2008 Ford Focus production starts

Production of the new generation of Ford Focus models got underway today at the Ford plant in Saarlouis. The first car in the new series was driven off the production line by Joachim Rippel, Saarland Minister for Economic Affairs.

Previewed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in mid-September, the new Ford Focus will go on sale across Europe from early 2008.

The new Ford Focus has not only been given a completely new look, but it has also been significantly improved in terms of interior design and craftsmanship.


The new Focus will also be the first model of the new Ford ECOnetic line of ultra-low CO2 emission vehicles, and promises to deliver best-in-class CO2 emissions for conventional powertrain technology at just 115g/km.

With more than five million examples produced in Europe since it was launched in 1998, the Ford Focus is the first and - to date - the only car in the world to be acclaimed "Car of the Year" both in Europe and in North America in the same year.

In total the Ford Focus has won over 80 awards in Europe alone. It has significantly influenced the automotive world and at the same time triggered a successful new direction for Ford in Europe.

2009 Alfa Romeo 159 GTA

Alfa Romeo is seriously considering giving a hard time to the biggest German manufacturers. A V8 powered 159 GTA is currently under testings and will be unveiled next year at the Geneva Motor Show. When it will go on sale in early 2009 it will compete with the BMW M3, Audi RS4 and Mercedes C63 AMG.

Built as a successor for the 156 GTA, the 159 GTA (Gran Turismo Allegerita) will feature rear spoiler, unlike its predecessor, large low-profile tyres, slightly flared wheelarches, and side skirts.

But how will Alfa-Romeo build a 400 hp car, as until now they didn’t had this kind of powertrain? It is very easy actually: with a little help from Maserati-Ferrari.

So, under the hood there will be a 4.3 litre V8 engine built as an evolution of the 4.244 cc GranSport unit. The engine delivers around 440 bhp at 7000 rpm with 505 Nm of torque. And it only weights 183 kg. The very good news about this engine is that with minimum of modifications it can deliver more of 500 hp. But Alfa Romeo we keep the target under 420 hp, as the M3 delivers 414 hp.

The V8 engine will be mated with a wheel-drive system and, probably, sequencial gear. That is why the future Alfa Romeo 159 GTA has all the right characteristics to challenge without fear its aggressive German competitors: not only 400 horsepower, but also high handling quality and reliability!

The V8 engine will be mounted transversely similar to the old Lancia Thema 8.32. Compared to the standard 159 it will loose 130 kg. Part of the weight reduction are going to be high-performance parts such as Brembo CCM (Composite Ceramic Material) brakes, used only in high performance cars such as the Ferrari F430.

The 2009 159 GTA will make the 0 to 60 mph sprint in less than 4 seconds and its top speed will be limited to 155 mph.


Competitors


2008 BMW M3



The first M3 produced 192 hp from its 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine during its 1988-1991 model year run. A legend was born and Americans embraced the high-rpm, naturally-aspirated M concept. The next generation arrived in 1995 with a 3.0-liter (and later, 3.2-liter) 240-hp inline-six powerplant. In 1997 the first M3 Sedan joined the family and the first M3 Convertible followed shortly thereafter. The most-recent version, available as either a coupe or convertible from 2001-2006, again was offered with six-cylinder power, this time providing 333 hp from its 3.2 liters. This vehicle was BMW’s first use of SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) for the US market.
The move to eight cylinders in the fourth generation BMW M3 provides a powerplant offering the seemingly disparate characteristics of more power, increased efficiency and reduced weight when compared with the previous six-cylinder M3 engine. Displacing 3,999 cubic centimeters (4.0 liters), the new light-alloy engine produces 414 hp at 8,300 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque at 3,900 rpm with 85 percent of the maximum torque available consistently through 6,500 rpm. This power output represents a 15-percent increase over the six-cylinder from the last generation M3 and it comes with an eight-percent fuel-economy improvement when compared to its predecessor. Compression ratio is dialed in to 12.0:1 and redline is set at 8,400 rpm.

Mercedes C63 AMG




One of the most waited cars this year, the new C63 AMG ensures exciting motor racing at the highest level. Powered by an AMG 6.3 liter V8 engine, the C63 AMG has a maximum power of 457 hp and a maximum peak torque 600 Nm and makes the 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 4.3 seconds and has a top speed electronically limited to 155 mph.

