Jaguar CX - 75

One of the major complaints about electric cars is that they are so ugly looking and slow. The G-Wiz is often the butt of so many jokes, Jeremy Clarkson in particular like to make fun of the car.

Anyway, the new breed of electric cars are changing people's perception of electric cars. They look sexy and are fast.

I blogged about the Jaguar CX - 75 concept some time back. Here are some pictures of this sexy car from Jaguar.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny 2012 Stills, Wallpapers, Picutres, Photos

Maruti Suzuki announced its 2012 Maruti Suzuki Jimny for Indian Roads. Here is the Photogallery of 2012 Maruti Suzuki Jimny which includes the pictures and photos of Maruti Suzuki Jimny. The new Maruti Suzuki Jimny 2012 is already available in Japan and will come to india with slight design changes which includes four doors and permenant roof top covering. Maruti Suzuki Jimny 2012 is expected to released in india by 2011 last quarter or early 2012.

Photogallery of Maruti Suzuki Jimny 2012

As per the reports, the new Maruti Suzuki Jimny 2012 will be a perfect competor for the recently introduced Mahindra Thar 4x4 off-roader. Click on the link for more details on the specifications and Features of Maruti Suzuki Jimny 2012.

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Volvo to employ 200 more workers to meet demand

Volvo is increasing its recruiting an additional 200 employees in Sweden, to meet likely demand in the New Year.

The assembly plant that’s receiving the boost in employment will be Volvo’s Gothenburg factory, which employs around 3,200 people. The additional 200 workers will increase the current production rate from 48 units to 52 units per hour.

A Volvo spokesperson said over the telephone: “We want to be prepared as we expect higher demand next year.”

BAIC bidding for Pininfarina

BAIC (Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp.) is allegedly making a bid to acquire Italian design company Pininfarina, which has been on the market for a few months now.

BAIC formerly brought the tooling, powertrain technology and intellectual property associated with the outgoing Saab 9-3. The Chinese car manufacture is developing new models centred on the 9-3 that it plans to sell under the Beijing Auto brand name, and Pininfarina is apparently caught up in the design of that car.

According to Chinese auto-media, a nameless BAIC executive reportedly returned from Italy, where he spoke with Pininfarina about the firm’s joint venture on a bespoke adaptation of the Saab 9-3 that would premier at the 2011 Beijing motor show.

Other potential bidders include Anhui Jiangling, Mahindra and Baja, Brilliance Auto and Magna International.

Meals on...Exotic Wheels: Gotham Dream Cars Helps Feed the Elderly, so you Best Give a Damn

In charity-oriented news, Gotham Dream Cars recently assisted Pascack Valley, New Jersey's Meals on Wheels program in delivering food to some of the area's age- and hunger-impaired citizens. Edibles were brought door-side via cars like a Viper SRT-10, Lamborghini Gallardo, and Maserati Quattroporte, among others. The best part? Well, that depends.

Most people would say it's feeding those in need. Normal, right? Unfortunately, the press seems to think the story is the cars. That's right; instead of people who require help, the exotic transportation became the story. It's insane.

Sure, the idea of high-end Italian exotics delivering food to the elderly is tons of fun (and an interesting PR boost for Gotham Dream Cars)...but how is this legitimately important? For God's sake, the New York Times (supposedly one of the last great print papers) put up an article about feeding America's hungry and the main point was still the fact that mad-expensive cars were out doing charity duty. Other than some ho-hum dribble about the cars, the rest was press quotations and gibberish. No facts whatsoever.

Pascack Valley's "Meals on Wheels" director Jeanne Martin says, "The support of our community is essential to combating senior hunger in the area...We’re pleased to have the support of Gotham Dream Cars to help spread the message about the difference local volunteers can make in helping out seniors in need." Of course they are; after all, it's attention-grabbing for Pascack Valley and its hungry citizens. But what about the rest? As in, the rest of America? Hell, why not make it the rest of the world and get everyone involved?

Sadly, odds are that even with this post the most memorable part of the story is that someone, somewhere, is delivering food to people in exotic cars. Neato, but not really the point. How about giving some important facts, other than manufacturer names and ritzy BS info? Facts like this: there are over three million people in the States with hunger-related issues right now. And now. And now. Beyond that, a world citizen dies every few seconds due to starvation.

