* Germany - BMW's “V-12 25 Years Edition” 760Li sedan sells out in three days
(Image from BMW: Cockpit of the “V-12 25 Years Edition” 760Li)
Munich,BAV,Germany -Gizmag, by David Szondy -September 11, 2012: -- Last Friday, BMW announced that it was releasing a limited series of 15 760Li Sedans in the United States to commemorate 25 years since the company built its first V-12 engine L series cars. By Monday afternoon, all had been snapped up at an eye-watering price of US$159,695 each... The “V-12 25 Years Edition” 760Li, with a curb weight of 5015 pounds (2274.77 kg) and a V-12 48-valve 6-liter engine with twin turbochargers and direct injection that blow out 535 bhp (399 kW) and 550 foot-pounds (745 Nm) of torque, it isn’t surprising to learn that the 760Li has an eight-speed gearbox and that it’s the biggest, most powerful and most expensive car that BMW makes. It does 0 to 60 mph (100 kph) in 4.5 seconds and has a limited top speed of 130 mph (209 kph) – or 155 mph (249 kph) for the M Sport package. Delimited, it can would reach a top speed of 188 mph (302 km)...
* Germany - John Cooper Works unveils its take on the 4x4 MINI Countryman
(Photo from BMW: The MINI John Cooper Works Countryman)
Munich,BAV,Germany -Gizmag, by David Szondy -September 11, 2012: ... This year, MINI’s John Cooper Works sub-brand comes out with its version of the Countryman that takes the bucolic MINI and gives it a heavy dose of racetrack style and technology... The MINI John Cooper Works Countryman is JCW’s first 4x4 and its first five-door MINI. It’s also the first to use the MINI ALL4 all-wheel drive system, which utilizes an electromagnetic center differential to distribute power between the front and rear axles... MINI John Cooper Works bills the Countryman and has tried to give the car a distinct racing feel. Its four-cylinder 1.6-liter engine has a twin-scroll turbocharger, direct injection and fully variable valve management based on the BMW Group’s VALVETRONIC technology, and puts out a respectable 218 bhp (160 Kw) and 207 foot-pounds (280 Nm) of torque. The makers like to call the Countryman’s 0 to 100 kph (62 mph) in 7.0 seconds “intoxicating” ... The Countryman comes with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, but there’s a six-speed automatic version available with flappy paddle shifts. Top speed is 225 kph (140 mph) for the manual and 223 km/h (139 mph) for the automatic...
* Spain - SEAT to expand in Russia
(Photo, with James Muir, President of SEAT and Roman Kuzmin, Head of SEAT Russia)
Martorell,Barcelona,Spain -Fleet Europe, by Tim Harrup -4 Sept 2012: -- Spanish manufacturer SEAT has used the occasion of the Moscow Motor Show which opened a few days ago, to announce that it is continuing with its international expansion plans. In particular, SEAT intends to grow in Russia itself, and will be able to take advantage of the experience of its mother company, Volkswagen, in this rapidly emerging market... In model terms, SEAT is to start selling the Alhambra, which will thus join the Ibiza, Leon and Altea Freetrack in Russia. The show is also the occasion for unveiling the IBx, a hybrid crossover...
* Russia - The Moscow International Automobile Salon 2012
Moscow,Russia -Crocus-Expo/Fleet Europe, by Filip Van Mullem -14 Sept 2012: -- The Moscow Autosalon’2012, became the largest and the most impressive edition of the project history in Russia. More than 100 companies participated in the show and the number of visitors exceeded 1,000,000 people.
Presence of not only top managers from representative offices but also from foreign headquarters underlined again the significance of the Moscow Autosalon for key players of the worldwide market.
All leading foreign and national automobile brands and car makers were presented at MIAS in 2012. New models and incredible concept cars were traditionally of special interest at general public and specialists. Moscow Autosalon’2012 became the leader in terms of the number of debuts.
There were 23 world (Audi, Bentley, BMW, Citroen, FAW, Jaguar, LADA, Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Opel, Skoda and GAZ), 21 European (BMW, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Infiniti, Kia, Lexus, Lifan, Nissan, Rolls-Royce, SsangYong, Suzuki and Volkswagen) and 85 Russian premiers...
- ELECTRIC CARS -
* California / USA - Future of electric vehicles remains bright, despite detractors
San Francisco,CAL,USA -Triplepundit, by Phil Covington/Fleet Europe by Filip Van Mullem -14 Sept 2012: -- Discussion on electric vehicles often seems to be polarized around two different worldviews. Advocates will point out they are the way of the future, a viable way to wean ourselves off oil, and with millions of miles driven in the hands of consumers already, a proven technology.
Detractors will assert they are an unworthy tax-payer subsidized experiment – as someone I know put it. Others cite manufacturers falling short of sales targets and the high expense and poor range of today’s EVs as reasons to doubt the technology’s longevity.
The objective take on electric vehicles is a little harder to extrapolate. The "Charged: EV Symposium Silicon valley 2012" presented by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and hosted by SAP last month, helped to clarify the health of the industry, by bringing together leaders within the EV industry, and the broader EV industry ecosystem...
* Germany - Volkswagen announces it's ready for Electric Mobility
Wolfsburg/Frankfurt am Main,Germany -evworld/Fleet Europe, by Filip Van Mullem -14 Sept 2012: -- The Volkswagen service network is ready and equipped to enter the age of electric mobility in the world's major markets. With the Touareg Hybrid having prepared the field two years ago and e-vehicle test fleets already operating, a broad-based service network is already in place ahead of the launch of the e-up! and the e-Golf, meaning Volkswagen partner operators are in a position to perform all relevant maintenance work and any repair work on these vehicles...
* France - Renault EV's to cost same as ICE's by 2016
Boulogne-Billancourt,France-autoactu.com/Fleet Europe, by Tim Harrup -14 Sept 2012: -- Two of the major stumbling blocks to the wider acceptance of electric vehicles have always been driving range and the relatively high price. Renault’s research head Rémi Bastien said that the second issue, price, should be resolved by 2016, when Renault’s electric models are scheduled to cost the same as their traditionally-powered equivalents. In their home market of France, electric vehicles have been available with a government grant of € 5,000, but Bastien believes that this will no longer be necessary by 2016. The vehicle will be purchased or leased and the battery unit will always be leased, as is the case now, guaranteeing security of power supply for the user. The propulsion unit will become cheaper to produce and economies of scale should also play a part. Renault has contracted its battery pack production to LG Chem, which is set to open a factory in France by 2015...
* France - Partner goes electric
Paris,France -Fleet Europe, by Tim Harrup -13 Sept 2012: -- Peugeot has announced that it is to unveil a 100% electric version of its successful Partner LUV, at the Hanover motor show starting on the 20th of this month. The company says that this will offer professional users the opportunity to reduce their environmental footprint while retaining the practicality of the Partner and providing driving pleasure. The Partner was face-lifted earlier this year. On top of the electric version, Peugeot is also to make available from November a traditionally-powered version of the Partner with CO2 emissions of just 118 grams per km... The Peugeot Partner becomes the second French mainstream LUV to be made available with 100% electric propulsion, following the Renault Kangoo launched last year...Labels: automakers news worldwide
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