MG6 Finally Gets Much Needed Diesel Variants in the UK

It's no secret that diesel engine options are necessary for any carmaker looking to succeed in the European market, even more so in mainstream segments.

Chinese-owned MG has been building and selling its MG6 in the UK since last summer, but up until now, it only offered a petrol engine in a category that's dominated by diesels, which in some models, make up for more than 80 percent of sales.

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New MG6 BTCC Edition Celebrates Brand's Return to British Racing Series

The reborn MG brand has whipped up a new special edition of its mid-size liftback model to mark its return to a major motorsports event and in particular, the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC).

The new MG6 BTCC Edition made its first appearance at the final round of the 2012 MSA Dunlop BTCC at Brands Hatch, where MGKX Momentum team driver Jason Plato finished third after taking the chequered flag six times during the racing season.

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MG Sets Kia as its Role Model to Achieve a Quick Rise in Europe

If you want to steal, steal from the best. It’s an old adage that still applies to the automotive world many times over, although no one is willing to admit it. The infamous Chris Bangle? Watch his “flame surfacing” on a large percentage of new cars around you right now.

Probably the best automotive “rags to riches” story in recent years is that of Kia. Having been around since 1944, it went belly-up during the Asian financial crisis in 1997. For most companies that would have been the end but not for the Korean manufacturer.

The Hyundai Motor Company acquired it and, investing heavily on European-based R&D facilities and plants, while also hiring former Audi designer Peter Schreyer who gave the cars a modern look, the carmaker's sales rose year after year to the point where production can’t keep up with demand.

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Scoop: MG 3 Supermini Filmed Testing in Europe

A little over a year after MG confirmed plans to offer the new MG3 supermini in Europe starting with the UK at the end of 2012, company engineers were spotted testing a prototype of the five-door hatchback in Spain.

The MG3 is the production version of the 2010 Zero Concept Car and is already offered in China in two body styles, a regular five-door hatch and a mud-loving faux-crossover version with a hoiked up ride height and plastic moldings named MG3 Xross, which may or may not be offered in Europe.

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MG XPower SV

MG XPower SV (Sport Veloce) is a sports car, which was produced by MG Rover. Produced in Modena, Italy and ending at Longbridge, United Kingdom, was based on the platform of anxiety Mangusta, formerly the De Tomaso Bigué.

After acquiring the anguish Automotive Srl of Italy, awarded MG Rover X80 project code and create a subsidiary, MG X80 Ltd. to produce a new model based on the Mangusta anxiety. One attraction is the potential sales in the U.S. since the Mangusta had already been approved for the U.S. market.

MG X80 was unveiled as a concept car in 2001. However, the style seen as static. When the production model, renamed the MG XPower SV, has finally launched the following year it was designer Peter Stevens has made the car a more aggressive style. Transformation of a clay model for a production car, including all applications, was completed in just 300 days of the Swedish company Caran. One objective was to obtain a list price of less than £ 100 000. original model of the car ended up costing 75,000 pounds ($ 150,000) with downgrade XPower SV-R model costs £ 82,000 ($ 164,000), despite the fact that several of the cars outside and interior parts were taken from the Fiat, past and present. The headlights, for example, the roof comes from a Punto Mk.2 and taillights borrowed from a Fiat Coupe.

The production process was complex, partly caused by the use of carbon fiber body panels. The basic body parts were made in the UK by SP Systems and then shipped to Belco Avia, near Turin for assembly into body panels. They then met in a full body and mounted on the frame of the picture frame and running gear and sent to the MG Rover factory in Longbridge to be cut and finished. According to MG XPower SV Club, about 82 cars were produced with the exception of four XP pre-production prototypes. This included a small number of pre-production car shown below were dismantled, before production was stopped due to lack of sales. Most were sold to private owners, with the finals being sold to customers in early 2008.

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German Grand Tourer jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. At that time, Mercedes-Benz owns 40 percent of the McLaren Group. Since the presence of the automatic transmission, front half of the bearing arrangement and its driving characteristics, some commentators to classify the SLR McLaren than the GT, which its competitors are vehicles such as Aston Martin DBS V12 and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano.

SLR stands for 'Sport, Leicht, Rennsport' (sport, light, racing). Mercedes-Benz, said they were going to build 3,500 SLR camera over a period of seven years with an annual production of 500 cars. base price of the car, GB £ 295,337 (about U.S. $ 450,000, € 351 269 CHF 500,000 or $ 499,999 C v. 2009), is the most expensive car in 2008 Ninth Street Legal.

The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren was inspired by the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR of 1955, based on the W196 F1 car, yet named after the road-going 300SL Gullwing. On 4 April 2008, Mercedes announced they would cease production of the SLR. The last of the coupes rolled off the production line at the end of 2007 and the roadster version was discontinued in early 2009.

