Abt AS3 based on Audi A3 Cabrio

Abt's off-the-shelf tuning products for the 2.0 TFSI and 1.8 TFSI engines available for the Audi A3 Cabriolet put the new Audi rag top in four stages of upgraded power. The first offering for the 2.0 TFSI add a healthy portion of horsepower from 200hp (147kW) to 240hp (177kW) while the second Power S upgrade brings the rag top on par with the Audi S3 with 270hp (199kW). Most likely to be the more popular engine choice, the 1.8 TFSI engine also gets bumped up from the standard 160hp (118kW) to a very respectable 200hp (147kW), or to 240hp (177kW) with ABT Power S.

In the styling department, there's not much to be seen yet. Besides the two sets of Abt Sporsline wheels, Abt will surely have something more stylistically presentable in the near future, hopefully, soon.

Cars.com creates the real mile index to reveal the cafe

With gas mileage figures posted on the window sticker of just about every new car sold in America, it's easy to see where an individual model stands. Rating where each automaker stands, though, is trickier. The closest thing to an official ranking is the federal government's corporate average fuel economy program, established in 1975 and regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Suffice it to say the program has major implications for automakers — especially with a recent mandate that mileage standards increase over the next dozen years — but these numbers can be misleading to car shoppers.

Case in point: For 2007, CAFE rated Honda's domestic passenger-car fleet at 33.5 mpg; Honda's imported cars averaged 39.6 mpg, and its light trucks averaged 25.0 mpg. Given those figures, you'd think a typical Honda dealership would be teeming with cars with combined city/highway gas mileage in the mid-30s. You'd be wrong. Aside from the Civic Hybrid, no Honda has combined mileage (meaning a combination of city and highway mileage) of better than 31 mpg.

That isn't a knock against Honda; it's largely the same story across the industry. The underreported truth about CAFE is that even though its figures are regulated by the EPA, those numbers, according to NHTSA spokesman Eric Bolton, have nothing to do with the ones posted on new-car window stickers. CAFE rankings are subject to a number of adjustments, such as whether a car can use E85 or other alternative fuels.

As such, the idea that the auto industry will be required to achieve an average of 35 mpg by 2020 is misleading. Strictly speaking, that's 35 mpg by CAFE calculations. It doesn't mean, as it might suggest, that in a dozen years the window stickers on most models will have mileage figures in the mid-30s.

That's why we've created Cars.com's True Mileage Index. Our index analyzes a number of factors — combined city/highway EPA gas mileage ratings, vehicle sales, an automaker's lineup of vehicles and more — to determine major automakers' average gas mileage across their lineups. The True Mileage Index offers a snapshot of the sort of mpg ratings you'll actually see reflected on new-car stickers.
Source: Cars.com



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The Final Word: No Mazdaspeed MX-5

Speculation has been swirling over the last two years that a Mazdaspeed version of the MX-5 was right around the corner. At first, it was rumored to be released in late 2007, then early 2008, then early 2009 and then... nothing.

Speaking with Autoblog, Mazda's PR man Jeremy Barnes made it clear that the automaker has no plans to offer a Mazdaspeed version of the current MX-5. While it was originally assumed that the turbocharged 2.3-liter four-pot found in the Mazdaspeed3 would eventually find its way under the hood of the MX-5, Mazda discovered that the swap wasn't a bolt-in affair. According to Barnes, "It does theoretically fit, until you bolt on the head." A high-pressure fuel pump on the back of the head, driven off the cam, would necessitate a notch in the firewall. As such, converting the engine from a transverse (FWD) to a longitudinal (RWD) layout just wasn't feasible.

Thankfully, in addition to Mazdaspeed's own lineup of suspension and engine components, aftermarket companies are developing their own forced induction systems for the NC MX-5. Cosworth is currently testing a supercharger and Flyin' Miata is a couple months away from releasing its own centrifugal blower.
Source:autoblog


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2009 preview Mazda3 four-door

The next generation Mazda 3 is ready to go into production and will be launched before the end of the year, company insiders in Japan have revealed.

Mazda says it has created a more stylish family hatchback (as previewed by our rendered image) and plans to build on the global success of the outgoing car.

Its designers have chosen an imposing, aggressive design for the front end of the 3. The new car also gets more pronounced wheel arches – now a Mazda family trait already noticeable on the 6 and the 2. At the rear, funky tail lamps echo those found on the new Mazda 6.

It all means this hatch should have a more distinctive road presence than its predecessor.

