Resident Evil

maze game

  Resident Evil

Description Game:

Play the Resident Evil game. You must control Alice to destroy all contaminated humans that approach. Shoot and kill zombies or die!

How to play Game:

Twelve Towers

tower defense

 Twelve Towers

Description Game:

In this side view tower defense the world has been conquered by the evil forces of Orgak. But one hero steps forward to reclaim the Twelve Towers and restore peace. Learn and cast spells, develop your hero’s skills, kill hundreds of foes, reclaim all twelve towers and become a legend.
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How to play Game:

Arrow keys - To aim. Space bar - To Fire arrows. 0 to 9 keys - To use cast spells allocated in the spell belt. P - To pause. S - To save game. M - To return to main menu.

Scary Maze

scary games

  Scary Maze

Description Game:

If you make it to the end of this game, we will give you a prize.

How to play Game:

Battlefones

Kizi

 Battlefones

Game description: Do battle with the toughest fones ever to grow legs and fight.  
Game controls: 1 to punch.2 to kick.3 to block.Arrow keys to move.look inside the game for further instrutions.

Blast Billiards Combo

pool game

 Blast Billiards Combo

Description Game:

Choose between six of the most amazing Blast Billiards games. Try to master all of them!
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How to play Game:

Mouse

Warzone Getaway

gun games

 Warzone Getaway

Description Game:

You have successfully infiltrated the USA’s military base and stolen their top secret documents! Can you escape the warzone in one piece?
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How to play Game:

Mouse key to aim and shoot. Space bar to reload. Z - To use grenade. X - To use oil.

UFC Fighting Difference

fighting games

 UFC Fighting Difference

Description Game:

UFC Fighting Difference is a brand new free online fighting game, where you have to find the difference. In this fun game there are two pictures of a UFC Fighters. The pictures look like the same, but they are not completely the same. Your job is to find the differences between the two pictures as quickly as you can. There are totally five differences that you have to find in the given time or you will lose the game. Or you can remove the time and play without rush. When you find the differences click on them with your mouse. Try not to make mistakes; if you click five times in the wrong place you will lose the game. You can turn the music on or off by clicking on the speaker. If you find all five differences on the first two pictures you can go to the next level. Finding the differences are harder and harder as you proceed through the levels. Find this game on the net and start playing; you will like it a lot!

How to play Game:

This game is played by mouse only.

Batman Vs Superman

batman games

 Batman Vs Superman

Description Game:

Play basketball with batman or superman on basketball tournament. First you pick up you character to play basketball with. When the game start, the basket will be moving, so you need to use your mouse to stop the basket and throw the ball.
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How to play Game:

This game is played with mouse only.

Happy Baby Biker

happy wheels

 Happy Baby Biker

Description Game:

Have you every seen a baby in diapers driving a bike and making backflips? Well now it’s time to see it! Use arrow keys to help the the baby on it’s journey back to home in this free online racing game. Safely!

How to play Game:

Arrow keys - To drive.

March ManiaMarch Mania

basketball games

 March ManiaMarch Mania

Description Game:

Dominate your own tournament! Pick a team and a groovy haircut, then hit the brackets! Remember, there’s no I in Team.
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How to play Game:

Arrow keys to move. A to dodge and steal. S to shoot and block. D to dunk. F to pass.

Circus Ride

dirt bike games

 Circus Ride

Description Game:

Ride and show your skills in this fun circus Ride. Balance yourself and avoid falling. Press space bar to turn your bike in another direction. Collect points to score high. You have limited time to complete each level. Have Fun Ride.

How to play Game:

Use arrow keys to ride. Press space bar to turn your bike.

Drifting Championships

disney cars

 Drifting Championships

Description Game:

How hard can you push the turns? Test your skills on the word drifting championships track.
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How to play Game:

Tower Blaster

Cool math for kids

Tower Blaster

Description Game:

Build a tower by placing blocks in numerical progression.
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How to play Game:

Left mouse key - To interact.

Lovely Home

Game Info - Be creative and decorate your own lovely home the way you want! I hope you don't mind Sushi playing with her ball all the time! She cant help it! She wants to become a famous tennis player. Use your mouse cursor to play this room decoration game made for girls.
Game controls - Use mouse to interact.

Sweet Fashion Student

Game Info - Pretty girls like her needs a beauty makeover and retouch, can you help her out?
Game controls - Use mouse to interact.

Robot Dance Battle

Game Info - Grab the correct music icons to blast the other robot. Be quick, the other robot is trying to grab them too!
Game controls - Use Mouse to interact.

