Car News - Auto Lah

New Audi engine

2012-01-31T18:45:00.000Z

The new Audi 3.0 BiTDI engine is the most powerful six-cylinder diesel engine from Audi and now available for the A6 Saloon, A6 Avant and A7 Sportback. It will also be available in the A6 allroad later this year.

Also check out the new Audi S7 Super Bowl ad

New Honda CR-V ad

2012-01-30T20:13:00.000Z

The latest Super Bowl ad.

The new 2012 Honda CR-V

Good quality spark plugs

2012-01-26T00:54:00.000Z

One of the most important components of your car are the spark plugs. Many of us do not realise the important role that the spark plugs play in the the smooth running of our cars. I once tried to save money by insisting on some cheap brand spark plugs when I had my car serviced. It was OK for a while but after a few months the acceleration became poor, my fuel mileage went down drastically and I knew something was definitely wrong when there were rough vibrations while idling.

I took the car back to the garage and as I had suspected, the spark plugs were fouled. After changing the spark plugs to the brand and type recommended by the manufacturer, I felt like I was driving a completely new car.

There are several popular brands out there and the market but among the most popular are the NGK spark plugs. They are considered the leaders in spark plug technology. If you are in the US and looking for NGK spark plugs for your vehicle, visit the JEGS online store. They have a huge range of NGK spark plugs as well as other popular brands including Bosch, Champion and AC Delco among others. The prices are reasonable and they offer same day shipping.

Customise your own VW Beetle

2012-01-25T13:42:00.000Z

If you are in the UK, you can now configure your own Beetle from engine, wheels, colour, trims and a range of accessories.

Configure your own Beetle on the VW site.

New Mini roadster at Detroit

2012-01-13T17:06:00.000Z

Premiere of the MINI Roadster at Detroit Auto Show.

Must-Have New Car Features

2012-01-10T13:09:00.000Z

You may think the only important car features are GPS and a good insurance quote. While a functioning satellite navigation system and cheap coverage are certainly sought after they are far from the only automotive accessories that can greatly enhance your life as a driver. The last decade has seen a startling number of technological improvements that have made cars much safer and significantly better at performing under stressful road conditions. Equipping your car with the following features will change the way you think about driving:

Anti-lock brakes
Anti-lock brakes are a great example of a popular technology that has evolved exponentially since its inception. While still ensuring that your vehicle will be able to stop on slippery or gravel-covered surfaces, newer prototypes allow your car to electronically control front-to-rear brake balance, known as electronic brake-force distribution or traction control system.

OnStar system
You may know it mainly from their prolific radio commercials but the popular General Motors funded road-side assistance service also offers hands-free calling, turn-by-turn navigation and a number of diagnostic and communication systems that make the premiere in-vehicle security service, with over 6 million customers (though they have recently seen a number of competitors).

Kinetic dynamic suspension
KDSS is an interconnected hydraulic technology that is available in a number of new models, including the Toyota 4-runner and several other sports utility vehicles. Very popular among off-road drivers.

Electronic Stability Control
This computerized system monitors your car's steering and reduces skidding, automatically correcting for poor turns. Your rear tires can compensate for over-turning among your front tires and vice versa. The quickly growing market for ESC should lead to lower prices and continued upgrades.

Side curtain airbags
Transportation officials claim that the inclusion of side curtain airbags could save nearly a thousand lives per year. Designed specifically to protect the head from the side window in the case of a collision, family-friendly side airbags drastically reduce the risk of brain injury.

Remote keyless entry
This technology is pretty common now (it's technically been around since the 80's) but recent improvements and upgrades have made RKS (remote keyless system) a wonderful way to get in and out of your car without dropping groceries or locking yourself out. How it works is the fob sends out a radio signal with a special identity code that only your car recognizes.

It seems there are as many car features out there right now as there are grains of sand on the beach, but many of them are superfluous. The best features are ones that will protect you and your family in the event of collision and assist your vehicle to avoid collisions in the first place.