Knowing this, it raises the question: is there a point to the New York Times running this story? The answer, hopefully, is yes...but only if people learn something. If not, and all readers remember are car names, then what's the point? Internet hits?

Admittedly, Gotham Dream Cars has done something cool for the people involved in this program and received very positive PR in the process; however, the story of Italian supercars delivering food is nothing more than that: a nice story.

If you've gotten this far, you'll hopefully see what I'm getting at: the story's pointless, so go out and throw a few cans of Campbell's soup in the direction of your local soup kitchen. Tis the season.

By Phil Alex

Source / Photos: Pvmealsonwheels , Via: New York Times

U.S. Car Sales Continue the Uphill Trend in December

While the U.S. car market is still underachieving compared to the best results of the last decade, December sales are expected to significantly contribute to the annual forecast of about 12 million sold vehicles, as 2010 is clearly ending with an uphill trend, according to industry analysts.

“That's a long way from the 16 million and 17 million sales rates that we experienced for the better part of this decade. But we're coming out of 2010 on an upswing and I think this bodes well for 2011”, said Ford Motor Co. sales analyst George Pipas.

The trend could continue well into next year, though December results are not enough for a thorough forecast. However, industry experts are optimistic due to the fact that retails sale are up, compared to the less profitable fleet and rental sales, which are expected to drop by about one and a half percent, according to TrueCar.com.

“It's slowly evolving”, Morningstar analyst David Whiston said of the recovery. “You did just see the retail (annualized sales rate) creep up. It's not like it shot up half a million units in one month. It's going to be gradual”.

Compared to 2009, GM’s sales are up 1.9 percent, while Ford shows even more stamina with a 6.3% growth. On the other hand, Toyota is still struggling, as the massive recalls it has issued this year are taking their toll and it’s expected to report an 11.4% drop for the closing month of 2010.

By Csaba Daradics

Source: Reuters

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK Patent Drawings

While looking for the designs of the Smart Roadster model we showed you in our previous post, we stumbled upon these drawings of the next-generation Mercedes-Benz SLK used for trademark filings. Being that an official video of the 2012 SLK has already been leaked online (you can watch it after the jump if you missed out), these pictures simply offer some additional -and unobstructed- views of the roadster model with the retractable hardtop.

Boasting a similar silhouette (though with edgier details) to the outgoing model, the new SLK will arrive in the market sometime next year offering buyers a revamped engine lineup of four-cylinder and V6 gasoline units, and if the rumors turn out to be true, a diesel option also. The range will be completed by a high-performance AMG model, said to be equipped with either twin-turbocharged V6 or a larger-displacement V8 engine.

Keep an eye out for the SLK either at the Detroit Motor Show in mid-January or at the Geneva Salon in March.

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VIDEO: Honda Civic Burnout Ends in Fiery Fail

As far as hooning goes, one would think that a simple burnout should get you in the least amount of trouble. However, the owner of this Honda Civic almost lost his car while dazzling the crowd [...], as after about 40 seconds the tires suddenly burst into flames.

So, what have we learned today? Well, first of all, avoid overdoing the burnout if your car is tied to a block of concrete. Also, always keep a fire extinguisher at hand, because it turns out that putting out flames with some refreshments isn’t very effective. Who would of thought it? Watch the video after the jump.

By Csaba Daradics

Kudos to Ivan for the tip!

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Noblesse Wings Up Honda CR-Z Hybrid Sport Hatch

Japanese tuner Noblesse has been steadily releasing numerous aftermarket bits and pieces for the new CR-Z ever since Honda launched its hybrid sport hatch . Among other parts, the company has developed a ground aero-kit with front and rear bumper aprons, side skirts, a rear diffuser and a large roof wing. These can be complemented by a lightweight carbon fiber hood, underbody aero parts, larger alloy wheels and a sport exhaust system. You can check out photos of Noblesse's Honda CR-Z offerings along with a video of a test car doing a circuit round right after the jump.

Source: Noblesse , Via: Farm of minds

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