Mitsubishi Motors Corporation announced that its next-generation global compact sedan, named Attrage, will be launched in the Thai market this coming July - where it will be assemebled at the Mitsubishi-owned Laem Chabang Industrial Estate in the Chonburi province - but before that they have just released the first official image of the car (above) as well as some pretty relevant information. As you can see right away, the design of the model is clearly inspired by the Concept G4 we have seen a week ago at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show, although with much less dramatic looks.

Fuel efficiency surely was one of the key-words when the Japanese manufacturer begun working on this project, and that’s mirrored by the first figures revealed: average fuel consumption is in fact rated at about 5 l/100km, with the model complying to the EURO4 exhaust gas regulations. This result was achieved thanks to a significant weight reduction (probably another of those key-words) which is mainly due to its lightweight body amd its extensive use of high-tensile steel.

As for the powertrain, the Japanese carmaker says the Attrage will come with a 1.2-liter MIVEC engine coupled with a 5-speed CVT manual transmission. Other highlights of the model should include a pretty spacious interior and well thought aerodynamics, with a drag coefficient which of 0.29 (which is actually pretty good for its class). Mitsubishi plans to produce over 100,000 units per year after the fifth year of production.

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Although these blurred images seem to show a revised Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, they are actually the first leaked shots of the JAC P241. The front end is a bit too similar to the venerable Mercedes SUV but this mid-sized SUV will be aimed at the low end of the market. Although the front end resembles a Mercedes, JAC has used the Audi Q5 as inspiration for the rear of the car.

There’s not much information on the car’s specs but we’ve been told that it is 4.8 metres long and has a 2.9 metre wheelbase. The rear-wheel drive machine is aimed at a market that spends more time on the road than off it and should compete well with machines like the Jiangling Yusheng S30 when it’s launched in China later this year.

The SUV’s name is just a codename at the moment. We’ve been told that at launch it will be changed to JAC P7 so that it sits above the P5 in the Chinese firm’s range. The state owned company haven’t announced which engines will power the new SUV but we’re assuming an engine will have to be built specifically for the new car as the P5’s 2.0 litre motor will be too small for the car. There should also be a diesel option, which could be taken from one of JAC’s many MPVs.

There’s no word on a launch date but we’re expecting the new SUV to be available in its home market later in the year and in selected European markets in 2014. Prices for the car’s home market are expected to be between 130,000 to 190,000 yuan.

Continue reading: JAC P241: First Leaked Images

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On the official Facebook page, Toyota has released the teaser image of the next generation Corolla, which will be presented on June 6 in California. The car is based on the Corolla Furia Concept, unveiled at 2013 Detroit Auto Show, and the image shows the rear of the car, in particular the rear-light, whose shape is very similar to the prototype’s, and the spoiler, designed probably only for the sports model S.

Toyota Corolla is one of the long-lasting models in the history of motoring, as the first generation dates back to 1966. Since its first appearance the car has always had a great success, so much that in 1997 became the best-selling car in the world, outdoing Volkswagen Beetle, and in 2012 sold more than 39 million units since its launch on the market.

The first generation was powered by a 1.1-litre petrol engine and initially was sold in Japan only; it then arrived worldwide during the following years. The first update came in 1970 with the introduction of the 1.4 and 1.6 engines, after that Corolla got restyled every 4/5 years, up to the current eleventh generation.

Continue reading: 2014 Toyota Corolla: official teaser image

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British carmaker Aston Martin celebrates its centenary in world-class style with the exceptional CC100 Speedster Concept, a tribute to the firm’s 1959 DBR1 that is arguably Aston Martin’s greatest sporting triumph on the track. The Aston Martin CC100 Speedster Concept is about 4.50 meters in length and is little more than two meters wide, mirrors included. So far it is actually the most tangible expression yet of the brand’s year-long 2013 centenary celebrations.

The car is popwered by a 6.0-litre naturally aspirated V12 gasoline engine mated to a six-speed hydraulically actuated automated sequential manual transmission. Controlled via steering column-mounted paddle shifts the lightweight ‘box delivers truly sporting changes perfectly suited to the Speedster’s track-focused nature. This drivetrain would push the CC100 from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in a little over four seconds, while the top speed is limited to 290 km/h (180 mph).

Designed and constructed in less than six months at Aston Martin’s global headquarters in Gaydon, the finished look of the two-seater CC100 is the work of Design Director Marek Reichman working alongside the brand’s Chief Exterior Designer Miles Nurnberger. The model is a proper one-off and, apparently, it has already found its buyer, therefore our only chance to admire it is through these nice official pics and video.

Continue reading: Aston Martin CC100 Speedster Concept /video

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The image of the Bugatti Veyron recently released on the net was a fake and the actual car won’t be part of the already impressive Dubai Police fleet. The news comes directly from Afzal Kahn, founder and owner of Kahn Design, who immediately recognised the vehicle in the images as one of its own cars. The familiar white-and-green livery was nothing more than a digital rendering and the tuner instantly took to Twitter to expose the fake image to the public.

Continue reading: Dubai Police force won't be getting Bugatti Veyron: image is a fake!

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Usually, when there’s a video of a carwash, you expect to see a bunch of scantily clad beauties carrying out the whole operation, but this time the script of the latest promo video for the Citroen DS3 was quite different: they actually asked the Arsenal guys to do that (for those of you reading this from across the pond, that’s an English soccer team).

