Kia Naimo Concept set for Seoul

Its always interesting to see what car manufacturers come up with when they present concept cars, the only problem is that far too often they never make it into mass production. Lets hope thats not the case for the new Kia Naimo concept, which is set to debut at the Seoul Motor Show next week.

Boxy design for Kia Naimo Concept

The word Naimo is Korean for square shape, and while the car is quite boxy, it sounds more like a Brazilian footballer. The Kia Naimo is targeted for the B-segment and is an electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV) which combines many traditional Korean elements with state of the art tech.

Part of the Korean traditional element of the car is seen in the floor and the interior door panels, which are made from Korean oak, with Han-ji paper used for the head lining. The high tech comes in the form of high-intensity air jets at the base of the windscreen instead of windscreen wipers. As you may have noticed from the pictures of the Kia Naimo concept, there are also no door mirrors, instead the Naimo uses miniature cameras installed in the A-pillars.

Kia Naimo Power

The Kia Naimo is powered by a Permanent Magnet Synchronous motor that produces up to 80 kW of power with a maximum torque of 280 Nm, which results in a top speed of 150km/h. The twin-pack battery uses Lithium Ion Polymer technology that will last for 200km of driving on a single charge. Recharging the battery to full will take 5 and half hours.

While the Kia Naimo does look promising, it is far too common for many of these concept cars to lose a number of their innovative features down the line, should they be lucky enough to make it to the production line.

The Cars.co.za R1000 giveaway ends tomorrow!

Today, the 31st of March 2011, is the final day of the Cars.co.za Facebook competition. The lucky winner will be randomly drawn tomorrow, the 1st of April and announced on our Facebook page. The winner will walk away with R1000!

If you havent entered yet, what are you waiting for? All you need to do in order to enter the competition is Like our Facebook page. To do that simply click on the Like link below.

Now that you like our page, you are automatically entered. Good luck 🙂

New Porsche Panamera Turbo S Revealed

Porsche’s latest offering in the 4 door luxury sports car division is the new Porsche Panamera Turbo S. Being the Turbo S, there is obviously some serious power and performance in this car but being 2011 Porsche have not forgotten about efficiency. The new Porsche Panamera Turbo S hopes to combine luxury and comfort with an efficient and sporty ride that is sure to impress.

New Porsche Panamera Turbo S – Features

The official reveal of the new Porsche Panamera Turbo S will go down at the New York Auto Show in April but Porsche have been kind enough to throw out some information to wet your appetite. Once its unveiled and the formalities are over, the car will be available in the States later this year with no details yet on a local release.

Onto the good stuff: under the hood, the new Porsche Panamera Turbo S packs a 4.8 litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with produces a maximum output of 550 horsepower which is 50 more than the Panamera Turbo. Porsche note that the increase in power is attributed to the new twin-turbochargers with titanium-aluminum turbines and the compressor wheels weight; this allows a quicker turbo response. This power, in conjunction with launch-control, allows the car to complete 0-100km/h in just 3.6 seconds and cap out at 305km/h. A seriously impressive stat considering the size of the car.

To control this extra power, the new Porsche Panamera Turbo S is decked out in 20 inch Turbo II wheels which have increased rear axle track width. The exterior is slick and stylish but being a 4 door it will always lose a touch of the sporty feel that is inherent in many of the 2-door models.

A quick recap of the Formula 1 season opener in Australia

The Australian Grand Prix provided the stage for the first race in the much anticipated 2011 Formula 1 season. The grandeur of the event was further increased by their being 5 previous World Champions on the starting grid and what could be a very competitive season ahead.

Being the first race of the season, many teams were still trying to find their feat and sort out their cars to be race-ready with all the new rule changes, KERS implementation and change of tyre supplier. And while Mark Webber seemed to be having a torrid time with his car, it was the opposite teammate Sebastian Vettel who led the race from start to finish, amassing a 10s lead over second place. This was made all the more impressive by the fact that the Red-Bull Renaults were not using KERS, something that Vettel notes they will have to start using for the upcoming races.

It was even worse for the Sauber team though who had both drivers disqualified following post-race checks on their rear-wings. Sauber have appealed this decision though and note that: It appears that there is a question over the top surface of the uppermost rear wing element, this area is not the working surface of the component and therefore relatively unimportant to its function. Certainly this has not led to any performance advantage. We are checking the design of the parts now to better understand the situation.

Next up is the Malaysian Grand Prix, set to go down on the 10th of April.

