Monday, August 31, 2009

Renault to enhance its range in autumn 2009 with FLUENCE, New Saloon for travelling in style

2009 Renault Fluence

Renault Fluence was designed with the aim of standing out as the most attractive car of its class and several features set it apart from rivals: beneath its strong, sporting exterior, Fluence features a comfortable cabin and a barrage of useful technological aids.



Fluence targets customers looking for a status-enhancing saloon and will be built on the existing assembly line at the Oyak-Renault plant in Bursa, Turkey, where the booted Mégane II was previously produced.


Passenger comfort is optimized by generous dimensions:
  • 4,620mm long, 1,809mm wide, 1,479mm high and a wheelbase of 2,702mm,
  • 530dm3 of boot space,
  • more passenger space than any main rival, including 1,480mm of elbow room at the front and 1,475mm at the rear.
An ergonomically sound driving position:
  • Fluence's dashboard features elegant, flowing lines and key functions fall easily to hand these include the controls for the navigation and climate control systems, the steeringwheel-mounted radio and telephone fingertip remote controls and the controls for the cruise control/speed limiter,
  • the driver's seat has a huge range of adjustments, 240mm fore or aft and +/-35mm in terms of height; the steering wheel can be adapted for rake and reach, too.
A comfortable, welcoming cabin:
  • the 60/40-spilt rear seat is wide and comfortable,
  • the cabin features more than 23 litres of stowage space, including an illuminated, refrigerated glovebox (nine litres) and a 2.2-litre centre console cubby,
  • a climate control system with front and rear vents is standard, even on entry-level models; automatic dual-zone climate control is available as an option.
A raft of user-friendly, high-tech features more commonly associated with top-of-the range models:
  • hands-free entry and ignition card with automatic locking of the doors as the card-holder walks away from the vehicle,
  • the new, integrated Carminat TomTom® navigation system for less than €500,
  • a wide range of audio options including the range-topping 3D Sound by Arkamys® system, Bluetooth® telephony and 'Plug & Music' digital connectivity.
A blend of outstanding comfort and top-class roadholding embellished by engines which combine punch with fuel economy:
  • a chassis that aligns efficiency with comfort and driving pleasure,
  • a comprehensive choice of engines, with four petrol and five diesel Renault eco² options.
Rigorously designed to meet even the most exacting customer's demands:
  • a comprehensive range of leading safety features: standard ABS and emergency braking assist, ESC, up to six airbags, three-point seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters, cruise control with speed limiter, etc.,
  • reliability and durability proven by a ferocious testing regime; our quality control systems are designed with certain markets' most demanding road conditions in mind.
A strong environmental stance:
  • all diesel models in the Fluence range have a CO2 emissions rating of 119g/km and qualify for the Renault eco² signature,
  • in 2011, the Renault range will be boosted by the introduction of an all-electric version of Fluence – proof that attractive, comfortable, spacious cars are by no means incompatible with respect for the environment.
Renault Fluence goes on sale in Turkey from November and will benefit from the Mégane II fourdoor's fine reputation in three best-selling markets: Turkey, Russia and Romania.

Video : 2009 Renault Fluence


Images : 2009 Renault Fluence






[Source : RENAULT]

The Fiat Punto Evo makes its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show

FIAT Punto EVO

TURIN : August 31, 2009 - The Fiat Punto Evo, the evolution of the Grande Punto, will make its debut at the next Frankfurt Motor Show. It is destined to repeat the success of its predecessor and become the new pacesetter for innovation, safety and style, thanks to its many innovative features.


The epithet “Evo” identifies a level of car design that is capable of satisfying even the most demanding customers in terms of technology, driving pleasure and respect for the environment.

The Punto Evo expresses its technical excellence first and foremost through a wide choice of Euro 5 engines, including a 1.3 second generation Multijet diesel and a 1.4 petrol engine with the revolutionary MultiAir technology developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies and eventually to be incorporated in all Fiat Group engines. Fiat’s innovative and conventional powerplants are also joined by dual-fuel methane and petrol units to create the most complete and ecological range of engines in the segment. With reduced consumption and emissions in mind, the new Punto Evo also offers Start&Stop, the system that switches off and restarts the engine in stop-and-go traffic. Start&Stop is being introduced as standard on all Euro5 petrol and diesel engines. Another system making its first appearance on the Punto Evo is “Blue&Me–TomTom”, the new portable satellite navigation unit that lets you manage telephone, navigation and information functions on a practical colour touch-screen.

