A parade showcasing some of the world’s best and most expensive supercars ended with one hapless blonde crashing her $370,000 Bentley Azure into a $111,000 Mercedes S Class.But that was not the end of the supercar debacle. Monte Carlo’s Place du Casino became chaotic when the driver – her identity restricted to “the blonde” – crashed her 2.7 tonne beast into a $207,000 black Ferrari F430, before crashing head-first into $118,000 Porsche 911 and a $207,000 Aston Martin Rapide.As expected, this expensive bingle caused quite a scene and makes for one memorable insurance claim. It is estimated the crash will cost more than $59,000 with the Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin requiring new front wings and bumpers. The Bentley will need the same repairs, plus a new door.Unfortunately, this story does not help remove the stereotype that women drivers make men nervous. Scientists at the University of Michigan looked at 6.5million car crashes and found a higher than expected number of accidents between two female drivers.Hey, the facts don’t lie!
The onslaught of new and updated models continues at Hyundai with the arrival of the fourth generation Accent in Australia.Designed on home soil at the Korean giant’s Namyang R&D centre, the new car is offered in sedan and five-door hatch variants across three specification grades – Active, Elite and Premium (hatch only). Price ranges from $16,990 for the Active manual hatch to $23,990 for the Premium.
Powered by a 91kW/156Nm version of the 1.6-litre ‘Gamma’ petrol four, the new Accent is available with a choice of five-speed manual and four-speed auto. Although 1.4 and 1.6-litre diesels as well as six-speed manual and auto boxes are available in the Accent in other markets, Hyundai Australia says the spec chosen was, “the most appropriate of the options available for the local market.”At 4.1-metres long for the hatch, and 4.4-metres long sedan the Accent sits between the i20 and i30 in terms of overall size and interior space. And although there is some overlap with i20 on powertrain (the 1.6-litre version of which shares the Accent’s engine) and price, the availability of an Accent sedan offers yet another niche option in the Hyundai line-up.
World rugby superstar Jonah Lomu, recently visited Lamborghini HQ at Sant’Agata Bolognese in central Italy, and managed to fold his 196cm/125 kg frame into the driver’s seat of the new Aventador LP 700-4.
Big Jonah was in Italy to promote the ‘Friends for Japan’ appeal, the proceeds of which will go towards rebuilding the areas hit by the tragic tsunami of March 11.
After checking out the Lamborghini assembly lines and museum, the imposing Kiwi rugby legend took a spin in the Gallardo Superleggera, exclaiming afterwards, “The feeling you get in a Lamborghini and the adrenaline rush at every bend are unbelievable!”.Lomu debuted for the New Zealand All Blacks in 1994 and became the top try scorer in the 1999 World Cup. And ‘Friends for Japan’ appeal events in Italy will climax in a rugby match between Italy and Japan on August 13 in Cesena.
Competition is set to heat up in Australia’s car industry, following Japanese car maker Toyota announcing a roll out of new car models over the next 18 months.
Toyota Australia has confirmed that five new models will be introduced over the next year-and-a-half. The announcement was made just days before the car maker opened the Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne.
The first car to be rolled out will be the 2012 Yaris light car, which is on sale in Japan and should hit showrooms in the third quarter of this year. For the driver that needs towing and moving space, the Toyotal Hilux has had a makeover and will be reportedly on the market in September.
The new features of the Hilux include:
– New headlight design and bumper bars
– A slicker grille
– Updated quarter panels and bonnet scoop.
Other features rumoured to be added to the top-selling pickup include electronic stability control and anti-lock brakes as standard.
Toyota’s hybrid range will expand in 2012 with the new Prius V wagon, which is expected to cater for the family-sized households with more storage and passenger space up to seven seats.
And for the other end of the people movers, a compact city car called Prius C concept will go into production next year. It’s promised to be the cheapest hybrid and a big competitor of the Honda Insight hybrid valued at $29,990.
Toyota has hit all types of car markets, with the last of the five new models a sports car update – the FT-86 sports coupe – also due to hit the road mid-2012.
With this latest wave of new cars by Toyota to enter the market, and some with promised competitive price points, there’s no doubt that many drivers will be in a frenzy when trying to decide their next set of wheels.
While this could be the help that Australia’s car market needs to pick up the pace with other countries’ car markets, drivers need to be careful with choosing the right car loan for their next car purchase. Car loans can range dramatically in interest rates and fees, for instance, new car loans can range from 8.69 percent up to over 16 percent according to a quick search on RateCity (based on a $30,000 loan over five years).
There’s no point in bargaining hard to save on your car if the extra money you save will be wasted on interest and fees by not shopping around for the right car loan. So make sure you make your next car purchase worth the effort and you could end up saving on fuel, the initial outlay as well as interest on the car loan.
Peugeot has promised it will revive the GTI legend with its forthcoming 208 range next year. Replacing the seven-year-old 207 range, the all-new 208 will be shown at the Geneva motor show in February and is expected in Oz mid-year.
Speaking at the launch of the 508 mid-sized sedan and wagon, Peugeot Australia MD, Ken Thomas, confirmed that the 208 GTI would be imported to Oz, promising that Peugeot’s French engineers have aimed to revive the virtues of the iconic 205 GTI and 306 S16 models.
