Chevrolet Aveo Sedan 2012

Prior to the launch of the highly successful Cruze, the Aveo was Chevrolet's best-selling car globally. An all-new Chevrolet Aveo goes on sale summer 2011 and it is designed to expand on the nameplate's success in the highly competitive small car market. It will be offered as a five-door hatch and as a sedan, each delivering excellent ride and handling characteristics and a sporty and sophisticated design, as well as roominess and fuel efficiency.
Equally at home on the daily commute to work or the weekend drive to the countryside, the new Aveo is a compelling choice for young and young-at-heart, style-conscious drivers - and it complements a range of exciting new Chevrolet designs that will be launched throughout 2011, Chevrolet's centennial year.
"It's such an exciting time to be at Chevrolet: Not only do we have new entries into the MPV and compact classes, in Chevrolet Aveo we have a completely new car which is ready to compete against the best in the small-car segment, which is also Europe's largest segment," says Wayne Brannon, President and Managing Director of Chevrolet Europe.
The latest edition of the Chevrolet Aveo is an all-new vehicle that includes a completely redesigned exterior and passenger cabin, a newly developed chassis and body structure, as well as an upgraded range of fuel-efficient, low-emission engines.
The Chevrolet Aveo has been engineered to make everyday driving in a small car a more dynamic and enjoyable experience, while delivering practical, hands-on solutions and value. In order to ensure responsive handling, engineers developed an all-new chassis for the Aveo that is among the most rigid in its segment.

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2013 Ford Taurus

Long relegated as a mid-tier, mid-size sedan, the Ford Taurus was one of those cars that needed a refreshed styling, especially considering the growing number of competitors coming out on the market these days.

Fortunately, the people at Ford seem to have taken the challenge to task by introducing a refreshed and much-improved 2013 Taurus at the New York Auto Show.

Suffice to say, it was a tough task for Ford to shed some of the negative stereotypes given to the Taurus. A lot of people said it was chubby while some had pointed words on the car’s overall design.

For the 2013 model, Ford seems to have addressed a lot of these connotations, giving the car a more appealing look to quiet down its naysayers. While the styling refresh certainly gave the Taurus a more palatable appearance, its the addition of a new engine - a 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder turbo engine - that seems to have given the Taurus the right kind of buzz.

The styling package for the 2013 Ford Taurus remains largely the same as that of the current generation, although there are a few styling tweaks done to differentiate it from the existing model, including restyled headlamps, a new trapezoidal grille, a new front bumper, modified taillights that now come with larger LED lights, and a set of new allow wheels.

Inside, changes were also done, albeit in a subtle and discreet fashion. The dashboard has been redesigned to go along with a new steering wheel and a number of new technological additions, including the new MyFord Touch system.

Despite the new details on the car, the pricing for the 2013 Ford Taurus has not yet been announced. If we were to make a guesstimate on the tag, we’ll peg it at somewhere around $25,995, the base price given to the recent Taurus types, including the 2010 model.

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2014 Audi Q6

There’s been talk about an Audi Q6 as far back as 2006 when it was reported that the company had registered the name in Europe. Nothing much was said until two years later when it was reported that its underpinnings would be shared with the Porsche Cayenne to get it ready to do battle with the BMW X6. The Q6 went back into news hibernation for a few more years and now we’ve come across more information to prep us for the coupe-like SUV’s entrance into the market around 2014.

As far as we can tell, the Audi Q6 will be slotted between the Q5 and the Q7, and will share its underpinnings with the Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. It will be offered with a variation of gas and diesel engines, plus a hybrid option as seen in the Cayenne. The top of the line model is rumored to be called the Q6 RS and may share the turbocharged 4.0L V8 engine as seen on the new generation RS6.

More details will be Announced sooner.

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2012 Hyundai Genesis Prada Limited Edition

Technically, this is not the first time the Hyundai Genesis will be wearing Prada, but it seems that people enjoyed the whole collaboration between the Korean automaker and the Italian fashion house.

For this installment, Hyundai used a 2012 Genesis and is positioning it as one of the most luxurious models the company has ever built. Aesthetically, the Genesis Prada will be offered in three colors – Black Nero, Blue Baltico, and Brown Moro – and will include a host of other items, including distinguishable dark chrome accents, a new “shark-fin” antenna, a limited Genesis Prada badge and GP500 emblem, and a set of 19” alloy wheels. Inside, the Genesis Prada will be dressed with “Saffiano” leather – Prada’s signature top quality leather - upholstery with a piano black trim and a new rear entertainment system.

As for performance, the Genesis Prada will be powered by a 5.0-liter V8 engine that produces 424 horsepower and 376 lb/ft of torque and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Hyundai will be offering the Genesis Prada through customized personal orders. The initial plan is to have only 1,200 units of the car, distributed mostly in the Korean market with a limited number of models headed to the rest of Asia and the Middle East.

