Infiniti Launches Limited Edition EX30d Black Premium in Europe, Throws in Special VIP Pass

A new special edition version of the diesel-powered EX30d crossover has joined Infiniti's European lineup. Production of the EX30d Black Premium will be limited to 150 units to be shared among all of the firm's European markets, with all buyers receiving a special VIP membership to a selection of high-class hotels and restaurants, usually available only by invitation.

All examples are finished in an exclusive for the EX Malbec Black paint. Other features include 19-inch five double-spoke alloy wheels, sunroof, polished aluminium roof rails, Bose sound system, graphite leather interior and, aluminium and black lacquer trims.

The EX30d Black Premium is motivated by a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 diesel delivering 238-horsepower and 550Nm or 405 lb-ft of peak torque. Matted to a standard 7-speed automatic transmission, the V6 turbo diesel propels the EX30d to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.9 seconds and returns a combined fuel economy of 8.4 lt/100km (28mpg US or 33.6mpg UK) with 224 g/km of CO2.

As part of the package, all buyers will receive a two-year membership in the exclusive Relais & Châteaux Club 5C. According to the company, with this VIP pass owners will be "looked after more like house guests than hotel customers." In addition, each of the special EXs comes with a Lys d'Argent, valid for a double room for one night, dinner with drinks and breakfast for two people in one of more than 200 Relais & Châteaux hotels around the world.

The EX Black Premium is available to order now, with pricing in the UK starting from £45,671.

Lexus Tries to Lure UK Buyers with Special Edition IS Advance Models

Lexus has announced the availability of a pair of new special edition cars for the UK market called the IS 250 and IS 200d Advance. As is common with most special or limited edition models these days, the new IS cars are distinguished by the added -and not unique- features to the standard equipment.

Based on the regular SE specification, the new IS 250 and 200d Advance models come equipped with a hard disc drive (HDD) satellite navigation system, rear parking camera, heated electrically adjustable front seats, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, rain-sensing windscreen wipers and an auto-dimming rear view mirror.

These extras would normally cost an arm and leg if they were to be added to the SE separately, but in this case, the new Advance IS 250 costs just an extra £340 compared its SE equivalent (£26,495 on-the-road), with the diesel-powered IS 200d coming in at an additional £130 (£24,995).

Both cars are on sale in the UK now.

Smart Brings Some Color to Fortwo with New Nightorange Limited Edition

Over the years, Daimler's Smart unit has introduced many limited edition models of its Fortwo micro car such as the 'Three', 'Hello Kitty' and 'GB-10'. This time around, Smart has presented a more sporty looking special edition of the Fortwo called the Nightorange.

Naturally, the most eye-catching part of this limited edition model is the paint-job which combines an exclusive orange metallic finish combined with a black Tridion safety cell and black 3-double-spoke alloy wheels fitted with tires in size 175/55 R15 at the front and 195/50 R15 at the rear. The car also features black painted headlamp trims, black mirror caps and nightorange logos in the mirror triangles.

The same color theme is continued in the interior with the black seats in a mix of leather and fabric sporting an orange stripe in the center, as does the knee pad in leather look. Contrast components such as the instrument trims are painted in pearl black, while the 3-spoke sports steering wheel with gearshift paddles and the gear knob are covered with black nappa leather.

Standard features include an audio system with AUX/USB interfaces and two loudspeakers, electric windows, air conditioning with automatic temperature control, and a transparent panoramic roof with sunblind (coupe).

Customers can choose between three engine variants -two petrol versions with 71HP and 84HP and a more frugal diesel model producing 54HP- and two body styles -coupe or convertible.

In Europe, the two seater limited edition model can be ordered now with first deliveries to customers beginning on February 22. In Germany, prices range from €13,995 to €18,345 [US$18,750 to$24,600].

MR Car Design Tunes 374-horse Audi Q7 V8 TDI, Brings its Styling in Line with the Facelift Model

The pre-facelift Audi Q7 4.2 TDI is the focus of MR Car Design's latest tune. The German firm starts off with the exterior styling of the large SUV, bringing it in line with the refreshed Q7. The kit includes a front bumper with LED daytime running lights, new headlamps and LED tail lights. There's also a new set of 22-inch wheels wrapped in 265/35-22 rubber, while interior improvements are limited to an available sports steering wheel sourced from the RS6.

Under the hood, MR Car Design's engineers managed to squeeze another 48-horses and 110Nm from the 4.2-liter turbocharged V8 diesel, lifting output from 326HP to 374HP, and peak torque from 760Nm to 870Nm. They also removed the electronic speed limiter.

Other available performance upgrades include an electronic module for the suspension that lowers the Q7's ride height.

2010 BMW 1-Series: Coupe Gets 2.0-liter Engines, New Sport and LifeStyle Editions for the Hatch

BMW's 1-Series range is entering the 2010 model year with two new engines returning up to 52.mpg US for the coupe and two additional special edition versions for the three- and five-door hatchback models. Starting off with the 1 Series Coupe, the Bavarian automaker is enhancing the two-door model's lineup with the addition of the 120i Coupe that is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder direct-injection gasoline engine developing 170HP at 6,700 rpm and peak torque of 210Nm /155 lb-ft at 4,250 rpm.

