HOT NEW vehicles featured at January's 2009 Detroit Auto Show promise to thaw winter's chill. CHEVROLET ORLANDO: Just 3 inches longer than a Honda Civic sedan, this minivan boasts seven seats and 40-mpg fuel economy (highway). It goes on sale in the U.S. in 2011.eneral Motors recently announced the company will not sell the upcoming Chevrolet Orlando in the United States. Media reports indicate Orlando will still be sold in many markets including Canada, Europe, and Asia.
Call it a mini-minivan, a tall compact wagon, or a small crossover SUV, but chevrolet is cooking up a 7-seat people mover that could help many families cope with rising gas prices and not cramp their life style.
About the 2011 Chevrolet Orlando
Things are different in Europe, where consumers love the compact people movers generally termed monocabs, multi-purpose vehicles, or MPVs (sorry, Mazda). Among the most popular of these popular mini-minivans is General Motors' 7-seat Opel/Vauxhall Zafira, which is also sold in Brazil under the Chevrolet banner.
The Zafira was introduced back in 2001 and heavily updated in '05. A face-lifted version with additional powertrain choices hit European dealers in February 2008. But here's the kicker. As part of GM's contract with the United Auto Workers, a variant of an upcoming redesigned Zafira may be built in the U.S. and could be sold here starting in 2011 as an addition to the Chevy lineup. Dubbed Orlando, the new Chevy version will have bolder styling than its Opel cousin, but the basic layout will closely mirror the Zafira. The 2011 Chevrolet Orlando will likely be marketed as a thrifty compact crossover SUV, not a small minivan. It's the same approach used for the only other such vehicles on the American scene.
FORD TAURUS: The original 1986 Taurus reinvented the American sedan with its looks, quality and overall excellence. Ford has a chance at repeating that success with the stylish and technically sophisticated 2010 model, which also offers unparalleled interior room. Prices will start at the same $25,995 that the bland 2009 model went for.
Clearly, our designers thought outside the ordinary sedan box. Instead, they focused on the details and sculpted an athletic profile that is perpetually poised. Exterior mirrors flow purposefully from the doors. Lines convey power and agility. Incandescent tail lamps pick up those same lines and race you around the rear. It’s all meant to pull you inside where there are countless reasons to never get out.
With assertive stance and sculpted lines, the 2011 Taurus is a balance of beauty and strength. Taurus design features include: • Unique tri-bar grille • Jeweled projector beam headlamps • Power dome hood • Prominent wheel arches that house several wheel designs • Incandescent taillamps
A great car deserves a great set of wheels. The wheel lineup for 2011 Taurus includes, starting at top row left: • 20” premium painted aluminum wheels, available on SHO • 19” premium painted luster nickel-aluminum wheels, standard on SHO • 19” chrome-clad wheels, standard on Limited • 18” painted sparkle silver aluminum wheels, standard on SEL • 19” premium painted sparkle silver aluminum wheels, included in SEL Package 202A • 17” painted sparkle silver aluminum wheels, standard on SE.
The interior is both attractive and intelligently designed. Featuring a clean and modern design, the console has a forward-leaning center stack that gently flows into a seamless center console to help maximize room and ergonomics.
The Chrysler 200C:- is a plug-in hybrid electric concept car.
The vehicle was based on the shortened Chrysler LX platform.
The rear-wheel-drive sedan includes gasoline engine rated 268 bhp (200 kW) and a 74 bhp (55 kW) lithium ion battery rated 400 miles (40 miles in battery only mode), P245/45R20 front and P245/45R20 tires. The car has 0–100 km/h (0–62 mph) acceleration of approximately 7 seconds, with top speed of over 120 mph (190 km/h).
The interior incorporates uConnect features controlled via a panoramic multimedia touch screen. It includes a "teen mode" which warns of erratic driving or going out of a specified range, and limits the maximum speed.
The vehicle was unveiled in 2009 North American International Auto Show.
Design:-
The exterior design was led by Nick Malachowski.
The interior was designed by Chrysler LLC's Advance Interior Design Studio, led by Ryan Patrick Joyce. The vehicle flooring was inspired by a Zen rock garden.
The electric Chrysler 200C (not to be confused with the C200) has an exciting look which retains much of the 300’s feel, while modernizing it and giving it a much more aerodynamic-looking shape; reportedly, it looks like the Sebring prototype before Daimler got hold of it.
It seems that Chrysler is working on a smaller rear wheel drive Chrysler, like the 200C, to replace the Sebring. A small, wide coupe was shown to insiders, with a spacious interior.
Audi R8:
A large part of what gives the Audi R8 the profile it has is to do with the way it looks.
True, there aren’t many supercars without the potential to elicit a second or third glance from passers-by but if Audi hadn’t pulled off the design of its sporting flagship with quite such confidence and futuristic vigour, it could easily have been lost amongst rival models with more illustrious badges than the four interlinking rings. The car is beautifully engineered too and unerringly capable but style and image will always play the major roles in the fortunes of a car of this kind. Divested of its roof in Spyder form, the R8 is only likely to attract more attention of the right sort.
