2010 Ford Fusion

2010 Ford Fusion

2010 Ford Fusio

Soon after catching its Mercury sibling out in the wild, the first photo of the 2010 Ford Fusion made its way to the internet, along with details on the revised powertrain offerings.

A Bold Front

Though much of the sheetmetal between the A- and C-pillars carries over unchanged, the fore and aft ends of the 2010 Fusion do receive considerable cosmetic changes. The three-bar grille grows larger and plays into a large power bulge on the hood, similar to the Interceptor concept shown at the 2008 Detroit auto show.

Ford only showed a camouflaged example during our preview, but from what we could tell, change in back is rather limited. We're expecting slightly larger taillights (with an interesting honeycomb pattern) and large, chrome exhaust tips - even on the hybrid model.

Yeah, that thing's got a hybrid.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Fusion Hybrid. For 2010, Ford's fitted the hybrid powertrain from the Escape Hybrid cute-ute to both the Fusion and the Mercury Milan - though it's also added a few new features for the sedan.

For starters, there's the issue of the battery pack. Yes, it's still a nickel metal hydride pack supplied by Sanyo, but chemistry changes allow it to carry 20 percent more power than the Escape's pack. That's a significant feat, considering it's 23 percent lighter and considerably smaller, allowing it to tuck in behind the Fusion's rear seats.

But the biggest change lies with the transmission itself. Yes, it's mated to the same 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle I-4 found in the Escape/Mariner hybrids, but the hybrid electric CVT (e-CVT) has been substantially recalibrated. With a gentle right foot, drivers will be capable of accelerating up to 47 mph in pure electric mode. An impressive figure, but Ford promises equally exciting numbers when it comes to fuel economy. The Fusion Hybrid should best the Toyota Camry Hybrid - which already attains 33 mpg in the city - by at least 5 mpg.

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor


Lightning may have struck twice, but when the folks at Ford's Special Vehicle Team decided to trick out another F-150, the result - the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor - was a completely different kind of truck.

Though the F-150 Lighning may have appealed to those hankering for muscle-car fun and a pickup bed out back, the F-150 Raptor allows drivers to take blistering performance off the beaten path.

"Most of the major manufacturers have focused on on-road performance," said Mark Grueber, Ford's marketing manager for large trucks. "So when we looked at what was available in off-road truck performance, it was somewhat limited."

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

We'd imagine so, as we've seen no factory offering quite as extreme as this. Though it's certified for street use and carries some svelte creature comforts, the Raptor is essentially a purpose-built off-road race truck, not unlike those campaigned in the Baja 1000.

SVT looked first at the F-150's underpinnings, and scrapped most stock suspension parts. The most change came up front, where SVT added unique upper- and lower A-arms, a new tie-rod, and new half-shaft joints. All four corners also benefit from the addition of internal-bypass Fox Racing Shox, which increase stiffness as the suspension compresses to keep the truck from bottoming out.
2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor



Unless you're really flying over some desert terrain, we doubt that'd happen. The front suspension has a whopping 11.2 inches of travel, while the rear suspension has 13.4 inches. Coupled with the standard 35-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain tires, the package should be more than adept at tackling boulders or landing a stratospheric jump.

2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor


If that sounds like a Trophy Truck, the Raptor also manages to look like a Trophy Truck. Yes, there's quite a bit of stock F-150 thrown into its exterior appearance, but enormous fender flares (there to wrap around the seven-inch wider track), a large power bulge on the hood and front fender vents give the Raptor a muscular look of its own. We're not sold, however, on the new grille - devoid of the typical blue oval logo, it's also home to clearance lamps mandated by the truck's new girth. Interesting, yes; attractive? We'll have to see the truck in person before we can judge that.

But for the off-road faithful who'll buy this truck, appearance isn't everything. They'll be more interested in the 310-hp three-valve 5.4-liter V-8 offered as standard equipment on the Raptor, as well as the forthcoming optional 6.2-liter V-8, rumored to produce approximately 400 hp. They may also care more about the auxiliary switches for their off-road lighting or the off-road driving mode, which eliminates all stability controls and allows for some wheel lock under low speed braking.