Introduction to the new Kia Picanto

2011-12-27T20:00:00.004Z

Check out the new 3 Door Picanto.

Choosing the right tires for your car

2011-12-26T21:42:00.000Z

Hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. I had a great time with family and few friends in London. While chatting with the guys about cars I realised that most of us had only one set of tires (or Tyres for those in the UK) which we only changed when they were worn out.

Like most people, I leave it up to the tire shops to recommend and change the tires. However, there are a range of tires to choose from but it is important to be aware that all cars have different requirements depending on the type of car and what you usually use it for. For example it would not make sense to have performance tyres usually used for racing for your family car which you normally use for every day commuting.

Moreover now that winter is here, it is a good idea to think about winter tires as well. The winters here are not that bad and so far we have had fairly great weather without any snow, we never know. It was fairly bad last year and I had a tough time driving in the snow using my normal tires. I have learnt my lesson and have got myself some winter tires which I ready to change to once it starts snowing.

Anyway, if you are interested in learning more about the different styles of Car Tires, check out Tires information site.

Trying to blow up the XJ Sentinel

2011-12-16T18:12:00.001Z

Targeted at the rich, famous and powerful, the XJ Sentinel from Jaguar provides discreet armoured protection. According to Jaguar, they have put through extensive independent testing and certification to the latest national and international standards by QinetiQ®.

The cars offer ballistic protection up to B7 level (BS EN 1522 level FB7 and BS EN 1063 BR7-), blast protection against 15kg TNT equivalent detonated within close proximity of the vehicle, and substantial under floor grenade protection.

They are also available with several optional features and can be tailored to individual requirements.

BMW M5 to be launched in Canada in 2012

2011-12-15T02:56:00.001Z

updated: 17th Dec 2011

Another North American BMW news:

Just found out from the BMW Canada website that the new BMW M5 will be launched there in 2012. The car is the latest update - the 5th generation of one of the most popular sport sedans in the World (BMW claims it to be the most "most successful high-performance sedan in the premium segment of the executive class").

The new BMW M5 is powered by a eight–cylinder V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology developing 412 kW/560 hp, which can take the car from 0–62mph in 4.4 seconds,

The engine is mated with a seven-speed M Double Clutch Transmission with Drivelogic, and Active M Differential.

Exterior details including twin dual–tailpipes and subtle M shaped rear spoiler.

Check out the clip of six lucky guys who get the change to test drive the car at the Nordschleife, Nürburgring.

Click the link for more news about BMW Canada

BMW i3 and i8 at LA show

2011-12-15T02:43:00.001Z

BMW recently showed of their i3 and i8 Concepts at the 2011 LA Auto Show.

Both the i3 and i8 cars are part of BMW's "Project i" and is a separate brand.

First unveiled at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the i3 is expected to go into mass production in 2013 and available for delivery by the end of the year. The car will be BMW's first zero emissions mass produced vehicle.

On the other hand, first announced in 2010 and also unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the BMW i8 is a hybrid and sporty looking car. The car will be available in 2014. SO far no news on expected prices as yet.

Hybrid cars showcased at Warwick Uni open day

2011-12-06T23:10:00.000Z

Warwick University WMG showcases Hybrid car technology at their open day.

Disney World to Offer World-Class Driving Experience

2011-11-23T01:46:00.000Z

Recent visitors of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida might have wondered what their Speedway is primarily used for, since it's almost always clear of cars and the stands are just as empty.

While at one time it hosted professional racing competitions, lately it's been the scene of the company's introduction of the “Richard Petty Driving Experience”, an expensive ride for grown-ups which allows them to test-drive NASCAR stock racers. But recently Disney has decided to give visitors the chance to get behind the wheel of a Lamborghini or Ferrari in addition to the stock car options. It's a totally different new offering as compared to the usual draws of the theme park, and car enthusiasts are certainly now more likely to take out auto title loans in order to afford the formerly too-expensive family trip to Florida.

