Mugen Type-RR was finally Revealed

The Mugen tunned Honda Civic Type-RR is one of the cars that managed to get our attention at Detroit Auto Show, and it made its debut with a new 260 HP (194 kW) 2.2L K20A engine. The engine of this wonderful care is based on a regular 2.0L Type-R unit but with the help of a stroker kit, now it features 2,157cc. We could say this one is the same basic i-VTEC 2.0L unit but it’s not like that because Honda has reduced friction on the internals and redesigned the camshafts. The car also sports modifications at brakes , shocks, springs and also at Mugen’s new “I-TCMS” tire monitoring system.

Share and Enjoy:

GM’s Hummer HX: a different concept

There were a lot of complaints regarding Hummer’s fuel efficiency vehicles, and something along those lines may explain a concept vehicle introduced by the company at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. It’s smaller, lighter and even E85 capable new SUV dubbed the Hummer HX. GM CEO Rick Wagoner said only positive things about the ethanol-based fuel used in the new design, which rings a number of Halo bells, different than Jeep Renegade’s. The sport-utility sports a lot of unique features, such as : armored underbelly, customizable LED displays, removable fender flares and roof and lack of a radio or CD player (but it has an iPod dock). As you might have been expected, the car is just for show right now but it might be the sign that the age of fuel-guzzling Hummers is coming to a close end.

Hummer HX concept

Share and Enjoy:

Let there be Detroit:the Mazda Furai concept

The first car that I want to talk about from Detroit is the Mazda Furai Concept.Meaning „the sound of the wind,, and carrying a slogan that says:The soul of a sports car,this four wheel wonder stuns people at its every appearence.Through this concept the Japanese manufacturer celebrates 40 years of motorsport hystory and also 40 years since the rotory engine first powered a Mazda.Under the hood we find a 450 HP ethanol burning engine developed by BP,while the chassis came out of the Courage C65 model,the same one that ran at the American LeMans Series in 2005 and 2006.

The design is inspired by the Nagare design language,that will be the base of the next Mazda models.Similar design lines had been seen in the past at several models: Mazda Nagare concept, Mazda Ryuga, Mazda Hakaze and Mazda Taiki(the Tokyo Auto Show star).

Unfortunately the Furai will never mass produced.

Share and Enjoy:

The Fisker Karma and 150mpg XH-150 hybrids revealed at Detroit Auto Show

Fisker Karma Hybrid

There were a lot of hybrid cars revealed at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. On of those cars is Fisker Automotive plug-in hybrid, which is set to be delivered starting 2009. Maybe you are wondering were does its name come from, well, Fisker is the namesake of Danish-born Henrik Fisker (CEO at BWM and Aston Martin designer). This model can go up to 50 miles before the gas engine kicks in to charge the lithium-ion batteries. It sports a 150mph top speed and it’s able to reach 60 mph in just 5.8 seconds.

150mpg plug-in hybrid XH-150 SUV

Another interesting hybrid form Detroit Auto Show is the 150mpg plug-in hybrid XH-150 SUV from AFS Trinity Power Corporation. Why is so special ? Well, this car is different from the traditional hybrids the XH-150’s powertrain uses ultra-capacitors, not gas. It goes from 0 to 60 in 6.9 seconds with a top highway speed of just 87mph. Anyway, AFS Trinity is more focused on licensing their ultra-capacitor technology than to bring the XH-150 to market.

Share and Enjoy:

Detroit 2008 Preview : 2009 Dodge Ram

With just a few days left until the Detroit Auto Show 2008 will open its gates, The New York Times and AllPar.com have already started writing about the cars that will be presented there. So, let’s do the same. Today, we are telling you all you need to know about the 2009 Dodget Ram. This car, introduced on January 12, 2008, sports revised engines, a new rear suspension setup that feature coil springs fitted to a solid rear axle, a first-class interior and two revolutionary storage systems. It manages to do 0-60 in a impressive seven seconds with a normal V8 available on most models. The power of this Dodge increased, so as it was expected, the gas mileage increased too.