New Cars - Skoda reveals new Octavia vRS & Scout

Skoda has today released the first official images of its facelifted Octavia vRS and Octavia Scout.

Following the launch of the new Octavia late last year, the vRS and Scout have now also been updated to bring them into line with the current range and family face of Škoda.

The facelifted vRS has a redesigned front grille featuring the vRS logo and bold headlamps, which for the first time can be fitted with xenon headlights combined with the adaptive front lighting system.

The car has two more completely new features: front fog lamps with optional cornering function and LED lamps for daytime lighting. The rear lights have also been redesigned to look more attractive and new 18-inch Neptune alloy wheels are available.

Other changes to the vRS include a new metallic paint, Anthracite, and a lowered (now 127mm) sports-tuned chassis. The car is also lighter – the petrol version by 20kg and the diesel by 15kg. With reduced air resistance the maximum speed of the vRS is now higher and the car’s responsiveness and acceleration have also been improved.

The vRS is available with a choice of two powerplants, a 2.0-litre TFSI 150kW (petrol) or a 2.0-litre TDI 126kW (diesel) engine both of which are available with a six-speed manual twin-clutch DSG transmission.

The new Scout has a redesigned front grille, bold headlamps and body-coloured side mouldings. The front fog lights can be fitted with the optional cornering function and the large front bumper emphasises the car’s rugged appearance. A new metallic paint, Rosso Brunello, is also available across the Octavia range.

With 179mm ground clearance and efficient chassis protection, the Octavia Scout can also handle itself off-road. The all-wheel drive system features the fourth-generation Haldex clutch, which can transfer as much as 86 per cent of the torque to a single wheel.

The Scout is available with two engine choice, a 1.8-litre TSI 119kW (petrol) and 2.0-litre TDI 104kW (diesel) combined with a six-speed mechanical transmission.

Auto Show: GM to offer consumer test drives at NAIAS, other auto shows?

General Motors feels it has a lineup stuffed with vastly improved products and it wants to intend as many customers behind the wheel of a newborn Chevy, Cadillac, GMC or Buick to prove its point. Anyone can nous over to the topical concern for a effort drive, but the General is reportedly looking for modify more structure to intend you to evaluate a newborn GM product, including effort drives right at your topical auto show.

The city News reports that GM is employed with officials from COBO and the municipality of city to set up a driving route so that consumers can effort the automaker's products on-site. Vehicles probable be featured include newborn products such as the 2010 Buick LaCrosse, Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX. The effort drive Atlantic at COBO is reportedly part of GM's totally revamped 85,000 sq ft exhibit space, which includes more interactive displays and plentitude of areas to exhibit off newborn profession like direct injection and the Voltec system. Obviously, the General needed to make some field changes, since it won't need displays for Pontiac, Saab and Saturn in 2010.

Customer effort drives were piloted at the New England Auto Show early this year, where Cadillac reportedly put over 1,400 grouping behind the wheel. GM is also looking to set up drives at several another field shows, including metropolis in February, but the biggest push will take place in field metropolitan areas on the east and west coasts, where GM creation consideration is weakest.

Auto exhibit effort drives make amend sense, considering that jillions of showgoers listen these events every year. People who pay $12 to look at cars in a crammed and crowded convention center are probable the exact same grouping to intend agog about newborn products. Why not give them seat time and permit the word-of-mouth flow?

Link Relevant : Best Performance Auto

Auto News: 2011 Ford Mustang GT and 5.0-liter V8 unwrapped early

2011 Ford Mustang GT – Click above for gallery of images

Thanks to whatever embargo breaking that's already occurred, we've known for a hebdomad that the 2011 author Mustang GT would arrange a brand newborn 5.0-liter V8 producing 412 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque. We thought those tidbits might hold over the internet 'till the authorised embargo date lifts primeval next week, but we were criminal and therefore are ease awake at 1:30 AM on Christmas morning writing this post. Thanks to Jalopnik via MustangHeaven via BurlappCars, we have the first images of the 2011 Mustang GT and its newborn 5.0-liter V8.

You can feature more about whatever of the engine's info that have already leaked here, but let's meet verify a look see at what we've got. Kudos to author for leaving the engine's tippy top unadorned and we also dig those 5.0 badges on the engine and fenders. Nostalgia FTW – OMG! An old fat man with a profit of stuff meet crawled out of my fire place! I think he's a burglar. Gotta go hide the silver, Merry Christmas!

Link Relevant : Best Performance Auto