As some sort of scientist tries to explain at the beginning of the video, the objective is to demonstrate that the efficiency of a ‘Premier Carwash‘ is inversely proportional to the time taken and the amount of water used. To prove that, they gathred at the Arsenal training ground and called some pretty famous testers: Thomas Vermaelen, Per Mertesacker, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud whose task was to wash the new hatch from the French carmaker, the DS3.

It is not the first time that the French manufacturer is working with the London-based football team. In the past, for example, we had already seen the Arsenal players try their hand at a ballet for the Citroen DS5. This is definitely an original promotional video, but we would still prefer the usual bunch of half-naked beauties.

Continue reading: Arsenal players wash the New Citroen DS3

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The ‘Mille Miglia‘ was a hugely successful and popular open-road endurance race that used to take place in Italy between the 30s and the 50s before two fatal crashes in 1957 brought it to an end. From the 80s the race has come to life again in the form of the ‘Mille Miglia Storica‘, a road rally for historic cars, and of its side events is the ‘Mille Miglia Design Experience contest‘.

This year’s winner of the ‘digital/3D drawings‘ category is this interesting ‘Nuvola’ (Italian for “Cloud”), inspired by legendary Italian driver Tazio Nuvolari and created by Lazzarini Design. Apparently, the body of the car has been modelled to resemble that of a swan, but that’s not the only peculiar feature of this original car as underlined by its creator Pierpaolo Lazzarini:

“The Nuvola is characterized by continuous lines, meant to be futuristic and vintage at the same time, which go all throughout its exterior surface. The Nuvola is a three-seater sportscar with a rear electric motor capable of delivering 250 kW (335hp). Thanks to its frame and ‘dual’ carbon shell - and in spite of its size and the 16 batteries located in the front section - the car is not supposed to weight more that 1,000 kg. In order to access the cockpit, passengers will have to slide the upper part of the structure through the four rails positioned at the sides of the front block. “

Continue reading: Lazzarini Design Nuvola wins the Mille Miglia Design Experience contest

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The Ford Mustang is definitely one of the most iconic muscle cars of the American automotive culture, and ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ is one of the nicest recent movies that talk about cars. Bearing that in mind, it is not to difficult to figure out how, during the latest Dana Mecum Original Spring Classic Auction in Indianapolis, one of the Ford Mustang ‘Eleanor’ used by Hollywood star Nicholas Cage in that movie managed to fetch a cool 1 million dollars (roughly 775,000 Euros at current exchange rates).

The Ford Mustang Eleanor is a special version of the 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback that was specifically created for this flick, though the car became famous before that thanks to a similar movie from the seventies (with a 1971 Mustang that was given the aesthetics of the 1974 model and dubbed ‘Eleanor’). In 1999 they began shooting the remake of the original film - with a slightly different script - and this one of the eleven cars that were used for the filming, though only three of them were actually working. Out of these three, two of them got destroyed during the making of the movie, and this - you guessed it - is the third one.

The rear-wheel drive Ford Mustang Eleanor was built by Cinema Vehicle Services with the help of custom and tuning guru Chip Foose: some of the most significant changes include the modified bonnet and boot lid, the wider track and the additional lights placed in the center of the revised front bumper. The engine is a Ford 351 V8 producing about 400 horsepower and mated to a four-speed gearbox. The car comes with a pretty low ride height and a set of 17-inch alloy wheels fitted with Goodyear F1 tires.

Continue reading: Ford Mustang 'Eleanor' of the 'Gone in 60 Seconds' movie sold for 1 Million Dollars

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There are plenty of action movies where you can see a car or a truck in precarious balance over the edge of a bridge or a cliff after some spectacular chase, risking to fall into the void, but the video above shows us how a similar situation would look like in real life, with no “special effects” whatsoever.

The chilling images captured in the clip above feature the aftermath of a crash involving a truck on a bridge, half of which is literally suspended in the air while its trailer and the front part of the tractor manage to keep some sort of faulty equilibrium, though that might not be the right word to describe the actual situation.

The spectacular accident occurred in Australia, more precisely in Melbourne, where the driver of the truck suffered some serious head injuries after having been thrown out of the cockpit. At the moment we do not know whether his injuries are life threatening or not, but we would like to wish him all the best for a speedy recovery.

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French manufacturer Renault and the Red Bull Formula 1 team have created a special edition of the new Mégane RS called Renault Megane RS Red Bull Racing RB8, which will be on sale in 26 countries with a price-tag of 36,000 Euro at least (that’s the price of the French version). The model comes with a peculiar Crépuscule Blue livery (directly inspired by the typical body work of Red Bull formula 1 car) enriched by some special decal that further emphasize its sporty aesthetics.

Some details of the Renault Megane RS Red Bull Racing RB8 are painted in Platinum Grey (i.e. the F1 Blade of the front bumper, side mirror caps and the rear wing) while a metal plate with sequential serial number identifies the car. The door sills have the Red Bull logo, as well as the mats and the headrests of the Recaro sports seats upholstered in leather and fabric.

Renault has chosen to equip the new Renault Megane RS Red Bull Racing RB8 with a set dedicated 19-inch alloy wheels finished in black and fitted with Bridgestone sports tires. The engine remains the same 2.0-liter twin scroll turbo producing 265 horsepower, with suspension and brakes that are also the same of the ‘regular’ Megane RS. The Renault R-Link system is supplied with the special RS Monitor 2.0 and provides real-time information on many aspects of the car, which can be uploaded in a USB key.

Continue reading: Renault Mégane RS Red Bull Racing RB8

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