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BMW releases exclusive 3 Series range in India

Luxury automobile powerhouse BMW have released their new 3 Series range of luxury sedans in India, taking on competitors Audi and Daimler who already rule the market in the country. Brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar unveiled the BMW vehicles at the much-awaited launch that has already created a flurry of excitement among luxury car aficionados across the country.

Starting at $52,000, the BMW 3 Series will sell in both diesel and petrol makes across India’s many showrooms. The new 3 Series will be competing with Audi’s A4 sedans Daimler’s C-class sedans sold under its Indian flagship arm, Mercedes-Benz.

The German automaker released its upgraded 3 series among a frenzy of media attention in an exclusive launch in Mumbai, featuring Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar. Tendulkar, known for his prowess on the cricket pitch and his appreciation for fast cars, said: “I drove this car this month in London. It felt incredible. To me above all being a car enthusiast, safety is also equally important. I am really impressed. It is absolutely stunning and the interiors are unbelievable. It has got a lot of space. Compared to the earlier ones, this is far more spacious.”

President of BMW Group India Andreas Schaaf told a press conference: “The all-new BMW 3 Series is a vehicle that has an unbeatable profile and is born from pioneering technology, a beautiful design and a lot of passion.”

The BMW 3 Series will be available in two exclusive design schemes — Sport Line and Luxury Line.

The cars are available in a variety of colours including Alpine White and Melbourne Red, Black Sapphire, Glacier Silver, Havanna, Imperial Blue Brilliant Effect and Mineral Grey with a metallic finish.

by shayAugust 1, 2012no comment

Leather Ferrari takes luxury to new level

After a bulletproof SUV with seats covered in whale foreskin and gold-plated luxury cars, Latvian luxury car customisation specialists Dartz have unveiled their latest creation – a £135,000 Ferrari wrapped in a sleek leather exterior.

The Ferrari F430 has been covered in a lustrous coat of real leather, after being commissioned by an anonymous client based in the French Riviera. Having previously grabbed headlined with their £1 million SUV with wale foreskin seats and Sasha Baron Cohen’s three gold-plated Aladeen Edition Prombons, the luxury car customisation specialists began a 16 day three-man effort to cover the Ferrari in its unique leather jacket.

Dartz owner Leonard Yankelovich said: “One of our very rich customers from the Cote d’Azur wanted a leather exterior and knew we could deliver. It took three of my staff 16 working days to apply the leather and finish. He was more than happy when he picked it up.”

When it comes to the material, Mr Yankelovich explained that the leather was real and not vinyl, as previously speculated by the media. And to keep matters mysterious, Mr Yankelovich hinted that it was “something inbetween”.

Mr Yankelovich was unwilling to disclose the price for customising a Ferrari F430 with a leather cover. When asked about the process behind such exquisite and fine coating, the customisation expert simply revealed it as “Dartz know-how”.

The customer for the leather Ferrari remains anonymous, but the upgrade to the world’s supercar has been met with approving nods from the media and automobile fans alike.

by shayJuly 25, 2012no comment

Gordon Ramsay buys fastest Ferrari model ever

One of Britain’s favourite chefs has a passion for fast cars. Gordon Ramsay, known for his culinary skills and 13 Michelin stars, is also a collector of Ferrari models and recently the chef purchased a spanking new F12 Berlinetta worth a staggering £250,000.

Ramsay, known for his temperamental and no-nonsense attitude in the kitchen, is reputed to have owned six of the Italian carmaker’s designs at one time, although some newspapers report his latest buy to be his 15^th Ferrari.

And it doesn’t get faster than this. The F12 Berlinetta is reported to be Ferrari’s fastest model yet and is equipped with 740bhp V12 engine.

Despite being a long time Ferrari fan, Ramsay only recently toured the Maranello Factory. Along with a personalised tour of the production facilities and its in-house restaurant il Podio where the British chef sampled the day’s entrees, Ramsay also met Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa who introduced him to the F12 Berlinetta. He then took the “fantastic sexy car” on a test drive with test driver Raffaele de Simone around the company’s Fiorano test track before he made his purchase.