In the area of safety, the Punto Evo sets new standards thanks to 7 airbags, including a driver knee airbag. The Punto Evo is one of very few cars in its segment with a driver knee airbag fitted as standard on all versions. Other innovative safety systems are also available, including Hill-Holder to help with hill starts, adaptive 'cornering' front fog lights that switch on automatically with dipped headlights according to the angle of steering, and Fiat’s tried and tested ABS, EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) and ESP (Electronic Stability Program) systems.

Finally, the new Punto Evo is even more attractive thanks to the work of Fiat’s Centro Stile. The interiors (fascia, seats and instrumentation) have been completely renewed to become even more prestigious and elegant, and the outside has been given a thoroughly restyled look too.

The Fiat Punto Evo goes on sale in the second half of October with the precise objective of consolidating its role as one of Europe’s market leaders in the highly important compact segment.


Technical innovation

The Punto Evo expresses its technical excellence first and foremost through a wide choice of engines Euro 5, including petrol units equipped with the revolutionary MultiAir system and second generation Multijet diesels.

Developed and patented by FPT – Fiat Powertrain Technologies – MultiAir technology will gradually be adopted by all engines fitted to Fiat Group cars. The heart of MultiAir is a new electrohydraulic valve management system that reduces fuel consumption by controlling air directly via the inlet valves (without using the throttle). MultiAir reduces emissions (thanks to improved combustion control) and also improves performance by boosting both power and torque.

Similar results have been achieved in diesel versions thanks to the adoption of second generation Multijet units across the range. These engines incorporate new common rail injectors that, thanks to a balanced hydraulic servo-valve, control the quantity of fuel injected into the combustion chamber with improved precision, and in a faster and more flexible sequence than in the past.

The choice of engines available for the Punto Evo is the most complete and ecological in this market segment, and even includes two alternative fuel engines, a methane and an LPG unit.

The new Punto Evo is even equipped with the latest version of the Blue&Me system. “Blue&Me–TomTom” is a fully integrated infotainment system that lets you manage telephone, navigation and information functions on a practical colour touch-screen. The system is the result of a partnership between Fiat Group Automobiles and TomTom, European leader in portable navigation systems, and integrates with the car’s other systems thanks to the Blue&Me system developed in conjunction with Magneti Marelli. The new system also incorporates “eco:Drive Info” for real time information on your driving style and useful suggestions for reducing environmental impact and optimising consumption by changing gear and using the accelerator to suit the nature of the route.


Respect for the environment

At Fiat, innovation means greater respect for the environment too. In fact, the environment is one of the main issues driving product development, and ensures that the Fiat range is the greenest in Europe. The Punto Evo is no exception to this rule.

The new MultiAir engines prove the point. Compared to a conventional petrol engine of the same size, a MultiAir engine develops more power (up to 10%) and torque (up to 15%), while consuming significantly less (up to 10%) and emitting less CO2 (up to 10%), less particulates (up to 40%) and less NOx (up to 60%).

In the same way the second generation of Multijet diesel engines also offers more accurate combustion, with benefits for consumption, emissions, NVH and drivability. This has been achieved through a new common rail injector that modulates fuel injection into the combustion chamber and gives, for the Euro 5 engines, an improvement of around 2% in consumption and CO2 emissions on the homologation cycle, and a reduction in NOx emissions of up to 30%.

Still with reduced consumption and emissions in mind, the new Punto Evo will also offer Start&Stop, the system that switches off the engine when you stop and restarts it for you to move off again (at traffic lights for example). Start&Stop will be standard on all Euro5 petrol and diesel engines.

The methane-fuelled engine is not only the most ecological dual fuel engine in segment B, producing only 115 g/km of CO2, but is also the most economical thanks to record running costs of under 4 Euros per 100 km. Among other advantages, methane-fuelled engines benefit from the highest government incentives in Italy: 5,000 Euros if combined with a contribution for scrapping your old car.

