Mazda has announced a new vehicle that they plan to begin testing in the near future that includes a rotary engine that runs on both hydrogen and ordinary gas, paired with an electric motor that is powered by a lithium-ion battery. This bi-fuel hydrogen hybrid not only has the ability to run on electric power, but it can also use the wankel style rotary engine with hydrogen which produces only water vapor as exhaust, or regular pump gas like a normal combustion engine. The car will be known as the Mazda Premacy Hydrogen Rotary Engine Hybrid.
Apparently, pictures of the upcoming Chevy Volt have been leaked from GM. The leak of the pictures have been said to be unintentional, but could just be a pr stunt. The Chevy Volt is a future car that will be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that is slated for release as a 2010 model. The Volt will feature a gasoline engine that can power the car, but it does not turn the wheels directly. Instead, it turns a generator that creates power for the electric motor.
Bugatti has announced that they will sell a convertible version of the Veyron supercar, the Veyron 16.4 GrandSport. The hardtop version the 16 cylinder, quad turbo charged Veyron is known by many as the world ultimate road going vehicle. Now the roadster version will become the world’s fastest convertible. It will probably be the most expensive and rare as well, with about 150 to be produced for a retail price of about $2.2 million. With the top on, the top speed will be an amazing 253 MPH. With the top off, the increased drag will cause the Veyron to 229 MPH. But the top is too large to fit inside the vehicle, so there is an included fabric top that can be put on the car to protect the occupants from the elements, but the vehicle is supposed to be driven at 81 MPH or less. To increase stiffness, the roadster will receive roll bars around the air intakes and the A-pillars will be larger. The first 50 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 GrandSports to roll off production lines are reserved for current Bugatti owners. That leaves only 100 left, so be sure to get one while you can.
Road and Track has pictures of the new 2010 Porsche Cayenne. Apparently photographers have caught the new version of the Porsche SUV during testing. It is reported that the new Cayenne will be smaller than the current generation. In fact the test model has fake chrome accent strips that extend past the window to make it look larger than it really is. The spy photos also include pictures of the Cayenne with a Volkswagen Touareg, which the apparently had a wheel base that was about 2 inches longer than the current production model. This means that possibly the two vehicles will not share as many parts as they had for the previous generation. There is also a video that shows the Cayenne during testing at the famous Nürburgring track in Germany.
BMW has released official information and pictures of the new 2009 7 Series. BMW has set up an official site with a press release and high quality images, etc. relating to the 5th generation of their 7 Series sedan. The new version will be completely redesigned inside and out and will be much different than previous models. Powering the new V8 version of the 7 Series will be the same twin-turbocharged 4.4 Liter V-8 that creates 400 HP and 450 lb/ft of tourqe. BMW also promises class leading fuel efficiency as well. The suspension will feature dynamic damping control which will allow the driver to adjust the firmness of the dampers via controls in the cabin. The front end will also feature a multi link double wishbone suspension, making the new 7 Series the first car my BMW featuring this technology. A new version of the iDrive system along with a larger 10.2 inch high resolution color screen will be standard in all models, featuring easier to use menus and direct access hard buttons. The audio system will now come with a hard drive for storing music on. Of course a new flagship BMW sedan must feature all the newest safety features, and the new generation is no exception. Among the safety features of the new 7 Series is a blind spot monitoring system that will blink small lights and vibrate the steering wheel when a lane change is initiated while a vehicle is in the blind spot of the driver. Also, an updated version of BMW’s night vision system will detect and indicate individual pedestrians in the line of vision.
