Car Pictures

The New Alfa Giulietta – Exclusive Photo’s

The Giulietta is the undisputed hero on the Alfa Romeo stand at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. A five-door hatchback, but with Alfa Romeo’s unmistakable architecture, the new Giulietta pay’s homage to the time-honoured history of the brand while at the same time, providing a new benchmark in the overcrowded and highly competitive C segment.

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LAND ROVER FREELANDER 2 TD4 E… Stop. Start. Intelligently!

Land Rover has launched the world’s first production sports utility vehicle (SUV) with fuel-saving, emissions-lowering intelligent stop-start technology in South Africa.

The Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4_e, launched in SA this week, combines the British manufacturer’s proven 2,2-litre TD4 turbodiesel engine and slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox with elements of the company’s aptly named e_Terrain technologies, of which an advanced stop-start system is the key component.

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NEW RENAULT MÉGANE COUPÉ

•    Dynamic styling highlights sporting heritage, elegance and exclusivity
•    Advanced design and construction for maximum robustness and quality
•    Impressive interior space with seating for three adults at the rear
•    High-tech features: Bluetooth connectivity, integrated Carminat TomTom navigation and custom-developed 3D Sound by Arkamys
•    Exemplary driving involvement from sports chassis and latest petrol engines
•    Strong safety and environmental credentials

The launch of Renault’s aspirational New Mégane Coupé embodies the dynamic verve of the Renault brand and its segment-defining New Mégane model range.

“New Mégane Coupé represents the state of the art, from the use of cutting edge all-digital technology as part of its design and development process, through to the sporting pedigree of its styling and driving characteristics,” explains Renault SA Managing Director, Xavier Gobille.

“It serves as an important image builder for Renault in South Africa, and will undoubtedly appeal to discerning motorists who demand uncompromising quality, contemporary style and a focus on pure driving enjoyment,” he says.

Sporting elegance

New Mégane Coupé focuses on providing motoring pleasure and performance, matched to exceptional looks and everyday practicality.

Derived from the Mégane Coupé Concept unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, the sleek new two-door coupé bears all the hallmarks of a future classic. A dazzling array of powerful visual elements combine to endow the New Mégane Coupé with an air of exclusivity and sporting agility.

Most notable among these are the prominent front air scoops, the sculpted headlamps and the flowing crease lines, together with the car’s muscular haunches, smoothly raked windscreen, sloping roofline and the air diffuser incorporated in the rear bumper.

Echoing the sophisticated interior of the New Mégane Hatch, it benefits from sportier, more supportive front seats. Yet the car remains thoroughly practical as a five-seater by using the same rear seat as the mainstream five-door Mégane. It also tops its segment with an outstanding luggage capacity of 377 dm3.

Adding to the tangible sense of quality, the cabin is characterised by the use of durable soft-touch dashboard materials, as well as a selection of interior trim that enhances comfort while creating a dark ambience with a distinctly sporty feel.

High-tech highlights

In line with its exclusive status, New Mégane Coupé offers an exceptional level of standard equipment. Certainly one of its most impressive features is the advanced 3D Sound by Arkamys audio system, custom-developed for the Mégane by digital sound processing specialist Arkamys. The impressive system boasts a peak output of 140 watts, powering a total of eight loudspeakers.

Connectivity also features prominently with the inclusion of RCA and USB slots for MP3 playback, while Bluetooth integration ensures safe cellphone communication on the move. Further practical items include dual-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, as well as rain and light sensors.

The range-topping Mégane Coupé 1.4 TCe (due in January 2010) is also equipped with the integrated Carminat TomTom navigation system, linked to an ergonomically placed joystick controller.

An involving drive

Initially New Mégane Coupé is available with an updated version of the accomplished 1,6-litre 16-valve engine. The normally aspirated unit has benefit from numerous refinements, and delivers improved performance at low and high revs, along with cushioned engine acoustics.

