1/31/12

1/28/12

2012 Audi R8 LMS Ultra




 Audi has revealed plans to compete in the FIA GT1 World Championship next year with two examples of its latest GT3 race car, which will be independently fielded by Team WRT.


The announcement comes after a recent decision by the FIA GT Commission and World Motor Sport Council to develop uniform regulations between the FIA GT1 World and FIA GT3 European Championships, thus allowing the R8 LMS Ultra to fight for a world champion’s title of its own for the first time.

"We very much welcome the decision of the FIA World Motor Sport Council on December 7th in favour of the GT3 cars," said Werner Frowein, Managing Director of quattro GmbH.

"In the future, this vehicle class will not only stand for high-calibre national and European customer sport but also for the world’s pinnacle in GT racing. We are delighted that Team WRT has submitted its entry for the World Championship and will be representing the colours of Audi Sport customer racing."

WRT said that it is planning to select and announce its drivers for the championship before the end of December.

The provisional race calendar for the championship follows below.

2012 FIA GT1 World Championship
Round 1: Apr 08 Nogaro (France)
Round 2: Apr 22 Zolder (Belgium)
Round 3: May 27 Navarra (Spain)
Round 4: Jul 08 Algarve (Portugal)
Round 5: Aug 26 Peking (China)
Round 6: Sep 02 Ordos (China)
Round 7: Sep 16 Moscow (Russia)
Round 8: Oct 07 Zandvoort (Netherlands)
Round 9: Nov 25 San Luis (Argentina)
Round 10: TBA











2012 Fiat Strada Pickup Truck




The Strada is Fiat's second best-selling commercial vehicle after the Ducato with 127,800 units sold worldwide in 2011. It is built at the company's FIASA plant in Betim, Brazil.


The revised light commercial model comes in three flavors named Working, Trekking and Adventure plus three body styles, including short cab, long cab and the four-seater crew cab for a total of six different variants.

The most distinct model is the Adventure crew cab with its 4x4-esque looks thanks to a raised suspension and extensive body cladding. This version also features a new standard electronic locking differential called E-Locker and 205/65 R15 off-road tires.

Fiat says that the new Strada's overall dimensions are unchanged over the previous series with a length of 4,409 mm (4,457 mm for the Adventure), a width of 1,664mm (1,740mm for the Adventure) and a common wheelbase for all versions of 2,718mm.

The payload, including the driver, ranges from 630kg to 705 kg (1,388 to 1,555 pounds) depending on the version.

Power comes courtesy of a 1.3-liter Multijet 16v Euro5 diesel engine that delivers 95-horsepower and 200Nm (147.5 lb-ft) at 1,500 rpm and consumes 5.3lt/100km (44.4 mpg US) on the combined European driving cycle.

In Italy, prices before tax range from €12,900 (US$16,700) for the Working Single Cab model to €16,000 (US$20,700) for the flagship Adventure Crew Cab version.

















1/26/12

2013 BMW X6M





The first official photos of the high-performance 2013 X6 M, which gains the same cosmetic touches as the rest of the series while maintaining the mechanical hardware of the 2012 model.

At the front end of the sports crossover, the new X6M gets a tinkered double kidney grille with different slats that angle in the lower section and redesigned headlamps with LED units fitted as standard. At the rear end of the car, we find adaptive new LED headlights.

A couple new colors for the body and some new leather trims inside complete the subtle revisions for the new model year.

We'll remind you that the X6M sports a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 lump that pushes out 555-horses at 6,000 rpm and 680Nm (501.5 lb-ft) of peak torque from 1,500 to 5,650 rpm to all four wheels through a 6-speed M Sport automatic transmission.