Kia Presents Korea's First Production Electric Model

The new Ray EV is not only Kia's first attempt to enter the electric car market but it is also the first production EV to be introduced by a Korean automaker.

The battery-powered model is based on the recently launched Ray city car, which is only offered in Kia's home market. It shares the regular model’s major dimensions and, in a global first for an EV manufacturer, is built on the same production line as the conventional combustion-engine models.

In place of the Ray's 1.0-liter unit, the EV model gains a 50kW electric motor that develops 167 Nm of constant torque (an increase of 77 percent over the gas unit) and a high-capacity 16.4 kWh lithium ion polymer battery pack with a 10-year life cycle that's placed under the rear seat and cabin floor.

Kia says that even though the Ray EV weighs 187 kg (412 pounds) more than the gasoline model, it offers a "brisker" 0-100km/h (62mph) acceleration time of 15.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 130km/h (81mph).

The battery pack can be fully recharged in six hours using a standard 220V household supply and just 25 minutes in fast-charge mode.

Other highlights include the Ray EV’s automatic transmission that offers the driver a choice of two modes while in ‘D’ drive: the ‘E’ (or ‘eco’) mode, which optimizes the delivery of the motor’s torque to increase the driving range, and ‘B’ (or ‘brake’) mode, which can be chosen when driving downhill roads to maximize braking power.

The Ray EV gets a unique instrument cluster that displays electric motor operation, battery status and distance to recharge while Kia also fitted the car with a warning system called VESS (Virtual Engine Sound System) that delivers a mixture of recorded gasoline engine noises to warn pedestrians.

Kia says that it is planning to manufacture 2,500 units of the Ray EV in 2012, all of which will be for government use in Korea - at least for the time being.

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BMW Launches Updated 5-Series Range with New 2.0-liter Turbo Petrol and Diesel Engines

The latest additions to the BMW 5 Series Saloon and Touring (wagon) is launched in Europe after the announcement earlier this summer. The signing of long-term gains in Bavaria Executive model in the series of three new engines and some other updates throughout the range.

New for 2012 model year is a pair of 2.0-liter 184HP turbo gasoline inline-four performance in the 520i and 528i in the 245HP engine and a four-cylinder diesel engine with the same 184HP in the model 520d EfficientDynamics.

The latter has a 0-100 km / h acceleration time (62 mph) in 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 231 km / h (144 mph) while recording an average fuel consumption in European test cycle of 4.5 km lt/100 (52.3mpg 62.8mpg U.S. or the UK) and CO2 emissions of 119 g / km.

In addition, new engines, BMW has made changes to 525d and 535d, which now has 218HP to 313HP, and at the same time expand the availability of its all-wheel drive system xDrive with the presentation of the 528th, 535th xDrive, 525d xDrive 550i xDrive, BMW xDrive 530d and 535d xDrive.

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Tuned Nissan GT-R Embarrasses Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 on the Drag Strip

As they say, more like less, or to put it into context, the car more power, less time will be needed to cover a set distance.

And while the new Lamborghini LP 700-4 Aventador its 6.5-liter V12 with 700 horsepower pushing a plant of great acceleration time from 0 to 100 km / h (62 mph) in 2.9 seconds is by no means one is left behind, 700HP is significantly less than about 1000HP.

This was the case with the R35 which faced the Aventador white dragster that will be viewed after the jump. According to the YouTube poster, this was not the run-of-the-mill-Nissan GT-R, but a very refined package R35 about 1000 horsepower.

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BMW Expands 6-Series Coupe and Cabrio Lineup with AWD Versions, Priced from $86,000

First announced this summer, the BMW 650i is now available for order in the States with the option of the xDrive all-wheel drive system on both the Coupe and Convertible body styles.

 

The xDrive system will cost buyers an additional $3,000 lifting the MSRP of the 650i Coupe from $83,000 to $86,000, and the 650i Convertible from $90,500 to $93,500.

BMW says that the 0-60mph sprint time for the 650i xDrive Coupe is 4.7 seconds or 0.2-seconds faster than the RWD model, and 4.8-seconds for the 650i xDrive Convertible, or 0.1 seconds quicker than the RWD model.

The Bavarian automaker also has plans to offer a six-cylinder 6-Series for the time in the U.S. since 1989.

The soon-to-be-released U.S.-market 640i Coupe and Convertible models will be fitted with a higher performance version of BMW’s N55 TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter inline six producing 315 horsepower and 330 lb-ft of torque for a 0 to 60mph (96km/h) acceleration time of 5.5 seconds for both models.

 

 

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IAA 2011: BMW i3 Study Previews New EV Premium City Car

BMW chose the Frankfurt Motor Show to tease its upcoming pure-electric model, the five-door i3 city car with a concept study of the same name.

The concept, formerly known as the Megacity, features a 170 HP electric motor placed over the rear axle that is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

It generates 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque and drives the rear wheels, providing a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration time of under 8.0 seconds while its top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h (93 mph).

Recharging the battery pack takes six hours using a standard socket, while BMW claims that with a high-speed charger you can have an 80% charge in just one hour.

BMW has also revealed that the production i3 will be offered with a range-extending small-displacement gasoline engine that drives a generator which in turn charges the battery, thus significantly increasing the car’s driving range.

Expect the bodywork of the production version to be close to that of the concept displayed in Frankfurt, and the interior to be ditched in favor of a more conventionally styled cabin.

 

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