Ramsay said: “I work for perfection every day and winning three Michelin stars was a dream, but my second biggest dream was having my first Ferrari. From the minute you step inside to the minute you get out of the car and of the factory, you have one word in mind: perfection. I mean perfection 100 percent – absolutely incredibly. And the passion… you can feel the passion in every corner of Ferrari from all the staff: from the stitching, to putting the engine together and to these amazing text drivers.”

Ramsay posted a photo of himself alongside his new car on microblogging website Twitter with the caption:”I’m in love”. However, the chef will have to wait a while before he gets to drive his beauty on the roads. He is on a 12-month waiting list as the F12 Berlinetta is scheduled to enter the UK market next year.

by shayJuly 17, 2012no comment

Seinfeld to drive comedians in cars getting coffee from 19 July

King of laughs Jerry Seinfeld is back and this time he’s driving around celebrity comedians in vintage cars getting coffee. Coming to a computer screen near you on 19July, a teaser video for ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ is already gathering steam as the web series promises the likes of Alec Baldwin, Michael Richards, Larry David, Colin Quinn and Ricky Gervais as guest stars.

Among the classic vehicles that Seinfeld drives around for his web series are the Triumph TR6, Challenger, and a Volkswagen Beetle, according to a Reuters report. The interview-based show is Seinfeld’s first foray into online entertainment and is a highly-anticipated return for the star of the hit US comedy ‘Seinfeld’.

‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ is produced by Crackle, the digital unit of Sony Entertainment Limited. Although a spokesperson hasn’t been available for comment, the short trailer for the show has already got fans talking with almost 4000 Facebook followers over the weekend.

One excited fan commented: “Seinfeld is definitely a car guy, and a brilliant comedian, fingers crossed he can make it work, we could all use to laugh more (esp. after the pricing on the 991…).”

Seinfeld, whose career took a backseat following the end of his popular sitcom ‘Seinfeld’, has had a few appearances in shows like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ and a some voiceover projects. The stand-up comic has also dabbled in production in the short-lived NBC reality show ‘The Marriage Ref’.

Although the web teaser doesn’t reveal much but only translates the name of the show onscreen, it would be refreshing to catch comedians as they are off-screen. We’ll have to wait till 19 July to find out what comedians getting their coffee in cars are all about!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pe7J-8qIPY&list=PL5EB5379F99C107A4&index=1&feature=plcp

by shayJuly 9, 2012no comment

BMW and Toyota hint at developing “sustainable” sports car

Welcome to a new whole new chapter in sports car history. If news is to be believed, we could soon be seeing the birth of the very first BMW-Toyota sports car!

Yes, that’s right. At a recent meeting at BMW’s headquarters in Munich, the motoring giants have signed a memorandum of understanding for joint development of a fuel cell system, power electrification, development of lightweight technology and the development of a future sports car. Even the thought that the two automobile greats might “explore the possibility” of building a vehicle together has left sports car fans excited in what could only be a milestone in automobile history.

Toyota boss Akio Toyoda and BMW chief Norbert Reithofer signed the MoU in June this year.

BMW have already signed a deal with Toyota agreeing to supply diesel engines from 2014. According to a binding agreement signed in March 2012, not only will the German firm supply Toyota Motor Europe with diesel engines from 2014, the Toyota and BMW have also agreed on collaborative research in the field of next generation lithium-ion battery cells.

Reports hint that the companies are looking to develop a “sustainable sports car”. BMW chief Reithofer said that the firms were looking to “shape the iconic change [in industry] as pioneers, in a responsible and sustainable manner.”

Similarly Toyota boss Toyoda said: “Toyota is strong in environment-friendly hybrids and fuel cells. I believe BMW’s strength is developing sports cars. They know how to make a car perform. I get so excited thinking about the cars that will result from this relationship.”

Will the BMW-Toyota relationship develop something as spectacular as the recent Toyota offerings – the GT86 and BRZ? Toyota’s joint project with Subaru produced the mechanically similar cars that have been regarded as some of the world’s finest sports cars.

