A Look at the New Mitsubishi Evo X

Mitsubishi seems to be in all smiles preparing to sell off its latest Evolution series model, the Evo X. The Evo X sedan is no longer called a Lancer with makeup. It is an all-new model with outstanding performance and gorgeous looks and is all set to capture the hearts and minds of the Indian crowd. Let's have a look at what the new Mitsubishi Evo X has to offer.

First of all, a ride in the car is going to be very exciting with comfort, ride quality and everyday practicality living up to the owner's expectations. While most exotic sports cars like the Ferraris and Lamborghinis are two-seaters, Mitsubishi tries to change the concept. The new Evo X is a four seater that is as chic, interesting, striking and low as a Lambo or Ferrari and matches the performance of these supercars.

Nobody can imagine the amount of power hidden in the Evo X which actually looks as humble as a normal sedan with four doors. Allow it to run and you will know what a high performance it can deliver. The latest Evolution X MR FQ300 has been able to deliver an impressive 290 bhp and a maximum of 366 Nm of gut-wrenching torque. The car's 1998 cc four-cylinder turbocharged engine does the magic.

This engine has been mated with a six-speed sequential shift gear box delivering drive to all four wheels. The car's speed can soar from 0 to 100 kmph in just 4.5 seconds and an electronically limited 250 kmph top speed offers the necessary exhilaration. Frighteningly fast!

The Evolution series offers all that a car motoring fanatic would yearn for. The new car is a four-door, four-seater, four-wheel drive car. In spite of the high speeds, the handling is pretty smooth. With the new looks, Mitsubishi has got the job done real well. The looks have changed the entire car. With the launch of the Evo X, practicality with beauty can be a lesson taught by Mitsubishi to many other car makers. The new car has been designed to be extremely gorgeous to lure the crowd while delivering exceptional performance that is sure to attract the speed freaks.

The car has a kerb weight of 1605 kg and every upshift pins the driver to his seat back with ample rage. What's most surprising about the new car is that it is still a family car. Polished and smooth and with great ride quality the car is spacious too.

Coming to the price, if one takes into consideration the specifications the car offers, it's not too difficult to accept the fact that the car comes with a matching tag. The deep-pocketed Indian motoring fanatics will however be able to avail it. The price can be compared to that of a BMW 3-Series. But the engineering, performance and competition pedigree that this car comes with deserves to be priced high.

Mitsubishi i-Miev Goes on Sale

Lately any news about Mitsubishi is dominated by the i-Miev -the manufacturers' electric plug in- and it's no surprise as 2011 has already been touted as the year of the electric car.

The i-Miev, which goes on sale in the UK at the end of January, is the first electric vehicle to benefit from the government's Plug-In Car Grant. The scheme introduced at the beginning of the year offers buyers up to £5,000 off the cost of an EV.

For now the i-Miev is the only EV that can be bought outright under the scheme, with the Peugeot iOn and smart for two electric drive available for lease from January. The Nissan LEAF will be available to buy from March.

The Japanese manufacturer have shipped around 2,500 units of the i-Miev to Europe, countries such as Britain, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, France and Belgium have been the first to receive the European-spec model. A total of 19 European countries are set to receive the i-Miev over the coming year.

In the UK 13 approved EV centres have been chosen, and each will have a dedicated Mitsubishi-trained EV salesman, a charging bay and a demonstration vehicle, to allow customers to experience driving and owning an EV. Two Mitsubishi dealer in London have been chosen, with the rest spanning the country.

Lance Bradley, the UK's managing director said:'This is a really exciting time for Mitsubishi Motors and having the first mass produced fully electric vehicle in the UK market puts us at the forefront of a new era in the automotive industry.'

Luxury manufacturers such as Jaguar and Audi expected to release hybrid or electric vehicles by 2012/13.

Although manufacturers are confident that electric cars are the future, motorists skepticism about EVs is a hurdle yet to be overcome. The environmental benefits are obvious but need to be matched by short term cost efficiency and ease of use.