”When I first saw the 208 GTI, I thought ‘yes, finally a return to our roots’,’ said Thomas, admitting that the highly-criticised previous-gen 207 GTI “didn’t go the full monty”.
”People have been saying for years ”c’mon, we want a proper GTI’… we had the opportunity to bring the 308 GTI but I thought it looked too restrained. People will think that we’re simply bullshitting them [with the GTI badge]”.
Thomas guarantees an aggressive look for the 208 GTI, with unique panels differentiating it from the regular range. Flared guards will enable engineers to widen the front track to provide the agility renowned in previous GTI variants. The 208 GTI will be powered by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with the 147kW 1.6-litre engine from the RCZ an option strongly hinted at by Peugeot’s MD. It will also weigh less than the previous-gen 1250 kg 207 GTI, thanks to increased use of lightweight high-tensile steel and an aluminium bonnet.
Peugeot will position the 208 GTI between the VW Polo GTI and Golf GTI, with a $30-35K pricetag expected. It’s the success of those rival models that Thomas says have necessitated Peugeot to return to building what he describes as a ”proper GTI”. And that’s something the 207 GTI never was…
Her rear has won the world over but now another rear of hers is making headlines. Pictures have emerged showing the back of Pippa Middleton’s car being clamped.
Witnesses claim the 27-year-old’s $60,000 BMW Z4 soft-top was immobilised by authorities in a street in London’s fashionable Chelsea, where she had a flat, presumably during a shopping spree.Surely, having your Z4 clamped would make anyone distressed but luckily for the royal sister-in-law she has a new car waiting for her.
It’s reported that Pippa’s security is a concern for her parents so they are replacing her (clamped) BMW Z4 with an armoured car.Millionaires Michael, 61, and Carole Middleton, 55, want to buy Pippa a $ 142,608 bomb-proof Audi or BMW according to UK publication The Sun.A source told the paper: “Carole and Michael have taken a raft of measures following advice from one of William’s most trusted bodyguards.“Pippa’s car will have all the latest security devices, including armour plating. It will be bomb proof.”
The 4.0-litre CRT M3 finale-party has officially been crashed by the boys at AMG, with the unveiling of the long-awaited C63 AMG Black Series.Beyond the fattened guards, aero detailing and carbonfibre-interior injection, here’s the stats you need to know about the most hardcore C-Class ever. The 6.2-litre nat-atmo V8 gets a full-cream 380kW and 620Nm, hooking up to a new seven-speed MCT with a race-start function for 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds. The 19inch alloys are 11kg lighter than the regular C63, housed under guards that are 28mm wider to accommodate substantial track increases of 40mm (front) and 79mm (rear).Red-painted six-piston front/four-piston rear fixed callipers help reign in the speed, and ultra-firm and aggressively-contoured tombstone sports seats keep the driver and passenger placed during mid-corner Gs. The rear-seat bench has been deleted – the Black is strictly a two-seater. Like the regular C63 AMG Coupe, the ESC features a ‘Sport Handling Mode’ between its on or off settings.Options include an exterior carbonfibre package, matte-black alloys, and fire extinguisher.Fond memories of the CLK 63 AMG Black Series ring strong in the minds of many Wheels staffers since that car’s launch in 2007. If the CLK Black’s brilliantly-executed racecar-for-the-road philosophy translates to the C63 Black, there’s every reason that the M3 – CRT or otherwise – could get knocked off its perch.
They’ve sold over 22 million of them. The design is as iconic as a Coke bottle and Ray Ban Aviators. Now the ‘people’s car’ is launched in its third, rather different, incarnation.
Lower, longer and wider, ‘The Beetle’ as it is now officially called, has morphed into an upmarket coupe. It gets an interior as classy as a Golf or Passat, plus a host of features never dreamt of on earlier Beetles.
Take a first look at the VW Beetle 2.0 TSI Design
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Two Lotus Evora S are to be used as rapid response cars by the Italian Carabinieri. The Evoras will be in service with the Italian military police for two years, with bases in Rome and Milan. They have been decked out with voice recognition technology and a special portable refrigeration compartment behind the front seats – allowing the rapid transport of vital organs and blood required during medical emergencies.
A team of young design students from South Korea has beaten out the best from Europe and the rest of the world to win the 2011 Ferrari World Design Contest.The competition invites emerging car designers from 50 universities all over the globe to submit their vision for the Ferrari of the future. And the winning concept, ‘Eternita’, was designed by Kim Cheong Ju, Ahn Dre, and Lee Sahngseok from Hongik University in Seoul.Azerbaijani Samir Sadikhov, who is studying at the IED in Turin, took second with his design ‘Xezri’, while Henry Cloke from the UK and Qi Haitao from China joined forces at the UK’s Royal College of Art to produce the third placed ‘Cavallo Bianco’.In congratulating the winning teams’ creativity and enthusiasm, Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said, “I am certain that some of these suggestions will come to light in the Ferraris of the future.”
Each team completed a 2D design, 3D computer model and 1:4 scale physical model with detailed interior and exterior. A strong environmental theme was evident in the majority of entries with a focus on reducing fuel consumption through weight reduction and the use of alternative propulsion systems, particularly hybrid drivetrains.
