Automotive
Tuesday July 1, 2003: Legendary automobiles were once the sole domain of the European and American industries, but as the history of the Japanese automotive industry is now getting some longevity to it, we are seeing a legend reborn with the famous Z series being reintroduced in Australia. Read More
Friday June 27, 2003: Audi Australia will launch the new A8 sports limousine on 20th August 2003, following confirmed production for the company's first 50 locally-specified units. Read More
Tuesday June 24, 2003: Originally developed and manufactured in New Zealand and already launched in the US and European markets, the Navman GPS 3450 handheld navigation solution for Pocket PC is now available in Australia. Read More
May 14, 2003 Mazda's new RENESIS rotary engine, which powers the all-new Mazda RX-8, has been named "International Engine of the Year 2003." The prestigious award was presented earlier this week at Engine Expo 2003 in Stuttgart, Germany.Now in their fifth year, the International Engine of the Year Awards have become one of the most sought-after automotive accolades. Judged by a panel of 50 renowned motoring journalists from 22 countries, the 2003 Awards once again highlighted and acknowledged underhood engineering excellence. Read More
January 11, 2003 The Alfa Romeo Brera has been awarded "Concept Car of the Year" by influential motor publication Automotive News, which chose the Brera because it represented the leading innovation, production feasibility, production cost and consumer value of all the cars displayed at international motor shows around the world over the last 12 months.The judges said this year's competition was the closest - this was the fifth annual event - with the Alfa Romeo coupe beating GM's Hy-Wire concept by just a single point. Third place in the Concept Car of the Year want to the Renault Ellypse. Read More
On February 19, 2002, Ford Chairman and CEO Bill Ford delivered the news that car enthusiasts around the world had been waiting for: Ford will build the GT40 to help celebrate its 100th anniversary. The production announcement came on the heels of the 2002 North American International Auto Show debut of the GT40 concept car less than 45 days prior, and public response had been so overwhelmingly positive that the announcement was, if anything, overdue! The GT40 concept and production car was inspired by arguably one of the most recognized and loved cars in automotive history. The remarkable history of the GT40 is detailed elsewhere on theis web site. GT40, the modern version of the historic, two-door supercar, will help breathe new excitement into the Ford brand and support Ford Motor Company's promise of 20 new or freshened products each year. Read More
Mitsubishi releases Lancer Evolution X high-performance 4WD sedan
April 26 , 2007 Mitsubishi's rally-inspired, high-performance 4WD sedan will carry the name "LANCER EVOLUTION X". The development concept for the all-new Lancer Evolution X2 specifies a "new-generation high-performance 4WD global sedan that allows all levels of driver to enjoy the car's speed and handling with ease and in safety". The new model features Mitsubishi's S-AWC3 (Super All Wheel Control ) traction and handling system, that integrates the control of drive torque and braking management with the four-wheel drive system to help realize highly responsive and intuitive handling in addition to outstanding vehicle attitude stability. Read More
April19, 2007 It’s Ferrari’s 60th birthday this year, and we’re pleased to report the company to be in extraordinarily good health. One of the most recognised brands on the planet, Ferrari’s name is synonymous with automotive performance, technological innovation, elegant form, and excellence in seemingly everything. On the racetrack, Ferrari has participated in every event in Formula one history, having won 23% of these races, with more race wins, fastest laps, pole positions and championships than any other marque. Formula One is the world’s most expensive sport by a fair margin – fielding a vaguely competitive car costs half a billion dollars a year, and several teams have spent a billion dollars in a year and still been embarrassed by the speed of Ferrari. Formula One is also the world’s most watched sporting event and the resultant brand recognition is enormous. Ferrari does not advertise but its marketing department is fittingly innovative in showcasing and developing the brand in many ways with the recent examples including a Ferrari theme park for grown ups in Abu Dhabi, the worldwide Tour of Ferrari, and dressing up a series of the world’s showcase buildings, including the world’s tallest building, Taipei's 508 metre 101 Tower. The anniversary celebrations have also spawned one of the world’s most outstanding adverts, not from Ferrari, but from its long-standing Formula One fuel partner Shell. Costing US$3.9 million, the two minute longform commercial involves a cavalcade of Ferrari’s most famous race cars driving flat-out through the streets Rome, Monaco, Rio, New York and Hong Kong and is yet another example of Antione Bardou-Jacquet’s astonishing talent. He was previously best known for the Honda “Cog” commercial. The commercial can be seen here – warn the neighbours, then turn up the speakers very loud for a wonderful experience. Read More
March 7,2007 After a positive response for its Xebra Xero, electric car pioneer ZAP has designed a solar option for the three-wheeled electric workhorse - a photovoltaic panel that ZAP says can offer short-distance driving on sunlight alone. ZAP intends to showcase the new Xebra Xero (pronounced zebra zero) Truck at up-coming industry events for automotive fleets. The Xebra truck is a city car, available as a 4-door sedan or 2-passenger truck, good for city driving up to 40 mph and will cost about US$12,000 with the Xero Solar Panel Option. The car recharges normally by plugging into a standard 110 volt outlet for a full charge in up to six hours and a 50 percent charge in 1.5 hours. The ZAP Truck converts into a flatbed or dump-bed that can tilt to allow maximum exposure to the sun. Read More
December 14, 2006 Parc Ferme Experience is another variation on the partial ownership, car sharing club - Most car sharing clubs are focussed on reducing the group environmental impact, but a more recent variant has seen luxury car sharing clubs appear such as Club Ascari, Exotic Carshare, Classic Car Club, Luxshare, Club Sportiva, and link list here. Join Parc Ferme Experience and you get year-long access to iconic cars and historic motorcycles. Membership provides ready access to 12strong fleet of motorcars plus 11 classic motorcycles. For less than it costs to run just one collectors’ vehicle of your own for a year, you get the lot, switching between four and two wheels at will! The current car fleet comprises a Ferrari Testarossa, 328GTS and 246 GT Dino, a Porsche 993 Cabriolet and 356B Coupe, an Austin-Healey 3000 and Frogeye Sprite, a Mercedes CLK Cabriolet and Pagoda-roofed 280SL, an MG B Roadster), a Jag E-Type V12 Roadster and an Alfa Romeo Spyder. The motorcycles on offer comprise: two Triumph Bonnevilles, a Tiger 110, a Norton Commando, Dominator, and 500cc ES2 single, a Ducati 900S, a 750Triton, a Sunbeam Model 9, a Velocette Venom and a BSA Super Rocket. On top of the joining fee of UKP600, there’s an annual fee of between UKP2450 and UKP3450 depending on how many points you wish to use, plus you pay for the fuel you use – the garaging, servicing, tax, insurance etc is handled by the club. Depending on how many points you buy, and which cars you want to drive, you’ll get between 35 and 80 days of driving per year – this is a very cost-efficient way to get your bum on some fine seats. One satisfied customer describes his membership as ‘Viagra for the soul’ – and, as a doctor, he should know! Read More
