VIDEO: Chrysler Group"s 2009-2010 Highlights in Under 9 Minutes

The Chrysler Group"s PR gurus have come up with a new corporate video highlighting the company"s achievements from November 2009 up until now. The just under 9 minutes-long film is titled "Business Plan 2010-2014 in Action" and includes numerous product presentations over the year such as the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Durango, as well plant visits by President Obama and VP Biden and various other events that took place in the time period. Watch the clip right after the jump.

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Three World Premieres for BMW at the 2011 Detroit Show

In less than three weeks from now, the 2011 North American International Auto Show [NAIAS] will open its doors at the Cobo Hall in Detroit, and BMW will be there with three world premieres. These include the new 6-Series Convertible, the punchy 1-Series M Coupe and the revitalized for the 2011MY, 1-Series Coupe and Convertible. We"ve already had a chance to see all three models, so no surprise there, that is, unless the Bavarians have something else up their sleeves.

In more detail, the first version of the next generation 6-Series sports car is the Convertible, which will launch as the 650i equipped with a 400HP 4.4-liter turbocharged V8 linked to either a six-speed manual or an 8-speed automatic transmission. The new 650i Convertible will go on sale in the spring of 2011 as a 2012 model for the United States, while the Coupe model will follow shortly after.
Next in line is the beefed up 1 Series M Coupe boasting a twin-turbocharged, all-aluminum, 3.0-liter inline-6 with 335 ponies driving the rear wheels through a standard close ratio 6-speed manual transmission. The new 1 Series M Coupe will be available in limited quantities next spring.
Finally, the 1 Series Coupe and Convertible enter the 2011 model year with some subtle styling tweaks and interior improvements, while keeping the same hardware. As with the other two BMWs, the updated 1s go on sale in spring of 2011.

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Think Adds an Extra Pair of Seats to its All-Electric City Car

For the first time since its introduction, the Think City electric car will be offered with a 2+2 seating arrangement. The Oslo-based company"s four-seater model will go on sale in Europe within the next few days. The company did not say if or when the more practical version of the City will be available in North America.

"At the heart of everything THINK does is flexibility to the customer – and we have just taken this a step further this Christmas with the introduction for the first time of the 2+2 seating configuration," said THINK Chief Marketing Officer, Michael Lock. "Want to take the kids to school? You’ve got it! You need to carry a heavy load? No problem, the seats stow away giving largely the same load space as before. These advantages, coupled with our technical enhancements make the THINK City unquestionably the most attractive EV on the market."

As with the two-seater model, the 2+2 City is powered by a 34kW electric motor and it can travel at highway speeds of up to 110 km/h [68 mph] and cover 160 kilometres [100 miles] on a single charge with zero local emissions. Typical charge time for the Lithium battery is 8 hours (100%) and for the Zebra battery, 0-80% in 7 hours and 80-100%, 4 hours.

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Portugal"s Prime Minister Becomes first Head of State to Use EV for Official Matters, Receives Nissan Leaf

The Prime Minister of Portugal, Jose Socrates, has become the first head of state in the world to adopt an all-electric vehicle for official matters. On Wednesday, Portugal received delivery of the first 10 Nissan Leaf EVs to be offered in Europe, as recognition of the country"s pioneering work in the electric mobility field with the MOBI.E Programme. One of those cars landing in the hands of Mr. Socrates, who will now travel exclusively by Electric Car (it was not disclosed if the Leaf would be the only EV in the fleet) for his official travels around the capital city of Portugal, Lisbon.

The 10 Nissan Leafs were delivered by Carlos Tavares, Vice-President of Nissan, in a special ceremony that took place in Parque das Nações, in Lisbon.

The Prime Minister, Jose Socrates, said: "Portugal is extremely proud of the introduction of the electric vehicle. This initiative is only possible due the fast implementation and development of the Portuguese MOBI.E Charging Network, which is considered a leading example to the world of how to roll out electric cars. Portugal is the first country in the world to have a nation-wide smart grid for electric vehicles."

Portugal has jumped on EV bandwagon by implementing an electric vehicle charging network at a national scale. The MOBI.E network currently spreads over 25 municipalities throughout the country with over 50 charging points already installed. The plan is to install more than 1300 normal charging points and 50 quick charging stations by mid-2011. Furthermore, the country generates about 45% of total electricity consumption from clean energies.

