Wednesday, June 9, 2010

RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed)

RPMGO.com (former Auto Unleashed)


Ferrari boss confirms convertible 599 GTB Fiorano

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 02:05 AM PDT

Ferrari boss confirms convertible 599 GTB Fiorano

It seems a lot of people want to ride in a Ferrari and feel the wind blowing at high speeds through their hair. As such, the CEO of the company, Luca di Montezemolo, has revealed that a new convertible model based on the 599 GTB Fiorano will appear.

The car will be badged as a completely special edition, similar to how the 575 Superamerica was based on the 575 Maranello. It will boast a convertible roof but Montezemolo didn’t reveal if it will be a hardtop or a cloth top.

What’s sure is that it will be produced in limited numbers and will be shown to potential buyers at the company’s Maranello headquarters in Italy. It will be shown to the public at the upcoming Pebble Beach concourse in California this August.

So, after the regular 599 GTB Fiorano and the performance oriented 599 GTO, a convertible edition is set to be based on the model. Are you interested in this new convertible Ferrari? Share your thoughts below.

Source: Autocar

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Ferrari boss confirms convertible 599 GTB Fiorano

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GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles over fire hazard from heated windshield washer system

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 01:46 AM PDT

GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles over fire hazard from heated windshield washer system

We made fun of Chrysler at the beginning of the week for issuing a hefty number of recalls, but General Motors has seemingly decided that it wants to have the biggest recall this week, issuing a massive one, affecting 1.5 million vehicles.

According to GM, the heated windshield washer system installed on a lot of vehicles manufactured between 2006 and 2009 can lead to fire in some extreme cases. A recall for the issue was made several years ago, but the problem hasn’t disappeared.

As such, owners of the following models are advised to get to their local dealerships soon. The vehicles affected are: Buick Enclave and Lucerne; Cadillac CTS, DTS, Escalade, Escalade ESV and Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 3500, Suburban, Tahoe and Traverse; GMC Acadia, Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL, Hummer H2 and Saturn Outlook.

A fix hasn’t been found exactly, so GM will offer a $100 compensation and remove the heated windshield washer system on the 1.5 million affected models.

Source: Detroit News

Post published on Rpmgo.com

GM recalls 1.5 million vehicles over fire hazard from heated windshield washer system

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Video: Audi releases final video in ‘The Next Big Thing’ series

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 01:33 AM PDT

Video: Audi releases final video in 'The Next Big Thing' series

Audi’s biggest marketing push for its A1 city car, ‘The Next Big Thing‘ video series, has finally come to an end.

The German company released the sixth and final video in the lineup, completing the story of the characters played by Justin Timberlake and Dania Ramirez.

We saw car chases, shooting, fight club scenes and even a dramatic death, but now the conclusion (lackluster, in our opinion) has been revealed.

Hit the jump and check out the last video with the Audi A1 and then share your thoughts on the whole series below.

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Video: Audi releases final video in ‘The Next Big Thing’ series

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Mini planning bigger, seven-seat Countryman version?

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 01:17 AM PDT

Mini planning bigger, seven-seat Countryman version?

Mini, as its name implied, stood for compact vehicles made for zipping around the city. After BMW took over the British brand, the models got a bit larger, but fans didn’t complain, as they were still great for city travel.

Now, Mini is preparing to launch its biggest model ever, in the form of the Countryman crossover. From increased size to the ALL4 all-wheel drive or the larger ground clearance, this crossover doesn’t even seem like it would belong in the Mini range.

Now, a new report says that the British brand is pondering the idea of an even larger version of the Countryman, with a longer wheelbase and a third row of seats, in order to accommodate seven people.

While the rumor does have some weight, we’re highly reserved about it. Mini already has planned the Coupe and Roadster models to appear at the end of the year, alongside the Countryman. Couple that with the possibility of a revived Mini Moke, based on the Beachcomber concept, and the lineup is already getting pretty big.

Would a larger, seven-seat Countryman make any sense? Share your thoughts below.

Source: AutoExpress

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Mini planning bigger, seven-seat Countryman version?

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BMW X5 reaches 1 million units made

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 12:53 AM PDT

BMW X5 reaches 1 million units made

Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) are very popular these days, especially those manufactured by German carmakers.

Back in 1999 though, things weren’t like that. At that time, BMW took a huge gambit and released its first SUV, the X5. Since then, the model became a best seller, seeing one new generation released in 2006.

While winning accolades and becoming very popular with enthusiasts, the model also pushed rivals like Audi or Porsche to release their own SUVs, in order to make a dent in the X5 segment. BMW also increased the X family, adding the X3 crossover, the X6 Sports Activity Vehicle and the X1 soft-roader.

Even with that competition, the Bavarian SUV is still doing great, as BMW announced that it has reached the 1 million milestone of units produced.

The millionth X5 has been manufactured at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, and will be shipped to China. The model is a BMW X5 xDrive35i, decked out in Sapphire Black Metallic paint and Cinnamon Brown Nevada leather on the inside.

