Tuning World Bodensee: 2009 Miss Tuning Finalists (with video)
Starting April 30th to May 3rd, 250 exhibitors will be headed to Friedrichshafen, Germany for the seventh edition of Tuning World Bodensee.
While exhibitors will be involved in a comprehensive overview of the German tuning marketplace, most will be attracted to the selection of Miss Tuning 2009. 20 finalists have been chosen with the winner to be announced on May 3rd. The newly crowned Miss Tuning will be given a SEAT Ibiza SC by SEAT and Microsoft Xbox 360.
The new Miss Tuning calendar will be produced on the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean.
You can check out the gallery of the top 20 finalists after the jump. Also check out the 2009 Miss Tuning commercial after the jump.
2009 Miss Tuning Finalists:
Bentley will speed up product launches, next Continental GT coming next year
Bentley says that it is going to start releasing its future models six months earlier so its product cycle matches the market recovery in 2010. According to Bentley board member for sales and marketing Stuart McCullough, Bentley has done enough research with its customers to understand when they will get back in the market for a new car.
Sources say that the move is likely to bring the Bentley Continental GT Coupe to the market in 2010 instead of 2011. The coupe will be directly followed by the second-generation Flying Spur sedan and the Continental GTC convertible.
The move should help Bentley deal with sluggish U.S. sales. Sales in the U.S. were down 32.5 percent last year to 2,693. During the first-quarter of 2009, sales were down 70 percent to 263 units.
Bentley has cut its worldwide production in 2009 by half to 5,000 units.
Report: Chrysler Financial turned down $750 million in government loans over limits on executive pay
According to sources familiar with the situation, top officials at Chrysler Financial turned down $750 million in government loans because executives wouldn’t subject to federal limits on salaries. Sources said that the government was offering the loan earlier this month to help boost leasing and financing for new Chrysler customers.
It is reported the Chrysler Financial opted to go with more expensive financing from private banks which in return added its financial burdens and to those of Chrysler LLC.
Responding to the statement, Chrysler Financial denied that its executives had refused to accept new limits on pay. It did not say why it chose to forgo the loans provided by the government.
The U.S. Treasury Department has previously provided Chrysler Financial with $1.5 billion in loan with less stringent limits on executive pay.
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Porsche 928 successor will be based on the Panamera
Speaking to the press at the 2009 Shanghai Motor Show, Porsche’s design chief Michael Maur said that he his working on a successor to the 911 that will be much more than a simple update to the new-generation 911 and may create a fifth variant in Porsche’s lineup.
Sources say that the model could be a new 928, a model that Porsche dropped in 1995. The new model will use the Panamera chassis and will have a 3-door hatchback look. The new 928 will target rivals the likes of the Bentley Continental GTC.
No word on what the 928 will under the hood but we expect most of, if not all, of the Panamera’s powertrain choices to be made available.
2010 Porsche Panamera:
2009 Audi A6 3.0T Quattro – Short Take Road Test
The A6’s new supercharged V-6 and a revised suspension bode well for Audi’s future.
BY K.C. COLWELL
If it’s true that Audi is headed for a future of fuel-conscious supercharged V-6s and turbocharged four-cylinders instead of its current stable of powerful but carbon-plundering V-8s, V-10s, and even a W-12, the first entrant in that scaled-down scenario has arrived, the A6 3.0T Quattro.
With an Eaton four-lobe supercharger—capable of boosting the intake pressure to a maximum of 11.6 psi—married to a 3.0-liter V-6, the A6 3.0T Quattro makes 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. This is basically the same engine that will power the upcoming 333-hp 2010 Audi S4.
Mash the gas from a stop, and the 3.0T delivers linear power that propels the 4114-pound sedan to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, 1.5 seconds sooner than the old 255-hp, 3.1-liter A6 Quattro hit that mark. Sure, the BMW 535i xDrive and Mercedes E550 4MATIC are quicker, but the BMW requires twin turbos, and the Benz has eight cylinders. More importantly, neither can match the 3.0T’s 18 mpg in the city and 26 on the highway. A big surprise is that this new Audi even outruns the current V-8–powered A6 4.2 Quattro—despite the bigger engine’s 50-hp advantage.
Subaru jumps in on the 24-Hours Nurburgring action with an Impreza STI
Subaru Tecnica International (otherwise known as STI) announced today it will be headed to the Nurburgring 24-Hour Race with a tuned version of the Impreza WRX STI.
Subaru’s tuned WRX STI is powered by a 2.0L DOHC 4-cylinder turbo engine mated to the company’s symmetrical AWD system. Other modifications include weight-reduction and safety equipment installation.
The car will be piloted by 4 Japanese drivers that will aim for a SP3T class victory.
Click through for the press release and the high-res image gallery.
Subaru Impreza STI 24-Hour Race Nurburgring Version:
Press Release:
STI, Impreza to contest Nurburgring 24-hour race
This May, SUBARU Tecnica International (STI) heads to the Nurburgring circuit for the “37th ADAC Zurich 24 Hour Race” (24 Hours of the Nurburgring) with an originally tuned version of the Impreza WRX STI aiming for a class victory.
The ADAC Zurich 24-hour race takes place at the course of 25.378km in total, and is the largest endurance event in the world, with more than 200 cars participating, familiarized by European manufacturers who enter every year. STI particularly and practically uses 20.832kms “Nordschleife” (also called “Old Course”), known as intensively severe course, as a proofing ground for STI developed vehicles. STI’s objective to participate this event is to collect data and verify technical know-how, and also to learn out of this race for future STI vehicle development. STI’s vehicle development is focused on further enhancing the unique ride quality which can be characterized by the theme, “Strength and nimbleness”.
The participating car is Impreza WRX STI built and tuned exclusively by STI, adopting “Flexible Tower Bar”, along with a variety of original chassis and body stiffener and components. Modifications also include weight-reduction and safety equipment installation.
The car will participate in the SP3T class (for turbo-equipped machines with an engine displacement of 2.0litter). STI will conduct the team management for this race, supervised by Hideharu Tatsumi (STI’s General Manager of Vehicle Experiment Division), while racing the car are four highly experienced professional Japanese drivers.
Entrant name : SUBARU TECNICA INTERNATIONAL(STI)
Participating car : SUBARU Impreza WRX STI(GRB type)
Horizontally opposed 4-cylinder EJ20
2.0litter DOHC turbo / SYMMETRICAL AWD
Suspension : Front – strut, rear – double wishbone
Vehicle manufacturer : STI
Team director : Hideharu Tatsumi
(STI General Manager of Vehicle Experiment Division)
Drivers : Kazuo Shimizu, Toshihiro Yoshida
Naoki Hattori, Koji Matsuda
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