For those who can’t get enough of the new BMW 7-Series whether it’s to ogle at it or bang its designers or just admire the new technologies BMW has put into the 7-Series and hope for it to trickle down to the 3-Series as far as possible, here are more videos on the new 7-Series. Look after the jump for each video and a description of what’s in the video. Click here to read the rest of A collection of new BMW 7-Series videos
A television ad that Lancia produced for its new Delta hatchback has angered China as it touched on the sensitive issue on Tibet’s attempts to gain independence from China.
The commercial shows actor Richard Gere driving the Lancia Delta in a Tibetan village where he makes a hand print in the snow with a young Tibetan monk. Richard Gere has been well known to speak out publicly against China’s Tibet policies. The ad ends with the message “The power to be different”… a hidden (or not so hidden) message about Tibet not wanting to be a part of China? Delta is also the symbol of “difference” in maths.
Fiat has issued an apology to the People’s Republic of China over an misinterpretations of its position of neutrality and said that the use of Richard Gere in the ad does not mean Fiat endorsed his political views, however a top Fiat official said the ad was “politically advanced” and since Lancia did not sell cars in China, it was free to comment on the whole Tibet-China issue.
Unfortunately Fiat does sells cars in China, albeit that is another hairy situation as it does not actually have any cars to sell now, still being in a transition period from its partnership with Nanjing to its new partnership with Chery.
View the “offending” ad after the jump. Click here to read the rest of Lancia Delta “Richard Gere” TV Commercial
The BMW 7-Series has always been a very important car to look at for those who loves BMWs. As the flagship model, new design cues and technology more often than not makes its debut on the 7-Series first and then slowly trickles down the rest of the model range. Let’s have a close look at the new F01 7-Series after the jump. Click here to read the rest of New BMW 7-Series (F01) Specifications and Photos
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The facelifted Kia Optima (known as the Magentis in Europe) is now on sale in the Korean market as the Kia Lotze Innovation. Interestingly Kia has decided to offer two different stylings for the car like what Honda is doing with its Accord. One has a more mature styling (the original) while the other is sportier, but strangely Kia has decided to offer both in the same market.
The previous design is now called the Kia Lotze Advance while the new car is called the Kia Lotze Innovation. Perhaps this is because there are some who prefer the more grown-up outlook of the pre-facelift car.
Look after the jump for more details on the facelifted Lotze. Click here to read the rest of Kia Lotze Innovation: facelifted Optima in Korea
While we’re on the topic of the Honda Jazz, let’s take a look at how the previous version was marketed. It’s logical for Honda to market the Jazz with “fun” ads as they are positioning it as a fun car. We’ve seen a Tetris-inspired TV commercial for the Honda Jazz showing how the Jazz’s versatile boot space can be filled with a whole load of stuff if you know how to arrange it properly.
In this blog post we’ll be having a look at this ad by Foote Cone Belding for Honda Australia, inspired by the Thomas and the Tank Engine world. It features the first generation Honda Jazz. The narrative is by Tony Robinson with creative direction by Scott Lambert. The ad was directed by Michael Cusack.
View the video after the jump. Click here to read the rest of Honda Jazz “Ever So Nice” TV Commercial
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Volkswagen actually has a sedan variant of the Polo called the Volkswagen Polo Classic, and it has been in existence ever since the first generation Polo which had its sedan counterpart called the Volkswagen Derby.
Production bases of the current Polo Classic are located in Brazil, South Africa and China. Australia receives the Polo Classic from the base in China, and the model is the first right hand drive Chinese-manufactured car to be exported to a “developed country”.
In the South African market, it is available with three petrol engines (1.4 with 83hp, 1.6 with 100hp and 2.0 with 114hp) and one turbodiesel, the 1.9 TDI (100hp, 240Nm). Volkswagen plans to introduce it in the Indian market soon, probably with a 1.4 TDI engine like the Fabia that is offered there.
