The VW XL1 uses a lithium-ion battery pack, an electric motor and a two-cylinder, 0.8-liter diesel engine for the powertrain.

We’re still digesting the press release, but here are some highlights:

– VW says the XL1 can travel about 22 miles on electricity from the battery pack. The battery gains some charge from regenerative braking but is mainly recharged from a wall outlet.

– The two-cylinder diesel engine is rated at 47 hp. The electric motor is rated at 26 hp. Torque flows through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The powertrain is mounted behind the seats.

– Extensive use of carbon fiber in the body keeps the curb weight low at 1,753 pounds.

– VW says the XL1 can run from 0 to 62 mph in 11.9 seconds. Top speed is limited to 99 mph. With a 2.6-gallon fuel tank, VW says the concept has a driving range of 341 miles.

– The XL1 has a wheelbase of 87.6 inches. It’s overall length is 153.1 inches, which is seven inches shorter than a Honda CR-Z. The XL1 stands 45.5 inches tall and is 65.6 inches wide.

We’ve seen pictures of this car but now it’s actually moving. There are clear views of the sleek, almost Aston-like appearance of this car, and it’s pretty handsome.

Tesla says the Model S can run 300 miles on a single charge and hits 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. It claims to offer seating for seven, five adults and two children.

There’s also a 17-inch touch screen with 3G capability. The Model S is in alpha testing, Tesla says, so we can expect another round before it arrives on the market.

Watch video of the Tesla Model S below:

Model S Alpha Hits the Road from Tesla Motors on Vimeo.

The car came as a lovely surprise to Jay-Z, so soon before Christmas as well; it seems a rather lavish treat.

Jay-Z turned 41 so it wasn’t even a big birthday to celebrate, but with a wife that kind he definitely has reasons to celebrate every day!

The Veyron Grand Sport is powered by a 987bhp 8.0-litre quad turbo charged W16 engine and a 0-62mph time of just 2.7 seconds and 0-124mph in 7.3 seconds.

The Grand Sport weighs 1,990 kg- that’s nearly 10kg more than the already hefty Veyron coupe but it stills accelerates like no other production car.

The car has the title of world’s fastest road car with top speeds of 250mph.

For those who feel a little envious of Jay-Z’s amazing birthday present- it gets worse. The car will sit proudly in his garage amongst his other beauties- a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a Maybach and a Pagani Zonda. How the other half live hey!

Source: http://www.nationwidevehiclecontracts.co.uk/

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Working on the South cost, I often found my North-Bound commutes becoming progressively icier, this means I need to be aware at every junction and roundabout that my Ford Fiesta could effectively turn into a bobsleigh when I apply the brakes. Thousands of people have been caught out in the treacherous conditions, earlier in the week the AA breakdown service were reporting 3,000 call outs per hour!

The best advice is not to travel at all, though this is not exactly helpful to those for whom a trip to work, a relative’s house, or the hospital is absolutely necessary. Here are some top tips to bear in mind next time you set off in a snowstorm;

• Ensure you have FULL visibility – In winter so many people leave their windows partly encased in thick ice because they are in a rush. Allow extra time to de-ice and scrape your windows before you set off. Not only is restricted visibility dangerous, it can get you in trouble with the boys in blue
• Be prepared – Getting stranded in this weather is a real possibility, for this reason always pack a blanket, a fully charged mobile phone, as well as some food and water
• Adapt to the conditions – This means being extremely gentle with the throttle brakes and steering in accordance with the changing levels of snow and ice on the road
• Be hypersensitive – You will need to pay more attention to the signals you are getting from your car in order to drive safely, are the wheels spinning? Are the brakes locking?
• Triple your braking distances – Icy roads are incredibly difficult to stop on, so brake far earlier for junctions and roundabouts than you normally do
• Pull away in a high gear – This will prevent the engine from revving too high and spinning the wheels, which could send the car out of control
• Corner slowly – Taking a corner too quickly could mean that your car swaps ends before you even have a chance to correct it

Put simply; be prepared and take extreme care. If you are driving in dangerous conditions, take your time, rushing will only end up in you making a mistake and compromise your safety.

Source: http://www.nationwidevehiclecontracts.co.uk/

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As David Beckham takes delivery of his customised Range Rover Sport,  his phenomenal car history reveals.

David Beckham is a superstar in every sense.

He’s got more than 100 times England caps and is an icon for three of the world’s biggest football clubs – Man United, Real Madrid and AC Milan.

Now at Los Angeles Galaxy, he’s living the Hollywood high life, hanging out with Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes and getting courtside seats for Lakers games.

Armani model? Yes. Adoring fans? Yes. Shoe-in for a future knighthood? Yes. Strange names for the kids? With Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz we let you decide on that one.

And with all this success has come bags of cash and as a man with his finger (normally) on the fashion pulse he’s bought some super-cool cars.

But like Jamie Redknapp (Peugeot 309), Wayne Rooney (Ford Ka) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Seat Ibiza), David Beckham car collection started with a humble Ford Escort which he used to travel to training for Man United in the mid-1990s.

From then he progressed to his first two-door sports car, sort of. In 1996, just as he started to make a name for himself as the future of English football, Goldenballs got his hands on a Honda Prelude.

Still, he was only 21. But today, even those on the periphery of stardom driving nice motors. Man United’s Darren Gibson has a Nissan GT-R and he rarely plays first team football.

