European Car Guide

Race car fanatics out there will be beaming with joy as the first �08 Ferrari 430 GT2 takes centerstage next month.

In fact, Italiaspeed.com reports that the first �08 Ferrari was handed to racing team CR Escuderia this week. The lucky recipients went to Fiorano in Italy to test the brand-new race car. Team driver Andrew Kirkaldy was tasked for the shakedown and announced that the car �felt incredibly good� and �runs faultlessly even at freezing conditions.�

The Ferrari is scheduled to travel to the UK where it will be displayed to a big audience at Autosport International in January.

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Multi-component wheels are originally designed for motorsport. Now, they have become popular and are available in a broad range of designs, applications, precision quality and sporting style.

Getting the industry�s latest at competitive prices and in superior quality is a must for car owners that want to redesign or give a new look to their cars. I decided to do some research and share with you what I think are good sources of multi-component wheels.

Below is the list of sites I gathered where you could get the best multi-component wheels in the market today:

HREWheels.com
Wheel1.com
AxisWheels.com
Tismodular.com
CECWheels.com

The new Audi Q7 4.2 TDI is powered by a twin turbocharged diesel engine and is oozing with SUV appeal. It is arguably the most powerful SUV in the luxury class.

But don�t be too happy about this news as this particular SUV is not going to hit the US market, according to the German car maker itself. CNNMoney.com reports that Audi has no plans of selling the SUV to the United States due to high costs and strict US regulations. A rough guess puts the SUV at around $100,000 for the American version.

However, Audi would bring diesel-powered vehicles such as a Q7 with a 3.0-liter, V6 engine to the United States beginning early 2009. This would surely mark the return of diesel cars in the scene.

For the link to the article, click here.

Here’s another BMW car that’s worth checking out this year – the all-new 2008 BMW M6. Just like the other BMW brands, M6 comes in two trims, the Coupe and the Convertible. It is a 2-door, 4-passenger luxury car powered by a standard 5.0-liter, V10, 500-horsepower engine.

Areas of interest in this car are its sleek designs, stylish look and safety features, as well as its good performance both in city driving and on the highway. The car is valued at $100,075 for the Coupe and $105,875 for the Convertible.

In a press release, BMW shares that “the 2008 BMW M6 combines the style of the BMW 6 Series with the best performance BMW M6 engineers has to offer.” So there.

Cars are considered the toys for big boys. As a responsible car owner, you take care of your car as much as you take care of yourself. After all, cars are good investments and you have to keep them looking new to retain their market value.

Dents, dings and cracked glass are some of the things that make a car look old. Over the years, technology has helped ease the burden of car owners by introducing solutions that give a quick fix to cars at a lesser cost.

Before having any repairs done on your car, choose your technician and facility wisely. After this, get estimates and warranties so you get an idea how much you will be paying and know the range of warranty for the repair. Once a repair has been made, let the technician know if you’re satisfied with the job, otherwise find out what went wrong and ask for more assistance.

Celebrities are not the only prospects of paparrazzis today. Sometimes, even cars get to have their own share of fame from spy photographers. LeftlaneNews.com reports that a Mercedes Benz Hyrbid has been spied at a testing center in Northern Sweden and it looked like a prototype of Mercedes Benz ML320.

The car’s new front bumper has a larger center intake below the grille with reshaped fog lamps. There were also new side-view mirrors. The new ML is powered by a 3.0-liter 24-valve V6 diesel engine that is aligned with Mercedes’ new dual-mode Hybrid system co-developed with GM and BMW. With a greater mileage than gasoline-powered cars, this new Mercedes Hybrid can compete with other green cars in the market.

The question now is, when will the car become available?

Truth be told, Volvo is now beaming with pride as its 15,000,000th vehicle finished production. This a milestone for the European car maker since it started in the business in 1927.

Leftlane.com reports that Volvo 15,000,000th vehicle was completed this week. It was a Volvo C70 convertible, a stylish and sporty hardtop coupe that transforms into an open-air cruiser with the touch of a button.

From its humble beginnings of 297 cars in 1927, Volvo today has already expanded in the business of cars by venturing into other profitable production that include commercial trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine drives, among others.

All I can say is congratulations Volvo and keep soaring high.

The German bred BMW has always been a symbol of power, prestige and class and the 3 series is no exception. The BMW 3 series remains to be the most sought after among BMW brands. The models sold 98,000 in the United States alone making it the top selling foreign vehicle in the country.
BMW’s success story in the United States dates as far behind as 1969 wherein it was introduced in the American market by local Max Hoffman. Immediately it appeared in the magazine, Car and Driver for its exquisite European design and superb driving characteristics. The man who first imported it in the states, more popularly known as the father of import car business, was a well-known New York car dealer who could be credited for the US sports car craze in the 40’s and 50’s.

Lamborghini proved once again that they’re still up for the best sports car competition in today’s market. Apart from their other sports car manufactures, they have made public their all new Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera. The car itself has 10 HP more, weighs 154 lbs. less than their usual car makes, and has the ability to go from 0 to 60 in a matter or 3.8 seconds. How were they able to do that? Basically, the car engineers decided to use carbon fiber (a sturdier yet, light-weight material) and plastic for some parts of the car. But of course, a car with these attributes isn’t for the penny-pinching folks. This masterpiece right here comes with a price tag that’s extraordinarily high.

Photo taken from http://www.thetorquereport.com

October was a pretty good month for some European cars. Reports indicated that Germany�s BMW AG topped the gains with 29 percent rise in sales.

While this is something that European car makers should be happy about, there are still tough times ahead. Japanese cars have steadily gained the upper-hand in the international market due to their affordability and strong performance.

What makes the competition tighter is that Asian car manufacturers are seriously working on their vehicles by investing on advanced technology and expanding their business. I guess European car makers need to focus more on enhancing their car features while keeping up with standard market prices.