Mazda3 MPS pricing announced (UK)

Mazda UK has announced pricing for the all-new Mazda3 MPS that goes on sale Thursday 1st October. The hot hatch is being marketed in the UK in a single trim level with pricing set at £21,500 OTR including mica or metallic paint finish.

Based on the second generation Mazda3, the 3 MPS is powered by a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-pot that makes 260bhp and 380Nm or 280 lb-ft of torque and drives the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. The Japanese firm announces a 0 to 62mph sprint time of 6.1seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

Standard features include Bluetooth technology, surround-sound BOSE premium audio system with 10 speakers w/ steering wheel mounted audio controls, front bucket sports seats, electrically adjustable/heated and folding door mirrors, xenon headlamps, MID (multi information display) with a compact satellite navigation system that uses a high-resolution 11cm (4.1 inch) screen mounted in the dashboard's upper section and automatic dual zone climate control air conditioning.

GM - The Volt isn't a car for idiots

General Motors has responded to Audi of America’s boss Johan de Nysschen’s claims that the Chevrolet Volt was “a car for idiots”.

Speaking to veteran American journalist Lawrence Ulrich, de Nysschen said that few customers will be prepared to pay the estimated £24,500 asking price for the Volt, which will go on sale in Europe as the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera.

"No one is going to pay a $15,000 (£9,000) premium for a car that competes with a Toyota Corolla,” said de Nysschen. "So there are not enough idiots who will buy it."

In response, GM spokesman Rob Peterson claimed the firm was surprised he had chosen to insult fellow car enthusiasts.

“Very surprised Mr de Nysschen was so quick to insult the intelligence of electric vehicle and Volt enthusiasts,” he said. “Not so surprised that Audi is taking a bold stance given their entrenched diesel position. EVs will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and tailpipe emissions – if that's being "hoodwinked by our government" then count me in.”

De Nysschen has apologised if he had been "unclear" about the fact that he isn’t opposed to electric vehicles, and said he didn't remember specifically saying the Volt is a car "idiots". Audi will unveil its own electric car concept at the Frankfurt motor show next week.

In related news, the forthcoming Vauxhall/Opel Ampera is likely to cost around £24,500 when it goes on sale in the UK in the first quarter of 2012.

Opel’s managing director Hans Demant made the claims in an interview with a Swiss news outlet, Tages-Anzeiger. Demant claimed that for the Ampera to be a commercial success, it must not cost more than a fully-specced Vauxhall Zafira with automatic transmission. The range-topping Zafira SRi 1.9 CDTi costs just shy of £25,500 when equipped with an auto’ box in the UK. This gives a hint as to how much the Ampera will cost when it goes on sale.

Audi USA president; Johan de Nysschen - The Volt is for idiots (U.S)

Audi of America president, Johan de Nysschen has dismissed General Motors Chevrolet Volt as "a car for idiots".

Speaking to veteran American journalist Lawrence Ulrich, de Nysschen said that few customers will be prepared to pay the estimated £25,000 asking price for the Volt, which will go on sale in Europe as the Vauxhall/Opel Ampera.

"No one is going to pay a $15,000 (£9,000) premium for a car that competes with a Toyota Corolla,” said de Nysschen. "So there are not enough idiots who will buy it."

De Nysschen, a long-time advocate of diesel power, admitted that plug-in hybrids are good in concept and hold advantages over diesels in stop-and-go driving. However, he maintained that electric cars are more about making a statement at present.

“They’re for the intellectual elite who want to show what enlightened souls they are,” he said.

De Nysschen concluded by saying that the Volt will fail to sell and the Government will be forced to subsidise it and boost sales, having forced GM to develop electric cars.

However, De Nysschen said in his defence:

“Let me clearly state that in my opinion, electric vehicles will be part of the future transportation of society – but only if we go about it the right way. In fact, Audi is working on electric vehicles," he said."

De Nysschen also apologised if he had been "unclear" about the fact that he isn’t opposed to electric vehicles, and said he didn't remember specifically saying the Volt is a car "idiots".

Galileoscope: It Really Works!

I got my Galileoscope in the mail the other day, and I am really impressed. It has a large, heavy, real glass objective lens. The eyepiece lenses are plastic, but seem to work pretty well.

It was not too hard to assemble, and is solid when together. I took it out, screwed to a camera tripod, and I was able to see Jupiter and 4 of its moons!

I am not able to take a picture, but the image was similar to this, though not as magnified:



I can't wait to point it at Saturn!

Read Pete.

If you aren't reading Peter DeLorenzo, you should be. He's got a lot to say, and it is usually well said. http://www.autoextremist.com.

(No, he didn't pay me for that.)

Creepy Metal Detector Guy

I went for a walk to today, and went past a local construction site where the city is re-modeling a municipal park. A metal detector guy had slipped through the construction fence, and was quietly wandering around with his detector, stopping every so often to dig into the exposed earth with a small trowel.

I don't know about you, but I find these guys to be creepy. Their hobby is based on the idea of profiting by digging up stuff that other people have lost. They are mostly looking for jewelry and rare coins. To me, the right thing to do is to turn in lost property, especially if it is valuable. Perhaps you get to keep it if no owner comes forward.

Audi A3 2.0 TDi pricing announced (U.S)

Diesel engined cars remain tough to sell in the North American market but German brands like Volkswagen, have sold clean-diesel cars sucuessfully. Volkswagen's luxury counterpart, Audi now wants to sell clean-diesels. It's introducing the new A3 TDI for the U.S market, for which the Ingolstadt-based automaker released pricing details.

Starting price for the A3 TDI with the S-tronic transmission and front-wheel drive is $29,950, excluding a delivery charge of $825.

Like the European model, the 2.0 litre TDI provides 140bhp and 236 lb-ft of torque (320 Nm). Combined fuel economy is 42 mpg U.S.

So why is it so hard for European carmakers to sell diesels in the U.S? This is to meet the stringent emissions standards that are set in each U.S state for diesel powered passenger cars. Those regulations are far more restrictive than they are for transport trucks. That coupled with the lack of availability of highly-refined (low-sulphur) diesel fuel also made selling diesels in all 50 states a challenge.