Mazda has announced today that they’ve reached an agreement with Ford, according to which the Japanese company, together with its partners, will buy more than half of Ford’s stake in Mazda. Ford’s ownership will be reduced from 33.4 percent to just over 13 percent, but the two giants announced that their 30 years partnership will continue. Considering Mazda’s stock trading price, the deal is estimated at around $200 million. It’s not much, but going through some rough times, Ford needs all the money it can get, just like GM, who announced a couple of days ago the sell of their stake in Suzuki.

“This agreement allows Ford to raise capital that will help fund our product-led transformation, and at the same time, allows Ford and Mazda to continue our successful strategic relationship in the best interest of both companies,” said Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally.

Once again, a crazy looking car comes from the Emirates, this time from Abu Dhabi. What you see here is a BMW M5 based Lumma CLR 500 RS which, besides the Lumma body kit and the rest of the upgrades, has an awesome matte black paint finish. Usually, you can either hate or love this kind of cars, that look they’ve just been in the most recent Batman or jet fighter movies. And this one, which definitely makes heads turn, is really incredible, we just love it. For more photos, check out

Last week we showed you a photo of the new BMW Z4 caught in a BMW showroom somewhere and now, thanks to our good friends from BMW Blog, we’ve got another goodie for all the car’s fans. This official brochure was leaked and we can get a look at the car’s rear (though it’s a scan, the quality is pretty good). Hmm, that makes us reconsider a little our previous position, because the car looks very good here. Some influence from the 6 Series, but that’s very promising, we must admit.

Though the new 2010 Mercedes Benz E Class was scheduled to be unveiled in January, the German carmaker forgot that the internet is one of the most powerful mediums and thanks to the guys from Autoscoops.eu we’ve got the first official photos of the car, one month before the official unveiling (which might happen sooner now). The first thing we notice is the heavy influence from the F700 design study, unveiled at last year’s Frankfurt show and from the Concept FASCINATION, unveiled a couple of months ago, in Paris. Unlike its direct competitors, the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A8, which have sporty and power written all over, the E Class has always been about style and class, and you must admit, the new one has plenty of those. The only flaw we spot is the rear part, with those tail lights that remind us of the Citroen C5.

There was no official press release so far, but we expect the new E to be larger, longer and wider than the current generation, which means more space and comfort for the passengers. Under the bonnet, the new luxury sedan will probably be powered by new versions of Mercedes’ current engine line-up, like the 200, 220, 250 and 300 CDI diesels, the 350 BlueTec, of course, and a range of petrol engine, including a top-of-the-line AMG powerplant developing around 600 hp. As you’d expect from a Mercedes, especially in this class, the car will be stuffed with all sorts of technologies, including Night Vision, blind spot and lane departure warning, plus a new set of safety features, like the new impact absorbing bonnet that pops up 5cm and protects to cyclists or pedestrians at low speed collisions, plus a new system that reacts when potential collisions occur.

As we said earlier, Mercedes planned on announcing the car in January, with the world debut scheduled for March, at the Geneva Motor Show. Along with the new generation, new versions of the E Class will debut: an E-based coupe (Geneva) and a cabriolet (next year’s Frankfurt show).

One more photo is available after the jump

Mazda has just announced that, besides the MX-5 facelift, the Paris Motor Show will mark the world debut of their latest concept car, the Mazda Kiyora. The Kiyora, which is Japanese for “clean and pure” is a lightweight urban compact concept car based on Mazda’s ‘Zoom-zoom’ vision and which is powered four-cylinder direct-injection engine contribute to excellent fuel economy and low CO2 emissions. To acquire that, the new Mazda Kiyora concept car is based on an all-new platform designed to minimise weight and maximise safety and it also features an innovative interior design with new functions. Check out more photos after the jump.

Scheduled to hit US showrooms late this summer, the 2009 Mazda 6 will have a price tag starting at $19,850. For this money, you’ll get the entry level Mazda6 i SV powered by the 170 hp 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine. The same engine is available for the Mazda6 i Sport and i Touring, which will feature some extra options and will start at $21,250 and $22,750 respectively. The Mazda 6 Grand i Touring model starts at $25,850.

The 2009 Mazda6 s Sport will be powered by a 3.7 liter V6 producing a total of 272-hp and will carry an MSRP of $25,150. The Mazda6 s Touring will start at $26,150. The top of the line Mazda6 s Grand Touring will start at $29,150.

Check out more details about every model on the Mazda6Club Forum.

About two years ago, in July 2006, the Cougar Ace cargo ship carrying around 4,800, brand new Mazda vechicles, valued at around $120 million, went atilt off the coast of Alaska. Though initially Mazda thought it could save and restore all the cars involved in the incident, after engineers took a good look at the cars, the final conclusion was that Mazda could not guarantee that the cars will function properly after suffering damage and being exposed to the salty water.

Now, after the insurance paper work has been finished, all the cars, which were stockpiled in the Portland port, will be drained, stripped of tires and fed to a vehicle-gobbling machine. With the capacity of smashing 200 vehicles per hour, the machine is expected to return about 2,900 of steel and what will be left of the Mazdas will be processed into fence posts, wire rods and reinforcing bars.