An Audi supercar was the last thing anyone would have expected back in the 80s and 90s when customers had the choice of three Audi models and weren’t choosing any of them in any great numbers. Today, the Audi range is well into double figures and the R8’s existence is taken for granted. Sharing many components with the Lamborghini Gallardo, the R8 is as good a symbol as any of how far Audi has progressed and of all the R8 derivatives, it could be the V10 Spyder convertible that best showcases the brand’s all-conquering ambition.
There are those who would question the veracity of the standard R8’s claim to supercar status: it ‘only’ has V8 power after all. With the Lamborghini-derived V10 engine, however, it undeniably has the supercar performance to go with its supercar looks. This is the only unit currently offered with the Spyder convertible model and without the barrier of the fixed roof, the experiences it serves up promise to be all the more intense.
"It’s a touch more visually elegant than the muscular coupe"
The engine is a 5.2-litre V10, large parts of which are built by hand. It has 518bhp that’s generated at 8,000rpm and 530Nm of torque at 6,500rpm. Get medieval with the throttle and the 0-62mph time is 4.1s, then the car will pass 124mph in just 12.7s on its way to a screaming 194mph maximum. Power is sent to the road through a six-speed manual gearbox and Audi’s famous quattro four-wheel-drive system which has a heavy bias towards the rear wheels in the R8. There’s also the option of an R Tronic automated manual gearbox with paddle shifters.
Integral to the way the R8 drives is its mid-mounted engine which enables a 43:57 weight distribution. The suspension system is a double wishbone set-up on all four wheels and Audi’s magnetic ride dampers are standard. These can adjust their settings automatically according to the driver’s style. They can be set into one of two modes for a more comfortable experience or a more dynamic one.
One of the R8’s most distinctive design features wouldn’t work on the Spyder model. Shedding the hard-top meant that side blades stretching from the sills to roof level in front of the rear wheels had to go. Instead, there’s a deep groove cut into the Spyder’s flanks culminating in an air-intake ahead of the rear wheels and a section above that curves around to meet with the heavily vented rear deck. From the front and rear, the R8 coupe design cues remain largely unaltered but from the side, these changes produce a longer, sleeker look, particularly with the hood down.
The all-important roof is a fully automatic fabric affair powered by electric motors. It opens and closes in 19 seconds in an operation that can be performed at the touch of a button at speeds of up to 31mph. It weighs just 30kg and despite the reinforcements made under the skin to compensate for the rigidity lost when loping off the fixed roof, the R8 Spyder still tips the scales at 1,720kg, just 100kg up on the coupe. The glass rear window is not attached to the roof and lowers into the bulkhead behind the seats when the roof is open. The fabric section is concealed in a compartment on top of the engine bay when not in use and the whole thing looks a very neat installation.
At north of £110,000 for a standard model, the R8 Spyder is some way outside Audi’s usual comfort zone but the detailing and technology features speak of a brand with supreme confidence in its ability to extend itself upmarket. The LED headlights are quite something, using LED technology for all of the beam functions. Then there are the seatbelt microphones which make it possible to talk on a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone even when the roof is down. Buyers also get a Bang & Olufsen stereo, DVD satellite navigation heated seats and a launch control system to aid in getting maximum acceleration off the line.
The R8 was launched with a V8 engine and an £80,000 price point. Not small beer by any stretch but the kind of money that people spend on top-end performance sports cars like the BMW M6 and the Porsche 911 GT3. Then the V10 engine was launched taking the R8 asking price and performance into junior supercar territory. There were Aston Martin DB9s, Porsche 911 Turbos and Bentley Continentals to be had for similar money while Lamborghini and Ferrari models were not so far up the ladder. The Spyder takes Audi’s R8 project a little further up the pricing scale squaring up to the open-topped versions of these supercars.
The running costs for an R8 Spyder aren’t really the issue but Audi has taken steps to keep fuel consumption within the bounds of decency and depreciation shouldn’t be any worse than the average £100,000 supercar. The engine’s direct injection system and high compression ratio help the car return 19mpg on the combined cycle in manual form and 20.3mpg with the R Tronic automatic.
It seems there are no limits to Audi’s ambition and having grown its mainstream range exponentially over recent years, it’s also established itself as a supercar manufacturer to be taken very seriously. The R8 Spyder sits at the top of the Audi pile, adding a slickly engineered fabric hood to the standard R8 package. It’s a touch more visually elegant than the muscular coupe but those all-wheel-drive V10 mechanicals mean there will be no let-up in its performance.
