The 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid will be available at $26,500 for sale excluding $750 for destination and handling. The $26,500 represents an increase of $705 versus the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Like its Sonata kin, the Optima Hybrid uses the automaker's 2.4-liter direct-injected four-cylinder engine, mated to an electric motor and paired with a six-speed automatic transmission.
When Lamborghini unveiled the Sesto Elemento Concept Car, everyone thought it would get past the show stand due to its lightweight construction but as for producing the Sesto as is seemed rather outside of the realm of possibility.
We began receiving reports that Lamborghini was preparing to put it into production, albeit severely limited. Then the successive reports suggested that the car could be strictly limited to avoid costly homologation procedures.
Ferrari waiting lists are long in Australia and indeed in the world. The average wait time for a Ferrari 575M Maranello was three years at one point. This demand rapidly stripped out the brand’s small production capacity. What else a cashed up Ferrarista can do is just buying whatever’s available and drive until your hot pink Ferrari 458 arrives with the diamante-encrusted wheel arches and baby seal leather interior.
Porsche once again makes use of its “Black Edition” nameplate for its new model, the Cayman S. This model benefits from a power boost and an additional standard equipment limited to 500 units worldwide. The Cayman S Black Edition features an upgraded version of the 3.4-liter six-cylinder boxer engine, with output increased by 10 horsepower to 330HP at 7,400 rpm. Maximum torque remains unchanged, however, at 370 Nm at 4,750 rpm.
Just a few months after debuting the i40 at the Geneva Salon, Hyundai is preparing to launch the the sedan version of its mid-size model. It will be launched at the upcoming 2011 Barcelona Motor Show on May 12th.
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New automotive technology makes the Bugatti Veyron the fastest car in the world. Well the fastest full production car.
From what I have read in the most popular automotive magazines is that there are a few slightly faster cars available but the Bugatti is considered a true production car. This means you can actually order and buy this vehicle I will be describing below.
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The automotive technology stuffed in this package is mind blowing. I would not want to work on it but I would pay big money to drive the worlds fastest car.
The automotive magazines are all coming out with stories on this unique super car. This article will be a sampling in my own words of what I learned about this modern marvel. Lets start with the things I have never seen in my 23 years in this business.
The Bugatti has a horsepower gauge on the dash, this is like an on board dyno that reports the horsepower at the wheels at any rpm. Also on the control panel is the power key that lets the vehicle obtain its maximum speed.
This power key activates on board systems that lower the vehicle by 2 inches in the front and opens undercarriage airports to actually suck the vehicle to the road using a Venture vacuum effect.
The power key on the worlds fastest car also deploys the rear wing to provide additional down force at high speeds. The wing is also dropped in the front on heavy braking to act as an air dam style brake. This very slick technology.
Now onto the automotive technology in the engine compartment. The 8.0 liter 16 cylinder engine has 4 turbo chargers that provide the neck breaking horsepower, motivating the world's fastest car.
Believe it or not this engine gets 19 mpg on the highway, which is better, then my Chevy blazer. The power gets put directly to the road using the most advanced automotive technology I have seen.
A seven-speed manual gearbox with a dual clutch system with a paddle shift control on the steering wheel. All of this automotive technology is funneled through an all wheel drive system that the automotive magazines are calling bulletproof.
The transmission also has a fully automatic mode for your trips to the grocery store or just cruising slowly on the strip. The rubber hits the road through Michelin's 14.4-inch wide tires (the widest ever made) and is custom built for Bugatti.
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The tires are said to last around 10 thousand miles of hard driving and carry a replacement cost of around 12 thousand dollars for a set of four.
But if you can afford the worlds fastest car 12k for tires should be a walk in the park.
Yes new automotive technology in the brake department as well. Ceramic disc brakes and an unheard of eight piston caliper design stops this super car from top speed to 0 mph in under ten seconds.
The braking system uses the vehicles aerodynamics to help dissipate the heat generated by braking from such high speeds.
Speaking of cooling things down. Again new automotive technology in this vehicles engine cooling systems. This vehicle has 10 radiators working together to cool this beast down.
As a side note the parent company of Bugatti is Volkswagen. Volkswagen has poured over 1.5 billion dollars into the development of this super car.
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The automotive magazines described driving this vehicle as a mind-blowing experience. What stood out to me the most is how the worlds fastest car works very hard at applying down force.
