2012 Porsche 911 By Speedart

Suffice to say, it won't be long before we're flooded with bespoke creations and a sea of performance programs for the all-new 2012 Porsche 911, which just made its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show earlier this month.
One of the first tuning houses to tease its work is renowned Porsche specialist Speedart. The German firm's upcoming model is the SP91-R based on the 911 Carrera S, which in factory tune is powered by a 3.8-liter flat-six delivering 400 ponies.
While Speedart is keeping its cards close to its chest for now, we know that aside from the new aero kit and larger alloy wheel designs, the company is also developing a performance kit for the engine.
More to come soon, so stay tuned…


















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2012 Honda Civic Hatchback At Frankfurt Motor Show

The new generation of the European market 2012 Honda Civic hatchback will make its world premiere tomorrow at the 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt, but the Japanese company is giving us our first view of the car with the release of the official photographs.The first thing you will notice about the 5-door Civic is of course its exterior styling. While Honda's designers kept the shape of the outgoing model intact, the devil is in the details, and whereas the previous Civic sported a futuristic styling with many creases and edges, its successor is frumpier with a lot more curves.
According to Honda, its designers "wanted to keep the sporty and advanced elements of the car's character but tailor them to express the new model's even more elegant yet dynamic feel", while the company adds that sources of inspiration included a "blended wing body" aeroplane (see picture below) in which the fuselage and wings blend into a single body.
Inside, the styling is very similar to the outgoing Civic 5d with a double layered dashboard combining both analogue and digital displays. Honda says it has improved interior quality as well as passenger space.
Under the sheetmetal, the ninth generation of the Civic sports a heavily revised version of the previous model's suspension system, which means it retains a rear torsion beam. Nevertheless, Honda's engineers claim that the reworked parts will improve the car's ride quality, comfort as well as handling and body control.
We're still waiting for more information on the available powertrains, but Honda previously disclosed that the 2012 Civic 5d will be offered with a revised 2.2-liter i-DTEC engine delivering 150HP, 10 more than the outgoing model's 2.2L CDTi unit. At the same time, CO2 emissions are down 29g/km to 110 g/km, 29 g/km.
Production of the European market hatchback will take place exclusively at Honda’s Swindon plant in the United Kingdom, with sales to start early next year.

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IAA 2011: 2012 Hyundai i30

Hyundai has released some new chatter regarding the second generation of its i30compact hatchback that will make its grand debut at next week's 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt
The South Korean car manufacturer's Ford Focus and VW Golf challenger will go on sale in Europe as a five-door hatchback in the Spring of 2012.
Buyers will have a choice of two direct-injection gasoline engines with a displacement of 1.4-liters and 1.6-liters, and two CRDi turbo diesels, again with a displacement of 1.4-liters and 1.6-liters.
All the available engines are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, while in the case of stronger gasoline and diesel versions Hyundai will also offer an optional six-speed automatic transmission.
For the first time in a Hyundai car of this size, the i30 will be available with a knee airbag for the driver, adaptive headlights, instruments with a high-resolution TFT LCD display and an electric parking brake.
Other available options will include a large panoramic sunroof and an integrated navigation system with a 7-inch color monitor and a rearview camera.
Like its predecessor, the new i30 has been designed and engineered at the Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre in Rüsselsheim, Germany.
The i30's styling represents a further evolution of Hyundai's ‘fluidic sculpture’ form language with both the exterior and interior design modeled closely after the i40 sedan / estate series.
Thomas Bürkle, Chief Designer at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre, commented: “The new-generation i30 is recognisable thanks to the Hyundai family face with its signature hexagonal-shaped front grille and the jewel-like design of the headlamps, together with distinctive daytime running lights. These lights present an angular shape within a more softly-edged recess, adding a strong personality to the vehicle, as well as a sense of refinement and luxury.”
“Through the profile of the new generation i30, a strong character line runs over the front and rear wheelarches all the way to the tail lamps. A softer, lower character line rises up the car’s flank creating a play of light and shadow – a fundamental feature of fluidic sculpture,” Thomas Bürkle concluded.
The South Korean automaker said more body styles will be added to the i30's range in the near future, without, however, disclosing any specific details.
The only version of the outgoing i30 that is sold in the United States, is the i30 Tourer marketed as the Elantra Tourer. 