Cars such as the Polo Classic sedan are important for car manufacturers as with rising global fuel prices, more and more customers are downsizing their vehicle choices in terms of size, and for sedan-centric markets this means sedan vehicles have to be developed for vehicle segments that have been traditionally filled with hatchbacks. When a sedan model is planned as part of the model line-up from the beginning the vehicle can end up looking very good, like the Mazda 2 sedan.
Look after the jump for two TV commercials featuring the Polo Classic. Click here to read the rest of Volkswagen Polo Classic Sedan
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The mysterious Ferrari that had been sighted on tracks like the Nurburgring had finally been revealed as the Ferrari California GT in May this year, and many photos have been released of the new GT convertible with a folding hard top.
After the jump you will find a few videos of the new Ferrari GT, including one showing how the folding hard top works. Click here to read the rest of F149 Ferrari California Videos
The Volkswagen Scirocco will only be on sale in Europe this summer. The car uses the Golf GTI’s chassis and thus shares the same wheelbase, but has a wider track thanks to components lifted from the Volkswagen Passat CC.
The 2.0 liter TFSI model is not the EA113 we have grown to love installed in cars such as the B7 Audi A4, the second generation Audi TT and the Volkswagen Golf GTI, despite having the same bore. It is actually a new engine family with an EA888 codename. Word is that new batches of the above cars all have the new EA888 engine instead of the older EA113. One way of identifying it is a chain drive instead of a belt drive. The new EA888 engine is also much more boost friendly as the block is more hardy.
You will find after the jump 4 videos of the Scirocco’s interior as well as motion shots. Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Volkswagen Scirocco In Motion
F1 driver Nick Heidfeld takes us through a walkthrough of two of the world’s Formula 1 tracks - Montreal and Monaco. The vocal walkthroughs are accompanied by fantastic cockpit views that show us just how fast F1 cars go through the circuit.
Watch the two videos after the jump. Click here to read the rest of VIDEO: Montreal and Monaco Circuit Walkthrough
Honda Japan has added one more vehicle to its line-up, the Honda Freed MPV. Based on the Global Small Platform which underpins cars such as the Honda Fit as well as the Freed’s more boxy cousin the Honda Mobilio/Mobilio Spike, the Honda Freed is powered by the new L-Series 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine (118 PS at 6,600rpm, 144Nm at 4,800rpm) mated to a CVT gearbox with a torque converter as its start-up device. It has 3 different seating configurations: a 5-seater, a 7-seater (2,2,3 with second row captain’s seats) and an 8-seater (2,3,3).
The Fit platform’s innovative flat floor allows maximum interior space to be used (Honda claims to be able to carry a 27 inch bicycle without taking off wheels or handle bars), and Honda says the 7-seater seating layout allows any passenger in any row to exit via any door thanks to a “walk through layout”. Looking at an image of the 7-seater interior seating configuration found after the jump, they are probably right as there is a clear empty space between the front two seats as well. The 8-seater version uses a 60:40 split fold bench for the second row.
The dashboard gets Honda’s latest two-tiered design, with both speedo, RPM and multi-info display located at the top deck nearest to the windscreen for easier visibility. The lower deck hosts the air conditioning controls and the gear shifter. Smack in the middle of the two decks in a rather high position is the 2-DIN player - a high position like this could allow the rear passengers to view it easily in case an in-dash LCD screen with DVD player is installed.
The front suspension design is of the MacPherson strut layout while the rear is a H-shaped torsion beam to minimise interior intrusion of suspension components. The Honda Freed uses an Electric Power Steering system, and safety features include ISOFIX points for child seats, optional Vehicle Stability Assist, and a maximum configurable option of 8 airbags including front, side, curtain and third row side airbags. Certain models have HID headlamps, but all lenses are reflector lenses.
As Honda model offerings are regional, the Honda Freed is not likely to make its way anywhere to the ASEAN region unless the Japan office gives the green light. The Honda Fit is sold over here as the Jazz, but you could say the Jazz platform-derived Mobilio looks too boxy for regional tastes. The Honda Freed is a new execution of a Global Small Platform car that can carry more than 5 people with design cues that should be very acceptable here.
More images after the jump. Click here to read the rest of New Honda Freed MPV with up to 8 seats
