A Ducati Named Masterpieces

Bologna - the most attractive Talk motorcycles from around the world, Ducati was always a dream to dominate the motorcycle enthusiast. All variants Ducati always be the best sepertiSuperbike, Monster, Streetfighter, hypermotard, Multistrada and the most gres Diavel.

Ducati produces its products with an impressive display, the lines are seductive and fleskibel motor, combined with a ferocity that makes engine super-powered motor.

The question is, how do the Italian manufacturer is a masterpiece? Ducati ready to answer.

"Always use care and attention to detail motor is always perfect. Ducati has a clear view, design is the driving force behind a huge success. Everything comes from a strategic focus on product development, "said the Ducati camp as reported autoevolution.

Any development of newer variants, Ducati always bring all the elements that inspired the brand character design, detail, performance, tremendous engine, driver comfort and safety of the motor. Ducati Brembo brake always use products that are adopted from MotoGP and F1.

"Notice the motor, including the weight of it is a real obsession for designer Ducati. They give large contributions to ensure that Ducatisti always get the perfect bike and ride can be enjoyed now, "continued the statement of this Ducati.

Ducati explained it took three years to create a new motorcycle. In more than 1000 a day long, all the attention to detail, every single component should be lighter than the last model.

Wheelsandmore Audi R-Stream V10 Spyder

Recently, the performance package of the latest luxury car is the Audi R8 Spyder V10 has been announced by Wheelsandmore as a vendor production. Reportedly this effort aims to improve the quality of midship supercar that is more clear and specific.

Barely looking at the photos below then you can say that Wheelsandmore has done it again. The German tuning company has unleashed another set of magnificent creation, and was named as Wheelsandmore Audi R-Stream V10 Spyder. It features an optimized package performance that has exceptional looks inside, and out

Part devices in the ecu was mapped by using materials of stainless steel, in addition, the device reportedly in the car is a handmade high-flow exhaust system with valve cap remotable collected. Why is that, because this project is one form of change in output from Spyder Audi R8 V10 engine in order to achieve maximum performance up to 600hp and 590 pounds big-ft of torque.

Toyota Corolla Altis 2.0 V A/T 2011

Dual VVT-i equipped with the Intelligent Drive by Wire system with ETCS-i able to optimize torque for low and medium engine speeds, and increased power for high speed. Exhaust emissions were lower and increased fuel efficiency.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Overall Length / Length 4540
Overall Width / Width 1760
Overall Height / Height 1465
Distance Axis Wheels / Wheelbase 2600
Track / Tread (Front / Front) 1520
Track / Tread (Rear / Rear) 1520
Distance Lowest / Ground Clearance -
Radius Turn / Turning Radius 5.3
Empty weight / Curb Weight 1275

Technical Specifications

Engine Engine type Bore x Stroke Displacement Compression ratio Max power Max torque Transmission Clutch Fuel system Fuel type Steering Gear Gear ratios

4 Cylinders in-line, 16 Valve, DOHC, dual VVT-i 80.5 x 97.6 mm 1.987 cc - 152 ps @ 5,600 rpm 21.2 Kgm @ 4,000 rpm 4 A/T, Sequential, Gate Type - EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection) Unleaded Gasoline - 1st 3.943 2nd 2.197 3rd 1.413 4th 1.020 Reverse 3.145

Dimensions Frame type Colors Overall length Overall width Overall height Tread Front Tread Rear Wheelbase Ground Clearance Dry weight Fuel capacity Safety Belt Key & Alarm System Suspension (front) Suspension (rear) Tyre (front) Tyre (rear) Brake (front) Brake (rear)

- Beige Metallic, Silver Metallic, Medium Silver Metallic Dark Grey Mica, Black Mica, Greyish Blue Metallic 4540 mm 1760 mm 1465 mm 1520 mm 1520 mm 2600 mm 140 mm 1275 kg 55 litres 1st and 2nd row Integrated Key with Alarm, Parking Sensor Mc Pherson Strut with Coil Spring & Stabilizer Torsion Beam with Coil Spring Alloy Wheel, 205/55 R16 Alloy Wheel, 205/55 R16 Ventilated disc with ABS, EBD and BA Drum with ABS, EBD and BA

New 2011 Opel Corsa OPC Nurburgring Edition

Opel Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition, the extra power offered by a turbocharger andmodified engine management, sport exhaust system with low pressure and optimization of disadvantages for 100 octane. Therefore, the maximum OPC turbo1.6-liter 154 hp to 141 kW/210 hp, is a specific output of 131.4 horsepower per literkW/192 an exception in this class of machine. The motor torque (230 to 266 Nm)increased to 250 Nm and 280 Nm when the turbo overboost function is activated.

