Citroën GT Priced at $1.8 Million, Six to be Produced

Polyphony Digital’s Citroën GT is set to become one of the most expensive “production cars” (if you can really call it that…) sold today, coming in at £1.1 million pounds or approximately $1.8 million U.S. dollars. AutoCar got the scoop from “senior inside sources”, who revealed that only six of the cars will be made - all of which will be powered by either a “Ford or GM V8″. That’s considerably less than the 20 production models that were hinted at before, but according to AutoCar, “most of the concept’s features should make the final production version, including the carbon-fibre construction and eccentric interior details such as the copper trim.” Sweet! The final production version of the car is expected to be launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September.

Source : GT Planet

10 things you should say when buying exotics: Exotic Car Examiner auto shopping advice (part 1)

WHY SHOPPING AT A HIGH LINE OR EXOTIC CAR DEALERSHIP IS DIFFERENT

It's equally as important to know what not to say to a salesperson who is vending a product that is under $100,000 as it is to know how to establish an honest, comfortable, trusting, and long term working relationship with a car salesman who works exclusively with luxury high-line automobile products (that can reach millions of dollars per automobile or car collection). Real exotics dealers are sales professionals looking to retain you as a client for a long duration. They expect customer loyalty from you and in return will provide exemplary service. If they don't know you or trust you as a professional friend or private person, they can't adequately represent your highest and greatest good when it comes to making investments. Of course, there are always those dealerships who offer "bad apple" salesmen or "poor management style" exceptions, but for the most part, the exotic car world is a small niche market industry where each group or executive relies on gaining business from word of mouth reputation. A few quick phone calls to exotic car owning friends should quietly steer you in the right direction regarding finding the right sales people who can access the type of inventory you want to purchase and are trustworthy to work with on a long-term basis.

TO POINT #1, THE EXOTIC CAR EXAMINER SAYS

Working with an exotic car dealer, do the OPPOSITE of what Foley suggests: disclose the exact range of low payment terms ranges you would like to remain in to keep your monthly car budget kept in check. Let your sales adviser work with the F&I department to suggest your range of alternatives.

If you are a serious buyer interested in making a payment arrangement with your exotic car dealership, your sales person should actively be shopping for the lowest payment and best interest rates around. A good dealer will tell you that the options you have will depend on your credit. Based on your scores, a dealership can offer to extend payment terms up to 12 years while keeping a low rate of interest. Whether you choose to finance for one year or ten, you won't be hurt with interest the way you are at regular dealerships -- interest rates on long term loans may increase, but typically not by more than 2 or 3 points from where you started.

Rate of depreciation will also be different for an exotic car than it is for regular vehicles. Based on care, mileage, and model, some exotic cars will even sell within the first two or three years of purchase much higher than they were priced at MSRP. To that end, you will want to be sure you work with an experienced and highly qualified sales professional who is well acquainted with the shifting supply and demand schedule of exotics. A good car person can steer you in the right direction to buy an investment grade automobile rather than simply making an impulse buy or "best deal today only" purchase.

Leasing is oftentimes an attractive option when an exotic car value is expected to decline. Though you might have to come up with a more significant initial out of pocket expense [than you would pay as a deposit on a credit term purchase (often financed at 100%)], you can get that payment to where you need it. In addition, if you lease the vehicle you may be able to write a portion of the cars use off as a business expense if you use the car as a transportation vehicle for business travel or are able to sign or show the car as a moving advertisement (allowing a marketing expense deduction for your small business).

Source: The Examiner

LAMBORGHINI ANNOUNCES NEW, AMBITIOUS PROGRAMS FOR REDUCING CO2

LAMBORGHINI ANNOUNCES NEW, AMBITIOUS PROGRAMS
FOR REDUCING CO2

• 35 million Euros investments

• The construction of a large photovoltaic plant, combined with an energy-
saving project, will achieve a 30% reduction in the factory’s CO2
emissions by 2010

• Modifications to vehicles will result in a 35% reduction in CO2
emissions by 2015

Sant’Agata Bolognese, 7 June 2009 – Automobili Lamborghini announces its
intention to complete its program of environmental sustainability in record time by
presenting new plans which will enable the company:

• to achieve a 30% reduction, by the year 2010, in the CO2 emissions produced
by its factory
• to achieve a 35% reduction, by the year 2015, in the CO2 emissions
produced by its vehicles

The plans for reducing emissions will thus involve two areas: modifications to the
Lamborghini factory in Sant’Agata Bolognese, and development in vehicle design.

To redefine its industrial processes in accordance with its policy of environmental
sustainability, Lamborghini has just begun a project to complete installation of a large
photovoltaic system by the end of 2009.