First Look: Hot, New 2012 Models

The 2012 model year is still months away from starting. Then again, some new models released this spring such as the Ford Focus are designated as 2012 cars. Models years are blurring, but come this fall there will be several new cars on the market, hot models you'll want to consider if you put off your new car shopping until after Labor Day.

Honda Civic -- When was a Honda Civic ever considered hot? Well, it may not have the looks you'd want in a car, but it is a strong seller year in, year out. In addition, you can buy a Civic coupe and customize it to your heart's content, a tuner favorite at that. For 2012 the Civic will be revised and it will offer improved fuel economy. That's important because the demand for cars getting exceptional gas mileage is rising. Honda will answer that call by introducing a high fuel economy model pegged to get 41 mpg highway. All other models will enjoy decent fuel efficiency too, posting somewhere in the upper 30s on the open road. The 2012 Honda Civic goes on sale this spring.

Scion iQ -- Sold as a Toyota in other markets, we'll see the diminutive iQ in Scion badging when it goes on sale this summer. Powered by a 1.3-liter four cylinder, this car offers seating for three adults and one child. Paired with a continuously variable transmission, the iQ is expected to rack up exceptional gas mileage, perhaps nearing 50 mpg which would make it the gas mileage champ when it hits the market. This car is about the size of the Smart ForTwo, the only other A-segment model sold in America.

Fiat 500 Convertible -- This summer, the ultimate compact car drop top will be introduced. The Fiat 500 convertible joins the coupe and will roll out in time for your beach visits and around town excursions. This model hasn't been priced yet, but is rumored to cost under $20,000 making it the most affordable convertible on the market.

Hyundai Veloster -- Arriving before Thanksgiving, the Veloster takes off where the Tiburon once ruled. This unique coupe, with one door on the driver's side and two doors on the passenger side, is underpinned by the same platform powering the compact Hyundai Elantra. This means you'll get a car with sporty good looks and the capability of delivering 40 mpg on the highway, a winning combination no other model sold today can offer.

Ford Focus ST -- The 2012 Ford Focus is out, but it isn't the model rabid enthusiasts want to see. Instead, it is the Ford Focus ST, a performance hatchback designed to take on the Mazda 3 and Mitsubishi Lancer Raillart. This model will get an EcoBoost 2.0-liter four which means that direct injection and turbo power will unite to rocket this 250 horsepower machine down the road.

Other new models slated to show up for 2012 include the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO, a Toyota sports car, an unnamed replacement for the Dodge Caliber, the next generation Volkswagen Passat, a new Subaru Impreza and a handful of new products from Kia, BMW, General Motors, Mazda and MINI.

Matthew C. Keegan is editor and publisher of "Auto Trends Magazine". Matt is also a contributing writer for Andy's Auto Sport and affiliated websites, an aftermarket supplier of quality auto parts including Saturn parts and hoods.

Toyota - Always In-Demand

In spite of a severe scarcity of cars in June 2011, Toyota remains the evident market leader, in the midst of 85,100 sales and in excess of 22,500, prior to its close competitor.

Toyota stated May and June deals had been considerably influenced by manufacturing troubles caused by the destructive earthquake as well as tsunami in Japan. But, manufacturing has returned to usual in Australia, Thailand and Japan - the three countries that supply cars for the home market. Toyota has a very big piece of market share of automobile industry and all cars by Toyota are looking great a people love to ride these.

Toyota anticipates getting more or less all the automobiles that were structured previously in the year, offering consumers with a wider option of models, ratings and shades.

Next to August, the amount of vehicles accessible at Toyota dealerships will be back to usual - an amazing turnaround.

Toyota also expressed gratitude towards its consumers, for being considerate over the past months.

In June, Hilux was one of the best-selling cars in the nation with over 3,000 sales whereas Toyota Corolla topped 2,100 sales and Toyota Camry, kept hold of its supremacy of the medium-car division.

Toyota's Corolla has made a hat-trick as Australia's best-selling car for all of the past three months. Latest sales figures released revealed a January record for Corolla, which was the single vehicle to top 4,000 sales for the month. Ever since the beginning of November 2010, Australians have purchased over 13,500 Corolla sedans and hatches. This is over 3,300 ahead of any other car - representing its appeal as trendy, reasonable, fuel-efficient and dependable motoring.

