2011 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GTS Awards Edition

For the period of its six years of life, the Maserati Quattroporte has received no less than 56 awards from automotive and lifestyle publications in 14 countries over four continents. The Quattroporte Sport GT S “Awards Edition”, which will make its official debut at the upcoming Geneva Auto Show, is launched to mark the celebration of Maserati flagship.

Based on the Quattroporte Sport GT S, the Quattroporte Sport GT S “Awards Edition” presents a new Quarzo fuso exterior color, the burnished treatment on the exterior chrome parts as well as side air vents and radiator surround, and matches the 20’’ Multi Trident dark grey rims with satin finish.

Besides, the braking system which uses dual-cast technology is further enhanced by the hand-polished callipers both at the front and rear. With the Quattroporte Sport GT S “Awards Edition”, Maserati and Brembo are introducing on the market for the first time polished callipers.

In the interior, the “Awards Edition” presents the combination of the Poltrona Frau leather seats with perforated Alcantara, the special brushed aluminium door sills, Piano Black satin-finish wood mouldings, and the black trim boot featuring chrome details and a leather side pocket.

Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S “Awards Edition” will be available in the UK as a special order in the second half of 2010 as model year 2011 and prices will be available upon application. For further information, contact the Maserati Info Centre on 0800 0646468 or visit the Maserati website www.maserati.com.

 

2011 MAZDA2 New edition

MAZDA2 is the latest in a line of stylish, insightful and hugely fun-to-drive small cars from Mazda, and will bring an all-new level of refinement to the segment, as MAZDA3 did for the compact C-Car market. MAZDA2 is a car that only the engineers at Mazda could have created. It was designed and engineered from scratch to be a pure Mazda, offering the sort of driving experience that could only come from the company that developed the timeless MX-5 two-seat roadster, and it brings a combination of athletic design and dynamic performance to the subcompact class that simply does not exist at this time.

Originally launched in 2007, the new MAZDA2 was first introduced in Europe, Japan and Australia. Its launch created a unique offering in the B-car (subcompact) segment, especially through its distinguished design and outstanding driving performance. Since then, it has been highly acclaimed throughout the world, winning 48 automotive awards, including “Car of the Year” accolades in many markets, including Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Bulgaria and Greece. Notably, the MAZDA2 was selected as the “2008 World Car of the Year” (WCOTY) at the 2008 New York International Auto Show and has established a distinguished position in the B-Car segment. To date, total global sales have reached approximately 370,000 units in the three years since its introduction, and MAZDA2 is now recognized as one of the global models which symbolizes the essence of the Mazda brand.

In line with the way B-cars are mainly used as day-to-day commuters, with a driver-oriented development philosophy, the MAZDA2 has achieved a level of drivability and nimbleness that enables easy maneuverability, even in small car-parking areas and other tight spaces.

More information on the 2011 MAZDA2 interior, specifications and pricing will be available at a later date.

2011 McLaren MP4-12C

The McLaren MP4-12C is revealed as the first in a range of high-performance sports cars from McLaren Automotive, the independent car division based at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, England. The McLaren MP4-12C power comes from a mid-mounted 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, which produces around 600 bhp and 600 Nm of torque. The McLaren MP4-12C horses are sent to the rear axle through a 7-speed dual clutch transmission developed in-house called SSG.

At its heart, the McLaren MP4-12C features a revolutionary carbon fibre chassis structure, the Carbon MonoCell. The McLaren MP4-12C, is a high performance two-seat mid-engine model in the ‘core’ sports car market segment for cars costing between £125,000 and £175,000. The MP4-12C is pure McLaren, featuring no carryover parts from any other car, and will be produced by McLaren in the UK. It goes on sale through a dedicated, worldwide retailer network in early 2011.

Strategic Vision Announces New Automotive Metric: SmartGreen

In a press release issued today, the San Diego-based consumer research firm announced a new automotive study based on the customer buying priorities of “Smart” and “Green.”

Mazda Mazda3

New study reflects quality, value and “green” issues

In the ever-expanding portfolio of consumer-based automotive studies, you can add yet another: Strategic Vision’s “SmartGreen Index.” This latest study is said to meld consumer attitudes towards the perceived quality of a vehicle into a mix that includes such eco-friendly issues such as fuel economy and environmental “friendliness” (a rather broad term, to say the least).

In any case, for your edification, here is the complete press release:

San Diego – Strategic Vision unveils the new SmartGreen Index℠ (SGI℠) which reflects the relationships between perceived quality plus overall value (Smart) and “green” issues such as fuel economy and environmental friendliness (Green). SGI℠ is based on actual customer experiences and is weighted according to those aspects which best predict customer advocacy, overall satisfaction, future brand choices and loyalty, which ultimately result in increased model and brand sales.

