car under electric power alone, with a range of up to 25 km or 16 miles. In the Hybrid mode the 918 Spyder uses both the electric motors and the combustion engine as a function of driving conditions and requirements, offering a range from particularly fuel-efficient all the way to extra-powerful. Read More!

Ford Mustang Shelby GT500

Performance Inspiration: Carroll Shelby and Ford Special Vehicle Team join forces to create a modern successor to the famous Shelby GT500 of the late 1960s
Performance Hardware: 475-horsepower supercharged V-8, 6-speed manual transmission, race-tuned suspension, four-piston Brembo brakes
Performance Design: Mustang heritage with aggressive muscular front-end design, Le Mans racing stripes, unmistakable "Cobra" logo and Shelby nameplate

DETROIT, Jan. 8, 2006 - What happens when a legend from Texas reunites with a legend from Dearborn? The most powerful Mustang ever.

After 40 years, racing legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Mustang are back together with the introduction of the 2007 Ford Shelby GT500.

Performance legend Carroll Shelby first put the muscle in the pony car.

The collaboration between Shelby and Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) is yielding an instant collector's Mustang that builds 475 horsepower in its 5.4-liter supercharged V-8.

A modern interpretation of the Shelby Mustang of the 1960s, the Ford Shelby GT500 uses advanced engineering to attain the performance that made the original GT500 the king of the road.

True to the original GT500, it will be available both as a coupe and as a convertible when it goes on sale in the summer of 2006.

"When Carroll was developing the original GT350 and GT500, he wanted to build the most powerful, most capable Mustangs of his day," says Hau Thai-Tang, director, Advanced Product Creation and Special Vehicle Team. "Our goal was to build the most powerful, most capable Mustang ever."

Serving as touchstone and inspirational leader for both the concept and the production versions, Shelby was impressed by what the team has accomplished.

The rear spoiler of the Ford Shelby GT500 echoes that of the classic GT500, while the rear air diffuser is inspired by the modern Ford GT.

"It's one thing to put 450 horsepower in an exotic supercar," says Shelby. "It's another to put that much power in something as affordable as a Mustang. The fact that they not only met their goal but pushed on to 475 horsepower is a remarkable achievement."

Shelby knows something about creating modern supercars. He served as a senior adviser on the team that developed and built the 550-horsepower Ford GT. Read More!

Lotus Evora GTE

Producing over 444 PS from the 3.5l V6 Lotus Evora engine, the GTE is, quite simply, the most powerful Lotus road car ever built. Yet contrary to its extreme roots, the Evora GTE road car also delivers a comfortable and refined element to its high performance driving characteristics.

Originally created as a special limited edition for the Asian market and designed to celebrate Lotus’ successful entry to the new global motorsport GTE category, the hand built Evora GTE road car has all the attributes you’d expect of an endurance racer including a sequential AMT (Automated Manual Transmission) racing gearbox and lightweight and forged alloy rims with centre lock hubs shod with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres.

Group Lotus can now announce that production will be expanded on the Evora GTE road car to meet demand and reach further markets.

Lotus Lightweight DNA: Clever use of carbon fibre has been integrated extensively throughout the exterior and interior of the car, this is one major contributors to the 105kg weight reduction versus the base Evora. Carbon fibre has been used for all the bodywork modifications including the front and rear bumpers, the rear wing and the doors.

Complimenting the striking exterior is a stunning, modern race-themed interior providing both occupants with the race car thrill without compromising on comfort. Leather and carbon fibre dominate the cabin and lightweight Recaro carbon fibre seats cosset both the passenger and driver giving a sense of security and comfort that mean that any driver of the Evora GTE can really go the distance as they take command of this extraordinary car.

Commenting on the Evora GTE road car, Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar said: “The response to this model in China has been so incredible, within days we had sold out with 114 orders. In response we decided that the only logical step from a business perspective was to increase production and widen our reach. Read More!

Peugeot 508

The Peugeot 508 combines strong design and emotion with:

    its new-generation e-HDi and HYbrid4 technologies;
    its streamlined, prestigious and dynamic appearance;
    its perceived quality and interior comfort;
    its unique driveability, based on the Marque's longstanding expertise.

With the 508, Peugeot continues its international offensive: It will be produced in France for the European market, then in China for the world's largest developing car market.

Available in two body styles, Saloon and SW, the Peugeot 508 will be marketed in Europe from the beginning of 2011.

With the 508, Peugeot reaffirms its presence and its ambitions in one of its traditional strong suits, the grand touring car segment.

Over a period of several decades, every model in the "40X" and "50X" range has left an indelible imprint on its time: dueto a unique blend of style, road holding, versatility and robustness.

The Peugeot 508 is a modern, forward-looking vehicle, perfectly attuned to the aspirations of customers who have moved with the times: demanding, dynamic and responsible. It comprises of two complementary body styles: a Saloon (with a length of 4.79 m) and an SW (4.81 m). Quality, purity and efficiency are the bywords that guided every aspect of the car's design, offering a multifaceted appeal to its owners with emotion as its central theme.

