Spare Parts – Audi A4

Designed by a brand that has attained legendary status in the minds of many, the Audi A4 was initially released in 1994. A fairly compact, yet still executive model, its layout is a bit different than many other choices on the market. With a longitudinal engine under the hood and a transmission at the rear of the engine, the set up is unique to the brand as a whole. Depending on the model you have it may even make use of the patented Quattro four-wheel drive.

During the course of production, the A4 has had a couple of different body styles available. The sedan and the wagon have always been choices, but during the interim years, there was also a convertible style choice.

The initial release with this vehicle was the first in the brand to feature a 1.8 liter 20 volt engine that had five valves for every cylinder. Because of the power involved, it was a hit with brand devotees and other consumers alike. By the turn of the century, Audi included a number of standard updates on both the cosmetic and global level. Not only did each one come with redesigned rear and front lights, but new door handle styles were introduced to this model as well. What excited many consumers, though, was the 2.8 liter 30-valve V6 engine and standard quattro with every model. As the years pass, the updates continue to draw interest to this particular line, which is part of what makes getting the spare parts you need for your A4 so important.

No matter which generation you purchased, finding the Audi auto parts you need can often prove challenging. What’s more, though, is that even when you do find them, you may not always have a reliable supplier on your hands. Even when you do find a great supplier, though, shipping times can be notoriously slow, leaving you without the parts you need now. Fortunately, Hirsch Industries can help. With locations throughout the United States and same day shipping on most orders, you get the Audi auto parts you need right away. Their easy-to-use interface makes online orders a snap, too. The Audi A4 shows no signs of slowing in terms of production, and you shouldn’t have to slow down because you don’t have the parts you need either. Take a moment to browse the Hirsch Industries site today, and gain instant access to the parts you’ve been searching for.

[Via http://hirschindustries.wordpress.com]

The Detroit Auto Show: Day 2

Its day two at the Detroit show, and we’re seeing some more action from GM than we did yesterday with the Granite concept and the Acadia Denali trim package.  Here’s what happened today.

Cadillac CTS Coupe:

The CTS, and particularly the CTS-V are proof that someone at GM gets it.  Its handsomely styled, fun to drive, has a rich interior, and competes with the best of Europe.  The few opportunities I’ve had to drive the V-series had me crunching numbers trying to figure out what organs I’d need to sell to get one in my driveway.  The one place the GM couldn’t compete with the Europeans was in the coupe category, as Cadillac hadn’t made a coupe since the Eldorado’s demise.  Now, the CTS coupe is here, with a wedgy back end that makes the vehicle appear almost as a hatchback.  This may prove the wrong design direction, although the fastback Mustang was always popular.   At any rate, it will be a great driving car and the V will offer a domestic alternative to the BMW M3, at a much lower price.

Chevrolet Aveo RS:

In a product category that for years has been described with terms like “penalty box,” the Chevy Aveo was arguably the worst of the worst, or at least close to it.  Produced by Daewoo and rebadged as a Chevrolet, it was everything the Koreans wanted you to forget about their past.  Considering that, why would GM, when coming out with a replacement for the worst-in-class, keep a model name that evokes images of plasticky interior, poor driving dynamics, and lackluster quality?  The Aveo RS itself looks much better than the model it replaces, but I question whether or not the package is improved beyond the looks.  The RS package is very Fast and the Furious looking, with the gaping air vents, big wheels, and shiny paint, but will it deliver those promises?  Will the slow and the frugal be turned off by it? Will anyone notice?  Or will they all spend their money on the new Ford Fiesta, or the class leader Honda Fit?

Cadillac XTS:

The XTS should have been big news for GM.  This “concept” is more or less what will be replacing the STS and DTS in the near future.  Instead, there has been a collective yawn from the blogosphere, and probably, at the Detroit show.  This is the BIG Caddy.  This is supposed to be GM’s flagship vehicle.  This is supposed to do battle with the extremely good Lexus LS, the BMW 7-series, the S-Class Mercedes, and the Audi A8.  Some say buyers in this class want an elegant looking car that doesn’t stand out.  If they don’t want to stand out, the XTS will be a good choice; their neighbors may even mistake the headlights for a Ford Fusion.