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Video: 2012 Ford Focus ST Hot Hatch

Unless Ford is preparing an even bigger surprise for us, the company's recent announcement on the unveiling of the "next performance Focus" at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show strongly suggests that we will see the final production version of the Focus ST in Germany.
But until then, Ford has unleashed yet another media campaign on the internet that marks the final (or at least we hope it’s the final…) countdown for the release of the new Focus ST, which we saw in showcar form in Paris last year.
The campaign, which will also run on social media sites like facebook, will see Ford sharing both exclusive video and photography guiding us through the development of the model.
"This is Ford’s first truly global performance vehicle, and social media gives us a rare opportunity to show enthusiasts how this car is progressing, gives insight into its technologies and builds excitement in this community as we finalize Focus ST’s technical specifications,” said Jost Capito, Director of Global Performance Vehicles and Motorsport
The front-wheel drive-only 2012 Focus ST is equipped with a new 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine churning out approximately 250-horsepower.
“We are determined that the new Focus ST will meet the very high expectations of our fans around the world,” said Capito. “Focus ST will deliver on the promise of great technology, exciting driving dynamics and high levels of refinement – making it as enjoyable to use for everyday driving as it will be on exciting and challenging roads we performance enthusiasts deliberately seek out," he added.

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2012 Toyota Camry Appears in Different Form in Ukraine

After this week's world premiere of the North American market 2012 Camry, Toyota is now preparing the debuts of its mid-size sedan in other regions of the world. First up is the Ukrainian version, which will most likely be offered in the same form in other surrounding markets including Russia.

While both iterations of the 2012 Toyota Camry share the same body and platform, the Ukrainian model sports a different and more prominent front-end design with bespoke headlamp units, bumper, hood, grille and front fenders.

The profile remains the same while at the rear Toyota's designers extended the tail lamps and restyled the deck lid that now features a subtle lip.

Inside, the changes seem to be limited to the region-specific trim and color options plus a different glove box design.

Toyota Ukraine said the new 2012 Camry will be offered locally with a choice of 2.5-liter four-cylinder and 3.5-liter six-cylinder gasoline engines, and prices starting from US$33,050, with more details to be available before the end of the year.

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Audi Reveals New A8 Hybrid At 2012

A little over a year after the presentation of its A8 Hybrid Concept at the 2010 edition of the Geneva Salon, Audi is introducing the final production version of its frugal four-cylinder limousine, which goes on sale in 2012.Confirming our suspicions that the concept label was misleading, Audi made very few changes to the production model such as the smaller (18" instead of 21") but same design alloy wheels and the more conventional looking engine cover.
There are no changes under the hood with the car featuring a parallel hybrid powertrain that combines a modified 2.0-liter turbocharged TFSI gasoline engine delivering 211HP and 350 Nm (258.15 lb-ft) of torque, with a disc-shaped electric motor that develops 40 kW (54HP) and 210 Nm (154.89 lb-ft).
Audi says the short-term system output is rated at 245-horsepower and 480 Nm (345.03 lb-ft) of torque.
The electric motor is mounted in the space usually occupied by the torque converter in front of the modified eight-speed tiptronic transmission, which guides power to the front wheels. Electric energy is stored in a lithium-ion battery, which weighs 36.7 kilograms (80.9 lb) and is located in a crash-proof area in the trunk.
In terms of performance, the A8 Hybrid goes from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in 7.7 seconds and has a top speed of 235 km/h (146 mph).
Its fuel consumption in the EU cycle is said to be under 6.4 liters per 100 km (36.8mpg US or 44.1mpg UK), and CO2 emissions below 148 grams per km (238.2 g/mile).
In addition, the A8 Hybrid can travel on electric power alone at speeds of up to 100km/h (62mph) and for a distance of up to three kilometers or 1.86 miles at a constant 60km/h (37 mph).
The driver can choose from three different modes including "EV", in which priority is given to the electric drive, "D" where the system controls both the engine and the electric motor, and finally the "S" mode for a sportier driving style.
Visually, the A8 Hybrid sports some subtle differences over the standard model including the turbine rotor-style alloy wheels (18-inch standard, 19-inch optional), special badges on the outside, an available, exclusive Arctic Silver finish and a bespoke instrument panel.
Pricing and availability are expected to be announced at next month's 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

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