10 the Worst Automobile FADs

There is a subtle but important difference between fashion and a fad. Fashion is the inevitable evolution and refreshment of taste and style in everything from clothing to automobiles, which keeps those things from getting tiresome and stale. Fashion drives innovation for the sake of innovation, and it is generally considered a good thing. On the other hand, fads such as fuzzy dice are as ephemeral and unpredictable as fashion, but in the end are just plain silly.

With the benefit of hindsight, it’s generally pretty easy to recognize a fad, but for each of the designs, technologies or accessories below, there was a window in time and an enthusiastic audience that aligned perfectly to turn a dumb, pointless concept into an embarrassing reality. Sam Livingston, of Car Design Research, has seen plenty of fads come and go and even feels a bit nostalgic for some of them. “Remember, the ambitions behind most of these things were quite noble, I’m sure,” he says. “All of these things probably seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Any list of the worst of anything is guaranteed to elicit some defensive feedback. So let's pre-empt that right now by saying that if you owned any of the automobiles or accessories on this list, we’re not judging you as a person — we’re judging your car. And whether you knew it or not at the time, people were probably judging your car for all the years you owned it. So a little poke to the soft spot you may have had in your heart for that vehicle might sting a bit, but somebody had to tell you — eventually.

Fake Wood Paneling

Another famous vinyl product meant to simulate the craftsmanship of a bygone era, fake wood paneling began to pop up in the 1960s, draping the sides of luxury station wagons such as the Ford Country Squire. Like the famous woodies of the pre-1950s era (which were, of course, constructed of real wood), these cars showed off their elegantly grained vinyl timbers with pride. That is, until the panels peeled off to reveal the sheet metal beneath.

The siding itself didn’t generally last long, but America’s taste for the richness of faux wood endured well into the 1990s. That is, until the American station wagon was displaced by its brutish big brother, the SUV (more on that later).

Spinning Rims

Many of the fads in this article are long gone, but spinning rims (aka “spinners”) live on. Invented in the 1980s, these aftermarket goodies do exactly what their name implies, that is, the inner portion of the rim continues to spin on roller bearings after the wheels they are attached to have stopped. Equipping one’s car with a full set of spinners can cost thousands of dollars, making them an expensive yet essential element of the pimped ride so popular in the early part of this decade.

But guess what — it’s over. We realize that many of you are still sporting these rotating novelties, but you are riding on four shiny anachronisms that inspire new snickers from passers-by each day. Spinners are the ultimate one-trick pony. All they do is spin, and the forty-fifth time you see them, the joy is totally gone.

Talking Cars

Picture yourself back in 1982: You are taking your new high-tech Datsun 810 Maxima for a nighttime drive in the country. A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran” is playing on the radio. You are all alone in the cockpit — or so you think. When you come to a stop and turn off the ignition, a sultry female voice emanates from behind the dash: “Lights are on.” And so they are. You turn them off and say, “Thanks, baby.”

With a vocabulary of exactly six phrases, the 810 Maxima was the first true talking car, equipped with a digital nanny feature that would chastise you for forgetful behaviors, including not switching off your headlights or failing to buckle your seat belt. And like any true fad, the recordings that were etched into its phonograph-style cylinder swiftly went from way-cool tech to way annoying. But that didn’t stop the insufferable feature from finding its way into other vehicles such as the 1984 Dodge Daytona and Chrysler Laser.

And despite eventually becoming an ’80s punch line, cars that talk have once again resurfaced in the form of voice-prompt GPS navigation systems and Sync-style voice control systems. It seems that this time, however, they have something relevant to say.

Vinyl/Landau Roof

Quick quiz: What has all of the problems of a convertible top (tearing, weathering), with none of the  pleasures (driving with a top that actually opens, for instance). It’s the vinyl, aka “landau,” top. Although term “landau top” is often used as a catchall term for the multiple variations of the vinyl top, fake-convertible connoisseurs know that true landau tops have landau bars on the C-pillar. These bars are a reference to the conventions of classic coach building — which probably made more sense back in the 1920s and ’30s, when landau cars were first introduced.

By the 1960s and ’70s, however, when the vinyl-top trend was at its height, it probably struck buyers as a hint of luxury on top of the often-brutish sheet metal of the era. Vinyl tops were offered by all three Detroit automakers at the time, on cars including the Cadillac Eldorado, Pontiac Firebird, even the Ford Pinto. And, as fads go, this one lasted quite a long time; the last factory landaus were offered in the 1990s. Now an enthusiast of the genre must appeal sheepishly to the aftermarket to get a roof that says “convertible” on the outside, fixed roof on the inside and cheesy all over.

Automatic Seat Belts

It’s hard to be too critical of the automatic seat belt. These mechanized devices meant well. And in the post-Nader era of the early 1980s, the chastened automotive industry was just trying to get drivers to actually use the most significant safety device invented in automotive history. There were two main flavors of the technology. A combination manual lap belt and automated shoulder belt was employed in vehicles such as the Toyota Cressida— the lap belt would clip on normally, and the shoulder belt would ride back along a track in the top of the door frame until it had draped its sash of safety across the driver and/or passenger. Another variant automated both lap and shoulder belts with a complicated arrangement that required occupants to slide under the belts for entry and exit.

