Venturi Fetish

The folks at Monaco-based Venturi Automobiles have used two strategies to overcome the problems of producing a high-performance, all-electric luxury sportscar: manufacture only 25 units per year, and charge $400,000 for each one. The Venturi Fetish, described by the company as “the first production electric sports car in automobile history,” can bolt from zero to 60 in 4.3 seconds, and reach a maximum speed of 105 mph. The physics behind this level of performance: 330 horsepower pushing a carbon-fiber vehicle weighing only 2,425 pounds.

When the vehicle’s 100 li-on battery packs are topped off, Venturi claims the Fetish can go 220 miles before needing a recharge. A rapid battery charge is available, yielding about one mile of driving for every minute of juice. Venturi has taken the guesswork out of knowing how much charge is left by teaming up with Intel to create a wireless information system to remotely monitor the energy storage status, as well as other critical data. Before writing a check for a deposit, you might consider that the vehicle has yet to meet U.S. guidelines to become certified for American roads. Customers take delivery in Monaco and are responsible for transport to the United States…or anywhere else, for that matter. Orders are being taken, with a production and delivery timeline of approximately one year.

Cadillac Converj

After the $4 gas price spike in mid-2008, global car companies quickly adopted the near unanimous goal of producing greener more fuel-efficient cars for the masses. But opinions about how exactly to drive down the inherent cost of hybrids, electric cars, and clean diesel vehicles—to make these technologies affordable and commonplace—have broken down into two camps.

The Cadillac Converj, a sleek angular luxury concept plug-in hybrid, was introduced at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Hybrid stalwarts Honda and Toyota are making a move to capitalize on their early investment in gas-electric technology by increasing production numbers, lowering costs, and offering hybird for around$20,000 Electric car and plug-in hybrid startups,tesla and Fisker, are hoping to enter the market with exotic green machines in the neighborhood of six figures—and then to demonstrate profitability, and slowly work toward follow-up models at $50,000 or below. General Motors is somewhere stuck in the middle when it comes to its plug-in hybrids, like the Chervrolet Volt.

The Volt likely will carry a sticker price around $40,000—steep for a Chevrolet product—and still not turn a profit for years. Bob Lutz, GM’s product czar, said, "In terms of recovering the cost from the technology, doing it in a Cadillac would have made it financially easier to do.” We don’t have to wonder what a luxury version of the Volt would look like. The company unveiled the Cadillac Converj concept vehicle at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

Why a “Cadi-Volt”?

Built on the mechanicals of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the Cadillac Converj won rave reviews at the show, with its aggressive coupe profile, angular lines, and sleek, elegant exterior. AnEscalade Hibrid, it definitely ain’t.

Those underlying mechanicals, now known as Voltec (nee E-Flex), are largely unchanged for the Converj. They include a 16-kilowatt-hour battery pack powering the 120-kilowatt electric motor that drives the front wheels, for an all-electric range of 40 miles, with a range-extending 1.4-liter engine to power a generator that recharges the pack for another 300-plus miles of travel. While the control electronics might be retuned for slightly better performance, the Converj wasn’t about technical specs. A company press release states: “The four-passenger Converj concept is intended to show how GM’s revolutionary electric propulsion technology…can power a luxury coupe with a typically Cadillac ‘no compromises’ design.”

Cadillac Cues

The “aggressive, forward-leaning” profile is supported on large wheels and tires: 21-inch diameter in the front, 22 inches at the rear. A glass roof incorporates solar panels that can power vehicle accessories, and like the Volt, the Converj minimizes aerodynamic drag. It has a full belly pan to smooth airflow below the car, the grille openings are minimal, and its outside mirrors were even replaced with video cameras to eliminate the drag they added.

Now-traditional Cadillac style cues include the light-pipe technology in the vertical headlamps and tail lamps, fitted with light-emitting diods(led) and high-intensity discharge elements.

The Converj also uses the Magnetic Ride Control suspension pioneered on Cadillac’s pricey XLR two-seater. In this system, damping is provided by electrorheological fluid whose viscosity changes millisecond by millisecond as a magnetic field affects the magnetic particles suspended in it.