Guided by the search for perfectly balanced and streamlined contours, the style of the 508 suggests a vehicle "sculpted from a solid", reflecting aspirations of elegance, robustness and build quality. At the front, the Peugeot 508 illustrates the development of the Marque's latest stylistic codes first unveiled on the SR1 concept car, with a single grille rendered in a "floating" style and piercing headlamps with a particularly marked visual expression, like its "LED tubes" visible both by day and by night. Similarly, at the rear, three red "claws" mask three rows of LEDs on the Saloon. The 508 SW for its part has a more composite feel, with a red band that lights up when the rear lights are activated.

The simple and elegant style of the fascia, the materials used, the meticulous finish, the durability and the technologies deployed (colour "head-up display", four-zone air conditioning, "hands-free" access and start-up) add to the exclusive ambience of the passenger compartment. Each passenger enjoys a privileged status thanks in particular to the car's excellent proportions. On the SW this in-car satisfaction is enhanced by the large panoramic glass roof. The boot too, is practical and accommodating, with a generous volume of 545 litres of liquid (515 dm3 according to the VDA standard) for the Saloon and 660 litres of liquid (560 dm3 VDA) for the SW. With the seat backs folded (they fold in one easy movement) to form a flat floor, this volume rises to 1,581 litres of liquid (1,381 dm3 VDA) for the Saloon and 1,865 litres (1,598 dm3 VDA) for the SW. Read More!

Chevrolet Corvette GT1

Chevrolet introduced the limited production Corvette GT1 Championship Edition at Sebring International Raceway. The GT1 Championship Edition (Regular Production Option GT1) commemorates the success of Corvette Racing and the Corvette C6.R:

    Eight American Le Mans Series GT1 manufacturers and team championships
    Five-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class champions
    74 victories in international sports car competition

Included in the GT1 Championship Edition package:

    Graphics inspired by C6.R livery feature Corvette Racing "Jake" mascot, ALMS championships, and driver flags
    ZR1-style body color full-width spoiler and chrome wheels
    Custom leather-wrapped ebony interior with exclusive yellow accent stitching
    GT1 embroidery on leather seats, instrument panel, and center console armrest
    Special engine cover with carbon pattern and yellow Corvette lettering
    Windshield banner (owner installed)

GT1 Championship Edition to be produced in Corvette coupe, convertible and Z06 models in spring 2009:

    Available in 45U Velocity Yellow (with black headlamps) or 41U Black
    Specific VIN sequence 300001 series for 45U Velocity Yellow representing the No. 3 Corvette C6.R
    Specific VIN sequence 400001 series for 41U Black representing the No. 4 Corvette C6.R
    Production limited to 100 per each color and body style combination (600 total)
    Coupe and convertible versions also include Z51 Performance Package and NPP Performance Exhaust

    Optional MX0 6-speed paddle shift automatic on coupe and convertible
    Optional C2L dual roof package on coupe
    Optional U3U Navigation System on all models Read More!

Peugeot RCZ

Drawing inspiration from the passion and know-how of its designers and engineers, Peugeot instills its brand values in every vehicle it manufactures. Sometimes however, freed from constraints and fired by creativity, Peugeot takes a bold new step and introduces "lifestyle" vehicles that are truly exceptional. The latter always arouses emotion, inspiring admiration among motoring enthusiasts and immense pride on the part of their makers.

Certain concept cars exhibited at international motor shows also follow this example. Sometimes their power of attraction is so great that the desire to see them take to the road becomes unstoppable.

Stylists and engineers worked together to ensure that all of the vehicle's specification lived up to the promise of its exterior styling.

Indeed while the main aim was to conserve the stylistic blueprint of the concept, despite the considerable constraints imposed by its production and commercialisation, the challenge went much further. Highly ambitious targets were fixed in terms of driveability and production quality, to give the car its own strong and unmistakable identity.

This compact 2+2 coupé was, therefore, designed to become an exclusive vehicle, "something special", a melting pot of emotions, aimed at modern and particularly demanding customers with expert opinions on what constitutes driving pleasure.

Its name, RCZ, symbolises this distinctive and singular positioning in relation to the Peugeot range, since it is the first passenger vehicle not to use the numbering system with a central "zero" or "double zero".

The Peugeot RCZ therefore illustrates the sum of Peugeot values, which are constantly realigned with the times.

Designed to enhance the sheer enjoyment of driving, the Peugeot RCZ is also dynamic (the top of the range model features an all new 1.6 litre THP 147 kW/200 bhp engine), and responsible, offering an innovative blend of performance and environmental-friendliness. With its reduced weight, fine-tuned aerodynamics and modern engine technology, the entry level model has CO2 emissions of only 139 g/km.

An extension of this thinking is the Peugeot RCZ equipped with HYbrid4 technology which will be unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. This Peugeot RCZ is based on the same power train as the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 which will be available in Spring 2011: a 2.0 litre HDi FAP 120 kW (163bhp) in front and a 27 kW (37bhp) electric motor at the rear. This concept has emissions of only 95 g/km of CO2 whilst benefiting from a potential of 147kW (200bhp) and four wheel drive.

