Kief Cars

The Citroën DS3 will be making its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany this week. This supermini car is the production version of the Citroën DS inside concept. The French Auto Manufacturer is hoping that the Citroën DS3 will be a competitor for Mini and Fiat. The car is based on the next Citroën C3 model. The Citroën DS3’s body features a fully glazed rear, with conventional C-pillars replaced by the rear window. The car is 3.95m long and 1.71 m wide, almost the same size as the Ford Fiesta. Buyers will have options to customize the interior & exterior of the Citroën DS3. 4 different colour schemes will be available for the roof. Graphics will also be available. Buyers will be able to choose between body coloured or chrome door mirrors. Coloured wheel centres will also be available in a variety of colours. The dashboard will be available in 6 different finishes. 5 different gear lever trims will also be available. The Citroën DS3 key will feature a small disc painted in the same colour as the car’s body. Citroën is planning to release the DS3 with 5 different engine choices, 2 diesel and 3 petrol. All models will come with either 5 or 6 spd manual transmissions. The Citroën DS3 will use MacPherson strut front suspensions and torsion beam rears. The car will have a 285 litre boot. Citroën is claiming that the DS3 will offer “5 real seats”. Citroën is also planning to release the DS4 in 2001 and the DS5 MPV in 2012. The Citroën DS3 is marked for European release in March 2010. At this stage it’s not clear if this car will be released in South Africa next year as well. Who knows? The car is bound to become very popular in Europe. Only time will tell.

Related Links:
Citroën – Official Website

American Auto Manufacturer, General Motors, is selling a 55 percent stake in in Opel-Vauxhall brand. The Canadian parts manufacturer, Magna is named as the buyer. The deal secures German jobs, but leaves workers in other countries vulnerable. A Russian bank and the German government are providing the funds for the deal. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor has praised the deal because it protects 25,000 Opel workers in Germany. The 5,500 Vauxhall workers in the UK face a less certain future. The new owners have indicated that they would try and keep the 2 plants in the UK open. General Motors is selling this part of their business off to help reduce debt in an attempt to ease their financial troubles. Previously there had been speculation about General Motors liquidating Opel-Vauxhall. That seems to have been avoided. General Motors will still hold a 35 percent stake. Opel cars are very popular in the South African classifieds. The company has been in South Africa for years and an excellent network for Opel exists in the country. I’m sure that the Opel brand will remain in South Africa.

Related Link:
Opel – Official Website

German Auto Manufacturer, Mercedes Benz has unveiled the Mercedes Benz SLS AMG ahead of its public debut at this years Frankfurt Motor Show (less than a week from now). The car seems to be a revival of the Mercedes Benz 300 SL Gullwing. The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG is fitted with a front mid-mounted 6.3 litre V8 engine which is capable of an output of 563 hp. The car is fitted with a 7 speed dual-clutch transmission. The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG has a classic long hood and is fitted with wing doors that hinge upward from the car’s roof. The small passenger compartment of the vehicle is mounted just before the rear axle. The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG is expected to be new upgrade for the Mercedes Benz SLR. This sports car truly looks like it could be come the German Automaker’s flagship vehicle. The car was developed in conjunction with McLaren. The Mercedes Benz SLS AMG is capable of accelerating from 0 – 100 km/h in 3.8 sec and reaching a top speed of 312 km/h. Although the price range might be out of the general public’s reach. It’s highly possible that Mercedes Benz developed this vehicle to compete with Ferrari and other super car manufacturers. It’s also likely that there will be limited production for this vehicle, so obtaining one out of a classifieds publication is highly unlikely. Still, it’s still a real head turner, in my opinion.

The 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show is around the corner. German Auto Manufacturer, Porsche is planning to unveil the Porsche 911 Sport Classic at the show. Only 250 of these sports cars will be built. The Porsche 911 Sport Classic will go on sale in January 2010 in Europe. Porsche is bringing back their old tradition of building an exclusive series in limited numbers. This car has been developed over the last 3 years. The Porsche 911 Sport Classic’s design team has paid fine attention to detail. The car was developed by Porsche Exclusive, a specialist department at the German Auto Maker. This division deals with custom designs and has higher standards than Porsche’s normal production division. The Porsche 911 Sport Classic fashions a newly developed dome roof, features a wider rear body and a wider track on the rear axle. The car is fitted with a 3.8 litre direct fuel injection engine.

The Porsche 911 Sport Classic has an intake manifold with 6 vacuum-controlled switching flaps. The car is capable of putting out 304 kW / 408 hp, is fitted with a 6 spd manual transmission, ceramic composite brakes and 19″ alloy wheels. The Porsche 911 Sport Classic also has aerodynamic aids. The car features a Sport Design front air dam with air inlets for the brakes, radiator and oil cooler. The car is also fitted with a rear spoiler that resembles the legendary 1973 Porsche Carrera RS 2.7. The car features a dashboard with a wide range of inserts and custom trim components. The Porsche 911 Sport Classic’s is fitted with an Espresso Nature natural leather interior.

This car will probably not be released in South Africa. For the dreamers out there, a scale model of the Porsche 911 Sport Classic will be made available to buy. Other Porsche enthusiasts will probably find second hand Porsche 911 cars easier in the classifieds publications around the world. This isn’t a car that anyone can afford. The price tag is said to be $266,000 (Over R1.4 million).

Toyota’s hybrid vehicle sales have reached 2 million. It took the Japanese Auto Manufacturer almost 10 years to reach the 1 million mark for hybrid vehicles sold. It only took 2 years and 3 months to reach the next million. All 3 generations of the Toyota hybrid vehicle, the Prius is responsible for 1.4 million of those units. Toyota has been selling hybrid vehicles since 1997. The Japanese Auto Manufacturer claims that this has contributed enormously to reduction of carbon dioxide emissions on the planet. Toyota claims that the 2 million hybrids sold by them have resulted in 11 million tons of CO2 not being released (by conventional gasoline driven cars) into the atmosphere. The company currently sells 13 different hybrid models in 50 countries worldwide. The Toyota Prius has been the top selling vehicle in Japan for the last 4 months. It will be a while before hybrid cars will truly be part of the fabric of society. To my knowledge no major releases have been announced for hybrid cars in South Africa, but I could be wrong. Who knows? Maybe 10 years from now all of us will be looking in the classifieds to find a 2nd hand hybrid. Maybe electric cars / hybrid cars / green cars will fail and we will all be stuck without transportation and take up the art of walking as a past time instead.

Related Link:
Toyota – Official Website