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10 Awesome Car Commercials to help you waste your day.

MrAngry — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:15:50 +0000

Now, before ya’ll get all twitchy on me because your favorite car commercial isn’t on this list, listen up! THIS ISN’T YOUR LIST – it’s my list. HOWEVER – if you know of some funny or awesome stuff out there then let us know and we’ll post it up. Hell, we can just make one big bulldog database of the best automotive commercials ever made… I’ll even put it together, just make sure you get me your recommendations.

Citroen C4 – TRANSFORM!!

Ok fine, it’s a bit hokey, but I grew up in the 1980’s and I dig these guys. Plus how often do you get to see a car really let loose and boogie down?

Mercedes Benz C63 AMG

Its’ got loads and loads of tire smoke… nuff said.

Steve McQueen and the 2005 Ford Mustang

Here we see the King of Automotive Cool – Steve McQueen, ripping up the same corn field that Ray Liotta played ball on.

Ford GT – The One

I remember seeing this during the Super Bowl a few years back and thinking that this was one BAD ASS mofo…

1990 Nissan 300 ZX

In YO’ FACE KEN!!!

VW – TIME TO UNPIMP ZA’ AUTO!

These are probably some of the most brilliant ads I’ve seen in a while. Very well done VW…

Ford Sport KA – Evil little bastard…

God… wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if this could really happen.

Ferrari Shell Commercial

This is without a doubt one of the BEST commercials ever made and it’s not even a car commercial. The editing on this is just spectacular.

Aiwa Car Stereo

So it’s not a car commercial, so what. Its got cars in it and it’s freakin’ hilarious, therefore it qualifies.

Honda

This ad is neither funny, nor exciting, but man if doesn’t keep your interest…

Minnesota Vikings & ALA Team Up To Reward Flex Fuel Vehicles

Suzanne Denbow — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:25:10 +0000

In what can best be described as an extremely odd move, the Minnesota Vikings and the American Lung Association have joined forces to reward drivers of flex-fuel vehicles. During Viking’s home games, fans with vehicles capable of running on both ethanol (E85) and gasoline will be given complimentary parking in the coveted Gold Lot at 401 4th Street South. Unfortunately, lot capacity and budget concerns mean only the first 25 FFV will be able to take advantage of the premium parking, all others will have to fork over the standard $40 fee.

No word yet on whether they’ll be rewarding drivers who lack the financial resources to purchase an FFV that are still forced to use [redacted] E85 thanks to [redacted] statewide regulations and are subsequently causing irreparable damage to their engine because it wasn’t originally engineered to run on [redacted] corn. Not that we’re bitter.

Source: PRNewswire

Cash For Clunkers Leads to Highest New Car MPG

Alex Kierstein — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:55:08 +0000

The continuing saga of the Cash for Clunkers plan has gotten more interesting as new reports emerge that suggest that the program has actually increased the average gas mileage of all new cars sold during that period to a record 23 MPG. That’s an 8% increase from 21.2 MPG in August 2008 and the best numbers recorded since gas hit $4/gallon back in the dark days of 2007. So should we celebrate or sagely shake our heads? More after the jump.

Interpreting the data runs into that old causative/correlative situation, meaning that at it’s difficult to attribute the increased new car mileage directly to Clunkers. Still, it would be tough to argue that the program didn’t have at least some impact on those numbers. Lots of commentators are suggesting that news like this, coupled with news that truck sales are off so significantly they may not recover, points to the American consumer finally and permanently altering their car buying habits and gravitating towards more fuel-efficient options. But who knows? Maybe gas will sink back down to 99 cents a gallon and GMC will crank out 46-passenger wheeled aircraft carriers as fast as they can. But I digress … whatever the actual reason, whenever average vehicle mileage goes up it’s a good thing in my book.

[Source]

MPG Standards To Increase 5% Per Year Until 35.5 MPG Is Reached

Suzanne Denbow — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:32:52 +0000

Addressing the public from GM’s Lordstown plant in Warren, Ohio, President Obama shared more details on his new proposal to raise the national MPG requirements. Beginning with a 27.3 mpg for the 2011 model year, fuel efficiency requirements will be raised by 5% each year until reaching 35.5 mpg in 2016, at which point micro hybrids will replace both bike messengers and jaywalkers as the one aspect of city life you sincerely hate the most.

