Daily Archives: June 16, 2012

Mild facelift for Vauxhall Astra

June 16, 2012   simon

The Vauxhall Astra 5 door hatch and estate have received a mild front- and rear-end facelift along with a more powerful diesel engine and a variety of new technology-related options.  Both body styles get a new front grille, new front indicator lamps and a new design of fog lamp (where fitted). The rear of both models has also been refreshed, with new rear-panel styling complemented by a chrome lower moulding.The most important addition to the range is the Astra GTC 2.0 CDTi BiTurbo, which will become the most powerful non-VXR model in the range, producing 195PS and 400Nm of torque. 0-60mph arrives in 7.8 seconds and the top speed is 139mph, but fuel consumption is nevertheless 53.3mpg and CO2 emissions are 139g/km. All BiTurbos are fitted with Start/Stop system as standard.
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Renault electric car does 1,005 miles – in a day

June 16, 2012   simon

A Renault Zoe (a Clio-sized hatchback due to go on sale shortly) has run for just over 1,000 miles in 24 hours to demonstrate its range and fast-charging system.The distance of 1,005 miles, achieved on the speed ring at the Aubevoye technical centre (CTA) in Normandy, France, was 26% further than the previous record of 795 miles. The record attempt was helped by the use of Renault’s new Chameleon charger. This makes Zoe compatible with any socket and any power level. Zoe was therefore able to be fast-charged at 43 kW, regaining 80% of battery capacity in under thirty minutes – that is a charging rate you definitely should not try at home.
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Battery breakthrough for electric cars?

June 16, 2012   simon

A123, the company that supplies batteries for the Fisker Karma, claims to have made a “game changing” breakthrough.It says it has developed a lithium-ion battery pack that may need no external cooling or heating, being happy to operate at any temperature between plus 45 degrees and minus 30 degrees. So what, you might ask? Well, the problems with keeping lithium batteries cool in a car was the main reason why they took around 10 years longer to get into cars than into mobile phones or laptops.
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Nissan to support British soldiers via Le Mans

June 16, 2012   simon

Nissan will donate £1 for every mile completed by the 14 Nissan-powered entrants at this year’s Le Mans 24 hours. Most racing cars of Nissan’s type that complete the 24 hour race can expect to cover approximately 2,750 miles, depending on weather conditions and the number of laps behind the safety car. Thus, if all 14 Nissan-powered cars completed the race without major stops for repairs (slightly unrealistic we know), the total raised would be up to £38,500.
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Aston Martin double at Le Mans

June 16, 2012   simon

As well as competing with the Vantage at this year’s Le Mans, Aston Martin is returning to the circuit with its 1959 Le Mans winning DBR1, as a tribute to its drivers Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori, who passed away in recent weeks.The world-famous DBR1 will travel to Le Mans this week where it will be on display outside Aston Martin’s hospitality suite at the Parc du Raccordement, near to the start of the pit straight.
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