A four-door saloon version of the new 3 will make its debut at the Los Angeles motor show in November, while the five-door hatchback 3 launches at the Bologna Show in Italy in December.

The 3’s current range of 1.4 to 2.0-litre petrol engines will be carried over to the new car. But diesel engines will be strong sellers, particularly in Europe, and upgraded versions of the existing 1.6 and 2.0-litre oil burners should offer a more economical, refined drive.

European customers can expect the next-generation 3 to arrive in showrooms during the early months of 2009.
Sources: Autocar

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spy shots SLR McLaren "Speedster"

Based on the spy shots that have already surfaced of the SLR McLaren "Speedster" (we don't know if that's what it'll be called officially, but that's the name we've been tossing around), talented illustrator Jon Sibal has crafted the rendering you see above.

With a host of new exotics coming out from both Mercedes-Benz and its F1 and erstwhile supercar partner McLaren, the ageing Mercedes SLR McLaren is about to be shown the back door. But not before one last hoorah. And if this illustration is any indication, it will be one rip-roaring, ear-piercing hoorah indeed.


There's barely any windshield for that matter, just a couple of deflectors. Needless to say, we hope the actual vehicle turns out to be as dramatic as Sibal's conception.


According to Sibal, the headlights will be the only element of the exterior carried over from previous incarnations of the SLR to the new, more hardcore roofless swan-song.


The hood, which previously melded into the A-pillars, is more flat; the nose draws even more direct inspiration from McLaren-Mercedes formula racing cars; the exhaust pipes have been moved into the side vents... oh yeah, and there's no roof. None whatsoever.
Source:autoblog


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benzs-Porsche Cayman S by Inden Design

German tuning firm Inden Design just couldn’t wait for the official Cayman S Sport to be revealed, and so they did what they are in business for; tuned their own. The new exhaust system fitted in the car – what a cracker that looks too – helped it push 19 more bhp to 314 bhp. Apparently the exhaust flaps work with the control unit which works in conjuction with a small microprocessor. This processor is embedded in the system and is freely programmable.
A sports kit which one needs not tell you about as you can already see it yourself, lists 19-inch alloy wheels running on 235/35 R19 tyres on the front side and 305/25 R19 for the rear. H&R height adjustable coil covers add to the performance package of this 3.4-litre baby Porsche.





Source:World Car Fans


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benzs-MTM Audi RS6 R Avant

The new Audi RS6 innately impresses discerning customers thanks to its high-powered twin turbo V10 engine with 5.0 l displacement. Only a short while after the car’s market launch, MTM, the Audi specialist from Wettstetten near Ingolstadt, Germany, already has performance kits in its program, which boost the performance of this super-fast station wagon.


For instance, the MTM engineers boost the engine power electronically to 656 bhp at 6,180 rpm. If need be, the MTM-RS6 R will run upon request (MTM regulates the increments electronically) at speeds of either 279, 290 or 310 km/h. The outstanding torque of now 785 Nm (production version 650 Nm) allows it to accelerate like lightning from zero to 100 km/h in an impressive 3.9 seconds. Price: € 3999. An advanced version of the MTM performance kit is in preparation, which, with a massive 702 bhp, even outshines the performance data of most super sports cars. This additional boost in performance is made possible thanks to a stainless steel


exhaust system with throttle control downstream from the catalytic converter and a sports air filter. The 702 bhp kit (plus MTM guarantee) is available for € 9950.

This super-fast behemoth is stopped with the aid of the six-piston braking system MTM fits at the front that features grooved (=not perforated all the way through) brake disks in the dimension 405x36 mm and monoblock brake calipers.

‘Reserved appearance obliges’: hence, the only embellishments MTM makes to the sporty design of the RS6 is to add a discreet carbon-fiber front spoiler lip and a carbon-fiber rear diffuser, which serve to accentuate the elegant styling of the Audi RS6.


The exclusive sports suite from MTM for the Audi RS6 is rounded off by the large 21" MTM bimoto wheel rims in 10.5 x 21", which are available in the finishes "shiny" or "diamond-cut", and which MTM also offers in conjunction with size 285/30ZR21 tires. As an alternative, MTM offers its bimoto wheel rim also as the new, forged 20 inch version. Fitting forged alloy wheels, which are lighter in weight compared with cast alloy wheels, enhances both the agility and braking performance of this powerful station wagon.


MTM offers this combination of a power-boosted engine, modified breathing, exhaust system, suspension struts and 21" wheels for a package price starting from € 15,500.
Source:zercustoms


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