New Honda CB Twister Launch In India In 100cc Segment

After creating a lot of ruckus in the 125cc segment, Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India (HMSI) is all set to launch a brand new smaller capacity ‘Stunner’. The new bike would be christened as CB Twister and as the name infers it would be based on the similar platform. As a few of the spied pics suggest, this bike is made to distinguish itself from the already crowded 100cc market and draws its cues from the bigger CB series of bikes. The tank resembles a reworked Stunner’s, red shock absorbers are carried directly from Stunners, front headlight has been made fiery, the stylish dummy air scoops add to the aesthetics of the bike and the upswept side panels and a fantastically contoured seat compliments the overall blistering looks of the bike. The basic designing and parts of the bike have been inspired from bigger CB 1000R (aka Hornet), CB 300R, CBX 250 and CBF Stunner.

HMSI declared three years ago that they were working on an all-independent and an exclusively for-India lower capacity bike and seems like Honda has hit the right chord and what could be the best segment to do this than the segment which churns out the major portion of the whole market! HMSI sells Shine and Stunner in the 125cc segment and Unicorn in the 150cc segment.

This would be their first bike in the lurid 100cc segment and a lot of thinking has been done by the higher management so that the new bike does not cannibalize into their sister concern Hero Honda’s bread and butter segment where it rules by a huge margin. This bike would be positioned as a premium 100cc luring customers from starting 97ccs to 125 and 135ccs who want their bikes to look more stylish and are bored of seeing those umpteen 97ccs on the road!

The bike boasts of some pretty fantastic India’s first features and we expect the price to be on the higher side of 50ks. Disc brakes, six spoke alloys, small stylish exhaust, split grab rails, open sporty chain, trendy dummy air scoops, glossy colors etc form some of the features which would make this bike a hot favorite among the masses.

Honda CB Twister (Overall Information)

Prices: Rs. 47000/-*

Honda CB Twister Variants
i) CB Twister Kick Drum
ii) CB Twister Self Drum
iii) CB Twister Self Disc

Vehicle Summary
i) Name: CB Twister
ii) Model: Kick Drum
iii) Type: Commuter
iv) Fuel Consumption (City): 55.00
v) Fuel Consumption (Highway): 70.00

Engine Specifications
i) Displacement: 109cc
ii) Engine: 4 Stroke, Single Cylinder, Air Cooled OHC
iii) Maximum Power: 9 Bhp @ 8000 rpm
iv) Maximum Torque: 9 Nm @ 6000 rpm
v) Gears: 4 Manual
vi) Cooling Type: Air Cooling

Technical Specifications
i) Weight: 108.00 kg
ii) Ground Clearance: 180.00 mm
iii) Fuel Tank: 8.00 ltrs
iv) Wheelbase: 1262.00 mm
v) Electrical System: Battery – 12 V:5 AH
vi) Headlamp: Halogen 12V 35/35 W
vii) Wheel Type: Alloys
viii) Tubeless: Yes
ix) Colors: Pearl Night Star Black, Pearl Fujy Blue, Pearl Amble Yellow, Candy Comic Green & Pearly Siena Red

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Toyota Prius Wagon and SUV

I usually start the article with the good parts of the vehicle that I’m talking about, but this time, I have almost nothing positive to say about how is this car looking. The single good thing that I like at this car is the fact that it is a hybrid.

Toyota Prius Wagon and SUV also received the title of the ugliest car in the last 50 years and I agree with that. If you are interested for such a car, you have to know that Toyota Prius Wagon and SUV is coming at the end of 2010 so you don’t have to wait too much.

On the internet is no specification about how much power is going to deliver the hybrid system of this car, what amount of torque or anything like this, probably they will release these details with few time before the release of Toyota Prius Wagon and SUV.

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Audi TT-RS by MTM

Audi TT-RS, the most powerful version of the new TT has received a performance package from MTM. The most powerful package provides an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h equal to the one of the Audi R8 4.2 FSI. Motoren Technik Mayer engineers have developed a performance package for the new Audi TT-RS. The standard version of this model develops 340hp and 450Nm, reaching from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds.

The 2.5 liter five-cylinder engine offers torque of 450 Nm between 1600 rpm and 5300 rpm. MTM tuners have kept the standard engine as a base package that was developed for the TT-RS. The ECU unit was rescheduled, and the Audi TT-RS has received a new exhaust system, equipped with operated valves according to acceleration and tasks.