Although tougher fuel economy regulations might seem a direct conflict of interest for automakers, the new policy is welcomed by the domestic industry with open arms, presumably because two-thirds of it is owned by the policymakers themselves. Wincing slightly from the rigorous bouts of federal sodomy, General Motors said in a statement, “A strong, single national fuel economy standard will benefit consumers and automakers alike by helping get more clean and efficient vehicles on the road quickly and more affordably. We will work closely with the Administration throughout the rulemaking process to support the historic agreement that GM and the auto industry reached last May. Greater consistency and certainty among a variety of regulations will help a new GM execute its current product plan centered on new technologies and more highly fuel efficient and quality cars and trucks.”

Source: GM, AP Wire
Image Cred: Reuters Pictures

UPDATED: 2011 Chevrolet Volt To Get At Least 230 Miles Per Gallon in the City

Chris — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:49:28 +0000

On a Webcast Tuesday morning, GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson announced that the upcoming Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle is expected to achieve at least 230 mpg in the city.

“Are we overpromising?” Henderson said in response to a question from a skeptical reporter in the audience. “No. That’s what the customer will see in the city.”

At the moment, GM is unable to give an accurate highway fuel economy estimate, but rest assured, “it will be triple digit…But we don’t have it yet,” said Henderson.

This means that the Volt will be the first mass-produced vehicle to claim a combined fuel-economy rating of more than 100 mpg. And as it looks now, using EPA methodology, GM says the Volt will “consume as little as 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles in city driving.”

For all us layman out there, that means that it will cost the average consumer in Detroit “40 cents for a full charge” after recharging the Volt overnight.

GM has already begun pre-production of the Volt since June, producing 10 units per week for testing and development. Already, though, engineers have begun tweaking the platform for future Generation 2 and 3 models, with the primary aim of bringing the cost down from the estimated $40,000 sticker price for the 2011 Volt.

Henderson also charted the course of future models when he commented that GM plans to shun diesel technology in favor of electrics and hybrids.

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The New Face Of GM?

“We’re putting our bets in the U.S. on electrics and hybrids,” he said. “Electric does diversify away from petroleum.”

GM provided more details on the Volt’s modes of operation, and for your convenience, we’ve included the tasty tid-bits you may actually care about here:

The Chevrolet Volt uses grid electricity as its primary source of energy to propel the car. There are two modes of operation: Electric and Extended-Range. In electric mode, the Volt will not use gasoline or produce tailpipe emissions when driving. During this primary mode of operation, the Volt is powered by electrical energy stored in its 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

When the battery reaches a minimum state of charge, the Volt automatically switches to Extended-Range mode. In this secondary mode of operation, an engine-generator produces electricity to power the vehicle. The energy stored in the battery supplements the engine-generator when additional power is needed during heavy accelerations or on steep inclines.

“The 230 city mpg number is a great indication of the capabilities of the Volt’s electric propulsion system and its ability to displace gasoline,” said Frank Weber, global vehicle line executive for the Volt. “Actual testing with production vehicles will occur next year closer to vehicle launch. However, we are very encouraged by this development, and we also think that it is important to continue to share our findings in real time, as we have with other aspects of the Volt’s development.”

Now, it’s no secret that the Volt is still miles away from being production ready, and certain little everyday details haven’t been worked out yet, such as providing a way for owners who don’t own a garage and intend to park their cars out on the street a way to charge their vehicles. Henderson assured the press that innovation is coming.

We’re thinking extra-long extension cords, electrified to keep somebody from siphoning your ‘tricity.

Regardless of brand loyalty, GM is part of the American Soul, and their success is integral to the longevity of every domestic automaker. And we have our finger’s crossed that come next year, the Volt will be everything we’ve all hyped it to be.