Then there is the LPG-fuelled version, developed using Fiat’s longstanding experience in alternative fuels to respond to the extraordinary growth seen in this market. The Punto Evo GPL boasts record autonomy of 1,500 km in the extra-urban cycle, and running costs up to 50% lower than a petrol equivalent.


Safety

The Punto Evo is designed and built to achieve the highest levels of safety. The model boasts a large number of safety systems (standard or optional depending on market and version) starting from those dedicated to passive safety: 2 front airbags, 2 front side airbags, 2 window bags and a driver knee airbag (the Punto Evo is one of the few cars in this segment on which this device is standard on all versions).

The Punto Evo is also one of the few cars in its class equipped with adaptive 'cornering' front fog lights that switch on automatically with dipped headlights according to the angle of steering. And don’t forget that the new Punto Evo also guarantees constant and reliable road holding thanks to electronic dynamic control systems for braking and steering. The ABS system that is available across the complete engine range incorporates EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution), ESP (Electronic Stability Program) and Hill-holder to help with hill-starts.

Style and comfort

The Punto Evo is more stunning than ever thanks to the work of Fiat’s Centro Stile. In particular, the interiors of the new model have been completely redesigned to represent the most evolved expression of Italian style, with top quality materials and superb attention to detail. The result is a bright and elegant cabin with completely renewed fascia, seats, storage compartments and instrumentation.

On the outside, both the front and the rear have been thoroughly restyled, as shown by the attractive lines of the new bumpers and the incorporation of innovative and original headlights and taillights. The latest design has also “stretched” the car to a total length of 406 centimetres, so that its winning characteristics of driver and passenger comfort remain unchanged. The other external dimensions remain the same, with a width of 169 cm, a height of 149 cm and a wheelbase of 251 cm.

[Source : FIAT]

Sunday, August 30, 2009

2009 F1 : Raikkonen wins Belgian GP

2009 ING Belgian Grand Prix winner : Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari

SPA FRANCOSCHAMPS : August 30, 2009 - Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) won the Belgian GP at Spa on Sunday after a lap-one incident eliminated four cars including world champion Lewis Hamilton.


Räikkönen hit the front on the fourth lap but he was hounded from start to finish by pole man Giancarlo Fisichella who finished in second place, less than a second behind.

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) was third, 2.9 sec behind.

It was Force India's first championship points and underlined Fisichella's pace in qualifying when he took pole position.

Despite five mediocre races in a row, Jenson Button, who failed to finish at Spa after being eliminated on the first lap, was able to retain his lead in the drivers' world championship by 16 points.

Giancarlo Fisichella took the lead in the Belgian GP at Spa on Saturday after taking pole position on Saturday.

Rubens Barrichello, who was fourth on the grid, was left standing at the start as most cars got through the La Source hairpin without incident. Kimi Räikkönen (Ferrari) went wide at the hairpin and rejoined the track in third place. Fisichella was leading and being chased by Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber) but Räikkönen had a run at him down the back straight and got past into second.

The top few cars got through Le Comte, but Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes) got hit from behind by rookie Romain Grosjean (Renault) under braking and Button spun. causing the cars behind to brake hard and Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) was hit by Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso-Ferrari), all four cars retiring on the spot as the safety car was deployed.

The race got back under way on the fourth lap, and Räikkönen used the advantage of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System on his Ferrari to power past Fisichella on the back straight and take the lead.

Barrichello, still recovering from his poor start, got past Luca Badoer (Ferrari) into 13th place on lap 5.

Giancarlo Fisichella had placed his Force India-Mercedes on pole, his team's first ever, but he had been fuelled light and only Rubens Barrichello (Brawn-Mercedes) was lighter of the top ten cars on the grid.

With a clear track ahead and his tyres now up to working temperature, Räikkönen reeled off a series of fastest laps with a 1'49.090 on lap 6 as Barrichello got past Kazuki Nakajima (Williams-Toyota) into 12th. Räikkönen set a new target of 1'47.749 on the eighth lap.

