The Latest Rolls-Royce, 101EX

The latest experimental creation from Rolls-Royce, 101EX has been designed and built to investigate the stylistic and engineering requirements of a more dynamic Rolls-Royce. To this end the EX team has created a thrilling 21st century interpretation of the classic Grand Touring coupe.

Once again its aluminium spaceframe is a modified version of that used in the Phantom, along with the familiar 6.75 litre, V12, 48 valve direct injection petrol engine. Shorter, and with a lowered roofline, the 101EX is a sleek, lithe, muscular machine, with tighter, more overtly sporting lines to emphasise it's high performance capability, while under the bonnet a black engine bay and specially finished black cam covers set a suitably distinctive tone.

In contrast to production Rolls-Royce cars, which rely on predominantly alloy body panels, the 101EX's sleek lines are formed from special carbon-fibre composites. Once again, a pair of rear-hinged doors are used, and the waistline of the car is high, to emphasise the cocoon-like nature of the interior. Providing, intimate, opulent space for four, the 101EX features an extraordinary 'Starlight headliner', which employs fibre-optics to create the illusion of a star-filled night sky. The iconic Spirit of Ecstasy has also been the focus of attention. In place of the traditional nickel-plated steel mascot, the EX team fashioned it from a polycarbonate material. With a frosted finish and illuminated via fibre-optics, the 101EX's Spirit of Ecstasy is a fittingly spectacular figurehead for a truly extraordinary car. In the finest tradition of Rolls-Royce's experimental cars, the 101EX is the latest tantalising taste of what might be.

Electric Cars at the American International Auto Show

They're going electric in the Motor City, Detroit -- well, maybe not just yet.

But it made for a nice "buzz" as the world auto industry gathered at one of its premier events, the North American International Auto Show, with gas-electric hybrids and even "plug-in" electric cars all the rage.

It was almost enough to make one think, in the age of global warming worries and $60 per barrel oil, that the gasoline combustion engine was on the way out.

Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor Corp, the leader in hybrids, said it expects to sell up to 300,000 of the environmentally friendly cars this year in the United States, up from 191,000 in 2006.

The models, mainly the wildly popular Prius but also now a few Camrys -- the top-selling car in America nine of the last 10 years --have only added to Toyota's luster with American consumers as the source of quality and innovation.

The reputation reached a new high at the end of 2006, with Toyota's U.S vehicle sales passing Chrysler for the first time and knocking it out of the long-time Big Three -- General Motors, Ford and DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group.

Toyota now expects to pass Ford in the U.S. sales this year and also General Motors in global sales, ending GM's reign of more than 80 years as the world's top carmaker.

But GM may not be dead yet -- if electric shock treatments have anything to do with it.

At the Detroit show, GM revived its once-failed idea of a mass-market electric car, unveiling a new "concept" car called the Volt designed to use little or no gasoline.

GM had killed an earlier model, the EV1, in 2003, drawing the ire of "greens" and brickbats in a 2006 film, "Who Killed the Electric Car?"

But on Sunday GM executives said the Chevrolet Volt will draw power exclusively from a next-generation battery pack recharged by a small onboard engine -- if the technology is ready in two or three years.

"We have a thoroughly studied concept," said Jon Lauckner, a GM vice president for product development.

"It will create a buzz," said Mike Jackson, Chief Executive of AutoNation Inc., the largest public auto dealership group. "A thing like Volt shocks people who say 'I really didn't expect this from General Motors.'"

Jackson said a product like Volt would also make consumers take a second look at other vehicles in GM's line-up.

GM product chief Bob Lutz said critics would have to revise their thinking about GM's commitment to environmental concerns and U.S. dependence on oil imports after seeing the Volt.

"An electric vehicle coming from General Motors, I am shocked, truly shocked," Lutz told reporters at the show.

"The GM electric vehicle is an inconvenient truth," Lutz quipped, an allusion to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's crusading film against global warming.

"This is not a PR exercise or a pure show car," Lutz told reporters at the auto show. "This is a real program with real money behind it that is heading for production."

REALITY CHECK

Such optimism abounded at embattled GM on the first day of the show after a year when it survived daunting threats of bankruptcy, sliding market share, soaring costs and sharp outside pressure from a big-money shareholder.

GM got an extra boost on Sunday when it swept the 2007 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards on Sunday, with top honors going to the new Aura produced by its Saturn division and the redesigned Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

The Aura beat out the other two finalists for the car award, the Honda Fit and the Toyota Camry. The Silverado bested the Ford Edge and the Mazda CX-7.