Both arrangements had the incredibly annoying habit of knocking off eyeglasses or clotheslining anyone unaware enough to be leaning forward when the car was turned on. In the end, automatic seat belts often produced the opposite behavior from what was intended — people simply unhooked the manual release and went beltless.

GM confirms new shifts

General Motors Co. says it will need about 2,500 additional workers to build Chevys around the clock at its Detroit Hamtramck plant.

The automaker confirmed Wednesday it will add two shifts at the factory, where eventually it will build three high-profile Chevrolets on one line: the electric extended range Volt, the midsize 2013 Malibu and next-generation Impala.

About 1,350 laid-off GM workers will have first recall rights for the job openings.

The rest will be new hires who will earn a second-tier, $14-$16 hourly wage — about half what veteran workers get. Second-tier wages are among the issues the United Auto Workers intends to press in this year's contract negotiations.

The UAW wants higher entry-level wages, Vice President Joe Ashton told reporters at the Detroit-Hamtramck plant Wednesday, reiterating comments made by UAW President Bob King at the union's bargaining convention in Detroit last March.

The union also will seek to bump up lower wage workers more quickly into the better-paid first tier, Ashton said.

But to be competitive, he said, the companies "need the second tier. It is no good making $28, $38 or $48 an hour if you don't have a job."

The auto companies may not be receptive to an entry-level pay increase, said Kristin Dziczek, director of the labor and industry group at the Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research.

The second-tier lower wage is keeping the Detroit Big Three's labor costs competitive with the transplant automakers, she said.

GM isn't accepting new applications for the hourly work at this time, but salaried job openings are available at GM's website, said spokeswoman Kim Carpenter.

The automaker will spend $69 million to upgrade the factory, which employs 1,100 and has run on one shift since 2009.

The new Chevy production will mark the end of an era for the plant, which for more than two decades has built mostly Cadillacs and Buicks. GM this month is retiring two full-size cars now built at the plant — the Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS.

GM added the Volt to Detroit-Hamtramck last fall, and will boost production of the vehicle after a four-week shutdown in June for retooling. It will begin making the next-generation 2013 Malibu early next year.

The plant will add the second shift in late fall, and the third shift at an unspecified future date.

When Impala production begins, the plant will be running three shifts for the first time.

GM officials declined to stay when the factory would start building the full-size Impala sedan, but stressed it would be an important addition to the Chevy lineup. Now two years in the making, the new full-size Chevy is undergoing a complete redesign.

"The great history of the Cadillac wreath and crest is important," said GM North American President Mark Reuss.

"But our Chevrolet bowtie is where the volume is at," he said, referring to Chevy's iconic logo.

GM hasn't said when the new Impala will go on sale, although it is expected in 2012 or 2013.

The Impala will have front wheel drive, deliver better fuel economy than its predecessor and stand apart from the Malibu in design, Reuss said.

"This next Impala is going to be all of GM's hard work coming together," in styling, technology and fuel economy, said Dave Sullivan, an Ann Arbor-based analyst with AutoPacific Inc.

"Right now, (the Impala) is a rental car special," he added. But GM is going to follow Ford's lead in what it did with the Taurus, and make the Impala its flagship car.

The current generation Impala is built at GM's Oshawa complex in Ontario, where it also makes the Camaro, Equinox and Buick Regal.

GM declined to say Wednesday whether it will continue to build the Impala there.

His union members remain hopeful the market can support production at two plants, Lewenza said.

Ken Lewenza, president of the Canadian Auto Workers, said GM hasn't indicated its leanings, but it will build the car at the Oshawa plant until 2012.



"Anytime you have two plants manufacturing the same vehicle, there is reason to be nervous," he said.

The hiring at Detroit-Hamtramck will account for a little more than half of the 4,000 jobs GM has said it will keep or preserve by investing $2 billion in 17 U.S. sites in eight states over the next few years.

Buick-buickkkkkkk LaCrosse heralds future

When I first started reviewing cars five years ago, I can assure you, I never thought I would find myself eagerly waiting to get behind the wheel of a Buick.

But that started to change when the redesigned LaCrosse arrived. And then came the midsize Regal, which combines sportiness and comfort. Put any badge you want on it, and it's simply a nice machine.

Then, when General Motors Co. rolled out the 2012 Buick LaCrosse with eAssist at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year, I couldn't wait. This isn't just a car, it's a movement. With so many pending regulations on fuel economy and whatnot coming down the road, the LaCrosse resembles what most future vehicles are going to look like.

The future is now — or at least this summer when the LaCrosse arrives at dealerships.