SLR Sensotronic characteristics, the type of brake-by-wire. The brake discs are carbon-ceramic and provide better braking and fade resistance of steel discs when operating an excellent range of operating temperatures. Mercedes-Benz claims these discs are fade resistant to 1200 ° C (2200 ° F). The front discs are internally vented and 370 mm (15 inches) in diameter. 8 pins are used. The rear discs are 360 mm (14 inches) in diameter, 4 piston calipers. In wet conditions the calipers automatically skim the surface of the disc to dry. Rear View and the SLR McLaren RoadsterTo improve the braking power is an automatic air brake, when accompanied by the elevation angle of the rear spoiler is set to 65 degrees. In addition, the rear downforce in addition to a marked increase in aerodynamic drag increases peak deceleration ~ 90%.

Mazda RX8

Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. His first appearance in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. It is the successor to the RX-7, and like its predecessors in the RX area, it is driven by a rotary engine. RX-8 has begun sales in North America in 2004-model.

Mazda introduced vehicles with rotary engines in the United States in 1971, from R100, followed by the RX-2, RX-3 RX-4 RX-5, and finally three generations of RX-7 car sport. But the lack of comfort and convenience, combined with high prices and declining interest in sports cars and coupes now led to Mazda RX-7 drag in most major markets except Japan. After 1995, the Mazda suffered a relatively commonplace in the United States save the MX-5 Miata. As popular interest in the agreement and import performance cars has resurfaced in the 1990s, thanks in part to different cultural influences such as the popular Sony PlayStation game Gran Turismo  Japanese automakers waded back performance and the market for sports cars in the United States.

Additionally, Mazda has tried to reform itself, at the time, in part to finance services and management consulting, Ford and successfully developed a new range of desirable cars of high quality and excellent style driving dynamics, and the Mazda6 will start after the Mazda3, paving the way for the arrival of the next generation of Mazda's rotary sports car.

Development of the RX-8 can be attributed to the car as far in 1995 Mazda RX-01 concept, which included an initial iteration of the 13B-MSP. Naturally aspirated with side exhaust, this engine produces 220 hp (160 kW). As permitted by the financial statement of Mazda at that time and the growing interest in market SUV, the RX-01 has never seen the development or production. However, a 'skunkworks project' team of engineers in the development of Mazda 13B-MSP keeps alive with MX-5 Miata chassis, eventually attracting the attention of management at that time had been under the strong influence Ford. Development 13B-MSP peak and finally led to his debut with the nickname concept car RENESIS RX-Evolve have begun to look to the production RX-8 with the 'free style' rear suicide doors.

Design has been developed through a design contest for the tradition of Mazda engineering offices in Japan, the United States and Europe. The project has received official approval from senior management and, ultimately, the RX-8 concept car (design / engineering model) was produced and presented in 2001 to more closely resembling the production version. Near the production a reference to show, RX-8 has been shown shortly after the Tokyo Motor Show 2001, pending final approval for production. The production of the RX-8 recall this vehicle not only to cut the little details, and a work first began in February 2003, Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan situated.

Maserati GranTurismo

The vehicle was unveiled in 2007 Geneva Motor Show. Gran Turismo has a drag coefficient of 0.33. The standard version has a 4.2-liter V8 engine with 405 hp (298 kW, 399 hp) and 6-speed ZF automatic gearbox. The body was taken from the Maserati Quattroporte V with wishbone front suspension and dual multi-link rear.

The S version has a 4691 cc (4.691 L; 286.3 cu in) V8 engine rated 440 hp (324 kW, 434 hp) at 7,000 rpm and 490 Nm (ft £ 360 °) at 4750 rpm / min robot transmission with sequential 6-speed transaxle available before 47% and 53% rear weight distribution. shock absorbers standard steel set-up is preset with Skyhooks adaptive suspension comes as a possibility. the S version with manual robot was only available on the North American market in 2009 MY, but continues to be available to European customers. The vehicle was unveiled in 2008 Geneva Motor Show.

This is a limited production car, based on Gran Turismo MC Concept, but included the seat belts to 6 points, 120 L (32 U.S. gallons, 26 Imp gal) fuel tank, 380 mm (15.0 inch) front and 326 mm (12.8 in.) disc rear brake with 6-piston front and 4 piston rear calipers, go 11x18 wheels in front and 305/645/18 305/680 / 18 rear tires, shock absorbers of carbon fiber. The vehicle was unveiled at the Paul Ricard circuit in France. It is on sale in 2009-10 Maserati Corse with an MSRP of € 135 000.

This is a version of the Maserati GranTurismo S ZF 6-speed automatic standard on the base model of the vehicle Skyhook adaptive suspension, according to an alternate-port mini-skirts, 20-inch wheels and design 'Trident', standard Bluetooth and iPod interface. The vehicle was unveiled in 2009 Geneva Motor Show.