5.1 Million Jeeps Investigated for Fire Risk

There used to be a time when if you died in a car crash it was basically all your fault for not being careful enough, but authorities are leaving basically nothing to chance these days.

A huge investigation, covering a potential total of 5.1 million Jeeps, has been opened by Chrysler Group and the NHTSA regarding the rear fuel tanks of certain models.

The models affected are the 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees, 1993-2001 Jeep Cherokees, and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty, all of which pose a potentially serious fire risk. In case of a rear-end collision, the tanks in the back of the Jeeps could catch fire.

15 people have died and a further 46 have been injured due to this issue.

“With the number of vehicles involved and potential severity of the problem, this could set Chrysler back considerably,” said Dennis Virag, president of Automotive Consulting Group in Michigan, according to Bussinessweek. “The cost to Chrysler could be considerable, and the cost in terms of reputation would be high.”

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Porsche Panamera Turbo Rides on Vellano Wheels

Ever since the first day when the Porsche Panamera set foot on the road, the aftermarket world zoom in on it, rubbing its hands in excitement at the thought of customizing the car. Thus, the tuners love to play with the German four-door coupe and we are here to give you the latest example of that.

This comes from US wheel developer Vellano Wheels, which has recently played with a Panamera Turbo. The vehicle comes dressed in black, so the tuner wanted to step up its bad boy game.

Thus, the Panamera was fitted with a set of Vellano VSP rims, which use an elegant multi-spoke design and come in a 22x9.5-inch size for the front axle and 22x11-inch size for the rear one. These use a two tone color scheme, with a black center and a polished lip (the bolts are also polished).

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Audi Q2 concept headed for Paris, production model not until 2015

The Audi Q2 may soon be the smallest member of Audi's Q family, and a report in Autocar indicates that the company is taking no risks with its feature set. Charged with taking on the Mini Countryman and Nisssan Juke, Audi is giving the Q2 the kinds of looks and options it believes will stand up to established and popular competition.

Looks-wise that means a design said to grab elements from both the Quattro concept of 2010 and the Volkswagen Cross Coupe concept shown at last year's Tokyo Motor Show, sized between the A1 and A3 in length and about as wide as the Q3. We earlier mentioned two four-cylinder engines in the offing, but speculation is that there will actually be five – two gasoline and three diesel – ranging from a 120-horsepower 1.4-liter petrol engine to a 180-hp 2.0-liter diesel engine. A range-topping option will be the S model with a 225-hp version of the 2.0-liter gasoline unit. Buyers will apparently have the choice of a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG transmission, and front- or all-wheel drive.

The "high-quality interior" and exterior are said to get Mini-esque personalization options, and green features like stop/start will keep it frugal. Final bodystyles are still being decided, but we'll see a two-door concept at the Paris Motor Show later this year, with the final version penciled in for the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show.

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Porsche 911 GT3 996 Gets Stretched

A Porsche 911 is a Porsche 911, regardless of the generation it belongs to and we’re here to give you an example of that. We are talking about a 996 generation 911 GT3, which has recently received some tuning attention and now looks extremely fresh.

The vehicle has been gifted with a set of Work rims, that come in a 20-inch size and use 305/25/ tires for the rear axle and 255/30 tires for the front one. As for the stretching mentioned in the title of the article, those fat rear tires required the rear fenders to be rolled.

The 911 GT3 also received 997 headlights, as well as a tweaked 997 front fascia and thus has become even more tempting. The black centers of the rims match the dark tint of the windows, offering a bad boy image to the rear-engined coupe.

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Hennessey Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Offers Up to 1,000 HP

Hennessey is an extremely greedy (no pun intended) aftermarket developer, who would do everything to give you more power, so you can imagine the excitement felt by the company when it got its hands on the meanest incarnation of the Chevrolet Camaro, the ZL1.

The muscle car’s 6.2-liter supercharged V8 can be offered in four stages of power. It all starts with the HPE650, which uses a cold air induction system, a new intercooler and stainless steel headers, new pulleys and an ECU remap. Thus, the unit delivers 650 hp instead of the factory output of 580 hp.

Next up, we’ve got the HPE700, which comes with all the aforementioned goodies, plus a new camshaft and hugh flow cylinder heads, allowing the driver to play with a total of 717 hp. Those who want even more muscle, can opt for the two previously announced programs, HPE800 and HPE1000, which deliver 800 and 1,021 hp, respectively.