VIDEO: Aston Martin V12 Vantage Meets Gulf DBR1-2 Racer

Aston Martin has released a new video to promote the connection between its road cars and racing models, and in particular, the firm"s 6.0 liter V12 engines that sits at the heart of the One-77, DBS, DB9, Rapide and V12 Vantage but also the 2010 DBR1-2 Le Mans race car. The new footage shows the 517-horsepower V12 Vantage riding along Aston Martin"s DBR1-2 LMP1 race car which competed throughout 2009 and 2010 having won the Le Mans Series in 2009 while taking three podiums in 2010. Watch the video after the break.

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Ferrari Sports Cars 458 Italia Design

PRESS RELEASE Following international acclaim for their finely honed Porsche GT2, GT3 and Panamera conversions, Oakley Design is now proud to announce their tuning programme for the Ferrari 458 Italia. Production will be limited to just 5 cars, each bearing a unique build number plaque. Outside of this Limited Edition model, individual parts will also be made available for clients who do not require the complete package. With Jon Oakley’s motorsport background central to the company’s philosophy, any change, whether aerodynamic or mechanical, is only done for sound technical reasons.

2010 Ferrari Sports Cars 458 Italia

2010 Ferrari Sports Cars 458 Italia Tuning by Oakley Design production will be limited to just 5 cars, each bearing a unique build number plaque. Outside of this Limited Edition mode, individual parts will also be made available for clients who do not require the complete package.

With Jon Oakley motorsport background central to the company philosophy, any change whether aerodynamics or mechanical is only done for sound technical reasons.

Known for its customization programme for the Porsche 997 GT2, Oakley Design revealed today its tuning kit for the latest Ferrari 458 Italia. Because the car is quite perfect the tuning company decided to install a carbon-fiber front spoiler which adds 45kg of downforce over the front axle at 150mph (240km/h) but also a racecar style centrally positioned radiator vent designed to channel air out over the bonnet instead of under the car. And this is not all, as the tuning company installed new air exit ducts beside the headlamps.

Finally, a new rear spoiler with Gurney flap adds 25 kg of downforce over the rear axle at 150mph. This works together with the underbody diffuser to reduce the Italia overall drag by smoothing out the separating airflow. The only exterior alterations made for cosmetic reasons are the signature Oakley Design carbon fibre roof panel, mirror covers and engine cover insert below the rear window glass. These are matched in the engine bay by carbon-fibre panels covering the inner wings and rear bulkhead.

In order to optimize the sound of the engine, the car features a complete titanium exhaust system with triple outlet pipes and no bypass valve shaves a huge 30kg from the Italia’s aft section.

The design is completed by the 20-inch Oakley Design lightweight composite wheels which save a significant 8.0kg of unsprung weight per corner. For those who don’t know the standard 458 Italia comes with 570bhp and 540 Nm of torque but with some ECU tweaking the car delivers now 627bhp and 567 Nm of torque. With these numbers, the car ca sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.0 seconds (standard version can sprin in 3.4 seconds) and has a top speed of over 330 km/h. We have bad news though: the production of this customization programme will be limited to just 5 cars, each bearing a unique build number plaque.

SPIED: Mercedes-Benz" SLS AMG Roadster Loses the Top and Gullwing Doors

Mercedes-Benz is nearing the end of the development process of its forthcoming open-top SLS AMG Roadster, which will join the coupe model when it enters the market late next year. Apart from dropping the metal top in favor of an electrically operated fabric roof, as you can see from the location of the door handles in these latest spy pictures, the SLS AMG"s famous Gullwing-style doors have made way for more conventional items.

The Roadster model will also gain a pair of partially hidden roll bars located behind the front passengers, which will deploy higher in the event of a rollover crash. The firm"s Airscarf neck-heating system will most likely be offered on the standard list.

Under the elongated hood, the SLS AMG Roadster won"t differ mechanically from its tin-top twin featuring the same 6.3-litre V8 powerplant with 571HP and 650Nm (479 lb-ft) of torque. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission will handle the delivery to the rear wheels. However, buyers should expect some minor losses in performance because of the added weight of the body-strengthening measures, which compensate for the removal of the rooftop.

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Say Again? Lamborghini Sesto Elemento up for Sale in Germany...

Unless we"re missing something here or we"ve somehow managed to imitate Marty McFly and travel into the future, Lamborghini"s Paris Motor Show Sesto Elemento lightweight supercar remains a one-off concept model - at least officially and for now.

That said, we find it hard to explain the sale of the car by German luxury and supercar dealer, Auto Salon Singen, on Mobile.de. In the description, the alleged seller claims that Lamborghini will build 10 examples of the Sesto Elemento, but they won"t be street legal. The price of the... future supercar is set at €2,261,900 including 19% VAT (tax), or just shy of US$3 million. Any explanation(s) are welcome.

Hat tip to Marcus for the find!

Link: Mobile

*All photos are from the concept model

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