The Cadillac theme of “art and science” is most visible inside the concept, which blends high-tech electronics with luxurious materials.

Black leather and white synthetic suede upholstery is matched to aluminum and wood-grain accents, and the designers attempted to use sustainable materials. The suede comes from “post-industrial content” (when was the last time you heard that about a Cadillac interior?), the carpeting blends in real wool, and the headliner is made of silk.

The instrument cluster uses an organic light-emitting-diode (OLED) display, just like the crispest and priciest monitors. All the controls are operated through a touchscreen (think iPhone), and the exterior cameras that supplant rear-view mirrors display their images on a screen high in the instrument panel.

Aerodynamics and Cash Flow

Bob Lutz arrives on stage in the Cadillac Converj at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

But let’s hope that its stylists did their homework on the aerodynamics. If the Converj goes into production, we hope it won’t vary as much as the 2011 Volt does from thevery different shspe of the concept shown in 2007, which was striking but proved wildly un-aerodynamic. The design of the Volt's more aerodynamic production version is much more sedate. The Dallas Morning News said it “looks like the quintessential rental car.”

Perhaps Lutz and the gang are still smarting from criticism about those design changes. At the Detroit Auto Show, he emphatically stated that if the Converj goes into production, it will look “exactly like” the concept version. That’s a big if. Before the Converj goes into production, according to Lutz, GM has to prove four things: that the company has the money to make the vehicle, that it’s a higher priority than other vehicles in the works, that the Converj can make money, and that there’s customer interest. "It's going to be financially tough sliding," said Lutz.

Tata Indigo Vista

Overall:India's third largest passenger car manufacturer Tata Motors going to launch its most awaited c-segment sedan model Tata Indigo Vista in Indian market in the month of August this year. The new car will be launched in Indian auto market as a joint venture between auto majors Fiat and Tata Motors and they manufacturing the new Tata Indigo Vista at their Ranjangaon based manufacturing plant near Pune. Tata Motors uses the same platform of its most popular hatchback model Tata Indica Vista to manufacture the newIndigo Vista to reduce the overall manufacturing cost of this car as using the new platform to manufacture any car results hike in manufacturing cost. Tata Motors refused to say about the exact price of Tata Indigo Vista but company officials indicates that it will be priced in the range of Rs 5.5 to 7 lacs. This price range seems competitive for this segment and it will surely compete with other cars of this segment like Maruti Swift Dzire, Mahindra Renault Logan, Hyundai Accent, Ford Ikon and Chevrolet Aveo.

Luxury car over 200 grand

There are luxury brands--Mercedes-Benz and Lexus come to mind--then there are luxury brands, cars with the leather from a herd of cows and wood from a whole forest. Spyker, Ferrari, and Bentley all showed off hand-crafted cars at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. These cars feature beautiful and unique styling, high-performance engines and driving gear, advanced cabin tech, and prestigious brand names. The prices they command put them in the realm of sheiks and movie stars

MERCEDES-BENZ 2009

Luxury Cars:German carmaker Mercedes-Benz has come up with the ESF 2009; a car patterned after the S400 Hybrid to showcase some of its latest safety innovations. A pioneer in car safety, Mercedes once again proved itself with the ESF 2009, which is equipped with 13 safety advancements that are completely functional - even in just demonstration form. The PRE-SAFE Structure, one of the most remarkable elements of the experimental car, is simply a collapsed metal beam. When a collision is impending, the structure is activated via a gas generator as soon as an internal pressure of 145-290psi is reached. Additional protection is provided when the metal sections unfold.
A further safety innovation that comes with the vehicle is an external air bag located underneath the car, designated as a braking bag; it functions as a secondary brake that deploys just prior to a collision, when an onboard sensor system detects that an impact cannot be avoided. When the braking bag is deployed it makes contact with the ground surface to provide extra friction, simultaneously slowing down the vehicle and raising the car up to 8 cm, counteracting the dive effect that results from hard braking. Furthermore, geometrical compatibility with the other vehicle involved in the mishap, is enhanced. The experimental car also comes with a special technology known as Interactive Vehicle Communication which is able to communicate with other cars or relay stations by sending and receiving bad weather warnings or road obstacles that may prove hazardous.
Another safety feature in the ESF 2009 is the PRE-SAFE Pulse which lowers the forces that act against the torsos of the passengers in instances of a lateral collision by moving the occupants about 5 cm toward the center of the vehicle, as a safety measure. This action is achieved by inflating the air chambers located in the side bolsters of the seats. Other intelligent safety features that are included in the ESF 2009 include partial main beam headlights, Size Adaptive Airbags, and a Hybrid Battery Shield.

