We never thought we’d see the day when someone would have to sweeten the deal to sell a car as eminently desirable as a Bugatti Veyron. But with the economy still putt-putting its way down the road to recovery, there are plenty of wealthy collectors looking to free up some liquid assets. That means a buyer’s market, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see everything this side of the proverbial kitchen sink thrown in to seal the deal.

This, however, looks far more enticing than a porcelain fixture. The owner of this Veyron – monochromatically decked out in French Racing Blue – apparently had this Mercedes-Benz Atego transporter painted to match. As you can see from the photo, the truck’s precious-cargo box tilts back and a ramp slides out to get the supercar in with a minimum of fuss.

Oh, and the Bugatti itself? It’s a 2007 model with 7,728 kilometers (4,800 miles) on the odometer, a matching dark blue interior and, together with the matching truck, is up for grabs on JamesList from the Netherlands with a €895,000 ($1,264,815) price tag.

The 2010 North American International Auto Show is where the global automotive community will once again come together to hear and see the latest information and products in our industry. In addition to numerous new vehicle premieres, both worldwide and national, the 2010 NAIAS will include some of the automotive world’s most eagerly anticipated news and products

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• Be security conscious. If your insurer knows that you take necessary precautions to keep your car safe, then they will be likely to give you a cheaper quote. Fit an alarm system and a tracker to your car, which is likely to shave some pounds from your premium. Where possible park your car in a garage overnight, or as close to your house as possible. This will deter thieves and vandals and is also likely to knock a few pennies off your overall quote.
• Don’t modify your car. Even though modifying your car may seem tempting to improve its appearance or strengthen its engine, insurers don’t take to car modifications lightly. Making the engine stronger means that the car will be more likely to be involved in an accident; therefore it will be more expensive to insure. By making your car more appealing aesthetically, your car will be more appealing to thieves and vandals- again, possibly making your premium more expensive.
• Take a Pass Plus course. By taking an extra course after you have passed your driving test, you can dramatically decrease your car insurance quotes. These courses see you driving in different conditions, i.e. In different weather or on motorways, and can give you more confidence when driving. Courses such as Pass Plus have been known to take up to 10% off your car insurance quotes.
• Compare premiums online. The insurance market is buoyant, meaning that several firms are competing for your business. Compare car insurance on a price comparison site, like moneysupermarket.com to help give you insight to what is available on the market.

Photo Credit: RoadandTrack.com

Want proof that hybrids can be exciting? Just check out BMW’s new concept that will be debuting at the Frankfurt auto show. With a turbo-diesel engine, Lamborghini-like doors that pivot upwards, and extreme styling, this plug-in full hybrid BMW is one of the most, if not the most electrifying hybrid we’ve seen yet.

Photo Credit: RoadandTrack.com

The Vision EfficientDynamics concept is loaded with technology that enables incredible performance and efficiency. It has one electric motor at each axel, powered by lithium-polymer batteries which can be recharged in just 2.5 hours when plugged into a 220-volt outlet.

Photo Credit: RoadandTrack.com

The 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbo-diesel that produces 163 hp and 214 lb.-ft. or torque is combined with the electric motors to generate a total system output of 356 hp and 590 lb.-ft. of torque. With a relatively low curb weight of 3076 lb., the 6-speed twin-clutch gearbox launches the Vision EfficientDynamics concept from a standstill to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds. While its top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph, the vehicle could easily exceed this. Its super aerodynamic body allows it an average fuel economy of 62.6 mpg.

Photo Credit: RoadandTrack.com

BMW’s pitch on how great the X6 ActiveHybrid is goes like this: it’s the world’s most powerful hybrid vehicle, fuel consumption is reduced about 20 percent compared to a similar vehicle without a hybrid drivetrain, and no matter what speed you’re going, the incredibly complicated powertrain is performing at the most efficient level possible. All of this power means that the X6 hybrid is no sluggish Toyota Prius, offering frugal but unexciting performance. On the other hand, the size and weight of BMW’s luxury hybrid crossover means that, well, the X6 hybrid is no Prius in the mileage department, either.

Let’s start by congratulating BMW for bringing its first batch of hybrids to market (the 7 Series ActiveHybrid is launching alongside the X6). In everyday traffic, the hybrid system helps keep fuel consumption down – to a still-lame 18 mpg combined (estimated) – and, since the engine can shut down at stops, the ultra-quiet interior made sitting in Miami traffic during our preview drive almost a pleasure. Nevertheless, there’s still a lot of vehicle here that hampers any attempt at real fuel efficiency gains. The X6 ActiveHybrid weighs 5,688 pounds for crying out loud – 400 pounds more than the non-hybrid. This vehicle simply doesn’t makes a lot of sense for anyone actually interested in fuel efficiency.