Merely the appearance of the C 63 AMG is impressive enough, with its wide, road-hugging stance. The new bonnet with its prominent power domes conceals the independently developed AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine, which develops a fulminating 336 kW/457 hp at 6800 rpm from a displacement of 6208 cubic centimetres. In this respect the C 63 AMG comes very close to the 470 or so horsepower delivered by the AMG C-Class racing touring car in the DTM series. This high output also benefits the power-to-weight ratio, which is a very favourable 3.6 kg/hp.
The torque developed by the AMG 6.3-litre V8 engine need fear no comparison either. The maximum of 600 newton metres at 5000 rpm is unrivalled in this class, and the torque curve is equally impressive: from 2000 to 6250 rpm the driver always has more than 500 newton metres on tap – ideal for powerful acceleration in any engine speed range.

Audi S4



The future Audi S4 will be unveiled next year, probably in the same time with the 159 GTA at the Geneva Motor Show. It will be powered by a 4.2-litre V8 engine that delivers 340 hp.
Compared to the standard A4 unveiled this year at the Frankfurt Motor Show it will feature S-style bumpers, a small bootlid spoiler as well as quad exhaust pipes.

Embarrassing Ferrari Crash!!

1st Sports Cars Show - Thessaloniki Greece

McLaren won the Racing Car of the Year Award

After a busy year, in which they were accused of stealing Ferrari’s secrets, after being disqualified from the Formula One’s Constructor Championship, that they could easily have won, after their driver Lewis Hamilton lost the Driver Championship by 2 points, finally McLaren can be happy. They have a better car than Ferrari. A car that won eight of Formula One’s 17 races, a car – MP4-22 – that won the Racing Car of the Year award at the Autosport Awards ceremony held in London.

Paddy Lowe, the engineering director of McLaren’s car, declared after he received the prize that all the team is proud to take that prize. He also said: “It was a very, very fantastic year. I really enjoyed it and, despite the politics, the team did a fantastic job.”

Lamborghini will increase production but won’t bring a third model

Rupert Stadler said that Lamborghini will increase its production to 3000 cars worldwide, but without releasing a third model line. So there won’t be any Lamborghini SUV or a Miura.

The objective is to built 300 units a year, that will be 500 units more than this year. But to do so, Rupert Stadler does not consider the creation of new models. The company is only interested in selling the Gallardo and the Murcielago.

Rupert Stadler said: "We only sell 2500 units a year in the world. We first need to exhaust the current potential before considering a third model. We do not have a precise figure to reach but I think that 3000 units annual is a realizable figure. Lamborghini is on the good way."

When asked about the competition between Audi and Lamborghini, Stadler affirms that the R8’s customers are different from that of Lamborghini. The production of the R8 will not exceed 4500 units a year, while the Gallardo is only sold in 1800 units a year. The Murcielago is sold in 600 units a year.

Rossi: This is what I've been waiting for.

Valentino Rossi admits the switch to Bridgestone tyres has brought no miracle transformation in performance, but he has gained much more consistency - and says the change was just what he'd been waiting for.


The Fiat Yamaha star, who has spent his entire premier-class career on Michelins, finished his second day on the Japanese rubber just 0.141secs behind Dani Pedrosa, as all the top five set their best lap time with a qualifying tyre.

"Today we made longer runs than yesterday and our times were still consistent, which means we are working in the right direction. We still are still missing something in terms of performance, but for sure we are making improvements in terms of constancy," confirmed the former five times MotoGPworld champion.

"Bridgestonehas brought quite soft tyres here to Jerez, because they expected lower temperatures, so I am sure that with some harder material we could do even better. The pace is not bad at all and it is similar to the one I had in the race here at the beginning of the past season.

"I could probably have done even better today with the material I had, but I kept some “margin” to improve tomorrow. Tomorrow we will test some more qualifying tyres and we will also make a long run. Today we tested 2007 tyres, but tomorrow I will have some brand new tyres in order to find more grip.

"Of course we need to work on the bike, too; the bike's power delivery puts a lot of pressure on the tyres, so we need to make it "sweeter"," he continued. "Generally speaking this is what I was waiting for: new motivation and a lot of fun, and in fact I am having a lot of fun with the new tyres.

"I am looking forward to starting the next season because it will be exciting and interesting, but before that I want to finish this test in the best way and then start again in January in order to arrive at Qatar in the best possible shape," Rossi concluded.