The new Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder was unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show, adding to the show’s list of year-end showstoppers.

The two-seater drop top has a 5.2-liter V10 engine, quite like the Coupe counterpart. The 8000 rpm machine reaches an amazing 552 brake horsepower, some 50 or so brake horsepower higher than the last Spyder. It takes a mere12.1 seconds to go from zero to 124 mph. Furthermore, it is an impressive 20kg lighter than its previous incarnation.

The roof of the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is operated electrically. The car’s rear windscreen functions as a wind deflector for the cabin, and it operates apart from the roof. Even in top-down mode, the car can still achieve a good top speed of 202 mph.

Additionally, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 Spyder uses a new fuel injection system that reduces CO2 emissions by 18 percent. There are also LED daytime lights on top of a stiffer chassis and redesigned nose. Expect this beauty to hit showrooms and dealerships in early 2009.

Source: Autocar

Among the new faces of cars seen at the recently-opened 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show is the latest incarnation of Mazda’s highly-popular Mazda3—wide grin on its front and all.

Inside the curvy and creasy exterior is the company’s newest 2.5-liter MZR inline-four engine. It is capable of churning out 167 horsepower, with an option for a 5-speed automatic or 6-speed stick shift. There will also be an option for a standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder version that reaches 148 horsepower. The standard engine can be mated to a manual transmission or a 5-speed automatic. The 2010 model is expected to reach 33mpg on highway traffic for the standard engine.

While I think the ‘smile’ is a little too big for this Mazda3, it still has a very interesting feature set for its price range. Here’re a few of the highlights included in the 2010 Mazda3: self-leveling Xenon headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, push-button starting, Bluetooth, and iPod compatibility. Interested parties can also avail of an optional leather interior.

Good mileage and packed features are always good qualities for prospective buyers, so the 2010 Mazda3 should still see a good share of the market.

Source: Autoblog

The LA Auto Show is once again upon us, and the show tries to put a bright dot to cap a bleak 2008 for automakers. One of the more unique vehicles shown in the show so far is the Toyota Camry CNG Hybrid.

CNG stands for ‘compressed natural gas’, which is used as the cars power source along with the electric power of the hybrid’s battery. Jana Hartline, a Toyota spokesperson, the Camry Hybrid is designed to show the versatility of the company’s Hybrid Synergy Drive—this Camry is considerably more fuel-efficient compared to Toyota’s initial CNG production offering.

According to Hartline, there are still no concrete plans to have a production CNG or CNG hybrid car at the moment. If you can remember, back in 1999, Toyota already introduced a CNG-powered 4-cylinder Camry in California. It wasn’t received as warmly as hoped, and it was discontinued sometime later. However, times have changed—the clamor for efficient, environment-friendly cars that eliminate the reliance on petrol products puts a premium on cars like this Camry CNG Hybrid.

Source: Autoblog

The government of Germany has already expressed its interest in providing a bail-out for Opel if GM fails to stay afloat by the end of the year. GM, who owns Opel as a subsidiary, is currently facing billions of losses monthly and could be looking at a worst-case scenario of bankruptcy.

GM had appealed to the German government for a 1 billion euro credit guarantee. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, said that the government decision will be made by Christmas.

Opel management denied any speculation that the money will be funneled for GM’s cash relief. The company affirmed that any aid they receive from the government will stay in Germany. Verheugen further stated that the financial bail-out will not affect or show disregard to other European automakers, because the cause of Opel’s struggles is the decline of GM.

The recent win of the Opel Insignia as Europe’s Car of the Year should be enough incentive for the company’s backing. Hopefully, all goes well and the bail-out won’t be necessary. Nonetheless, the show of faith is a good move for the German government and for the EU.

Source: Autocar

In yet another move to bolster its floundering finances, Ford is selling a majority of its shares in Mazda—reportedly 20 out of the 33 percent that Ford owns—for a mere $540 million.

The sale leaves Ford with a 13-percent stake in Mazda. While not as large as before, Ford will remain the entity with the biggest shares in the Japanese company. The Ford-Mazda partnership can be traced as far back as its initial investment in 1979, culminating in Ford padding its stake in 1996. Ford’s entire stake in Mazda was valued at $2.73 billion just this June.

This sale also comes after Ford’s sale of its remaining shares in Suzuki and a majority of its Premier Auto Group. Ford acknowledges its reluctance to part with a big part of its share in Mazda. However, since financial aid talks with Washington have slowed down and with no end in sight to the current financial crunch, Ford is desperate to liquidate some of its assets for cash relief.

It’s a good thing Ford still has significant shares in Mazda, because Mazda’s expertise in small cars is invaluable to Ford’s thrust to develop more efficient and compact cars. Mazda also played a key role in the development of the Ford Fiesta.

Source: MotorTorque

Details on the upcoming Ford Mustang have been released through the official 2010 Ford Mustang micro-site.