2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor


Which is just as well. Ford offers no less than nine flavors of the F-150 for casual pickup users like ourselves. Perhaps it's fair - if not prudent - to offer one for buyers who consider the Sonoma Desert an expressway...

2010 Mazda 2 - The Cars We Need Now

2010 Mazda 2 - The Cars We Need Now



2010 Mazda 2 - The Cars We Need Now

The recipe for success in a time of rising fuel prices is obvious: reduce a vehicle's weight and it will be more economical and faster. Obvious, but not simple to achieve while respecting crashworthiness norms, so Mazda designers and engineers deserve our unstinting admiration. At a time when almost every other car builder in the world has allowed each successive model to become bigger, heavier, and thirstier than the preceding one-the current Honda Accord is 1000 pounds heavier and 22.2 inches longer than the first one in 1981, and the current Volkswagen Rabbit weighs 1200 pounds more than the original 1975 Rabbit-Mazda has chopped about 220 pounds-9 percent-out of the basic Mazda 2 while increasing interior room. That the company improved the style and the aerodynamics in the process provides an excellent lesson. Careful and clever use of high-tensile steel in the body structure and thorough optimization of structural members account for most of the gains, but there's evidence of aircraftlike weight paring all through the car, without it seeming flimsy or excessively cheap.

The interior looks sumptuous, but in fact, the inner door panels, the instrument panel, and the center console elements are made of cheap, hard plastic with no slush moldings in sight. The textures do an excellent job of disguising this cost saving, but how the parts will stand up in service is a fair question. There are two body styles, two- and four-door hatchbacks,managed with different body-side stampings that allow distinct rear-quarter-window profiles, but seating is identical in both.

2010 Mazda 2 - The Cars We Need Now

The Mazda 2 platform serves as the base for the European Ford Fiesta, and the sister cars are noted for their agility. The suspension is a classic strut-type front and a twist-axle rear. While the Fiesta offers a 1.6-liter engine option, the Mazda is more restrained. The base powerplant is a 75-hp, sixteen-valve, twin-cam 1.3-liter four, available in a higher state of tune at 84 hp, with DOHC 103-hp, 1.5-liter gasoline and single-cam 68-hp, 1.4-liter eight-valve diesel engines as options. Dimensionally very close to the two-door Toyota Yaris, the Mazda 2 is suitable for urban and suburban roadways, if not necessarily for cross-country family travel. Ride quality is good but not outstanding. Wheels can be fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen inches in diameter. Acceleration is better than before, but at about ten seconds from rest to 60 mph for the biggest engine, it is hardly exhilarating. Altogether, though, the positive attributes of the Mazda 2 make it a car that ought to be available in our market. There's a good reason it was chosen the 2008 World Car of the Year.

Why We Want It:
It's a fun runabout in the vein of the original Mini, and-joy of joys-it's light.
Why We Need It:
Because the Honda Fit isn't that sporty.

2010 Mercedes Benz CLS

Five years ago, the term four-door coupe was an oxymoron. But in 2004,

Mercedes-Benz used it to describe the new CLS, and logic was trampled by star-struck customers waving their checkbooks. Rival manufacturers were equally enthralled. Witness the Jaguar XF and the Volkswagen Passat CC. In 2010, BMW will launch a thematically similar four-door, and Audi will chime in with the A7. Mercedes, meanwhile, is readying the second-generation CLS. A careful evolution of the original design, the new low-roof four-seater was masterminded by Gorden Wagener, who was recently appointed head of the design department, replacing Peter Pfeiffer. Sales of the first CLS have run about 40 percent ahead of expectations, and that good news is tempered only slightly by the fact that many of those sales were stolen from the E-class, which looks rather bland in comparison.

Subjectively at least, the second-edition CLS is even prettier than the model it replaces. The banana-like side view is less radical, the curious L-shaped headlamps are gone, and the cluttered front end has given way to a much more elegant appearance. The flanks are more three-dimensional, with rear power bulges, prominent character lines, and flared wheel arches. The A- and C-pillars are better integrated into the arc-shaped roofline. The rear window is bigger, and up front, the grille assumes a more upright position. Like all future Benzes, the next CLS boasts horizontally staggered LED daytime running lights as well as LED brake lights.

