Autos News

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Before getting into what it could mean for General Motors to be reserving the Riviera name, I must be point out that in the automotive world, there are a great many names trademarked that never appear on a vehicle – be it production or concept. Companies frequently trademark names without any intention of every using them on a vehicle to preserve the historical value of the name by protecting it from use by other companies and in some cases, a name is trademarked is earmarked for a project that doesn’t see the light of day. In other words, GM may have trademarked the Riviera name “just because” and it could mean nothing.

That being told, there have long been rumors that General Motors was considering a brand new release Buick coupe – rumors that are given credence by the 2007 Buick Riviera Concept. This concept was a super sleek 2 door coupe based on GM’s Epsilon II platform and while a bit too futuristic across the front end for a production vehicle, the 2007 Riviera concept was nice looking car. The problem as we see it is that GM did produce a Buick on the Epsilon II platform and they still do…the current Buick Regal. If GM was going to build a front wheel drive coupe on the Epsilon II undercarriage, why not call it the Regal Coupe? The Regal is certainly the sportier of the two nameplates and with GM’s preference for offering 2- and 4-door versions of similar nameplates, a front wheel drive Regal would make much more sense than a Riviera on the same platform.

The other possibility is that the brand new release Buick Riviera could be based on a larger rear wheel drive platform – specifically the Alpha platform on which the 2013 Cadillac ATS rides. While this platform currently serves as the base of the sporty brand new release Caddy BMW 3-Series fighting sedan, GM could modify it to make for a slightly larger rear wheel drive coupe. With this idea, there wouldn’t be any concern of the Riviera taking any sales from the ATS thanks to the different body configurations. The ATS chassis and suspension have been tuned on some of the most intense race tracks on the world so 2-door Buick Riviera based on the ATS underpinnings could put Buick back into the affordcapable sports car race in a big way. The Buick Riviera has always been a roomy, plush coupe and the midsized sedan platform from the Cadillac ATS could allow the brand new release Riviera to combine sporty driving characteristics with an interior that offers lots of room and lots of amenities.

Again, there is a chance that General Motors has trademarked the Riviera name to protect it “just in case” but with a 2007 Buick coupe concept and gobs of rumors about a future 2-door Buick – perhaps the Riviera will arrive as a brand new release concept or future production vehicle in the near future.

Source: GM Inside brand new releases

Image: GM

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Last night, to thumping music in a packed trendy club on Hollywood’s Sunset Blvd, Brammo officially launched the Empulse and Empulse R electric motorcycles. These motorcycles were first announced in July 2010, and originally slated to be released in 2011, but the choice to use a 6-velocity transmission (the Integrated Electric Transmission) delayed delivery by year, in which Brammo CEO Craig Bramscher allowed the company to create a great motorcycle that happens to be electric, rather than a great electric motorcycle.

As a production electric motorcycle, the 2012 Empulse R is ground-breaking, setting a brand new release bar in performance, velocity and range (which Brammo’s main competitor, Zero Motorcycles, will certainly leapfrog for 2012; see Brammo’s Empulse R leapfrogs the Zero S with a 100 mph 121 mile range electric motorcycle). The 100+ miles/hr top velocity of the Empulse R is not the ultimate in electric motorcycle velocity, that title is held by several competition electric motorcycle teams such as Meunch Racing, MotoCzysz, Lightning Motorcycles, and Brammo itself. What Brammo has done is take race tested research and development from TTXGP racing events in 2009 and 2011, condensing it into a production electric motorcycle. The others have yet to launch a significant production capability, and of them only Lightning claims the ability to manufacture and sell top end electric bikes. Brammo won the 2011 North American TTXGP Championship beating Lightning Motorcycles, the 2010 champions.

“It was essential to Brammo to create a great motorcycle and we paid attention to customer feedback to create just that,” told Craig Bramsher CEO and president of Brammo. “From concept to production the Empulse product has evolved quite a bit. We are bringing you a different motorcycle that promises to be more than what our riders expected.”

The most intriguing and, to some, controversial feature of the Empulse is the 6-velocity transmission. Electric vehicle makers have long maintained electric vehicles do not need a transmission first because of full torque is availcapable at 0 RPM, and second because the Strength band of electric motors is much wider than gasoline engines. Technically, in most cases, a transmission is simply unnecessary for an electric vehicle, whereas it is an absolute requirement for a gasoline vehicle. This line of argument quickly becomes very technical, and misses a very essential point. Motorcyclists expect there to be a transmission, and the normal setup of motorcycle controls includes a clutch lever and gear selector which, if missing, can feel weird.

