VIDEO: Top Gear Shooting in Israel with BMW Z3, Mazda MX-5 and Fiat Barchetta

Thanks to one of Carscoop's commentators, we can now show you a video of Top Gear's trio of power obsessed presenters -that would be Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond- filming an episode in the Holy Land. As noted in our previous article with the scoop pictures, the cars of choice for Top Gear's latest escapade, are a trio of older generation roadster models - the BMW Z3, Mazda MX-5 and Fiat Barchetta.

There's also a guy with a white racing helmet driving what looks like an old Suzuki Alto, but we're not sure if he's part of the Top Gear crew or if some fans of the show decided to make fun of The Stig. As always, any help with the translation, would be welcome. Watch the video after the jump.

Hat tip to 'Mako'!

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Fiat Uno Roadster Study and Uno Sporting to Break Cover at São Paulo Auto Show

Fiat is planning to debut a conceptual roadster version and a sported-up production variant of its newly revealed Uno city car at next week's 2010 São Paulo Auto Show in Brazil, which will be open to the public from 27 October 7 November.

Although designed as a pure concept study, the two-seater Uno Roadster shows the potential for a limited series production model in the near future. The car is powered by a 1.4-liter turbocharged gasoline engine producing 152-horsepower and features a stiffened chassis, 17-inch alloy wheels and an aggressive bodykit.

The Roadster will be joined by the new Uno Sporting trim level which keeps the standard model's 1.4-liter 85HP engine but adds a sport suspension lowered by 20mm, 15-inch alloy wheels shod in 185/60 tires, an exclusive orange shade complemented by special decals, and front and rear spoilers. It also gets some sportier touches inside such as the new trim on the dashboard panel and seats.

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Top Gear Caught Filming Battered Up BMW Z3, Fiat Barchetta and MX-5 at Israel-Jordan Borders

The crew from Top Gear [the original, not the US clone that some are persistently trying to shove down our throat - we get it, it's coming...], was snagged chilling at the border between Israel and Jordan.

According to one of our tipsters, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond drove their specially modified BMW Z3, Fiat Barchetta and Mazda MX-5 roadsters from Jordan to Israel and their next stop will be at the Golan Heights and at Nazareth. Maybe we'll get some new photos from the shoot, but for now, enjoy some high-res pics after the jump.

Hat tip to Ran!

Source: Hwzone

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Fiat Linea production allocated to Russia

One of Russia's biggest car companies, Sollers, plans to start production on the Fiat Linea sedan in August/September at its plant in Naberezhnye Chelny, CEO Vadim Shvetsov has declared. The car will on sale during September.

Localization of production will reach 35%. Sollers has no plans to boost this figure since it wants to launch a new car line in 2015-'16. This is the second go by Sollers at producing the Linea sedan. Back in 2008, Sollers announced plans to build the car in the Alabuga economic area of Tartarstan but abandoned the idea.

Prices and specifications for the Linea in Russia were not released but local analysts think that the entry-level model will start at less than $16,000. The Russian Linea sedan is likely to be powered by a 1.4 litre 77bhp & 120bhp petrol engine, in addition to a 1.3 MultiJet diesel engine.

Shvetsov said that the Linea will primarily contend with the popular Ford Focus in Russia.

Chrysler to use Fiat MultiAir engines

Chrysler has announced a raft of new engines for its line-up, which it says will boost the overall fuel-efficiency of its vehicles by 25% between now and 2014.

The engines are taken from Fiat's range, and include direct injection, turbocharged, and Multiair units, plus dual-clutch transmissions. Chrysler said 80% of its vehicles across all its brands will get the new technology.

Among the line-up is two Multiair 4 cylinder units: a 100bhp 1.4 litre unit with 95lb ft of torque and a turbocharged 1.4 litre unit with 170bhp and 170lbft of torque. A 190bhp 2.4 litre Multiair unit putting out 175lb ft of torque will also be available. A 280bhp 3.4 litre V6 Multiair unit with 260lb ft of torque will also be available and will first be available in the Jeep Grand Cherokee later next year.

Chrysler says that it will start selling vehicles with a new 6 speed Dual Dry Clutch Transmission (DDCT) from later this year, with the next generation Sebring thought most likely to get the unit first. A hybrid Ram 1500 will also go on sale later this year.

One of the conditions attached to Fiat's shareholding in Chrysler being expanded in future was that the Italian manufacturer must reach emissions targets with the U.S brand.

Fiat Uno to arrive late 2011 (EU)

The new Fiat Uno will arrive in Europe late next year, according to reports.

The Brazilian-developed budget supermini will be built at the Zastava factory in Serbia, which currently makes the Punto Mk2. Fiat has announced a €150 million (£130m) investment in the Serbian factory earlier this year in preparation for introducing the Uno.

The company’s European product plan describes the new Uno as an “entry-level B-sector car”, suggesting that it will be very competitively priced. Although UK sales aren’t definite, we expect prices to start from £6,000, under-cutting the smaller Panda, which starts at £7,665. In Brazil, prices start from R$ 27,350 (£10,356), rising to R$ 31,870 (£12,000).

In Fiat’s European line-up, the Uno will slot between the Panda city-car and Grande Punto/Punto Evo supermini.

The Uno is powered by two new flexi-fuel petrol engines; a 1.0 litre unit developing 73bhp on alcohol & 75bhp on petrol and a 1.4 litre engine kicking out 85bhp using petrol and 88bhp on alcohol. The front wheel drive supermini is geared through a 5 speed manual transmission.