Put Make Up On Brit

Game Info - All of us would love to look as great as the stars do. How about putting make-up on Britney Spears? Try out hair styles, lipsticks and blush.
Game controls - This game is played with mouse only.

Golden Glove Boxing

Game Info - Fight it out in the ring one on one style punch and knock out your opponent.
Game controls - F - Right Punch.
D - Left Punch.
S - Block.

Cool Manicure

Game Info - Practice your manicuring skill by choosing different nail styles. There are different lovely combinations possible.
Game controls - Use mouse to interact.

Wonderland Gown Dressup

Game Info - Choose one of these beautiful gowns for this lovely princess.
Game controls - Use mouse to interact.

Aevarrons Coliseum

Game Info - Get into the ruthless battle arena and try to defeat all your opponents using various combo attacks.
Game controls - Player 1
WSAD - to move.
G - Attack 1.
H - Attack 2.

Player 2
Arrow keys - to move.
5 - Attack 1.
6 - Attack 2.

Saving Private Duck

Game Info - Rescue the ducks from the cauldron before they get boiled. To rescue a duck from the cauldron, click the duck and then clich the pond to set it free. If you fail to save a duck from the cauldron, you will lose a life.
Game controls - This game is played with mouse only.

Naruto Battle Grounds

Game Info - Try reaching to the end and finish the boss.
Game controls - Arrow keys to move.
Q to charge chakra.
W to run)while holding arrow keys).
R to teleport.
A to Throw kunai.
S to attack.
F to block.

Under Cover

Game Info - Take photos of starlets most revealing moments! Nice work if you can get it...
Game controls - Mouse to aim.
Click to take a picture.

Gun Master Jungle Madness

Game Info - You, little GunMaster, must defend your ziggurat. Enemies on every side! Keep defending; grab those powerups and ammo that fall from the skies, and fight the good fight!
Game controls - WASD to move;
Mouse to aim and fire.
Spacebar to jump.
See game for complete controls.

Deep Freeze

Game Info - Use your water gun to freeze enemies. Kick the enemies when they are surrounded by ice to make them roll. Score extra points by rolling them into other enemies and collecting presents they leave behind.
Game controls - Arrow keys- To move.
Space bar- To shoot ice.

Megaman X: RPG Chapter 0

Game Info - If you love Megaman AND RPG's, then this is the game for you. You will bow before it.
Game controls - Use arrow keys to move.
Space bar to jump.

Anti Terror Force

Game Info - Your goal is to snipe all the terrorists that are in your cell.
Game controls - This game is played with mouse only.

Ninja Rinseout

Game Info - Kill everyone in your way.
Game controls - Arrow keys for movement S to attack

Dog Walk Decoration

Game Info - Decorate the amusement park with merry-go-rounds, plants and balloons!
Game controls - Use mouse to interact.

Undead Hunter

Game Info - A post nuclear bomber-man about a wasted earth. The remaining human colonies are regularly attacked by mutated zombies coming from the depths of an old military laboratory. Blast yourself to the lower decks of the underground base, fighting the evil creatures and the radiation. Gather weapon parts to unlock the new, more powerful weapons!
Game controls - Arrow keys- To move around.
Space bar- To place bombs.
Control key- To use your weapon.

Hat, Part of Me

Game Info - Make sure hats will be always part of her style.
Game controls - This game is played with mouse only.

Dead Frontier: Night Three

Game Info - Welcome to the third night of endless fight for survival of the defensive zombie shooter game Dead Frontier.
Game controls - W, A, S, D / Arrow Keys - Move.
Mouse - Aim / Shoot.
1-6 - Select Weapon.
Spacebar - Cycle Weapon.
R - Reload.

Princess Cinderella

Game Info - Do you know the story of Cinderella? Cinderella was a girl who had to work hard for her angry stepmother. She also had two stepsisters who hated her. One day the prince of the country they lived in sent an invitation to all the young girls to come to his ball. Cinderella could not go because she had no ball gown. But then her fairy godmother appeared and with a flick of magic she made a beautiful dress for Cinderella. With a few mice and a pumpkin she made a coach with white horses, so that Cinderella could go to the ball and meet her prince! In this game, you're a kind of godmother to Cinderella: help her find a wonderful dress and give her a beauty makeover.
Game controls - This game is played with mouse only.

Tower Bloxx

Game Info - Build a Tower Bloxx by skillfully place blocks of apartments on top of each other, if you get perfect alignment of the blocks more residents will move in.
Game controls - Use your Mouse to drop the blocks.

