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luxury carsluxury cars Picturesluxury cars Videos2009 BMW 7-SeriesPosted on 04.2.2009 03:19 by
Simona AlinaFiled under:
BMW 2008 sedan Paris Motor Show BMW 7-Series luxury carsGet the Flash Player to see the videos.
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BMW 7-Series made its world debut at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. In USA it went on sale this spring with the following prices:750i is $81,125 and the 750Li is $85,025.
The new BMW 7 Series is entering the market with a V8 and a straight-six gasoline engine both featuring Twin Turbo technology and direct fuel injection (High Precision Injection) as well as the first representative of a new generation of six-cylinder diesel engines.
The eight-cylinder developing maximum output of 407 hp between 5,500 and 6,400 rpm in the BMW 750i, for example, is the most efficient engine in its performance class and the only engine of its kind worldwide with the turbochargers fitted in the V-space between the two rows of cylinders.
For the BMW 740i, output of the six-cylinder Twin Turbo has been raised to 240 kW/326 hp at 5,800 rpm. The newly developed six-cylinder diesel in the BMW 730d, in turn, develops maximum output of 180 kW/ 245 hp at 4,000 rpm. And it goes without saying that all engines comply in full with the strict EU 5 emission standard.
Press release after the jump.
> MorePicture Gallery 7 commentsAudi A8 receives new design and equipment packagesPosted on 04.1.2009 09:13 by
Simona AlinaFiled under:
Audi sedan luxury cars Audi A8Before the
next generation A8 will make its official debut, Audi is making a final attempt to improve the current A8 with new style packages.
The new comfort plus style package adds to the A8 new exterior color: Night Blue, pearl effect, 19-inch forged aluminum wheels of 12-spoke design, comfort seats in Valcona leather; the full-leather trim for the center console, doors and dashboard is in silk beige Fine Nappa leather. The equipment package also includes heating for the front and rear seats, and front seats with seat ventilation and massage function.
The sport plus style package adds new Panther Black, crystal effect paint, “adaptive light” with LED daytime running lights, sports seats in goa beige Valcona leather and heating for the front seats. The center console, doors and lower dashboard are trimmed in black Fine Nappa leather.
Press release after the jump.
> MorePicture Gallery Post a comment2009 Mercury Mariner VOGAPosted on 03.27.2009 10:00 by
Terence KeonFiled under:
Mercury 2009 new cars Mercury Mariner crossover luxury cars TopSpeed GarageVOGA means fashion in Italian. It is no wonder why Ford designer
Camilo Pardo, the designer of the
Ford GT, chose this name when he introduced the upscale appearance package in 2006 on the vehicle named after the Italian fashion capital, the
Mercury Milan. Since then Mercury has expanded the elegant VOGA line to include the Mercury Mariner crossover based on the
Ford Escape.
Being an aesthetics package, the VOGA option is much more about design than function. In order to purchase the high-class VOGA equipped Mercury, future Mariner owners must first upgrade to a Mercury Mariner Premier, and then purchase the Moon and Tune package that includes a large panoramic sunroof and a seven speaker MP3 compatible sound system and much more.
Continued after the jump.
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2009 Mercury Mariner VOGA .
Picture Gallery Post a comment2009 Porsche Cayenne GTS Design Edition 3Posted on 03.26.2009 10:00 by
Myles KornblattFiled under:
Porsche suv porsche Cayenne luxury cars special editionsIt looks like after producing Design Edition models for the
Cayman and
Boxster, Porsche decided it needed a bigger challenger, literally. This time the German company will grab 1000
Cayenne GTSs off the line and use them for the Design Edition 3.
The paintwork follows the same scheme as the other DE cars with stripes in the same hue as the body color. This time its “Lava Grey” paint with black striping and grey 21-inch wheels. Inside there will be plenty of badging to remind owners that their Cayenne is special, as well as plenty of black leather with red stitching. This theme is carried over to the matching watch and luggage.
Unlike the
Boxster Design Edition 2, which saw a small increase in power, the Cayanne will be an appearance-only job. Owners will have to cope with the fact that their SUV only makes 405 hp. One element that may be less flattering is that while Porsche lists the standard Cayenne GTS with a 0 to 60 time of 5.7 seconds, this one is listed as taking 6.1 seconds (maybe it was carrying all of the luggage during the test run).
Sales will begin in Germany in May and then spread to the rest of the world. Pricing starts at in Europe at €79,100, and the 100 examples being sent to the U.S. will retail for $89,900.
Press release after the jump
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2009 Porsche Cayenne GTS Design Edition (...) .
Picture Gallery Post a commentAudi A8 renderingPosted on 03.26.2009 09:00 by
Myles KornblattFiled under:
Audi Spy Shots and Rendering luxury cars Audi A8Before Audi turns a big sedan into a coupe with the
A7, its going to have one last crack at making a large sedan into a large sedan with an updated A8. Just like previous renderings and rumors, the new A8 should get a sleeker and more aggressive design inspired by the
A7/Sportback concept. Just like smaller models, Audi’s next flagship will utilize the MLP platform, which will allow for the engine to be mounted further back and more weight directed toward the center of the car.