Of course, taking into consideration the vast proportions of the process, even though it doesn’t own the cars anymore, Mazda will supervise the whole operation, to make sure no car ‘escapes’ the process.

This kind of news (you might also remember the similar BMW incident) always upsets us and the last place we’d like to be at would be near that smashing machine. We’re sure it’s a very heart-breaking process, looking at all those almost brand new cars being smashed and hearing the metal crashing. Creepy!

Check out a short footage of the Cougar Ace accident after the jump.

The new game launched by EA games

The PSP (PlayStation Portable) system version of Need for Speed ProStreet is a game that won’t feature any police chases. That’s because ProStreet is all about legal street racing. In addition, ProStreet features a number of technical developments, such as an advanced crash system and particle system. Mostly, the game revolves around track races, racing in designated tracks, instead of on the streets. Need for Speed ProStreet is the ultimate taste of the chaos and unbridled adrenaline of street racing. Pushing yourself and your car to the edge can lead to mistakes and this time those mistakes have consequences. Need for Speed ProStreet is your ultimate taste of the chaos and unbridled adrenaline of street racing.

Not only the accessibility and mobility that the Need for Speed ProStreet provide, but also two brand new in-game features, the Driver Persona and Driver Intuition. It allows you to tailor your driving experience to your ability and skill level using both tools. Furthermore, you can feel the thrill and greatness of driving 35 of the hottest cars available and the three of the most anticipated street racing cars that have yet to hit the North American market the 2009 Nissan GT-R, the 2008 Porsche 911 GT2 and the 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X. Let you take control of your journey by the all new driving features. You can choose from a variety of Driver personas to customize the race’s difficulty level to your skill set. It builds the ultimate battle and reputation against the world’s best street racers.

Car Specifications:

Make:	Koenigsegg
Model:	Koenigsegg
Acceleration:	3.2 sec.
Top speed:	395 km/h.
Transmission:	6 - speed manual
Design:	4.7 litre V8 engine
Displacement:	4700 cc
Maximum Bhp	806 hp / 6900 rmp
Tires Front:	245/40ZR 18
Tires Back:	315/40ZR 18
Length:	4191 mm
Width:	2000 mm
Height:	1080 mm
Weight:	1180 kg

Car Specifications:

Make:	Honda
Model:	Accord
Acceleration:	7.5 sec.
Top speed:	n/a
Transmission:	5 - speed automatic
Design:	3.0 litre V6 engine
Displacement:	n/a
Maximum Bhp	244 hp / 6000 rmp
Tires Front:	n/a
Tires Back:	n/a
Length:	n/a
Width:	n/a
Height:	n/a
Weight:	n/a

This is it! The most anticipated sports car in the U.S., the Nissan GT-R, has been revealed and is making its North American debut at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show. So what you see here is the full, undisguised GT-R in all its glory.

The most notable modification is to the face. Gone is the "running mascara" beneath the headlights, replaced by a body-colored bumper, which makes the face look much cleaner and more elegant. Some say the car looks like an F-18 fighter jet on wheels while others feel that it belongs on the set of Transformers. Either way, the styling speaks volumes of what this car is capable of on the open road.

Under the hood a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V-6 that pumps out 480 bhp and about 430 lb.-ft. of torque. Nissan claims that the GT-R runs to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, which puts it in Porsche 911 Turbo territory. In fact, GT-R project chief, Kazutoshi Mizuno, says that the GT-R lapped the famed North Course at the Nürburgring faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo. Not bad for a car that we hear will cost about $70,000. The car goes on sale first in Japan, then in the summer of 2008 in the U.S. as a 2009 model. R&T was the only magazine to drive a U.S.-spec model. Check out our feature story in the January issue of Road & Track.

Standard Engine:

2.4L I4, 16 valve, 164 hp @ 6400 rpm, Hybrid - Electric

• 4 speed automatic transmission
• 24 mpg city / 32 mpg hwy
• Green Rating: Unavailable

Standard Engine:

2.5L I4, 16 valve, 158 hp @ 5200 rpm, Hybrid - Electric

• VAR speed automatic transmission
• 35 mpg city / 33 mpg hwy
• Green Rating: Unavailable

Standard Engine:

1.3L I4, 8 valve, 110 hp @ 6000 rpm, Hybrid - Electric

• VAR speed automatic transmission
• 40 mpg city / 45 mpg hwy
• Green Rating: 84

Posted by Master at 1:04 AM 0 comments

The 2009 model year for Volkswagen Tiguan is 173.2 inches long, 72.8 inches wide, and stands at 66.5 inches. It has the modified Golf/Rabbit as its platform and some specifications and attributes of the Touran MPV (which was sold in Europe) have been incorporated into this new compact off-roader. Three turbocharged gas engines and two turbodiesels are included in its global lineup of engines.

The 911 GT2 has a 50 hp upgrade over the standard 997 Turbo for a total of 530hp. This power increase is courtesy of two turbochargers with a larger compressor wheel and a flow-optimized turbine housing.



