Beijing Auto Show 2008 LIVE: Geely Goes Wild with GT Supercar Concept

200408, Beijing Auto Show. Geely showed it's first supercar to the world today at the Beijing Auto Show, it's called the GT.

A lot has changed, it's not that long ago that Geely made humble little cars for the few Chinese who could afford one and now this monster.

The windows were blinded so it's problably just a mock up but anyway it looks great, no word about engines, no word about production...

Beijing Auto Show 2008 LIVE: Nissan Teana

200408, Beijing Auto Show. Nissan's new China Flaghsip made it's debut on the Beijing Autoshow today. The Teana is Nissan's most expensive 'Made in China' model, it's equipped with Nissan's famous 3.5 liter petrol which is shipped in from Japan to the factory in China.

There was a lot to do about this car before the show, I don't really know why, it seems much more a facelift than a new car, the back has changed most but that's about it. The silver one is the VIP which means is has DVD screens and such sort of things

Beijing Auto Show 2008 LIVE: Hongqi's Monster SUV

200408, Beijing Auto Show. Hongqi debuted it's new Concept SUV today at the Beijing Autoshow. Earlier renderings showed a car that looked more than a bit like the Lincoln MKR concept but in real things are not that bad.

However you might think about the looks, it was certainly an impressive car to stand next too, it is a huge machine from every side. It is meant to compete with cars as the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayenne and Benz GLK. Rumors said it would have a V8 and/or a V12 engine, but nothing was said about that today.

Bugatti Veyron par Hermes released at the Geneva Motor show 2008

Sometimes I simply can’t believe my own eyes and perfectly understand that very often people don’t know where to spend extra $ 2 millions. What I am talking about? About the new Bugatti Veyron par Hermes released at the Geneva Motor show 2008.

Just let me cite you my beloved part of this car press release: “This car’s greatest strength is its ability to make you feel like a child again” … If my memory serves me correctly… and it does, I hardly can remember 2-million dolls or anything of this kind among my toys. So, this car can make me feel like a fool instead of a child.

Many people will ask why fool? Because what else can be said about big boys and girls jumping the queue in order to spend $2.3 million for an ordinary Bugatti Veyron with Hermes logo? It was my opinion, if you have another point of view, feel free to share it with me. And now, just some technical features:

This Veyron Fbg par Hermes possesses the same 16.4 engine as the previous Bugatti Veyron and produces 736 kW (1,001 hp) and 1,250 Nm of torque. As to the top speed - it is rather, even very high - 407 km/h. What most buyers will like the most: the special colour of the bonnet, the letter H (for Hermès) on the aluminum wheels and air vents, and, of course, on a new grille and fuel filler door.

PRESS RELEASE

Emile Hermes and Ettore Bugatti

1956 saw the last Molsheim-built Bugatti pass through the factory gates of the famous Alsatian car manufacturer. Fifty years later, in the spring of 2006, the first of the new generation of Molsheim Bugattis, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, was delivered to its owner.

Ettore Bugatti and Émile Hermès met in the 1920s, when Ettore ordered a bespoke suitcase for his first Bugatti Royale. Almost eighty years later, at the 2006 Pebble Beach Concours d’Élégance, representatives of Bugatti and Hermès met again. And this encounter turned out to be the beginning of a new collaboration between the two houses.

The revival of this relationship may initially appear surprising, as the association between the renowned luxury house and the legendary car manufacturer in today’s automotive context would not immediately spring to mind. It confirms that heritage is able to survive over a time span of several decades.

“Art-Forme-Technique”, the mythical legacy of Bugatti underlines that strong brand values and a total commitment to excellence are as valid today as they were when Ettore Bugatti and Émile Hermès met for the first time. And today’s exchange of expertise, skills and craftsmanship, common to both houses in their respective fields, is still as exciting and rewarding as at the time of Émile and Ettore’s first encounter.

What had begun as a personal friendship has now turned into a modern industrial design project and an important part of Bugatti’s new individual-isation programme. The new Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès is a milestone in Bugatti’s renaissance and an enthusiastic and promising partnership between Hermès and Bugatti – between a “car-loving saddle- maker” and a “horse-loving carmaker”.

Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen
President
Bugatti Automobiles S.A.S.

The meeting between Émile Hermès and Ettore Bugatti, at the beginning of the 20th century, marked an epoch-making encounter between a prestigious Parisian saddler with a passion for cars, and an exceptional carmaker with a passion for the world of horses. The result was a friendship nourished by shared enthusiasms, respect and admiration, and a common vision of the importance of innovation, creativity and modernity.

The Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès revives the historic links between Bugatti and Hermès, demonstrat¬ing the enduring power of their shared values, in the pursuit of contemporary excellence.

