Daily Archives: March 24, 2016
Fiat 124 Spider Abarth Version Goes to North America
The Fiat 124 Spider was based on the classic roadster the brand built between 1966 and 1982. The stylish and compact two-seater has a styling and powerplant founded on the Abarth 500’s.
Early this year, Fiat showcased the 124 Spider in the Abarth Version. It now has a sportier appearance and an even more powerful engine. The only problem is that the Abarth version has only been unveiled for the European market, so North America has to wait a while whether or not Fiat will bring this to their shores.
Fortunately, the company announced that the 124 Spider Elaborazione Abarth will arrive for the first time in North America at the 2016 New York Auto Show in Manhattan according to Top Speed.
Compared to the regular Spider, the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth version has numerous features to highlight its edgier and sportier outlook. At front, it has the same honeycomb mesh grille, air vents with black plastic surrounds, as well as larger, revised lower grille with foglamps and a matte black hood.
On the side, it has the 17-inch Gun Metal aluminum roller with Fiat badges, black mirror caps and black roll bard. The rear end remains unchanged except for the chrome exhaust tips.
There are five colors available—Bianco Gelato (White Clear Coat), Rosso Passione (Red Clear Coat), Nero Cinema (Jet Black Metallic), Grigio Argento (Gray Metallic) and tri-coat Bianco Perla (Crystal White Pearl).
Inside, the Elaborazione has red stitching on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, instrument cluster hood, lower instrument panel, and parking brake, as well as matte-black dashboard bezels.
It also has custom instrument cluster, aluminum-accented sport pedals, and a unique gear shift knob. As for the leather seats, customers can choose between black or black and red. The Elaborazione can have black leather and Alcantara Recaro seats.
The Elaborazione Abarth has the same 1.4-liter, four-cylinder engine, six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission as the 124 Spider, but with the additional Sport Mode drivetrain that can deliver a sportier and more responsive driving experience.
Fiat has yet to release pricing information, even for the standard version, but expect the Elaborazione to be at the $28,000 price range.
Lexus LC 500 and LC 500 Hybrid to Debut At NY Auto Show
Lexus is gearing up for the showdown of some of its 21 models at the 2016 New York Auto Show, which will be held on March 25 until April 3 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. But apart from the 21 Lexus models to make its feature, the company will also be unveiling the all-new LC 500 and its hybrid counterpart.
The new luxury LC coupe was revealed in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit while the LC 500 Hybrid made known its appearance just this March at the Geneva Motor Show.
The NY Auto Show will mark the hybrid’s first North American debut, as well as its first appearance with the Lexus LC 500.
The LC lineup basically presents a new paradigm in Lexus’ engineering processes and design direction. It also marks a new beginning for the brand that aims to be recognized for its aesthetics appeal and engineering performance.
The Lexus LC 500 has a newly developed 10-speed automatic transmission, the first ever in a luxury vehicle. This is also the first Lexus to use the all-new, premium rear-wheel drive luxury platform, which promised enhanced performance. Inside, it has a cockpit-elegant inspired layout that is reminiscent of a sports car.
The hybrid car, on the other hand, uses the world’s first Multi Stage Hybrid System, which is the next generation hybrid powertrain designed for performance automobiles. The system can manage to align speed, power and fuel consumption all at the same time. It has the “M” mode too, which promised to give drivers the experience of driving responsive gear shifts.
Furthermore, Lexus is expected to showcase its 2016 GS F, the 2016 Lexus RX, as well as the GS F and RC F “360 Virtual Reality Experience,” which would allow the show’s attendees to experience driving these cars on a professional race track.
Buick Encore Given a Facelift with Updated Interior and Tech
Buick decided to gives its smallest crossover a facelift, some updated interior and new technologies four years after its debut. The new 2017 Buick Encore will strengthen the appeal of America’s most popular small SUV.
Although the changes are not drastic, such changes would ensure the Encore would be a top choice for years to come.
The new Encore has a refreshed front-end appearance and a new premium interior technology that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, making it perfect for just about anyone who’s ever owned a smartphone. The new technologies are supported by a next generation IntelliLink system that features an equally impressive 8-inch diagonal color touch screen.
Standard features included in the new Encore are push button start, keyless unlock via the exterior door handles, and the 8-inch color touch screen.
Outside, the Encore added a winged grille with Buick’s new tri-color insignia, new front headlamps and rear LED signature tail lamps. Uplevel models would come packed with Buick’s full LED headlamps that provide clear lighting for night driving.
It also has a new chrome exhaust outlet, body color heated outside mirrors, a new 18-inch wheel design and three new colors—Black Cherry Metallic, Ebony Twilight Metallic and White Frost Metallic.
In terms of interior designs, the 2017 Encore puts greater emphasis on selecting materials, as well as details like bright accents and contrast stitching.
It boasts an updated instrument panel as well with a 4.2-inch diagonal color driver information center, as well as a new center that complements the instrument panel for a friendlier user interface for its new technologies.
The core feature of the 2017 Encore is that it offers room for five persons. In addition, it has 48.4 cubic feet of storage space with the 60/40 split rear seat folded. Standard models come with 10 air bags, StabiliTrak stability enhancement and a 1.4L turbo four-cylinder/six-speed automatic powertrain.