As far as the engine lineup goes, the middle of the road should stay the same with at variety of V6 and V8 engines in both gas and diesel forms offered over the international line. What is unclear just now is that if Audi continues to go for
smaller engines with turbocharging, a four cylinder engine may become the base powerplant. Rumors suggest 230 hp version of the 2.0-liter TFSI engine from the Volkswagen Group’s parts bin may become the lowest rung on the A8 ladder. For the same reason a four-banger may make an appearance in the large sedan, it may also jeopardize the top of the line W12 engine or possibly the Lamborghini-inspired 5.2-liter V10 in the next R8.
Any engine shake ups should not have a huge effect on the U.S. market, where we currently have only V8 engines or higher, and will likely never see a diesel version of the big sedan. The official debut of the next A8 will be made in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show, and the sales will begin in 2010.
Source:
AutoNews Post a commentRolls-Royce reveals huge engine for the RR4 (Silver Ghost)Posted on 03.24.2009 14:00 by
Myles KornblattFiled under:
Rolls-Royce luxury cars Rolls-Royce RR4Last month Rolls-Royce CEO, Tom Purves announced that the engine for the production version of the
200EX concept would not be from the BMW parts bin and would be a
brand new V12 unit. Now Purves has revealed specific details on the engine at press conference in New York.
The new baby Roller, which will hopefully
revive the Silver Ghost name, will get a 6.6-liter turbo charged V12 engine making at least 500 hp. While a displacement of .55 liters per cylinder doesn’t seem like much, it’s huge in the V12 community, which rarely gets above half a liter per cylinder. The 632 hp
Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 has a displacement of 6.5-liters, and the 651 hp
Ferrari Enzo has a displacement of 6.0-liters; so we have no trouble believing the 6.6-liter turbocharged V12 in the 200EX will make Rolls-Royce’s claim of “upwards” of 500 hp.
The powerplant will be mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission. Not to many people’s surprise, Rolls-Royce is claiming that fuel economy will be much better than the larger
Phantom. There will be plenty more info revealed on the baby Roller between now and when the production version is expected at September’s Frankfurt Auto Show.
Press release after the jump
> MorePost a commentLamborghini: no production Estoque to cancelPosted on 03.24.2009 09:00 by
Myles KornblattFiled under:
Lamborghini sedan luxury cars Lamborghini EstoqueIt’s not that rumors of its demise have been greatly exaggerated; instead Lamborghini claims rumors of the
Estoque’s creation have been greatly exaggerated.
Yesterday we reported that
Lamborghini has put the Estoque’s production on indefinite hold. Now the story has caught some steam, plus other
recent stories of Lambo’s misfortune in the slowing economy, has caused the company to react. Lamborghini posted a brief comment on its press site that included: "As stated when the car was shown, Lamborghini believes that if a third model line should ever be added to its product line up, a four door luxury performance saloon could be a logical product strategy. No decision has been made to produce the Estoque."
Basically this does not make the previous stories invalid. Lamborghini still has not confirmed that plans for the Estoque will be going ahead. The company just wanted to remind all of us that there was no official car to cancel.
Read the full statement from Lamborghini after the jump.
> MorePost a commentLamborghini Estoque delayed, maybe canceledPosted on 03.23.2009 10:00 by
Myles KornblattFiled under:
Lamborghini sedan luxury cars Lamborghini EstoqueThe global economic crisis already forced Lamborghini to
shut its doors for a few weeks, and now its put the
Estoque sedan on indefinite hold. According to Maurizio Reggiani, Lambo’s head of research and development, "The timing and market conditions are just not right for an additional model line."
It seems that there had not been a lot of cash committed to Lamborghini’s first sedan project yet, and so Lamborghini was able to put it on a shelf without much financial penalty. There has been no mention yet when or if the project will be restarted.
The Estoque was supposed to
borrow heavily from its corporate cousin Audi. So if plans for a car that could share parts over multiple car lines has been put on indefinite hold, how much hope can we keep for the mostly bespoke
Murcielago replacement?
Source:
AutoCar Post a commentRolls-Royce Silver Ghost drophead renderingPosted on 03.20.2009 17:00 by
Myles KornblattFiled under:
Rolls-Royce Spy Shots and Rendering luxury cars Rolls Royce 200EXEarlier this week we caught wind of a rumor that Rolls-Royce was planning
coupe and convertible versions of the 200EX concept. Now were passing on a rendering from the people at Global Motors.
Since this is a rendering of a rumor, we decided to go with the production car’s rumored name: Silver Ghost. The popularity of convertibles like the
Corniche makes a drop top version a logical step for Rolls-Royce’s smallest car (the sedan is more than a foot and a half longer than a
long wheelbase BMW 7-Series.)
