Porsche to build small SUV as board backs model expansion

STUTTGART, Germany (Bloomberg) -- Porsche AG approved plans to develop a small sport-utility vehicle called the Cajun as the manufacturer aims to increase annual sales by adding models.

The company's supervisory board today signed off on the new model, which will be smaller than the Cayenne SUV, Porsche's best-selling vehicle, the Stuttgart, Germany-based automaker said in a statement.

The Cajun will be the manufacturer's fifth model line alongside the 911, Boxster, Cayenne and Panamera series.

Porsche, which is in the process of merging with Volkswagen AG, is expanding its lineup from 38 models across the four vehicle lines to almost double annual sales to 150,000 vehicles by 2014.

Porsche said the new model is expected to draw younger buyers to the brand. Analysts expect the Cajun line to share many parts and components with the Audi Q5 crossover, another Volkswagen Group model.

source:  http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101129/OEM/101129897/1295/product#ixzz16j6ZeIZ6

Lamborghini sees sales dip before new supercar launch

The Murcielago is Lamborghini's best-selling 12-cylinder car, with more than 4,000 delivered in nine years.

MILAN (Reuters) -- Lamborghini ceased production of its high-performance Murcielago six months ago and will not see sales pick up again before the second half of 2011 with the launch of a successor supercar, its CEO said on Friday.

Lamborghini, a unit of Volkswagen AG's Audi, ended production of the $400,000 Murcielago in May in a move that is bound to hit full-year revenues, Stephan Winkelmann said in an e-mail to Reuters.

"This will surely have an impact on our sales performance. Compared with 2009, we will pay for the absence of the Murcielago this year," he said.

Founded in 1963 by Ferruccio Lamborghini, the company has been hit hard by the global economic crisis.

First-half sales fell 2.6 percent to 152.9 million euros ($216 million), despite continued growth in Asia, after dropping 41 percent to 281 million euros in 2009.

"In general terms, a return to the record levels seen in 2007-2008 will not be immediate, considering the slow demand from markets like Europe and the United States," Winkelmann said. "We see a recovery starting from the second half of next year." Lamborghini sold a record 2,430 cars in 2008.

The Murcielago, which is named after a fighting bull like its famous predecessor, the Diablo, and its cheaper sibling, the Gallardo, is Lamborghini's top-selling 12-cylinder car, with more than 4,000 delivered in nine years, of which 409 were sold in 2009. The last Murcielago left the company's base in Sant'Agata Bolognese, Italy, in May, for a Swiss customer.

Selling for up to 300,000 euros ($424,300) apiece, the Murcielago costs almost twice that of the Gallardo, now the company's only product on offer until the next supercar model is unveiled in Geneva in March 2011.

Looking ahead, Winkelmann said Lamborghini aimed to launch a new model every year and boost investments in new technologies.

A new initiative will be announced in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks, he said.

Lamborghini rival Ferrari, which reported third-quarter revenues of 446 million euros, up 12.6 percent from a year ago, is looking to post near record results for this year, the Fiat unit's chairman, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, said in September.

source: http://www.autonews.com/

Chevy Volt named Green Car of the Year

GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick poses with the Chevrolet Volt at the Los Angeles Auto Show today after the plug-in electric car was named Green Car of the Year today.

 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car, the centerpiece of a revitalized General Motors Co., was named 2011 Green Car of the Year today during press previews at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The highly anticipated Volt received the industry's top environmental honor the same day GM shares began trading on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges.

The Volt edged out the Nissan Leaf, Ford's Fiesta, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to win the award.

The panel for selecting the Green Car of the Year included "Tonight Show" host and car enthusiast Jay Leno, and car designer Carroll Shelby, among others.