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All-New 2012 Opel Zafira 7-Seater

Meet the new Opel Zafira Tourer, which was revealed today in its final production form before a global premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany this fall. General Motors’ European division had previewed its new range-topping people carrier as a concept model at the Geneva Salon this past March.
The Zafira nameplate was first launched onto the market in 1999 with Opel having introduced a second-generation model in 2005. Now in its third iteration, the new Zafira will attempt to expand its customer base by adding a more impressive design and a more premium feel to the mix of qualities that are typical of the minivan segment.
“The Zafira is Opel’s flexibility icon, and we wanted to bring more emotion and premium qualities into its third generation,” says Mark Adams, Vice President, Opel/Vauxhall Design. “The Opel Zafira Tourer makes a statement with its sleek, sporty look and premium feel.”
Surprisingly, the Zafira has remained faithful to the original concept’s exterior design, while also keeping close to the look of the automaker’s existing range. The streamlined shape is highlighted by the front end that features distinctive twin “boomerang” graphics sweeping from the headlights to the fog lamps and Opel’s typical “blade” sculpts on the body sides.
The interior mimics the styling of the concept model mixed with bits and pieces found on other Opel models such as the latest Astra. To improve the interior ambience, the Germans have added new color and trim options while also offering an available panorama windscreen that flows into a glass sunroof that extends all the way to the back of the vehicle.
Opel’s trademark Flex7 seating system has been improved on the new Zafira as it gains three independent seats in the middle row that can be folded flat and moved separately of each other sliding longitudinally by up to 210 mm. Furthermore, there’s an available Lounge Seating system, which allows the back of the middle seat in the second row to fold down and rotate to offer armrests for the passengers in the outer seats.
According to the company, the Zafira Tourer offers 710 liters load volume in a five-seat configuration, or 65 liters more than the current model, and up to 1,860 liters (+40 liters) when the two rear rows of seats are folded down.
The 2012 Zafira rides on a new platform with an increased wheelbase and tracks. The wheelbase is now 2,760 mm (+ 57 mm), while the front and rear tracks measure 1,584 mm (+ 96 mm) and 1,588 (+ 78 mm) respectively.
When it goes on sale in Europe towards the end of the year, the new Zafira will offer buyers three versions of Opel’s 2.0-liter CDTI common-rail turbo diesel engine with 110HP, 130HP and 165HP, along with two 1.4-liter ECOTEC turbocharged gasoline engines delivering 120HP and 140HP. All engines will be offered with the German firm’s Start/Stop technology.
Opel said that soon after the market launch, it will expand the range with more fuel-efficient ecoFLEX model as well as variants powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). The company added that a few months later it will introduce more engines including a brand new gasoline unit.
The presentation of the new Zafira does not translate to the end of production for the current model as Opel has decided to continue selling the second generation MPV alongside its replacement as a more affordable proposal in the compact minivan segment.

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Honda’s Hot CR-Z Mugen

Honda's sporty-looking CR-Z hybrid will finally get the performance to back its looks, as the Japanese carmaker teamed up with its tuning partner Mugen Euro to develop a high-performance version of the hybrid model. The car will be unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, but until then, you can take a look at the first official photos of the car to see if they match the sketches released by Honda two months ago.
The Japanese company says development of the CR-Z Mugen is on track, with “performance figures already looking promising”. Honda revealed that early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine have given 0-60 mph (96 km/h) sprint times around that of the European market Civic Type R (6.6 seconds). Later on, Mugen increased output by another 15 percent and reduced the chassis' weight by 50 kilograms, so that overall performance is expected to be even better than the Type R's.
The car will feature modifications to both the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine and the Honda IMA system in order to boost power and torque. Mugen Euro didn't reveal any output figures, but referred to the fuel consumption, deeming it encouraging.
"We've retained the three driving modes from the standard car and economy ranges from 50+mpg (41.6 mpg US) in 'eco' mode to mid-30 mpg (29 mpg US) when tapping into the supercharged power in a special 'Mugen' mode," said Colin Whittamore from Mugen Euro.
Engine and hybrid system aside, the CR-Z Mugen will also benefit from upgrades to the brakes and suspension, as well as from using lightweight components such as a carbon fiber bonnet and forged alloys to lower the overall mass. As the pictures show, the CR-Z Mugen sports a new body kit with upgraded front and rear bumpers, plus a rear wing and diffuser to improve aerodynamics.
For the time being, the CR-Z Mugen is treated as a pure concept study, but as Honda has shown in the recent past with the 240HP Civic Type R Mugen in 2009, there’s a good chance we may see a limited production run in the very near future.

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