We’ll just have to wait and see.

by shayJuly 3, 2012no comment

China auctions off luxury cars to battle economic slowdown

Chinese local governments are auctioning off officials’ luxury cars in the wake of the country’s economic slowdown, according to recent reports. Cities across China, who are already suffering the effects of a sluggish growth witnessed by the country over five quarters, are auctioning off the likes of Audi, Maserati and Toyata Land Cruiser in order to cut costs and increase transparency.

Worst hit among the regions is Chinese coastal city of Wenzhou, which has sold off 215 cars over the weekend raising a staggering $1.7m. The city predicts to sell another 1300 by the end of the year. The local government in Wenzhou have offered a variety of transportation subsidies for its employees left without a car ranging from 300 yuan ($47) to 3100 yuan ($487) to be paid on a monthly basis and according to rank.

Other cities selling off their official-owned luxury cars include Yulin in the Shaanxi province, Changzhou, and Nanchang. Yulin raised a whopping CNY 5.6m ($880,433) selling 19 cars on one day in June. The city formerly famous for coal mines brought in approximate CNY 292,600 per car, reported the Communist party newspaper People’s Daily.

The most famous vehicle to go under the hammer are China’s favourite tinted-window black Audis, a favourite among the country’s officials. China is the German car manufacturers’ largest market with every 1 in 5 Audis on the roads an official car. While auctioning off government cars have been practiced in the past, the Chinese government and its state media are urging local governments to heed the route now than ever before. State media reports that all money from these sales would directly bolster the city’s coffers and local governments have been urged to sell all official luxury vehicles barring ambulances and police cars.

Local government expert and professor at People’s University in Beijing, Tao Ran, said: “It is a sign of the difficulties facing city finances.”

Official cars costs China an incredible CNY 100bn annually and the financial burden is now being felt as the country continues to face a downwards pressure. If the economy doesn’t pick up, China faces the threat of a similar economic slum to that of 2008/09.

by shayJune 27, 2012no comment

Former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve to compete in the V8 Supercars championship

11 times Formula 1 race winner Jacques Villeneuve has signed on for the Townsville 400, the next round for the iconic V8 Supercars championship. The event scheduled for next month will see the former Canadian Formula 1 champion battle it out with race champions Craig Lowndes and Mark Winterbottom as they make the 15,000 km trip from Montreal to Australia.

The race will take place over three days starting on 6 July with Villeneuve representing the Pepsi Max Crew team. The one-off one race deal to fill in for injured Greg Murphy may result in more races, according to reports.

The 1997 F1 champion who is keen to test himself spoke exclusively to the Daily Telegraph explaining his interest in the race. In a move that could put the Australian sport on the global map, the fast car driver declared that he is open to offers to join the series from next season: “I like the V8s because it is not a support series, it is the real thing; the main attraction. So yes, going to race in the series full-time is definitely something I would be interested in.

“The last few years I have been focused on NASCAR but I would certainly be interested in shifting that to V8s and at the moment I have nothing locked in for next year.

Reports claim that the Canadian automobile racer received the surprised phone call for his inclusion in the Townsville 400 last Friday. He immediately said yes.

Villeneuve is no stranger to the V8, having competed in the 2010 Surfers Paradise event as an international guest driver. He finished in fifth place.

by shayJune 22, 2012no comment

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New supercar on the block: AM 310 Aston Martin Vanquish

Get ready for the next level in supercars – the AM 310 Aston Martin Vanquish. The luxury car firm have unveiled their latest high-end car model today which will cost a whopping £189,995.

The Vanquish has been designed and hand-built at Aston Martin’s global headquarters at Gaydon, Warwickshire, and claims top spot in a range of sports cars which include the DB9, V8 Vantage and four-door Rapide. The luxury car is predicted to follow in the company’s “enviable tradition of producing some of the most beautiful sports cars in the world.”

Aston Martin chief executive officer Ulrich Bez said: “Bearing the same name as the iconic original Vanquish that did so much to cement Aston Martin’s reputation as a maker of great GT cars in the modern era, I believe the car unveiled today once again puts this great British brand at the top of its class.”

The new Vanquish is the brand’s most potent offering yet, powered by a six litre V12 petrol engine and capable of climbing from 0 to 62mph in 4.1 seconds, boasting a top speed of 183 mph. The powerful model is second only to the strictly limited edition of the One-77 supercar that costs £1.2m.