The sweep represents the first time in the award's 14-year history that a single U.S. automaker has won both awards. Last year, Japan's Honda Motors won both.

But if hope springs eternal, reality awaits.

"Domestic manufacturers continue to close the quality gap, although consumer perception has lagged this process," bond rating agency Fitch said in its 2007 autos outlook last month.

"Outside of pickups, Ford, GM and Chrysler will continue to suffer from product mix imbalances as they remain overexposed to the mid-size and large SUV markets," Fitch said. "Demand in these segments continues to decline."

Source- ciol

Cadillac-XLR-V - The Latest Cadillac

Standard
Interior
Accents
Aluminum on the center console; left-hand and right-hand door armrests and door switch bezels; center air outlet; climate control; audio system; and steering wheel
Zingana Wood Accents

Air Bags
Dual-stage frontal and side-impact airbags with Passenger Sensing System for driver and right-front passenger (side-impact airbags include head and thorax protection)

Audio and Video Systems
XM Satellite Radio, with 3 trial months at no obligation**
AM/FM stereo with 6-disc in-dash CD changer and DVD-based navigation; digital clock; RDS; TheftLock; weather band; 6.5" LCD color display touch-screen; voice recognition; and Bose® premium 9-speaker system

Cargo Net
Trunk mounted, removable cargo net

Climate Control System
Dual-zone automatic with individual climate settings for driver and right-front passenger
Rear window electric defogger with front and side window outlets for the driver and right-front passenger
Air-filtration system with pollen filter

Console
Floor-mounted console with ashtray; cigar lighter; auxiliary power outlet; 2 cup holders; coin holder; and accessible storage compartments in console and between seat backs

Door Locks
Programmable door locks with lockout protection

Driver Information Center
20-character display includes Tire Pressure Monitor and 5-language capability (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish)

Floor Mats
Carpeted driver and passenger-side floor mats

Instrumentation
Head-Up Display, with digital readouts in 5 languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) for vehicle speed, selected gear, Adaptive Cruise Control indicator, audio-system information, high-beam indicator, and fuel level
BVLGARI-designed electronic-analog instrumentation
BVLGARI-designed electronic analog instrumentation, with V-Series logo

Interior Color Choices
Ebony†
Cashmere†

Keyless Entry
Keyless entry includes 2 remote transmitters that enable automatic door unlock and open by touching door switch

Keyless Ignition
Keyless ignition engaged with push-button start

Lighting
Illuminated entry and exit feature, courtesy lights and entrance lights in base of door

Memory Package
Recalls 2 driver "presets" for power driver seat, outside mirrors with parallel park assist, steering column, climate control, audio system and Driver Information Center

Mirrors
Inside rearview auto-dimming mirrors with OnStar controls

OnStar System
1-year of Directions and Connections plan. Includes automatic notification of air bag deployment, stolen vehicle location assistance, emergency services, roadside assistance, remote door unlock, OnStar Vehicle Diagnostics, hands-free calling, AccidentAssist, remote horn and lights, information, and convenience services and driving directions delivered through OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation (where available)††

Safety Belts
3-point, driver and right-front passenger belt-to-seat mounting#

Seating
Front bucket seats with leather seating surfaces, 8-way power driver and passenger seat adjusters, adjustable upper and lower lumbar control, easy-exit seat position, cooled and heated seat cushions and seatbacks, and integrated audio system
Front bucket seats with leather seating surfaces and sueded fabric inserts, 8-way power driver and passenger seat adjusters, adjustable upper and lower lumbar control, easy-exit seat position, cooled and heated seat cushions and seatbacks and integrated audio system

Steering Wheel
Leather-wrapped steering wheel includes controls for audio, voice recognition and cruise controls. Power tilt and telescopic.

Storage
Passenger-side lockable and illuminated glovebox
Map pockets, door storage