The ActiveHybrid powertrain in the X6 is a complex animal, being that it’s made up of a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 engine, two electric motors (one that puts out 91 hp and a smaller brother that manages 86 hp), three planetary gearsets and a 2.4 kWh NiMH battery pack. All that machinery manages to produce 357 kW (485 horsepower) and 780 Nm (575 pound-feet) of torque. This is what BMW has created out of the two-mode hybrid system that the Bavarians co-developed with General Motors and Mercedes (think Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and Benz S400 Hybrid). BMW claims its hybrid SUV can achieve fuel efficiency of up to 9.9 l/100 km (about 24 mpg U.S.) on the European drive cycle, but during our a few hours in the 2010 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid Sports Activity Coupe, we averaged just 14.8 liters (16 mpg U.S.).

On the way to 16 mpg, the X6 ActiveHybrid performs like one expects a BMW to. It wasn’t possible to test the handling much on the straight and clogged streets of southern Florida, but the CUV had plenty of punch for entering highways – the 0-to-60 mph time is a quick 5.4 seconds – and keeping up with traffic was a doddle. Power, be it electric or gasoline-fueled, was readily available whenever we touched the accelerator pedal. As much as the drivetrain offered, we didn’t get anywhere near the vehicle’s electronically limited top speed of 130 mph due to traffic. The good news is that there’s no need to go fast to enjoy the drive: at any speed, the X6 offers a comfortable cruise, with bumps and other annoyances passed over with ease. Also, the X6 ActiveHybrid’s electrical steering feels about as good as any hydraulic system ever has - at least in these non-challenging circumstances.

For all the work that BMW engineers did to make the X6 ActiveHybrid burn less fuel, they haven’t chosen to apply some of those same easy tricks across the X6 lineup. For proof, take a look at those special aerodynamic wheels that are available only on the gasoline-electric version of the X6. While they do reduce emissions by 0.1 grams of CO2 per kilometer, don’t try to order them for your standard X6. The reason? BMW wants to give its first hybrid in the U.S. a distinctive look and those special wheels are one way the driver can make a statement. All is not lost, though, and BMW told us that making the aero wheels an option on the standard X6 is “in discussion.”

Of course, the real efficiency gains come from the battery, not the wheels. The liquid-cooled 2.4 kWh NiMH battery pack sits between and above the rear wheels, offering the powertrain 1.4 kWh of its total power. The part-electric set-up gives the X6 four operating modes: eDrive, eBoost, Charge and Drive. eDrive is the most efficient and uses nothing but electrons to attain up to 37 mph for up to 1.6 miles. It’s not a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), but it works great in parking lots and during stop-and-go traffic like we experienced in Miami. eDrive doesn’t help drivers who like to engage the manual shifter, however, as it’s available only when the transmission is in D, not in manual shift mode. eBoost, on the other hand, uses the two electric motors to boost the internal combustion engine’s performance when needed and is the reason this beast never feels sluggish. ‘Charge’ mode means the regenerative brakes are capturing energy that would normally be lost from the discs, and finally, ‘Drive’ just means the X6 is using nothing but the V8 to move forward.

The good news is that the complicated transmission of power goes completely unnoticed, showing that BMW’s engineers have done a tremendous job of blending the vehicle’s electric and gasoline-fed powerplants. Shifts are wonderfully smooth and the switch from electric to hybrid to pure gasoline drive just happens. You can hear the changes if you pay close attention – and there is an analog display under the speedometer showing the battery’s state of charge and whether or not it is charging up – but the best way to tell what is happening under the hood is to have the drive mode displayed on the iDrive’s info screen.

Even though there are two different brake systems on the X6 ActiveHybrid, don’t look to the brake pedal to reveal which is engaging. The brake pedal is decoupled from the actual brake system and uses simulated feedback to tell the driver what is happening. Most of the time (up to 0.3 Gs), only the electric motors are used to brake the X6 ActiveHybrid. In other situations (read: emergency or sudden stop), the standard friction brakes kick in. The decoupled simulation is meant to make sure the driver experiences the same feeling at all times, and it easily passes for the real thing. Because the regenerative brake system in the X6 uses both electric motors, it is able to capture about 25 times more energy than the company’s other regen systems. This isn’t as big a deal as it sounds, since BMW’s Brake Energy Regeneration is fairly wimpy. The two 60 kW motors are theoretically capable of capturing up to 120 kW of energy, but the battery can only handle 57 kW.

The X6’s design has its fans and detractors, but the Kammback shape does help the X6 stand out – for now. We can deal with the hood hump – excuse us, PowerDome – and the tall rear end most of the time, but from inside, the design is troubling. Backing-up is terrible, and the rearview mirror only serves to make the back of the car look like it’s a million miles away. Luckily, BMW has installed an almost-magical back-up camera system, which, like Infiniti’s Around View Monitor, uses cameras built into the rear end and under the side mirrors of the X6. When driving backwards, an image appears on the navigation screen that looks like a camera is floating above the car and showing the close surroundings. Using this screen and the curved side mirrors, it’s possible to back out of a garage or parking spot safely. Trying to do so just by turning your head? Not so much.

