The brand new Koenigsegg Agera R is capable of sprinting from 0 to 200 kph in 7.5 seconds and then it only needs 4.9 seconds to stop.

Koenigsegg officials have raveled the technical specs of the new Agera R. The Swedes’ latest product sprints from 0 to 100 kph in 2.9 seconds, and from 0 to 200 kph in 7.5 seconds. Moreover, the top speed of this supercar is of 420 kph. And the braking times are impressive, too, as Koenigsegg Agera R can sprint to 200 kph and then stop in a total time of 12.4 seconds. With E85 gasoline, Agera R delivers 1,115 HP and 1,200 Nm, while the customers that will use regular gasoline will only enjoy 940 HP and 1,100 Nm.

The new Koenigsegg creation is 4.29 m long, 1.99 m wide and ha hight of only 1.12 m. The wheelbase of Agera R is of 2.66 m. The Swedish supercar weighs in 1,330 kg with a 45 / 55 weight distribution. Koenigsegg Agera R features a twin-turbocharged V8 engine, but the displacement of the V8 powering the supercar is still a mystery.

But Koenigsegg are proud to announce that the passengers of their supercar can experience forces of up to 1.6 G and enjoy an average fuel consumption of only 15 l/100 km.

Koenigsegg Agera R

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Nissan estimates that about 1,300 Infiniti M, FX, and EX units have been destroyed by the Japanese tsunami waves. Other 1,000 Nissan units, among them 370Z model, add to the number of vehicles swept away by tsunami.

The Japanese continue to count the losses caused by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami waves produced at the end of the last week. In the same situation are the automakers that owned production lines and dealerships in that area.

Nissan Group published today a press release announcing that the Japanese tsunami damaged at least 2,300 cars, waiting on the Pacific coast to be loaded and transported to USA. From the 2,300 cars damaged, it seems that 1,300 are M, EX and FX units of the Nissan premium division, Infiniti, for the US market. The Japanese vehicles were in a parking lot next to the loading point when the tsunami wave hit.

Nissan cars swept away by the Japanese tsunami wave

In the same Nissan press release it is said that among the cars damaged by the Japanese tsunami were some Nissan 370Z units, as well. Pictures show a pile of Nissan and Inifiniti cars, many of them ending in flames. The cars damaged in Hitachi harbor were built at the Japanese plant in Tochigi, close to the area affected by the tsunami waves.

In Miyagi area, hit by tsunami too, other 1,000 cars built for the local dealerships were damaged by the destroying wave.

The Japanese earthquake produced on Friday, 90 miles away from the Japanese coast, seriously affected the activity of the Japanese brands. Four Japanese automakers seen their production affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

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Sergio Marchionne, Fiat CEO, decided that the New Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato to enter production. It will be produced in a limited series in the Fiat plant, in Mexico.

At Geneva Motor Show 2010 the Zagato designers came with their own version of Fiat 500 Coupe. It attracted a lot of looks, so Sergio Marchionne decided that the small city car, wearing Zagato’s signature to enter production, and to be built in the Fiat plant in Toluca, Mexico.

Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato will be built in a limited edition, but the number of copies to be built or the price have not been unveiled yet. The main change of 500 Coupe Zagato is the arching of the roof line, visible when compared with the series version.

Under the hood of famous designer’s creation we would find a TwinAir engine, developed by Fiat PowerTrain, producing 105 HP at 5,500 rpm and a torque of 155 Nm at 2,500 rpm.

Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato

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All 12 Toyota plants in Japan have stopped their production, at least until March 16. Other Japanese corporations might follow their example.

Toyota officials announced they will stop production in all the Japanese plants, at least until March 16. As a result of this planned production stop, the Japanese of Toyota will produce 40,000 units less at the end of this year. All 12 Toyota plants in Japan will halt their production for preventing any accidents or deaths, that might be caused during another earthquake in Japan.

Toyota built 234,045 cars in Japan in January 2011. The biggest automaker in Japan and in the world builds 38% of the cars they sell annually on the domestic market. Because of this production stoppage, Toyota shares dropped %7.7, reaching 3.320 yens. Meanwhile, the Nikkei 225 index dropped %6.1, so Toyota shares drop was expected.

Toyota Logo

Some of the Toyota plants were closed since Friday, because of the earthquake. Honda, Nissan, Subaru and other big Japanese brands (like Sony) closed their factories that day. Rumor has it that the other big Japanese companies will do the same as Toyota. In addition, besides lowering the risks, the production stoppage also lowers the power consumption, now Japan providing energy. with one nuclear plant shut down.

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An anonymous source inside GM said that the American giant might develop a cheaper version of Chevrolet Volt, at the expense of a smaller mileage.

While the new Chevrolet Volt have not been launched on the markets yet, Chevrolet is seriously thinking at developing a cheaper version of it. The cheap Volt might be a rival of the hybrid and diesel models with smaller prices and will have a mileage of around 20 miles in full electric mode. Chevrolet Volt can run in full electric mode between 25 and 50 miles, then the internal combustion engine starts to recharge the batteries. The exception is the barrier of 100 mph, when the engine starts automatically.

According to some sources inside General Motors and quoted by Favstocks, Chevrolet might cut off $10,000 from the production price of Volt, only be redesigning in, raising the production numbers, a new battery, or a combination of the three. As well, they might reduce the autonomy in full electric model, a move that would increase the fuel consumption and the CO2 emissions, but would transform Chevrolet Volt into a cheaper car.

