2011 Jaguar XJL Supercharged

Jaguar's all-new 2011 XJ has little room for error. Its competitive set is growing to include more than just the usual suspects from Mercedes-Benz and BMW. New threats from Germany (next-gen Audi A8) and even Korea (soon-to-arrive Equus) are emerging on the luxury sedan landscape, and the big Brit will need to impress both inside and out to keep pace.

The new Jag flagship certainly makes a splash in the design department. It's a look that's both bold and attractive and serves as a massive departure from the outgoing model, which had become staid and boring after decades of little more than design tweaks between generations.

What never gets boring is unleashing the 470 ponies generated by the supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 that powers the 2011 XJL Supercharged we recently had in for testing. And whether you're cruising at a leisurely pace or stomping on the gas pedal from a stoplight, its six-speed automatic transmission is smooth and almost always unnoticeable. Accelerating from 0-60 mph will take just 4.4 seconds.
Supercharged XJ models come with Jaguar's Active Dynamics system, which continuously adjusts the suspension settings through electronically controlled dampers. The XJ's structure is still aluminum, and Jaguar claims body roll has been reduced by some 20 percent. We found ride and handling to err on the luxury side of the equation, though the car never felt difficult to control on narrow winding roads in either its standard or dynamic drive modes. Lateral acceleration on a 200-foot skidpad measured 0.88 g, a solid number for a car this big.

Our MT Figure Eight test yielded more strong results: 24.8 seconds at 0.75g. That's more than a second faster than the last Mercedes-Benz S550 and BMW 750i we tested, which rounded the course in 26.0 seconds at 0.71 g. The Jag's lighter weight than the competition and its overall distribution - 51/49 front to rear - no doubt played a role. Braking from 60-0 mph is also noteworthy. The Jaguar came to a stop in 103 feet, compared to 115 feet for the BMW and the Benz.

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Nissan's Expanding Electric Vehicle Lineup Surfaces

At the technical briefing for Nissan's revolutionary new Leaf electric vehicle in Japan recently, the press department nearly caught us off guard by flashing some unexpected images between reams of diagrams and figures expounding the virtues of the Leaf. Luckily we had our trusty camera at the right moment and were able to capture three sketches that help bring the company's future electric vehicle plans into focus.

As far back as last October's Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn hinted that a stylish, compact, performance-oriented four-seat Infiniti with zero emissions was being developed in Japan, and the teaser silhouette you see of the sleek, compact four-door confirms what we previously reported.
Expected to be based on a modified version of the Leaf platform but with a slightly more powerful motor, the premium Infiniti sketch employs intriguing design elements such as the C-pillar from the Infiniti Essence first seen at the 2009 Geneva show. Also strongly rumored at last year's Tokyo Motor Show to eventually make it into production was the two-seater Landglider EV concept, which tilts in corners and handles like a four-wheeled motorcycle. The third and final sketch to flash across Nissan's screen was the "e LCV," or the electric light commercial vehicle. A brief explanation on the photo suggests that this model will be the world's first practical global zero-emissions light van. One insider suggests that we can expect this model to employ a modified version of the Leaf's platform, which was uniquely designed as an electric car and features construction that permits Li-ion battery packs to be centrally located under the first- and second-row seats. A closer inspection of this drawing reveals that the e-LCV appears to incorporate design details from the current production NV200 Vanette commercial vehicle, and boasts a nose and charging port cap identical to the Leaf.

Launch details on the EV range remain sketchy, but expect Nissan to space its EV additions at yearly intervals, likely starting with the e-LCV in early 2012.

Given VW's aggressive growth strategy for the first half of the So the new Jetta raises the question: Will VW enter the rocky Civic-dominated coupe ma

Given VW's aggressive growth strategy for the first half of the So the new Jetta raises the question: Will VW enter the rocky Civic-dominated coupe market with a production NCC? The TSI and TDI engines will be available with VW's six-speed DSG. A six-speed manual is standard across the board, with automatics optional.

A 2.0-liter four and the 2.0-liter TDI clean diesel, making 236 pound-feet, also are in the lineup. The 2.5-liter I-5, unfortunately, remains the Jetta's bread-and-butter engine, while the excellent 2.0-liter TSI turbocharged gas direct-injection four remains an option. Styling resembles other family products like the new Touareg and the Golf. If the new sheetmetal looks familiar, that's because the Jetta draws heavily from the New Compact Coupe concept unveiled at last January's Detroit auto show (pictured below). With a starting price of just $16,000, the Jetta competes not only with the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry, but also with cars like the Ford Fiesta and Mazda2.