SOURCE: GM

BREAKING: Confirmed Plans To Produce Environmentally-Friendly Honda NSX

Chris — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:14:44 +0000

A few months ago Honda aficionado’s were buzzing over spy shots of the resurrected NSX carving corners around the Nurburgring, with rumors of a GTR-killing V10 under the hood. But a poor economic climate nixed that great return. Or so we thought.

Sources from 7Tune.com have reported that the NSX will indeed be produced, although Honda’s focus for the car has substantially shifted away from world-class supercar benchmarks towards more environmentally-friendly purposes. Instead of the GTR, the “Super Hybrids Sports” NSX will be a direct competitor with Toyota’s FT-HS hybrid sports car, another performance nameplate reslated as a green car to take advantage of an increasingly petrol-phobic market.

Click the jump for more details.

Instead of a V10, the new NSX will make use of a next generation “valveless throttle” 3.5L V6 coupled with a hybrid system (predictably from the Legend/Acura RL) to produce around 450HP. But if Honda hopes to take the fuel-efficiency crown from the FT-HS, it will have to solve some pesky weight problems resulting from the use of the SH-AWD bolted to the aluminum platform as well as a rear transaxle similar to the GTR.

Whatever the final product will look and drive like remains to be seen, as the previously announced 2010 release date will no doubt be delayed at least a year.

Pricing has also not been confirmed, not even in ball park estimates. So the NSX falls under similar scrutiny as the Tesla and other green-spun sports cars: Will the car be fun enough and efficient enough to justify its premium price tag? It’s a question most middle classers will have to ask in the hypothetical.

SOURCE: 7tune.com

BMW Considering Return Of Four-Cylinder Engine To U.S.

Geoff — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:58:10 +0000

Kicking It Truly Old School: BMW 2002

Like it or not, after a long absence, BMW may bring four-cylinder engines back to the U.S. to help it meet stricter fuel economy standards. According to Bloomberg, rather than make an even stronger case for clean diesel engines, (which Americans just can’t seem to embrace), BMW is seriously contemplating a return to smaller engines.

BMW 1 Series: Likely Engine Candidate

About half of BMW’s models worldwide have diesel engines: the 1 Series, 3 Series, X3 compact SUV, and the entry level version of the midsize 5 Series sedan. In the U.S., BMW offers a six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine on two models: the BMW 335d and the BMW X5 xDrive35. A four-cylinder BMW diesel that produces 204 hp was named Europe’s engine of the year in 2008 but it’s not offered here. Most obvious candidates for a downsized engine would be either the 1 Series and/or 3 Series compact sedans.

Pristine Four-Cylinder From 1972 BMW 2002 tii

While older BMWs that used four-cylinder engines were notoriously underpowered, modern twin-turbocharged four-cylinder engines are capable of around 200 horsepower, or roughly the same amount as current six-cylinder engines. Unfortunately, they also cost more to make. BMW stopped importing four-cylinders into the U.S. in 1999.

Axis and Allies: Volkswagen May Partner With Suzuki

Geoff — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:43:57 +0000

Suzuki Splash: One Byproduct of Suzuki/GM Coupling

Reading like a reenactment of German and Japanese diplomacy during WWII, Volkswagen continues to consolidate its status as the world’s most dominant automaker with discussions of acquiring a stake in Suzuki while the Japanese automaker relaxes ties with former affiliate GM.

In a move that has investors foaming at the mouth, according to both the Wall Street Journal and German media sources, Volkswagen is interested in a 10 percent stake in Suzuki, which GM, which first invested in Suzuki in 1981, sold its remaining 3 percent equity stake in November to raise badly need money. GM and Suzuki continue to cooperate on development of hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles.

Suzuki Kizashi 3 Concept

Suzuki is the fourth largest Japanese automaker, but makes up nearly half of all cars sold in India, a market where 75% of the cars sold are small hatchbacks and seemed poised to explode before the worldwide economic downturn. Nevertheless, Suzuki is among the few automakers to forecast a profit for the current fiscal year.

The possible partnership between the German and Japanese companies follows intense negotiations between VW and Porsche about a possible merger with the sports-car maker. One of the factors driving investor interest in Suzuki’s shares is the possibility that any potential tie with Volkswagen, Europe’s biggest automaker by sales, could help the Japanese firms bid to further develop fuel-efficient technologies, an area VW is particularly adept in.