Pet-grooming Studio

Game Info - It's your first day on the job at the pet-grooming studio. Your job is to groom the pets so that they will stay healthy and clean. There are two different ways of playing this game: 1. The Time Mode, which is a race against the clock, during which you have to groom as many pets you can in four minutes. 2. The Free Mode, which contains eight steps: washing, rinsing, towel drying, hair drying, brushing, teeth brushing, nail trimming and accessorizing
Game controls - This game is played with mouse only.

Super Marine

Game Info - Defend your base while trying to attack the enemy base and the incoming waves of alien swarms.
Game controls - Move with the W, A, S, D. Point and shoot with the mouse. Press H to see the help menu.

Sweet School Makeup

Game Info - The new semester begins. Give this cute girl a fresh back to school makeup and then choose the most beautiful clothes for her. The new look will bring good luck to you!
Game controls - This game is played with mouse only.

Happy Garden

Game description: Decorate a garden that will express you happiness.  
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only.

Aisle Bride Dress Up

Game description: Choose the best bride dress, veil, flowers and shoes. Then make click on the inferior menu to makeup the girlfriend.  
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only.

Police Rural Rampage

Game description: This ones a treat for those of you wanting some old school top down driving action. Dish out some hard line NYC style law enforcement as you play an American Cop working the streets in rural England. It's no easy job dealing with regular Car Jackings with thrash metal booming from their sound systems, and that's just the cops. You've got to complete six missions.  
Game controls: Arrow Keys - Move. Spacebar - Action.

Sunshine Dress Up

Game description: Its a beautiful summers day,dress over the doll for a lovely summers day stroll.  
Game controls: Use Mouse to interact.

Shopping Spree Dress Up

Game description: Cindy is looking forward to a day at the mall! She wants a complete makeover,can you help?  
Game controls: Use Mouse to interact.

Full Closet Doll Maker

Game description: Full closet doll maker is the best dress up game. Dressing up the doll and her make up and pick the best hairstyles in this full closet doll maker game.  
Game controls: Use mouse to interact.

Anthro Girls Dress up

Game description: Check what outfit suits the girls best!  
Game controls: Use mouse to interact.

Stabika 2

Game description: Help Kade live through everything the corporation can throw at him.
 Game controls: Tap the button Indicated fast enough to fill up the meter.

Dress Store Show Up

Game description: Before she could even show up at the store, you may wanna dress her up first with beautiful clothes. Enjoy this game!
 Game controls: Mouse - To interact.

13 More Days in Hell

Game description: Move in this FPS as you gather new guns and shoot all the hellish enemies that chase after you.
Game controls: Use WASD or arrow keys to move Use mouse to aim and shoot. QE, mouse whee, or 1-6l to switch weapons. R or SPACE to reload 

Neon Rider

Game description: Ride your cyber motor bike to the finish line as fast as you can.
Game controls: W - Accelerate. A, D - Tilt. Down Arrow Key - Brake. Arrow Keys - Change color. 

Air Raid Basketball

Game description: This is not a team based basketball, it's a street basketball 1 on 1 challenge.
Game controls: Player 1: Left / Right Arrow Keys - Move. Spacebar - Action. Player 2: = / ] Keys - Move. Shift Key - Action. 

Sonny 2

Game description: By now you know what it's like to be a Zombie. To be hunted. To be hated. You fought to survive in a world that didn't make any sense. But now you're getting used to it. Your senses have sharpened. You finally begin to understand. Why be the prey...
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only. 

Arctic Ascent

Game description: Take control of our wacky snowman jumping from platform to platform to see how high can you fly into the sky! Collect rockets and other bonuses along the way to help you reach higher altitudes!
Game controls: This game is played by mouse only. 

Dwarfs' Home

Game description: Deep in the green forest you can find the little homes of dwarfs, where they live in their cute mushroom houses. Can you help them to find the right furniture to decorate the house? I'm sure you can make the home of this dwarf family very beautiful. So beautiful that you would like to go and live... Deep in the green forest you can find the little homes of dwarfs, where they live in their cute mushroom houses. Can you help them to find the right furniture to decorate the house? I'm sure you can make the home of this dwarf family very beautiful. So beautiful that you would like to go and live there yourself. This game also has a save button. If you save your game, you can continue play next time.
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only. 

Love Hina Sim Date RPG

Game description: Love Hina Sim Date is the latest and one of the best sims game. Choose your character and go to the Hina Inn where you get to meet a lot of girls. Your basic goal is to get a Hina girl and gain as much money and experience as possible. Good luck!
Game controls: Mouse - To interact. 