So, those from MTM offers three different power stages, depending on customer needs. The first stage provides 404hp and 550Nm, while the second stage power package for MTM Audi TT-RS offers 408hp and the same maximum torque. The most powerful package offers 424hp and 560Nm, with which Audi TT-RS can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.2 seconds and top speed climbs to 297 km/h.

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2010 Fiat Doblo

I must admit that until this moment I was not liking at all any Fiat car but now, when I saw this release, it made me think again and then realize that I was so wrong. Still, there are some Fiat cars that I don’t like but when I saw just the pictures with this one, I fell in love with it.

This new 2010 Fiat Doblo comes in 3 variants: Cargo, with 5 seats and with 7 seats. When it will be launched, it will come with 4 choices of engines: a petrol 95 horsepower engine, a 90 diesel engine and others with 105 horsepower and 135 horsepower.

With few time after the release, there will be available another dual fuel engine with petrol / methane and a diesel engine with a Dualogic robotized gearbox. These are the principal features including the cool design that makes me like so much this car from Fiat.

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Electric Smart Rolling Down the Line

Drum roll please! The electric Smart ForTwo is officially underway at Daimler’s factory in Hambach, France.

From an urban mobility standpoint, there’s been a lot to love about the Smart from the get go. Although small, it’s built like a tank, it offers the comfort and convenience you’d expect and and it gets great mileage. But if you’re of a green bent and you want to get even better “mileage,” so to speak, the car for you arrives soon.

We’ve been following the Smart for awhile, from the new car-sharing program in Austin, Texas, to those crazy Dutch treating them like cows and taking Daimler to task for not offering the diesel Smart or hybrid version on this side of the Atlantic. Yeah, you can say we’re fans.

Like a lot of you, we’ve wanted to see the EV version of the fortwo as well. It makes total sense – because, let’s face it, the fortwo isn’t exactly a road trip kind of car. Around the city though, it makes total sense. So here comes the EV version — Tesla Motors helped with the drivetrain — off the assembly lines.

The first 1,000 customers to receive their Smart EVs, or Smart electric drive as they are officially called, will be participants in a variety of mobility projects in major cities in both Europe and the United States. Daimler is taking a page from BMW, which is doing the same thing with the Mini E. After Daimler gets feedback on electric driving under everyday conditions for the fortwo electric drive, it will be available to the general public in 2012.

“With the start of the series production of the smart fortwo electric drive, the Hambach plant enters a new era – at the same time, the smart fortwo emphasizes its pioneering role on the way to individual mobility with local zero-emissions in cities and urban areas,” said Marc Langenbrinck, managing director of Smart. “Its innovative battery-electric drive makes the smart fortwo electric drive the ideal vehicle for the city: it combines responsibility to the environment with driving fun and joie de vivre in a virtually perfect manner.”

This is the second-gen fortwo EV, but the first that isn’t strictly an R&D project. By the time 2012 rolls around and Daimler’s gotten feedback on how the little car performs in the real world, the Smart EV will be offered alongside other models in showrooms. Getting a practical, sorted city EV will be as hard as checking an option box on a sales form.

Photo: Daimler

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Electric Rolls-Royce, In Time For Christmas 2010

Rumors of an electric Rolls-Royce Phantom are back, with the word being the super-luxe automaker could have one on the road within 12 months.

We’ve been hearing mumbling about this car for more than a year. It started when CEO Tom Purves said an e-Rolls would be perfect for well-heeled city dwellers. The car, he said, could build upon the drivetrain in the Mini E. The rumors picked up again in September when a Rolls spokesman let slip that an electric Phantom was under consideration back in Goodwood (or, more likely, Munich, since BMW owns Rolls).

Now AutocarUK cites an unidentified “company source” saying the e-Phantom could be on the road by the end of next year. Why the rush? Because BMW is a big sponsor of the 2012 Olympics in London, and my wouldn’t it look green bringing a flotilla of electric land yachts to the games?

Personally, we think an electric Rolls makes perfect sense. Most owners simply tool around town, so range isn’t a big issue. It could save owners some serious coin on emissions and road taxes in cities like London. And electric motors provide boatloads of torque and they’re quiet — two hallmarks of a Rolls-Royce.

Besides — we love the idea of a Rolls plugged into a socket. “Jeeves, please do remember to plug the car in.”

Photo of a regular ol’ gas-burning Phantom: Rolls-Royce

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Welcome to Iowa. Please Plug In Your Car.