Maximum power is rated at 83 kW at 6 000 r/min, matched to a torque peak of 151 Nm at
4 250 r/min. It achieves an average fuel consumption of 6,9 l/100 km, and a CO2 emissions figure of 163 g/km.

Joining the line-up in January 2010, the sophisticated new-generation 1,4-litre turbocharged petrol unit employs Renault’s Turbo Control efficiency (TCe) to achieve the optimal mix between performance and frugality.

The advanced powerplant is rated at respective maximum power and torque outputs of 96 kW and 190 Nm, while consuming an average of just 6,5 litres/100 km and producing 156 g of CO2/km.

Both models feature six-speed manual transmissions, but the ratios have been shortened in the Coupé 1.4 TCe, compared to the equivalent Hatch, for more spirited driving and performance.

New Mégane Coupé is equipped with a sports chassis configuration derived from the standard set-up used in the five-door hatchback. Incorporating stiffer springs and dampers, a 30 mm lower front roll centre height and a 12 mm lower centre of gravity, it conspires to deliver even greater handling poise and control.

Safety and environmental credibility

Built on the same platform as the New Mégane Hatch, the Coupé shares the class-leading safety attributes that enabled it to achieve a benchmark five-star Euro NCAP rating.

The newcomer benefits from the same complement of six airbags, but gains an additional Pelvis Restraint Cushion (PRC) anti-submarining airbag on both front seats.

This is reinforced by twin side-impact sensors, dual seatbelt pre-tensioners with load limiters and new-generation head restraints.

ABS and Emergency Brake Assist are standard, while Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with understeer control is available as an option.

Aside from the fuel low consumption and emissions, the entire New Mégane family is 95 percent end-of-life recoverable by weight, while almost 12 percent of the plastics used are sourced from recycling.

New Mégane Coupé – Pricing:

The recommended retail pricing for the New Mégane Coupé range is as follows:

1.6 16v Dynamique     – R220 000
1.4 TCe        – R245 000 (available January 2010)

The pricing includes a three-year/100 000 km warranty, and a five-year/100 000 km service plan. Service intervals are every 15 000 km.

Toyota to partner with Google in South Africa

Toyota SA today handed over a fleet of Prius hybrid vehicles to Google for imagery collection in South Africa for the Street View feature in its Google Maps application. 

The Prius with its Hybrid Synergy Drive technology was chosen by Google as the vehicle of choice for this project. In the coming weeks the  branded Google Prius vehicles will be driving around the country taking photographs of locations in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Durban.   Street View, a hugely popular feature of Google Maps, is already available in more than 100 metropolitan areas around the world. It allows users to virtually explore and navigate a neighbourhood through panoramic street-level images. It is also available in Google Earth and on Google Maps for Mobile.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Google and supplying our fuel efficient and environmentally friendly Prius for this groundbreaking project in South Africa,” says Andrew Kirby, Toyota’s Senior Vice-President: Sales and Marketing, adding that the choice of Toyota as company and the Prius as preferred vehicle for this project underlines Google’s commitment as an environmentally conscious company. “With its consumption figure of 4.3 litres per 100 km in urban driving conditions and CO2 emission figure of only 104 g/km the Prius is perfectly suitable for the Street View project as it can operate on battery power only at speeds of up to 30 km/h for limited periods,” explained Kirby. 

The Prius CVT has proven popular world wide and global sales as at end of June totaled more than 1.9 million with nearly 45% of those sales recorded in 2007 and 2008. “Since launch in 2005 in South Africa Prius sales have surpassed 800 in total which provides a solid base for us to grow our hybrid market with the recent introduction of the new third generation model. “We wish the Google team all the best with the Street View project in the knowledge that their Prius vehicles, apart from their environmental credentials, have been proven to be one the most reliable vehicles in South Africa,” concluded Kirby.

Stephen Newton, Country Manager for Google South Africa, thanked Toyota for its involvement in this groundbreaking project in South Africa. “We are excited to partner with a company renowned for its reliability and quality, but also for its innovative and cutting-edge technology as seen  in the Toyota Prius.”