Diamond Hollow 2

Game description: Shoot, upgrade, conquer enemies, defeat bosses, acquire achievements, collect gems, all in an attempt to save yourself and your gun from the clutches of the evil Professor.
Game controls: Control your character with AD or Arrow Keys, jump with W/Space/Up, and use the mouse to aim and shoot (or switch control schemes in the options). As you acquire more guns, use QE or 1-4 or the mouse wheel to switch between them. After collecting diamonds, open the upgrades menu with tab or escape to upgrade your guns and skills to help conquer your foes.

Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream

Game description: Today Sara is going to teach you how to prepare Delicious Strawberry Ice Cream. After following her cooking instructions, evaluate your cooking skills through her cooking test. Your score will depend on how fast you complete the test. Also the less mistakes you do, more points you can earn. Best performer gets grade A and the least performer gets grade 'D'.
Game controls: This game is played with mouse only. 

Mercedes-Benz scooter confirmed

German car games maker's first foray into the two-wheeled market will be via its city car offshoot, smart
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First seen in September 2010 at the Paris Motor Show, the smart 'escooter' concept was a cautious toe in the water for Mercedes-Benz city car sub-brand.

The tiny 4kW smart escooter has a top speed of just 45km/h and was conceived for European countries where motorists don't need a license to ride low-power vehicles, and the two-wheeled vehicle has been green-lit for production by parent company Mercedes-Benz.

The concept scooter will reach production by 2014, representing the first motorised two-wheeler from Benz since the early 1900s, and sees the German company join its prestige rivals in the motorcycle arena.

BMW has been building motorcycles since 1923 and Audi recently acquired exotic Italian motorcycle brand Ducati, making the escooter Daimler's tentative first step into the wider motorcycle world.

The German luxury car has had a keen interest in the two-wheeled transport, as Mercedes-Benz performance arm AMG had a cosy relationship with Ducati before Audi swooped in with its take-over.

Dr Joachim Schmidt, the head of global sales and marketing at Mercedes-Benz Cars, recently made the announcement that the smart escooter will reach production in 2014.

"The decision in favour of the escooter has been made. With this step, we are adding a further important component to our smart mobility concept for urban mobility in the future," he said.

Mercedes-Benz Australia's Corporate Communications Manager, Jerry Stamoulis, told motoring.com.au the escooter is being considered for the local market, and would be part of a reinvigorated smart brand.

"We're definitely looking at it. We're looking to lift the smart brand in Australia and we'd like to see motorbikes as part of that."

Stamoulis said 'Benz is investigating whether the escooter would be technically feasible in Australia, given its meagre maximum speed and charging technology.

Details of the plug-in electric scooter have not been revealed, but the concept version contained a number of features usually only found on high-end motorcycles, such as heated handlebars, a blind spot detection system and even an airbag.

One element that would increase the escooter's appeal among technophiles is the mooted iPhone integration system. The smart escooter concept could be paired with an iPhone that acts as the remote 'key' and allows users to prime various functions remotely and check the battery charge from afar. Once docked, the phone acts as the instrument cluster with speedometer, battery gauge and other readouts.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site.

VW unveils wacky hover-car

Volkswagen China's 'People's Car' project turns up ideas weird, wacky and sensible

‘Use your creative achievements tomorrow the public of the car games !’ So goes Google Translate’s take on the header for a website Volkswagen has set up to solicit suggestions from the public on the fu ture of China’s mobility.

The site has seen a massive influx of ideas, with several of the more interesting ones turning up at the recent Beijing motor show.

There’s an elegant logic to Volkwagen’s foray into China. Who better to mass-mobilise the socio-economic monolith that is the People’s Republic than the corporate monolith built around the People’s Car?

The connection is not lost on them. A year ago, the German giant launched the People’s Car Project (PCP) to help strengthen its attunement to Chinese consumer tastes. Harnessing the social networking trend that sees corporations inviting customers to ‘join the conversation’, the company set up a website inviting ideas from the people of China for their idea of the people’s car.

The result, the company says, has been overwhelming, with more than more than 119,000 ideas harvested from more than 33 million visitors.

The project heralds the future of automobile design, Luca de Meo, Volkswagen’s passenger car marketing chief, said in a statement.

“We are no longer just building cars for, but also with customers and at the same time initiating a national dialogue which gives us a deep insight into the design preferences, needs and requirements of Chinese customers,” de Meo said.

The project has given the company ‘valuable insight’ into what Chinese drivers are after, design boss Volkswagen Simon Loasby added. “The trend is towards safe cars that can easily navigate overcrowded roads and have a personal, emotional and exciting design.”