Since its beginnings in 1837, Hermès has always sought to accompany people on the move: on horseback, by car, by plane or most recently by helicopter… Elegance, functionality, creativity and extreme attention to quality are the principles shaping the design and production of everything we make. The Bugatti Veyron was, then, studied, “tamed” and rethought. At the invitation of Hermès Artistic Direction, designer Gabriele Pezzini worked with our craftsmen to create a car that is just as much Hermès as it is Bugatti.

The utmost attention has been paid to the reworking of the interior and exterior alike. A highly detailed approach, reflecting the spirit of excellence underpin¬ning the collaboration between teams from Bugatti and Hermès on this shared project. Handcrafted leatherwork by Hermès is to be found throughout, even under the hood.

This exceptional car has been invested with an aura of serenity and refinement that accompanies it wherever it goes, from country lanes to city streets. In Paris, we shall be delighted to see it glide, astonishingly acquiescent, along the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré.

Patrick Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
Hermès

The”Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès”

On the occasion of the 78th Geneva Motor Show (from 6 to 16 March 2008), Bugatti and Hermès co-present the fruit of their partnership: the “Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès”, associat-ing Bugatti’s technical performance with the expertise of Hermès and its craftsmen. In partnership with Hermès, designer Gabriele Pezzini has married the distinctive Hermès style to the legendary Bugatti Veyron 16.4, magnifying the car’s personality.

This remarkable car features an array of excep¬tional characteristics: the innovative alliance of a technologically advanced engine, delivering 1001 horsepower, with an understated yet uncompromising silhouette reflecting the high performance capacities of state-of-the-art engineering and design, and above all, the pleasure these inspire in every Bugatti owner.

The fascination exerted by this sports coupé, capable of reaching 407 km/h, is due in large part to its unique alliance of the very finest motor-racing technology with comfortable handling for everyday driving. The 16-cylinder “W” configuration engine is fed by four turbochargers and features 64 valves, generating 1001 horse¬power at 6000 rpm. The engine draws on its 8-litre displacement to deliver a maximum torque of 1250 Newton-metres between 2200 and 5500 rpm. With full-time all-wheel drive, the car’s phenomenal power produces breath-takingly dynamic handling, with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in a mere 2.5 seconds. The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 benefits from aeronautical and aerospace technologies, making it the fastest production car ever made. The car also features a braking system designed to deliver unprecedented powers of deceleration, establish¬ing a new industry benchmark. The carbon-fibre discs provide brake pressure of up to 180 bars, combined with eight-piston monobloc callipers and titanium pistons fitted with fine steel heads and ceramic heat protectors. Apply the brakes at speeds above 200 km/h, and the rear wing acts as an airbrake, positioning itself at an angle of 113 degrees in less than 0.4 seconds, augmenting the Bugatti Veyron’s already impressive stopping power. The airbrake increases negative lift at the rear of the car to 300 kg, enhancing the braking torque on the rear axle. At 400 km/h, emergency braking will bring the sports car to a complete halt in less than 10 seconds.

This, the world’s most fascinating car, has pushed back the limits of physical engineering to offer a completely new sensation for driver and passenger alike. But it has also adopted a radically different stance to that of other sports cars: its features and finish are sure to impress the most demanding clientele. Hermès and designer Gabriele Pezzini have lavished attention on the interior and exterior of this exceptional car, to create the new Bugatti Veyron 16.4: the “Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès”

A harmonious design, inside and out
The official name of the highly exclusive Bugatti Veyron “Fbg par Hermès” refers to the historic Hermès headquarters on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in the heart of Paris’s eighth arrondissement: the “Fbg” appellation evokes the house’s “faubourg” address.

With the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès, the exacting standards of Émile Hermès and Ettore Bugatti come together for the first time, in an exceptional collaboration: the culmination of their extreme attention to aesthetic and techno¬logical quality and performance.

Gabriele Pezzini has reinterpreted Bugatti’s tradi¬tional two-tone carriage work, fostering a fluid, harmonious transition between the car’s exterior and interior design. The colour of the hood extends to the interior of the cockpit, and re-emerges behind, at the level of the rear wing.

As a tribute to the celebrated 1924 Bugatti Type 35, undoubtedly the most famous of all time, thanks to its many successes on the racetrack, the new Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès features eight-spoked wheels in polished aluminium, central butterfly wheel locks branded with the letter H, and air vents around the rims repro¬ducing the characteristic appearance of Hermès saddle-stitching. The horseshoe radiator grille, and the lateral ventilation grilles flanking it, are made from lightweight alloys with a design of interlocking H’s evoking the Hermès “signature”.

