MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 Special Edition

Due to the to the high dealer demand, Mini USA announced that it will offer the MINI John Cooper Works World Championship 50 special edition vehicles in the US. Don’t get too excited as the manufacturer will only bring only 50 of the hand-built vehicles. For those who don’t know, the car what was introduced back in 2009 at the MINI United Festival in Silverstone, England and is a tribute to both the birth of the brand and John Cooper’s first Formula One title victory 50 years ago.

Based on the MINI John Cooper Works Hardtop, the special edition comes with a special color called Connaught Green also known as the famous color of British race cars and is combined with the roof and bonnet stripes in Pepper White. Besides the paint, the car is also equipped with a John Cooper Works Aero Kit, gloss black versions of the 17” Challenge spoke wheels, custom numbered side scuttles, a unique Championship Red Lounge Leather interior and carbon fiber accents throughout. The price of this car: $39,600 and $40,300 with the destination and handling costs.

Nissan LEAF Electric Vehicle Luxurious Series

Infiniti announced that they are taking pains in order to ensure that their version of the Nissan LEAF electric vehicle will be markedly different and more upscale. The design of the upcoming car was reviewed at Nissan’s San Diego styling studio but it appears that the new car is just another version of the LEAF, according to the ones who saw it. But, it appears that more recent designs solved that problem, according to Ben Poore, vice president of the North American Infiniti Business Unit. “I was in Japan last week and saw the final three or four designs for the car,” Poore says.

“And I can tell you without a doubt that we’re going to have a uniquely Infiniti product.” Regarding the Nissan LEAF, for those who don’t know, this was recently priced at about $25,000 after government incentives for alternative-fuel vehicles are applied. Also, it appears the LEAF and the upcoming Infiniti electric car will share lots of drivetrain components, according to Larry Dominique, North American vice president for Nissan and Infiniti product planning.

“But we think it needs to be very unique, not only in exterior design but in interior materials and in terms of its driving performance. It has to accelerate like an Infiniti. It has to be an Infiniti from the standpoint of dynamic performance. The Leaf will be a great vehicle, but it’s very clearly Nissan. The Infiniti version will have to be purely Infiniti.” said Dominique.

2011 Chevrolet Silverado HD

In an attempt to answer the call from owners of its heavy-duty pickup trucks for more capability and power General Motors unveiled at this year’s Chicago Auto Show the brand new 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500. It was back in 2001 when GM re-engineered the Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy-duty 2500 and 3500 pickups. “We have a completely new chassis. This is really where our focus has been, and the powertrain,” said Rick Spina, the vehicle line executive who oversees full-sized trucks.

The new Silverado line will offer 11 new fully boxed frames, which are five times stiffer torsionally and 92 percent stiffer in the bending mode. According to the manufacturer the 2011 Silverado offers: fifth-wheel towing capacity of 20,000 pounds, conventional towing (ball hitch) capacity of 16,000 pounds and a payload capacity of 6,335 pounds. Development was “targeted at what these customers want — greater capability,” Luke said.

Under the hood we find the impressive Duramax turbocharged, 6.6-liter diesel V8 that has also been re-engineered for the 2011 model year, delivering more power and torque and about an 11 percent increase in fuel economy. As an option, GM offers a smart exhaust brake system, slowing the truck-and-trailer combination on descents.

This system is activated by the driver and is integrated with the cruise control. Other changes in the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado include: the re-engineered front suspension in order to handle a 25 percent greater axle weight rating, up to 6,000 pounds; a rear suspension with a larger asymmetrical leaf-spring design to handle the truck’s increased payload capacity; an increase in diameter for the front and rear brake rotors. Also, the stability control comes standard on single, rear-wheel models. Gm now offers the hill-start assist system, which holds the brakes for 1.5 seconds or until the gas pedal is pressed, preventing rollback.

New Opel Trixx City Car Concepts

As you may know already Opel/Vauxhall is currently working on a new city car which will be based on the 2004 Trixx Concept car unveiled at the Paris Motor Show. What we do know now, is that GM’s upcoming city car will offer a high level of finish and sophistication, according to new Vauxhall/Opel boss Nick Reilly. The new car will be very well finished and sophisticated but will also offer a wide choice of options, as shown by the Mini, Fiat 500 and Toyota iQ. “We’ve learnt how to make money on small cars in Asia,” said Reilly.

