Monthly Archives August 2014

Today comes the news that, Mercedes-Benz will announce the W205 C450 AMG model in next January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

The C450 AMG is not the “real” AMG model such as the C63 AMG. It is something similar to BMW’s “M Performance” line such as the M235i.

The C450 AMG will use the same engine on the C400, but with higher boost pressure to bump up the output to 367hp. Refer to our previous report for more details about the C450 AMG spy shots, pricing, and more technical stuffs.

The upcoming 2015 Lexus NX200t is equipped with the first turbocharged engine within the whole Lexus history. This engine has the Toyota internal code name “8AR-FTS”.

The 8AR-FTS has an 2.0L displacement with an open-deck, midi-skirt type aluminum cylinder block. It also has a fully balanced forged steel crankshaft, cast-in iron cylinder liners.

On the Lexus NX200t, the turbocharged 8AR-FTS makes 235 hp at 5,600 rpm with 258 lb-ft of torque available from 1,650-4,000 rpm. On the paper this engine sounds just like a normal modern 4-cylinder turbo engine, which has similar performance (2...

Currently Volvo only has two production Polestar models: the S60 Polestar and the V60 Polestar, which are both powered by a 3.0L turbocharged I6 engine, with 345hp of output. These models are not the one that you can buy if you want to pay the premium, because both of the models are limited to 120 units.

If for some reason you missed the S60/V60 Polestar, here are some good news for you. First, Volvo will continue to build the Polestar version of the S60 and V60, the difference is just they are not limited edition anymore, and the 3.0L 6-cylinder engine will be replaced by Volvo’s new 2...

If you are still thinking only using 4-cylinder engines across the 4500lb+ SUV product line is a very revolutionary behavior, you are apparently not on the same page as Volvo’s upper management.

In fact within Volvo, they are thinking 4-cylinder engines to be equivalent to V6/V8, and they have even planned to use 3-cylinder engines to replace 4-cylinder engines.

According to Volvo’s product plan, in 2016 they are going to use a 1.5L turbocharged 3-cylinder engine in the S60 and V60. However, the 3-cylinder engine will not be used in heavier models such as the XC90, due to its physical property limits its low-end torque delivery.

In the future years, Volvo cars will see tw...

The Apple CarPlay system provides unified user experiences, and provides strong ability to extending/customizing the functionality that each car maker wants individually.

The CarPlay system received good response in the auto industry, and many makers have expressed intention to integrate this system into their future products. It looks like the CarPlay system is an immediate hit and success.

However, if something looks “too good to be true”, then it may encounter some unexpected setbacks when it proceeds...