Glock and Kubica were the first cars to make a routine stop for fuel and tyres, rejoining inside the top ten.

Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) was fourth and easily able to match the pace of the race leader and he set a new fastest lap of 1'47.738 on lap 132.

Jarno Trulli had placed his Toyota on the front row of the grid, but was running down in 12th place.

On lap 13, Webber and Heidfeld pitted together. Heidfeld left his pit and came down the pit lane, but Webber dived out of his pit in front of the German, forcing him to brake and swerve, and the Australian was given a drive-through penalty for dangerous driving.

Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) was next to have a go on the quickest time, setting a 1'47.646 on lap 14 and taking the lead as his tanks emptied. He pitted two laps later dropping back into eighth place.

After the first round of pit stops, Räikkönen regained the lead. It was his 150th grand prix and he was the only driver on the grid to have won at Spa.

Fisichella was easily able to match the pace of Räikkönen and the Force India-Mercedes was just a second behind the Ferrari after 20 laps of racing, with Kubica a further 6.1 sec back.

On lap 23, Trulli returned to the pits and was wheeled into the Toyota garage and retirement, a sad result from his front-row start.

On lap 24, Fernando Alonso (Renault) pitted but there were problems with his left front wheel spinner after a lap-one incident had damaged it. The long stop cost him about 20 seconds and he rejoined the race in 14th place. The spinners give cars an advantage of just 0.1 sec a lap and they will be banned from next year. Alonso's pit crew radioed Alonso to tell him to return to the pits due to a problem with the front left wheel. Alonso was penalised after a similar incident in Hungary when a wheel not properly tightened by his pit crew fell off his car. He pitted and retired for the second time in two races with the same problem.

Fisichella was still maintaining maximum pressure on race leader Räikkönen and was just a second behind. Kubica was still in touch, five sec behind Fisichella, with Vettel four seconds adrift.

There was a nice dice for seventh place between Glock and Webber who was just 0.7 sec behind. Behind them, Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren-Mercedes) and Sébastien Buemi (Toro Rosso-Ferrari) were disputing ninth place.

Kubica pitted on lap 30, releasing Vettel to be able to try to reel in second-placed Fisichella.

On the next lap, race leader and second-placed Räikkönen and Fisichella pitted together. There was slick work by both pits and the Finn retained his lead one second ahead of the Italian. Vettel now became the race leader as he had further to go before his second pit stop.

Heidfeld was down in fifth place, 3.9 sec behind Kubica, and homing in on the cars ahead, setting a new fastest lap of 1'47.541 on lap 34. He repeated the feat on the next lap with a 1'47.371.

Räikkönen was back in the lead after Vettel's final stop and he still had Fisichella less than a second behind him with Vettel in third, 5.0 sec behind.

With three laps remaining, Barrichello was right behind Kovalainen and trying to get past into sixth place, but the Brazilian's engine began smoking and his pit crew told him to back off and save the motor. He did so and let Kovalainen off the hook.

With two laps left, Barrichello's car began smoking badly as Rosberg and Webber closed in for the kill. But the Brazilian held on to the line, with the two pursuers crossing the line right behind him.

Race Result : Formula 1 - 2009 ING Belgian Grand Prix













































































































































































PosNoDriverTeamTimePts
1 4 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:23:50.995
10
2 21 Giancarlo Fisichella Force India-Mercedes +0.9 secs
8
3 15 Sebastian Vettel RBR-Renault +3.8 secs
6
4 5 Robert Kubica BMW Sauber +9.9 secs
5
5 6 Nick Heidfeld BMW Sauber +11.2 secs
4
6 2 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes +32.7 secs
3
7 23 Rubens Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes +35.4 secs
2
8 16 Nico Rosberg Williams-Toyota +36.2 secs
1
9 14 Mark Webber RBR-Renault +36.9 secs
-
10 10 Timo Glock Toyota +41.4 secs
-
11 20 Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +42.6 secs
-
12 12 Sebastien Buemi STR-Ferrari +46.1 secs
-
13 17 Kazuki Nakajima Williams-Toyota +54.2 secs
-
14 3 Luca Badoer Ferrari +102.1 secs
-
Ret 7 Fernando Alonso Renault Retired
-
Ret 9 Jarno Trulli Toyota Brakes
-
Ret 22 Jenson Button Brawn-Mercedes Accident
-
Ret 8 Romain Grosjean Renault Accident
-
Ret 1 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes Accident
-
Ret 11 Jaime Alguersuari STR-Ferrari Accident
-