The current drivers standings are as follows:

Sebastian Vettel 25 points
Lewis Hamilton 18 points
Vitaly Petrov 15 points
Fernando Alonso 12 points
Mark Webber 10 points

Constructors standings:

Red-Bull Renault 35 points
McLaren-Mercedes 26 points
Ferrari 18 points

New Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe revealed

Even though it will only be officially unveiled at the New York Motor Show, details of the new Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe have been revealed. While it retains many of the features of the 2012 C63 AMG Sedan, the coupe does have a few tweaks and changes.

New Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe is top class

First up, the C63 AMG Coupe comes with a 6.3 litre V8 engine which delivers 451 hp and a peak torque of 443 lb-ft. This allows it to complete 0-100km/h in 4.4 seconds while it caps out at an electronically limited 250km/h. Mercedes-Benz believe these stats will push the new C 63 AMG Coupe to the top of its segment.

Maintaining the focus on high-performance, the new Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe comes with sports suspension and performance brakes. The AMG Coupe has a separate 3-link front suspension and a reinforced multi-link independent rear suspension with a wider track. It also has specially adjusted spring and damper rates, which have resulted in improved responsiveness as well as less road noise and tyre vibration. The high-performance brakes have internally ventilated perforated discs which improve on responsiveness, decreases stopping distances and higher fade resistance.

Design Features

Looks-wise the AMG coupe has a low profile with a striking arrow-shaped front section over a long hood. The shoulder-line of the car has been emphasized while the C-pillar has been narrowed. Mercedes-Benz notes how the car has a sinister low profile, however the overall look of the car lacks aggression and comes off more corporate than sporty. One redeeming factor is the headlights, which have a crazed psychopath look to them.

The new Mercedes-Benz C 63 AMG Coupe will only be hitting dealerships in the United States in September this year, so look for a South African release some time after that.

2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe details released

BMW have finally released information on the new 6-Series Coupe and there are a large number of exclusive and segment firsts to look forward to. First up, the new 2012 BMW 6-Series coupe is the only car in its segment to offer a combination of top-class sporting ability, touring comfort and 460 litre luggage compartment. It is also the only car in its segment that is available with Electric Power Steering and option integral Active Steering. And lastly; it is the first car in its segment to come with Adaptive LED Headlights, including low and high beam, cornering function, fog lamps and rear lights.

Looks wise, the 2012 BMW 6 series coupe hasnt changed all too much, although it has under-gone a minor sporty facelift thanks to a 39 mm increase in width and a 5 mm reduction in height.

2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe offers two engines

Onto the good stuff, at release the 6-series coupe will be available with two engine options, a 640i and a 650i. The 640i comes with a 6 cylinder petrol engine and pumps out 235 kW (320 hp) and 450 Nm max torque at 1 300 – 5 800rpm. This translates into the 640i completing 0-100km/h in just 5.4 seconds and capping out at 250km/h. The fuel economy is surprisingly good as well, coming in at just 7.7 litres/100km.

The 650i naturally packs a little more heat, its V8 petrol engine produces 300 kW (407 hp) with a max torque of 600 Nm at 1 750 4 500 rpm. This extra power means the 650i completes 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds but has the same top speed of 250km/h. All this extra power does have a negative hit on the fuel economy though, with the 650i clocking in at 10.4 litres/100km which is a little on the high side.

BMW do note that these fuel economy figures are provisional though, so we will have to wait till closer to the release for the final figures. Expect the 2012 BMW 6-Series Coupe to be available in South Africa later in the year.

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK revealed

Details of the new 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK have been released and the initial report looks promising. Mercedes-Benz have always strived for innovation with their SLK range, and the 2012 model is no different. The first SLK model that was released in 1996 came with a vario-roof to transform the roadster into a coupe with the touch of a button. The second generation SLK introduced us to the warm AIRSCARF which ensured a pleasurable driving experience with the top down, even in cooler temperatures.

New 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK ushers in new technology

Not to be outdone, the latest SLK comes with innovation of its own: a panoramic vario-roof with MAGIC SKY CONTROL. And while the name certainly is impressive, it is simply a roof that can change its tint to become lighter or darker with a touch of a button.

The theory behind this technology is to allow the driver to make the roof completely transparent if so desired, this gives the feeling of open-top driving even in cold conditions. And conversely the driver can make the roof dark once more to provide shade in blistering heat. Time will tell how useful this feature will actually be, or if it is nothing more than a gimmick that no one really uses.