This car breaks no ground.  It follows the CTS’s design language, which doesn’t seem to translate as well to a bigger package.  This is supposed to be the aspirational vehicle, not an also-ran for when you outgrow (or get too old for) your CTS.  It should set the design theme for future Caddy’s, and be something that everyone will want to shop against the best from Japan and Germany.  I think it missed the mark.

The interior looks good, and the rear/side are handsome, if bland.  But that front end has to go if this car is going to go anywhere without a significant rebate.

So thats day 2 in Detroit.  Has GM shown all its cards for the week?  Or is there a surprise waiting in the wings of Cobo hall, waiting for the right moment to wow us all?  Tune in tomorrow to find out.

I’d also like to thank all my friends, and their friends who have become my fan on Facebook, or started following me on Twitter.  Please get the word out!  The more popular I am, the more likely someone from GM sees this and calls me for an interview.  If you’ve found me, welcome to the blog, I hope you enjoy it!

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[Via http://johnvrbanacforgmceo.com]

Wow that was fast!

The first official weekend of BimmerWorld’s entry into the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge is over. It seems just like yesterday we were heading down to Daytona and now we are back at home in the cold weather. Overall the weekend was a great success. James and Dave in car #80 progressively got faster as the weekend went on. It seemed that the changes on the cars made them faster or better handling every time we went out. There were some stabs at making changes that did go the wrong direction but in the end we feel we came away with a good setup to start the official race weekend January 30th. Bill and my car will get the setup that James and Dave are going to start with since we didn’t get a lot of track time this weekend. With the crew working to get our car back together this is going to be a tight couple of weeks to get everything done for our first race. Luckily there will be some more track time for Bill and I as we are going down to Sebring this week for the PBOC Winterfest event. Bill is going to run the 6-hour enduro down there and I am going to ride shotgun with him in the Solo run groups. This is going to be a part of our coaching program throughout the year to help get us up to speed as a team. I can’t wait to get down to Sebring especially since we are not racing there in the BMWs this year.

My highlight for the weekend was getting a chance to drive one of the Rolex GT Porsches for a few laps in the last practice session on Sunday. WOW, that was a blast. I was nothing but smiles getting out of the car. I found it very interesting how driving the GT Porsche was similar to driving the BimmerWorld CTSCC car. And no our ST car does not have the power or the straight line speed of the Porsche. What I meant by that is how similar the braking, turn in, power down, and line coming out of the turn were all very similar. The behavior of the car was a little different with the rear end supporting a big flat-6 and the front end a big fuel cell but overall it wasn’t bad. The rear end didn’t feel snappy and the front end just dug and gripped. Adding power I could get the rear to step out a little but it wouldn’t be an uncontrollable slide. Little bit of steering added to the car and off you would go. The craziest part of the car experience going past the start finish line at close to 180 MPH and hitting the brakes close to the 100ft marker in the brake zone, going down 4 gears in the transmission and slowing the car to about 60 MPH for Turn 1. That was very addicting. I could get used to that speed and sensation. After that I had to head home with a big smile on my face.

[Via http://seththomasmotorsports.wordpress.com]

Tuesday's Obscure Car of the Day

Welcome to another installment of Obscure Car of the Day. Today’s car is the 2009 G-Power BMW M6 Hurricane CS. The car is powered by a 5 liter twin-supercharged V10 SK III RS engine that develops 750 hp that propels the car to a world record top speed of 230 mph.

In addition to the upgraded engine the G-POWER M6 HURRICANE CS features a multi-part widebody kit, high performance Carbon-Ceramic breaks, an individually adjustable suspension kit and 21 inch Silverstone Diamond G-POWER wheels with MICHELIN Pilot Sport PS2 tires.

