Karim Habib returns to BMW.

Karim Habib, former Team Leader for Advanced Design at BMW, joined Mercedes-Benz earlier this month, becoming Head of Advanced Design at the German automaker's Stuttgart studio. Habib will work under newly appointed Mercedes-Benz Head of Design, Gorden Wagener.
Habib, 38, was born in Beirut, Lebanon and attended elementary school in Iran, France and Greece before moving to Montreal, Canada in 1982. He earned his Bachelor's degree in engineering from McGill University in Montreal prior to studying automotive design.
Following a year at Art Center Europe in Switzerland, Habib studied at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA and began his automotive design career at BMW AG in Munich, Germany, shortly after earning his degree.
Credited for having designed the latest BMW 7 Series and the Concept CS unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2007, Habib's first project working at BMW was the interior of the E60 5 Series.
"BMW was my life for ten years and I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it," Habib told us.
Over his decade-long career at BMW, Habib worked on a multitude of concepts and production vehicles as he rose through the ranks within Advanced Design, starting first as an automotive designer, then becoming senior exterior designer of the F01/F02 (7 Series) project, before finally securing the role of Team Leader Advanced Design for the BMW Group.
When asked why he had chosen to leave BMW, a company that experiences very little turnover in its design department, Habib said: "Sometimes in life you have to accept new challenges, go against the grain and expand your horizons."
"Mercedes-Benz is a brand with a lot of history and a lot of opportunity," he added.

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The Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet

 It bills itself as the world's first all-wheel drive crossover convertible.With its never seen before design and custom boutique style, the Murano CrossCabriolet is certainly unlike anything on the road - blending the upright stance of a crossover with the open air enjoyment of a convertible. You have to hand it to Nissan, the company certainly isn't afraid of testing the water. The transformation of the Murano body from Crossover to CrossCabriolet and from 4-door to 2-door meant more than just removing the top. Along with creating new front doors (7.9 inches longer than 4-door Murano front doors) and eliminating the B-pillars, the structure has been reinforced from the A-pillar rearward. The cloth convertible top also includes a rear glass skylight, helping create a wide-open interior environment even with the top in the closed position. Dual Pop-up Roll Bars are also standard. The coefficient of drag remains close to that of the hardtop Murano, just 0.39 Cd versus 0.37 Cd.
One of the keys to the CrossCabriolet's design's success is the convertible top's exceptionally compact size when stowed, which allows both additional interior and cargo volume (normally taken up by a traditional convertible stowage design). The hydraulically operated top mechanism includes an automatic power latch/unlatch system. Operation switches are located on the centre console and driver's door handle. With the top down, the stowed size is similar to that of a conventional 2-seat roadster. Boot capacity with the top down is 7.6 cubic feet, enough to fit two sets of golf clubs or two carry-on suitcases. With the top closed, cargo capacity expands to 12.3 cubic feet.
Along with the unique convertible top appearance, the Murano CrossCabriolet exterior also includes High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional xenon projector headlights with auto on/off function, front fog lights and Nissan 370Z-inspired LED taillights.
Other features include body-coloured front and rear bumpers, chrome door handles, body-coloured dual power/heated outside mirrors, and rear window defroster with timer. Along with convertible style, the CrossCabriolet offers the high ground clearance of a Murano for easy ingress and egress and enhanced driver visibility.
The car's drivetrain is shared with the all-wheel drive hardtop Murano, starting with the proven "D" platform and standard 3.5-litre 24-valve DOHC V6 petrol engine producing 265 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque. Suffice to say, the car would probably require a diesel engine for Europe.
The advanced all-wheel drive system connects the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system, yaw sensors, wheel slip sensors and steering angle sensors to distribute torque according to driving conditions.
The luxurious Murano CrossCabriolet interior starts with a foundation of the top-of-the-line Murano LE and takes it to the next level of standard features and convenience items. The tall windscreen and A-pillar design combines with the body's high beltline and high rear seat shoulders to help reduce conventional interior air turbulence with the top down, allowing conversation between occupants.
Premium materials are used throughout, with the standard leather-appointed seats available in a diagonally quilted premium leather, double-stitched pattern for added elegance. The long list of standard features includes 8-way power heated driver's seat with power lumbar support, 4-way manual heated front passenger seat with easy entry function, heated steering wheel, 2-position driver's seat memory system for seat, steering wheel and outside mirrors, passenger seat easy entry release button on instrument panel for driver access, driver and front passenger seatback pocket, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, and Nissan Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition.
The distinctive Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet is scheduled to go on sale in the USA in early 2011, although there are currently no definite plans to bring it to Europe.

