Gold plated Toyota Camry

Gold plated cars are not something new. Every once in a while we get to see one of these showing up, reminding us that there are a lot of people out there that got nothing better to do with their money than extremely pimping up a car. This 24k gold plated Toyota Camry is no exception. Of course, as you probably imagine, the owner comes from Dubai and the car is for sale for 135,000 AED ($36,800 or €23,700). However, one thing bothers me. If you want to show off, why in the world would you choose a Toyota Camry

Carlsson Aigner

German tuner Carlsson has announced the Aigner CK65 RS “Eau Rouge” Dark Edition (fancy name!) based on the Mercedes Benz CL65 AMG. The car, which will be on display this week at the 2008 Zurich Auto Show, was built in cooperation with leather lifestyle brand Etienne Aigner AG. The car features a body kit that includes front skirt with front spoiler made of solid carbon, shaded Bi-Xenon headlights with cone-shaped lights, radiator grille with the Carlsson badge, three-part 21 inch forged rims and an exclusive obsidian black metallic with Himalaya-gray paint finish. The interior features high-class leather upholestry for the electrically adjustable sport seats, Carlsson sport steering wheel in Leather/Alcantara combination, Carlsson sport aluminium pedal pads and illuminated door sill protectors, Aigner-A logo embossed in the front headrests and the reverse side of the front seats, while the handholds, sun shields and rear screen frame has been covered with Aigner-Alcantara.

The coupe will come with a Bi-Turbo V12 engine available with two power outputs, 705 hp and an impressive 756 hp and 1,150 Nm of torque. The latter will offer a 0-62 mph sprint in 3.8 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 335 km/h (208 mph). Combined with the Carlsson electronic lowering kit C-Tronic SUSPENSION which lowers the car by approx. 30 mm. the car is definitely a blast to drive. However, it won’t come cheap, with the 705 hp version starting at 319,000 Euros (around $400,000), while the 756 hp model starts at 374,000 Euros ($470,000). Still, considering only ten units will be built, Carlsson will probably have no problems finding customers.

Porsche Panamera

the most spied cars in history, the Porsche Panamera has been officially introduced today. After this weekend a set of official photos were leaked on the web, today Porsche released the first officials details on its upcoming four-doors coupe. Basically, with the Panamera, Porsche joins a new market, still at its beginning, where it will compete cars like the upcoming Lamborghini Estoque or the Aston Martin Rapide. Under the hood, Porsche will offer a range of V6 and V8 engines, developing between 300 and 500 hp, some of those benefiting from turbocharger technology, Direct Fuel Injection, and will be mated either to a manual six-speed gearbox or a new seven-speed Double-Clutch Gearbox (PDK - Porsche Doppelkupplung). Also available will be all-wheel-drive (standard on top versions) and Porsche has also announced that they’re working on a hybrid version of the Panamera. Complete details will be available closer to the car’s debut, in spring 2009, probably at next year’s Geneva Motor Show. The first deliveries are expected next summer, with the car being built at Porsche’s plant in

KTM preparing

KTM is working on a more powerful version of the X-BOW and the official launch will be made in 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show. Under the hood KTM will have a modified version of Audi’s 2.0-liter FDI engine, an engine that has produced as much as 261 horsepower in the S3. The new model will get a full-height windshield a removable roof. That should aid greatly in making the X-Bow a more livable proposition, but it will be interesting to see how they negotiate putting a convincing-looking hat on such a minimalist roadster. The more powerful model could be joined later by a new variant sporting a full windshield and a removable roof, making the case for the X-Bow more compelling and allowing KTM to take aim at traditional track toys.

Toyota iQ

the Japanese Car of the Year were announced and, surprisingly or not, the Toyota iQ is the big winner. The mini car from Toyota managed to take home the award after polling more then 300 than the second place, who went to the Citroen C5. The Nissan GT-R joined them on the podium, taking the third place. For this competition, 65 jurors had 25 votes to give to five vehicles, each juror giving 10 votes to his/her top-rated car before giving the remaining 15 votes to the next four vehicles. The iQ managed to get 10 points from 39 of the jurors. Other awards that were given were for Most Advanced Technology, which went to the GT-R, for Most Fun car (Subaru Exiga) and Best Value (Honda Freed). And here’s the top 10 (the last two were considered a tie) cars nominated and the points they scored.

1. Toyota iQ - 526 points
2. Citroen C5 - 223 points
3. Nissan GT-R - 201 points
4. Audi A4/A4 Avant - 180 points
5. Jaguar XF - 115 points
6. Daihatsu tanto - 100 points
7. Fiat 500 - 90 points
8. Honda Freed - 62 points
9. Mazda Atenza - 60 points
10. The Suzuki Wagon R / Wagon R STINGRAY - 37 points
11. Subaru Exiga - 31 points

2010 Mustang Ford

here it is, the 2010 Mustang, Ford’ competitor against the Chevrolet Camaro and the Dodge Challenger, which received a redesign for the exterior, new interior and some performance upgrades. “The new Mustang marks new levels of both power and refinement,” said Paul Randle, Mustang chief engineer. “We’ve designed and engineered this to be the next classic Mustang that everyone talks about for years and years.” Everytime a new car shows up, everyone judges it first by its looks, so let’s see what’s new for the 2010 Mustang. It features a more aggressive grille, new headlamps and turn indicators, redesigned powerdome hood, new front rear fenders, sculptured wheel flares, new rear end design with new tail lamps (features three LED bulbs firing sequentially from the inside for turn indication), new angled corners, sculpted decklid and a large rear badge.

Under the hood, the starting point for the new Mustang was the Bullitt, including the 4.6 liter V8 which has been upgraded to 315 hp. The new Mustang will be offered with bigger wheel-and-tire combinations, ranging from 17 to 19 inches. Beside that, the Mustang will come with AdvanceTrac Electronic Stability Control (ESC), all-speed traction control and ABS system, dual stage front driver and passenger air bags, front seat-mounted side air bags plus Ford’s Personal Safety System.

The interior has also received a redesign, featuring new one-piece instrument panel design crafted in soft-touch TPO (Thermoplastic Olefin) with aluminum-finish panels, chromed-ringed gauges and dual-vane air register vents, the seats and arm rests have softer materials, plus a new center stack design that adds the latest version of Ford SYNC.