2008 Mazda Furai Concept – ‘Sound of Wind’

The worsening exchange rate differential between the strengthening euro and weakening U.S. dollar means importing European manufactured models to North America is now significantly more expensive than just a few years ago. It’s a problem Alfa Romeo has to juggle with as it attempts to re-establish itself in the U.S. next year, but it looks like the carmaker has a number of options up its sleeve to help ride out the storm.

One option officials are looking at is building a new plant in Mexico to supply North America with volume models like the 159 sedan and upcoming Mi.To and 149 hatchbacks. However, a cheaper and more realistic solution would be to utilize the unused capacity of an American carmaker.

Speaking with the Financial Times, Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne said he planned to start North American production of Alfa cars by 2011 or 2012. “I’ve always had the view that we had to produce in America,” he explained. Marchionne also revealed that Alfa will initially lose money on the cars it sells in the U.S. and is unlikely to become profitable until a suitable partner is found. “I can suffer the loss initially, as long as I know I’m going to be producing enough,” he lamented.

In addition to the new Alfa range, Fiat will also relaunch its Iveco commercial truck division in the U.S. as well as the new 500 minicar, which Marchionne hopes will enjoy the same success BMW has had with the Mini brand. The car that will spearhead Alfa Romeo’s launch into the U.S., meanwhile, is the new 8C Competizione supercar and its Spider sibling, however, don’t expect cheaper versions of these to be built Stateside.

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BMW Concept CS Combines Stylish Luxury and Sports Car Performance in new Powerful and Expressive Design

Exterior design: where qualities typical of BMW all come together.
More than any other sedan in the past, the body design of the BMW Concept CS lends itself to optimum performance. The low-slung, dynamically stretched silhouette; the long engine compartment lid; and the stylish lines and contours accentuating rear-wheel drive technology simply perfect for sports driving, all set clear standards for supreme dynamics in a new dimension of outstanding vehicles. Through its luxurious presence, stylish elegance and challenging dynamism, the BMW Concept CS offers truly unique design language with highly individual aesthetic features never seen before.

Style and unique aesthetics of BMW.
Measuring 200.8 inches in length, the BMW Concept CS is dominated by dynamically flowing lines. From the BMW kidney grille standing out powerfully to the front, the eyes of the beholder move back along the low-slung and sleek engine compartment lid, subsequently meandering along the side-line and roof-line, all the way to the deliberately short rear-end with its clear-cut air flow spoiler.

Lots of space, lots of support: sports seats also at the rear.
The BMW Concept CS presents the vision of an automobile proudly offering all its qualities to the driver. The unique thrill of riding in the car is obviously felt most by the driver, however the sheer driving pleasure offered in the process is also shared among all the occupants. Just like the front-seat passenger, passengers seated in the rear will also appreciate and cherish the sporting and active driving experience offered by the BMW Concept CS—via rear sports seats. And thanks to the single seat concept, elbow freedom on the rear seats is just as good as on the front passenger’s seat. The center console flows back smoothly all the way to the rear, serving as a comfortable armrest, while at the same time offering additional storage space. In all, the passengers sitting at the rear enjoy a brand-new, truly innovative ambience unmatched by the conventional style of a “regular” four-door model.

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Continuing their aggressive media attack, Alfa Romeo has released a new video of the all-new Mi.To sport hatch. This time, Alfa Romeo invited an Italian guy named Enrico to its Centro Stile headquarters to meet the Mi.To’s head designers who explain the visual links between the sport hatch and the 8c Competizione. Although the tour is in Italian, Alfa Romeo kindly added English subtitles – on most of the video at least.

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The Golf R32 is by no means slow but the sheer number of tuning kits available for the torquey hot-hatch reveals there are a lot of people out there who disagree. The latest kit is from Germany’s ABT Sportsline, and although it’s not as nearly as potent as HGP’s 640 twin-turbo model, the new tuner R32 still packs some serious punch.

The ABT Volkswagen Golf R32 is powered by a V6 engine with 370hp (272kW) on tap. This is enough to propel the car from 0-100km/h in just five seconds flat, down from the stock version’s 6.2 second time for the same sprint. The new ABT model is also capable of reaching a new top speed of 270km/h.

The extra performance comes from a series of mild modifications including a custom supercharger, ECU upgrade and 19in alloy wheels.

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MAZDA WILL SHOWCASE FURAI CONCEPT AND 2009 RX-8 AT NEW YORK AUTO SHOW

The Mazda booth at the Jacob Javits Convention Center will be a very popular destination during this year’s auto show. Mazda will show off its newest concept car, the Mazda Furai, and the freshened 2009 Mazda RX-8 sports car at the 2008 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), to be held in New York from Wednesday, March 19 through Sunday, March 30, 2008.