Honda brings Accord Concept, Civic Si Coupe and more to SEMA show

Written By: ambo.us - Nov• 21•11

The stall of Japanese carmaker Honda at the 2011 SEMA may convince everyone that the performance soul of the brand is still there. Honda brought some good stuff to this car show.

Lets start with the Civic Si coupe which was tuned by the in-house Honda Factory Performance team. The Civic Si comes with a full package aerodynamic kit, improved suspension, and 18 inch rims. The Si Coupe promises a more intense performance which we hope to see in the standard Si.

The interior gets red lighting, floor mats b HFP, and emblems. This coupe version of the Civic Si is now on sale. Buyers can choose from seven colors. If you want this, hurry though since Honda will only make 500 units of this.

A Honda Accord Coupe concept is also on display at SEMA. The V6 of this coupe comes with a supercharger, upgraded air intake, and exhaust system which brings its output to 335 horsepower with a torque of 285 lb-ft. The output is a good jump from the stock’s 271 hp and torque of 251 lb-ft. No word yet if this will come into the production pipeline but we bet Honda just tested the waters and tickle the interest of the publick.

Another eye catching display is Honda’s CR-Z engine that is exhibited with a supercharger. This engine was built by the racing division of the company. You might recall that Honda also came up with a hybrid CR-Z which uses an electric powertrain coupled with a 1.5L turbocharged engine that in combo gives out 178hp to 200 hp. The team now says that the CR-Z engine on display is just a way of saying that the brand is looking for performance potential on their lineup.

Finally, the car manufacturer announced that the coupe edition of the 2012 Civic will also come in body-in-white versions. The car will come with bolt-on parts which will allow amateur racing teams to experiment with the setup of the Civic. The shell will have a tag price of $3,500 which is pretty reasonable but remember that it does not come with anything like to start, an engine. But the good news is, Honda Performance Development will be selling engines by next year as well as other components like brakes, suspensions, and transmissions.

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Trucks Seem To Have Gained Over Luxury Cars In Canada

Written By: ambo.us - Dec• 01•10

This year round the Canadian car sales market looks really different what with trucks poised to outsell all kinds of cars even in the luxury segment. The reason Ford Truckbehind this could be that there are so many incentives on offer for people who buy trucks that this is one of the reasons why most buyers are opting for this.

The sales have gone sky high what with the kind of incentives that are there on offer. As the calendar year comes to an end the truck sales in Canada continue to ring the cash tills. The latest growth recorded was as high as 26%. According to Dennis Des Rosiers of the Automotive Consultants Des Rosiers, the incentives have been so very high that the buyers will just not be able to resist it.

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Japanese Car Manufacturers Production Decline

Written By: ambo.us - Nov• 27•10

The latest results that have been posted by three of Japan’s largest car manufacturers are not really good. There manufacturing processes have declined as the domestic demand has dropped drastically. One of the world’s largest car manufacturing company, Toyota Motor Corp has had sales drop in the most unexpected of ways. The second largest car manufacturer in Japan, Nissan has also not been able to post good results in the last quarter.Toyota Logo The third largest car manufacturer Honda Motor Company has also been floundering and has seen a drop in sales by about 12%.

The thing is that all these Japanese car manufacturers saw a lowered sales was because of the lowered incentives paid by the government to the manufacturing industry. Due to the economic conditions the market and the appetite that people have for high end cars has not been able to pick up. This has put all of these three Japanese car manufacturers in a tight spot. The frightening thing is that none of the manufacturers expect the sales to be anything but better I the last few months based on the situation that is prevalent.

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InsideLine Tests the Audi R8 V10 (5.2 FSI)

Written By: ambo.us - Aug• 30•10

This brand new Audi R8 5.2l FSI V10 has to be one of the most exciting Audi’s ever made, and the way I see it, it’s not at all very “Audi-like”. With such a large amount of cc’s with “just” 525 bhp, I almost feel like it’s somewhat American.

Still, I love the R8, and I adore this V10. It’s 30k more expensive than the V8, which means it’s… a little expensive… :)

Gorgeous, though.

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Boston, the First City to Give the Nod to Ford Transit Connect Taxi

Written By: ambo.us - May• 04•10

America might be seeing more Ford cabs in the future with Boston’s decision to allow Ford Transit Connect to pave its streets. Ford announced the launch of its taxi package during the Chicago Auto Show last February. Boston was the first city to give a nod to the compact van application.

