European Car Guide

Truly, the Internet makes life more enjoyable and knowledge more accessible. Just when you thought you had it all, here comes the latest development. The Internet will now be more accessible for BMW owners with the ConnectedDrive technology. This new concept on in-car internet service is set to be launched at the Geneva Auto Show next month.

The ConnectedDrive service is powered by EDGE technology (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution). It is the same technology that Apple uses to connect its iPhone to the internet. Transfer speeds are reported to be slower than 3G but what the heck, it is the speed of most wireless cards anyway.

The good news is that, this add-in feature designed to benefit BMW owners will initially be available to Europe and may be coming to America in the years ahead.

While the U.S. auto industry found itself struggling in terms of car sales and profits during the last quarter of 2007, its European counterparts were positioned on top. Take for example the case of the German automobile manufacturer Audi AG.

IHT.com reports that the luxury car maker registered a profit rise of 26 percent last year with earnings amounting to nearly 1.7 billion euros. During a news conference, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler announced that all of the company’s key financial figures soared to new record levels. As for sales, Audi fared well in most of its key markets, particularly Western Europe and China.

This development only proves that the European auto industry is doing quite well. I guess it’s about time for the U.S. car makers to reflect on how to revitalize the weakening U.S. auto industry. Or they run the risk of getting left behind by their regional counterparts.

The Frankfurt Motor Show is an international car show held in Frankfurt, Germany, wherein major manufacturers could showcase their car makes. In the last motor show (last year), the committee set-up a theme and they decided to showcase cars that have “sustainable mobility”. A lot of major European car manufacturers came up with car hybrids. Mercedes-Benz alone came up with 7 hybrid cars like their lavish F 700. Citroen too, a subsidiary of Peugeot came up with an unconventionally designed car called C-Cactus. These vehicles can cut down the usage of amounts of gasoline (i.e. 44.4 miles per gallon only for the Mercedes-Benz F 700) and emit lesser carbon dioxide compared to more common vehicles present.

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

I have always liked Pininfarina car designs, from its Ferrari wonders to Volvo delights. They have excellent taste and a futuristic attitude. Fans got excited when Pininfarina shared information on the web last month about its latest concept car, the Sintesi.

So, what does the new concept car look like? Well, it has revolutionary styling which I believe is a trend from which many car makers will base their future cars. Aside from the fact that it is hydrogen-powered, it has scissor doors, engine in each wheel that guarantees high driving performance, spacious interior and other people-oriented features.

Pininfarina Sintesi will be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show next week. You better watch out for that. As for me, I can’t wait to see Sintesi hit production lines.

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.

For the complete link to the article, click here.

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?