Driver Championship Standings :











































































































































































Pos
Driver
Nationality
Team
Points
1
Jenson Button
British
Brawn-Mercedes
72
2
Rubens Barrichello
Brazilian
Brawn-Mercedes
56
3
Sebastian Vettel
German
RBR-Renault
53
4
Mark Webber
Australian
RBR-Renault
51.5
5
Kimi Räikkönen
Finnish
Ferrari
34
6
Nico Rosberg
German
Williams-Toyota
30.5
7
Lewis Hamilton
British
McLaren-Mercedes
27
8
Jarno Trulli
Italian
Toyota
22.5
9
Felipe Massa
Brazilian
Ferrari
22
10
Heikki Kovalainen
Finnish
McLaren-Mercedes
17
11
Timo Glock
German
Toyota
16
12
Fernando Alonso
Spanish
Renault
16
13
Nick Heidfeld
German
BMW Sauber
10
14
Giancarlo Fisichella
Italian
Force India-Mercedes
8
15
Robert Kubica
Polish
BMW Sauber
8
16
Sebastien Buemi
Swiss
STR-Ferrari
3
17
Sebastien Bourdais
French
STR-Ferrari
2
18
Adrian Sutil
German
Force India-Mercedes
0
19
Kazuki Nakajima
Japanese
Williams-Toyota
0
20
Nelsinho Piquet
Brazilian
Renault
0
21
Luca Badoer
Italian
Ferrari
0
22
Jaime Alguersuari
Spanish
STR-Ferrari
0
23
Romain Grosjean
French
Renault
0


Constructor Championship Standings :



























































Pos
Team
Points
1 Brawn-Mercedes 128
2 RBR-Renault 104.5
3 Ferrari 56
4 McLaren-Mercedes 44
5 Toyota 38.5
6 Williams-Toyota 30.5
7 BMW Sauber 18
8 Renault 16
9 Force India-Mercedes 8
10 STR-Ferrari 5


[Source : Super Wheels , F1 Official]

2009 FIA GT : K plus K and Prospeed win the Budapest City Challenge

2009 FIA GT Round 5 Winner : Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp - SALEEN S7 N°14 team K plus K Motorsport

BUDAPEST : August 30, 2009 - In bright sunshine and in front of a crowd of 15,000 people at the Hungaroring, Czech team K plus K Motorsport took its second win of the season, after an action-packed race for Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp.


2009 FIA GT Round 5 Winner : Karl Wendlinger and Ryan Sharp - SALEEN S7 N°14 team K plus K Motorsport

They finished ahead of the nr 1 Vitaphone Maserati MC 12 of Michael Bartels and Andrea Bertolini, who, despite 80 kg success ballast, regained the lead of the GT1 Drivers classification, with the nr 33 Vitaphone Racing Team DHL Maserati MC 12 of Alessandro Pier Guidi and Matteo Bobbi third. Hezemans and Kumpen, in the nr 4 Pekaracing Corvette, were sixth, losing their points lead but also significantly reducing the weight of their car for the next round in the Algarve.

In GT2, the nr 60 Prospeed Competition Porsche 997 GT3 RSR recovered from the back of the grid to overtake the nr 50 AF Corse Ferrari and secure the victory on the very last lap, Richard Westbrook and Emmanuel Collard claiming their third win of 2009. Toni Vilander and Gianmaria Bruni finished second, despite carrying a total of 100 kg penalty weight, to retain a two-point lead. Paolo Ruberti and Matteo Malucelli, in the nr 77 BMS Scuderia Italia Ferrari 430 GT2, finished third; their best result of the season so far.

Luis Perez Companc, in the nr 95 Pecom Racing Team Ferrari 430 GT2, won the Citation Cup for gentlemen drivers.

