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Mitsubishi partner Fast & Furious Live global tour

Fans of The Fast & Furious movie franchise who aren’t happy waiting a couple of years for the release of the next installment, will be happy to know that the F&F Live show exists. During this live event, a number of supped up performance cars will be driven around the arena in a manner that closely resemble maneuvers depicted in the movies.

Mitsubishi UK has decided to partner the live show by providing several stunt and support vehicles. Cars that will perform these stunts include a Lancer Evolution that is part of a unique interactive segment of Fast & Furious Live. A fleet of Mitsubishi L200/Triton pickup trucks will be tasked with assisting the show’s production team.

“We’re extremely pleased to welcome Mitsubishi’s turbocharged presence to our live-arena production,” said James Cooke-Priest, CEO, Fast Live Productions. “The audience will expect to see this famously fast Japanese brand mixing it up in the live action, and we’re very excited at the support Mitsubishi is providing the show.”

The Japanese automaker has had a long and illustrious relationship with the movie franchise since the The Fast and The Furious first hit the silver screen. Brian O’ Conner’s (Paul Walker) Green Mitsubishi Eclipse, Yellow Mitsubishi Evolution VII and Roman Pierce’s (Tyrese) Purple Eclipse Spider, are sometimes revered more than the show’s stars.

And with Fast & Furious Live, Fast Live Productions, the maker of the show plans on rekindling some of the action packed and adrenaline pumping scenes of F&F. It aims to recreate stunts depicted in the movies with cars and locations that criss-cross the various installments. Key scenes will be recreated via state-of-the-art 3D projection mapping.

The show’s producers say that the experience will transport fans straight into an immersive extension of the Fast & Furious movies. Fast & Furious Live’s global tour will kick off in the UK in January of 2018. If you would like to know more about it, CLICK HERE.

Bugatti sells 75 Chirons this year

This year has rewarded Bugatti with a decent level of properity. It’s highly-acclaimed hypercar, the Chiron has been well received by fans and customers alike. So much so, that the automaker has managed to fulfill it’s quota of selling 70 vehicles this year. This brings the total vehicles made to about 300 from a maximum of 500 Chiron cars that will ever be built.

Wolfgang Dürheimer, President of Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S. said, “It is a tremendous success for the entire Bugatti team that we have already reached the target of 70 vehicles in the first full year of production of the Chiron. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all our suppliers for their commitment and delivery compliance.”

So far, 43% of sales of the Chiron have come from various parts of Europe, 26% have come North America, 23% from the Middle East and 8% from the Asia-Pacific region. Production of the mind-bending Chiron started in 2016 with first customer deliveries beginning sometime in March of this year.

Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim, Alsace serves as the car’s production area. And the process of building a single vehicle, takes tremendous amount of time and a number of skilled technicians working together. The vehicle is powered by an 8.0-litre W16 engine that produces 1,479bhp. Until recently, it’s performance was unrivaled, but that changed once Koenigsegg wanted a piece of the action.

Genesis recognized for its designs

The Genesis GV80 Concept SUV and G80 Sport mid-luxury sedan both picked up accolades at the 2017 GOOD DESIGN® awards. Organised by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design, this recognition lends credence to the notion that the automaker is fully able to produce some spectacular looking vehicles.

Genesis joins other transportation, electronic, consumer and lifestyle product brands at this year’s award ceremony. The GV80 Concept is the automaker’s interpretation of a luxury yet versatile SUV. It combines suave looks with cutting edge technology and performance. The G80 however is an improvement over its predecessor both in terms of power and styling.

“We believe in the power of design to seduce and inspire the human spirit,” said Erwin Raphael, General Manager of Genesis Motor America. “We’re pleased that GOOD DESIGN® is a mainstay recognition going well into its seventh decade and couldn’t be happier to accept their acknowledgement of our dedication to design.”

The GOOD DESIGN® awards is the oldest of its kind, founded in 1950 by designers, Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and by architecture historian and philanthropist, Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. Each year, a panel of experts get together in San Francisco and New York to review award-worthy products from 46 different countries then decides the winners.

New Infiniti could signal directional shift

Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury sub-brand has released a teaser image of a new sleek concept car. It will officially be unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, January 2018. The automaker says that the car will take the look of a traditional sedan to the next stage of evolution.

Based on first impressions, the car should have angular contours that builds upon Infiniti’s sporty design language. Blessed with fluidic contours that seem to be concentrated toward the front fascia, the new car is poised to be a show stopper.. Sporting a muscular stance, this Infiniti will herald in a new era for the brand.

Though details surrounding performance are a bit sketchy at the moment, Infiniti did say that it that will have smarter, more compact and less intrusive powertrains. This could lead many to suspect that the new car will have some sort of hybrid powertrain.