Dubbed “The Exotic Driving Experience” by the Speedway's chief marketing officer Mike Bartelli, the addition is expected to start in January, with pairs of Ferraris and Lamborghinis, an Audi R8 and a Porsche 911. According to the Orlando Sentinel, all available vehicles will come with automatic transmission, and the starting price of $199 for a six-lap experience will be preceded by an instructional class where an instructor will accompany you on the raceway. For half that price, thrill-seekers can pay to sit in the passenger seat while a professional driver whizzes them through the three-turn tri-oval track. Either way, Bartelli and his Disney overlords all both counting on boosted success at the Walt Disney World Speedway.

That's because the Speedway has been a thorn in the company's side ever since it was built back in 1995. Originally meant to be a site for the newly created Indy 200 at Walt Disney World, the track hasn't seen a professional race in over a decade. Since then, it's either sat deserted or used sparingly in various driving experience thrills over the years. But a constant high price, a required half-day devoted to preparation, training, and the thrill itself, and a general lack of target-market visitors has made the Speedway the source of cost over-runs for sometime. In the mid-2000s Disney saw an opportunity in the rising popularity of NASCAR, but in the wake of the global recession, NASCAR numbers have dwindled and Disney is once again looking for a way to turn a profit from the Speedway.

Starting in January, visitors will have the chance to experience what it's like to operate some of the world's most luxurious sports cars. It will certainly entice a wider variety of car enthusiasts than just letting people get behind the wheel of some retired NASCAR stock racers. However, the question is whether there is a market it needs to sustain itself? Those immediately informed may attempt to orchestrate the annual family trip to include Disney World in order to jump on the opportunity, but what about the long-term? Disney is desperate to find a way to make their Speedway useful, and they hope they've finally found what they were looking for.

The new BMW M5

2011-11-15T15:56:00.000Z

The BMW M5 will be launched on Nov 19‎ and according to news reports, will be priced at at £73,040. Check out the video of the new BMW M5 being put through its paces.

The car is powered by a 560hp 4.4-liter Twin-Turbo V8 rear drive engine. The car is said to have a a top speed of 190mph and goes from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds.

Tata invests in the West Midlands

2011-11-10T10:18:00.002Z

There was some good news for the automotive sector in the UK today as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced that they plan to increase their workforce at their plant in Solihull by more than 25%.
For more info read their press release here.

This follows the opening of their new Global Headquarters at the Company's site in Whitley in Coventry last week.

From left: Mr Ravi Kant, Vice President of Tata Motors, Mr Ratan Tata (cutting the tape) Chairman of Tata Sons, and Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover (Right).

Tata the Indian owners of Jaguar Land Rover will be investing more than £1.5 billion pounds annually for the next five years.

Jeremy Clarkson vs Karun Chandhok

2011-11-07T12:23:00.000Z

Clip from Jeremy's new DVD.

The new BMW 3 series and buying used BMW cars

2011-11-05T03:49:00.002Z

Last month BMW officially announced that the new BMW 3 Series Saloon would be launched here in the UK on 11 February 2012. There would be be four trim specifications, namely Sport, Modern, Luxury and ES/ SE.

Prices start from £24,880 (OTR) for the 316d ES Diesel model.

In case you were not aware, the BMW 3 series remains their best selling model. Even if you can't afford to buy a new model, there are so many affordable used cars out there in the market. Though you can sometimes get a fantastic bragain from private sellers, there are several risks involved. It is always better to buy from trusted dealers as they offer several advantages over private sellers including warranty, minimum MOT, finance options and also to avoid the risk of being sold a stolen car. In fact there is a large co-operative of Trusted Dealers BMW (used).

The trusted dealers site has a huge range of second-hand BMWs for sale which you can search by post code and your budget. So if you are thinking of buying a second hand BMW 3 series model from a trusted dealer, check out Trusteddealers.co.uk

Discovery 4 in the Malaysian Jungle

2011-11-01T16:25:00.000Z

The unmodified Land Rover Discovery 4 takes on the Malaysian jungle and survives. With help of course.