Buick Encore’s main rival is VW’s Tiguan, but the latter costs a bit more at $26,255. The updated Encore will have a starting price of $24,065.
BMW 300e Hybrid Model Added to the 3 Series Lineup
The plug-in hybrid BMW 300e iPerformance is part of the brand’s 3 series lineup, albeit this one offers the option to be driven on battery power alone for a limited distance.
The 300e iPerformance comes with a four-cylinder gasoline engine with TwinPower Turbo technology mixed with eDrive technology from models like the BMW i3 and BMW i8. It can deliver up to 250 horsepower and more than 200 pound-feet of torque.
The 3 Series has already upped the bar for performance and fuel economy in the past, so it’s no wonder that the hybrid is even challenging these levels. Aside from the electric system plugged into the 3 Series to ensure even weight distribution and energy savings, the 330e iPerformance will also feature the ChargeNow—BMW’s service that offers more than 30,000 charging points in 22 countries.
The car has a high-voltage battery that is made up of lithium-ion cells. It has a total capacity of 7.6 kWh (gross)/5.7 kWh (net), which enables the car to go as far as 40 kilometers, making it the perfect car for city dwellers and commuters.
While taking a break, the car can be charged from either a conventional domestic power socket or a BMW i Wallbox with a charging power of 3.7 kW. This can full charge an empty battery in two hours and 12 minutes. From a domestic power socket, a full charge will take three hours.
In terms of exterior designs, there are only two changes in the BMW 330e iPerformance. First, there’s a small door on the driver’s side front fender for the charge port of the onboard lithium-ion battery. Second, there’s the lower insert on the rear fascia for the dual exhaust outlet.
Inside, you can expect the center console to have additional drive programs such as the AUTO eDRIVE, MAX eDRIVE, and SAVE BATTERY.
The 330e will go on sale this summer with a starting price of $43,000.
2017 Honda Civic Hatchback Offers Turbo Engine, 6-Speed Manual
Honda has finally confirmed some specifications for the 2017 Honda Civic Hatchback, which was previewed as a prototype during the 2016 Geneva Motor Show.
According to the source, the new Civic Hatchback will be on sale later this year as a 2017 model. It will also be initially offered with one engine option, though a different option has now been unveiled by Honda.
Jeff Conrad, Honda’s senior vice president and general manager, promised that the Civic Hatchback will be the sportiest and most sophisticated in Honda’s current lineup. He also announced that this would be the first US-model Civic the company will offer with a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine.
That engine can be found in the latest versions of the Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe. It currently delivers 174 horsepower. But for the Civic Hatchback, Honda decided to pair this up with a standard 6-speed manual transmission. For other models, Honda will offer this as an option.
Conrad said the new powertrain will ensure fun-to-drive performance and fuel economy with an EPA highway rating of 42 mpg and a 0-to-60 time that would only match the previous Civic Si.
Inside, the Civic Hatchback would be made of high quality materials, and would also have added legroom and new technologies including a Display Audio touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.
The New York Auto Show will feature the Civic Hatchback in prototype as Honda is not yet ready to reveal this in production guise. Auto experts have pegged that the Hatchback, like the Civic Type R, will have aggressive front bumper, center-mounted exhaust tips and oversized wheels.
The Civic Type R has already been spotted out and about. This model comes with turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder that matches the 305 hp that the outgoing Civic Type R produces. The Type R and Civic Si will be available on the market next year, Honda has confirmed.
Mazda MX-5 Debuts with a Hard-Top
Everyone who’s been waiting for Mazda’s idea of a hard-top convertible can rest their cases. The company just lifted the curtains off its new Mazda MX-5 “Retractable Fastback,” named in honor of its new roofing system.
This is the fourth generation Mazda MX-5 with a 911 Targa-style top, which would lift at the push of a button. The roof folds automatically into the rear at a speed of up to 6mph. And you don’t even have to worry that the folded up roof will take up some boot space at the rear. This is not the case with the MX-5 RF. It basically offers the same space as the soft-top MX-5.
But that’s not the only thing you should look out for the Mazda MX-5 RF. It also has a unique rear roof and retractable back window that offers a new open-air feeling.
The new model will feature either of the two engines namely the SKYACTIV-G 1.5 or SKYACTIV-G 2.0 gasoline engine, depending on the market. The model coming to US shores will have the SKYACTIV-G 2.0.
The convertible would also come packed with a six-speed automatic transmission. There’s no word yet on how much this would weigh, but it is estimated to be somewhere over the standard car’s 1,075 kilograms figure.
The Mazda MX-5 RF is being offered also in the new Machine Grey paint. It uses three coats but requires further details, which we don’t have at the moment since Mazda has yet to release full specifications for the MX-5 RF.
This new hard-top Mazda will make its world debut at the 2016 New York Auto Show, which will be open to the public from March 25 to April 3. Mazda is also expected to launch the Mazda CX-9, and feature current available models such as the Mazda 6, Mazda 3, Mazda CX-5, Mazda CX-3 and Mazda MX-5.