McLaren Decides to Make MP4-12C “More Emotional”

McLaren’s MP4-12C has received a lot of praise from automotive journalists. It has even set the second fastest time ever in the Top Gear power lap. But this doesn’t mean that it’s perfect.
Most who have driven it have placed it below its chief rival, the Ferrari 458 Italia, not because its’ slower (it isn’t) or less capable, but because it lacked the aural charisma and emotional character of the Italian supercar. In other words, it was good, but also a bit clinical.
Therefore, McLaren decided to do something about it just before first deliveries start this week. A McLaren spokesman told Autocar magazine that changes to the MP4-12C to be delivered to customers include “a fruiter exhaust note” as well as “improved throttle response”.
The spokesperson noted that these improvements were made "because of McLaren's F1 mentality to up the pace of development".
McLaren’s engineers tweaked the car’s Intake Sound Generator by altering the butterfly valve found in the tube that connects the engine’s plenum to the cabin. However, this change is noticeable in Track mode only.
“It was a bit too sensible before” admitted the spokesman. “You won’t notice the changes in normal mode, just when you’re really having fun and pushing it. They don’t lead to any performance increase, but they do lead to an emotional increase when you drive the car.”

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BMW Expects More Growth in China

At a press event on Monday, BMW sales chief Ian Robertson said that he expects the brand’s sales in China to grow, albeit not at the extraordinary rate of 61% that it achieved in the first half.
"In the second half of the year we will not have such a fast growth rate in China as in the first half because of the high year-earlier level of comparison, but will still have growth," said Robertson.
The Bavarian company is the second-largest luxury carmaker in China after Audi. Along with Mercedes-Benz, all three German premium automakers have seen their sales in the country hit an all-time high in the first six months of 2011.
China is the third biggest market for BMW, right behind the USA and Germany, and its market share has increased by 3% to 15% compared to last year. So the growth in China more than makes up for the downfall in the US market, which has decreased from 17 million vehicles sales annually to 13 million.
Robertson doesn’t expect the situation to change soon, due to problems in the economy, and predicts only slight growth for BMW in the US market.

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Nissan Raises 2012 Leaf Prices Between $2,420 and $3,530!

Well, that didn’t take long did it? Only a year after launch and while the Leaf is leading the eco-friendly sales race against GM’s Chevrolet Volt, Nissan today announced that it is lifting the base price of the 2012 model year version of its pure-electric hatchback between 7 and 11 percent, depending on the trim grade!
In particular, the entry-level 2012 Leaf SV is now priced at $35,200, or 7.38% more than the 2011MY’s $32,780 sticker. The higher grade Lead SL enters the 2012MY priced at $37,250, an increase of $3,530 or 11.3% more over the 2011MY.
Neither price includes an $850 destination and handling fee. Notably, US buyers can cut $7,500 off the sales price via a federal tax credit.
The monthly lease price for the 2012 Leaf has also been increased and now starts from $369, up from $349.
Nissan justified the price hike by saying that the 2012 model comes with additional standard equipment including quick charging and cold-weather features.
In Nissan’s own words, the 2012MY Leaf's added features include:

• DC Fast Charge capability standard on Nissan LEAF SL: The vast majority of MY11 consumers have opted for the DC fast charge port, which allows the vehicle to be charged at 480V – reducing charging time to under 30 minutes for charging the vehicle to 80 percent from a fully depleted state. As DC fast charge stations proliferate across the country, Nissan expects this feature to become even more popular. For 2012, fast-charging capability will be standard on the SL trim level.
• Cold weather features standard on Nissan LEAF: As the Nissan LEAF rolls out to U.S. markets with colder climates, cold weather features become standard equipment on all trim levels of the Nissan LEAF. These include a battery warmer, heated steering wheel, and heated seats in both the front and rear.

With the introduction of the 2012MY Leaf, the Japanese company is also expanding the availability of its all-electric car that will now be available for order in the Southeastern United States and Illinois.
“In the fall, orders from existing reservations and new reservations will begin in Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York,” Nissan said in a statement.
“By the end of the year, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island will be added as markets where the Nissan LEAF will be available for order,” the company added.

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Ferrari World Design Contest

For the past few months, design students from 50 universities across the globe took up Ferrari’s challenge of designing a future supercar for the famous Italian brand. Now, following the completion of the second phase in which seven schools were chosen to move to the final round, we have a winner.
Drum-roll please…and the winners of the Ferrari World Design Contest are…the students from Seoul’s Hongik University. The South Korean school finished first ahead of the second-placed IED of Turin in Italy and London’s Royal College of Arts.
The first three winning models are:

1) Eternità– Kim Cheong Ju (Rep. of Korea), Ahn Dre (Rep. of Korea), Lee Sahngseok (Rep. of Korea) – Hongik University (Seoul)
2) Xezri– Samir Sadikhov (Azerbaijan ) – IED (Turin)
3) Cavallo Bianco – Henry Cloke (UK), Qi Haitao (China) – RCA (London)

Following the announcement of the winners, Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo commented:
“Ferrari World Design Contest represents a window that we want to keep open on the world and the creative energy of the next generation. I saw at first hand the many genuinely innovative ideas that these talented youngsters sent us and could feel the enormous passion and commitment that had gone into them. I am certain that some of these suggestions will come to light in the Ferraris of the future.”
The Italian company said that the all of the design concepts focused on reducing weight and fuel consumption, the latter through alternative propulsion systems, and in particularly hybrid engines.
Commenting on the winning design from Korea, the Eternità (pictured in the opening photo), Ferrari stated: “The Seoul students provided the finest interpretation of Ferrari’s design brief for a thoroughbred hypercar brimming with new generation technologies and materials, an extreme (“hyper”) car not only in its architecture but also in every other aspect.”

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New Ford Focus in Russia

Ford's Vsevolozhsk Plant near St. Petersburg in Russia has begun assembly of the firm’s new generation Focus. The five-door hatchback is the first member of the Focus family to roll off the assembly line in Russia with the four-door and station wagon variants to enter production in September and January, respectively.

The company said it has already received more than 5,000 orders for the new Focus in Russia.

The compact sized-model will be offered in a choice of four trim levels, 10 exterior colors and four engines including three petrol and one diesel.

The Focus first went on sale in Russia in 1999 and to date, Ford has sold more than half a million examples in the country. Ford says more than 400,000 of these cars have been built at the company’s Vsevolozhsk plant which started manufacturing the Focus in August 2002.

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