VW Golf GT Sport: New GTI Inspired Trim Level For TSI & TDI Versions

Volkswagen announced a few changes in its Golf range replacing the existing Sport and GT trim levels with a single all-new model, the Golf GT Sport. As you can see in the picture, visual changes are restricted up front, and specifically to the pitch-black grille section along with the darkened headlights insert which help forge a visual link with the sporty Golf GTI and R32 variants.

The new GT Sport trim (3d & 5d) can be combined with the 1.4-litre TSI petrol and 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine, both available in 140 Hp and 170 Hp outputs. Equipment-wise, a leather-trimmed 3-spoke steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake are fitted along with front sports seats, automatic light sensing headlights and rain sensing windscreen wipers. This is in addition to the 17-inch multi-spoke alloys fitted with 225/45 R17 tires, climatic a/c, a CD stereo system with eight speakers and electric windows. Six airbags, ABS and Electronic Stabilisation Programme (ESP) round off the standard equipment list. Sales are expected to start in Europe later in the summer. -Click “Read More…” below to check out the pictures

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VW GOLF GT SPORT

VW GOLF GT

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Brand Origin Study: Lexus is American, Saab’s German and Hyundai’s Japanese!

Brand what? Listen to this; according to Anderson Analytics latest brand origin study that sampled 1,000 US College students at over 375 US universities during the fall 2006 semester, 33.7% of the participants believed that Lexus is an American firm while 55,7% said that Hyundai’s Japanese. Forty-nine percent thought Swedish carmaker Volvo to be German while 58.4% said Land Rover is an American company. Saab, Swedish? Yeah right. 40.4% mistakenly thought that it’s a German car manufacture!

"For the most part, this next generation of educated American consumers either have no clue where the brands they use come from or simply assume everything comes from the United States, Japan or Germany," said Tom H. C. Anderson, Managing Partner, Anderson Analytics.

According to Anderson, while students’ ignorance for brand origin may a bliss in some cases –eg. most believe that Motorola is Japanese (…), country of origin plays an important part in making luxury goods and automobiles more exclusive and exotic. And vice-versa, may we add as Hyundai proves. From the 246 people who said Hyundai’s was Korean, just 42% of them thought Korea makes good products while 85% of them said Japan makes good products. From the 589 students who wrongly believed Hyundai’s Japanese, 83% of them believe that Japan makes great products while only 38% think Korean products are good. Go figure… Via: Anderson Analytics

Tuning Humour: The BMW A3...

This fella has serious issues to solve, and we mean really, really serious issues. Kitsch plastic add-ons aside, why the hell would you stick a reversed BMW kidney-grille on a first-gen Audi A3 hatch? Seriously now, why? Can’t even begin to start imagining what his next project will look like. -Thanks for the pic Mike!

2008 Peugeot 207 CC Roland Garros

Coinciding with the Roland-Garros tennis tournament, Peugeot presented yet another special version of one its models bearing the name of the famous French Open. Based on the 207 CC 1.6 (120HP), the Roland-Garros is offered exclusively in a bright yellow colour reminiscent of a tennis ball (…). Colour aside, the 207 CC Roland-Garros features special badges and a longer standard equipment list. According the French carmaker, in all, 100.000 models have worn the Roland-Garros badge throughout Peugeot’s history. PS: What do you think about Peugeot’s slogan, “The car is a ball” ? -More pictures after the jump

Belgian Bus Company Suggests We Park Our Cars On Their Buses Or In A... Canal!

Either way, make your life easier and take a bus next time you visit the city. Or at least that’s what Belgian bus company De Lijn is saying in its playful campaign in an attempt to persuade people to use public transport instead of cars. De Lijn’s first campaign includes a bus with an MG parked on its rooftop suggesting that they’ll let people park their cars on one of their busses if they decide to use public transportation. The second advert has to do with a fake company called “Cardive” that takes on the task of parking your car in a canal. Apart from creating a fake site, De Lijn’s “Cardive” campaign has divers walking around in cities handing out free bus tickets and maps of the bus network. -Continued below

Via: Wikinews , Source: De Lijn

VW Replacing 1.6 FSI Engine With 122Hp 1.4 TSI, Available With New 7Speed DSG

One of VW’s most, if not the most, popular petrol engines in its European range, the 115Hp 1.6-liter FSI, is soon to be replaced by the company’s new 122Hp 1.4-litre TSI. Based on the 1.4-litre TSI that combines a supercharger and a turbocharger (available in 140Hp and 170Hp guises), the new unit uses just a turbocharger. The new engine is planned to be fitted to the Golf, Golf Plus, Golf Estate, Jetta and Passat models, replacing the current 1.6-litre FSI when production commences later this year.

