sources: autozeitung, carspyphotos A N D O N I S 03 Aug, 2011
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Source: http://andoniscars.blogspot.com/2011/08/good-morning-new-eleven-spied.html
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Earlier this year, at the Geneva Motor Show, Fiat introduced a special edition of the tiny 500 hatchback in collaboration with Gucci and now they decided to offer the special edition for the convertible model too. To be more precise, the Italian manufacturer teamed up with the fashion house in order to celebrate Italy’s 150th anniversary of the unification but also Gucci’s 90th year of existence.
The orders started in July with pricing from €17,000 and it seems that more than 3,000 customers already bought one. Based on hatchback’s success, the Italian company is now offering the special edition also for the 500 Convertible with prices starting from €20,000.
This special edition is designed by Centro Stile Fiat in tight collaboration with Frida Giannini, Gucci’s Creative Director. Somehow expectable, there are only few minor changes if we compare the hatchback and convertible variants of this special edition.
For example, the retractable roof gets now the Gucci’s green and red line while a new set of 16-inch alloy wheels are improving the exterior appearance as well. There are also some Gucci logos at the exterior while inside you get a numbered plaque. In terms of features, the Fiat 500 by Gucci gets the Blue&Me system, radio CD with MP3, leather steering wheels with radio controls, automatic climate system and seven airbags.
“All the exclusivity of the “500 by Gucci” – attention to detail, feeling of elegance and style – is enhanced in this new version, and made even more attractive by the innovative electric soft top for opening a “window onto the sky”, says Fiat.
Two exterior body colors are available for Gucci’s Fiat 500C, a white finish with chrome trim or a glossy black paint along some similar chromed parts. The interior is enhanced by a new leather upholstery, satin chrome elements and new trim. Fiat says that the orders will begin somewhere this month while starting August 19, the new special edition will arrive in the most famous place in Europe for a unique tour.
Rikk 03 Aug, 2011The Americans from Ford decided to reveal a new version of the 2012 Focus, a model which is scheduled to enter the British showrooms somewhere in September. The new Studio trim level includes air conditioning, electric front windows and door mirrors, radio/CD player, ESP system and USB connectivity. At the exterior, the 2012 Ford Focus Studio comes with 16-inch alloy wheels and a rear spoiler in the same finish as the body.
The exterior appearance is completed by a set of three body colors, namely Frozen White, Panther Black and Moondust Silver, the latter being shown in the images below.
Under the bonnet, Ford will offer a 1.6-liter Ti-VCT gasoline unit able to produce 85 horsepower while the fuel consumption stops at 47,9mpg. Of course, this won’t be the only engine choice available but what Ford wanted to do is to create an affordable version of the new Focus.
Nigel Sharp, Ford of Britain managing director, said: “With the high end of the new Focus range fully established, we are now making it easier for customers to get behind the wheel at the entry level – and this new Studio model is not only affordable but it is also well equipped, attractive and economical too.”
They also claim that the new Focus Studio is the replacement of the popular Focus Sport, a version of the previous generation which received an impressive number of 15,000 orders in less than a year from its debut. The starting price of the 2012 Ford Focus Studio goes under £14,000 which is exactly what the company wanted to do.
If you want to get more comfort and more power in the same time you can go for the top-of-range version which is £10,000 more expensive. We talk about the Focus Titanium X powered by a 163-horsepower TDCi and offered along with the six-speed Powershift automatic transmission.
Rikk 03 Aug, 2011Mina… Minagi… whatever the original concept was called by the Japanese, it’s being replaced by a new production car from Mazda which is called the CX-5.
The new 2012 Mazda CX-5 was supposed to be unveiled at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in September but, for some reason, it was released ahead of schedule.
Pictures are one thing, but getting to experience the 2012 Mazda CX-5 first hand will be taken care of by any of the media journalists in just over a month from now, on September the 13th.
Up until then we can still enjoy the somewhat decent press release that Mazda included with this new surprise unveiling of the 2012 CX-5.
Just in case you don’t know it already, the Japanese managed to keep most of the concept’s lines and I have to say, the new Kodo design language looks awfully good.
As an added bonus of attraction to this small SUV, Mazda will be fitting a special range of engines underneath the bonnet of the 2012 CX-5, all of which will be using SkyActiv technology.
This means that buyers will have a choice between a 2.0 liter gasoline engine and a 2.2 liter diesel powerplant with some sort of efficient transmission that was developed particularly for these new units.
Apparently, the best part of the 2012 Mazda CX-5 will be within these engines which can either be tuned up for efficiency or performance depending on customer choice.
Hopefully, that means that the somewhat compromised nature of the 2012 CX-5 being labeled as a “soft-roader” will not also imply the appearance of a hybrid drivetrain to make it that much more hateful.
A new chassis and a new body panel structure would also contribute to lightness and efficiency, something Mazda claim will also help performance.
That’s almost natural and it seems to give us the feel that the CX-5 is meant to be breathing down the neck of the BMW X3 more than any other model out on the market.
As far as the lawmakers are concerned, the Mazda CX-5 will go on sale in early 2012 and by then, the most important aspect of a new car will be the carbon emissions it produces.
No matter how great performing, good looking, sporty driving or efficient the Mazda CX-5 will be, people are going to care about how much tax they pay or how eco-friendly are.
On this front, the CX-5 is excellent, it will only be producing 120 grams of CO2 per kilometer, a real benchmark in this sector of the market and quite competitive with some of the smallest of cars around.
Lupica G. 03 Aug, 2011The Japanese seem to be full of surprises these days. After Mazda launched the 2012 CX-5 ahead of schedule, Lexus gave us another surprise just now.
Toyota’s luxury arm decided to delay plans for their seven seater CUV but that doesn’t mean they will be slacking off for a few years to come.
In return, Lexus is going to start work on a convertible version of the LF-A. While normally, I would jump up and down at the thought of how a company would pick a sports car over a practical proposition but here I’m not very confident.
This is mostly because I’m not a very big fan of the Lexus LF-A coupe at all and secondly because convertible versions of hardcore sports cars don’t really work out.
We all know the sort of problems that come with loss of serious rigidity of the body shell and how pretty much no manufacturer, no matter how many years of experience at sports car they have, got around to fixing.
Ferrari came closest to doing so with the 430 and we expect much of the same on the 458 Convertible, but that’s less than likely to happen for Lexus and their LF-A.
My lack of confidence mostly resides in how despite the millions of dollars spent on research and development of the LF-A it ended up costing far too much without offering the performance levels of a direct rival like the Ferrari 599.
With this in mind, who could like a somewhat weaker version of this car as a special treat? Honestly, apart from the exclusivity of a Lexus LF-A Convertible I really don’t see that many selling points going for it.
Under the bonnet there’s very little chance of a revolution happening so we expect that the Japanese company will use the same 4.8 liter V10 that develops 560 horsepower and 354 lb-ft of peak torque.
Most predictions would say that the Lexus LF-A Convertible could be ready to hit the market in 2014 around the middle of the year.
Lexus has also been sharing some information on other cars along side the LF-A Convertible and none of it is by any measure significant.
On top of the crown jewel, Lexus will be keeping busy updating the IS, the GS and the LS. Add to this list of projects the names of the GX and LX and you can pretty much bet that nobody from Lexus will be wasting time until the middle of 2014.
Lupica G. 03 Aug, 2011