Source:-belfasttelegraph.co.uk
True, there aren’t many supercars without the potential to elicit a second or third glance from passers-by but if Audi hadn’t pulled off the design of its sporting flagship with quite such confidence and futuristic vigour, it could easily have been lost amongst rival models with more illustrious badges than the four interlinking rings. The car is beautifully engineered too and unerringly capable but style and image will always play the major roles in the fortunes of a car of this kind. Divested of its roof in Spyder form, the R8 is only likely to attract more attention of the right sort.
An Audi supercar was the last thing anyone would have expected back in the 80s and 90s when customers had the choice of three Audi models and weren’t choosing any of them in any great numbers. Today, the Audi range is well into double figures and the R8’s existence is taken for granted. Sharing many components with the Lamborghini Gallardo, the R8 is as good a symbol as any of how far Audi has progressed and of all the R8 derivatives, it could be the V10 Spyder convertible that best showcases the brand’s all-conquering ambition.
There are those who would question the veracity of the standard R8’s claim to supercar status: it ‘only’ has V8 power after all. With the Lamborghini-derived V10 engine, however, it undeniably has the supercar performance to go with its supercar looks. This is the only unit currently offered with the Spyder convertible model and without the barrier of the fixed roof, the experiences it serves up promise to be all the more intense.
"It’s a touch more visually elegant than the muscular coupe"
The engine is a 5.2-litre V10, large parts of which are built by hand. It has 518bhp that’s generated at 8,000rpm and 530Nm of torque at 6,500rpm. Get medieval with the throttle and the 0-62mph time is 4.1s, then the car will pass 124mph in just 12.7s on its way to a screaming 194mph maximum. Power is sent to the road through a six-speed manual gearbox and Audi’s famous quattro four-wheel-drive system which has a heavy bias towards the rear wheels in the R8. There’s also the option of an R Tronic automated manual gearbox with paddle shifters.
Integral to the way the R8 drives is its mid-mounted engine which enables a 43:57 weight distribution. The suspension system is a double wishbone set-up on all four wheels and Audi’s magnetic ride dampers are standard. These can adjust their settings automatically according to the driver’s style. They can be set into one of two modes for a more comfortable experience or a more dynamic one.
One of the R8’s most distinctive design features wouldn’t work on the Spyder model. Shedding the hard-top meant that side blades stretching from the sills to roof level in front of the rear wheels had to go. Instead, there’s a deep groove cut into the Spyder’s flanks culminating in an air-intake ahead of the rear wheels and a section above that curves around to meet with the heavily vented rear deck. From the front and rear, the R8 coupe design cues remain largely unaltered but from the side, these changes produce a longer, sleeker look, particularly with the hood down.
The all-important roof is a fully automatic fabric affair powered by electric motors. It opens and closes in 19 seconds in an operation that can be performed at the touch of a button at speeds of up to 31mph. It weighs just 30kg and despite the reinforcements made under the skin to compensate for the rigidity lost when loping off the fixed roof, the R8 Spyder still tips the scales at 1,720kg, just 100kg up on the coupe. The glass rear window is not attached to the roof and lowers into the bulkhead behind the seats when the roof is open. The fabric section is concealed in a compartment on top of the engine bay when not in use and the whole thing looks a very neat installation.
At north of £110,000 for a standard model, the R8 Spyder is some way outside Audi’s usual comfort zone but the detailing and technology features speak of a brand with supreme confidence in its ability to extend itself upmarket. The LED headlights are quite something, using LED technology for all of the beam functions. Then there are the seatbelt microphones which make it possible to talk on a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone even when the roof is down. Buyers also get a Bang & Olufsen stereo, DVD satellite navigation heated seats and a launch control system to aid in getting maximum acceleration off the line.
The R8 was launched with a V8 engine and an £80,000 price point. Not small beer by any stretch but the kind of money that people spend on top-end performance sports cars like the BMW M6 and the Porsche 911 GT3. Then the V10 engine was launched taking the R8 asking price and performance into junior supercar territory. There were Aston Martin DB9s, Porsche 911 Turbos and Bentley Continentals to be had for similar money while Lamborghini and Ferrari models were not so far up the ladder. The Spyder takes Audi’s R8 project a little further up the pricing scale squaring up to the open-topped versions of these supercars.
The running costs for an R8 Spyder aren’t really the issue but Audi has taken steps to keep fuel consumption within the bounds of decency and depreciation shouldn’t be any worse than the average £100,000 supercar. The engine’s direct injection system and high compression ratio help the car return 19mpg on the combined cycle in manual form and 20.3mpg with the R Tronic automatic.
It seems there are no limits to Audi’s ambition and having grown its mainstream range exponentially over recent years, it’s also established itself as a supercar manufacturer to be taken very seriously. The R8 Spyder sits at the top of the Audi pile, adding a slickly engineered fabric hood to the standard R8 package. It’s a touch more visually elegant than the muscular coupe but those all-wheel-drive V10 mechanicals mean there will be no let-up in its performance.
Source:-belfasttelegraph.co.uk
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