The GT2 is only available with a 6 speed manual gearbox and RWD to cater to the real car enthusiasts and provide the best performance possible. The new Porsche GT2 does 0-60mph in 3.6 seconds and top speed of 204mph.

The legendary Porsche RS nameplate represents the ultimate in racing ability and brings back memories of special Porsche models such as the 1972 Carrera RS 2.7 and 1991 911 RS.




The engine has 415 HP screaming to a 8400 rpm redline but the close-ratio six-speed transmission with a single-mass flywheel and 44 lbs lower vehicle weight makes the engine rev up even more freely, thus enabling the 911 GT3 to sprint from zero to 62mph in 4.2 seconds. It takes just 13.3 seconds to hit to 124 mph. Top speed is 187 mph.

Toyota Celica GTS is powered by a 1.8-liter, four-cylinder DOHC all-aluminum engine that generates 180 horsepower at 7600 rpm and 130 lb-ft. of torque at 6800 rpm.
The GTS powerplant utilizes variable valve timing and lift, with intelligence control (VVTL-i) to inject an extra dose of performance from 6000 rpm to the redline at 7800 rpm.

General Info
Price:	$22,335
Main dimensions (L x W x H):	170.5 x 68 x 51 in (4,331 x 1,727 x 1,295 mm)
Curb Weight:	2580 lbs
Layout:	Front-Engine/FWD
Transmission:	6-Speed Manual
Engine
Type:	V4
Displacement:	1796 cc
Horsepower:	180 bhp @ 7600 rpm
Torque:	130 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm
Redline:	7800 rpm
Performance
0-60 mph:	6.5 sec
0-100 mph:	15.8 sec
Top Speed:	130 mph
Miles Per Gallon:	24/33 mpg

Ferrari Scaglietti is a super-fast supercar that replaces the Ferrari 456 GT. It has a new layout, aluminum body and frame, super 540 bhp V-12 engine that propels it close to 200 mph. A real performer in the Ferrari tradition - a supercar verging on the fantasy car world.

General Info
Price:	$259,855
Main dimensions (L x W x H):	193 x 77 x 53 in (4,902 x 1,955 x 1346 mm)
Curb Weight:	4056 lbs
Layout:	Front-Engine/RWD
Transmission:	6-Speed Manual/5 Speed Auto
Engine
Type:	V12
Displacement:	5748 cc
Horsepower:	540 bhp @ 7250 rpm
Torque:	435 lb-ft @ 5250 rpm
Redline:	6000 rpm
Performance
0-60 mph:	4.1 sec
0-100 mph:	10 sec
Top Speed:	195 mph
Miles Per Gallon:	10/17 mpg

Built in Japan, the Acura NSX has an aluminum structure and a combination of performance and luxury-car features. Only a few minor changes from the 2004 model, as it's been built and refined for 15 years.

General Info
Price:	$89,000
Main dimensions (L x W x H):	174 x 72 x 46 in (4,497 x 1,829 x 1169 mm)
Curb Weight:	3197 lbs
Layout:	Mid-Engine/RWD
Transmission:	6-Speed Manual/4 Speed Auto
Engine
Type:	V6
Displacement:	3179 cc
Horsepower:	290 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque:	224 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm
Redline:	8000 rpm
Performance
0-60 mph:	4.9 sec
0-100 mph:	11.7 sec
Top Speed:	175 mph
Miles Per Gallon:	17/24 mpg

In the select world of supercars, power is never enough, so Italian engineers focused on better engine breathing to squueze out another 100 bhp. The 7.3-liter Mercedes AMG V-12 gives 650 horsepower and the ability to sprint from rest to 60 miler per hour in 3.5 seconds.

Bigger wheels and tires enhance the car's ability to scream round curves even faster. The carbon-fiber chassis and carbon body panels provide handling to match the benchmark of McLaren F1 and Ferrari Enzo.

General Info
Price:	$554,000
Main dimensions (L x W x H):	- N/A -
Curb Weight:	2,712 lbs
Layout:	Rear-Engine/RWD
Transmission:	6-Speed Manual
Engine
Type:	V-12
Displacement:	7,310 cc
Horsepower:	650 bhp @ 6200 rpm
Torque:	576 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm
Redline:	8000 rpm
Performance
0-60 mph:	3.5 sec
0-100 mph:	- N/A -
Top Speed:	215 mph
Miles Per Gallon:	N/A mpg

Despite Ferrari’s denials, spy photographers already caught test-mules of the upcoming Dino. Powered by a V8 engine, Dino will be the most affordable model Ferrari ever did. With a price tag of about $170.000, Dino will compete with models like Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi R8 and Lamborghini Gallardo. The new 2+2 Coupe will be unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show or at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

It's the supercar scoop of the year! Auto Express has had exclusive access to insider details and can now reveal all the details of the Italian legend’s most important new model of the decade. Yes, the Dino is back!

Despite being conceived more than two years ago, the whole project only got the green light in September, and is scheduled to be unveiled at a major motor show in 2009.