Stepping up a level

But Beckham, with his value rising by the day, acted accordingly and bought his first high-performance motor in 1997 – a BMW M3 Cabriolet. The German convertible, which was capable of 155mph would have cost Beckham around £44,000 in 1997. It sold for more than £90,000 in 2005 such is Becks’ star quality.

Just after buying the M3, Beckham also got his hands on a Porsche 911 Carrera which is rumoured to be the first car he kissed a Miss Victoria Adams in.

Fast-forward and Beckham is still married to Posh, he’s still a national treasure and he’s still changing his car all the time with a current proclivity of black motors. His current garage includes a Cadillac Escalade, Porsche 911 Cabriolet, Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, Range Rover Sport and Jeep Wrangler – all in black.

Between purchasing his Ford Escort in 1995 and taking delivery of a supercharged Range Rover Sport last week, Beckham has more than 40 cars totalling £3.75 million. In 2005 alone he was photographed driving six different cars including a Hummer H2, Bentley Arnage and Porsche 911..

All values are estimates – Becks is well-known for customising his cars so he would have spent more than the book price on many of his motors. He also would have got a couple free through sponsorship deals.

Source:http://www.autotrader.co.uk/

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Armed with your precise latitude, longitude, and other location data, the GPS receiver can overlay this information onto map files stored on the unit, revealing your current position, as well as where you’ve been, on the map. Since the receiver is constantly recalculating your position relative to the satellite’s position, the GPS unit can track your location in real time, as well as your speed and directional heading. A typical GPS device contains a 12-channel receiver and an antenna to capture satellite signals, and a CPU to process the data. The quality of the receiver and your geographic location will determine how long it takes the device to acquire a 3D fix. For example, it’s harder for the receiver to lock onto and hold a signal if you’re traveling through a dense forest or an urban area with tall buildings.

Newer GPS devices feature newer receivers with upwards of 40-channels, which enables them to track more satellites for better accuracy. Other devices (such as GPS-enabled smartphones) use a system called assisted-GPS (A-GPS) which utilizes the fixed location of connected cellular towers or Wi-Fi hot spots to triangulate an approximate location, speeding up 3D fix times.

The first time you fire up your GPS, it collects certain satellite information to determine your whereabouts. Known as a cold start, the receiver is essentially blank and needs to know what time it is, where the satellites are in their orbital patterns, and where it is in relation to the satellites. Most systems take around 1 to 2 minutes to acquire a 3D fix during a cold start, whereas some can take a few minutes. Thereafter, it can take as little as 3 to 4 seconds to lock in since the unit already has your coordinates and a general location of the satellites. A good receiver will instantly recover from a complete signal loss when you drive through a tunnel, for instance; weaker units will require more time to reacquire a 3D fix. In rare cases, you’ll have to stop the car to give the receiver a chance to lock on to the requisite signals.

How well a GPS unit will work in your car depends on the location of the antenna. If your vehicle has a factory installed in-dash unit, chances are the antenna is integrated into the dashboard in a place where it has an unobstructed view of the sky, which is ideal. Many portable models are designed to be positioned directly on the windshield via a suction cup mounting device, giving the antenna a wide sky view. There are also add-on antennas available for GPS units that allow you to keep the receiver close to the front seat for easy viewing without sacrificing signal quality.

Source: http://reviews.cnet.com/

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Outside, Snoop’s vehicles vary in style, size, pump and dump, and are all reflections of his personal style. From the ’69 Buick Riviera to his green ’74 Cadillac, Snoop’s cars are all built for the street. But if he had to pick one car as his favorite, the crown would go to his prized possession, which is his ’67 Pontiac Parisienne convertible, which sports a gold and purple L.A. Lakers paint job and a hood signed by various team members including the “Big Diesel” himself, Shaquille O’Neal.

A quick glance into his career will expose one that is filled with nothing but upward strides to total domination and things aren’t about to change anytime soon. He’s one of the world’s most popular and charismatic rappers, he’s produced an adult video, appeared in countless movies, brought the pandemonium to Girls Gone Wild, and has a soft side which is evident through his decision to quit smoking and his full-time effort in providing and supporting for his kids.

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The 2011 Ford Explorer comes with a serious amount of available or included safety features, including the industry’s first inflatable rear seat belts, designed to better dissipate energy in a crash. In addition to electronic stability control, Ford is introducing Curve Control on the new Explorer, which will automatically brake the vehicle if it senses a speed too great for the amount of steering angle input. Optional safety features on the new Explorer include adaptive cruise control, which maintains a preset distance between vehicles with the cruise control on; collision warning with brake support, which pre-charges the braking system and advises the driver via a red LED light bar when it senses a pending collision; blind spot and cross traffic alerts and MyKey, which allows owners to set speed limits and seat belt reminders for inexperienced drivers. All wheel drive Explorers also feature Ford’s Terrain Management System, which allows drivers to set steering, throttle response and stability control for the type of terrain they’re on.

Ford once again has proven that they can build not only reliable vehicles at decent prices, but they offer extreme safety. Read more here.

Enjoy the video!

The 2011 Explorer joins seven other Ford vehicles already on the IIHS list, including the 2011 Ford Taurus, the 2011 Ford Fusion, the 2011 Ford Fiesta, the 2011 Ford Flex, the 2011 Lincoln MKS, the 2011 Lincoln MKT and the 2011 Lincoln MKZ. Congratulations to Ford on all of their 2011 IIHS awards.

Source: http://www.automobilesreview.com/

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