While we’re still waiting for the EPA’s official figures, BMW expects the X6 ActiveHybrid will to achieve 17 mpg in the city, 19 on the highway and 18 combined. That’s better (except on the highway) than what the best non-hybrid X6 can muster: 15/21/17 for the 2010 X6 xDrive35i. A better comparison for the X6 ActiveHybrid is to the X6 xDrive50i, which also has a V8 engine and gets 13/18/15. The X6 ActiveHybrid goes on sale in the U.S. next month and will be built in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The starting price is $89,775 (including an $875 destination and delivery charge), which would make it even more expensive than the 555-hp X6 M.

In the end, we’re not sure who will want the X6 ActiveHybrid. Most likely they’ll be people who own an aging BMW X5 and want something new with more power and no penalty at the pump (at least compared to the rest of the X6 lineup). If past popularity of big BMWs is any indication, there is certainly a market for the X6 ActiveHybrid. Today, about 20 percent of BMW sales are X models. Introduced in 1999, the X5 was the brand’s first SUV and remains the most popular, with 911,000 sales. The X3 has sold 554,000 and the X6, introduced just last year, has already sold 57,000 units.

We need more time with this big hybrid crossover to be sure, but based on our short drive, the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid will probably not find itself on our shopping list. All that extra hardware (and weight) and what we expect will be the highest price of any X6 model is balanced only by a marginal gain in MPGs. For us, although it’s a laudable technological achievement, the value just doesn’t add up.

[Source: Autoblog]

With its latest creation, the CLR 730 RS, it seems that Lumma Design is making a play for the title of Europe’s most garish tuner. However, this two-tone widebody BMW M5 is actually subtle compared to previous Lumma Design models, and we think the title still firmly remains with Mansory.

So what’s special about the CLR 730 RS? For starters, 730 horsepower. The 50% increase in chutzpah comes from a set of twin-superchargers courtesy of G-Power, and Lumma Design claims an impressive top speed of 228 mph. Additional performance upgrades come in the form of a sport suspension, six-piston front and four-piston rear brakes, and an upgraded exhaust system.

The candy cane interior of the CLR 730 RS is even more over-the-top than the outside, with a combination of carbon fiber, leather, and suede. It’s not really our style, but we would probably be more accepting of it in a more subtle color.

[Source: Lumma Design]

PRESS RELEASE:

With a unique combination of High Tech engineering and an innovative, solely for maximum power constructed design, LUMMA Design introduces, in cooperation with G-Power, one of the fastest limousine worldwide. Do you need a true-bred sports car for a spectacular appearance? By no means! With this unique sports limousine CLR 730 RS LUMMA Design, basic vehicle BMW M5 E60, benches many sport cars. Ten cylinders, bi compressor engine, 730 hp and 700 Nm. Is there any room for improvement? Definitely not! The new LCR 730 RS from LUMMA Design is a commitment to racing. But also concerning style and luxury the CLR 730 RS goes strong.

Aerodynamics is of elementary importance to get a more then 360 km/h maximum speed. The body of the BMW M5 is improved with ultra light but extremely compact carbon components. The LUMMA Bodykit “CLR 730 RS” consist of a hood, a trunk lid with integrated tearing edge, mirror caps, door handles, entrance strips and fenders - all made of carbon.

The LUMMA chassis brings true racing technology on the street. The sport suspension is multiple adjustable on both axles in bound and rebound and lowering the car up to 45 mm.

Extra light and forged wheels were produced for the ultra broad track. On the front axle are LUMMA Racing rims in 10×21″ with tires size 255/30-21, on the rear axle 12Jx21 with tires from Michelin size 295/25-21. The wheelwork is three piece crafted, the rim star is forged, and dull black anodized and has stainless steel outer rims.

Because of the combination of lightweight, enormous engine power and innovative aerodynamics the LUMMA CLR 730 RS from Winterlingen achieves acceleration times which were so far only subject to true race cars. The 730 hp V10 bi-compressor engine obstructed from G-power is the most powerful engine that has ever been obstructed into a road-legal BMW. Off the top off one’s head the car catapults itself within 4.2 seconds up to speed 100. After 10 seconds the sport limousine has already doubled the speed. After 29.5 seconds the car achieves 300 km/h. Top speed is at 367,4 km/h. This power explosion is traced back to the core of the G-Power compressor system, the ASA radial compressor. Also used is a LUMMA sport exhaust system with 100 cells racing catalysts and 105 mm end pipes made of stainless steel and engraved LUMMA logo.