The Volt is the first electric vehicle to win the award.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. “The electric vehicles that were test marketed in the 1990s tantalized us, but were without a solid business case. What a difference a decade makes.”

source: http://www.autonews.com/

Selamat Natal (Merry Christmas 2010)

(click image to enlarge)

Design kartu ucapan Selamat Natal 2010 (Merry Christmas 2010)

Contoh Design Flyer / Brosur AIBI

Design Flyer / Brosur bagian Depan

Design Flyer / Brosur bagian Belakang

Paris Preshow: New Porsche 911 Speedster

The recently introduced 408HP 911 GTS (read more here) in Coupe and Cabriolet forms won’t be the only newcomers at Porsche’s Paris Motor Show stand. According to our insiders, the Stuttgart-based sports car maker will also stage the world premiere of the long-rumored 911 Speedster based on the current 997 series.



The last time Porsche offered a Speedster variant of the 911 was back in the early Nineties with the 964-based model (see photos below). Like its predecessor, the new Speedster will pay homage to the 356 Speedster of the 1950s, featuring a chopped windscreen and the classic twin hump behind the front passengers.

Other highlights will include the nostalgic Fuchs-style alloy wheels from the 911 Sport Classic and the wider rear end from Carrera 4 models.

The new two seater 911 Speedster will be built in a limited number of units. We’ll update this story as soon as Porsche comes out with an official release, so stay tuned.

In Germany, the 911 Speedster is priced at €201,682 (about US$263,700), while in the UK, pricing is set at £144,100 (USD$224,700 or €171,900). US pricing has not yet been announced.

Spied: 2010 Maybach 62 facelift

Since its 2002 introduction, the Maybach 62, and its smaller sibling, the 57, have been relatively unchanged. For the 2010 model year, the cars will receive a minor refresh, which should carry the car until at least 2013. Spy photographers on Friday snapped some up-close shots of a 2010 62 prototype, with a number of changes visible.

The modifications are similar to those Mercedes is giving to Maybach  smaller cousin, the S-Class. Namely: LED-type daylight driving lamps, redesigned bumpers, and a new grille. Its clear from these photos the new grille will be the most noticeable change — it is now split down the center and more pronounced.

An official debut should take place some time this year. By all accounts, the smaller Maybach 57 will receive identical updates.

  
  

Maybach to survive with new S-Class platform, new models on the way

It has been reported numerous times that Daimler AG’s Maybach brand will soon die after being starved of new products. That might not be the case anymore with some new leadership in town and some new products in the pipeline.

Daimler board member, Joachim Schmidt, who was recently brought back to run Daimler’s sales and marketing, apparently sees plenty of new opportunities for Maybach vehicles in China, North American, Middle East and Russia.

Current Maybach models, which are based on the previous-generation S-Class, are not exactly state-of-the-art. According to sources, new Maybach models will be based on the new S-Class, which debuts in 2012. Reports suggest that the extended range will be comprised of five models including a four-door-coupe and a long-wheelbase convertible (think Mercedes Ocean Drive concept).

Power for all Maybachs will still come from the 6.0L V12 engine that will now be mated to a 7-speed automatic and an electric motor good for a little over 20-hp and an electric-range of around ten miles. That will allow at least a 25 percent improvement in fuel-economy in European standards, sources say.

2010 Lamborghini reemphasizes its dedication to carbon fiber, reducing weight

Since all eyes are on McLaren Automotive, MP4-12C and their desire to take on the supercar market, Lamborghini is making sure that it isn’t losing the limelight. The Italian supercar manufacturer has announced its continuous dedication to the construction of lightweight vehicles and improving power-to-weight ratios.

The company will be the guest of honor at the 2010 JEC Composites Forum in April, the first time it’s participating in the event.

Lamborghini has opened a R&D lab in the United States. Called ‘Automobili Lamborghini Advanced Composite Structures Laboratory, the departments will work with the University of Washington and Boeing, a leader in the use of carbon composite solutions in aerospace construction.

Lamborghini says that just by cutting the weight of its cars, it can drop its CO2 emissions by 35 percent.

Lamborghini says it will continue to offer naturally-aspirated supercars, just with lightweight – so you can all breathe a sigh of relief.