Goodyear Duraplus can be used to 100,000km

The new Goodyear DuraPlus was launched recently in Malaysia and the company claims it is able to achieve mileage as much as 100,000km. That sounds like really good news for the budget-conscious consumer who just want to buy something, fit it on and forget about it for the next few years.
The 100,000km figure was obtained during Goodyear’s tests on company tracks in France and Luxembourg, as well as open roads in Thailand. According to Goodyear, 100,000km is a good estimate and the tyres actually lasted even longer during the tests. The tests were conducted using 185/65R14 tyres.
The key behind the durability of the DuraPlus is what they call TredLife Technology, which actually consists of a few key design features that enables the tyre to last longer. A wide face cavity leads to increased footprint and more wearable rubber in contact with the road. A higher land to sea ratio tread depth allows for more wearable rubber.

The tyre also uses a carbon-based tread compound so the tire has a higher resistance to frictional wear, contributing to the tire’s long tread life and also increased mileage due to the lower rolling resistance. A new carcass design incorporating a stronger fabric that provides less resistance to tire rotation, leading to improved fuel efficiency. The tread pattern is asymmetric, placing more rubber on the outside shoulder of the tire, resulting in increased grip during cornering.
11 sizes are available in Malaysia, for 13 inch to 15 inch wheels. The Duraplus replaces the Goodyear GT3 in the Malaysian line-up.

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Lumma Design's Porsche Panamera-based CLR 700GT

To give the Panamera an aggressive appearance, Lumma adds an extreme body kit with a new front fascia, a carbon fiber hood, and aerodynamic side skirts. Other changes include 22-inch 'Racing Edition' wheels, rear fender vents, a carbon fiber spoiler, a four-tailpipe exhaust system, and a new rear apron with an integrated diffuser.
While details are limited, the car boasts 700 PS, a lowering module (which reduces ride height by 35mm / 1.38 inches) and a high performance braking system.
Look for more information to be released when Lumma officially unveils the CLR 700GT.

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GM halting Duramax production for 10 weeks

The revamped 6.6-liter Duramax V8 engine will go into production in April 2010 and the current Duramax, which doesn't meet emissions requirements that go into effect January 1, 2010, will cease production the day before the new year begins. In the interim, GM will be retooling the factory and won't be producing any of the engines to go in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra.This has some dealers and outside observers wondering if GM will run out of 2009 Duramax engines before the new ones are built and installed in engine bays. One dealer says GM will take orders for extended cab models with the big diesel, but no longer accepts orders for Duramax regular cabs. Analysts believe that with the car and work truck market showing some recovery, that demand will grow just as GM is trying to play the inventory game.While the General prepares it's urea-infused powerplants, any engines that GM builds through the end of 2009 can be installed in vehicles even if those vehicles are ordered and built next year. For now, GM says it is padding its stocks of Duramax engines and is confident about being able to meet the need.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

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Toyota Shows All-New 2010 Land Cruiser, Available in Three and Five Door Bodystyles

Making its world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the all-new 2010 Toyota Land Cruiser, which also previews the North American market Lexus GX, will go on sale in Europe and other international markets before the end of fall 2009. Building upon the design of its predecessor, the sixth-generation Land Cruiser gets fresh sheetmetal with softer shapes all around and a completely revamped interior featuring a more contemporary design for the dashboard.

Toyota says that the new Land Cruiser, which will be available in most markets in three- and five-door bodystyles, has a more spacious cabin. The five-door model will be offered in a seven-seat version with a third row of two full-size seats that can fold completely flat into the loadspace floor when not in use. The second row seats now have a sliding range of 135mm and a more flexible 40:20:40 configuration, with reclining seatbacks.

Being a proper off-road model, the Land Cruiser sticks with the body-on-frame construction, however, its rigidity has been increased by 11 per cent while insulating frame-to-body mounts have been added to absorb engine, drivetrain and road noise, and to improve ride comfort.

The vehicle's front independent double wishbone and rear four-link lateral rod suspension systems have been revised for extra comfort and better steering feel, while higher grade models are equipped with a new electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS), which adjusts the front and rear anti-roll bars for optimised on and off-road performance.

The flagship models also benefit from an electronically controlled rear air suspension system that works with Toyota's Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) system with Roll Posture Control allowing the driver tune the ride characteristics with a choice of three damper settings.

A new feature for the sixth-gen Land Cruiser is the Multi-terrain Select, which automatically controls power and braking to optimize performance for different types of off-road surfaces. The system also combines a monitor that shows real time images from around the vehicle from a network of four cameras supposedly providing the driver with more information about the immediate surroundings.

In the European market, the new Land Cruiser will offer buyers a choice of two revised engines, a 4.0-litre V6 Dual VVT-i petrol producing 249 horsepower and a 3.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel that makes 173 horsepower. Toyota says that CO2 emissions of both engines have been reduced by 12%, while the diesel model returns a combined fuel consumption of 8.1 lt / 100km (29mpg US) with CO2 emissions of 214g/km.