Atomik unveils all-electric version of Fiat 500

While there's still no word on whether Fiat/Chrysler will bring an electric version of the retro-metro 500 to market, it appears that someone else will. Atomik Cars has taken the 500 Abarth and made it meaner and cleaner. The new company's aim is to deliver a zero-emission vehicle that blends supercar performance with city car packaging. Atomik's motto is "Anticipating the future." It may well have succeeded.


The vehicle is said to be powered by an AC brushless synchronous motor that is said to be equivalent to that of a 300hp engine. The Atomik 500 reaches 60mph in just 5.6 seconds and is powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery pack of unknown capacity. The vehicle also features a ceramic heating system that warns the driver that the “Peltier A/C modules w/o gas” needs to be cooled.



via:ecofriend autoblog

Geneva Motor Show: 2010 Abarth 500C & Punto Evo

The 500C show car is a two-tone model with half painted white and the other half in black. The 138-horsepower 1.4-liter turbocharged engine produces up to 206 Nm (152 lb-ft) of torque, capable of getting the car from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds. This is definitely slower than the acceleration of the MINI Cooper S, by anywhere from 0.4 to 0.9 seconds, depending on the source. However, fuel economy is much better than the Coop, with the 500C using 6.5 liters per 100 km, or 36.2 mpg (US).


Right next to the 500C is the Punto Evo show car in white with red accents, which sprints to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds. It featuers a Garrett turbocharger mounted to the 1.4-liter Multiair engine, which now produces 162 horsepower (119 kW) and up to 250 Nm (184 lb-ft) of torque. As an SS, horsepower is boosted another 16 hp (12 kW).


Exterior mods include a larger font bumper and a new rear bumper with space for twin exhaust pipes and a diffuser. The SS model also features better brakes and 18-inch wheels.


Customers in Europe and Japan will get first crack when the two cars go on sale soon. You can view both cars through the end of the Geneva Motor Show.


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Geneva preview: Fiat Two-Cylinder 85 HP TWIN-AIR Engine

The new two-cylinder engine family made by FPT - Fiat Powertrain Technologies called TWIN-AIR will be making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. This is a brand-new concept on the worldwide auto scene and confirms the leadership of the Fiat Group in this field.

Using next-generation technology, the new engine implements the revolutionary Multiair system combined with special fluid dynamics optimised for the best fuel efficiency. Furthermore, by taking the concept of downsizing to the extreme and masterly tuning the basic mechanics, the new family - delivering from 65 to 105 HP - emits 30% less CO2 than an engine of equal performance.


Visitors to the show will admire the first application of this new engines on a 500, the first Fiat model on which it will be introduced next July. The car is equipped with a two-cylinder turbo 85 HP engine which has the lowest CO2 emission levels for a petrol engine (up to 95 g/km) without compromising performance and driving pleasure. Compared with the two engine versions available today, it provides excellent performance with a major fuel reduction: the new turbo two-cylinder 85 HP engine consumes down to 15% less fuel and has 25% more performance than the 1.2 8v, while fuel consumption drops to a remarkable 30% with respect to the 1.4 16v with comparable performance and the same high driving pleasure.


Furthermore, with respect to a four-cylinder of equal performance and medium displacement, the new engine is significantly shorter (-23%) and lighter (-10%), opening the way to interesting further developments, such as methane fuel feed or hybrid technology combinations, again under the sign of greater eco-friendliness. In particular, a methane version of the TWIN-AIR will be available soon providing a further CO2 emission reduction: this is possible by adopting a pair of special injectors in addition to the petrol injectors on the intake manifold rails. Improving these fuel saving results using internal combustion engines will be difficult and alternative technologies will need to be developed. The combination of traditional engines and electric motors appears particularly promising. Precisely because of its small size, the TWIN-AIR is well suited to be coupled with an electric motor, and in general with a device arranged between engine and gearbox for recovering and storing the energy which is normally wasted during braking.


Nothing short of an engineering gem, the two-cylinder implements the revolutionary Multiair technology developed and patented by FPT - Fiat Powertrain Technologies, which was introduced on FIRE engines last year for the first time. The heart of Multiair is a new electro-hydraulic valve management system that reduces fuel consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves (without using the throttle). Multiair reduces polluting emissions (thanks to improved combustion control) and also considerably improves performance by boosting driveability with respect to a traditional petrol engine of equal displacement.


Furthermore, the new TWIN-AIR engine takes the concept of downsizing to the extreme: combining a small displacement engine with a next-generation turbocharger provides performance comparable to - or even better than - that of a larger engine but with less fuel consumption and lower emissions. And more: the turbo significantly increases the maximum torque, making it available at a very low rpm, with the result of offering greater flexibility and an unrivalled promptness of response compared to conventional aspirated engines. All this comes with a simple build that benefits strength and reliability.


Last but not least, the new engine was painstakingly optimised and tuned. For instance, the basic two-cylinder architecture - combined with the low friction of internal parts - ranks this engine best in the "friction" class in the world. Furthermore, computer simulations have been used to identify the best possible standard displacement in terms of thermo-dynamic efficiency, and the best fluid dynamic configuration to optimise and get the best out of the MultiAir system. Finally, special attention has been placed on the NVH (Noise, vibration, and harshness) aspect to ensure vibration performance at least equivalent to that of a four-cylinder, with equal performance but with a characteristic sound. For this purpose, a balancing countershaft was used to maintain optimal vibration levels in all operating conditions of the engine, from the idling speed to top power.
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