This reflects Peugeot's wish to offer this type of technology on different vehicles in its range; vehicles which can be very different (crossover, coupé...) which may be based on different platforms but with a common theme: to offer renewed driving enjoyment.

Another challenge the project faced was to successfully develop this new vehicle within a particularly short time span. With this in mind, it was decided the vehicle would be assembled at a production centre that specialises in exclusive vehicles built in small production runs, inside the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria.

As a result, just two years after being exhibited as a concept car, the Peugeot RCZ will be unveiled for the first time in public, in its definitive form, at the 63rd Frankfurt Motor Show. Read More!

Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package

Lexus LFA to celebrate a hat-trick of class wins at the Nurburgring 24 Hours race, Lexus has created the Nürburgring Package, features an array of aerodynamic, suspension adjustments and revisions to 4.8-liter V10 engine that delivers more track-focused supercar profile. Appearing in public for the first time at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show, performance options are available on only 50 of 500 cars to be built. This version will be made during 2012, the second full production of the Lexus LFA.

To sharpen the car's circuit driving performance even further by increasing downforce at high speed, the Nürburgring Package introduces modifications and additions to several key carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) components. These include a larger front spoiler, fin-type side spoilers, a canard fin and a fixed rear wing.

To ensure the Lexus LFA maintains its 3.7-second acceleration time from nought to 62mph, in spite of the increased drag, the V10 engine has been revised to increase maximum power by 10bhp to 562bhp. Shift times in the six-speed sequential transmission are just 0.15 seconds.

In terms of handling modifications, the package features suspension tuning and a 10mm reduction in the ride height. Exclusive mesh-type wheels are introduced, fitted with dedicated high-grip tyres.

Exterior colour choices are restricted to matte black, black, white or orange, with interiors finished in black and red, black and purple and all-black. Cars delivered in Europe will feature a carbon fibre centre console and door trims, with carbon fibre sports seats finished in Alcantara.

Customers who specify the package will also be offered one-to-one driving tuition from a Nürburgring chief instructor and a year's pass to enjoy their car on the famous Nordschleife circuit.

CFRP parts manufacturing

Lexus LFA production began in December 2010 with just one hand-crafted car completed per day. A team of 175 people are involved in CFRP parts manufacturing, vehicle assembly and painting.

CFRP is exceptionally strong, rigid and lightweight, and accounts for about 65 per cent of the Lexus LFA's body structure weight. This amounts to a saving of about 100kg, compared an equivalent all-aluminium body.

Lexus is producing and assembling the CFRP components in-house, with a view to future development of the technology. It is a time-consuming process, compared to working with steel or aluminium, but the LFA project provides a valuable test bed for new, automated processes which will be used in the manufacture of future Lexus and Toyota models. Read More!

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

Lamborghini is redefining the future of the super sports car with a unique technology demonstrator. Boasting an extremely lightweight construction thanks to advanced carbon-fiber technology, the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept has an overall curb weight of just 999 kilograms (2,202 lb) - including V10 power unit and permanent all-wheel drive. This makes the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento a unique demonstration of the technological expertise of Automobili Lamborghini. Innovative carbon-fiber technologies are being used here for the first time in an automotive application. As a 100 percent subsidiary of Audi AG, the Italian carmaker also benefits from the undisputed expertise of the German manufacturer when it comes to lightweight construction.

With its amazing output of 570 hp, sensational power-to-weight ratio of only 1.75 kilograms per hp and 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration of only 2.5 seconds, the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento guarantees unparalleled driving fun. At the same time, fuel consumption also drops because of the extreme lightweight engineering applied throughout.

The name of this technology demonstrator is derived from the periodic table, where carbon is classified as the sixth element. Thus, the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento demonstrates the worldwide leading expertise of Lamborghini in carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) technology. The super sports car brand from Sant'Agata Bolognese is the only vehicle manufacturer in the world to have mastered the complete CFRP process across a range of technologies, from 3D design through simulation, validation, production and testing - all in a state-of-the-art industrial process that stands for the very highest quality standards.

Lamborghini drives the technology development in its two research centers the ACRC (Advanced Composite Research Center) and the ACSL (Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory) through collaborations with organizations such as Boeing, with the resulting technology secured under a host of patents.

"The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento shows how the future of the super sports car can look - extreme lightweight engineering, combined with extreme performance results in extreme driving fun. We put all of our technological competence into one stunning form to create the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento," comments Stephan Winkelmann, President and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini. "It is our abilities in carbon-fiber technology that have facilitated such a forward-thinking concept, and we of course also benefit from the undisputed lightweight expertise of Audi AG. Systematic lightweight engineering is crucial for future super sports cars: for the most dynamic performance, as well as for low emissions. We will apply this technological advantage right across our model range. Every future Lamborghini will be touched by the spirit of the Sesto Elemento." Read More!