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European 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe Facelift gets New 197HP Diesel and 6-Speed Transmissions

Hyundai is giving its Santa Fe a new lease of life in Europe thanks to new powertrains and a lightly refreshed interior and exterior. As with the Korean market model, the European Santa Fe gets a new three-slatted body-colored grille, restyled bumper, tweaked headlamps and fog lights up front, while new tail lamp crystals, a revised bumper and twin exhausts sum up the changes at the rear. The 2010 model also features new alloy wheel designs, and redesigned side sills and roof rails.

Revisions to the interior are even more subtle and are limited to what Hyundai describes as "a new Supervision instrument gauge cluster", a built-in navigation system, an optional rear view camera and refreshed trim.

The most important upgrades are hidden under the bonnet as the 2010 model year benefits from the introduction of a new 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine, which produces an output of 197 horsepower and peak torque of 422Nm (311 lb-ft) between 1,800 and 2,500 rpm.

Matted to a six-speed manual transmission, the new 2.2 CRDi engine launches the Santa Fe from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 9.5 seconds, an improvement of 1.8 sec over the outgoing 155HP diesel model, and on to a top speed of 190 km/h (118mph) while returning 6.6 lt /100km (35.6 mpg US) in the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 174g/km.

The new entry-level petrol engine is Hyundai's 2.4-liter four-cylinder Theta-II unit that makes 174 horsepower. Acceleration from standstill to 100 km/h comes in 10.7 seconds while the Santa Fe 2.4 achieves a top speed of 190 km/h (118mph) with an average fuel consumption of 8.5 lt /100km (27.7 mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 203g/km.

Both engines are offered with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and optionally, with Hyundai's new six-speed automatic transmission.

Already introduced in South Korea, the refreshed 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe will make its European debut at next week's Frankfurt motorshow and go on sale in most markets towards the end of the year.

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2009 Skoda Octavia RS Facelift: Updated Album with 30 High-Res Photos

After releasing initial details and photos of its facelifted Octavia RS (or vRS for the UK market) in late April, Skoda has now published a full gallery of both the five-door and estate variants of the model. For 2009, the Czech automaker's family-happy GTI gets a restyled front fascia, revamped tail lights, updated interior trim and minor chassis upgrades. Both Octavia RS models are offered with two engine options, a 2.0-liter TSI petrol unit with 200HP and a 2.0-liter TDI diesel producing 170HP. Skip the jump for the picture gallery or click here for more detailed information.

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VW BlueSport Mid-Engined Roadster Concept with 180HP Diesel Achieves 55MPG

Sporty, good looking and extremely frugal; what else could one ask from a two-seater roadster? VW's long-awaited Concept BlueSport made its debut at the 2009 Detroit Show. Even though the German automaker makes no word of a production version, we're all crossing our fingers that the roadster study will get the green light. Behind the two bucket seats of the 3.99 meter long Concept BlueSport, there's 180HP strong 2.0-liter turbocharged Clean Diesel (TDI) engine that transfers power to the rear-wheels via 6-speed DSG dual clutch transmission.

With this unit that produces 350Nm of torque, the Concept BlueSport can sprint from zero to 60 mph in just 6.2 seconds (0-100 km/h: 6,6 seconds) while its top speed is 140 mph (226 km/h). Even more impressive is the car's excellent fuel economy rating of 55 mpg U.S. (4,3 l/100 km) that is combined with an ultralow CO2 level of 113 g/km CO2. Two features that help the mid-engined, soft-top roadster achieve these figures is the automatic start-stop system and the brake energy regeneration system.

Technical data of the Volkswagen concept car Concept BlueSport

Volkswagen Concept BlueSport
Body / Chassis
Length	3,990 mm
Width	1,745 mm
Height	1,260 mm
Track, front	1,490 mm
Track, rear	1,520 mm
Front suspension	McPherson suspension
Rear suspension	Multi-link system
Engine
Configuration	4 cylinder TDI, 2.0 liter displacement
Max. power at engine speed	132 kW / 180 PS at 4,200 rpm
Max. torque at engine speed	350 Nm at 1,750 rpm
Drivetrain / Wheels
Transmission	6-speed direct shift
Final drive	Rear-wheel drive
Tires, front	235/35 ZR19
Tires, rear	245/35 ZR19
Performance / Economy
0-100 km/h	6.6 seconds
0-60 mph	6.2 seconds
V/max	140 mph / 226 km/h
Fuel consumption (Euro 6)	4.3 liter/100 km / 55 mpg
CO2 emissions*	113 g/km
* in Eco mode: Start-stop & regeneration
Colors
Exterior paint	Flex silver
Convertible top	Orange

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