Auto For Speed

Jaguar execs are looking for a supercar to serve as the brand’s ‘halo’ model, according to Autocar.

The brand is still considering bringing the Jaguar C-X75 concept, which debuted at the Paris motor show last September, to production despite the engineering challenges of manufacturing the concept model’s gas turbine engines.

Speaking to British magazine Autocar, Jaguar’s head of design, Ian Callum, said, “Our job as designers is to destabilize things and to dream of exciting cars the company is not making now. I happen to think Jaguar needs a car like this.”

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s only been a few weeks since Topcar presented its most recent Porsche Cayenne package called the Vantage GTR2, yet the Russian firm has launched another tuning proposal for the second generation of the German automaker’s luxury SUV. The new package is named Vantage 2 and it comes with a wide body kit and a choice of performance upgrades.

On the styling front, the Russian tuner offers a carbon fiber aero kit, which adds a new front bumper with LED daytime lights, beefy side skirts, wheel arch extensions, a concave roof spoiler and a redesigned rear bumper with a diffuser. The carbon fiber mirror housings and newly designed hood with air vents, along with a choice of two different styles for the chunky alloy wheels complete the look.

Read the rest of this entry »

$66,350 is a significant sum. In the automotive world, it can buy you a variety of delicious drivables, including the BMW M3, Cadillac CTS-V or Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG. It can buy you exactly 4.67 Mazda2 hatchbacks, if that’s more your style, but no matter how you look at it, $66K isn’t chump change.

So when you consider that the 2010 BMW 760Li commands a wallet-gouging $66,350 over an entry-level 7 Series, which itself starts at at a lofty $70,650, you’d be right to expect the standard BMW flagship treatment with a heaping helping of sport sedan prowess thrown in for good measure. And that, folks, is exactly what you get.

The F01 7 Series is looking quite sharp these days, not only within the BMW portfolio, but against newly tweaked competitors like the Audi A8 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. But while the 7 looks decidedly German and stately, we feel its design has been immediately trumped by that of the stunning 2011 Jaguar XJ.

Read the rest of this entry »

German tuner MTM has released a set of photos previewing its upcoming tuning packages for the entire A1 range.

MTM promises performance upgrades on all available engines for the A1 and has released details for two of its offerings.

For the 1.6 TDI diesel with 105 PS (77 kW/), MTM will provide an output upgrade to 121 PS (89 kW) while boosting torque to 282 Nm from the series’ 250 Nm. Price for the power increase is €1,199.

Read the rest of this entry »

A facelift version Kia Pro cee’d was announced to make its debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The car boasts a redesigned front bumper, restyled headlights, and the company’s new corporate grille.

It will be powered by 1.6 liter diesel with 130PS (95 kW) and 255Nm (188 lb-ft), which will substitute the current diesel engine with 90PS (66 kW) and 235Nm.

2011 Kia Pro cee’d will be officially unveiled in March, so stay tuned.

Read the rest of this entry »