And VW says its sticker will be $1700 less than the old model. Rear-seat legroom is up 2.6 inches. At 182.7 inches long, the new Jetta is more than three and a half inches longer than the '10 model, creeping closer to the C/D-segment. Ahead of that car, VW has unveiled its 2011 Jetta, which also grows, nicely filling the gap between the Golf and the larger Passat replacement. is its upcoming New Midsize Sedan, designed to replace the Passat with a car as roomy as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.
The heart of Volkswagen's growth strategy in the U.S.
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2011 Nissan Juke Versus 2011 Mini Countryman

Well-being a Mini, at least it has performance on its side, with an uprated version of the familiar Cooper S engine (Valvetronic throttle-less induction is added to the existing direct-injection and turbo), an electronically controlled center diff for its optional AWD system, and a sophisticated multi-link rear suspension.

Nevertheless even those things don't make it unique. Nissan's new Juke has its own DI 1.6-liter turbo four, multi-link chassis, and tops the Mini with side-to-side torque vectoring for its AWD system.

So we got the Juke and Mini together. It took place off the Mini's German launch event, which meant no Motor Trend verified test-track performance numbers were possible, but we made sure to run them back to back on a good mix of delimited autobahn, fast country roads, twistier hill route and suburban schmoozing. The Mini came with the AWD system (called All4) and a six-speed manual, while the Juke had a CVT (with six virtual ratios) because that's standard with the AWD system. In fact the front-drive Jukes have simpler torsion-beam rear suspension. The Mini is always multi-link, about whether it has All4.

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The Best Advice You Can Get

The first thing that anyone wishing to buy a car or replace an old car would want to get is reliable car news. They do not want to be misled by the exaggerated or inaccurate information provided by dealers or agents. Finding a source that can provide dependable news on new as well as used cars was a daunting task in the past. You had to rely on what the salesclerk or the car owner said. Nevertheless, nowadays, with the popularity of automobile publications, both in print and online, getting the most useful and valuable car news is absolutely easy. You can search all the available magazines and other sources of information before you make any purchasing decision.

There are a lot of automobile magazines that dedicate special sections to car reviews and pictures. You can get any kind of information you want from these publications. If you are looking for a particular model or any car that you can afford, whether you want to know the price of an accessory or the additional amount you will have to pay for a new feature, everything will be there in such magazines. Typically, car news in a print magazine cover market trends, reviews on the existing and soon to be released models, servicing information, dealer news, price of different models, comparison of similar models, recommendations from experts, experience of car owners, design ideas, remodeling suggestions, answers given by experts to the questions of readers and car owners, etc.

When it comes to online automobile magazines, you are treated with a more visual presentation through multimedia images like videos, 3D animation, and the like. In Internet magazines, there is more scope for the reader to watch the car in action as these magazines mostly give test drive reports in video format. There is also the additional advantage of participating in forums and discussions where car lovers and proud owners can share their experience and get doubts cleared. You will also get newsletters once you subscribe for that service; newsletters are an effective and useful way to get updated information on what is happening in the car industry. Some websites provide the facility to find a suitable car for you by searching with your brand or budget as the limitation. You can find the nearest dealer for a company; get their contact information, price, and servicing details. Check the website of the dealer if they have one and collect as much information as possible from the site before you contact them directly.

There are also websites dedicated to information on used cars. Not everyone looks forward to buy brand-new cars, especially in the present economic conditions. Used car reviews and videos will give you an idea about what to expect from a particular model and, whether you will get a suitable one for the budget you have in mind. Another source to watch for car news is the TV shows on cars. Most of the popular channels have special programs to review every model of car that hits the road.

All these sources of car news will provide you the necessary information to choose your dream car. Even students who are into automobile related courses can benefit from such information.

The New, Tesla Electric Cars: Revved Up, but Far to Go

The next generation of the Tesla Roadster will not be available until after the company has introduced its sedan, and that model has been delayed.

“This is one of the most historic cars,” Mr. Musk told the gathering of customers, reporters and famous friends lounging on black-and-white couches beneath giant screens projecting photos of cars, beaches and, inexplicably, babies and explosions. “You’d have to go back very far to see when a car this important was unveiled.”

Like Tesla’s first automobile, an electric sports car called the Roadster, the Model S was sleek, sporty and quiet as a whisper. For a certain class of deep-pocketed buyers, it was lust-inducing, even if they may have never before given a thought to torque or throttle. It would sell for $57,400 — or $49,900 after tax credits, or $35,000 after factoring in gas savings, Mr. Musk advised his audience.

The sedan fits five adults as well as two children in rear-facing seats, Mr. Musk said, and could drive halfway across the country between breakfast and bedtime. It would, he said, be on the road in 2011. Tesla already had a factory lined up and hundreds of millions of dollars in financing on the way from the Energy Department.

Today, production of the Model S hasn’t even begun. Some critics doubt whether the sedan can actually transport seven passengers. And Mr. Musk concedes that driving halfway across the country would take at least 16 hours at a rather heady average speed of 75 miles an hour — not including stopping at swapping stations that Tesla has yet to build to change a heavyweight battery that will have, at best, a 300-mile charge.