Wunderbar! BMW Tweaking Excellent Twin-Turbo Diesel

Alex Kierstein — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:53:10 +0000

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Image: Autoblog

BMW is doing a round of upgrades to the European-spec versions of its excellent twin-turbo 3.0L diesel engines, which we only just received in the States in late 2008. Two main technologies have been updated to allow more power and efficiency. First, the common-rail fuel injection system now supports a whopping 29,000 PSI injector pressure, up 6,000 PSI over the last version, allowing greater control over the mixture. The turbos have also been tweaked to scavenge power more efficiently. What does it all add up to?

20 HP and 14 ft-lbs of torque, that’s what. For a total of 306 HP and 442 ft-lbs of torque … you read that right, these engines are torque monsters. This also comes with a 4% fuel economy increase and a reduction in emissions. Not too shabby, BMW. Keep up the good work. (Oh, by the way, no word on when US-spec motors will be getting these upgrades, but even without them the US-spec cars, with 428 ft-lbs of torque, aren’t exactly soft in the power department.)

Press Release Below:
BMW Technology Day 2009.EfficientDynamics.

* 22.06.2009

Lower emissions, more driving pleasure: No other car maker besides the BMW Group applies this principle so convincingly and successfully in practice. Both today and in a long-term comparison, BMW and MINI are far ahead of all competitors in the premium segment in reducing both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
This unique position held by the BMW Group is the result of the EfficientDynamics development strategy comprising all innovations serving to reduce fuel consumption and emissions versus the former model and, at the same time, enhance road performance to an even higher standard.

This is made possible by the fundamental, all-round philosophy of BMW EfficientDynamics. Optimisation of vehicle efficiency is indeed the guideline applied by the BMW Group in all areas of vehicle development, bearing testimony to the unique competence of the BMW Group in terms of powertrain, transmission and suspension technology, promoting the intelligent flow of energy within the vehicle as well as the intelligent choice of materials for superior lightweight construction, and ensuring the permanent optimisation of aerodynamics.

Like the latest results in the area of engine and transmission development, the new Aerodynamic Test Centre (ATC) now completed by the BMW Group clearly confirms the Company’s consistent quest for further progress in the context of EfficientDynamics. Ongoing reduction of fuel consumption and emissions calls time and again for new, massive investments in the Company’s research and development facilities, since only highly qualified specialists using the most advanced technology are able to create trendsetting, future-oriented concepts for individual mobility.
As the world’s most successful manufacturer of premium cars, the BMW Group readily faces this responsibility and develops an above-average commitment in offering Sheer Driving Pleasure on even less fuel and with even lower emissions.

The most efficient premium cars come from BMW and MINI.

Innovations serving to reduce fuel consumption and emissions are an elementary part of the product substance in each and every BMW and MINI. So it is fair to say that every new BMW and MINI comes with the latest features in EfficientDynamics combined individually in each case in accordance with the character and nature of the respective model.

No other car maker currently offers such a huge range of efficiency-promoting technologies throughout all vehicle segments, without even charging an extra price for these breakthroughs in technology. So again, this approach to the requirements of today and tomorrow confirms the unique character and philosophy of BMW EfficientDynamics in the world of motoring.

Through the consistent use of appropriate technologies with their high impact throughout the entire model range, BMW is able to offer a full-scale, all-inclusive improvement significantly reducing CO2 emissions in road traffic.
The unique BMW EfficientDynamics strategy comes out clearly in an objective comparison of average fuel consumption and emission figures. According to statistics compiled by the German Motor Vehicle Registration Authority, the average fuel consumption of all BMW and MINI vehicles registered in Germany in 2008 is just 5.9 litres/100 kilometres, equal to 47.9 mpg imp, the average CO2 rating is 158 grams per kilometre. Both figures are significantly lower than the average of all vehicles registered in Germany in 2008.