2009 FIA GT : Round 5 - Hungaro Ring - Race Result









































































































































































































































PosCarClassDriversCarTimeLapsGapAvg

speed
1

14

GT1 Wendlinger/Sharp Saleen S7 2:00:17.422 67


146.39
2

1

GT1 Bertolini/Bartels Maserati MC 12 2:00:50.589 67 33.167 145.72
3

33

GT1 Pier Guidi/Bobbi Maserati MC 12 2:00:50.928 67 33.506 145.71
4

8

GT1 Bernoldi/Streit Corvette Z06 2:00:51.409 67 33.987 145.70
5

19

GT1 Maassen/Biagi Corvette Z06 2:00:55.307 67 37.885 145.62
6

4

GT1 Hezemans/Kumpen Corvette Z06 2:01:10.257 67 52.835 145.32
7

3

GT1 Longin/Ruffier Corvette Z06 2:01:05.766 66 1 LAP 143.24
8

60

GT2 Westbrook/Collard Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 2:01:30.890 65 2 LAPS 140.58
9

50

GT2 Bruni/Vilander Ferrari F430 2:01:32.051 65 2 LAPS 140.56
10

77

GT2 Ruberti/Malucelli Ferrari F430 2:01:46.800 65 2 LAPS 140.28
11

40

GT1 Kuppens/Leinders Ford GT (001 PT GT1) 2:01:57.020 65 2 LAPS 140.08
12

61

GT2 O'Young/Holzer Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 2:02:02.656 65 2 LAPS 139.97
13

51

GT2 Barba Lopez/Cadei Ferrari F430 2:00:24.066 64 3 LAPS 139.70
14

56

GT2 Bell/Kirkaldy Ferrari F430 2:00:27.711 64 3 LAPS 139.63
15

95

GT2 Russo/Perez Companc Ferrari F430 2:00:39.528 64 3 LAPS 139.40
16

55

GT2 Mullen/Niarchos Ferrari F430 2:00:57.658 64 3 LAPS 139.05
17

97

GT2 Ragginger/Lucchini Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 2:01:57.668 64 3 LAPS 137.91
18

78

GT2 Romanini/Heyer Ferrari F430 2:02:07.609 64 3 LAPS 137.73
19

59

GT2 Sugden/Ashburn Porsche 911 GT3 RS (997) 2:01:19.906 63 4 LAPS 136.46
20

18

GT1 Lacko/Nilsson Saleen S7 1:47:14.061 59 8 LAPS 144.60



2009 FIA GT1 Driver Championship after 5 rounds




























































































































































































































































































































































































































PosName
Nat.
R1R2R3R4R5Total
1Michael Bartels
8
10
8
5
8
39



Andrea Bertolini
8
10
8
5
8
39
2Anthony Kumpen
5
8
10
10
3
36



Mike Hezemans
5
8
10
10
3
36
3Karl Wendlinger
10









10
20



Ryan Sharp
10









10
20
4Xavier Maassen
6
5
4



4
19
5Bert Longin
3
4
5
4
2
18



James Ruffier
3
4
5
4
2
18
6Miguel Ramos



6
6
3



15



Alex Müller



6
6
3



15
7Alessandro Pier Guidi









8
6
14
8Jos Menten
2






10



12
9Stephane Lemeret



3
1
8



12
10Guillaume Moreau
6
5









11
11Kurt Mollekens









10



10
12Thomas Biagi
1



4



4
9
13Vincent Vosse









8



8



Carl Rosenblad









8



8
14Matteo Bobbi












6
6
15Bas Leinders



2
3



1
6



Renaud Kuppens



2
3



1
6
16Mario Dominguez
4
1









5



Alexandre Sarnes Negrao












5



5



Enrique Bernoldi












5
5



Stéphane Sarrazin









5



5



Roberto Streit












5
5



Adam Lacko
4
1









5
17Oliver Gavin









4



4



Maxime Soulet









4



4



Luke Hines



3
1






4
18Eric Van de Poele









3



3



Thomas Mutsch
1



2






3



Pedro Lamy









3



3
19Markus Palttala
2












2



Marc Hennerici






2






2


Images : 2009 FIA GT- Round 5 : Budapest











[Source : Official FIA GT]