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Bentley has been hinting at the possibility of a full-size luxury SUV for a few years now and it recently became a reality at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Of course, still in its concept form, the British auto manufacturer’s new vehicle named the EXP 9 F will bring the company a lot of attention – whether negative or positive.
The company is calling the concept car a “compelling new take on the Grand Touring Bentley”, one that could possibly give birth to a third model line joining the existing Mulsanne and Continental lines. Bentley likes to think that the car will be “equally at home at an opera gala performance, on the sand dunes and the overtaking lane of the autobahn.” However, it’ll be Bentley’s client base that determine the truth to that.
So why did the luxury auto maker go for an SUV? A reason for this includes that most of Bentley’s customers already own SUVs as the car becomes more of a necessity than a fad. So, adding a high performance sports-utility vehicle to its lineup will attract new customers and pull more money from existing loyal client’s bank accounts.
Of course, Bentley couldn’t just create an SUV that would easily compete with others on the market, rather the “EXP 9 F had to represent the absolute pinnacle of the sport utility sector, setting a new benchmark for this type of vehicle,” says director of design, Dirk van Braeckel.
When it came time for Mercedes Benz to promote its new fuel cell vehicle, the German auto manufacturer decided to use it as an opportunity to create an innovative and unique marketing sketch. Rather than simply display the car for the public to view, it decided to make it invisible. Ultimately an innovative driving technology needs an innovative way to promote it.
The decision to make the car ‘invisible’ emphasizes that its F-Cell vehicle has no exhaust emissions, making it virtually invisible to the environment. That’s pretty clever. This was achieved by placing a mat of LEDs across the entire one side of the vehicle and mounting a video shooting Canon 5D Mark II digital SLR camera on the other side.
Mercedes has said that its hydrogen-powered drive system is “ready for series production,” but other reports have its commercialization expected only in 2014. However, fuel-cell technology is still extremely expensive, partly because hydrogen is a difficult fuel to store and transport and the materials needed to create a viable fuel-cell are also very pricey.
In an effort to keep the wave of media attention going for the recently revealed F12 Berlinetta, the new 599 successor, Ferrari has recently released a few new promo vidoes.
The F12 Berlinetta is the most powerful road car ever produced by the Italians with the 6262cc V12 deploying 730bhp at 8500rpm and 509lb ft at 6000rpm. In terms of its actual speed, Maranello quotes ‘over 340kph’ reaching 0-62mph in just 3.1 seconds
The video below, titled ‘The final sound check on the track’ focuses only on the sound of the supercar. Unfortunatelyit shows only the camouflaged prototype and not the actual finished model. I definitely heard a roar in there somewhere.
Watch the promo video below:
Source: World Car Fans
This is Audi’s advertisement for its much anticipated S7 that the German auto manufacturer released days before it was set to air on American televisions during the Super Bowl. Audi unveiled the spot mere days after teasing its Super Bowl ad after Facebook fans beat the company’s Race The Light game on the social network.
The ad follows the vampire craze set in the forests where a group of young 20-something vamps are having a party. When their hero arrives in a silver Audi S7 with an extra batch of O Negative for everyone to enjoy, disaster ensues.
The 2013 Audi S7 Sportback is powered by a 4.0 TFSI twin-turbo V8 making 420-hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. Mated to 6-speed S tronic transmission and quattro all-wheel-drive, the S7 Sportback accelerates from 0 to 62 mph in 4.9 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.
Watch the advertisement below to see what happens next…
From your everyday Honda Civic right through to the wailing Mazda 787B, this is how the development team at Forza Motorsport go about making the perfect virtual ride.
Watch the development team at work in the video below:
Source: The Wheel Deal
Chris Harris spent five days in one of the most interesting and desireable sports cars ever made, the McLaren MP4-12C. The 600 horsepower vehicle mixes everyday usability with Millennium Falcon performance. Features include: a carbon tub, seamless shift gearbox, hydraulic suspension, 370mm steel rotors and 0 to 124mph in 9.1 seconds.
Chris drives it everywhere from the town-centre to the race-track. For a supercar its unexpectedly easy to drive at low speeds and can theoretically be driven every single day should one who owns one be willing to do so. And so it begins with the growl of the engine…
Ahead of its official debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show next month, Mercedes Benz has unleashed its new SL63 AMG. With less weight, more power, and an advanced multi-clutch transmission onboard, the new model offers prospective buyers and car enthusiasts an impressive package.
One of the major issues that plagued the last generation model was its weight, which saw the two-seat convertible weigh in at about the same as some full-size SUVs. To remedy this, the new model, which benefits from the same lightweight aluminium construction underpinning the regular 2013 SL Class on which it’s based, weighs in at 4,059 pounds. While this is still considerably heavy for a two-seater it’s now 275 pounds lighter than the model it replaces. This improves performance across the board including faster acceleration, shorter stopping distances, better handling and increased mileage.
As the sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week currently taking place in New York City, Mercedes decided to shoot a video, discussing the the interior design details of the brand new 2013 Mercedes SL Class.
In the video, Nicola Ehrenberg-Uhlig, the manager of colour and trim for Mercedes-Benz explains that the design team wanted to highlight the personality of the new SL Class by using special types of materials. Both the interior and exterior design reflect the speed of the vehicle and the inspiration of aviation, a symbol of clear design, functionality and power. The vehicle’s air vents are inspired by aeroplane turbines and the dashboard by its wings.
The attention to detail and excellent execution of the car’s interior and exterior design reflects the luxurious style associated with Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes-Benz says fashion gives inspiration and insight for their design. Trying to align what they feel the owners of the vehicles are looking for along with the tradition thatmakes a Mercedes-Benz what it is.
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