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The Top Gear Festival, Kwa-Zulu Natal and the City of Durban are getting prepared for the 2nd in the trilogy of the hugely successful Top Gear Festival weekends on June 15th and 16th, powered by Shell V-Power .
This year Top Gear is bringing two-time Formula 1 Champion Mika Häkkinen along as one of its guest drivers.
Last year, the Moses Mabhida Stadium, People’s Park and Street Circuit played host to a sell-out event , with 67 000 visitors enjoying the explosive live show, an enthralling street circuit, and a motoring exhibition packed with some of the world’s greatest supercars, classic automobiles and motoring memorabilia. This year’s much anticipated event promises to be bigger, better and, in true Top Gear style, even more ambitious than 2012!
The Qatar Red Bull Rally Team has managed to maintain a triumphant lead, following a heated four days of action in the initial stages of the 2013 Dakar Rally.
This year’s event, which will see car, bike, quad and lorry drivers tackle 8,500 kilometres of roads, tracks and harsh desert terrain in South America, has got off to a blistering start. And Red Bull’s team have been consistent frontrunners thus far.
After days of technical scruitineering and a visit from Peruvian president Ollanta Humala, the race got underway on January 5th and Red Bull’s Carlos Sainz was quick to make his mark on the track. The Spaniard clocked the fastest time of the 13km opening stage on the outskirts of Pisco with 7 minutes 40 seconds.
Honda showcased its new RC-E Electric superbike at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. While details are limited about the new concept, the machine is designed as a dual-purpose track heathen and commuter.
Tiny LED headlights are tucked into the front fairing and rear of the bike with turning indicators. While the bike is purely a concept at this stage, there is a small change that the RC-E may hint at what Honda has planned for the future of the company’s motorcycle design.
source: Autoblog
Mitsubishi has showcased its PX-MiEV II concept for 2013 at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. The vehicle is a plug-in hybrid version of the Mitsubishi Outlander and will be available to own sometime in 2012.
Power comes from an internal combustion engine and two electric motors. Using two 60kW electric motors individually powering the front and rear wheels, the hybrid can drive exclusively in electric mode for up to 50km and a further 800km when combined with its petrol engine.
The vehicles also offers three driving modes that combines electric and pedal power. In the case of an emergency the PX-MiEV can act as an outdoor power supply through a socket that supplies the stored power in the battery.
source: Car Advice
Since the first images of the concept were revealed back in October, Mazda has officially unveiled its new Takeri concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show in the Big Sight expo hall.
Built to preview the next generation Mazda6, The Takeri is the “most-evolved Form of Mazda’s New ‘KODO – Soul of Motion’ Design Theme and Breakthrough Skyactiv Technology”. The Takeri is a four-door coupe with a strong and prominent hexagonal-shaped grille, 20 inch alloy wheels and measures 4, 850mm in length, 1, 870mm in width and has a height of 1, 430mm.
The clean interior showcases elegant leather seats, metallic trim and a fully equipped infotainment centre.
The Los Angeles Motor Show was the platform for the debut of Porsche’s new Panamera GTS. Based on the Panamera 4S, the latest model is tougher, faster and sportier.
The engine has been upgraded t0 the 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V8, making a total of 424bhp and 384lb ft with an additional 30 horsepower. Torque has been increased from 360 lb-ft to 384 lb-ft and the motor is coupled with a 7-speed Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (PDK) transmission in the Sport Chrono package.
The Porsche GTS weighs in at 1920kg which explains the 25.9mpg combined fuel economy and 256g/km of CO2 released. Porsche has also dropped the body by 10mm, tightened the damping system and tuned the chassis with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). Handling is improved by the body drop, 19 inch Turbo wheels, Porsche Ceramic Composite Breaks (PCCB) and bigger brake discs.
General Motors has just unveiled its next generation Chevrolet TrailBlazer for 2013 at the Dubai International Motor Show.
The new seven-seater is powered by a 2.8-liter Duramax turbo-diesel engine and has second and third row seats that fold down to provide a space that functions as a cargo area. The TrailBlazer combines the hauling and towing capability of a body-on-frame SUV with the comfort and efficiency of a crossover. In terms of styling, the vehicle gets a power dome in the hood, high-mounted dual projector headlamps, tri-coat pearlescent white paint and polished 20-inch aluminum wheels.
Among the seven concept cars that will be unveiled at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, Honda is including the new Small Sports EV Concept. As with many of its competitiors the Japanese automaker has decided to go with an electric theme for this year’s show displaying concept vehicles designed for easy and fun mobility in future cities.
While very little information has been revealed about the new full EV, one can see from the sketches the car’s targa top, heavily scalloped sides and bold graphic running around the front of the car following the shape of the grille.
The Small Sports EV Concept
According to Honda the Small Sports EV “maximizes the fun of driving while achieving excellent environmental performance.”
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