Source: BMW

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BMW X5 reaches 1 million units made

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Video: See how the Lexus LFA glass shattering ad was made

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 12:29 AM PDT

Video: See how the Lexus LFA glass shattering ad was made

Lexus really impressed a lot of people last week when it used its supercar, the LFA, to shatter a glass using only the exhaust pitch from that mighty V10 engine.

As you can imagine, that video left a lot of people amazed. Now, in order to really showcase how it all went down, the Japanese company has released a fresh ‘behind the scenes’ look at the science and the filming of the Lexus LFA Pitch ad.

From the physicist that found the correct glass shattering frequence to the race driver that needed to control the LFA V10, it’s all in there, so hit the jump and check it out.

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Video: See how the Lexus LFA glass shattering ad was made

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BMW Z4 gets stone statue treatment in China

Posted: 09 Jun 2010 12:14 AM PDT

BMW Z4 gets stone statue treatment in China

We’ve seen some pretty interesting representations of cars over the years. The last memorable one being the BMW M3-shaped headstone that a fan got for his tomb.

Now, it seems some people in Beijing really love the BMW Z4. Why? Because a life-size stone statue decorates one of its boulevards.

BMW Z4 gets stone statue treatment in China

As you can see, it’s not on a pedestal or something like that, instead just sitting there like any average parked car. Even more so, from a distance, you can barely tell that it is a statue and not a real car in a unique vinyl wrap.

But what really takes the cake is that the car has fully-recreated interior because, you know, if you’re going for the real-life look, why not make the stone carving that much more realistic.

BMW Z4 gets stone statue treatment in China

Not a lot is known, but these images are enough to make us scratch our heads and think what will surprise us next.

Source: Axis of Oversteer via Jalopnik

Post published on Rpmgo.com

BMW Z4 gets stone statue treatment in China

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Forza Motorsport 3 Summer Velocity Car Pack DLC available for download

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:54 PM PDT

Forza Motorsport 3 Summer Velocity Car Pack DLC available for download

Seeing as how some hot summer months are awaiting most of us, the guys at Turn 10 Studios, responsible for the popular Forza Motorsport 3 racing game for the Xbox 360 console, have decided to release a fresh batch of downloadable content.

The Summer Velocity Car Pack DLC brings ten new cars for you to race in the simulator. Among them are: 2010 Lotus Evora Type 124 Endurance Racecar, 2010 Mercedes-Benz SLK 55 AMG, 2010 BMW Motorsport X6M, 2010 Morgan Aero SuperSports, 2009 Chrysler Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, 2010 Bertone Mantide, 2010 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3, 2010 Ford Fusion Sport, 2010 Subaru Legacy B4 2.5GT, 2010 Peugeot RCZ.

The pack will cost 400 MS Points (around $5) and is already available for download on the Xbox Live marketplace. In case you want just a free taste of the pack, you can download just the Peugeot RCZ (pictured above) for free.

Source: Microsoft

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Forza Motorsport 3 Summer Velocity Car Pack DLC available for download

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Rolls Royce sales up 146% due to Ghost popularity

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:41 PM PDT

Rolls Royce sales up 146% due to Ghost popularity

The economic recession took a pretty hefty toll on luxury carmakers, which saw sales figures drop.

This forced a lot of companies to release more entry-level models, in order to attract those who don’t want to spend an obscene amount of cash on a new car. The Rolls Royce Ghost is one such example, as with its $250,000 starting price, offered a much more reasonable alternative to the larger Phantom.

Many scoffed at the new baby Rolls, saying that its niche just isn’t big enough. Luckily for the carmaker, they were very wrong.

New sales figures show that during the first five months of 2010, Rolls Royce moved over 678 models. While that doesn’t sound too impressive, it’s a whopping growth of 146% over the same time period a year ago.

No concrete numbers were released per model, but you can clearly guess that the lower priced Ghost is mostly responsible for the increase.

If you still can’t afford a Ghost though, perhaps you’re better off configuring one on the special iPhone app.

Source: Financial Times via Autoblog

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Rolls Royce sales up 146% due to Ghost popularity

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Special Dodge Viper editions released for top dealerships

Posted: 08 Jun 2010 11:19 PM PDT

Special Dodge Viper editions released for top dealerships

Dodge is preparing to end the lifecycle of its popular supercar, the Viper. We’ve already seen an array of special editions, from the 2010 Dodge Viper Final Edition to the SRT10 and special ACR editions.

Now, the company has decided to offer something a bit more special to the dealerships that have sold the most Vipers. As such, three special editions have been unveiled.

The first, is the yellow with black stripes Viper SRT10 ACR Roadster, made for Woodhouse Dodge of Blair, Nebraska. Second is the black with green stripes Reverse SRT10 ACR, made for the Tomball Dodge of Texas. Last but not least, the Black SRT10 Coupe, with black and purple stripes, goes to Roanoke Dodge of Roanoke, Illinois.

Only 50 models will be made in total, all of them equipped with the massive 8.3-liter V10 engine. If you fancy one of them, then you’d better get moving one of the aforementioned dealerships fast.

Source: Dodge

Post published on Rpmgo.com

Special Dodge Viper editions released for top dealerships

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