What have they come up with to such ends? Volkswagen used Beijing’s recent Auto China 2012 show to showcase three ideas that have so far gained enough momentum for further development.

First up comes a concept familiar to anyone who’s read those children’s books of the 1950s and 1960s promising we’d all go to the moon and glide around in wheel-less, magnetically suspended cars with bubble tops (and tail fins…).

It’s the ‘Hover Car’, described in the press release as ‘an environmentally-friendly two-seater city car which hovers just above the ground’ with the help of electromagnetic road networks. It looks like a big tyre.

F1: High five, even seventh heaven

After eight years on the slide Williams is a winning F1 team again thanks to second-year Venezuelan "pay driver" Pastor Maldonado's stunning success in Spain -- and the celebrations got even hotter

Fairytale victory ends with a bang
As the clock ticked past midnight and into Monday, Australian eastern time, Formula One was on a high. One of the highest highs, perhaps even the peak, in its history.

A little-known Venezuelan with reputedly almost $50 million this year from an oil company, and due to rise to close to $65 million in the next couple of years, had just scored a boilover victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. He drove a car from the Williams team, the sport's third most successful but without a victory for eight years.

Maldonado had started from the pole position, after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton was relegated to the back of the grid for stopping on the track after topping qualifying and not having enough fuel left for an adequate sample to be taken had he completed a slowdown lap.

That put Ferrari's Spanish superstar Fernando Alonso on the front row for his home race, and he grabbed the lead at the start despite Maldonado almost squeezing him off the track.

In time 27-year-old Maldonado assumed the lead and he drove an incredibly mature race, withstanding Alonso's pressure in the closing laps before the dual world champion had to back off and nurse his Ferrari home ahead of the rapidly-closing Kimi Raikkonen's Lotus-Renault.

Before this race you surely would have got 100-1, perhaps 200-1, on a Williams or Maldonado winning. Yet occasionally fairytales come true in F1.

They became the fifth driver and fifth constructor to triumph in five GPs so far this season. That hasn't happened since 1983. And, including the last two GPs of last season, there have been seven different victorious drivers in the past seven GPs.

It is indeed a glorious era in F1. Perhaps the most glorious of all.

Some magical facts and figures
Have just come across some neat stats from an information service called Infostrada.

Here's what it says:
"Pastor Maldonado won his first career Grand Prix and made his native Venezuela the 23rd country to produce at least one F1 GP winner. It ended a winless run of 131 straight GPs for Team Williams, which had last triumphed in Brazil in 2004 through Juan Pablo Montoya. For the first time in 29 years and the fourth time in history, an F1 season has started with five different drivers winning the first five races.

Most F1 races from start of season won by different drivers:
5 - 1967: Pedro Rodríguez, Denny Hulme, Jim Clark, Dan Gurney, Jack Brabham.
5 - 1975: Emerson Fittipaldi, Carlos Pace, Jody Scheckter, Jochen Mass, Niki Lauda.
5 - 1983: Nelson Piquet, John Watson, Alain Prost, Patrick Tambay, Keke Rosberg.
5 - 2012: Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Pastor Maldonado.

31 people treated after garage explosion
Barely 90 minutes after Maldonado's historic win there was an explosion and fire in the Williams garage as wheelchair-bound team founder Sir Frank Williams, who had recently turned 70, addressed a celebratory party. Thirty one people required medical attention -- only four of them Williams team members -- and seven needed to be taken from the track medical centre to hospital.

It was a reminder that, no matter how good things sometimes after in motorsport, you never know -- nor can be complacent about -- what might be around the corner.

Motorsport's governing Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) is investigating and hopefully there was nothing untoward in the fuel drum that exploded.

Williams has had a lot of changes of personnel, particularly near the top, in the past year. Long-serving Australian technical director Sam Michael departed after the team's long absence from the winner's circle, ironically resurfacing in a different role at great rival team McLaren.

Michael's replacement at Williams is Mike Coghlan, a former employee of the late Tom Walkinshaw's defunct Arrows F1 team and who was banned from the sport when at McLaren, which was found in the 2008 "Spygate" scandal to have obtained loads of secret information about that year's Ferrari.

Coghlan's appointment at Williams raised eyebrows but he had served his suspension, albeit shortened.

Provided nothing is found to have been amiss with Maldonado's Williams the team's shock return to success will continue to be widely celebrated.

As much as Alonso would have loved to have won on his home soil and taken the championship lead outright, instead of sharing it with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who was sixth in Barcelona, he was thrilled for Maldonado. He and Raikkonen hoisted the Venezualan high on the podium.