Now Mr. Musk says the Model S will be on the road in 2012. The federal loans didn’t land in Tesla’s coffers until this year, and the factory, like two before it, fell through.

Still, the company has made some concrete strides. It recently bought a closed Toyota-G.M. plant in Fremont, Calif., and Toyota invested $50 million in Tesla as part of a partnership to jointly develop electric cars. While Tesla managed to sell its shares to the public for the first time last month, raising $226.1 million, the shares have dropped to $21.29 from an early high of $30.42.

“It eerily reminds me of the DeLorean,” says Scott Sweet, a partner at a financial advisory firm called IPO Boutique, referring to the futuristic, stainless-steel sports car with gullwing doors built by John DeLorean in the early 1980s.

Mr. DeLorean attracted high-profile investors and dreamed of building the next great automobile enterprise company, but ultimately went bankrupt after producing just one model. Mr. Musk, 39, shoots down the comparison.

“Tesla’s really not about starting a car company,” he says. “It’s really about accelerating the transition to a new phase of technology in the car business, and I think it would be very difficult to start a car company where you don’t have really any differentiated advantage, where you’re just another gasoline car.”

“And at the end of the day,” he adds, “the DeLorean was not a great sports car.”

Full of brio and spin, the response is vintage Musk — and yet another chapter in an entrepreneurial odyssey that is as emblematic of how reputations are made and undone in Silicon Valley as it is of Mr. Musk’s own strengths and weaknesses.

With a fortune derived from two hot Internet companies that he helped build and sell, Zip2 and PayPal, Mr. Musk has since invested almost all of his money and time in SpaceX, a spaceship company aspiring to build low-cost rocket transports, and in Tesla. He’s also chairman of SolarCity, a solar panel provider he helped start.

“I just felt like, because you only live once, you may as well work on things that are going to have an important effect,” says Mr. Musk.

Peter Thiel, a PayPal co-founder who now is a partner at Founders Fund, one of the largest outside investors in SpaceX, says the country needs more entrepreneurs like Mr. Musk who are willing to take risks.

“There aren’t very many people pursuing these sorts of hard technologies,” Mr. Thiel says, “and I think there is a sense that we need to be doing more of this as a country, as a society, if people are really going to have a better quality of life 20 years from now than they do today.”

Others see a darker side to the endless roadshow that is Mr. Musk’s life. People who know him describe him as so confident that he can achieve his goals that he sometimes speaks as if he already has.

“He’s done amazing things, but at the same time, he’s not a straight-shooter,” says Darryl Siry, Tesla’s former senior vice president for sales and marketing. “It’s a reality distortion field and it’s a powerful one. He gives the facts to fit the narrative he wants out there.”

Article Based From www.nytimes.com

World's first flying car gets green signal to take-off ?

TORONTO: The world's first flying car, which was caught in a legal snarl in the US, has finally been given the green signal.

Being developed by Boston-based Terrafugia Transition since 2006, the dual-purpose car-cum-plane vehicle called 'the flying car' has got the waiver on its weight from the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Under FAA rules, the flying car -- categorised as a 'light sport' aircraft -- was required to be strictly under 1,320 pounds in weight. But with the addition of car safety features such as airbags, crumple zones and a safety cage, the vehicle overshot the weight-limit.

With the FAA now relaxing the rules for its weight, the decks have been cleared for the flying car - a two-seater named Transition - to take-off next year.

"Our schedule calls for the first delivery to be made prior to the end of 2011. We currently have in excess of 70 orders, which is about a two-year backlog," Richard Gersh, vice president for Terrafugia said.

Asked whether it was big corporates or individuals who have placed orders, Gersh said, "They are generally pilots who either own planes or have owned planes in the past."

About their plans to raise production, he said: "Low volume production will take place in the Boston area. No decisions have been made for other production plans."

Costing about $200,000, the flying car will travel up to 725 km in the air at a speed of more than 115 km per hour.

Fuelled by gasoline, it will have front-wheel drive on the road and a propeller for flight.

With its wings folded, it can be parked in an ordinary car garage.

The company claims the flying car has been successfully test-flown many times.

It says tests have shown that the vehicle can drive, fly and switch from being a plane to a car in just 30 seconds.

Article Based From economictimes.indiatimes.com

What True? Toshiba, Mitsubishi Motors Develop New Electric Car Batteries

What True? Toshiba, Mitsubishi Motors Develop Electric Car Batteries," at 0339 GMT, misstated the details of the joint development project in the second paragraph. The correct version follows,

TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Toshiba Corp. (6502.TO) said Friday it is jointly developing car battery systems with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (7211.TO), and that it hopes to eventually supply its rechargeable lithium-ion batteries for use in the auto maker's electric cars.

Toshiba said the companies have been working together for a year on developing battery systems containing its 'super-charge ion battery', ...

Article Based From online.wsj.com