California is the birthplace of the coming EV invasion, but a tiny town in Iowa wants to be the birthplace of a “Pony Express” of charging stations that will keep those cars going.

Businessman Mike Howard has erected four charging stations in Elk Horn, a town of 650 people about an hour east of Omaha. He has plans to install four more soon. No, that’s not many at all, and they’re in the middle of nowhere. But Howard says you’ve got to start somewhere, especially if you envision a network of charging stations stretching from Denver to Chicago along Interstate 80. He likens his network to the Pony Express.

“They had to have stations to continue on to deliver the mail,” Howard told the Associated Press. “This is a modern-day Pony Express.”

Many automakers are developing electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, and cars like the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf are expected by the end of next year. The big question has been where people are supposed to plug them in when they aren’t home. We’ve seen campaigns to create “charging corridors” spring up in California and Arizona, and of course Better Place has an ambitious plan for a charging infrastructure people would subscribe to. The Obama Administration is providing $3.4 billion in grants this year to spur development of EVs and bolster the grid.

But Howard wants to bring chargers to the heartland, even though there are, according to the AP, just 96 electric cars in Iowa and only one in Elk Horn.

“He’s definitely being progressive, but you know, somebody’s got to be first,” Pat Davis, program manager for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Vehicle Technologies, told the Associated Press.

Amen.

Photo: General Motors

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VW Builds the World’s Coolest SUV

The Paris-Dakar Rally is a race so crazy competitors have been taken out by land mines. To say it’s grueling is like saying Carrie Prejean likes shooting video. Just what sort of vehicle is required to take on a race where normal conditions include searing heat, towering dunes, ginormous rocks and weather conditions that would give a crab boat captain pause?

Volkswagen has the answer in their new Touareg for the next Dakar.

The cars, trucks, bikes and buggies that run in the Dakar rally are tech porn of the highest order. Take a look at what VW has to offer for the 2010 running of the race, which will be run through Argentina and Chile. (The name comes from the days when the race ran from Paris to Dakar, Senegal.) The Germans made history last year by taking the checkered flag in the first diesel-powered entry in the automobile class. It entered the diesel ‘Reg in the Baja 1000, too.

This time around, the Touareg features such cool features as a carbon fiber-reinforced outer skin that weighs a mere 50 kilograms, a braking system capable of exerting pressure equal to that of 700 meters below sea level and a data acquisition system that can store 250 MB of data that is read and analyzed by race engineers at the close of a days stage.

Just the run of the mill specs for the Touareg shows you how serious of a challenge the Dakar is. The VW is powered by a 2.5-liter five-cylinder TDI diesel engine with two-stage turbocharging system with exhaust turbochargers and intercooling. The mill, mounted longitudinally behind the front axle, puts out approximately 280 horsepower and more than 440 pound-feet of torque. Gotta love diesels for buckets of torque.

All that power and grunt is put to the ground — no matter what kind of ground it is, tarmac, sand, gravel, rocks, you name it — via a longitudinally mounted sequential five-speed gearbox and a permanent all-wheel-drive. More slick hardware includes selectable viscous locking mechanical differentials and an hydraulically actuated three-plate ceramic clutch. Stopping power comes from 320 mm ventilated disc brakes squeezed by aluminum calipers with six pistons up front and four out back. The Dakar Touareg even has power-assisted rack and pinion steering.

All this is done in a surprisingly lightweight package that tips the scales at just under 4,000 pounds. The Dakar Touareg can hit 100 km/hr from a standstill in 6.1 seconds on firm ground and tops out at , on hard ground, and will top out at approximately 118 mph, which may not seem like much.

Unless you’re running flat-out through the desert.

Photos: VW

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Going Rogue in a Luxury Hybrid Snowmobile

When we heard that Sarah Palin got a $1.25 million advance for Going Rogue, we wondered how she was going to spend the loot. With a new wardrobe in the closet and donors clamoring to her PAC like cranky old people to a town hall meeting, we think it’s time for her to listen to her new pal Oprah and live that best life now.

We’ve got just the thing: a luxury snowmobile snow machine just perfect for a fabulously wealthy Alaskan former First Family.

The i-Scoob (Get it? No? Sound it out! Ice cube — good one!) is a concept from designer Jeff Darling. It’s a plug-in hybrid with a well-appointed interior that can also be hosed out. It’s designed to be as capable carrying precision instruments to measure the thinning permafrost as it is hauling bullet-riddled polar bear carcasses. Plus, there’s an electric-only feature for crossing those especially environmentally sensitive areas of the tundra on the way to a seal hunt.

