A round-up of the week's motors news
First official image of the Hyundai ix35
THE WEEKLY dripfeed of information on the new Hyundai ix35, replacement for the Tucson, continues apace with this first official image of the car relased this week.
The car will make its full metal debut at next month’s Frankfurt motor show. According to the Korean firm, the new car has an improved interior space and an exterior that will stand out as strongly as rivals like the VW Tiguan and Ford Kuga.
Full details of the engine range are not official yet, but the firm claims it will offer comparable fuel economy to a regular family hatchback and similar emissions figures, thereby lowering the tax bill when compared to the current model.
British team breaks world steam record
A BRITISH-BUILT steam supercar broke a 103-year- old world land speed record for steam-powered vehicles in the US yesterday.
The 25ft-long British steam car – nicknamed the “fastest kettle in the world” – reached an average speed of 225km/h on two runs at the Edwards Air Force Base in California.
The timing beat the previous record of 204km/h set by Fred Marriott in a Stanley steam car at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1906.
Marriott’s record was beaten by the British team with Charles Burnett III at the wheel.
Getting personal with the new DS3
CITROËN HAS revealed the production version of its new DS3, ahead of its physical debut at next month’s Frankfurt motor show.
The new car is being billed as the first in a range of DS models. The theme of these cars will be more radical design than the marque’s mainstream models.
Features include LED lights and a revised cockpit. Each car can also be personalised to the owner’s taste.
Otherwise it’s a regular family hatchback, measuring in at just under 4 metres in length and with five full seats. The engine options feature two diesel offerings, putting out either 90bhp or 110bhp, and three petrol engines of 95bhp, 120bhp and 150bhp.
The DS3 comes with five Euro V powerplants that score high on refinement, flexibility and performance.
All the diesels emit less than 115g/km, resulting in an annual motor tax bill of €104, while the petrol versions are rated at 136g/km and 160g/km.
Obama looks to sell GM stakes
THE OBAMA administration said yesterday it was monitoring its investments in General Motors and Chrysler Group with an eye to selling those stakes when possible.
“The government will continue to monitor its investment in these companies with the goal of selling the government investments in these firms as soon as practicable and recouping the investment made by taxpayers in these companies,” the White House office of management and budget said in its mid-year budget review.