The idea is absolutely brilliant: Take all of the technology that makes cars more efficient and put them all together in the most reasonable way. Use things like electric power steering, engine start/stop, aggressive fuel shut-off, improved aerodynamics, low rolling resistance tires, and a small electric motor that boosts the car when it needs a little help to stretch a gallon of gas farther than anyone could have imagined.

About five years ago, GM had introduced a "mild hybrid" system on a few vehicles. The execution was miserable and the vehicles felt like they were built only so GM could tout a few vehicles with a hybrid badge. Green refrigerator magnets that said "Hybrid" would have been better.

To this day, GM still does not have a traditional two-mode gas-electric hybrid sedan. But eAssist makes me wonder if it needs one.

It is the exact opposite of those earlier mild hybrid. It works, makes the car extremely quiet and never uses the word "hybrid." The badge is not as important as the 25 mpg city and 37 mpg highway, which Buick estimates the LaCrosse will hit when EPA testing is done. The official numbers will be released in the coming weeks.

For comparison sake, other large sedans don't even come close to the LaCrosse's mileage. If people pull them up in comparison charts like the handy dandy one on Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com), they will think the 2012 LaCrosse numbers are a typo. The subcompact Honda Fit gets 35 mpg highway. The midsize 2011 Toyota Camry hits 32 mpg highway. Even the previous four-cylinder LaCrosse got only 31 mpg highway.

Furthermore, the Buick LaCrosse with eAssist is not some limited-edition super-fuel-economy model that only a few people will see or drive. It's the base model flagship for a premium brand. It has all of the trappings you'd expect in a car of this class and caliber. All of the gizmos and gadgets are there. It has those big comfortable seats and more leg room in the front and back than a theater seat. It's comfortable and complete. There are even a few eco-friendly gauges to help the driver take a little lead out of his foot and leave a little more gold in his pocket. It's an alchemist's dream.

System stays in background

While I only got to drive the 2012 LaCrosse for a little over an hour, I was impressed at how utterly unimpressive the eAssist was.

Everything works in the background. There's no electric motor whirl at takeoff. There's no pull of the re-gen motor when the brakes are applied. There is only the slightest of vibrations, hardly noticeable when the engine restarts after pausing at a stoplight.

The system works so smoothly few will notice. When the LaCrosse eAssist arrives, there will be customers who never realize exactly how gasoline frugal their car is or that this car is acting like a hybrid in many ways — and in some ways, more sophisticated than a traditional hybrid.

See, what really smart engineers have done is connect a 15-horsepower electric motor to the engine to assist it whenever there's a need. The electric assist (eAssist. Get it?) will add some power at different moments. Whether pushing up a slight grade of road or starting the LaCrosse from a standstill, the electric motor can keep the car in a higher gear longer, or just help move it without using any additional fuel. The motor is not strong enough to drive the car through a parking lot like most hybrids today, but it doesn't need to — it actually provides better mileage than a number of gas-electric hybrids on the road today.

It also uses the motor as a generator to collect energy when the LaCrosse is coasting or slowing down. By now, most people understand regenerative braking, which turns energy once lost as heat on the brake pads into electricity that is sent to a small lithium-ion battery pack in the truck. That energy is then later used to seamlessly assist the engine.

Sum greater than pieces

This LaCrosse just glided through the hills and country roads around Milford — home to GM's proving grounds — where I test drove it.

There were a few times, if you really stepped on the gas, that the engine whined a little bit, a product of GM's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine needing just a bit more power than its 182 horses available. But those were the extreme conditions — for the most part it just kept chugging along. On the highway, the LaCrosse felt at home around 80 mph. (It's unlikely it will get 37 mpg at that speed, but I was just keeping up with traffic.)

The steering feels crisp and firm and the suspension falls to the soft-but-firm side of a ride. But, again, there's nothing wrong with that in this car, which is by no means a race car. If gas is at $4 a gallon, you could drive this car to Chicago for around $32, which is still a couple of billion dollars cheaper than a high-speed rail ticket. And the LaCrosse could get you there in five hours — the super-train will take five decades.

The ride is likely quieter, too. Engineers improved its aerodynamics by adding a number of panels under the body. Cutting wind resistance also cuts noise.

That's the funny thing about this Buick. I asked if engineers could break down point by point how each improvement increases fuel economy. Does the EPA's improve things 6 percent, the electric motor 12 percent and the aero 4 percent? But, really, it doesn't work that way.

If the air resistance is lower, the engine doesn't stress as much, so the battery can hold its charge longer and the electric motor can kick in a little less from time to time. But the electric steering draws power from the batteries but also eliminates parasitic engine losses at the same time. Each improvement impacts a number of areas, which in turn can pay it forward at the pump.

The sum of the 2012 LaCrosse is truly greater than its pieces.

From The Detroit News