Prospective owners will have a choice between a 4-liter V6 and a GT version with a 4.6-liter V8 engine. The V6 has 210 horsepower and 240 lb.-ft. of torque, while the V8 has upwards of 315 horsepower and 325 lb.-ft. of torque. The car also boasts of a 5-speed transmission, cold air induction for heightened performance, and AdvanceTrac Electronic Stability Control (with a Sport Mode on the GT Premium version for “more spirited driving”).

Exterior redesigns include a new power-dome hood, wheel designs, LED tail lamps, and body color exterior mirrors. The car also makes extensive use of advanced car technology, which includes Ford SYNC that allows voice commands for BlueTooth mobiles and portable media devices, automatic temperature control, SIRIUS TravelLink navigation system, and a reverse camera system.

The 2010 Ford Mustang is slated for release in early 2009. Both GT and non-GT versions have a standard and a Premium configuration. Ford also conveniently allows a customizable feature package using the order form at the Mustang micro-site.

Source: 2010 Ford Mustang Micro-site

BMW, in an official statement, acknowledged the turbocharger lag for the 335i/xi and 535i/xi models and have addressed the issue with updated turbocharger software that is available upon request. The statement further states that the X6, 135i, and 3 Series/5 Series vehicles manufactured from March 2008 onwards are not affected with the lag.

The latter part of the statement tells owners how to avail of the update: “Release of the new software to restore the original turbocharger response is planned for January 2009, and it will be available for vehicles produced from September 2007 through March 2008 when they are brought to an authorized BMW center for a repair which requires a programming update. Clients with vehicles produced from June 2006 through September 2007 may request installation of the January 2009 software update. Clients who get this update should understand that there is a possibility of slightly increased engine noise levels under certain circumstances.”

It’s good to see BMW finally own up to these turbo lag issues that have been brought up by owners and publications. This optional update gives affected owners a choice between having the lag and risking higher engine noise levels.

Source: BimmerFile

Many Formula 1 teams will unofficially kick off their their 2009 F1 season with the testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona. The 3-day session is all about preparations for the rules changes testing prospective drivers.

Everyone’s still using versions of last year’s cars, as the 2009 cars haven’t debuted yet. Teams, however, are already starting to tackle some of the new rules for the upcoming season, including slick tyres and tweaked aerodynamics regulations, as well as engineering work on the KERS, or Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems.

The first day of testing saw Takuma Sato, formerly of the Super Aguri F1 team and now testing for Scuderia Toro Rosso, pace the field with the fastest lap of 1m 20.763s—over three-tenths of a second faster than Sebastian Buemi in the other Toro Rosso. The two are competing for a possible driver’s seat for Toro Rosso in 2009.

Aside from Toro Rosso, the constructors in Barcelona are Honda, BMW Sauber, McLaren, Ferrari, and Force India. The testing is also an opportunity for some teams to run new drivers or let winners of certain motorsport events have a go at an F1 car.

Source: Official F1 Site

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage GT4 was unveiled last week in Dubai, and with the launch come the juicy details about Aston Martin Racing’s successor to the Vantage N24. The car was developed for six whole months and was tested at the Dubai Autodrome.

Compared to its predecessor, the N24, the GT4’s 4.7-liter 8-cylinder engine has a higher capacity for a higher amount of torque for its rev range. The front uprights have been modified for increased camber. It has larger brake discs at the front and the cooling system has been modified. The GT4 is also 300 kilograms lighter than a normal V8 Vantage.

David Richards, Aston Martin chairman, cited the N24’s success in its racing class as a good base to develop “a competitive racing car for professional and semi-professional drivers, but also a forgiving car which will appeal to enthusiasts who wish to use it for track days and club racing.”

You can’t argue with performance and success. The V8 Vantage GT4 builds on a solid platform and should deliver quite a punch for those who can afford the hefty price tag once the car is delivered in January 2009.

Source: Lethistorylive

Fujitsu, a leading information technology and communications provider, has come up with technology that provides car drivers a full 360-degree real-time view around the vehicle. This technology is expected to enhance vehicle safety by providing a complete and intuitive view of a car’s surroundings.

The camera system employs four cameras around the vehicle and advanced video-processing technology that synthesize the separate images to produce the 360-degree-view in real time. It is expected to address tough situations such as parking, navigation along narrow streets, and maintaining a good field of vision even on intersections filled with obstructions.

Additionally, the driver can shuffle through different perspectives within the projection point of the system. There is a smooth transition between each perspective, which eliminates the reaction time needed for the driver to identify what view he is currently looking at – a problem that Fujitsu saw in current peripheral vision cameras in vehicles.

Car safety is growing by leaps and bounds as of late, with more and more interesting features (such as the car-2-car communications system I wrote about in a previous entry) and concepts being explored in order to create a more dynamic, easy-to-use, and intuitive driving environment.

Source: Motor Authority