BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept

Auto show dream cars with glass doors never quite seem to graduate to reality; aside from that, a more conventional body is all that could keep this dream from becoming a latter-day M1.

What makes it tick? The Vision is a plug-in hybrid with a 1.5-liter diesel engine and two electric motors. Total output is 356 horsepower, and peak torque is a body-slamming 590 pound-feet. Acceleration to 60 m.p.h. takes just 4.8 seconds, and the top speed is said to be 155. Average fuel consumption is 62.6 m.p.g., BMW says. The car has an electric-only range of 31 miles; but it is theoretically capable of more than 400 miles in combination with the fuel in its 6.6-gallon tank.

Peugeot 908 RC The Peugeot 908 RC design study

The Peugeot 908 RC design study

The 908 RC concept is powered by Peugeot´s 700 horse power V12 HDi DPFS diesel engine designed specifically for the action in the 2007 "Le Mans Race Series". The abbreviation "RC" in the name of this powerful concept car is used to distinguish Peugeot sports car models from ordinary budget and family cars Peugeot is producing.


For Peugeot, that something is the 908 RC, a design study to be displayed at the Paris auto show this month. The sleek black 908 RC is an answer to the S-Class or 7 Series, a lux limo powered by a 700-horsepower V-12 diesel designed for endurance racing.

Honda gallery cars

Honda FCX

Honda Accord

Honda Civic

Honda Zest

Honda Hybrid Sports

Pagani Zonda Wallpapers

Pagani zonda wallpaper


Pagani Zonda F Wallpaper



Pagani zonda cinque wallpaper



Pagani zonda R Picture



Pagani Zonda F C12S Photo

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe: Up Close

The CTS coupe, a car GM placed on hiatus during its bankruptcy, joins a sedan and wagon to give the CTS nameplate as many variants as a typical BMW or Audi might offer. True to the CTS coupe concept shown at last year’s Detroit auto show, this is no watered-down production version — the arcing taillights, central exhaust pipes and brash C-pillars are the stuff of concept cars and will make it to driveways.

GM went that direction with the Chevrolet Camaro, and owners paid a price for it in visibility, backseat room and trunk space. I’m glad to see that isn’t the case for the CTS coupe. The car’s sightlines are decent, though I could only gauge this in the auto show's static setting. The C-pillars are small enough and the rear head restraints are also tiny, keeping blind spots minimal; sizable side mirrors should keep adjacent traffic on your radar. The front seat belts need no device that keeps them within reach; they’re easy to grab, which is unusual in a two-door car.

I’m not wild about the coupe’s electronic door handles. Like in the Chevy Corvette, you reach into a crevice to press a button that unlatches it. That’s fine, but it also means the cabin swaps the CTS sedan’s tasteful door handles for plastic buttons. It may be high-tech, but it feels low-rent.

The backseat is a squeeze to get into, but adults should find legroom manageable. I’m 5 feet 11 inches tall and my head mashed the headliner. If I leaned back, I wouldn’t quite reach the rear glass — a more tenable position, at least until the road got bumpy.

At 10.5 cubic feet, the trunk is small. Granted, buying a luxury coupe for the trunk room is like getting a Whopper for the fiber. Like fast food, the CTS coupe is a guilty pleasure.

New Mercedes Benz Pictures

Chrysler launches incentives on 2010 models

Chrysler Group LLC on Friday launched a year-end sale for nearly all of its 2010 model year vehicles with zero percent financing or up to $4,000 cash to draw customers during the typically slower winter months.

Chrysler, which emerged from a U.S. government-funded bankruptcy in June under the management control of Italy's Fiat SpA (FIA.MI), said the program runs to January 4. It covers nearly all vehicles except the Dodge Challenger muscle car.

Chrysler has fared worse than the U.S. auto industry overall this year as the sector has slumped to the worst sales levels since the early 1980s. Through October, Chrysler sales were off 39 percent, while the industry was down 25.4 percent.

Earlier in November, Chrysler announced a five-year plan that would have the automaker break even on an operating basis in 2010 and on a net basis by 2011 based in part on restoring market share lost in its slide toward bankruptcy.

Chrysler has relied on more aggressive incentives than rivals during the downturn. Edmunds.com has said the true cost of Chrysler incentives in October were about $3,219 per vehicle sold, compared with a $2,468 industry average.

The automaker has about 183,000 vehicles in inventory, with roughly 88 percent as 2010 models and nearly all of the rest 2009 model year vehicles.

For the year-end program, Chrysler is offering $3,000 cash or zero percent financing on 2010 Chrysler brand vehicles. It is offering $4,000 cash or zero percent financing on Jeeps and $2,500 cash or zero percent financing on most Dodge cars.

Chrysler is also offering 1.9 percent financing for 60 months on its Dodge Viper sports car.

Chrysler is offering $2,500 cash and low or zero percent financing on 2010 Ram pickups and up to $5,500 cash or zero percent financing on most 2009 Ram trucks.