Making further progress in the improvement of efficiency in recent times, the BMW Group stands out clearly also from other manufacturers in the premium segment. From 2006 to 2008 alone, BMW’s average fuel consumption and CO2 ratings were down by 16, the average MINI ratings by 20 per cent. These improvements are more than twice as good as the next-best level of improvement achieved by a competitor in the premium segment.

In all, the reduction in average CO2 emissions achieved by the BMW Group, as calculated by the German Motor Vehicle Registration Authority as a non-partisan observer, is four times greater than the average figure for all car makers operating in the German market.

EfficientDynamics: a firm part of the BMW Group’s product substance and corporate philosophy.
The leadership held by the BMW Group over the competition results not just from short-term action or new priorities, but is rather the result of a consistent, ongoing strategy. On a European level this is borne out, among other things, by a reduction of fleet consumption between 1995 and 2008 of far more than 25 per cent, meaning that the BMW Group with the BMW and MINI brands has already over-fulfilled the commitment made by the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA).

The EfficientDynamics development strategy, production processes able to save resources, and high social standards for employees at all company locations are fundamental highlights of the BMW Group’s corporate philosophy. These factors help not only the products made by the BMW Group, but also the Company itself, to take on and maintain an outstanding position within the car industry – a position reflected, among other things, by the latest Dow Jones Index. This ranking compiled jointly by the Dow Jones Indices, Stoxx Limited, and the Zurich-based Assets Management Company SAM, is acknowledged as the world’s most important benchmark for entrepreneurial responsibility. And precisely here the BMW Group is ranked for the fourth time in a row as the “World’s Most Sustainable Car Maker”.

Through its clear focus on innovation and sustainability, the BMW Group is particularly well prepared for the challenges of the future. The BMW Group uses its competence in technology and financial resources specifically to offer vehicles combining supreme efficiency and fascinating performance both today and in the future.

An investment in the future: the Aerodynamic Test Centre.

No other car maker is as committed as the BMW Group to making lasting and substantial investments in the enhanced efficiency of new models. Building the new Aerodynamic Test Centre, the BMW Group now has even greater competence and qualifications than before in the area of innovative technologies contributing in the medium and long term to the further improvement of all BMW and MINI models in their fundamental strengths and benefits. For optimisation of the car’s aerodynamic qualities improves both its performance and efficiency, as well as the driving stability offered by the car on the road. Precisely this is why optimum aerodynamics is already a fundamental factor today in the development of new models.

Building the ATC, the BMW Group is giving even greater emphasis to the ongoing enhancement of aerodynamics as an essential cornerstone of the EfficientDynamics philosophy. Optimised aerodynamics have a direct impact on the car’s fuel economy and emission management, a reduction of air drag by 10 per cent offering the customer a reduction in fuel consumption on the road by more than 2.5 per cent – and even such an at first sight “insignificant” improvement is of great importance to the BMW Group as part of an overall package for the enhancement of efficiency.

With BMW Group cars already offering excellent aerodynamic qualities today, further improvement and, indeed, optimisation, calls for a substantial investment. So making such an investment in the ATC, the BMW Group clearly expresses its intention to use all facilities also in future in order to improve both fuel economy and emission management to an even higher standard.

The ATC offers new options and potentials in analysing the aerodynamic qualities of a car – and at the same time flexible processes applied at the ATC as well as its location in the immediate vicinity of the BMW Group’s Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) optimises the integration of all activities in the overall process of vehicle development. In future, therefore, the BMW Group’s aerodynamic specialists will be working next door and hand-in-hand with BMW’s designers, constructors, engine specialists and other experts.

Over and above such enhanced integration into the development process, the ATC has facilities and capabilities unique the world over in determining aero-dynamic features and qualities in a truly realistic process. One option, for example, is to analyse new models at a very early stage of development in a wide range of different situations with all test scenarios following real-life driving conditions. This means not only the consideration of all kinds of speed ranges, but also different driving situations such as driving in a bend, taking the actual movement of the body into account.

A further point is that the ATC is now able for the first time to render and analyse the interaction of a car with other vehicles, for example when overtaking, thus offering yet another new benefit in the development of production cars.
So far such tests could only be conducted on the test track, with cars almost completely developed in every respect. Now the knowledge gained in this process can be fed back into the development process much earlier, serving to effectively optimise a new model right from the start.

