Oct 25, 2010

Paris Motor Show, which opened its gates this fall, revealed the intense struggle between two generations of vehicles. Many of the cars displayed in the exhibition will renew, in the following months, the European automobile market, while most of the electronic concepts will have to wait at least a year to find the right path to showrooms. The new car market in Europe is ready to be overwhelmed by a new generation of vehicles. We are thinking of cars which are more accessorized, full of electronic command and control systems, equipped with engines that produce low carbon dioxide emissions – satisfying the increasingly stringent regulations imposed by authorities all over Europe. If for a so-called ZEV (Zero Emissions Vehicle) the customers will have to wait a little bit more time, for a new classic motor car, which made its debut at one of the most prestigious auto exhibitions worldwide the dealers’ price lists will be revealed very soon. According to a spontaneous survey made among the visitors at Paris Motor Show 2010, one of the most appreciated vehicles which will have a major impact on the auto market is the new Ford Focus. Although there can be found both positive and negative impressions regarding its design, because of the Ford worldwide reputation, the new Ford Focus is likely to draw more and more customers into showrooms beginning with the first months of 2011. If we take into account the fact that Ford manufacturers are very ambitious and wish to seize the European market, then it is quite clear that we will witness a true marketing offensive once the...

Oct 22, 2010

On a market that is struggling not to fall, car manufacturers want to attract customers with new environmentally-friendly vehicles. It seems that they are not joking at all, as long as the electric concepts and hybrids did not “miss” Paris Motor Show 2010. “While others are just presenting their new hybrid generation, we have already sold 2.8 millions of cars featuring this technology. And the selling percentage has risen with 65%.” - Didier Leroy, president of Toyota Motor Europe, illustrates as suggestive as possible how bitter the battle is at Paris Motor Show 2010. Whether you think of Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, Saab, Honda, Mini, Seat, Audi or the exclusivist Lotus, Infiniti, Jaguar, Bentley or Ferrari – all of them have presented brands more “green” than ever and have repeated almost obsessively the slogan “driving is fun and environmentally responsible”. It is true that Toyota has been one step ahead of every brand at this point, but it also received a terrible blow the last spring when it was forced to call in service million of cars, including the Prius, the famous Japanese friend of nature. However, the green vehicles present at Paris Motor Show 2010 are not fiction at all. The first electric vehicles will be in stores within weeks. Peugeot and Citroen will start...

Oct 21, 2010

The brand that has captured the attention at Paris Motor Show 2010 is definitely Lotus and their concept supercars. But how many they have brought? Lotus presented at the Paris Motor Show an incredible amount of news. We speak of five totally new models. The “Dawn of a New Era” for the House of Hethel, announced for months by the CEO Dany Bahar, took in the French capital these awesome concepts –  the new Esprit, Elan, Elite, Elise and the most unusual: Eterne. All these models come into production and will be available, some with hybrid option with the KERS device, apart from the Lotus Elise that will be made a Mild Hybrid version. The most important is the Lotus Esprit of the third millennium, powered by the 5.0 liter V8 Toyota source from 620 bhp and 720 Nm of torque, paired with 7-speed DCT gearbox. This combination will allow the Lotus Esprit technique to achieve a top speed of 330 km/h, accelerating from 0 to 100 in 3.4 seconds. The new supercar Lotus Esprit will go into production in Hethel late 2012 and will be the first model that will debut on the market in spring 2013 at a price of £110,000, about 130,000 euro. Lotus Elan has revived the name for the sporty coupe equipped with the new 4.0 liter V6 engine – Toyota always the source – from 450 bhp and 465...

Oct 20, 2010

This year, at Paris Motor Show, manufacturers have tried to do their best in displaying the most alluring images to their visitors. And I am not referring to cars, although they have brought the most visitors. Sexy, beautiful and voluptuous, the girls at Paris Motor Show 2010 have planned to make the audience feel better during the event, while admiring the attractive silhouettes… of the cars. The Paris Motor Show 2010 has it all, the beautiful women which represent the salt and pepper of such manifestations having no chance to skip the event. The ladies have played their role seriously, having the privilege of standing, for a few days, besides the latest models from Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Toyota, Citroen, Peugeot, Bentley, Mercedes and many other luxury brands. Here are pictures of the gorgeous girls at Paris Motor Show 2010. ...

Oct 20, 2010

We know that soap operas are not part of your daily schedule, but today we are going to talk a little bit about Mexico. Not about the amusing Mariachi or their spicy foods, but about the direct result of the fact that this nation has some strong DNA links with the Italians: a hysterical and maybe doubtful supercar. Thus, the Mexicans brought to Paris Motor Show 2010 their latest creation, Mastretta MXT. It is a two seats sport car which looks much alike Lotus. Mastretta manufacturers will create 150 units next year, although they hope they will be able to sell 500 cars annually. Mastretta is a company specialized in kit cars, meaning lightweight racing vehicles and powerful engines. This time they wish to enter on the powerful cars market with the new Mastretta MXT. It is a model announced earlier, but now is revealed in its final version, which will be put for sale starting with the first months of 2011. The name for Mastretta MXT comes from: MX-Mexico and T-for transverse engine. The new “mariachi” is equipped with a Ford Duratec  2-liter engine that produces 250 bhp and 340 Nm. But, as the Mexican car does not exceed 900 kg, 250 hp are enough. Enough to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in under 5 seconds and to have a top speed of almost 250 km/h.  The Mastretta‘s MXT chassis is similar to the Lotus one, made of extruded aluminum and carbon floor. ...

Oct 20, 2010

Toyota has given up to the denomination of Yaris Verso, because at the Paris Motor Show 2010 they showed us the new small class MPV: Toyota Verso-S. On the Japanese market there has also appeared a Yaris big brother, named Ractis. It is practically the successor of Yaris Verso, a variant which has disappeared from the European automobile market for some time. However, at Paris Motor Show 2010, the Japanese have presented the world premiere of the new Toyota Verso-S model, a smaller brother of Verso monovolume (derived from the compact Auris vehicle) which aims to become a leader on the MPV small class market, of which we could mention Citroen C3 Picasso, Kia and Renault Modus Veng. Toyota Verso-S has been inspired by Toyota Yaris and has a length smaller than 4 meters, being shorter than most of its competitors. In terms of practicality, we will not be disappointed, the car presenting useful ideas for maximizing the interior space. Verso S has a storage space of 336 liters, which can be increased to 1388 liters by folding down the rear seats. The new Toyota Verso-S has a wheel base of 2.55 m, thus the interior space is improved. Toyota representatives said that the new model wishes to continue the tradition of reliability and quality of all Toyota vehicles. Verso-S is equipped with a touch screen monitor with a diagonal of 6.1 inches, used to control the navigation system and MP3 player. Other important features of the new Toyota model include: ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, traction control and VSC (Vehicle Stability...