The new Toyota Corolla ascent special version is obtainable as a hatchback only, with the option of manual or mechanical transmission.

The admired Toyota car is also Australia's best-selling car for the initial seven months of the fiscal year that began last July. Its recognition, particularly amongst private customers, assisted in driving the company to its 70th successive, as market leader in January - a continuous run dating back to April 2005.

Except Corolla, Toyota's other segment cream of the crop for January were Camry (mid-size cars), RAV4 (compact SUVs), LandCruiser Prado (medium SUVs), Land Cruiser 200 Series (large SUVs), HiLux (4x2 light trucks) and HiAce Commuter (bus).

Finally, Toyota Australia has declared the release of the Toyota Aurion White Limited Edition model. The vehicle is derived from the Aurion wonder; however it features over $3000 more add-ons

Ferrari California Overview

 California is known for many things: the governator, UCLA, and Hollywood, but amongst its many connotations, the name California is so rarely bestowed upon something of beauty, magnificence and sheer power. Until 2008, when Ferrari made the decision to manufacture a 2+2 front engine, Grand Tourer coupe cabriolet known as the California. Revived from the 1950s Ferrari 250 GT name, the California was announced by Ferrari at the 2008 Paris Motor Show as an entirely new model line for Ferrari. Although often times confused as the successor to the 575 Maranello, or as the similar Grand Tourer, the 599 GTB Fiorano, the California is differentiated primarily as a front engine V8 Grand Tourer versus the Maranello and 599 GTB Fiorano which house V12s.

The introduction of the Ferrari California introduced a number of firsts for Ferrari. It would be the first Ferrari to feature a front-engine V8, a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, a folding metal convertible roof, multi-link rear suspension and direct fuel injection. These combinations of firsts make the California a very interesting car, especially once you start getting into the specifications and begin to understand that the California is more than just a Grand Tourer.

So, without further delay, let's get into the details. The California is powered by a 4.3 liter V8 that puts out 453 horsepower at 7,750 RPM and 357 ft-lb of torque at 5,000 RPM, yielding an impressive 108 horsepower per liter, one of the highest ratios for a naturally aspirated V8. The 2012 Ford Mustang GT features a 5.0 liter V8 that produces 412 horsepower, yielding 82 horsepower per liter and the 2006 Corvette Z06 7.0 Liter LS3 engine produces 505 horsepower, yielding 72 horsepower per liter. Not even a supercharged 6.2 liter LS9 engine from the Corvette ZR1 beats the California's horsepower per liter, with 638 horsepower, the ZR1 yields 103 horsepower per liter.

Although the per liter horsepower is extremely high, the overall output would be considered fairly low when comparing to other performance vehicles so one would assume that it cannot be that much faster. But it is. Thanks to being the first Ferrari with a 7-speed dual clutch automatic, the California can go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds[validate], the same time as a Ferrari F430, despite weighing 180 kilograms (400lbs) more and having 30 horsepower less. The Ferrari California can then be pushed to a top speed of 193 MPH, thanks to over 1,000 hours of testing in wind tunnels to help perfect the aerodynamics into a beautifully shaped and drag efficient car, which is certainly an understatement

The design of the car must have first been dreamed by a kid with limitless imagination, and then taken by an artist who knows how to portray power with legs, where, finally the Ferrari engineers spent countless hours perfecting the unique blend of V8 performance, with Grand Tourer cruising with the finesse of an Italian exotic.

In 2008 Ferrari announced plans to produce nearly 5,000 Californias in the first two years of production, pushing total Ferrari production up by 50%. Despite the unusually high production numbers for Ferrari, all California's have been sold up to 2011 for a refreshingly cool $192,000. In 2011, Ferrari announced a refresh for the 2012 California, to feature lighter aluminum alloys yielding a lower weight of 3,758 and an increased power output of 30 additional horses due to a remapped ECU.

Ferrari Mugello Galerry