But, as welcome as a new winner was, Maldonado's reaction lacked the joy of Australian Mark Webber's breakthrough victory in 2009.

Aussies out of the points
It was largely a GP to forget for Webber and fellow Aussie Daniel Ricciardo. They finished 11th and 13th respectively, with Ricciardo's young Toro Rosso teammate Jean-Eric Vergne sandwiched between them.

Webber didn't make it to the final stanza of qualifying, after Red Bull held him in the garage thinking his lap time would get him through. In the race he had two early stops, one to replace the nose of his car (something teammate Vettel also needed), and was baffled that his RB8 could not produce its best on a circuit where he had taken pole the previous two years -- and won so convincingly two years ago.

Ricciardo was outqualified by Frenchman Vergne but, despite finishing behind him too, felt his race was a progression on the previous outing in Bahrain, where sixth place on the grid had not translated into a haul of points.

Next up on the F1 calendar is Monaco, the crown jewel of the season.

Formula One drivers' world championship standings after five of 20 rounds -- 1. Sebastian Vettel (Germany, Red Bull-Renault) 61 points; 2. Fernando Alonso (Spain, Ferrari) 61; 3. Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes) 53; 4. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland, Lotus-Renault) 49; 5. Mark Webber (Australia, Red Bull-Renault) 48; 6. Jenson Button (GB, McLaren-Mercedes) 45; 7. Nico Rosberg (Germany, Mercedes) 41; 8. Romain Grosjean (France, Lotus-Renault) 35; 9. Pastor Maldonado (Venezuela, Williams-Renault) 29; 10. Sergio Perez (Mexico, Sauber-Ferrari) 22; 11. Kamui Kobayashi (Japan, Sauber-Ferrari) 19; 12. Paul Di Resta (GB, Force India-Mercedes) 15; 13. Bruno Senna (Brazil, Williams-Renault) 14; 14. Jean-Eric Vergne (France, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 4; 15. Nico Huelkenberg (Germany, Force India-Mercedes) 3; 16. Daniel Ricciardo (Australia, Toro Rosso-Ferrari) 2; 17. Felipe Massa (Brazil, Ferrari) 2; 18. Michael Schumacher (Germany, Mercedes) 2.
      
F1 constructors' championship standings -- 1. Red Bull-Renault 109 points; 2. McLaren-Mercedes 98; 3. Lotus-Renault 84; 4. Ferrari 63; 5. Mercedes, Williams-Renault 43; 7. Sauber-Ferrari 41; 8. Force India-Mercedes 18; 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6.
      
Creek's in favour, Homebush on way out?
An announcement is due early next week on Eastern Creek, the western Sydney circuit that recently has been upgraded and has regained a V8 Super car games  Championship round in August -- instead of a new overseas event. The circuit now has three alternative layouts and a name change is anticipated.

This author seems to recall that it was named in honour of Australia's triple F1 world champion Sir Jack Brabham in the 1990s but that the name never actually stuck.

Eastern Creek's return to favour as the only permanent circuit in the country's largest city coincides with increasing speculation about the future of the annual street race at the Homebush Olympic site.

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, which has strongly backed that event, carried a report yesterday that its days appeared numbered and that, even if it survives a little longer, it may not remain the season finale.

V8 Supercars chief Tony Cochrane relentlessly pursued a Sydney street race but, apart from it not being a financial success and its TV figures being little changed from those of previous Eastern Creek rounds, it is seen as a legacy of disgraced former NSW Labor government minister Ian Macdonald.

Martian Ambrose happy but Hendrick team big winner
NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick chalked up his 200th victory in American stock car racing's premier series with five-time champion driver Jimmie Johnson's victory in a Chevrolet at the Southern 500 at Darlington, South Carolina.

Australian Marcos Ambrose had his best finish of the season -- ninth in a Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports.

"I came from Mars ... I re-entered orbit around lap 260 and the last 80 laps was a lot of fun," Ambrose said. "We were two laps down and just fought our way back."

Johnson's win was his 56th, while Hendrick's 200 have included three in the Daytona 500, a string of successes in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis -- and 10 championships.

Wheels turning at Brickyard but big guns yet to fire
Practice for the Indianapolis 500 openwheeler classic on May 28, Australian time, is underway -- with unlikely pacesetters. Colombian Sebastian Saavedra has clocked the best lap so far in this year's wide-bodied Dallara cars, circulating The Brickyard at 221.526 mph (356.5 kmh) for Andretti Autosport.