It’s purely a concept — even in Alaska it’ll never see the light of midnight, but gosh is it fun.

Depending on the time of year, Darling said that on-board solar panels may be useful for when all other fuel sources are expended. “While there may not be much sun in the areas the i-Scoob would operate, every little bit helps,” he said. “Even if it takes a couple days to generate enough power to finish the journey it’s better than being permanently stuck.”

The passenger compartment of the i-Scoob is enclosed by a front-hinged capsule, and every hollow compartment is filled with foam for insulation and flotation. “Should the vehicle fall through ice into frigid water it will remain afloat,” Darling said. “The foam also helps insulate the drivetrain components and occupants from the harsh environment.” A glazed cockpit traps warm air from the sun, providing skeptics a real-life demonstration of the greenhouse effect.

Steering and acceleration are via joystick, while a radio and climate control keep passengers comfortable and entertained.

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Fisker, Mission One Snag Design Awards

Say what you will about electric vehicles, the Fisker Karma and Mission One are sexy rides indeed. The judges at Spark agree and have honored the two EVs in the annual Spark Design and Architecture awards.

The Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid and Mission One electric superbike snagged gold awards, joining the exhibits at the California Academy of Sciences, the videogame Tony Hawk: Ride and a long list of other winners in the international design competition.

Spark honors the best designs in everything from architecture to advertising, and the jury includes more than a dozen designers, creative directors and professors. They considered more than 370 contenders before naming 93 winners in four categories.

Photo of the Fisker Karma taking a lap at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca: Jim Merithew / Wired.com.

Photo of the Mission One at the Bonneville Salt Flats: Mission Motors.

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BMW is the partner of the London Olympic Games in 2012

Bavarians have officially announced that will provide to the organizers Olympic Games of 2012 over 4000 cars that will provide the transport of the officials present in London. Olympics in London in 2012 will have a partner, BMW Group, the German manufacturer will provide 4000 cars to the organizers that will serve to transport officials, guests and sponsors present in England’s capital during the event.

BMW will use this opportunity to promote their environment friendly versions of its range. In this sense, all cars that BMW will make available to the organizers of Olympi Games in London will reach Euro 6 standards and will deliver up to 120 grams CO2/km. BMW EfficientDynamics range will play an important role in this new generation of BMW models, following to benefit by engines that meet all the rules of the organizers.

Besides cars, BMW will make available to athletes the entire range of BMW Bikes to move in Olympic Village, motorcycles which bears the logo of BMW, following also to be used for assistance in certain disciplines.

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Electric Rolls-Royce Phantom

I think this will be the best limousine built ever looking for many angles. Why? First let’s start with what’s important and also mentioned in the title: the fact that it is electric. In this way you will not notice when the engine will be started accelerated and stopped because it makes very low noise, and you will feel on the back of you Rolls-Royce Phantom (the electric model) just like in your bed or even better.

There is something sure about this new electric model of Rolls-Royce Phantom namely that it will be released next year or better said, after one year (anyway, it will still happen in 2010). This new electric model of Rolls-Royce Phantom will debut at 2012 London Olympics.

A big minus at this electric Rolls-Royce Phantom is that now with the lithium ion battery it will weight much more, remembering that with the big V12 engine it weights around 3 tons, but I think that with a good power, you will not feel that issue.

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Porsche dressed in chocolate in Netherlands

A dealer Porsche from Netherlands thought to a very original marketing strategy and right for the spirit of winter holidays that is rapidly approaching. Porsche Centrum Gelderland dressed a model 911 Carrera S in … chocolate!

The task of making the supercar sweeter went to Jan Blancke, which took 175 kilograms of chocolate to cover the entire car. To avoid staining that could remain on the paint after the Porsche will be cleaned, Blancke at first covered with a plastic sheet previously and after he poured melted chocolate on the car.

And for a realistic look he used white chocolate to mark the optical blocks. The dealer from Netherlands said the they prepared the car to celebrate “Sinterklaas” (Saint Nicholas), but the Porsche covered with chocolate can be admired also at Christmas. The dipped Porsche will remain on display until Christmas, at which time we fully expect to see it wheeled into a walk-in freezer until it can to be thawed in time to make an appearance in our Easter basket next Spring.

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Smart ForTwo started the production for 1,000 units

I don’t remember if I had the occasion to tell you that this is the most useful, helpful and efficient car that you can use it in the city. If you can use a normal cell phone, I bet you can use this car because all you have to do when the battery runs off is to go at a station and plug in your car and after a short time, you will be ready to continue your road.