Under the hood the SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY and SLK 250 BlueEFFICIENCY engines produce 135 kW (184 hp) and 150 kW (204 hp) respectively. The SLK 200 BlueEFFICIENCY has some particularly impressive fuel economy stats, clocking in at just 6.1 litres / 100km and 142g of CO2 which is the lowest in the segment. For some extra oomph, the SLK 350 BlueEFFICIENCY comes with a V6 engine that generates 225 kW (306 hp) and completes 0-100km/h in just 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 250km/h. The fuel economy for the 350 is not too bad either, coming in at just 7.1 litres / 100km.

The 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK goes on sale this year on the 26th of March in Europe. Look for more information and pricing on a local release date as the information becomes available.

Toyota Yaris Hybrid Concept unveiled

The Toyota Yaris Hybrid Concept has been decisively revealed at the Geneva International Motor Show, which shows Toyotas intention of bringing hybrid tech across their European lineup of vehicles. The Yaris HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive) follows on from the Toyota Auris HSD which was released in 2010. The Auris HSD was released to target the C-segment of vehicles while the Yaris HSD will target the B-segment which is far larger and makes up the biggest segment in the European new car market.

Future bright for Toyota Yaris Hybrid Concept

Toyota note that the market for hybrid vehicles is rapidly increasing and has doubled in the past 2 years. These customers are looking for a hybrid vehicle that provides low fuel consumption and emissions, along with a cheap price tag without compromising on driving pleasure.

Compared to the current Yaris, the Yaris HSD comes with a shallow opening in the upper grille and highly contoured headlamps to promote smooth airflow over the upper body. The massive grille gives this Yaris a particularly menacing look along with the ever-popular LED daytime running lights. From the side the HSD has a monoform shape, with a long roofline, which lends itself far more to hybrid and less to style.

By far the most interesting aspect of the Toyota Yaris Hybrid concept is the introduction of solar panels, which run along the entire roof. These solar panels capture solar power and provide independent powering to the vehicles air conditioning. This will ultimately reduce fuel consumption and free up power to the engine.

The Yaris HSD production model will be released in Europe around the second half of 2012 so it is likely that it will undergo a lot more changes before it is finally released. That said, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid concept looks like a solid vehicle and by the time it is released the demand for hybrid vehicles will no doubt be a lot higher than it is now.

New Ford Ranger Wildtrak shown in Geneva

Along with many other big names in the motor vehicle industry, Ford chose the 2011 Geneva International Motor Show to debut the 2012 Ford Ranger Wildtrak. The next generation Wildtrak is focused on safety, performance, fuel efficiency and a range of impressive high-tech gadgets and comfort features usually found in premium or luxury cars.

New Ford Ranger Wildtrak to be made in SA for export

The new Ford Ranger Wildtrak was designed and developed in Australia and will be produced right here in South Africa, as well as a number of other countries. The vehicle will be shipped to over 180 markets across the globe but interestingly enough not to the United States.

The 2012 new Ford Ranger Wildtrak comes fully decked out with 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rack and a sports hoop. Not to mention Bluetooth audio streaming, ipod connectivity, voice control over the radio, phone and 5-inch colour screen with sat nav.

Under the hood, the new Ford Ranger Wildtrak comes with 2 new engine options. First up is a 2.2 litre 4-cylinder diesel engine which pumps out 375 Nm of torque. The other new option is a 3.2 litre 5-cylinder diesel engine which produces 470 Nm of torque. These new engine options have been developed and refined to increase the fuel economy and place the Wildtrak as one of the best in class.

Look for more information on a local release date and pricing options when they become available.

2012 Volkswagen Tiguan to make Geneva Debut

Even though it is only set to make its world debut at the Geneva International Motor Show on the 3rd of March, here is a sneak peak at the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. This latest Tiguan comes with a number of small changes and upgrades and will no doubt maintain the current Tiguan’s popularity on South African roads.

2012 Volkswagen Tiguan gets subtle styling treatment

The grille has been revamped and brought in line with Volkswagen s other new models and includes 2 horizontal chrome strips that run between the headlights. Those headlights are now available in daytime running LEDs in combination with Bi-Xenon headlights with AFS (advanced headlight system) in the SEL model.

VW also note that the fuel economy has been improved, and while the official EPA figures have not yet been released, VW claim that the 2012 Tiguan clocks in at 8.1 litres/100km highway driving. This is quite an improvement over the previous 9.4 litres/100km, which is not bad for its class.

Rounding off the list of changes, the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan also comes with a number of premium features as standard, including Bluetooth connectivity, aux-in, heated side view mirrors, 6 airbags and an 8-speaker radio system. There are some new paint colour options to choose from but otherwise that just about raps up the new 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan. Check back here for information on a local release date and pricing once that information is available.