Car Reviews: 07/21/09

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Cobra Volvo XC60

2009 Innotech Chevrolet Corvette C6 Official Revealed

Lotus Elise Amazing Price and Specs

The Lotus Elise is a two-seater with rear-wheel-drive mid-engine roadster conceived in early 1994 and published in September 1996 by the English manufacturer Lotus Cars. The car has a hand on her hull in fiberglass and extruded aluminum chassis with a binder a rigid platform for the suspension, the burden of costs of production and maintenance to a minimum. The Roadster is capable of speeds up to 240 km / h (150 mph). The Elise is the name of "Elisa" Romano Artioli his niece, the chairman of the Lotus car at the time of launch.
Lotus Elise

Lotus Elise

Lotus Elise

Lotus Elise

Lotus Elise

2010 Camaro Car Picture

2010 Camaro

Electric Mercedes SLS

Mercedes SLS AMG supercar will come with 526bhp battery power as well as a V8

The new Mercedes SLS AMG supercar gets its big unveil at the Frankfurt motor show in September, and it’s set to be quite the technology fest.

As well as a 564bhp 6.2-litre V8 version there’ll be an all-electric SLS. It’s a bold move for Mercedes and AMG, but it doesn’t mean they’re belying their performance focus – power comes courtesy of four electric motors, with 526bhp and 649lb ft on tap. Those figures aren’t far short of the petrol SLS, and with thrust likely to arrive from zero revs, it’ll probably feel more powerful. The 0-62mph dash arrives in the same circa 4sec as the V8.

Those motors are cleverly applied, too. There’s one positioned beside each wheel (rather than in the hubs), reducing unsprung masses. It also means the car’s effectively all-wheel drive, with a transmission at each axle and torque vectoring sending power to the wheels that will use it best. It’ll means the electric SLS could have quite a different character to previous AMGs that send copious amounts of power to the rear wheels.

The 400-volt lithium ion battery is recharged by way of energy recuperation during braking. In its current early stages it’s not known what range will be like, but it’s likely that plugging your SLS into the mains will be another source of recharging.

Dynamics should be pretty sharp, too, with a low centre of gravity achieved by placing the battery and motors very low down in the car. Weight distribution should be fairly close to neutral, too. Impressively, no changes have had to be made to the gullwing car’s aluminium spaceframe chassis to accommodate the new setup.

While the petrol SLS is due next year, expect another few years to pass before the electric version comes to fruition. It could signal a stable future for high power AMGs, though. Volker Mornhinweg, CEO of AMG, said – ‘With the SLS AMG with electric drive, we wanted to redefine the super sports car. For us, it is not just about responsibility. We attach just as much importance to excitement and classic AMG performance.’

Mercedes to unveil zero-emission sports car

mercedes

Mercedes Benz are about to offer the perfect vehicle for people who like their cars to be fast, but at the same time are conscious of the environmental impact they are having by driving them.

A press release issued on Monday announced the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG electric drive; a sports car running on four electric motors producing zero emissions. The car sports a 400-volt liquid-cooled lithium ion battery that is recharged through breaking, but at the same time can power the four motors to produce a 0-62mph time of just 4.0 seconds.

Volker Mornhinweg, Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-AMG GmbH, said:

With the SLS AMG with electric drive, we wanted to redefine the super sports car … For us, it is not just about responsibility. We attach just as much importance to excitement and classic AMG performance.

The positioning of the electric motors and two transmissions near the wheels, combined with several battery modules positioned along the center of the car, allow the SLS to have a very low center of gravity resulting in a sports car with great handling. The combined power of the motors results in 517bhp and 649lb of torque.

The new car will be unveiled in September at the Franfurt Motor Show along with the new non-electric SLS.

Read more at the Mercedes Benz press release and TechRadar

Matthew’s Opinion
I find it hard to believe Mercedes has made such an advance that it can produce a sports car powered by nothing other than electric motors that recharge from breaking alone. I expect further details will reveal a standard engine as a backup and further charging required from the mains between journeys.

Regardless of the questions about recharging though, managing to create a sports car running on electric motors bodes well for the future of zero-emission cars. We just need a better way of powering these cars beyond the lithium ion battery we rely on so heavily today. Replacing that with a fuel cell or similar power source will surely put electric car development into overdrive.

Next Honda NSX could be dubbed "Super Hybrid Sports"

Even though it's been going on for more than two years now, the tale of the Acura NSX is like a news story that just broke: you have to keep checking back for details, and each subsequent update could turn the whole story on its head. The V10 NSX that was going to own the sports car gods on Mt. Olympus was killed, and a rumored newly resurrected NSX is said to be a V6 hybrid that will challenge Toyota's own will-they/won't-they FT-HS/Supra.

Whereas Toyota's entry is reported to put out 400 horsepower to the rear wheels, the NSX will reportedly get about 450 horses going to all four wheels via Acura's SH-AWD system. Dubbed the "Super Hybrid Sports," sources claim it will be built on the same steel platform as the next generation Acura RL.

While this speculation sounds like an interesting car – at least, until the next update comes along – it is a redefinition of what NSX means to us and could take a while to get used to. And if Acura is truly intent on becoming a top shelf luxury maker, we can't help but find it a bit quizzical that they're taking their flagship sports car brand downmarket to compete with a Toyota Supra.

Honda's CR-Z sports car is go

Hybrid power for three-door coupe which goes on sale next summer.

Auto Express Car Reviews

This is the all-new hybrid sports car from Honda which is set to hit UK showrooms by next summer. The car in question is the eagerly anticipated CR-Z, the spiritual successor to the much loved MkII CR-X.

Still currently a concept, the CR-Z – which stands for Compact Renaissance Zero – made its debut at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. From the off it was widely tipped to make the transition from prototype to production. Insiders say the road car will change little from what’s seen here, too. It will be a performance-oriented three-door coupé, designed to highlight how eco technologies can be used for sports cars as well as mainstream models. Expect it to see it in the metal at this year’s Japanese expo in October.

The CR-Z will become Honda’s third hybrid after the Civic and Insight. Like them, it will use Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system, which is also due in the Jazz at some point in the near future. Honda’s new CEO, Takanobu Ito, also confirmed the firm is developing a new hybrid system for use in mid-to-large vehicles. An engineer by training, Ito knows a thing or two about Honda sports cars, as he was instrumental in turning the NSX supercar from concept to reality. The CR-Z will hit Japanese showrooms in February next year, before arriving on British forecourts a few months later.