The roof-top plant will produce 1,582 Megawatt hour (MWh) of “green” energy per
year, which translates into a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions (-
1,067,820 Kg/year) by 2010.

The photovoltaic systems will have a total installed power rating of
1,4 Megawatts and will extend over 17,000 m2 throughout the entire industrial area.
The new system will be built by Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A.

At the same time, an equally important energy conservation project involving
insulating the production facility’s whole roof, improving lighting and heating and
introducing destratification systems for heated air will be completed, thus resulting in
a 10% energy usage reduction by 2010.

These projects represent the next step in a program that began last year with the
opening of the new Lamborghini
Logistics Center. The Center has already contributed to diminishing the impact
caused by heavy truck traffic on the roads between Anzola and Sant’Agata Bolognese.
It is calculated that this facility has achieved a reduction of emissions by over 75 kg
per annum, and nitrogen oxide by over 750 kg (Sources: Standard Euro 3).

In April 2009 Lamborghini obtained the UNI EN ISO 14001 certificate, meeting
the international environmental standards. It is also the first firm in the Italian
automotive sector to be close to registering for the EMAS environment certificate,
having successfully completed the program: EMAS regulations are set by the
European Union to support organisations in their effort to evaluate and improve
their own environmental efficiency.

These recent achievements support Lamborghini’s commitment to protecting the
environment in which it operates, and its desire to make all stakeholders aware of
its actions in a transparent manner.

With regard to Lamborghini vehicles, the CO2 reduction plan aims for an additional
35% decrease in emissions by the year 2015.

The program reached its first milestone with the Gallardo LP 560-4. Introduced
last year, the new car’s technical advancements resulted in an 18% reduction in CO2
emissions.

At this point, Research & Development activities will continue in the following
directions:

- decreasing vehicle mass
- improving combustion
- reducing friction
- Start-and-Stop systems
- hybrid drive train solutions
- biofuels

Lamborghini’s commitment and its sense of social responsibility regarding the
environment is evidenced by the numbers and by the sheer size of the investments
that are planned. 35 million Euros will be appropriated over the next five years for
this purpose.

Stephan Winkelmann, the President and CEO of Lamborghini, has said, “Despite
the difficult situation in today’s global economy, Lamborghini is committed to its
policy of environmental management, since we are well aware of the great
opportunities that derive from it. We have an objective to reduce CO2 emissions to
the greatest possible degree. We have also set compulsory annual goals that are part
of an integrated approach both considering the automobile as an element which is
more considerate of the environment, in terms of emissions and the use of
resources, to the accomplishment of a series of corresponding measures such as
modifications to our factory. This is an important action for Lamborghini and a
central opportunity for our long term corporate and product development.”

European Parliamentarian Guido Sacconi, President of the European Commission
on Climate Change, recently paid a visit to Lamborghini headquarters in Sant’Agata.
At that time, he said that, “The commitment shown by Lamborghini with its efforts
to reduce environmental impact and develop vehicles with less polluting
technologies confirm the company’s goal of following the right path toward
complying with the directives of the European Union. To safeguard the DNA,
history and technology of niche car manufacturers on a European level, a series of
exceptions have been passed for manufactures of ’specialty’ vehicles (with fewer
than 10,000 new cars made per year) who run their own production facilities and
design centres, even though they are part of a group of associated producers. This is
the exact situation in which Lamborghini finds itself. We have been particularly
satisfied with the actions it has taken thus far, because they illustrate this company’s
desire to embrace a new industrial vision which combines competitiveness and
performance with social responsibility.”

Partner companies:

Located in Casalecchio di Reno, Sinergia Sistemi S.p.A. is a leader on the Italian
market of services that help companies save energy. The company specializes in
energy certification of buildings and the construction of large systems that take
advantage of renewable energy sources. Sinergia Sistemi also acts as an E.S.Co.
(Energy Service Company) that finances the plant systems and energy
requalification projects it offers to its customers, in a relationship of total Energy
Management.

The finalized project was built from a design based on a preliminary study carried
out by the CENER National Center for Renewable Forms of Energy of Spain. This
study involved a broad evaluation of the feasibility and size of the project.

Renntech 777 hp Mercedes SLR

20 examples of the Renntech modified Mercedes SLR will be available for Renntechs 20th anniversary.

Fittingly, it’s called the Renntech 777 and it can reach a top speed of 210 mph with the supercharged 5.5-liter V8, which has been heavily modified.

The suspensions and driveline have been redesigned. To help cornering, a new differential system allows for 100 percent locking between the wheels.

Source : Autoweek

Mercedes SL65 AMG Black Series