BMW SHOWS OFF NEW 4 SERIES WITH M PERFORMANCE

BMW has revealed details about new M Performance parts for its new 4 Series Coupe. The 4 Series is of course based on the current 3 Series, expect it only has two doors. It will be available in Mzansi either later this year or early 2014. M Performance has given it a bit more vuma, externally and internally.

Starting with the externals. Looks are quite important to the 4 Series potential customer and therefore body kit is added at whim. Such items included are carbon fibre bits on the splitter and air ducts, side mirrors and the boot spoiler. Fitted within the tyres are 20-inch wheels, which is bigger than the standard. A sort of black chrome material is used around the front grille, windows and tailpipes.

What caught our eye inside is the three-spoke sports steering wheel with some really cool red markings at the top. From where we are sitting, these look like LED lights that light up to match the revs. Other stuff includes the usual Alcantarafinishes, with carbon fibre littered across the place as well.

BMW also gave the cars a limited slip differential (LSD) to assist with getting the thing off the line quicker, as well as improving handling. What’s underneath the engine bay? Power boosts of course. The 420dis now up to 147kW and 420Nm of torque. The 428i goes from 180kW to 200kW, and torque is also increased to 390Nm. Lastly the 435i will be good for 250kW and 450Nm of torque. 

Post Title → BMW SHOWS OFF NEW 4 SERIES WITH M PERFORMANCE

CITROEN DS3 CABRIO RACING CONCEPT PULSATES

At the 65th Frankfurt Motor Show this September, we’ll get to see this really interesting Citroën DS3 Cabrio Racing Concept. It was recently shown at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Citroën has obviously based it on the DS3 Cabrio but added a nice list of spicycondiments to make it not just stand out, but literally run out.

Firstly the best news (ranking just below an announcement to the effect that Mzansi will get copies too), is that it keeps the highly acclaimed 1.6-litre THP turbo engine we’ve come to know and love. In here it develops a very promising 150kW of power, sent to the front wheels through a short-shift 6-speed manual ‘box. Heaven!

Secondly, the car looks really good. I know I had my reservations about whether the newly-launched DS3 Cabrio really can qualify to be called a cabriolet, but in this instance I zip my big mouth. Just look at this thing. It’s got something called “moondark” matt textured grey exterior paintwork with matching black chrome inserts on the handles, boot trim and side mirrors, as well as an athletic foursome of 19-inch wheels covered in glossy black.

But that’s not all. There’s also the Carmin coloured brake callipers, wheel hubs, doors with the wide side strips, and parts of the lettering and badge. Inside passengers are welcomed by some really cool bucket seatsin DS watch strap design of three types of fabric (Napa full-grain leather, DS-embossed leather and Alcantara). Meticulous stitching puts together some of the pieces, such as the seats.

Hopefully Citroën South Africa surprises all of us by showcasing this DS3 Cabrio Racing Concept at the 2013 Johannesburg International Show in October. Fingers crossed.

Post Title → CITROEN DS3 CABRIO RACING CONCEPT PULSATES

UPCOMING 2014 HONDA JAZZ SHOWS OFF STUNNING HYBRID TECH

Honda will start selling the new Jazz in Japan in September. Meanwhile, take a look at these pictures we’ve posted, as well as some of the details being thrown about. We don’t have a definitivedate yet, but we do believe Honda SA will start selling these Jazz models sometime in 2014.

This particular model is fitted with what Honda calls Sport Hybrid system and is the first to do so in the company. It is run by a 1.5-litre petrol engine that’s mated to a 7-speed Dual Clutch Drive gearbox. Being a hybridit also sports a built-in lithium-ionbattery. Honda did not release power figures but did say it will return a stunning 2.7 litres per 100km in fuel, which is something of a record in Japan. For any car.

At the same time the Sport Hybrid has three driving modes, which are; EV Drive Mode for electric motor-only driving, the Hybrid Drive Mode for both engine and electric motor driving and the Engine Drive Mode for engine only driving.

The powertrain is part of what Honda calls “Earth Dreams Technology” which is about increasing performance while decreasing the car’s impact on the environment. As such, we will soon see some new small petrol turbo engines coming from Honda. Finally!

Post Title → UPCOMING 2014 HONDA JAZZ SHOWS OFF STUNNING HYBRID TECH

CHEVROLET CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF BOWTIE-WEARING CARS

In 1913, Chevrolet co-founder William C. Durant introduced the signature Chevy bowtie on the 1914 Chevrolet H-2 Royal Mail and the H-4 Baby Grand, centred at the front of both models.
Sixty million Chevrolets are on the roads worldwide today and the bowtie has adorned 215 million Chevrolets over the last century. 

A Chevrolet car, crossover or truck is sold every 6.39 seconds in one of 140 countries, and the brand set a sales record of 2.5 million in the first six months of the year. The bowtie’s centennial is marked by new entries, such as the Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel compact sedan in the U.S. and the Trax small SUV in 40 international markets.

“The Chevrolet bowtie is recognized around the world and has become synonymous with American ingenuity,” said Chevrolet Chief Marketing Officer Tim Mahoney. “Whether you’re pulling thousands of pounds through rocky terrain in a Silverado pickup or commuting in a Spark EV, Chevrolet’s bowtie will always be at the very front of your travels.”

While the bowtie has been present for 100 years, the details surrounding its origin are still uncertain. Stories range from Durant being inspired by the wallpaper design in a Parisian hotel to a newspaper advertisement he saw while vacationing in Hot Springs, Va.  Durant’s widow and daughter have offered alternative explanations.

According to Margery Durant, in her 1929 book My Father, Durant sometimes doodled nameplate designs on pieces of paper at the dinner table. "I think it was between the soup and the fried chicken one night that he sketched out the design that is used on the Chevrolet car to this day," she wrote.

But in a 1968 interview, Durant’s widow, Catherine, said the bowtie design originated from a Hot Springs vacation in 1912. While reading a newspaper in their hotel room, Durant spotted a design and exclaimed, “I think this would be a very good emblem for the Chevrolet.” Unfortunately, Mrs Durant never clarified what the motif was or how it was used.

But that nugget of information inspired Ken Kaufmann, historian and editor of The Chevrolet Review, to search out its validity. In a Nov. 12, 1911 edition of The Constitution newspaper, published in Atlanta, an advertisement appeared from by the Southern Compressed Coal Company for “Coalettes,” a refined fuel product for fires. The Coalettes logo, as published in the ad, had a slanted bowtie form, very similar to the shape that would soon become the Chevrolet icon.

Did Durant and his wife see the same ad – or one similar – the following year a few states to the north? The date of the paper Kaufmann found was just nine days after the incorporation of the Chevrolet Motor Co. The first use of the bowtie by Chevrolet appeared in the Oct. 2, 1913 edition of The Washington Post with the words “Look for this nameplate” above the symbol.

STORY BY CHEVROLET

Post Title → CHEVROLET CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF BOWTIE-WEARING CARS