Product communications manager for Aston Martin, Scott Fisher, said the Vanquish would occupy top place on the company’s model range: “In terms of open-ended production, the Vanquish is the most expensive Aston Martin in the range. There are already indications that the car is being very well received. The first cars are scheduled to be in production in the next couple of months and there should be the first customer deliveries by the end of the year.”

AM 310 Vanquish has already garnered a lot of interest from the UK, Europe and the US.

by shayJune 20, 2012no comment

Disney’s Cars Land opening brings together TV stars

It was a star-studded opening at Disney’s recent Cars Land located at California Adventure theme park. A five-year revamp and more than $1 billion later, the new theme park looks on the way to joining the ranks of sister park, Disneyland.

California Adventure’s re-haul includes the inclusion of key Disney characters from the company’s $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar Animation Studio. Along with Toy Story, Monsters Inc, and A Bug’s Life, the theme park will also feature a brand new 12-acre Cars Land. Cars Land adds another feather to the ‘Cars’ franchise, and is expected to be a key attraction of California Adventure.

Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger said the addition of Cars Land at California Adventure represents ”a great example of why Pixar and Disney are together.”

According to Mr Iger, Cars Land ”represents a wonderful physical embodiment” of the franchise’s films and also serves as ”an example of our ability to take our characters and stories and bring them to life in new and unexpected ways”.

There was no dearth of celebrity presence at the opening of Cars Land as TV and Disney stars thronged the red carpet. Modern Family stars Ariel Winter and Sarah Hyland sizzled on the red carpet in sophisticated outfits far beyond their years. Ginnifer Goodwin, of He’s Just Not that Into You and Once Upon a Time fame, looked striking as she made her entrance in a white blouse, black skirt and pink striped wedges.

Other stars to attend the Cars Land opening included American singer Jessica Sanchez, Disney star Bella Thorne, celebrity dancer Derek Hough, and Two and a Half Men star Jon Cryer.

Cars Land features three rides – the Radiator Springs Racers, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Flying Tires and has plenty of automotive references to boot. The park, modelled after the fictitious desert town of Radiator Springs, also boasts a string of themed shops and restaurants to replicate the feel of the films.

Kathy Mangum, executive producer of Cars Land, said: ”We want guests to think they are on this great road trip and, in a way, almost like they are going home. Cars Land will feel very familiar in so many different ways. I can’t tell you how many people have seen it and said ‘I can’t believe I am in Anaheim.”

Cars Land opens to the public today, 15 June 2012.

by shayJune 15, 2012no comment

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Kim buys rare Lamborghini Aventador for beau Kanye

Talk about expensive birthday gifts! The controversial Kim Kardashian is back in the news for surprising boyfriend Kanye West with a rare Lamborghini Aventador on his 35th birthday.

The Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, worth $750K, was named after a star bull from the world of bullfighting. Entering into battle on October 1993 at the Saragossa Arena, the bull earned the title of “Trofeo de la Peña La Madroñera” for outstanding courage.

This rare automobile beast boasts a high speed of 350 kilometres per hour, with a motor that can do 0-60 in 2.9 seconds.

Unfortunately for the rapper, who is currently touring with Jay-Z in Ireland, there is still some time before he can get set his eyes on his luxury on wheels that was bought for him in LA.

It is reported that reality TV star Kim, who flew out to meet Kanye in Dublin as he performed in his ‘Watch the Throne’ tour, has recorded a video of the vehicle to show to her beau. The couple were joined by Beyonce, Jay-Z and their baby Blue Ivy.

In an update on microblogging website, Twitter, Kanye wrote: ““Thanks to all my fans. I am tweeting under the stage while Jay is rapping in Dublin on my birthday. You guys make all my dreams possible.”

Kim and Kanye, nicknamed “Kimye” by the tabloids, began dating earlier this year and since have become paparazzi obsessions. The two were spotted at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and celebrity gossip website TMZ recently reported both Kanye and Kim have put their LA homes up for sale, fuelling rumours of the couple moving in together.

by shayJune 11, 2012no comment

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