Whatever the case maybe, we will know for sure next month when the car graces the auto show in Detroit alongside its retro-modern cousin, Prototype 9, another special creation. If Infiniti keeps this momentum going, it could be on its way to win several awards in 2019.

New Honda Insight is marked improvement over predecessor

Honda is gearing up for the unveil of its all new Insight at the upcoming North American International Auto Show that will take place in January. The unveil will be of a prototype vehicle that will serve as a precursor to the actual production version, slated for launch later next year.

Unlike its predecessor, the new Insight will feature a sedan body-style and be positioned above the Civic as a refined family car. Sporting a similar silhouette to the current generation Civic, the 2019 Insight inherits the rather handsome and front grille of the Accord but with sleeker contours.

As for the rear, the automaker has chosen a less cluttered approach to the design, fitting angular LED taillights that slightly resemble those from a certain German manufacturer. That said, the entire design, is a step in the right direction. Where the second generation Insight resembled a MPV, the new one forgoes that look for a more business-like one.

“With its sophisticated styling, dynamic stance, ample interior space and best-in-class performance, the all-new Insight embodies Honda’s approach to creating electrified vehicles without the typical tradeoffs,” said, Henio Arcangeli, Jr., senior vice president of Automobile Sales and general manager of the Honda Division, American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

“You won’t have to be an electrification advocate to appreciate the new Insight – it’s a great car in its own right, independent of what’s happening under the hood,” he later added.

Honda says that the new Insight will come with premium features and the performance that will win over the favour of many. Its two-motor hybrid powertrain will be able to provide all the benefits of a hybrid but none of the compromises.

Cars bound for the North American market will be built at Honda’s Greensburg, Indiana plant, alongside Civic and CR-V. This latest addition to the family is part of the Japanese automaker’s plan, that by 2030, two-thirds of its products will consist of only electrified vehicles.

Red Edition Focus RS to be launched soon

Ford has decided to introduce a limited edition Focus RS just in time for the holidays. Called the RS Red Edition, with just 300 examples salted for production, will feature a Race Red exterior, grey brake calipers, black cast alloy wheels as well as contrasting black roof, door mirrors and rear spoiler.

Like the special edition RS, this one also gets a front mechanical Quaife limited-slip differential (LSD). This clever tech provides the car with better traction to the wheel that needs it most. As such, during hard cornering, the Focus RS will be able to deliver impressive levels of grip and stability.

“The Focus RS Edition represents accessible performance at its finest”, said Andy Barratt, chairman and managing director, Ford of Britain. “As RS production nears its end, we wanted to celebrate with a limited run of cars for those who want to stand out as an RS fan.”

The car is available to order now at Ford dealerships but its production will only begin in February of 2018. As such, this jolly red Focus RS won’t be rolling out in time for this Christmas but we are sure many enthusiasts wouldn’t mind the wait.

In general, the latest Focus RS is a technological masterpiece, it crams sports car-like performance into a compact package. Powered by a 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine, all-wheel-drive and a Limited Slip Differential, it’s a hot hatch that can give certain supercars a run for their money.

Top 10 list of appreciating classics

Ever thought of buying a car for investment purposes? Most naysayers will have you believe that purchasing a vehicle with the sole intention of selling it on for a profit, is a waste of time. But in actual fact, not only is that possible, but certain enthusiasts have managed to turn the idea into a profitable business.

The key is to purchase a vehicle that has a certain value, the same value that may appreciate overtime. This depends on certain factors that include rarity, desirability and driving enjoyment. This is what hpi, a UK based automotive data company plans on accomplishing. They have listed 10 classic cars that may increase in value in the not so distant future.

Motoring expert Clive Owen has shortlisted these cars based on the following criteria: cheap to acquire, are holding their values and could potentially become future collectors’ items. The list of said vehicles are:

Vauxhall VX 220
Peugeot 205 GTi
Audi TT MKI 3.2
BMW Z3
Citroen C6
Rover Mini
Alfa Romeo GTV
Nissan Cube
Mazda RX8

Regarding the topic, Owen said, “Classic cars have shot up in value over the last few years and in many cases represent a great investment opportunity. Classics in particular are snapped up by collectors and enthusiasts, so prices are constantly on the rise.”

He added, “The trick is how best to spot trends before they take place and maybe even try to redefine what is actually recognized as a classic. Future classics don’t necessarily have to be decades old, luxurious or expensive to begin with.”

Apart from vehicular investment advice, hpi also offers online vehicle evaluations services allowing consumers the ability to buy and sell cars with confidence. Adding to that, it also provides potential buyers with ownership costs over a vehicle’s lifespan and precise depreciation figures.