Inside, the CLS again gets its own dashboard, seats, and door panels. Like the current car, the new model offers tasteful alternative choices in terms of wood, leather, and color scheme. To further enhance the appeal, Mercedes-Benz plans to introduce new driver-assistance systems, such as automatic lane guidance, a 360-degree-view camera with in-dash monitor, and a second-generation night vision with head-up display.

The engine lineup of the next CLS will see a complete turnover:

• CLS350, 3.5-liter direct-injection V-6, 292 hp; power output increases to 306 hp in 2012
• CLS550, 5.5-liter V-8, 388 hp; superseded by 435-hp direct-injection twin-turbo V-8 in 2012
• CLS55 AMG, 5.5-liter twin-turbo direct-injection V-8, 570 hp; available from mid-2011 onward
• CLS320 CDI, 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6, 224 hp; replaced in 2011 by 313-hp CLS350 CDI

The gasoline engines are tipped to incorporate a mild hybrid function in the form of small electric motors integrated in the transmission housing (technology that will debut on the ML and the S-class next year). And all CLS models, with the exception of the AMG version, will be offered with all-wheel drive.

The new mechanicals are all well and good, but, as with the original, the success of the next CLS hinges on its styling. Come late 2010, we'll see whether the new look can fend off the car's rivals.

Rolls-Royce to roll our new cars in India by 2010

New Delhi: Super luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce will introduce new range of cars, which it is currently developing, in India by mid-2010 as it looks to cash in on the burgeoning number of billionaires.

The company is also expanding its current portfolio in the country and will launch a new model, Phantom Coupe, this year, expected to be priced over Rs 3.5 crore.

"We are working on an additional range of cars, which will allow us to expand the brand further. The new family will not compete with the Phantom, but it will be the second most expensive in the world," Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Director (Sales and Marketing) Graeme Grieve told reporters here.

"It will come to the Indian market by mid-2010," he added The BMW group company is currently developing the new range of cars at its facility in Goodwood, England.

Rolls-Royce currently offers three products -- Phantom, Phantom EWB and Phantom Drophead Coupe -- in India. These models are priced at Rs 3.15 crore (ex-showroom) upwards.

"With the growing demand for our cars in India, we will be launching here our fourth car in Phantom family, Coupe, around November," Rolls-Royce Motor Cars General Manager (South and East Asia Pacific) Matthew J Bennett said.

The car is priced at about 4,00,000 dollar (over Rs 1.82 crore) in the international market. The vehicle in India would attract an import duty of over 110 per cent.

The company, which reentered India in 2005, has since sold about 30 cars, including 12 units last year.

"This year, we have already sold 12 cars. If we can sell 16 cars in this year, we will be very happy," Bennett said.

After Mumbai, the company today inaugurated its second dealership in the National Capital.
Last year, Rolls-Royce sold 1,010 cars through 82 dealers across the world.

2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C Debuts at the Nürburgring

If the number of letters in its name is at all proportionate with its level of improvements, the 2010 Subaru Impreza WRX STI Spec C should be quite the hatchback. Spotted for the first time lapping the Nürburgring recently, this super STI has a number of upgrades designed to sharpen the performance of the standard model.

According to sources in Japan, this STI's ride height has been lowered by 0.5 inch and fitted with stiffer dampers and springs. The lightweight 18-inch wheels are wrapped in Bridgestone run-flat tires, while the brakes have been upgraded with the six-piston calipers from the Subaru Legacy STi S402.

Finally, the engineers in Subaru City have tweaked the turbocharger and exhaust system of the turbocharged 2.0-liter boxer engine to generate beefier torque at lower revs and lift power from 300 horsepower to around 320 hp. Gear ratios have also been revised, with 1st through 4th gears positioned closer together while 5th and 6th gear have been made taller to enhance top-end speed, as the Spec C is expected to clear 165 mph.


With the performance hardware of the Spec C out of the way, the design team turned to aerodynamics in order to add a little free horsepower.

One source close to the project tells us that in addition to giving the Spec C a fully flat underbody, the Subaru engineers have also fitted a lightweight aluminum rear diffuser that helps generate twice as much downforce at speed than the current body.