Ford Transit ConnectThe Ford’s Transit Connect is slated to replace the old Crown Victoria sedans. According to most reviews of the vehicle, this is a roomier and more practical alternative to the Escape hybrid. While the Escape package is significantly more fuel efficient, it doesn’t allow for enough cab duty space.

Cabs usually need to carry three passengers. The Ford Transit Connect can do this more easily than the Escape Hybrid. It can also load up a lot of cargo and luggage for people who are off to the airport. Ford’s taxi version also moved the rear back seat three inches. This means that you won’t have cramped leg room although you’re riding an electric vehicle.

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2012 Mercedes Benz SL Roadster to Sport a Retractable Hardtop

Written By: ambo.us - Apr• 30•10

Spied on the tracks, the prototype of the next generation of Mercedes SL Roadster was revealed to be sporting (could it be?) a retractable metal hardtop. Based on the spy photos, Benz will continue with their long tradition of a front-engine core with a rear-drive format. The prototype’s heavy body cladding makes it difficult for photographers to fathom any other features, though.

A safe guess would be that the new SL Roadster will still carry the classic style details of the German car manufacturer’s “artsy” design language. These details were also present in similar concept models, namely the F800 Style and the CLS Shooting Break.

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Facelifted 2011 Vantage Roadster from Aston Martin

Written By: ambo.us - Apr• 22•10

Spy photos of a new Aston Martin have been in the rumor mill of the best car websites. Looking at the pics, it is definitely an Aston Martin Vantage Roadster but whether it is a V-12 or V8, it is quite difficult to tell.

Aston Martin 2011 Vantage RoadsterYou will notice the new elements of the Vantage Roadster when you browse through our Aston Martin spy photos. Take note of the carbon look of the gray wheels and carbon fiber used for the front splitter and the diffuser.

Who cares about the engine under the hood. As far as we know, the Vantage is one of the sexiest cars in the world today ever since it was unveiled in 2005. Given the status, Aston Martin will not be taking for granted how the car looks and it gives the Vantage a mid-cycle design treatment.

This can be the V12 Roadster we are looking at and all the treatment is to graft off some of the effects when you step on the pedal to feel the car’s 510 horsepower. So the fine things get even finer.

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Infiniti top exec reveals development of a new compact electric vehicle

Written By: ambo.us - Feb• 24•10

The Audi A3 and the 1-Series of the BMW may have a rival in the making as Infiniti is currently working on an entry level compact to match those from the premium brands. Lexus is also working on a hybrid that will be unveiled in production trim during next week’s  auto show in Geneva.

Toru Saito InfinitiIt was last year when rumors floated that Infiniti is coming up with a compact so it is great news to get a confirmation from the carmaker that at least they are looking into it. If ever this materializes, the Infiniti might be on the winning edge since the new baby might have its own niche being purely electric.

Toru Saito, the topman of Infiniti, said that they are aware of the trend to go downsizing and that building smaller cars is something they want to look into.

If the electric vehicle will go on production, the car will be sharing the backbone of the Nissan LEAF. It might be made available on three trims running on diesel, gasoline, and all electric. The first model of diesel engine vehicles of Infiniti just recently went on sale in Europe.

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Australia to see Holden version of Volt

Written By: ambo.us - Sep• 27•09

The Premier of South Australia, Mike Rann went to Detroit and visited the Warren Tech Center and the R&D center of General Motors. He met with the top executive of GM and the lead engineer of the team that leads the building of the Volt. After doing a test drive of the Volt around the plant, Rann was certain that he wants to bring the technology to Australia.

chevrolet voltThe Australian leader wants to have the Volt cruising on the roads of his country by 2012. He is also seeking permission from GM to build their own version of the Volt in Australia through the GM Holden Limited.

The company aims to use the Voltec technology on the platform of their Holden Cruze. The Cruze will enter production by 2010 and Holden confirmed that it is feasible for their team to build an electric version of the vehicle in their Adelaide factory.

The facility in Elizabeth, Adelaide is still under construction but it will be finished in time to meet the production schedule of the Cruze set to begin by third quarter of 2010. Rann is also pushing Holden to make the car more fuel efficient as new technology comes in the future.

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