Rookies Bryan Clauson and day one leader Josef Newgarden were second and third for Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing and New Zealander Scott Dixon fourth for Chip Ganassi at 220.829 mph.

The only two drivers using Lotus engines, 47-year-old ex-F1 ace but Indy rookie Jean Alesi and Switzerland's Simona de Silvestro, have had the two slowest cars and are yet to come within the crucial 105 per cent of the fastest car. Alesi ran 205.265 mph on the 31st of his 32 laps on Sunday with newcomer team Fan Force United but had gone 209.438 mph on Saturday.

De Silvestro, with HVM Racing, posted her fastest lap of 202.179 mph on her final lap on Sunday but complained that "we don't have enough power".

Lotus and Dragon Racing, run by Roger Penske's son Jay, are still in dispute, which has stalled Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais' first attempt at the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing" since 2005 and rookie Katherine Legge. However, they may yet get Chevrolet engines as practice continues today ahead of next Saturday's qualifying for pole position.

Roger Penske's trio of drivers -- Australians Will Power and Ryan Briscoe, and Brazilian three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves -- have not been fussed about quick times yet but are likely to be strong contenders for pole in this most prestigious of Indy races.

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Vale an automotive genius, Carroll Shelby

He was a top driver but it was as a designer and engineer that Car games roll Shelby generated the style and performance for which he will always be revered

Carroll Shelby, the father of the muscle car and the Ford GT40 that ended Ferrari's dominance at Le Mans, has died, aged 89.

Shelby was a man of many parts -- at various times a chicken farmer, an African safari operator, a diamond dealer and a marketer of a chilli mix he sold to Nestlé. He was married seven times but "didn't count the second one 'cause it happened in Mexico".

Texan Shelby won Le Mans driving an Aston-Martin in 1959 and set land speed records on the Bonneville Salt Flats, but it was as a race and sports car designer and engineer that he was revered.

Shelby created the Cobra in 1962, marrying a sports car chassis and body from AC Ace in Britain to a high-powered Ford V8 engine.

Four years later Ford GT40s finished one, two, three at Le Mans in a monumental triumph for American engineering over the Europeans, especially Ferrari.

The next year a development of the GT40, the Mark IV, won the French 24-hour classic. Lee Iacocca, then running Ford, had already assigned Shelby to produce a high-performance, sportier version of his Mustang to compete with Chevrolet's Corvette -- and he came up with the fastback.

During six decades in the motor industry he also worked for General Motors' Oldsmobile division and for Chrysler, where Iacocca had him create the Dodge Viper. His entry to the car industry had been through a Dallas dealership in which a co-owner was another Texan automotive genius, Jim Hall, of Chaparral fame, and together they created a handful of Scaglietti Corvettes.

Shelby's career ended with a consultancy back at Ford. The 2013 Shelby GT 500 on which he collaborated has the most powerful production V8 engine in the world -- 662 horsepower -- and a top speed of 200mph (320kmh).

Announcing his death, without disclosing the cause (thought to be from pneumonia), Joe Conway, president of Carroll Shelby International, said: "There has been no one like Carroll Shelby and never will be. He is perhaps the only person to have worked at a visible level with all three American automobile manufacturers."

Shelby had survived a heart transplant in 1990 and a kidney transplant in 1996.

In between he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

"Performance is my business," he used to say. When asked his favourite among all the cars he had created he invariably said "the next one".

Edsel B. Ford said of Shelby: "Whether helping Ford dominate the 1960s racing scene or building some of the most famous Mustangs, his enthusiasm and passion for great automobiles over six decades has truly inspired everyone who worked with him."

But perhaps it was Carol Flake, writing in the Texas Monthly magazine in 1995, who said it best. Flake had been taken for a ride in a 30-year-old Shelby Cobra and said that anybody lucky enough to have that experience "may never feel the same way about cars again".

"It's a little like riding a runaway thoroughbred after trotting around a ring on a pony," she said. "Fear melts into awe."

Carroll Shelby was a man who forever will be held in awe.

Last Saabs for sale

After 25 years of convertible business, Saab signs off with an Independence Edition soft-top

A limited number of hand-finished Saab convertibles have been released for sale in the UK. Referred to as "the last" right-hand drive 9-3 models, the "Final MY12" offering will total just 26.

The Independence Edition convertibles were assembled by "a dedicated and loyal workforce" at Trollhattan, Sweden and are based on the top-spec Aero model.

Equipped with Saab's 1.9-litre twin turbo diesel and six-speed automatic transmission, the Independence models are distinguished by car games bon fibre trim embellishments, orange-stitched leather upholstery and new-style five-spoke 18-inch alloy wheels. Each will come with its serial number on the rear side window.