The interior features racing seats made from carbon fiber, which ensure a perfect support for the drive in its fight against the centrifugal forces. The standout cockpit of the G-POWER M6 HURRICANE CS features a speedometer with 400-km/h scale, clear-coated carbon-fiber panels for dash, center console and doors, as well as an ergonomically shaped G-POWER sport steering wheel with especially pleasant perforated Kjerba Nappa leather.

The G-POWER M6 HURRICANE CS can be ordered as a complete car starting at 360.000 Euros roughly 516,996 U.S. dollars

Courtesy of Serious Wheels

[Via http://escoben.wordpress.com]

First Mish Mash of 2010!

1. So, the Honda dealership somehow managed to get my car back to me after working on it, basically, for two days. This worries me. They replaced 60-some individual parts. I basically  have no confidence in the car I loved now. So, trying really hard to decide if I should just trade it in or not. Test drove a few things over the weekend, including a BMW that I LOVE. Now, I live very near the United States BMW plant. Their employees get some great perks, including dirt cheap use of their products. So I’ve never wanted a BMW because everyone and their cleaning lady here has one. But, damn, this one I have picked out is purty! And drives like a dream. Mmmm…what to do, what to do?

2. Had a great New Year’s weekend. Rang in the new year at a house party, where something called Jim Jones punch nearly got the better of me. An old friend and his partner visited my little town for the weekend, was great catching up and showing them around. We had dinner at a Persian restaurant I’ve been wanting to try. Basically, there was very little on the menu that sounded familiar to me, but I tried a sampling of kabobs that were incredible—particularly something called a Kabob Torsh, which is beef tenderloin in a pomegranite and walnut marinade. Very good stuff! We did some barhopping before and after dinner. Had a great time, though at our last stop the old Honey and the new Sweetie (yes, faithful readers, there is one) came face to face. Awkward for all, but I guess it’s good to have that over with.

3. Had three showings of the Plastic Palace last week, including one who came back for a second look. I smell an offer…and I think 2010 is gonna be a great year so long as work stays steady enough that I can keep a paycheck. Still not seeing anything but the dimmest glimmer of that light at the end of the economic tunnel.

4. There’s no cable at my temporary residence, but my roomie has a huge collection of movies and TV shows on DVD. He has gotten me hooked on “How I Met Your Mother“…I love all the cast members, and the storylines are great–I’d call it the “Friends” of the 2000’s. Anyone else a fan?

[Via http://thevinylvillage.wordpress.com]

New All-Electric BMW 1-Series Coupe Revealed (details and photos)

The new BMW 1-Series Coupe all-electric car that willbe revealed as BMW Concept ActiveE at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show and will go into production within the next two two years.

While retaining the 1-Series Coupe’s rear-wheel drive model, BMW solitary the pattern shape’s internal-combustion engine adding a new synchronous electric motor expressly urban for this vehicle that’s integrated in the rear axis. The motor produces a crop of 125kW or 170hp and highest torque of 250Nm or 184 lb-ft.

Read more (details and photos)!!
The electrical energy that powers the motor is stored in a twosome of lithium-ion sequence packs developed jointly by BMW and SB LiMotive. The array packs concern the place that would routinely be taken up by the conventional drivetrain and fuel cistern in vehicles powered by a combustion engine.

The new Concept ActiveE tips the scales at a hefty 1,800 kg or about 3,970 pounds. BMW predicts that the all-thrilling 1-Series can accelerate from nought to 60km/h (37mph) in fewer than 4.5 seconds and from zilch to 100km/h (62mph) in less than 9 seconds, while the car’s maximum velocity is electronically limited to about 145 km/h or 90 mph.

BMW says that the frank-world scale is likely to be around 160 kilometers or 100 miles on a solitary payment, depending on conditions. The car’s lithium-ion batteries can be revived by a conventional clout shop at civic charging stations or at an exclusive block box. On the European grid, BMW says that the battery fill can be insincere thrilling at a high-current authority channel (50 ampere) in as little as three hours, while in North America, using a high-current (32 ampere continual) residential divider box, the care time is estimated to be around 4.5 hours.