The gasoline engine accelerates the 120i Coupe from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 7.8 seconds and offers a top speed of 224km/h or 149 mph. Average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle is rated at 6.6lt/100km or 35.7mpg US with CO2 emissions of 153gr/km.

The second new model to join the range is the 118d Coupe that features a 2.0-liter turbo diesel churning out 143HP at 4,000 rpm and 300Nm /221 lb-ft of torque between 1,750 and 2,500 rpm. With this power plant that is linked to a 6-speed manual gearbox, the 118d Coupe goes from a standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in 9.0 seconds and reaches a top speed of 210km/h or 130mph while returning an average fuel consumption of just 4.5lt/100km or 53.2mpg US with a CO2 emission rating of 119gr/km.

Both the 118d and 120i Coupe will be go on sale in Europe in September.

Other new models as of September 2009 are the Lifestyle and Sport Editions which will be available with all engine variants of the three- and five-door hatchback versions of the 1-Series. Highlights of the Lifestyle Edition include the exclusive Marrakesh Brown Metallic paint with matching interior trim and upholstery, additional exterior components in body color and chrome-plated tailpipes as well as specific 17-inch light-alloy rims in five-spoke design.

The Sport Edition models come as standard with the M Sports Package which includes the M Aerodynamics Package, a sports suspension set-up as well as 17-inch light-alloy wheels in dual-spoke design. Furthermore, the BMW 130i and BMW 123d feature 18-inch light-alloy wheels in Ferric Grey paintwork available as an option also on the other model variants.

Other features included in the package are the Blackline rear lights, exterior components in body colour, Shadow Line on the window shaft covers and side window surrounds, foglamps and chrome-plated tailpipes on the exhaust

Inside, the Sport Edition comes with a set of front passenger sport seats, chrome-plated entry trim bearing the name "BMW Edition", stainless-steel pedals, an M footrest, an M sports steering wheel, an M gearshift lever in soft nappa leather, interior trim in Aluminium Glacier Silver and roof lining in anthracite color.

BMW to Debut New 3.0-liter Twin Turbo Diesel with 306HP on 735d

BMW has confirmed the development of a new and more powerful version of its acclaimed 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged straight-six diesel engine. The new 3.0-litre TwinPower Turbo diesel unit that churns out a maximum output of 306 horsepower at 4,400 rpm with a peak torque of 600 Nm or 442 lb-ft at just 1,500 rpm, will replace the current 3.0-liter inline-six diesel in the 735d, 335d, X5 35d etc that produces 286HP at 4,400 rpm and 580Nm or 428 lb-ft at 1,750 rpm.

The Bavarian automaker supports that while the new engine is more powerful than its predecessor, at the same time it offers some 4 percent lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions - not bad. BMW said that the 3.0-litre TwinPower Turbo diesel will make its premiere on the 735d later on this year with other models following soon after.

Via: Autoblog.nl , Source: BMW - Photos: 730d,

Mazda5 MPV gets New 115HP 1.6-liter Turbo Diesel in Europe, Returns 5.2lt/100km - 45 MPG

Targeting better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions, Mazda has announced that the European market Mazda5 minivan is now available with a new 1.6-liter 4-cylinder diesel engine, which replaces the previous 2.0-liter unit.

“For the engine line-up of the new Mazda5, we placed emphasis on environmental performance and fuel economy. This aim led us to use Mazda’s 2.0-liter direct-injection petrol engine with i-stop, and to replace the 2.0-liter diesel engine with a newly developed 1.6-liter turbo diesel unit that leads the class in low CO2 emission levels”, said Hideki Matsuoka, Program Manager Mazda5.

Thanks to its smaller displacement and aluminum alloy block, the new powerplant is a whopping 120 kg (265 lbs) lighter than the 2.0-liter diesel it replaces, without sacrificing performance. In fact, with 115HP and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of torque, the turbocharged four-pot produces +5HP, while using 14.8% less fuel in the combined cycle (5.2 lt/100 km or 45 US mpg) and emitting 13.2 percent less CO2 (138 g/km).

The new engine is also Euro5 compliant. It does this by using a low compression ratio (16:1) and an efficient exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler and bypass system. Other features of the MZ-CD 1.6 unit are the piezo injectors, variable-geometry turbocharger and maintenance-free diesel particulate filter (DPF) system.

The Mazda5 MZ-CD 1.6 accelerates from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 13.7 seconds and can reach a top speed of 180 km/h (112 mph).

All Mazda5s come as standard with power-adjustable side mirrors, manual air conditioning, driver seat height adjustment, power windows, power door locks and four-speaker radio. The safety equipment list includes six airbags, ABS, dynamic stability control (DSC), electric brake-force distribution (EBD), brake assist and traction control (TCS).