Bertone, the Turin-based coach builder, has released a couple of sketches of its new Nuccio Concept that will debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March. The Bertone Nuccio Concept will celebrate the brand’s 100-year anniversary and will be a sedan based on a mid-engine platform.
The name of the concept was taken from the founder Giovanni Bertone’s son, who took over the company and separated it into two divisions – one division of the company was focused on building vehicles while the other was focused on designing them for clients.
Giuseppe ‘Nuccio’ Bertone died in 1997.
Stay tuned for more details from the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
- By: Omar Rana
Opel has dropped some new images and details on the new Astra OPC, that will make its public debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Based on the new Opel Astra GTC hatchback, the Astra OPC is powered by a 2.0 liter direct injection turbo gasoline engine making 276-hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. Mated to a 6-speed manual transmission that pushes power two the front wheels, top speed goes until 155 mph.
The Astra OPC is fitted with a sport-tuned suspension, including high-performance front struts. But the coolest thing provided to the fastest Astra ever are the high-performance bucket seat with state-of-the art technology.
“Opel is the world’s first auto manufacturer to use this material in the shell of a production car seat,” says Armin Rossmann, the leader of the OPC seat development team. “The most powerful Astra ever deserves the best technology in all areas, including seating.”
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At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Pininfarina will be showing a new concept that it calls the Cambiano Concept. The concept hints at a elegant and refined sport sedan so you can expect it to have a sloping rear roofline like the Aston Martin Rapide, Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz CLS.
Following three teasers that Pininfarina released last month, the company has now dropped a video teaser before the Cambiano’s Geneva debut.
Check out the video after the jump.
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Ever since the new Nissan GT-R made its return, it’s been considered the pinnacle of supercar performance. It nails everything from acceleration, to braking, to cornering to the overall way it makes a driver feel. Our friends at AutoCar decided to pin the new 540-hp 2013 Nissan GT-R (known as the 2012 model year in the UK) against the new 560-hp 2012 BMW M5 to find out if the new M5 can hold up to the hardcore Godzilla.
Check out their take after the jump.
Refresher:
- BMW M5: The 2012 BMW M5 is powered by a 4.4L V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo (consisting of Twin Scroll Twin Turbo Technology) making 560-hp between 6,000 and 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 502 lb-ft from 1,500 rpm. Mated to a 7-speed M Double Clutch Transmission Drivelogic (with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters), the 2012 BMW M5 goes from 0 to 62 mph in 4.4 seconds, 0 to 124 mph in 13 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph or 190 mph with M Driver’s Package.
- Nissan GT-R: The 2013 Nissan GT-R being the most powerful, is powered by a 3.8-liter twin turbo V6 engine making 545-hp, an increase of 15-hp over the 2012 GT-R, and torque has been increased from 448 lb-ft to 463 lb-ft. 0 to 62 mph for the 2013 GT-R has been reported to come in at 2.84 seconds.
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Buick got the attention of classic car insurance firm Hagerty Insurance with its latest Regal GS model, which made the insurer’s “2012 Hot List”, receiving special recognition.
The Hot List is a list of mass market classic cars priced under $100,000. ”In order to be included on the annual Hagerty Hot List, the vehicle must be geared toward the driving enthusiast beyond just being a form of transportation,” said Hagerty.” Like the other Buick classics listed here, the 2012 Regal GS will be remembered more than most of its peers for many years down the road.”
Given Hagerty’s strong opinion of the Buick, it was placed on the Hot List amongst all classic cars. One of the outstanding factors of the model is the manual transmission, which they commented “at a time when allegedly more sporting makes don’t offer real three-pedal manual transmissions, Buick is doing it with the Regal GS.”
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Toyota has released a teaser of a new concept called the FT-Bh Concept. The concept is an “ultra-lightweight, full hybrid vehicle study, designed to achieve low emissions within an economically viable production framework.”
Toyota wasn’t afraid to say that the process and the main concept behind the FT-Bh was to avoid the use of expensive materials or complex development and use only those materials that are commonplace in the automotive industry.
THe Toyota FT-Bh Concept will be making its world debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show next month.
- By: Omar Rana
Kelly Blue Book has just released an all new set of awards called the Total Cost of Ownership Awards for current model-year vehicles and brands.
The awards are based on the initial five years of ownership costs, and go to those brands and models with the lowest figures. Costs included are finance and insurance fees, maintenance and repair costs, expected fuel costs, depreciation and state fees.
Kia and Audi topped the list with the lowest cost of ownership for the brand and luxury brand categories, respectively. Notable wins include Audi, receiving recognition for fuel economy and low depreciation, while Kia got noticed for its improvement in quality. The Chevy Volt managed to beat out the Nissan Leaf in the Electric car category, while the Nissan Versa just edged out the Hyundai Accent and Toyota Yaris for supcompacts. Honda competed against itself in the hybrid category, with the Insight beating the Civic Hybrid and the CR-Z.
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Here is the moment all of you electric-car fans have been waiting for so far this year – Tesla Motors has just unveiled its new Model X crossover – “a vehicle it says blends the best of an SUV with the benefits of a minivan.”
Based on the same vehicle platform as the Tesla Model S sedan, the TVP (Tesla Vehicle Platform), the Model X actually turns out to be sport crossover with a low center of gravity and nimble tight handling. Obviously, the torque from the electric power train helps assist in some aggressive lane changes.
Check out more news on the Tesla Model X.
The 7-passenger Tesla Model X comes standard in rear-wheel-drive but the company does offer an optional Dual Motor all-wheel-drive architecture. The second motor increases torque by 50% and allows for all-road and all-weather capability. With AWD, the Tesla Model X Performance version can run from 0 to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds – that’s sports car performance right there.
The Tesla Model X will be available with two battery pack versions including a 60 or 85 kWh battery allowing for a range of up to 300 miles (for the 85 kWh model).
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What’s even more powerful, even faster and ever more dynamic than the Audi TT RS? The Audi TT RS Plus. So what’s the story?
The Audi TT RS Plus is powered a 2.5 liter 5-cylinder turbo engine pumping out 360-hp an increase of 20-hp and a maximum torque of 343 lb-ft. Mated to a manual 6-speed transmission and the 7-speed S tronic automatic – the Audi TT RS Plus runs from 0 to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds with the S tronic (4.4 seconds with the manual. Top speed of the car is limited to 174 mph in both Coupe and Roadster forms.
Stopping power comes from a 4-piston fixed calipers in conjunction with perforated brake disks are installed on the front axle.
What sets the Audi TT RS Plus apart from the TT RS is mostly visual upgrades including a Singleframe radiator grille, diamond-pattern mesh is in highly polished anthracite, a frame with a matt aluminum-look finish, housings of the exterior mirrors made of carbon fiber, dual-branch sport exhaust system with black oval tailpipe trims, sound flap that beefs up the sound of the engine, 19-inch cast wheels wrapped in 255/35 tires and a large rear wing.
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Our friends at Drive recently had the chance to get behind the new Toyota GT 86 sports coupe. Lead man Chris Harris gives us his take on the new rear-wheel-drive coupe from the Japanese automaker in the 30 minutes he had with the car on the track.
Check out the video after the jump.
Click here for our original post on the 2013 Scion FR-S.
Refresher: Power for the Scion FR-S / Toyota GT 86 comes from a 2.0 liter naturally-aspirated 4-cylinder horizontally opposed engine with Toyota’s D-4S injection system. The engine makes 200-hp at 7,000 rpm with a maximum torque of 151 lb-ft at 6,600 rpm. Its mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic. Sales of the 2013 Scion FR-S will start in the spring of 2012.
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