Organisers of last year's inaugural Singapore grand prix have confirmed that changes will be made to the Marina Bay street circuit ahead of the 2009 race. Turns 1, 13 and 14 will be modified to improve overtaking, a better road surface with fewer bumps installed between turns 5 and 7, and runoff reduced at turn 22 for the benefit of spectators. The most significant addition will be a dedicated pit entry, with some drivers complaining last year about an unsafe speed differential between cars entering for service and those staying on track. The pit exit will also be modified for safety reasons. "While the circuit and the event exceeded expectations around the world, as with any brand new event, there are always things which we now know we can do better," said Singapore's technical and race operations director, Michael McDonough. Meanwhile, the Business Times on Monday reported that the price of trackside corporate suites for the event has been increased from between 1800-3900 euros in 2008 to between 2500-4100 euros this year.
Tesla Roadster One-Make Electric Vehicle Race Series in Discussions
VW Touareg Supercharged V6 Hybrid
The electric motor is powered by nickel metal-hydride battery that is charged through regenerative braking and is located under the luggage compartment. The vehicle can operate on the electric motor alone at speeds of up to 50 km/h (31 mph). In this case the V6 TSI is turned off, and it is disconnected from the transmission by a disengagement clutch allowing the Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid to operate with zero emissions. When the driver requires maximum torque and power, the V6 TSI engine and the electric motor operate together (by kickdown or gearshift selector in "S" position) for a combined output of 374HP and a maximum torque of 550 Nm. In this case, the Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid prototype accelerates to 100 km/h in just 6.8 seconds. In terms of towing capacity, the hybrid version of the Touareg can haul up to 3.5 metric tons or 7,000 pounds. Volkswagen states that the hybrid system of the Touareg was not designed to deliver pure sports car performance but to offer low emissions and fuel consumption values. According to the firm's preliminary figures, the Touareg Hybrid achieves an average fuel consumption of less than 9.0 lt / 100 km (+26.1 mpg US) with CO2 emissions less than 210 g/km. The German carmaker claims that compared to a conventional SUV of the same size, the hybrid concept yields fuel savings of more than 25 percent in city driving and 17 percent in combined city, highway and freeway driving.
Volkswagen has published the first photos and details of the Touareg Hybrid prototype that previews a production version that will be unveiled in 2010. Unlike the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid that featured a normally aspirated 3.6-liter V6 FSI, the Touareg V6 TSI Hybrid makes use of VW's new supercharged 3.0-liter V6 TSI petrol unit that produces 333HP and is combined with a 38 kW / 52HP electric motor that is installed between the V6 TSI and a newly developed 8-speed automatic transmission.
Hyundai Santa FE Chinese Clone in Europe for sale
The Chinese clone of the Santa FE is powered by a 2.0-liter gasoline engine producing an output of 142-hp and it is offered in two trims, Basic and Full that are priced at €17,900 ($22,800 U.S.) and €19,900 ($25,400 U.S.) respectively. Even though the Rein is a perfectly legit clone, we can't help but wonder what Hyundai and especially its official Greek dealer has to say about it. If anything else, from a buyers point of view, imports such as the Rein tarnish the Korean automaker's image in the market.
While here in the States Chinese automakers have yet to make their presence known, in Europe we're seeing more and more companies entering the market. One of the latest Chinese firms to land on European shores is JAC that has begun selling its cars in Greece. The vehicle you see in the above picture is the Rein, a clone of the first-generation Santa FE SUV with a set of Lexus RX-style tail lamps that is built by JAC in China under a license agreement with the Korean automaker.
Scientists invent regenerative shocks For Next Generation cars
Scientists at Tufts University have patented a shock absorber that converts compressive energy into electricity, which can then be stored in a hybrid vehicle's batteries. Called the Power-Generating Shock Absorber (PGSA), actually an electromagnetic linear generator, it uses "magnet arrays, high magnetic permeability spaces, coil winding arrays," and a linear electric motor to capture the energy of its motion and use it to charge the batteries.
The movement of a standard shock absorber creates heat, which is neutralized by the oil in the shock. In a PGSA, a linear electric motor converts the magnetic field created by the repetitive motion into electricity. Or, if you like your technology to sound science-y, it "uses an electromagnetic linear generator to convert variable frequency, repetitive intermittent linear displacement motion to useful electrical power."
The technology can be used on any vehicle that uses shocks and batteries, but its greatest application could be on trucks due to their higher mass and electricity-generation potential. Electric Truck, LLC has licensed the shock technology, which is predicted to generate between 2kW and 17kW of energy on an average road. According to the men who created it, "the percentage of recoverable power/energy for a 2,500 lb vehicle that employs four optimized design regenerative magnetic shock absorbers and whose average speed is 45 mph on a typical US highway is likely to be between 20% and 70%." Put four of those on a Prius and stay in town, and all of a sudden you're talking about interstellar gas mileage.
Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro High Res Wallpaper gallery
The Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro is ready to assume the mantle of "it" car for 2009. You probably still remember all the tasty details from our Detroit Auto Show coverage, but here's a brief refresher, just in case. The latest, greatest R8 packs Ingolstadt's 5.2L V10 under its glass engine cover. That lump, in this application, punches out 525 horsepower and 391 lb-ft of torque, which should let the new, super-duper R8 sniff around the 200-mph barrier. We've had fond things to say about this V10 in both its lesser and more extreme forms. Will it be "just right" in the R8? We can't wait to find out firsthand. In the meantime, feast your eyes on a slew of new photographs just released by Audi. They're all in the gallery below.
