The new Opel Astra Sports Tourer details released

Opel have released details on their new Astra Sports Tourer which will go on sale in November this year. The Astra Sports Tourer will make it's debut at the Paris Motor Show in October before hitting the dealerships in the following month. The goal of this Astra is obviously practicality but Opel have still made an effort to make the wagon look stylish. A few improvements have resulted in the Astra Sports Tourer having a load space of 1550 liters which will no doubt be its biggest draw card.

This increase is space is created by the new FlexFold rear seat system. This system allows the rear seats to be lowered by simply pressing a button located on the side walls of the cargo department. The seats will then automatically fold onto themselves, this feature is the first of it's kind in a compact wagon.

The new Opel Astra Sports Tourer will be available in 8 different diesel and petrol engines, with a top power of 132kW (180hp). Obviously the Astra will be available in both automatic and manual, with the manual option including a shift-up indicator. This indicator is intended to improve fuel economy in the manual option, also intended to improve fuel economy is a start/stop feature that will be introduced at a later stage.

Source: Opel

The new 2011 Volkswagen Jetta model released

VW have released their new 2011 Jetta and have made a strong focus on keeping the price affordable. The starting price is around $16 000, which is very cheap but obviously the price will change quite a bit once the vehicle is for sale in South Africa. The 2011 Jetta will be available in America this October, there is no date set for a South African release though.

Under the hood the US version of the Jetta will be released with 4 different engines, each available in automatic and manual, including a 2.0 turbo diesel. This engine will reach 0-100km/h in just 8.7s which is not too bad considering the price of the car. There will also be a 6 speed DSG transmission available on the 2.0 TDI and 2.0 TSI.

The exterior has been completely redesigned, including the wheelbase and car length which are now both bigger. The look has been sharpened to make the Jetta look more stylish and elegant. Regarding the interior, with the extended vehicle length, the new Jetta has a massive amount of legroom, and best-in-class rear legroom. The center drivers console is aligned towards the driver and controls car climate, radio and navigation.

Lastly safety has not been ignored with the new 2011 VW Jetta and features various crash safety improvements.

Source: Volkswagen

Porsche introduces efficient V6 Petrol and Diesel engines in the new Cayenne

Porsche's new Cayenne will be available in both efficient V6 petrol and diesel models. Even in the SUV market the focus on new cars has definitely been making them in-line with international emission standards and keeping their fuel efficiency as prominent as possible. The new Cayenne will consume just 9.9 liters/100km which is around 28.5 mpg. This makes the new Cayenne about 20% better than the previous model. The diesel version also shows impressive figures, with fuel consumption down by 20% as well.

Porsche note that the reduction in fuel consumption is largely due to the new Tiptronic S 8-speed automatic gearbox. The car features auto stop-start, wide spread of gear ratios and a general reduction in the cars weight. This has also added to the fact that the new Cayenne is more agile and has improved performance.

The petrol version of the new Porsche Cayenne is powered by a 300hp 220kW 3.6 liter V6 engine which gives it a top speed of 230km/h and a 0-100km/h in just 7.5s. The diesel version has a top speed of 218km/h and a 0-100km/h in just 7.8s. Both the petrol and diesel models of the new Cayenne come standard in 18-inch wheels.

The new Porsche Cayenne will go on sale in Europe for 59 596 Euros

Source: Porsche

New Nissan Juke Compact Sports Crossover released in Japan

The new Nissan Juke, which we revealed previously at the New York Auto show is now scheduled for release in Japan. This Compact Sports Crossover is aimed at being agile and quick, but at the same time having the toughness of a SUV. The term "Juke" is an American Football term an essentially means 'dodge' further reinforcing the idea that this car has an emphasis on being quick and nimble.

As with seemingly all new cars these days, there was an emphasis put on fuel economy as well as environmental impact. The Juke features well in these departments as well, with a 19km/liter fuel consumption and 75% lower emissions than the 2005 standard. Which qualifies the Juke into the environmentally friendly bracket and means that drivers are exempt from the additional tax, assuming there is such a law in your country.

The Juke is aimed at larger families who do a lot of driving around and need sufficient space for all the passengers. But still maintains the feeling of driving a quick light car and not a minivan. Coupled with the Jukes aim at being environmentally friendly and light on fuel, it should do well and find it's place in the market competing against the Audi Q5 and BMW X1.

Source: Nissan

New car sales keep on improving with impressive May stats for many manufacturers

New car sales throughout the US for many of the major manufacturers are all on the rise and showing strong sales figures.

Citroen reveals details on their impressive new C4

Citroen have just announced the details on their new C4 model, expected to be released in early 2011 and making its debut at the Paris Motor show in September this year. The style of the new C4 has been purposely made to be aerodynamic as well as obviously just looking good with regard to the upgraded front end and rear spoiler. One of the key points of the new C4 is the 408 liter boot, which is currently the biggest in it's class.

Citroen have included an interactive dashboard display in the new C4, the driver can adjust the colour of the instrument display as well as control the aircon and choose which sounds to use for the alerts. Also on the list of new features in the C4 is a blind-spot monitoring system, a corning light function, cruise-control and speed limiter.

Another great feature is the eTouch system. This system provides the driver with emergency assistance and also lets the driver monitor their driving patterns. The driver is then able to analyze the fuel consumption and the eTouch system will provide advice on how to improve fuel economy. I'm guessing it will keep reminding the driver to drive slower but it could provide more in-depth advice. The system will also let the driver monitor the technical status of the car, which will let the driver know which parts are in need of repair or service.

Source: Citroen

Audi working on Travolution technology to further reduce fuel consumption

Audi's main focus with this technology and development is to lower CO2 emissions an increase fuel economy. For a change though its not entirely directed at just their vehicles.