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Hyundai-Kia to use dual-clutch gearbox, CVT from 2011

     The dual-clutch gearbox, popularised by Volkswagen and adopted by the likes of Ford, Volvo, BMW and Porsche today, will find its way into Hyundai-Kia vehicles from next year. First out with be a six-speed unit, followed by a seven speeder, supplied by Germany’s LUK and branded as Parallel Shift Gearbox (PSG).
Like VW’s DSG, PSG has two computer operated clutches, one handling even gears and the other odd gears. Compared to a torque converter automatic, shift speed and efficiency are improved, but it’s the latter Hyundai is chasing after. “To improve our fuel economy, we are aggressively trying to apply various technologies,” Dr Woong-chul Yang, president of Hyundai-Kia’s R&D division said.
The “various tech” mentioned includes the continuously variable transmissions (CVT), which will be introduced in smaller models to boost mileage. In the US, Hyundai has announced plans to lift its corporate average fuel economy rating to 50 mpg (17.7 km/l) by 2025. Four upcoming models including the new Elantra (Avante for us) will get at least 40 mpg or 14.2 km/l on the highway. Transmissions are key, but other measures include direct-injection engines, turbochargers and hybrid tech.
Reports from Australia say that the recipients of the PSG will include the ix35 and i45, which we know as the Tucson and Sonata respectively.

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Breaking news

Land Rover will skip the hybrid powertrain version of their new compact Evoque crossover and instead apply the new technology to their truck-based LR4, a company spokesman said.

“Our approach to Evoque is more viable for the company and customers because hybrid technology on a relatively small car would load the price and add weight. That technology is better suited to larger cars, probably from Discovery upwards,” said Land Rover’s John Edwards.

Land Rover is also expecting a majority of buyers to opt for four-wheel drive, due to the brand’s strong off-road heritage. The level of conquest buyers is also expected to be between 70 and 80 percent – and quite honestly, with a vehicle this good looking, we wouldn’t be surprised if this prediction came true.

Fast and Furious V :You can make fun of the series all you want... but you know you are going to watch the next installment in the Fast and Furious franchise. The fifth film, called Fast 5, is set to hit theaters (including IMAX) on April 29th, 2011. Paul Walker and Vin Diesel are back again reprising the lead roles of Dom and Brian. Also back are Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Sung Kang (which is surprising since we're pretty sure he died in Tokyo Drift, no?).Fast 5 takes place in Rio de Janeiro, where the crew is forced to perform "one last job" in order to earn their freedom. A new law enforcement agent stands in their way – played by none other than Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The film will surely be filled with plenty of gratuitous vehicular action that looks great on camera while breaking every conceivable law of physics.

The trailer for the film, which is available after the jump, features only a few clear shots at some of the cars in the flick. We spy (deep breath) an E39 5 Series, a pair of matte black Charger police cars, a modified 350Z, a resto-mod Charger, a few glimpses of parked Porsches, some assorted SUVs that are promptly trashed, an old VW bus, a Ford GT, what appears to be a Mongoose Motorsports Corvette Grand Sport Roadster replica, a Nissan GT-R and a few others we may have missed.

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2011 Kia Optima SX : Review.

In an alternate universe, we're tearing through the blissfully serpentine asphalt twisting through Topanga Canyon outside of Los Angeles; a pull of the steering wheel paddle shifter drops the transmission into second before we enter a sweeping corner. Hard on the brakes, and then back into throttle to power out; we're now three-up in the new turbocharged 2011 Kia Optima SX, and quickly bearing down upon a BMW 5 Series. Sound like a dream? Hardly: the Optima SX hungrily devours challenging corners, and its turbocharged engine backs up its good looks with plenty of bite.

The 2011 Optima SX is part of an ongoing paradigm shift for Kia. Until very recently, the Korean automaker was content in building the blandest of transportation devices, designed neither to offend nor excite, and priced at bargain-basement levels. Now they're done with that. Over the past year, Kia has introduced disturbingly appealing vehicles at market-beating prices, and doing its best to shake its previously dodgy image. With the Optima SX, Kia has built a car that can legitimately vie for the title of best midsize family sedan on the market.

Let's not pretend about what we're looking at here. Since Hyundai and Kia are corporate bosom buddies, nearly all the hard parts and mechanical bits beneath the skin are shared with the also-new Hyundai Sonata Turbo. As is the case with the base Optima, the chassis features a McPherson strut front suspension, a multi-link setup in back, and a complete alphabet soup of stability aids. The top-of-the-line SX model receives upgraded 12.6-inch front discs, more aggressive damper tuning, and -- most importantly -- the all-new Theta Turbo GDI  . read more >>>>>>>>

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