The all-electric 1-Series Coupe rest a four-seater, however, the car’s gumboot power has been condensed to 200 liters due to the electric tidbits.

The Concept ActiveE is distinguished by the Liquid White hard ending as well as the special logos and lifelike basics derived from printed circuits in Electric Blue on the covering, doors, roof and coffer lid. The auto also gets exclusive light-alloy veer wheels, a specially trimmed interior and revised instrument panel and main parade that have been enhanced to contain flaunt substance point to electric steer.

[Via http://autoworld.wordpress.com]

North American BMW 7-Series to get a six-cylinder engine

BMW has revealed a six-cylinder version of the 7-Series for the North American market. It will be making a live appearance at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

It’s called the 740i (740Li in long wheelbase form). It will be powered by a twin-turbocharged 3.0L I6, putting out 315hp and 300lb-ft of torque. That’s 15hp more than what the engine puts out in the BMW 335i. This car is the first non-hybrid BMW in North America to get brake energy regeneration. The car will be getting the same six-speed automatic the 7-Series normally utilizes.

That 3.0L I6 is fantastic, and it gives us another reason to choose the 7-Series as the winner for our Executive Car of the Year. Will it actually win though?

Here is BMW’s press release regarding this car:

The 2011 BMW 740i and 740Li Sedans – Six-Cylinder BMW Power Returns to the 7 Series in North America

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – December 16, 2009 2:00pm Eastern … As an exciting example of its EfficientDynamics engineering philosophy, BMW announced the North American debut of the 7 Series with a twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine. Featuring BMW’s award-winning inline-6 engine that produces V-8 power on six-cylinder fuel consumption, the new BMW 740i and BMW 740Li achieve a remarkable balance of power, efficiency, and sporty driving dynamics. Both models will go on sale in the United States as 2011 models in Spring 2010. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.

In 1977, the original BMW 7 Series was launched exclusively with inline-6 propulsion. The United States first met the BMW 7 Series in the 1978 model year as the 733i Sedan. The 733i featured a 3.2-liter inline-6 engine rated at 197 horsepower. The 733i remained on sale in America until it was replaced in 1985 by the BMW 735i Sedan. The 735i, which featured an updated inline-6 engine producing 218 horsepower from 3.4 liters, enjoyed a production run that lasted through the end of the 1992 model year. The 735i was joined by the extended-wheelbase 735iL in May of 1988.

A keystone of BMW’s EfficientDynamics philosophy is “virtual displacement,” the notion that BMW’s modern engines of smaller displacement can equal or exceed the outputs of traditional engines of larger displacement and more cylinders. This principle is already seen in the BMW 750i model, which features a twin-turbocharged V-8 engine performing at the level of BMW’s previous-generation V12 engine. Virtual displacement provides the power of a larger engine with the fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions signature of a smaller engine. The 2011 BMW 740i and 740Li feature BMW’s internationally acclaimed twin-turbocharged inline-6 engine with up-rated output of 315 horsepower at 5800 rpm and 330 lb-ft of torque from 1600-4500 rpm. All-aluminum construction, High Precision direct fuel injection, Double-VANOS variable camshaft technology, and Brake Energy Regeneration are a few of the technologies used under the BMW EfficientDynamics philosophy to place the 740i and 740Li among the most powerful six-cylinder luxury sedans in the world.

Delivering power to the rear wheels is BMW’s 6-speed automatic transmission, well-known for fast, smooth gearshifts and an ability to intelligently adapt to the driver’s style. Both models will be available with the full complement of well-known 7 Series options and packages, including the M Sport Package, Driver Assistance Package, Luxury Seating Packages, Rear Entertainment Package, and even the BMW Individual Composition Package.

Source: Autoblog

[Via http://theblogofcars.wordpress.com]