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Bentley GTC Matte Red Wrap by DBX for Gold Rush 2012

Vinyl wraps are the next big thing in custom cars since the of the metal shaping English wheel in the days coachbuildings. There are tons of carbon fiber or epoxy custom parts on the market, no matter what sort of exotic you own, however now you can change the color of the car without stripping it completely out, sanding it and doing 10 coats.

Diamond Black Xterirors have gotten their vinyl wraps down to an art-form, and to promote their products they have sponsored a Bentley GTC which they have wrapped for this year’s edition of the Gold Rush Rally.

The GTC sits on a set of massive multi-spoke Forgiato gloss black wheels and is finished in a matte red vinyl wrap. The bonnet and the A-pullars are black for added contrast, as are a number of other elements, such as the grille, mirrors and door handles.

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Opel / Vauxhall Astra GTC Gets 2.0 CDTi BiTurbo Diesel

The most powerful engine in the Astra GTC range short of going all out and buying the OPC/VXR is no longer the 1.6-liter Turbo petrol.

That’s because starting with the new look Astra range (facelift) which has just been launched, the coupe will be available with the 2.0-liter BiTurbo diesel engine first introduced on the Insignia. That means you get 195 horsepower (PS) and a maximum torque output of 400 Nm (295 lb-ft).

The engine is actually also available on the Astra five-door, the Sports Tourer and the GTC in the rest of Europe, but for now the best we have in terms of performance figures comes from the British Isles, where the GTC BiTurbo reaches 60 mph in 7.8 seconds and tops out at 139 miles per hour (224 km/h).

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New Mercedes A-Class Arrives in September 2012

Mercedes has issued a statement saying that the new A-Class luxury hatchback model will arrive at dealerships this September in Europe, priced from under €24,000. Considering how well the B-Class did, we expect it to be a huge success for the German brand.

The car will be produced both in Germany and in Hungary, and powered by a range of engines with outputs ranging from 109 hp to 211 hp.

"The new A-Class is the heartbeat of a new generation at Mercedes-Benz", stresses Dr. Joachim Schmidt, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Cars responsible for Sales & Marketing. "We have taken the opportunity to design a completely new vehicle which sets standards in its segment. I am convinced that the new A-Class will make a significant contribution to our Mercedes-Benz 2020 growth strategy."

Standard equipment will include air conditioning, Audio 5 USB, electric windows all round, Headlamp Assist and 12-button multifunction steering wheel. You also get radar-based COLLISION PREVENTION ASSIST system.
The coolest car you can get is the 2.0-liter powered A 250 Sport, offering 211 horsepower and a 7-speed DCT gearbox for €36,860.

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Hyundai Starts I30 Tourer Production

Production of New Generation i30 Tourer starts at Hyundai’s Czech factory. With the five-door mode already a success with 57,000 orders in Europe, things are looking good for the Czech-built wagon. Hyundai says it expects this new model to further boost sales of the i30 range by about a third.

The i30 Tourer offers the same engine options as the hatchback, but it comes with a massive 528 liter boot, and a loading bay that can reach a massive 1,642 liters with the seats folded flat.

“The launch of the Tourer is the next phase of the New Generation i30’s introduction to Europe, following the very positive reception for the five-door.  It not only brings greater choice for consumers but also is a testament to the quality and importance of the teams at our European design, engineering and manufacturing facilities,” said Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Hyundai Motor Europe.

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Rolls Royce Appoints New Director for China

Rolls-Royce today announced that it has appointed Henrik Wilhelmsmeyer as Director for Mainland China, with the move set to become effective from July 1st 2012. Wilhelmsmeyer has held multiple senior position within the BMW Group for a number of years, having worked in China during the last six years.

He is currently Head of the China South Region for BMW and was previously Head of Dealer Development. Paul Harris will keep his Regional Director for the Asia Pacific Region role, covering all Asia Pacific markets, excluding Mainland China.

“I am delighted to announce this important new role for Rolls-Royce,” said Jolyon Nash, Director, Sales and Marketing. “China has become one of our most important markets globally and Henrik, with his broad experience and strong track record, is ideally suited to further develop our strong position in this region.  I want to thank Jenny Zheng for her contribution over the past seven years.”

Last year, China led Rolls Royce’s sales for the first time in the history of the automaker, beating the US by a slim margin.

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