The 122Hp 1.4 TSI will also be available with VW’s brand new 7-Speed DSG gearbox. The new seven-speed system – a world first and codenamed DQ200 –uses a pair of dry clutches in preference to the six-speed version’s twin wet clutches. According to VW, this increases efficiency and performance over the wet clutch six-speed system. Interestingly enough, for the first time, the DSG gearbox has been mounted transversely. Thanks to its compact proportions (369 mm in length and weighing just 79 kg / 174 lbs), it can be applied to models from the Polo right up to the Passat and, in its current form, it is capable of coping with power outputs of up to 170 PS and 184 lbs ft of torque. -Continued below

Both the 122Hp 1.4 TSI and the new 7-Speed DSG will also be available in the Seat Leon / Altea range, while Skoda will probably have to wait until next year to get the new powertrain option.

2008 Audi RS6 Scooped?

These pictures were shot by an Audi fan in a parking lot somewhere in Spain and from the looks of it, we could be looking at the upcoming RS6. Just to set things straight, we have no official or unofficial confirmation that Audi’s readying a top-notch A6, only rumours and various spy pics like these. The differences we spotted between the current S6 and the RS6 pictured here include wider flares, 20’’ rims, twin oval exhaust pipes and the rear diffuser. We also have a couple of interior images that unveil a 330 km/h speedometer (S6: 290 km/h), a sportier, racing-style cut steering wheel and an automatic gearbox. As for what’s hiding under the hood, it's speculated that the RS6 will carry the same V10 engine as in the S6, but with a little help from turbochargers, output will surpass the 550 Hp mark. –15 more images after the jump

Via: Autoblog.it , Source: audisport-iberica

Kia Picanto Facelift: Official Details & Images Released

Kia came out with an official release and more images of its updated Picanto mini that’ll premiere at the Barcelona Auto Show on June 7, 2007, In a nutshell, the 2008 Picanto received a new front end, different rear light clusters and an updated interior inspired from the Cee’d. There are no changes in the engine range. The Koreans believe that the facelift will help boost annual oversees sales in excess of 130,000 units over the next several years. -Press Release & Images after the jump

Upgraded 2007 Kia Picanto set for Barcelona Motor Show debut

• - Refreshed, restyled and longer – new 2007 Kia Picanto to debut on 7 June
• - Fresh colours, plus upgraded interior, audio equipment and power steering

(SEOUL) May 25, 2007 – Kia Motors Corporation has confirmed that the newly upgraded 2007 Kia Picanto will make its world premiere at the 34^th Salon Internacional del Automovil in Barcelona, Spain on 7 June. Kia’s design teams in Korea and Europe have revisited the company’s smallest car, preserved its ‘young, sporty and friendly’ spirit, and evolved the new 2007 Picanto – a car with more glamorous looks, an upgraded interior and higher quality audio equipment.

Attractively refreshed and restyled to be ‘more rounded and intimate’, the 2007 Picanto is 40 mm longer, with an overall length of 3535 mm, featuring an extended, rounded nose and deeper, larger rear bumper. All-new panels are used for the bonnet, front wings, front bumper and rear bumper. The front and rear light clusters are new and follow the ‘rounded’ theme.

A new wider radiator grille, with black mesh background and twin horizontal chromed bars supporting the central Kia badge, is part of the evolving design process that is defining a new ‘Face of Kia’. The standard roof spoiler now extends across the full width of the car, while the wheelbase is unchanged at 2370 mm. Customers will be offered a choice of five new exciting, contemporary colours in a range of nine exterior colours.

“With nearly 400,000 exports since its introduction in 2004, the Picanto has not only opened the door to a segment where we previously had no presence but it has become one of the Kia line-up’s global best sellers,” commented Yong-Hwan Kim, Senior Executive Vice President & COO of Kia Motors Corporation. “We are confident that with its fresh new looks and upgraded equipment the Picanto will continue to appeal to the world’s A-segment customers and reach annual overseas sales in excess of 130,000 units over the next several years.”

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