“While all customers are looking for vehicles they can trust and depend on, a majority of customers also have vehicle priorities such as styling, capacity, comfort, capability, performance and price. Ideally, most customers are looking for a vehicle they can love and express a meaningful emotional connection to,” says Dr. Darrel Edwards, CEO of Strategic Vision. Vehicles such as the Land Rover LR2, Corvette Convertible, Kia Amanti and Chrysler 300C are not always thought of as Green but still score higher than others in their respective segments when it comes to SmartGreen℠. These vehicles are vehicles customers love and are emotionally connected to, providing exactly what customers desire in performance and capability while also providing the “best” Green-related issues in class.

“When customers do not have to compromise their desired vehicle styling, roominess, power and price to obtain the best fuel economy and environmentally friendliness in class, they have made the SmartGreen℠ choice,” reports Alexander Edwards, President of Strategic Vision’s Automotive division. As SGI℠ scores are based on those product attributes which best predict strong sales in segment, it is no surprise that the brands with the highest number of segment leaders are Toyota and Honda (with five and four leaders, respectively). Toyota’s best-in-class leaders are the Yaris Hatchback, Prius, Highlander Hybrid (tie), 4Runner and Tundra (tie). Honda’s leaders are the Accord Coupe, Odyssey, CR-V and Ridgeline. Lexus also had two segment leaders with the IS 250/IS 350 and the RX400 Hybrid.

Being a hybrid vehicle alone is not enough to guarantee top SmartGreen℠ marks. Industry-wide, some hybrids place at or below segment average in SGI℠ when factors such as interior quality cues or overall perceived value are rated below their competition. While the Toyota Prius may be the obvious SmartGreen℠ leader because of its fuel economy, it is easy to forget that the Prius also offers innovative interior styling which adds to making the Prius the SmartGreen℠ choice and among hybrid models, highest in sales. “Even when fuel prices are highest, people will want more than a little box with good fuel economy,” says Chris Chaney, V.P. of Special Projects at Strategic Vision. “For example, the Mazda3 leads in its segment ahead of the hybrids, offering superior styling, innovation, performance and affordability coupled with good fuel economy, offering more than competitive hybrids.”

Kia Amanti

Chevrolet had the most segment leaders among the domestic corporations with the Tahoe, Avalanche (tie) and Corvette Convertible leading their respective segments. The Tahoe scored high in perceived quality, as did its competition; however, the Tahoe was rated exceptionally higher than the competition in environmentally friendliness and fuel efficiency. “Even SUV buyers are sensitive to Green issues. Flex-fuel and hybrid options provide Green choices to Tahoe owners which increase customer advocacy, retention and bring new buyers into the brand, even if the vehicle they finally purchase is not always the greenest option,” states Alexander Edwards.

The MINI Cooper Clubman and Convertible were leaders in their segments due to terrific performance, overall value and Green-related issues. The MINI Cooper Hatchback scored just below the MINI Cooper Clubman, with both vehicles taking the top places in Specialty Coupes. The BMW 3-Series Coupe was also a leader in its segment.

MINI

Other best in class SGI℠ leaders were the Kia Amanti, Nissan Murano (tie), Audi Q7 and Mercedes S-Class for their excellence in quality, styling, performance and greenness. Buyers rated the following vehicles tops in their segments:

According to Dr. Edwards, in addition to the SGI℠ segment leaders, many manufacturers are “getting it right” with their model lineup. Included in Strategic Vision’s SmartGreen℠ Report are vehicle Five and Four Star SmartGreen℠ ratings, that are provided to manufacturers to better understand which of today’s vehicles are paving the way to help make their brand and their lineup the leaders of tomorrow.

For example, Five and Four Star vehicles are those like the Suzuki SX4 Sedan which offer fun and excitement through strong vehicle performance and styling in a fuel efficient package. These attributes and vehicle imagery are what can lead to increased awareness and potential consideration of the SX4 and other Suzuki models.

Archive for the 'Sports Gadgets' Category

Latest Italian Sports Car

AS the tile suggested, Italian design shop Spadaconcept revealed a new sports concept car. It looks mighty sleek and gorgeous. It’s just a prototype though but it is looking good. The Codatronica is a modern taken on last century’s sports car designs. If you look at it closely, you’ll see a little resemblance to the Chevrolet Corvett.

it’ll be produced in three spec levels, Sport Touring (512 hp) Fast Sport Touring (513 hp – ?) and Sport Super Touring (700 hp, 701 ft-lbs, an estimated top speed of 220 mph and a zero-to-60 time of 2.7 seconds).

Think Ferarris and Bugattis, friends…the Italians make some pretty nice looking, impressive cars. The Codatronica looks almost futuristic, too bad it doesn’t fly yet like how cars should by the year 2000 :P 

Source: Jalopnik

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

sports cars pics

There are a huge variety of sports cars in the automobile industry today. Different automobile manufacturers produce different types of sports cars and other cars. The following are the pictures of some of the sports cars.