No 'Ring lap times are available yet, but our snapper in Germany confirms that the Spec C appeared more composed through low- and high-speed corners and could easily slice 15 seconds off the current STI's time.

Expected to go on sale in Japan by year's end and then in Europe and possibly in the U.S. by mid-2009, the Spec C could have a price tag of around $43,000.

Chevrolet’s Beat, CNG Aveo U-VA and a new spark variant

Chevrolet which has become the fifth largest automaker in India is planning aggresive launches in 2008. GM plans to capture 10 percent market share in india by 2010. Though it plans many new launches like captiva SUV, new optra,aveo diesel and hummer H3, GM realises unless it populate cars in small car segment (which accounts for 2/3rd of indian car industry)like Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki, GM could not make it. “The mini car segment is not a segment: it is several segments and several consumers, from first-time buyers to those looking for a second car, so we need to look at it differently”, said Karl Slym, president and managing director of GM india. If General Motors able to capture 10 -15% in the small car segment, it can easily achieve the target. GM officials at the ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show have indicated that the Chevy Beat concept(showcased in Newyork auto show) will go into production and will focus on non-North American markets. Hence After Aveo U-VA and spark, chevrolet’s ‘beat’ codenamed M300 might be GM’s next small car for india. Beat will go into production in mid 2009 and it will be slotted between spark and U-VA. The production model will carry the spirit of the expressive Beat concept, offering compact, city-friendly dimensions and a small-displacement engine that delivers excellent fuel economy.
Chevrolet beat is styled at GM’s Design Studio in Bupyeong, South Korea , with input from GM’s global network of designers. the beat is based on the same platform on which suzuki’s splash is built (soon to be launched in india).
Unlike the spark and aveo U-VA, chevrolet can price the beat very competetively. This is possible since GM is constructing its own engine plant in india(GM currently import engines for all its models except tavera from korea which attracts haevy import duty). Chevrolet will use the 1.3L multijet (swift’s engine) diesel engine for the new beat. Beat will also be powered by an 1.2L petrol engine. GM is developing a new 1L diesel engine for asian markets which also may be used for the beat (but only after 2010).
a new spark variant and a CNG Aveo U-VA:
Before the beat, chevrolet may launch an another variant of spark possibly in 2008. “In the near future, we plan to roll out a mini car which is likely to be a variant of Chevrolet Spark”, GM India vice-president P Balendran told. The new spark variant may be equipped with the much proven 1.3L multijet (swift’s engine) diesel engine. GM could source its requirements from Fiat or Suzuki(1.3L multijet engine is jointly produced by Suzuki-Fiat and opel).
Chevrolet which has already launched a CNG variant of its mid-size sedan Optra is now planning a CNG variant of its premium hatchback Aveo UV-A. In 2007, General Motors has launched spark and optra magnum this year and will launch captiva SUV in january 2008. GM’s indian line-up is full - starting from a refreshed aveo U-VA, new spark variant, a small car, new optra and aveo diesel and the luxury sedan epica.

Mercedes-Benz S400 Bluetec Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz S400 Bluetec Hybrid

Mercedes-Benz S400 Bluetec Hybrid - John Lamm, Road and Track
Large, luxurious sedans - a vehicle type synonymous with Mercedes-Benz - have not been historically the most fuel-efficient of vehicles. But that will soon change with the new Mercedes 4-door that bowed at the L.A. show, the S400 Bluetec Hybrid.
Expected to arrive in U.S. dealer showrooms in 2010, the S400 combines one of the German company's Bluetec V-6 diesel engines with a 20-horsepower electric motor for a hybrid drivetrain that offers "the performance of a V-8 with the fuel economy of a 4-cylinder," says the company. The marriage yields performance figures of 265 bhp and a full 465 lb.-ft. of torque and is said to help the Teutonic heavyweight earn an impressive 0-60-mph time of only 7.2 seconds - while attaining 40.5 mpg on the highway. What's more, the S400's diesel-hybrid drivetrain will be compliant with emissions regulations in all 50 states upon its rollout in a couple years' time.