While adding a transmission could make it easier for motorcyclists to transition to an electric bike, is there a technical reason for the transmission? According to Brammo’s engineers there is (note: we haven’t had a test ride, hint hint, to experience it for ourselves, wink wink, nudge nudge).

The production Empulse and Empulse R has a 103.6 volt battery pack, while the top electric race bikes just mentioned (including Brammo’s Empulse RR) have pack voltages close to 400 volts. According to Brammo engineers, if they could get more voltage onto the production bike they could skip the transmission. The transmission allows them to deliver a higher velocitys, without having the higher voltage battery pack. For comparison, the Zero S electric motorcycle has a similar battery pack voltage, no transmission, and tops out at 88 miles/hr. While 88 miles/hr is plenty fast for even highway commuting,

The Empulse is the first electric motorcycle to integrate a J1772 charging port, allowing a Brammo Empulse owner to make use of the charging infrastructure being set up for electric cars. All other electric motorcycles and scooters use regular 120 volt Strength cords, leaving owners of those bikes being left out of the build-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Additionally, because electric motorcycle battery packs are much smaller than electric car battery packs, a charging rate that is a “trickle charge” for an electric car is a “fast charge” to an electric motorcycle. The charge rate that on an electric car gives 12 miles driving range per hour of charging, gives an Empulse owner 30 miles of riding range per hour of charging. The time for a full recharge on a level 2 charging connection is 3.5 hours (from 0% state of charge).

All this technical stuff is interesting to geek out on, but what does the bike look like? And what did the launch party onlookers think?

The Empulse hits all the “sexy street bike” style points in excellence, looking every bit the race-style street bike made by other motorcycle manufacturers. It will fit in very well among other similar motorcycles, while having design elements that play up the electric aspects using Strengthful design cues. For example, the battery pack enclosures with black and silver colors at the center of the bike, enclosed within the main frame members.

The frame design serves not only to give the Empulse a striking profile, but also serve a very functional purpose that was proved at last weekends TTXGP race at the Infineon Raceway. During practice rounds the Empulse RR suffered two serious crashes with the bike tumbling around on the track and into the weeds, with the frame protecting the battery pack from damage. That unintended bit of research results proved the stability of the Empulse design.

Judging by the excited response of the crowd, clustering around and taking pictures, the two bikes have the looks that open wallets. However, the prices caused a variety of responses. Some gasps were heard when Bramscher announced the pricing, and others thought the prices were fair, and were better than the $20k+ fears circulated on some discussion boards.

The Empulse and Empulse R differ a bit on styling and features. The Empulse, with MSRP $16,995, has plastic bodywork, and a semi-adjustcapable suspension system. The Empulse R, with MSRP $18,995, has carbon fiber body parts and fully adjustcapable Marzocchi Forks in the front, and fully adjustcapable Sacks Shock in the rear.

The Empulse R will begin delivery in June 2012, with the regular Empulse coming in 2013. Financing is availcapable through Sheffield Financial, at these rates: Empulse 8.9% for 72 months at $303, 6.9% financing for 60 month at $334 and 3.9% for 36 months at $499, and on the Empulse R 8.9% for 72 months at $339, 6.9% financing for 60 month at $373 and 3.9% for 36 months at $558.

During 2013 Brammo will built a special version of the Empulse, the Empulse TTX, properly configured to race in the TTXGP electric motorcycle racing series.

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Italian manufacturer Fiat, has recently launched a series of images of Linea’s facelift model, designed to refresh the design of the sedan that’s been in production since 2007. The changes will bring a brand new release more elegant and fresher look.

The brand new release Fiat Linea has a brand new release front spoiler which includes and fog lamps. Its design and the brand new release face grille bring the look of Italian model to current standards. The trunk lid and rear spoiler complete the elegant look for who have turned the designers of Italian sedan.

Inside we find a wheel with a brand new release design and redesigned instrument panel, and a brand new release dashboard. External changes gives to Linea a fresh look needed to cope with stronger competition.

In terms of technical details, the Italian manufacturer has not announced anything yet, waiting the official launch of facelift. There are chances that Linea facelift to come with the engines of 1.4 liter petrol, 1.6 liter diesel and 1.4 liter engine with Multi Air, known on other Fiat models. We will give more information with the official launch of the model.