VW says AI no threat to mankind

The advancement in autonomous tech have lead many automakers to create their own in-house data centres filled with powerful computers. That said, we shouldn’t expect a Skynet-like artificial intelligence (AI) revolution in the near future – atleast that’s what Prof. Dr. Patrick van der Smagt, Head of AI Research at the VW’s Data Lab says.

The centre is currently working on machine learning, enabling programs to link data, analyze interconnections and make predictions. But the company’s long term plan is to invest time and energy into neural networking. Through this, they will be able to make use of probability theory.

VW will have the ability to enable algorithms to learn by always independently taking the optimum decision from the mathematical point of view in real-time. Evidently, this is a far-cry from the robotic apocalypse movies like ‘The Terminator’ would have us believe about artificial intelligence.

Van Dee Smart says that its human nature that we subconsciously attribute human behavior or even consciousness to systems such as this. But the reality of it is, the algorithm learns by examining the intended data by utilising the laws of mathematical probability. In layman’s terms, computers will become increasingly better at mathematics.

One of Data Labs’ missions is to explore the possibilities of independent learning algorithms. This is because the technology has a wide array of applications including helping skilled workers control complex logistics and production processes even more effectively.

So, will there be an android uprising in the near future? According to VW, that won’t be possible. All AI systems are capable of at the moment, is examining data, and making computational predictions to shorten and simplify processes.

Morgan sign partnership for new EV

Morgan Motor Company, an automaker best known for producing classic three-wheeled vehicles, has entered into a technical partnership with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems. The move is a nod to the impending release of the company’s new EV.

Called the EV3, the vehicle which was first revealed in 2016, will be the British automaker’s first model that will feature an all-electric drivetrain. Despite this, the car still retains familiar design cues seen on previous generation cars.

Unlike most automakers, Morgan’s design inspiration comes from 1930s Aero-engine race cars, classic motorcycles and 1950s fantasy automatons. The EV3 combines this vintage tubular styling with new technology to deliver a raw driving experience and traditional British craftsmanship.

Regarding the tie-up, Steve Morris, Managing Director of Morgan Motor Company, said, “We are delighted to announce our technical partnership with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems as we enter this exciting phase of EV3 production.”

He added, “We have been working closely on optimizing the EV3’s architecture in every way to develop a car which will offer proven reliability range and cooling performance, combined with the pure driving experience that is expected of every hand-crafted Morgan.”

As a result of the partnership with Frazer-Nash Energy Systems, Morgan will be able to utilize certain technologies that will allow further development of the EV3. It will come with all-new, more robust architecture, greater levels of torque, a stiffer chassis and under-slung battery.

Enclosed within the tubular space frame chassis sits a 21 KWh Lithium Battery and a liquid-cooled 34.8kW (41.8kW peak) motor that drives the rear wheel. On a full charge, the EV3 will be able to travel a full 193km without needing a recharge. This, the automaker says will be enough to allow for the kind of driving pleasure that is absent in the EV industry.

The Morgan EV3 is expected to enter production in 2018 and thanks to Frazer-Nash Energy Systems, will have greater performance and rapid charging technology. Once launched, the EV3 will be part of a niche market, offering enthusiasts unrivaled driving enjoyment.

New Chevy Silverado is mean and tough

Chevrolet has updated its Silverado pick-up truck, making it tougher and more masculine than before. Completely new from the ground up, higher grade alloy has been used in the roll-formed, high-strength-steel bed floor, contributing to a bed that is more functional and lighter.

This manufacturing process and the idea of combining several metals, have been adopted for the construction of other parts of this truck as well. As a result, the new Silverado is significantly lighter than the outgoing one, but with no reduction in toughness.

Performance has been bumped up too, and when combined with the Z71 package, enables the truck to go just about anywhere. Adding to that, with the new vehicle, Chevrolet is offering a plethora of options that include engine/transmission combinations, tech and others.

The 2019 Silverado builds upon the modern design advances in Chevrolet’s history of industry-leading pick-up designs. Its current truck is a culmination of decades of experience from developing models such as the Advance Design trucks of the 1950s and the C/K series of the 1960s.

According to the automaker, this new 2019 Silverado will make its public debut in January 2018 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.The event will coincide with the the fact its been 100 years since the first Chevy trucks were delivered to customers.

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English

Mitsubishi partner Fast & Furious Live global tour

Bugatti sells 75 Chirons this year

Genesis recognized for its designs

New Infiniti could signal directional shift

New Honda Insight is marked improvement over predecessor

Red Edition Focus RS to be launched soon

Top 10 list of appreciating classics

VW says AI no threat to mankind

Morgan sign partnership for new EV

New Chevy Silverado is mean and tough

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