For now, GM officials didn’t speak about the rumor. Chevrolet Volt would have a major advantage, at least on the US market, if it has a starting price of $31,000, getting support from the US Government, that would offer a price reduction based on environmental funds specifically collected. On the other hand, increasing Volt’s production might lead to other problems, as the dealerships are already overworked, as the plant producing Volt’s batteries is already working at full capacity.

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A unit of the fastest Ferrari in history was seriously damaged on a highway in Germany. The driver lost control of the car at 130 kph and hit the protection fence.

Even though is one of the rarest exotic apparitions of the moment (only 599 units being scheduled for production), it seems Ferrari 599 GTO is not immune to unpleasant incidents. Tagged as the most powerful and fastest Ferrari ever made, 599 GTO has all the ingredients of an exotic car crash.

A unit of the Maranello supercar ended bad on a highway in Germany. Behind the steering wheel of the Ferrari 599 GTO involved in the crash was Peter Stoll, Honorary Consul in El Salvador, established in Germany. It seems that Stoll tried to overtake another car, at a speed of 130 kph, and lost the control of the Italian supercar, hitting the protection fence.

The driver had no serious injuries, but the Ferrari 599 GTO is not looking too nice after the crash. Stoll will fix the car with the help of Ferrari, but until everything is solved, the German will have to drive a Maserati.

This is not the first crash of a Ferrari 599 GTO, as the Italian supercar was involved in an easier accident, in Great Britain. Chris Evans’ 599 GTO was hit in the parking lot by a friend. The only damages to the car were some scratches of the spoiler.

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Artega presented at Geneva Motor Show 2011 the electric supercar, SE. The Model is powered by two electric motors together developing not less than 380 HP.

The German automaker, Artega, prepared for this year’s edition of Geneva Motor Show, an electric version of their Artega GT. Named Artega SE, acronym for Sport Electric, the new product is underpinned by the petrol engine version of the model.

The coupe is powered by two electric units, one for every traction wheel, capable of working independently, but together developing a power of 380 HP. The resources are enough to give the electric concept better performances than of the Artega GT.

So, Artega SE sprints from 0 to 100 kph in 4.3 seconds, 0.5 seconds faster than the petrol powered version. The top speed is pretty high for an electric powered vehicle, 250 kph. The performances are possible thanks to the low weight, of only 1,400 kg, with an 43:57 weight ratio.

A lithium-polymer batteries pack keep the electric motors alive, with a capacity of 37 kWh and nominal voltage of 350 V. The automaker announced that the new Artega SE will be capable of offering an official 300 km mileage. For a fast complete recharge of the batteries, Artega SE needs 90 minutes.

The German automaker have not ruled out the production version of Artega SE, but rumor has it that only a small number will be built.

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Jeep is set to launch a B segment SUV in 2013. The model will borrow the design language of Wrangler and apply it on a Fiat B segment platform.

The Jeep line-up will extend in 2013, when it will also include a subcompact car. The model will be an SUV, which will be underpinned by a platform of the Fiat Group. Rumor has it that the platform will be the one of Fiat Grand Punto, but this information was not confirmed yet by the officials of the Fiat – Chrylser alliance. The model will feature Fiat JTD engines, the 1.3-liter and 1.6-liter units, next to 1.4-liter MultiAir engines. The entry-level version will only feature front-wheel drive, with the flagship will have four wheel drive.

The new Jeep model will have a look reminiscent of Wrangler and wants to attack the segment opened by Nissan Juke. Regarding the optionals, the model will offer premium materials and equipment, for attracting young customers. Jeep officials are delighted by the first sketches of the next model and believe that the next B segment SUV will be a very special model.

Regarding the design of the new model, a Jeep official said that it will have a Wrangler-inspired front grille. Of course, the size will be adapted to the dimensions of the smallest model of Jeep line-up.

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Ford promises that the next generation of the Mustang muscle car will try to satisfy the demands of a global public. The design of the sports model will be sketched by the design studios in US, Europe and Australia.

After Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo, another traditional Ford model will become a global product, starting with the new generation. We’re talking about the legendary muscle car, Mustang, Ford wants to sell to the customers world wide.

In order to have success on high levels, the American model will have to adopt a completely new design, resulted from the collaboration of three design studios of the Blue Oval: from US, Europe and Australia.

Derrick Kuzak, responsible for developing the sports model, said: “It is a common process we [now] use on every vehicle. When we embark on a new product, particularly one that is all new, it involves all of the studios. Then J [Mays] and the design team pick the best of those themes.”

A recent example for the collaboration between Ford’s design studios is the birth of the Ranger Wildtrack edition, a project with Australian origins, but European design lines. The new generation Mustang will have its market debut in 2014.

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Mansory prepared a tuning package for the Ferrari 458 Italia supercar. Named Siracusa, the package comes with a bit more power under the hood and carbon fiber aerodynamic elements.

Mansory have built a special tuning kit for Ferrari 458 Italia, named Siracusa. The package includes both aesthetic and technical tweaks.  Thanks to the revisions of the guys specialized in tuning exotic models, Ferrari 458 Italia Siracusa now features 590 HP and a torque of 560 Nm. Now, the Italian supercar sprints from 0 to 100 kph in 3.2 seconds and tops 330 kph.

The aerodynamic kit, designed by Mansory, is based on carbon fiber materials and features: a front bumper extension, rear diffuser, an small spoiler and air intakes for the thresholds. According to Mansory, the elements manage to increase the downforce on both axles, even though 458 Italia now weighs in 70 kg less than stock.

The tuner also prepared 20″ rims for the front and 21″ for the rear, wearing Michelin PS2 performance tires. The suspension was modified too, for enhanced handling. Inside, the Suracusa package brings custom leather trim, and a series of carbon fiber insertions.

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