Most advanced wind tunnel technology for realistic measurements.

The BMW Group’s new Aerodynamic Test Centre is the world’s most modern facility of its kind throughout the entire automotive industry. The ATC comprises a wind tunnel serving to analyse vehicles in their original size. To reproduce the most important effects and phenomena when driving on the road, the road surface is modelled through a simulation process using no less than five rolling tracks.

A second wind tunnel allows the engineer to move the models tested from one position to the other by means of a control system operating in all directions above the world’s largest rolling road in a wind tunnel. This serves to analyse vehicle flow conditions under all kinds of circumstances, applying a concept already used for a number of years in motorsport. Now, therefore, aerodynamics and driving dynamics may interact and be combined with one another also in the development of production cars.

The number of scenarios available as well as the precision of the test processes applied at the ATC offer a standard quite unique for a facility of this kind. Both wind tunnels, to mention just one example, are able to generate an air flow velocity of up to 300 km/h or 186 mph, for the first time providing exactly the right, correct physical conditions for the measurement of true-to-scale models.

In all, the BMW Group has invested some Euro 170 million in the construction of the Aerodynamic Test Centre and the facilities/equipment used. Within about three years, the five-floor building constructed on a piece of land measuring approximately 25,000 square metres or 6.2 acres has been completed in the immediate vicinity of the Munich FIZ Research and Innovation Centre and boasts architecture quite unique at very first sight, providing a clear hint from the beginning that the technology used inside is very special indeed.

One example of this distinctive look and architecture is the round contour of the fan for the horizontally arranged air flow ring in the main wind tunnel clearly recognisable on the southern side of the building. The vertical air flow ring for the model wind tunnel, in turn, likewise stands out clearly in the centre of the ATC.

BMW’s EfficientDynamics specialists focusing in the ATC specifically on aerodynamics used to work at no less than five different locations before moving into the new Test Centre, travelling up to 20 kilometres in order to work together in the wind tunnel. Now, by putting all these specialists together in one building, the BMW Group ensures direct contact with extremely small distances between the various specialists and has established new processes for highly efficient interaction and cooperation. In all, some 500 specialists in BMW EfficientDynamics will be working together in the new building.

Even more efficient: new generation of straight-six power units with turbocharger technology.

Together with the new ATC, BMW is proudly presenting the latest results in the development of particularly powerful and, at the same time, impressively economical straight-six power units. Indeed, these new engines, whether running on gasoline or diesel fuel, offer a significantly better balance of fuel economy and superior performance than ever before – quite simply, because both engines use special technologies developed by BMW to enhance both efficiency and dynamic performance. Both power units therefore offer the same kind of momentum and superiority in the development of power otherwise provided only by a much larger eight-cylinder, while at the same time they are naturally much lighter and offer substantially better fuel economy and emission management.
BMW’s new TwinPower Turbo gasoline engine developing 225 kW/306 hp for the first time combines turbocharging, direct fuel injection and fully variable valve management in one drive unit. This combination of a twin-scroll turbocharger with High Precision Injection and VALVETRONIC exclusive to BMW gives the new engine fully suited for the world market not only unusually spontaneous and direct behaviour, but also exceptionally low fuel consumption and emission ratings.

This 3.0-litre six-cylinder develops its maximum torque of 400 Newton-metres or 295 lb-ft at an engine speed of just 1,200 rpm and then maintains this superior torque level all the way to 5,000 rpm. In comparison with the straight-six featuring Twin Turbo technology and High Precision Injection already featured in several model series, the engine at the same time offers a further reduction of fuel consumption by up to 9 per cent.

Introducing an additional top version of the six-cylinder diesel already featured in the BMW 730d and the BMW 330d, BMW once again proves the outstanding potential this engine technology has to offer. Again, the new generation of BMW’s straight-six diesel, combining multi-stage turbocharging with common-rail direct fuel injection, offers fascinatingly dynamic power and performance with maximum efficiency. And again in the spirit of BMW EfficientDynamics, numerous innovations on the all-aluminium engine as such, the two turbochargers and the injection system ensure a significant increase in power as well as a further reduction of fuel consumption and emissions. Not only the turbocharger system is even more efficient than before, but also the supply of fuel through piezo-injectors operating at an injection pressure of up to 2,000 bar.