PRIDEVILLE MURCIELAGO

Supercars: Top of the line supercars and luxury limos have experienced very great demand in the preceding years that resulted in record sales - to the delight of manufacturers - but has on the other hand resulted in customers owning not so exclusive models. Of course, the chief goal for owning these cars is exclusivity, distinction, a standing out from among the flock. The solution to this exclusivity dilemma is to commission your own customized coachwork. Prindiville Prestige, the British-based company, is attempting to resurrect the traditional art of exclusive coach-building and supporting it with state-of-the-art materials and technologies, making it possible for customers to create a totally exclusive car. To exhibit their prowess in this field, they have chosen the Murcielago as the car to handicraft. Preserving the Lamborghini central core, the Murcielago by Prindiville only has the front compartment lid in common with the donor vehicle. The rest of the panels, along with the roof, have been replaced and modified.
Now the car comes with a more menacing front valance and highly attractive sills. It also boasts a more active valance at the rear through which protrudes a uniquely designed titanium sports exhaust system, doors without handles equipped with remote electric opening, and a modified engine compartment cover that comes with see-through cooling louvers. Carbon fiber elegantly finishes all the body panels. Featured on the Murcielago by Prindiville is a customized interior, improved with the use of high quality ostrich leather and aluminum highlights that were precision-milled. High attention to detail is demonstrated in minor touches, precision engineered aluminum air intake and others.
Prindiville removed the plastic air vents because they deemed it an unworthy component of the car's interior. Even though the vents were expensive they decided to replace them with an aluminum version since the firm felt that things should be done right. Onboard entertainment and communications systems are left to the customers to decide. Additional features that come with the Murcielago by Prindiville are miniature cameras installed on both door mirrors. They function as protection for the sills and alloy wheels when the car is parked adjacent to high curbs. The cameras provide image feed to the monitor in the cabin to help the driver see what he cannot otherwise. As part of the system, there is also a camera mounted on the rear valance.

Mercedes-Benz E-Class - What the Auto Press Says

The 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class ranks 1 out of 12 Luxries Large Cars. This ranking is based on our analysis of 41 published reviews and test drives of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and our analysis of reliability and safety data.

The Mercedes Benz E-Class is one of the finest cars in a class filled with exceptional cars. It's spacious and luxurious, but offers exceptional performance and taut handling that disguises its huge size. It's also one of the costliest cars in a class filled with expensive cars. The 2010 version, improved in many ways, will carry a lower MSRP.
The 2009 E-Class is an exceptional car. Its design is somehow both modern and timeless -- this is the clearest example of the stately, classic Mercedes character on the road today. It comes with a selection of engines, every one of which is quite powerful. Inside, it combines old-world luxury with modern technology in an elegant cabin. The E-Class is a sharp performer, but those looking for sport sedan tuning above all else might want to consider the BMW 5-sieries as well.
New Car Test Drivesays the E-Class name "describes a full line of big, roomy sedans that are solid, safe, practical, comfortable, luxurious and fast ... it expresses what most people think of when they think of Mercedes: status in elegant, understated fashion.".
It's among the most expensive in a very expensive class, and it can be expensive to maintain. The Lexus LSmay prove a more predictable expense. A redesigned E-Class, due for teh 2010 model year, will actually carry a lower base price than the 2009 car.
For 2009, Mercedes brings its diesel-powered E320 Bluetec to all 50 states. All versions of the E-Class now offer Bluetooth connectivity and a new entertainment system. 4Matic All-Wheel Drive, an added-cost option in previous years, is now a no-cost option. Satellite radio is available for the first time