This picture comes straight off Alfa Romeo’s official partner Autodelta which hopes to play the same role as M for BMW and AMG for Mercedes. The beautifully designed 159 with the GTA badge is as bad it gets. The sketch is not far from the production version which will probably make it's debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Rumors are speaking about a 400 hp V8 engine straight off the Maserati Coupe GT
Alter a long period of wait, Chevrolet previews its all new compact SUV, Captiva. Co-developed with Daewoo, the Captiva retains the prototype’s (S3X) design theme. The Captiva is one of GM’s worldwide car projects as it will be sold in Europe (as Chevrolet), Asia (as Daewoo) and the US (as Saturn).
Oficial press release:
The Captiva will also be the first model in Chevrolet’s European range available with an electronic stability program (ESP). It debuts at the Geneva motor show (March 2 - 12, 2006) and will be available in showrooms across Europe starting in June.
Dimenisons
The Captiva offers expressive design and a spacious, convenient interior featuring high quality fabrics and materials. The new compact SUV measures 4,639/1,849/1,726 mm (length/width/height) and with a wheelbase of 2,707 mm. It will be available with seven or five seats respectively.
4wd system
Customers will also have the choice between front-wheel and four-wheel-drive variants. The latter variant features an-active-on demand, four-wheel-drive-system. As driving conditions demand, the rear axle is instantly employed via an electronically controlled electro-magnetic coupling to give maximum traction. The system also seamlessly interacts with the ESP and ABS systems, enhancing driver control of the vehicle and safety margins. The ESP itself has additional functions like HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), HDC (Hill Descent Control) and ARP (Anti-Rollover Protection).
Engine specifications
Initially, three transversally mounted engines will be available for the Captiva. They include the brand new, state-of-the-art common rail diesel engine jointly developed by GM Daewoo Auto&Technology Company, GM Powertrain and VM Motori. In its first application, the 16 valve unit offers 150 hp at 4,000 rpm and maximum torque of 310 Nm at 2000 rpm.. In the ECE mix, fuel consumption is 8.1 L per 100 km. It is the first application of a family of diesel powertrains that will become available in other Chevrolet products in Europe, beginning in 2006.
The base engine is a 2.4 litre in-line DOHC four cylinder, delivering 142 hp at 5,200 rpm and a torque maximum of 220 Nm at 4,000 rpm. The Captiva 2.4 average fuel consumption is 10.8 L per 100 km. The top-of-the line 3.2 litre V6 engine produces 225 hp at 6,000 rpm, maximum torque is 302 Nm at 3500 rpm.
Mercedes-Benz’s top selling Roadster just received a minor aesthetic facelift for the 2006 (2007 for the US) models. The most significant exterior changes concern the modified grille and the new rear light crystals. However, Merc’s engineers had a lot more to do than the designers as the engine range has been refreshed. The basic SL350 wears a new and more powerful 3,5 litre V6 engine with 272 hp (previous V6 3.7 with 245 hp) while the SL 500 has a new 5,5 litre V8 engine producing 388 hp (previous V8 5.0 with the same hp). The powerful SL 55 AMG has gained 17 hp reaching now 517 hp
| Model | SL 350 | SL 500 | SL600 | SL 55 AMG | SL 65 AMG |
| Engine | V6 3.5 | V8 5.5 | V12 5.5 | V8 5.4 Kompressor | V12 6.0 TwinTurbo |
| HP | 272 | 388 | 517 | 517 | 612 |
| Top Speed | 250 km/h | 250 km/h | 250 km/h | 250 km/h | 250 km/h |
| Acceleration 0-100 km/h 0-62 mph | 6,6 sec. | 5,4 sec. | 4,5 sec. | 4,5 sec. | 4,2 sec. |
| Weight | 1.825 kg | 1.910 kg | 2.045 kg | 1.960 kg | 2.120 kg |
Daniel Craig, who will play James Bond in the film, will be the lucky “chump” driving the high tech DBS model. The model is assumed to be a super fast edition based on the V8 Vantage. The name DBS is not new to Aston as the British company produced a homonym model in the late 60’s (1967 to 1972)
Dr Ulrich Bez said: “It is great news that Bond will drive an Aston Martin again and we have built him something special to enable him to do his job in style.”
The association of James Bond with the marque began in 1964 with the film “Goldfinger” when the DB5 was fitted with “optional extras” such as ejector seats and rockets. The last Bond film, “Die Another Day”, featured Aston Martin’s flagship model, the Vanquish.