The new 3.0-litre BMW TwinPower Turbo diesel delivers maximum output of 225 kW/306 hp at an engine speed of 4,400 rpm, with peak torque of 600 Newton-metres/442 lb-ft at just 1,500 rpm. These figures alone allow the new engine to take over the leading position from its own predecessor as the most sporting and dynamic six-cylinder diesel in the world, at the same time offering some 4 per cent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
BMW’s new eight-speed automatic transmission: the intelligent way to more gears, greater efficiency and enhanced driving dynamics.

BMW’s new eight-speed automatic transmission is yet another example of how outstanding engineering qualities are able to offer a significant improvement in driving pleasure and, at the same time, far greater efficiency than ever before.

This innovative power transmission first introduced in the twelve-cylinder BMW 760i and BMW 760Li excels in particular through its exceptional efficiency and wide range of qualities. At the same time, through its special characteristics, the new eight-speed transmission raises both the motoring comfort and the dynamic performance of the respective model to an even higher standard.

Yet a further important point is that this significant progress over BMW’s six-speed automatic transmissions already lauded the world over for their superior gearshift dynamics and efficiency has been achieved in a particularly intelligent manner. The two additional gears give the entire transmission an even broader range of increments and, at the same time, keep the change in engine speed when shifting from one gear to the other even smaller than before. Thanks to the innovative configuration of the gearsets, the number of additional components required and, accordingly, the weight of the new eight-speed automatic transmisson, has been reduced to a minimum.

Converter slip limited to the lowest range of engine speeds, a high degree of inner efficiency, low frictional losses with only two clutches open at a time, the longer transmission ratio of the higher gears, and the improved suppression of vibrations enabling the driver to use the car much more at low speeds, help to reduce fuel consumption versus the former six-speed automatic transmission by approximately 6 per cent.

A further important point is that the eight-speed automatic transmission enhances the dynamic qualities of the engine by opening and closing only one clutch at a time in nearly all gearshifts, even when shifting down by more than one gear. This offers an important benefit so far provided only by the double-clutch gearbox and combined in this case with all the benefits of an automatic transmission relevant to the customer, such as dynamic acceleration from low engine speeds.

The new eight-speed automatic transmission is also a particularly future-oriented solution for the transmission of power in a premium car. It may be combined with all kinds of engines varying in their design and performance, being used not only in cars with rear-wheel drive, but also in all-wheel-drive models. And at the same time the eight-speed automatic transmission also has all the qualities to form a perfect combination with hybrid drive. This alone ensures a unique blend of efficiency and dynamism on a brand-new level, proving that this concept perfectly suited for the future will be heading for success after reaching production level in the course of 2009.
The new options offered by BMW’s Aerodynamic Test Centre, together with current and future innovations in drivetrain technology, will serve on many occasions to solve the conflict of interests between growing dynamics and optimised economy in all segments of the market. As a result, therefore, the BMW Group has an even better position than ever before in developing cars for the future which, through their design and driving qualities, will offer a fascinating driving experience combined with equally supreme fuel economy and emission management.

[Source: BMW]

Dodge Viper SRT-10 Roadster “Least Green Car in Britain.” How Is This News?

Alex Kierstein — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:32:54 +0000

A British charity organization that focuses on helping the environment by reducing the use of cars has released a report showing that the Dodge SRT-10 Roadster (how they badge the Viper across the pond) is the worst car in Britain (from an environmental standpoint). Which is clearly no great surprise – the 8.3L pushrod two-valve motor is a dinosaur, and it’s up against a load of tiny French cars and other assorted European nonsense.

Probably it’s no surprise that the report compared cars based on their fuel economy, emissions, and other similar metrics. The Honda Insight took the prize for best green car, while the “worst” category was reserved mostly for high-performance German and American offerings. The report can be found here if you want to take a peek, but you probably won’t be surprised by any of the results.

[Source: ETA]