Archive for Automotive Videos

After launching a twin pair of turbocharge M SUVs with automatic transmissions, BMW M has gone back to its roots with a new car called the BMW M3 GTS, which it says has pure M genes. The specs list certain looks pretty drool-worthy, the kind that gets you excited even thinking about it.

See, the M3 is a fast car. It’s a really, really fast car, especially once the high-revving V8 gets up to its prime revolutions, you get kicked back into your seat quite violently and the engine screams along to extract a peak of 414hp from its 4.0 liters of capacity. But that’s not enough for the GTS – BMW has upped the displacement from 4.0 liters to 4.4 liters, so the engine makes 450 horses now, mated to a 7-speed M DCT twin clutch transmission with remapped transmission logic.

BMW has dropped some weight here and there from various parts of the car, including the use of lighter seats, a titanium rear silencer, removal of the air conditioning system (like the E46 M3 CSL), etc. BMW has also added rollover protection mounts at the B-column, a fire extinguisher, and a battery master emergency shut-off switch which shows the car’s true race intentions, as if the large rear wing wasn’t enough.

The large wing is functional, as is the adjustable front splitter. While the car is moving, the pressure which builds up in front of the vehicle above the panel of the front splitter which is parallel to the ground is much greater than in the free stream of air below it. This creates downforce.

No doubt many were disappointed when BMW announced they were not going to make a new CSL but they certainly made up for it with this new GTS. The price of the M3 GTS is expected to be 115,000 Euros in Germany, including 19% VAT. The cars will be built to order and the first will roll out in May 2010. It will initially only be available in Germany but other countries will be possible from summer 2010 onwards.

Click here to read the rest of New BMW M3 GTS with larger 4.4L V8

BMW has released a new BMW TV app for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. It’s available free at the iPhone store. Basically you can view BMW TV videos from the app, but it’s not like you couldn’t do that already via the iPhone/iPod Touch’s YouTube app and the BMW YouTube Channel. Watch a video about the app after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of BMW TV now available at the App Store

We probably won’t see Mercedes-Benz Malaysia offering the E-Class Wagon here in Malaysia but for wagon lovers you’ll probably enjoy these videos.

Click here to read the rest of 3 promo footages of the W212 E-Class Wagon

Mercedes-Benz decided to showcase its new E-Class Estate’s interior capacity by building a 400 meter long slot car track inside it. A publicity stunt no doubt but still makes an interesting watch. Look for the video after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: 400 meter slot car track in a W212 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate

A production company by name of Bandito Garage has released a new 2 minute 20 second-long promotional footage of the BMW M3 Coupe titled “Living in the Lights”. The video was shot in Los Angeles and is centered around the M3 Coupe giving a gorgeous lady the ride of her life.

The production crew shot about 15 different angles and used high-tech equipment like state of the art camera cars and gyro stabilized Pursuit Cranes.

Continue reading to watch the awesome video.

Click here to read the rest of Awesome promo footage of the BMW M3 Coupe

The MINI brand’s advertising quite often never features an actual MINI at all, as with this latest promotional clip featuring the difference of what MINI claims as ‘MINI drivers’ and ‘non-MINI drivers’. “MINI drivers can be recognized by the mixture of lust for life, individuality and spontaneity. No matter what, they do not take themselves and their life too serious. We simply call it the MINI attitude” – the exact words BMW used to describe MINI drivers. Do you agree with that?

Whether you do or not, enjoy the clip after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: MINI Driver vs non-MINI Driver

Here’s a few shots of the Lexus LFA supercar live from the Tokyo Motorshow 2009 this morning, which was pretty much the most exciting exhibit at the Toyota and Lexus displays as the rest of the cars had already been unveiled in press release and product image form before the motorshow. Only a certain ‘2 seater supercar’ had been withheld until the motorshow press day itself.

The LFA really sounded great in real life thanks to its high-revving V10 with individual throttle bodies. Can’t say the same about its looks though. The individual design elements don’t really seem to gel together that well.

Anyway, words can only say so much. After the jump you’ll find a few things – live shots of the LFA, two product shots of the LFA, and a video of the Lexus LFA unveiling at the motorshow this morning.

Click here to read the rest of Lexus LFA: live motorshow shots and 2 videos

I have for your viewing pleasure a total of six videos on the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. The new AMG-only sportscar is powered by a 6.2 liter V8 putting out 571 PS at 6,800rpm and 792Nm of torque at 4,750rpm. The engine is similiar to the bread and butter normally aspirated 6.2 liter V8 AMG engine designated M156, but in the SLS AMG it is called the M159 and has a few changes including a new intake system, revised valves and cams, and a dry sump instead of a wet sump. It’s a modern take on the 300SL Gullwing, but still retains its old school looks in a nice blend of retro-futurism.

Watch the videos after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of 6 videos on the new Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG!

The latest generation Megane has been given the Renault Sport touch. Under the hood is a 250 horsepower twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0 liter inline-4 motor that puts out 340Nm of torque at 3,000rpm, with 80% of that available from as low as 1,900rpm. That puts it well over the power figures that the Mk6 Golf GTI manages to make.

The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual transmission, and provides for a 0 to 100km/h acceleration time of about 6.1 seconds. The 2.0 liter turbo engine is claimed to be 25% new compared to the Megane F1 Team R26 engine. It has new intake ports, reinforced pistons and conrods, new air-air and water-oil intercoolers, sodium-cooled valves, and new piston ring carriers.

The Megane RS is one of the few C-segment hot hatches that actually gives the buyer the option of two chassis configurations – the Sport chassis which is more of an everyday hot hatch kinda thing, and the Cup chassis which is more track-focused, perhaps like the Civic Type R. The Cup option even has an optional mechanical LSD provided by GKN Driveline, which is seen as something that’s getting abit rare lately with cheaper performance cars. The pure LSD is slowly being replaced by e-LSDs.

There’s also a cool tool called the Renault Sport Monitor, which is basically an on-board telemetry system. It provides various readings (controllable via the steering wheel) such as turbo boost pressure, oil temp, brake status, real-time engine performance data, a G-meter, a stopwatch with memory functions and various counter features such as 0 to 100km/h acceleration times and 400m times.

Look after the jump for a full gallery and video of the car.

Click here to read the rest of New Megane Renault Sport: details and photos

Like wagons? Good. Like Mercedes-Benz wagons? Even better. And to top it all off, there’s some very nice European countryside greenery for those who have yet to make it for an Eurotrip. Here’s a nice promo footage clip of the estate-bodied W212 E-Class AMG in action. UPDATE: Added footage of regular wagon. Watch the clips after the jump.

Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate