Cars

2007 FORD SHELBY GT500: MOST POWERFUL MUSTANG EVER

Performance Inspiration: Carroll Shelby and Ford Special Vehicle Team join forces to create a modern successor to the famous Shelby GT500 of the late 1960s
Performance Hardware: 475-horsepower supercharged V-8, 6-speed manual transmission, race-tuned suspension, four-piston Brembo brakes
Performance Design: Mustang heritage with aggressive muscular front-end design, Le Mans racing stripes, unmistakable “Cobra” logo and Shelby nameplate

DETROIT, Jan. 8, 2006 - What happens when a legend from Texas reunites with a legend from Dearborn? The most powerful Mustang ever.

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Taking Performance One Step Further With the 2007 NISMO 350Z

For the first time ever in the Nissan Z’s 37-year history, a high-performance NISMO 350Z is part of the extensive Z lineup. The new 2007 Nissan NISMO 350Z, which makes its North American debut at the 2007 New York International Auto Show, features an extensively developed list of unique equipment - including a special body package and improved handling equipment. This new model, the fifth in the 2007 350Z Coupe lineup, is available with a 6-speed manual transmission only. It goes on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in July 2007.

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Toyota FT-HS Concept Debuts At The 2007 North American International Auto Show

The Toyota FT-HS hybrid sports concept will make its debut at the 2007 North American International Auto Show.

Pairing a potent hybrid powertrain with essential sports car fundamentals, the FT-HS concept was a joint undertaking of Calty, Toyota’s North American-based, research and design center located in Newport Beach, Calif., and Toyota’s California-based Advanced Product Strategy Group. The design team was assigned the task of creating a mid-priced sports car that integrates ecology and emotion in a concept that addresses the question “What is a suitable sports car for the 21st Century?”

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Opel Astra: New Edition of Successful Model

The new edition Astra was launched in February 2007 with new economical engines, refined looks, improved technology and an expanded equipment range. It is based on the third model generation, of which over 1.3 million units were sold since its market debut in March 2004. Opel’s volume model line has a leading role in the highly competitive compact segment and in European registration statistics. The new edition of the bestseller boasts a total of 11 engine versions with an output range of 90 to 240 hp. Technological highlights include the adaptive IDSPlus chassis system with electronic Continuous Damping Control (CDC), as well as the AFL headlamp system (Adaptive Forward Lighting) with dynamic curve light, first introduced to the compact segment in the Astra. The Astra also boasts ample space, none more so than the station wagon variant with longer wheelbase. The Astra model family currently consists of the five-door, station wagon, dynamic GTC − also available as the powerful 177 kW/240 hp OPC version − and Astra TwinTop variant, the four-seat cabrio-coupé with retractable steel roof.

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Americans who have heard of it refer to it as a mini-Murano, the Japanese market knows it as a Dualis, and Stephane Schwarz, the design director at Nissan Design Europe thinks of it as an “Urban Nomad”, a nickname borne out by the Nissan UK website which refers to it as “urbanproof”. Whatever the descriptor, though, “it” is the 2007 Nissan Qashqai, the Japanese carmaker’s chief assault weapon against the similarly sized Volkswagen CrossGolf.

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Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster: New high-performance roadster for exclusive open-top motoring

The new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster combines high-tech from motor racing and the power of a top high-performance sports car with the long-distance attributes and sophisticated atmosphere of a classic Gran Tourismo car. In common with Formula 1 vehicles of today, it too is made of carbon fibre, a material that endows the vehicle with a very high degree of safety as well as extreme torsional stiffness at the same high level as the coupé. In combination with the racing-type chassis this gives rise to outstanding ride characteristics. The maximum speed of the new high-performance sports car, which is powered by an AMG V8 compressor engine delivering 460 kW/626 hp, is 332 km/h and therefore at the same high level as the Coupé. Although the Roadster offers undiluted open-top driving pleasure in the highest performance class thanks to its fully retractable top, the occupants in no way lose out in terms of comfort or the vehicle’s suitability for everyday use. Consequently, the new Roadster opens up a new dimension in refinement for open-top super sports cars.

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The new Land Cruiser V8, Toyota’s top of the range model, is to make soon its debut on the European market. This eighth generation retains all the world-beating off-road capability of its predecessors but adds more refinement, comfort and superior driving quality.

Land Cruiser chief engineer, Sadayoshi Koyari, explains the development theme of this new generation as follow: “For more than 50 years now three key words have been the basis of each generation of Land Cruiser: strength, durability and reliability. Therefore, rather than opting for revolutionary change, we decided to carry on the sense of trust in the Land Cruiser as the basic concept. With the latest generation we had to recognise the loyalty of Land Cruiser customers by providing a vehicle that will not betray their trust.”

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The new BMW 1 Series goes on sale in Spring 2007 and features a model line up that includes the most fuel efficient production vehicle BMW has ever produced. The introduction of a three-door model and a revised five-door come as a raft of new fuel-saving innovations are rolled out across the range.

Technologies such as Brake Energy Regeneration, Automatic Start-Stop function and Electric Power Steering are combined with lower rolling resistant tyres and a gearshift change indicator to encourage economical motoring. These innovations are in addition to the use of variable valve technologies and High-Precision Direct Injection engines on some 1 Series models that boost power output but cut fuel consumption and emissions.

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Audi is entering the most discerning segment of the car market with its R8 mid-engine sports car - and immediately taking up a position among the leaders: equipped with the expertise that Audi has gathered from its involvement in motor sport and from building sporty premium-class cars, the R8 is the embodiment of superlative road behaviour, pioneering technology and fascinating design. The 420 bhp V8 FSI engine, quattro permanent four-wheel drive and the aluminium space-frame body endow the R8 with outstanding qualities to challenge for leadership of this segment, as do its excellent everyday suitability and Audi’s typical standards of perfection in quality and finish. The basic price is EUR 104,400, and deliveries will commence in the second quarter of 2007.

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The new Mercedes-Benz C-Class: Superior safety, comfort and agility

Safety, comfort, agility: these are the outstanding attributes of the new C-Class. The Saloon excels with a many-faceted product concept which meets the expectations of various customer target groups. With the AVANTGARDE, ELEGANCE and CLASSIC lines, Mercedes-Benz offers three individual models whose emphasis is on either comfort or agility. All model variants share the latest, state-of-the-art technology. This includes the newly developed AGILITY CONTROL package with situation-responsive shock absorber control, the Intelligent Light System with five different lighting functions and the PRE-SAFE® preventive occupant protection system. There is a choice of four and six-cylinder engines with up to 13 percent more output than the preceding model, accompanied by up an to six percent lower fuel consumption.

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