Mantis Waterless Car Cleaners

2011-11-01T14:49:00.004Z

A couple of weeks back I received some samples of a new car cleaning products from the guys at JML.

The unique feature about these car cleaning products is that it's water free - yes, that's right. This was ideal for me as I do not have a driveway and I am not really keen on washing the car on the pavement carrying bucket loads of water and soap.

They sent me the Mantis Instant Shine, the Mantis Scratch Remover and the twin pack microfibre towels - one for application and another for buffing.

The Mantis Instant Shine combines a wash, polish and wax and has a fabulous fruity fragrance. It retails at £9.99 from is available on the Mantis site, in ASDA and few other places as well.

I had a slight problem when I roughly pulled the paper cover and some parts of the spray mechanism came off (see pic). However, I was able to put it back and works all fine.

I followed the instructions and sprayed the liquid over the bonnet of my car (which had been unwashed for a few weeks) and left it on for a few minutes. I then wiped it clean with the supplied application towels and polished the cleaned surface using the buffing towel.

Check out my car bonnet - the left side (top in picture) has not been cleaned while the right (bottom in picture) has been cleaned and buffed. Though not very clear from the photograph, there was a clear visible difference.

I also tried out the Mantis Scratch Remover on some of the scratches on my car. Key scratches on door locks and shoe scuffs can seriously dent your car’s resale value. As directed, I applied the paste to the affected area and rubbed it in a circular motion until my arms ached.

However, it did not do much for the deeper scratches on my car bonnet. I found that it works best with the light scratches (as shown below). The light scratches are barely visible afterwards.

The scratch remover also retails at £9.99 on the Mantis site and is also available in a few other stores including ASDA.

This water free cleaning kit is ideal for guys like me who hate hauling buckets of water and soap to clean their cars on the pavements (sidewalk in the US).

Over 500,000 units of Mantis Instant Shine has been sold in the UK and I am not surprised.

Production model of the Invader TC-3 to be unveiled soon

2011-10-27T01:24:00.000+01:00

The production model of the Invader TC-3 will be unveiled at this years 2011 SEMA Show. The Invader is a reverse trike with two steering front wheels and one rear drive wheel and comfortably seats two - an exciting fusion of bike and super car.

As compared to the prototype, the improved version has a longer and wider wheelbase for a better ride and handling, and we increased its width and height to make it more comfortable and easier to get in and out of.

The Invader features an enclosed cockpit complete with a roof and a tempered safety glass windshield. Its frame is constructed from one-and-a-half-inch tubular steel with a front crash zone, triangulated side protection bars and a complete roll-cage around the cockpit.

Inside there are two side-by-side fully adjustable race style bucket seats that will comfortably accommodate six foot plus occupants.

The Invader is powered by a 1,300 cc Hayabusa engine capable of delivering 197 horsepower to the 18-inch wide rear tire.According to their press release the can go from 0 to 60 mph in just under four seconds with a top speed of 150 mph. Stopping power is provided by front and rear discs equipped with four and six piston calipers respectively.

Last year's Invader prototype is pictured below:

Sebastian Vettel's journey to the top

2011-10-09T23:48:00.002+01:00

Red Bull has created an exclusive webpage dedicated to grand prix champion Sebastian Vettel. Check out the video clip charting his journey to the top of the podium.

Car Magnets - an effective advertising medium

2011-10-08T02:20:00.003+01:00

A great way to advertise your business or organisation is to use the vehicles. They represent a really great medium for advertising and promotion as they are visible, mobile and cost effective.

You have several options: First of all, there is the more permanent method of painting on the vehicles or you can also have the really popular method - using customized vinyl decals which can partially or fully wrap the vehicle. Another method which is fast gaining in popularity is the use of magnetic signs. These offer several advantages over the previous two methods namely, in terms of flexibility and relatively inexpensive as well. They can be removed easily and transferred to other positions or vehicles.

Sometimes if you are using your car for both commercial and private purposes, you may not want the sign on all the time. In this case, magnetic signs are the obvious choice. On the other hand, these signs have certain limitations in the sense that it may not be possible to have full coverage or have them go round the curves or the vehicle.