Of course LUMMA Design does not count on the original brake system. Also at this the best just isn’t good enough. LUMMA Design obstructed a 6-pistons (rear axle 4-pistons) brake system, which affects on the front- and rear axle on a drilled brake disc dimension 405 mm (380 mm).

The cockpit of the CLR 730 RS unites a pure racing look in a combination of carbon, leather and Ultra suede with the comfort that is nowadays expected from a luxury sport car. The comfort features are: a bicolor complete leather interior in red/white with stitched diamond patterns and white fancy seems. The Ultra suede improvement includes the dashboard, the seat consoles and the coverages. All panels on the dashboard and the center console, the transmission control, the steering wheel, the hand brake lever and the backside of the sport seats are beautified with carbon. Finally everything is completed by suede car mats edged with leather, a trunk mat and sporty aluminum pedals and a footrest.

Bugatti invited us to the first unveiling of its new 16C Galibier Concept on U.S. soil at a special event in Southern California last week. While we have all seen the press images from its debut in Molsheim last month, the select in-person preview gave us an excellent opportunity to talk with Bugatti about the concept, scrutinize the vehicle up close, and to actually spend some time sitting inside the passenger cabin.

Introduced as the automaker’s first modern four-door sedan, the 16C Galibier Concept is a close look at what the production 16C Galibier will resemble when it goes on sale in about three years (with a sales price estimated to be about $1.6 million). While it’s engineered to be a sedan without peers – and we have no reason to question Bugatti’s ability to accomplish this objective – the mechanical aspects of the Galibier will have to take a back seat to its design until the production model arrives in 2012.

In this rarefied automotive segment, the utilitarian value of the vehicle is absent. Vehicles are purchased for their design – that physical aura – and their historical distinction. Performance is expected.

Standing three feet from the exposed deep blue carbon-fiber and polished aluminum bodywork of the 16C Galibier Concept, our jaws dropped. The first modern four-door from Bugatti is absolutely striking in the flesh.

It starts up front. If a person’s eyes are the windows to his or her soul, the sculpted headlamps of the Galibier speak volumes about the company’s century-long history and attention to detail. Set deep within their buckets, miniature LED bulbs circle the main lens. Bracketing the perimeter of each lens are two more rings emitting a bluish light – these irises are emblazoned with the illuminated Bugatti logo. Each headlamp bucket is detailed by a softly glowing white frame. The detail is mesmerizing, and it continues throughout the vehicle.

Take that prominent Type 57 Atlantic “spine” for example. It runs from the nose to the tail and intersects no fewer than three different body construction materials. Unfettered, Bugatti designers whisked it off the trailing edge of the bonnet as a tiny barb, continued it up the windshield in the form of a polished metal rod supporting the mirror, and then dropped it back down the rear hatch as an illuminated third brake light. It is unique, and it integrates extremely well with the flowing lines of the teardrop theme.

The most controversial styling of the 16C Galibier is found in the rear. Admittedly, in photographs it does look a biological twin to the Porsche Panamera. However, the additional sculptural detailing in the Bugatti – including a prominent taper as the “spine” drops below the beltline – differentiates the two quite smartly in the flesh. Eight individual polished exhaust pipes, and tail lamps as hypnotizing as the headlamps, incontestably define the Galibier as the prize horse at the show.

The cabin of the 16C Galibier is presented with four bucket seats – each with an artfully sculpted aluminum headrest support. Primary analog instrumentation (speedometer and horsepower gauge) prominently occupy the center of the dashboard for all passengers to see. Secondary digital instrumentation is contained on a large display set behind the steering wheel. The center console housing the flush transmission selector is rather uncluttered. It continues into the rear passenger compartment where it mimics a flying buttress – open at the bottom. It is both functional, and elegant.

Our six-foot two-inch frame fit well in all seating positions. Settled into the Concept’s comfortable front seat, outward visibility is better than average. No doubt, most of the credit goes to the oversized exterior mirrors that eliminate much of the guessing and make the blind spots manageable. While passengers in the rear won’t get to enjoy driving the sedan, the back seats are very accommodating and offer plenty of room. Large windows add to the airy feel and dispel any thoughts of claustrophobia.

As a concept – albeit one rather smartly-finished prototype – the 16C Galibier is very much a work-in-progress, says Bugatti. While the vehicle appears close to production, there are still countless details continuously being refined.

As of now, we know that the powerplant shares its 8.0-liter W-16 architecture with the Veyron, but the quad-turbo arrangement has been dropped in favor of twin superchargers. In addition, a new 8-speed transmission is expected to replace the 7-speed DSG. The final horsepower figures for the all-wheel drive Galibier have not been released, but Bugatti promises that when it arrives in the next few years, it will be the fastest and most powerful four-passenger sedan on the planet – and one stunning piece of fine art.

[Source: Autoblog]