Well, I made this post to tell you that they started the production for this Smart ForTwo. Anyway, it is a limited production of just 1,000 units so hurry up if you want to own such a car faster.

The electric engine of Smart ForTwo develops 40 horsepower which are more than enough for such a small car. Also, the torque for Smart ForTwo is at 89 lb-ft. The little Smart ForTwo has a top speed of 62 miles per hour.

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Porsche Boxster Spyder

I think this is a big step for Porsche or at last this is what I think. The base design of this new Porsche Boxster Spyder is just like at the other Porsche boxsters but this time it has something changed that makes this car to be much more unique and also from now, it will look much better.

I don’t say that until now these little sport cars were ugly, no, they are still great but with this car, they made some things at it to look much sexier and also aerodynamics than before.

I’m not very good at this but from what I see, they changed the design of headlights, probably at the front bar and also some changes at the side body and even at the back of the car. If you have a lot of money and don’t know what good car to buy, I think that this Porsche Boxster Spyder would be more than just a perfect choice.

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Honda P-NUT Concept to debut in Los Angeles

Honda will unveil at the Los Angeles Motor Show a concept named P-nut, who wants to be an aggressive coupe for large urban areas. Honda continues the series of innovative concepts at this year’s edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The Japanese have issued a press release that announced the launch of the P-nut prototype, a name derived from the abbreviation of words Personal-Neo Urban Transport, on 2nd December, the day when American salon opens its gates. From the first information it seems that Honda’s stand will host a futuristic coupe with aggressive design lines, created by the research and development center of Honda from Los Angeles.

Its aim is to illustrate the Asian vision of a compact urban design, for those who want mobility in congested cities. There are not any information about the powertrain that the concept will adopt but judging by past trends of Honda models, we have all chances to see a hybrid system with improved performance.

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30,000 units recall for Mitsubishi Lancer / Lancer EVO

NHTSA (National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration), “Big Brother” of the car traffic in the United States decided to withdraw 29,353 units, more precisely 2008-2009 models of Mitsubishi Lancer / Lancer EVO because of problems arising from front airbags. According to U.S. officials, prolonged exposure of their sensors to a mixture of snow and salt can went to corrosion, which would delay the onset of the airbag in the event of an accident.

For now, withdrawing target vehicles are they sold in states where salt is used to clean the road in winter season (eg Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin and so on). Dealers in these areas have been asked to replace defective components, operation, of course, free.

Mitsubishi dealers have been instructed to replace the airbag sensors with a redesigned model with improved corrosion resistance. From press release: “THIS COATING OVER TIME MAY CAUSE CORROSION OR THE SENSOR. IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLES CRASH OF THE TYPE THAT WOULD DEPLOY THE AIRBAGS THIS TYPE OF SHORT-CIRCUIT MAY CAUSE A DELAY IN THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAGS WHICH COULD RESULT IN DRIVER OR PASSENGER INJURY.”

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2011 Nissan GT-R SpecM

I have to tell you that I become a fan of this car not too time ago. It happened when I played for the first time Need for Speed 2 because Nissan GT-R was in the game and I loved to drive it so much. Of course, there is a big difference between driving it in games and driving it on streets.

Of course, as you probably think, Nissan GT-R SpecM is an upgraded version of Nissan GT-R that you probably get used with, in the past, as I did. Nissan GT-R SpecM will cost 18,000,000 yen or over $200,000 (more exactly, $202,428 – according to Google converter).

Nissan GT-R SpecM isn’t looking very sexy but we can speculate or even be sure that Nissan invested more money at this car in performance and less for a cool or even luxury design. Anyway, I still expect at a high-tech interior just like at the other Asian cars.

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Spy Photos: Audi A7

I have not seen until now this type of spy photos so the photographer probably snaked very well and he was in big danger while he made these photos so if you ask yourself why there are not too many photos on the internet, you may now know the answer.

This was a testing lab and we’re very lucky to see this 2011 Audi A7 uncovered because on the internet there are another spy photos with this new 2011 Audi A7 captured while it was tested on roads but it was camouflaged. This new car from Audi will come with many choices of motorization.

As you get used to, there will be gasoline engines but also diesel engines and some hybrids which will combine the power of some diesel engines with some electric systems and some of these engines will be able to propel this new 2011 Audi A7 with 600 horsepower.

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