Anyway, I was going through the CarMagnets.com - a company which specialises in car magnets.

According to the company, their signs use high quality material, with non-fading ink which is UV and scratch resistant. However, I guess there is a small mistake on the home page at the top as it says that you can choose from 3 sizes when in fact, they offer five standard sizes of magnetic car signs.

They take away the difficult job of designing your own signs by offering over 100 templates to choose from. To make it easier, the templates are also grouped under different categories ranging from "Just Married" to "Autism Awareness" - all you have to do is add your own slogan or company name. On other other hand, if you are the artistic type or know someone good with graphics - you also have the option of uploading you own graphics and then use their online editing tool to add additional text.

I feel that a little bit more information about the advantages of magnetic car signs and also some more information about the company would help. It also appears that their pricing page is still under construction - not a great way to instil confidence in prospective customers. They could also do with a more professional looking logo. Apart from that, I think the site is really innovative and their online editing tool is really user friendly as well. It took me less than 5 minutes to choose a template and create my own sign.

Check out the site in case you are thinking of getting a magnetic sign for your car.

Quality used cars from Hertz

2011-10-02T03:41:00.001+01:00

Most of us know of Hertz as a reputed car rental company. However, not many are aware that Hertz also sells exceptional used cars as well.

If you are looking for a great deal on a car in the US, check out the Hertz Rent2Buy® programme for high-quality, used rental cars at really competitive prices. Their website allows you to have a unique shopping experience, by being able to compare a variety of models. Check out Hertzcarsales.com to take advantage of this new way to "car-shop." Hertz has a large selection of used cars for sale by owner, so your ideal car is never out of reach.

Also don't forget to take advantage of a 3-Day Test Rental, which gives you time to see how the car really feels on the road. You can try out the car for 3 days at a special low rate which will be waived if you decide to buy the car.

Call 1-888-674-3309 for additional information and questions!

Hyundai Genesis best upscale sedan

2011-10-01T10:17:00.005+01:00

According to new test results from Consumer Reports, out of a test group of 10 upscale sedans including the the Chrysler 300C, Hyundai Genesis, Toyota Avalon, and Acura TL, the Hyundai Genesis came out at top of the CR’s ratings with an Excellent road test score of 92. The car has been on top of the list of upscale sedans since 2009. The 2012 model has a softer, more comfortable ride; a stronger direct injected V6; and a more fuel-efficient eight-speed automatic transmission improving the overall mileage.

A surprise was the Revamped 2011 Chrysler 300C which scored an “Excellent” overall road test score of 80, up from 64 for the previous model. According to David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center in East Haddam, CT “The 300C’s quick, muscular 5.7-liter V8 engine is now complemented by responsive handling and a more comfortable ride.” He further added: “And, thanks to a major upgrade, its roomy interior is now quieter, more luxurious, and has improved visibility.”

A disappointment was the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, a fuel-efficient family sedan, which scored only 69, a full 20 points below the previously-tested and more popular conventional Sonata GLS.

On the other hand, the all-electric Nissan Leaf scored a respectable 78 points. The Leaf is quick, very quiet, rides comfortably and is easy to get in and out of. However, the limited driving range of only about 75 miles per charge, and the long time it takes to recharge (about 6 hours on 240V) are the main drawbacks.

The full report is available to subscribers of www.ConsumerReports.org and in the November issue of Consumer Reports.

GE Joins Hands with Nissan

2011-10-01T09:24:00.001+01:00

GE and Nissan has announced a joint, two-year R&D collaboration to speed up the creation of a reliable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles like the Nissan LEAF.

They plan to focus their resources on two key research areas:

integrating electric vehicles with homes and buildings and
investigating EV charging dynamics and the future impact on the electricity grid once millions of EVs are on the road.

I found it really interesting to learn that 25 percent of the world’s electricity is generated or distributed by equipment designed and made by GE,;

For more information read the complete GE Report.