2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 Final Edition

For those who don’t know, 2010 is the final year of production for the current-generation Dodge Viper and in order to celebrate this, the American manufacturer will build a limited production run of just 50 2010 Viper SRT10 “Final Edition” models. The new limited edition will be available in Coupe, Roadster and ACR (American Club Racer) model configurations. Each car will be available in Graphite Clear Coat body with a painted black center stripe traced in red (Coupe and ACR Final Edition models include a black windshield surround) and will carry unique side sill badges.

Inside we find black leather featuring custom red accent stitching, red painted halo surrounds on the gauge cluster and bright stainless steel screws in center stack bezel. Also, a plaque (1-50) will be located on the shifter bezel just above the unique Viper Final Edition floor mats. All the Viper Final Edition Coupe and Roadster models will be fitted with six-spoke wheels painted in Anthracite, while ACR models will come with five-spoke Sidewinder wheels in black. Under the hood we find the same .4-liter (510 cu. in.) V-10 engine capable to deliver 600 (450 kW) horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. (760 Nm) of torque.

With these numbers the car can hit 60 mph in less than 4 seconds, quarter-mile time in the mid 11-second range, 0-100-0 mph in 11 seconds flat and a top speed of 202 mph (325 km/h). This build of 50 Final Edition 2010 Dodge Vipers includes all three model configurations for the first time - 20 Coupes, 18 Roadsters and 12 ACRs. The production of these limited edition models will start in early summer.

2011 Ford Focus RS500

Before dealers even knew that the limited edition Ford Focus RS500 has already been unveiled, the model had sold out. What makes this feat so astounding is that it sold out 12 hours after it was revealed and even before pricing was announced. A Ford insider said that this phenomenon occurred despite Ford being forced to unveil the car nearly 48 hours earlier than planned. Ford had a website dedicated to slowly tease consumers until its scheduled debut for Wednesday but it was hacked and official pictures got released Monday afternoon.

The Ford insider said that people were frantically calling up dealers, entering stores and placing orders for a car that dealerships didn’t know had existed. The head office was bombarded with calls from its dealers. Ford is currently looking over the expressions of interest from numerous customers to determine allocations for its dealerships, before the order books officially open in May.

The insider added that in the UK, over 500 expressions of intent to purchase were recorded. The insider confirmed though that the car will be sold all over Europe. The Ford Focus RS500 is a limited-edition 500 car run of a 345bhp version of the hot hatch. This insider attributed the increased interest partly due to the residual values of the standard car. In fact, the secondhand car sells for more than its new purchase price.

Citroen AirCross C3 Picasso

The Citroen AirCross was introduced through social networking site Twitter. Citroen Brazil said that the crossover is intended to be an adventurous version of the C3 Picasso. However, there are minimal differences between the two cars. Sources who sent this story from Brazil, said that the AirCross will be shown in his country during the second half of 2010. It is believed that because the car is based on the Picasso, which debuted at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, it’s likely that Citroen will bring the AirCross to Paris in September.

The AirCross features visual elements, like a new grille, side skirts, rear-mounted spare tire, and graphics. The car will be taller due to a higher suspension, and longer because of the spare tire but the width of the car should remain the same. The car will be offered with either a 1.6-liter flexfuel engine, or the Citroen C4’s 2.0-liter flexfuel engine.

New York Auto Show: 2011 Scion TC

Scion has just revealed its new generation 2011 tC at the New York Auto Show, besides the all new 2011 Scion iQ. The new model receives additional performance input with the new 2.5L inline 4-cylinder engine with dual VVT-i capable of 180 hp, increased fuel economy and lower emissions. The 2011 tC receives also 2 new transmissions, an improved 6-speed manual one and a new 6-speed automatic gaining 2 gears along with sequential-shift. The new model is fitted on a new platform with modified MacPherson strut front-suspension, a double-wishbone rear-suspension that rides lower than the previous model and larger 18-inch aluminium alloy wheels covers in wider tires.

At the exterior, the chassis shows a new design translated into a more aggressive looks due to more prominent fender flares, lower stance and sleek front grille and projector headlamps. At the interior, the car features robust front seats for a more secured position and comfort, a sporty new 3-spoke steering wheel and an easy accessible instrument panel with gauge cluster and center console facing inward V-shape.

The new tC offers in standard version also other additional features such as an an AM/FM/CD/USB audio system with eight speakers, key safety features, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), traction control (TRAC), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).