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The 2013 Dodge Dart will begin hitting showrooms soon with the SE, SXT, Rallye and Limited trimlines and the very first ever full production version of the brand new release C segment sedan was a Dart Rallye in Redline Red Pearl Coat, featuring the unique body dressing of this sporty package. This particular 2013 Dart Rallye received the Black with Ruby Red interior package with a leather wrapped steering wheel featuring audio and cruise control buttons (Dart Rallye models can also have an interior in Light Diesel Grey, Diesel with Light Diesel Grey, or Diesel Grey with Citrus Peel). On the outside, the Dart Rallye wears the unique black grille surround, black headlight bezels, projection fog lights, integrated dual exhaust, and 17” aluminum wheels with the option of Hyper Black wheels instead of the standard silver shoes.

The standard engine for the 2013 Dodge Dart Rallye is the 2.0L Tigershark engine but the first Dart Rallye was equipped with the optional 1.4L turbocharged MultiAir engine borrowed from the Fiat 500 Abarth – packing 160 horseStrength, 184lb-ft of torque and the best fuel economy of the lineup thanks to the 6-velocity manual transmission. While the Dart Aero models set to reach the market in the third quarter of 2012 will offer better than 41 miles per gallon, those 2013 Darts Strengthed by the 1.4L engine and the 6-velocity manual transmission offer an impressive 27mpg around town and 39mpg on the open road – making it one of the most efficient models in the segment while also being one of the most Strengthful.

In addition to packing the optional 1.4L turbocharged engine, the first 2013 Dodge Dart Rallye produced was upfitted with the optional rear view camera system and a sunroof. While exact pricing specifications have not yet been offered thus far, we know that the 2013 Dart Rallye carries a starting price of $19,790 (including the destination fee) plus the cost of those upgrades listed above for a total that is likely in the low 20k range.

The 2013 Dodge Dart in the first four trimlines will begin arriving in dealerships in June with the high performance Dart R/T and highly efficient Dart Aero models arriving during the third quarter of this year. The Belvidere Assembly Plant that is currently building the brand new release Dodge Dart also builds the Jeep Patriot and Jeep Compass – having built the Dodge Caliber hatchback until production of that less-than-popular model ended late last year.

Click here for a closer look at the pricing and feature specifications of the 2013 Dodge Dart. Details are still somewhat limited but with the Dart set to hit showrooms around the country in the next 60 days – we can expect to soon have a very good look at exactly how much it will cost for prospective Dart buyers to take home the brand new release Dodge C segment sedan.

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The Cleveland Engine Plant #1 builds the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 found in the Ford F150 EcoBoost, the Ford Taurus, the Ford Flex, the Lincoln MKS, and the Lincoln MKT. this Strengthful yet efficient V6 engine uses twin turbocharging to offer 365 horseStrength and 350 to 420 horseStrength depending on the application. Since being introduced in 2009, there have been over 180,000 brand new release vehicles sold with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 and 121,000 of those were sold in 2011; after the debut of the uber popular Ford F150 EcoBoost pickups. So far in 2012, Ford has sold more than 39,000 vehicles equipped with the 3.5L EcoBoost V6 – a 285% improvement over the number of EcoBoost vehicles packing the 3.5L variant last year. The Cleveland Engine Plant #1 is the only facility in the world that builds the EcoBoost V6 along with also producing the 3.7L V6 offered as the base engine of the Ford F150 and Ford Mustang so things are clearly very busy – leading the company to triple production at this plant to in an effort to continue to meet demand.

“Our engine plant in Cleveland is the first and only facility in North America to produce EcoBoost engines, and we are tripling production capacity to meet customers’ growing needs for fuel-efficient engines,” told Mark Fields, president of The Americas, at an employee celebration at the plant today.” EcoBoost engines are a key part of our plan to give customers the Strength of choice – from EcoBoost-Strengthed vehicles and hybrids to plug-in hybrids and full electrics.”

The brand new release third shift at the Cleveland Engine Plant #1 will bring 250 jobs to the facility but they wont be brand new release jobs – as Cleveland Engine Plant #2 is scheduled to end production soon. The 250 “brand new release” positions created at plant #1 will mostly be filled by workers who are transferring from plant #2 so while this move isn’t technically creating brand new release jobs…it is saving lots of manufacturing jobs in the Cleveland area. This brand new release third shift is scheduled to begin this coming Monday after production at Engine Plant #2 ends this week.

In addition to adding 250 jobs at the Cleveland Engine Plant #1, Ford Motor Company will also add an addition shift at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in an effort to meet the growing demand for the Ford F150 – which has been and continues to be the most popular vehicle selling in the United States. Even though Cleveland Engine Plant #2 is ending production with the end of the line for the 2.5 and 3.0L Duratec engines built there – more jobs in other plants shows the continued growth of Ford as a whole.

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