CARBLog

It’s my lane! No, it’s mine!
Drunk drivers?
This is so stupid that I would not be surprised if it really happened. Only in Russia.

Nissan 370Z spotted on the street! The car fan from VWVortex board caught a mildly disguised Nissan 370Z on the freeway. The Nissan 370Z expected to make debut in Los Angeles this November.

It’s been widely reported that the 2010 370Z will be shortened by four inches and will ride on a slightly widened track, but without a profile shot, it’s hard to tell. The rear three-quarter view shows reworked rear windows that are slightly smaller, with the bottom edge angling steeply towards the roofline. The rear glass of the hatch is sunken in, and incorporates a small spoiler into the trunk lid, while the fenders appear wider than the outgoing model and the tail lamps are equipped with LEDs.

Up front, the restyled headlamps are obscured by the camouflage, but the redesigned front fascia is easily identifiable, as is the tweaked hood, which features a slight power bulge flanked by two accent lines stretching from the windshield to the bumper.

3 months ago the new Acura TL was caught in camo on road testing. Today we have a first official photos of the all-new 2009 TL Sedan.

The new Acura TL is larger than the outgoing model as it rides on a 1.4-inch longer wheelbase and is longer and wider thus promising to offer improved interior space. The 2009 Acura TL will be offered with a choice of two powertrains.

The entry-level 2009 TL is powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine, which producing 280 HP and 254 lb-ft of torque. According to Acura, the FWD TL has projected EPA fuel economy ratings of 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway.

The top-notch TL SH-AWD is equipped with Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system while power comes from a beefier 3.7-liter V6 engine delivering 305 HP and 275 lb-ft of torque. Projected EPA fuel economy ratings for the TL SH-AWD are 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. Like the basic FWD version, the TL SH-AWD gets a Sequential SportShift 5-speed automatic featuring steering-wheel mounted paddle shifters.

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Look at the leaked first photos of new Volkswagen Golf VI, which will hits European markets in November 2009. Old spy shots in camo see here.

The new Volkswagen Golf VI will be offered with a wide variety of turbocharged TSI and TFSI petrol and TDI diesel units, including various versions of the VW Group’s 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TFSI engines. The VW Golf GTI, which is expected in late 2009, will be offered with a 2.0 TFSI engine delivering around 240 HP. While this has not been confirmed yet, that the Golf R32’s successor will use the Audi S3’s 2.0 TFSI developing close to 280 HP.

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Its a first photo of upcoming Volkswagen Robust mid-sized pick-up, which will be launched at the end of 2009 as a 2010 year model. Volkswagen Robust truck will be available as a single cab and double cab combined with either rear-wheel-drive or four-wheel-drive.

VW make plan to produce the Robust truck in Argentina for the South American and African markets.

Its a spy shots of the new 2010 Mercedes-Benz E Class, which was caught in the desert. The test mule still a bit of camo on it, but you can clearly see a lot of the new sheetmetal. Previous photos see here. The car is rumored to be making its official debut at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2008.

As you see, it looks like the S-Class wheel arches haven’t made it to the new E, which resembles M-B’s C Class instead.
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Coolest crash test from german ADAC: tiny Fiat 500 vs. massive Audi Q7.

It seems a couple of bad things happened to the Fiat 500. Firstly the door deformed, which means in an accident it’s going to be difficult to get the driver & passengers out for medical treatment.

The second thing was that the airbag seemed to burst just after the driver was about 1/2 way through his foward thrust. That is, it receives the blow from the driver, and then the entire car is thrust backwards & the steering wheel into the drivers face by the momentum of the Audi Q7.

Other than that, that Fiat 500 is a remarkably tough little beast.

General Motors says the new Vauxhall/Opel Insignia, will make its global debut at London Motor Show, will be the basis for the new Saturn Aura.

The Aura will have a completely different skin and interior, but sub-systems, suspensions and powertrains will be shared, though we are not sure just how many of the six available gas and diesel engines in the Euro-only Opel will make their way Stateside.

GM also shot down the possibility of a coupe version of the Insignia making production.

The Porsche Cayenne test mule has been caught in testing with light camo. It’s a second generation of the popular SUV, which planned to launch in 2010.

The petrol-electric hybrid is expected to be a V8 due next year, while the oil-burner will most likely be the 3.0-litre V6 unit found in the Audi Q7.

A diesel could give Porsche around 15,000 extra sales a year, as well as answering the critics - it is the most polluting mainstream manufacturer, with an average CO2 output of 275.6g/km across its range.

Porsche wants to rush out the second generation Cayenne before the demand for high performance SUVs completely drops. Its other sibling, the Volkswagen Touareg, is due by the end of 2010, but the Audi Q7 won’t be replaced until around 2013.

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Ford has created a new viral campaign for its new subcompact hatch car dubbed “Fiesta Love Factory”. I am accused of being a bit slow sometimes, but I don’t even know what they are attempting to communicate with these ads. Rastamans? Perhaps these spots are a bit silly and memorable, but I just don’t understand what about this would encourage me to buy a Ford Fiesta.

I think, target market are young stupid pregnants only.

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