A refined formal vocabulary
The inner surfaces of the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès have been designed and sheathed in bull calfskin by the Hermès workshops in Paris. The care and attention to detail observe an extremely refined, minimalist formal vocabulary, reflecting the tradition of the very first Bugattis and the fundamental design principles of the house of Hermès. The door handles echo the fluid forms of handles on Hermès travel bags and luggage. And the dashboard, traditionally finished in brushed aluminium, is here clad entirely in bull calfskin. Passengers aboard the Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès will find a dashboard glove compartment designed to hold a selection of small travel accessories and a zipped Hermès wallet. Both seats are covered in two-toned bull calfskin, and the panel separating the cockpit from the central rear engine – traditionally made of carbon fibre – is covered in the same fine leather. The leather-lined trunk holds a specially-fitted “Toile H” and leather case, hand-made by craftsmen from the Hermès workshops.

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2008 Honda Accord Sedan & Coupe: Press Release & Image Gallery

Categories | Honda, Honda Accord

The embargo on the all-new (US) 2008 Honda Accord seems to have ended earlier than expected –not that anyone cares, apart from Honda folks that is. We’ve already seen a bunch of images featuring both sedan and coupe versions so design-wise, the 2008 Accord doesn’t hold any surprises. In all, Honda’s eight generation Accord looks definitely better than its bland predecessor though we could do without the uninspired boxy shaped grille.

We’ve added the whole press release after the jump so we won’t tire you with all the details refraining ourselves to the engine line-up. The sedan is available with either a 177 Hp 2.4L 4-cylinder engine (up 11 Hp) or a 190 Hp version of the same unit (up 24 Hp) with a choice of 5-speed manual transmission or 5-speed automatic transmission, or a 268 Hp 3.5L V6 with a 5-speed automatic transmission. The Accord Coupe is offered with the 190 Hp 4-cylinder engine or a 268-horsepower V-6 engine (up 24 Hp) with a choice of 5-speed manual (4-cylinder) 6-speed manual (V-6) or 5-speed automatic transmission (all engines). -Press release & image image gallery after the jump

2008 Accord Sedan

2008 Accord Coupe

Overview

Mainstream sedans and coupes represent far more than sensible transportation in today's marketplace, and incredibly, include amenities that can often meet or surpass features on vehicles $20,000 more expensive. With every launch since its 1976 debut, the Honda Accord has lived up to its reputation as a genuine innovator, successively introducing the automotive mainstream to unexpected levels of technology and performance.

While dependability, quality and reliability define every Honda product, that solid base empowers the company to exceed customer expectations by providing styling, performance, safety, refinement and value that few competitors can match across the board. The all-new eighth-generation 2008 Accord is ready to set an entirely new benchmark for the automotive mainstream with the most dramatic styling, the largest passenger space, and the greatest range of technology in the vehicle's 32-year history.

2008 Accord at a Glance

• Styling embodies a bold, upscale, sophisticated and prestigious design direction.
• Available as a Sedan (moves from the EPA Midsize just into the EPA Large classification) or Coupe (Compact).
• Available 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6 engine with 268 horsepower and 5-speed automatic transmission introduces Honda's next-generation Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology for EPA City/Highway fuel economy of 19/29 mpg¹ (Sedan).
• Accord Coupe V-6 with 6-speed manual transmission uses a unique variant of the 3.5-liter V-6 that also produces 268 peak horsepower, but features VTEC for enhanced low- and mid-rpm torque. EPA City/Highway fuel economy is 16/25 mpg¹.
• 2.4-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine is available with 190 horsepower (Coupe LX-S and all EX and EX-L models) or 177 horsepower (sedan LX and LX-P) and EPA City/Highway fuel economy of 21/31 mpg² (Sedan).
• Available transmissions are 5-speed manual (4-cylinder only) or 5-speed automatic (all) and 6-speed manual (V-6 Coupe only).
• Standard safety equipment includes Honda's exclusive Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), side-curtain airbags, new dual-chamber front side airbags, active front head restraints and pedestrian safety features.
• All models and trim levels except the four-cylinder with 5-speed manual transmission and Coupe V-6 with 6-speed manual transmission meet stringent PZEV emissions regulations in regions that adhere to California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards.
• Premium features (navigation, interface dial, Bluetooth, information display) and overall refinement (solid driving feel) on par with vehicles one and even two classes above the Accord's segment.
• Overall packaging improvements result in a 0.7-inch lower center of gravity.

The 2008 Accord comes to market as the most powerful Honda model ever. It has also grown larger to meet the needs of an audience that values hospitality with "equal" front and rear seating comfort for four adults – while also maintaining or improving its fuel economy, lowering its emissions and building on its reputation as a class leader. From a pure performance standpoint, the Accord's 268-horsepower V-6 engine provides acceleration on par with luxury vehicles from classes outside of the segment.

Dynamically, the Accord engages the driver with a refined and rewarding performance feel, yet ride comfort remains equally impressive for passengers. Furthermore, the level of standard equipment and premium features allow customers to create an environment that matches 21st century expectations. Ultimately, the 2008 Accord adds more emotion and style to the model's smart-to-own foundation in an all-out effort to genuinely deliver on the promise of an "evolution of the best" with one of North America's favorite cars.