Universal Transmitter
3-channel programmable universal transmitter

Windows
Power windows with driver and passenger Express-Down/Up and integrated automatic indexing seal system
Exterior Color Choices
Black Raven†
Light Platinum##
Infrared§
Xenon Blue##
Lighting
Fog lamps
Steerable adaptive forward lighting system, bi-functional High-Intensity Discharge (HID) with headlamp washers and Twilight Sentinel
LED tail lamps
LED backup lamps and LED center, high-mounted stop/brake lamp
Mirrors
Exterior rear-view heated mirrors are power-adjustable and feature driver-side auto-dimming with memory, manual-folding
Parking Assist
Rear Parking Assist - Ultrasonic with rearview LED display and audible warning
Roof
Power retractable hardtop roof
Wheels & Tires
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
19-inch Sterling Silver-painted aluminum wheels with P235/45WR19 front and P255/40WR19 rear extended mobility tires
Windshield Wipers
Rainsense windshield wipers with automatic actuation
Drivetrain
150 amp alternator
Battery with rundown protection
2.56 rear axle ratio
Engine Type
Northstar supercharged 4.4L DOHC Variable Valve Timing V8 SFI engine with 443 hp @ 6400 rpm, 414 lb-ft of torque @ 3900 rpm
Exhaust System
Exhaust outlets with dual chrome-plated tips
Transmission
6-speed automatic transmission, electronically controlled with overdrive and Driver Shift Control
Brakes
4-wheel antilock brakes with 4-wheel discs
StabiliTrak
4-channel electronic vehicle stability enhancement system
Steering
Magnasteer, speed-sensitive, rack-and-pinion
Suspension
4-wheel independent suspension with performance-tuned Magnetic Ride Control

Source- Cadillac.com

Also Visit - http://www.network-analyzer.blogspot.com

Trev (two-seater renewable energy vehicle)

Suppose you decided that you weren't going to use fossil fuels anymore. How would you get around?
Solar racing cars are able to travel 750km per day, at highway speeds, powered only by sunlight. Surely it is possible to use similar technologies to build a car in which you could do your daily commuting, but without the noise and pollution of a petrol engine.
Staff and students at the University of South Australia have designed and built such a car—Trev.
Its features include:
two comfortable seats, since more than 90% of urban trips have only one or two people in the car;
enough luggage space for at least two overnight bags;
270kg mass—because using a 2.5 tonne vehicle for commuting is ridiculous;
energy-efficient tyres, brakes and suspension;
a clean, quiet and efficient electric drive system;
compliance with road safety and worthiness regulations;
good performance, with a top speed of 120km/h; and
at least 150km of city driving before the car must be recharged.
Most importantly, it uses less than 1/5 of the energy required by a conventional car, and can be recharged using electricity from clean, renewable sources such as solar and wind.
And it doesn't look too bad...

Features
The tandem seating layout gives good aerodynamics, good balance, and good vision.
The acrylic canopy, with integrated roll hoop, give the driver an unimpeded view of the road.
The canopy and door open on the kerb side of the car.
A 30kW IEMS brushless motor gives smooth, quiet acceleration from 0–100km/h in under 10 seconds.
A composite tub chassis, with foam and plastic body panels, gives a total car mass of 350kg.
A 45kg lithium ion polymer battery gives over 150km of city driving.
Low-energy tyres on low-mass alloy wheels give low rolling resistance.
The single rear drive wheel simplifies the suspension, and allows a simple, efficient transmission.
In 2002 two Industrial Design students develop some body concepts, and some engineering students look at aerodynamics. In 2003 they started the project in earnest, with 25 Industrial Design students working with an experience automotive designer to develop concept designs for the car, and seven Mechanical Engineering students working on initial engineering designs. They also did extensive performance modelling to show that the concept was sound.
In 2004, an Industrial Designer and five final-year Mechanical Engineering students completed the detailed design of the car. In 2005, a group of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering students built and demonstrated the prototype car. In 2006, The aim is to get the prototype car registered and on the road.

Source-unisa.edu.au

BMW-THE NEW 3 SERIES HARDTOP CONVERTIBLE

New retractable hardtop with power-operated three-piece steel roof for safety and convenience
iDrive with Programmable Memory Keys
Elegant 328i Convertible comes with an Aluminum/Magnesium 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine featuring Valvetronic rated at 230hp & 200 lb-ft of torque
Powerful 335i Convertible features a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine with 300 hp / 300 lb-ft of torque and Direct Injection
Luxurious and roomy interior with seating for four and enhanced details

The fourth generation of BMW’s 3 Series four-seat convertible makes its world debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on January 7th, 2007. A new dimension in the world of motoring comes with the introduction of a retractable hardtop for the first time in a BMW.
Made of lightweight steel, the three-piece roof opens in just 22 seconds and folds smoothly into the rear compartment of BMW’s newest convertible. The new roof structure ensures a lower level of noise even at high speeds while the ultra-stiff platform provides extreme torsional strength for rigidity and incredible handling inherent to all BMWs.
The new BMW 3 Series Convertible retains all the elegance and unique style that is characteristic of the 3 Series with the top either open or closed. The long and sleek hood, low shoulder line and the broad-shouldered rear end make the new BMW 3 Series Convertible unmistakable from any angle. And with the new retracting hardtop, it offers performance, comfort, safety, and value unique in its segment.

Source- bmwusa.com