The last-of-the-line Saab starts at 22,750 pounds (approximately AU$37K). Saab Australia representatives could not be reached for comment.

While Saab was officially placed into receivership last December receivership last December, vehicle owners were assured parts supply would continue as Saab Parts AB in Sweden was outside the effects of the bankruptcy on the vehicle manufacturing arm.

In January, Saab Automobile Parts UK was established and has since arranged new contracts with suppliers. More promising news followed in late April, with the announcement body parts production had resumed at Saab's Trollhatten plant.

Lennart Stahl, CEO of Saab Automobile Parts AB, said: "These agreements, together with recently signed new contracts with key suppliers, are part of a comprehensive program to ensure a consistent supply of parts for Saab vehicles, both short and long term."


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BMW packs more into new 3 Touring

Class-leading car games go capacity will be a hallmark of the new 3 Series Touring, says BMW

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BMW claims to have set a new benchmark for luggage space with its stylish new 3 Series Touring wagon.

A huge seller in its native Europe, the 3 Series Touring will have its cargo area bumped up 495 litres when it launches in its domestic market in August.

Powered by a lone petrol engine and a pair of diesels in its initial wave, the 3 Series Touring will also be longer, more economical and faster than the old version.

Identical to the all-new 3 Series from the front bumper back to the B-Pillar, the redesigned Touring is all change from the rear doors back, as well as stretched to be 97mm longer than the sedan.

More than half of that is in the wheelbase, with the rear wheels sitting 50mm further back than they do in the sedan, though the car is up to 40kg lighter than its predecessor.

BMW has also given it a 40:20:40 split in the folding rear seat, which gives the five-door wagon the potential to offer a 1500-litre cargo capacity in a machine whose standard format already offers 35 litres more luggage space than the old 3 Series Touring.

The extra wheelbase has largely been dedicated to luggage space, though, because the extra 50mm translates to only 17mm more rear knee room than the sedan.

Its cargo area has been carefully crafted with Audi in mind, containing an array of hooks, compartmentalisation options, sliding rails, cargo nets and a cargo cover that can be dispatched to stow beneath the rear floor. It retains the separate rear window operation of the old car, too, and its loading lip is still low, at 620mm off the ground.

It offers the typically huge BMW range of options, including a hands-free foot-swiping arrangement to open the tailgate, but will be based around Modern, Luxury and Sport packages, though there is also an M Sport offering that rides lower and carries some bodywork and extra grip.

It will arrive initially in 328i, 320d and 330d form, with the 330d sitting smugly atop the TwinPower petrol engine as the flagship.

The six-cylinder turbodiesel outputs 10 percent more power, with 190kW, and thumps out 560Nm of torque from 1500rpm. It’s the fastest offering in the initial 3 Series Touring range, too, sprinting to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds, yet uses just 5.1 litres/100km on the combined European cycle.

It is also the heaviest, at 1600kg of dry kerb weight, which is 100kg more than the 328i.

The sole petrol offering, the four-cylinder, turbocharged 328i is marginally slower than the 330d, with its 180kW of power slipping it through to 100km/h in 6.05 seconds. It’s thirstier, too, at 6.8L/100km on the combined cycle (though that’s a 10 percent improvement over the old 325i Touring) and less flexible, thanks to its 350Nm falling more than 200Nm shy of the big-punching six.

The base engine is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel in the 320d, with 380Nm of torque and 135kW of power. It’s also the lightest at 1490kg and uses the least fuel, at 4.7L/100km, and shrinks the faster car’s 17-inch wheels down to 16-inch, shedding its standard run-flat rubber for old-school pneumatic tyres on the way.

All three cars will be available with manual transmissions (in Europe, anyway), though the optional eight-speed automatic is both faster and more economical, even if it adds another 30kg.

The family won’t stop there though, with BMW already planning to introduce a 320i, a 316d and a 318d in Europe before the end of the year.

Brabus SV12 R Biturbo 800

German tuner creates "the world's most powerful and fastest luxury saloon" that develops almost as much torque as the most powerful Bugatti Veyron ever built
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With its thump-truck credibility on the line like never before, German Benz hot tuner Brabus has responded by creating the world's most powerful luxury four door limousine.

With the SV12 R Biturbo 800, Brabus has squeezed 588kW from the S-Class Mercedes-Benz's twin-turbo V12 power plant to make a limousine that hits an astonishing 350km/h (217mph).

Brabus had to make a move, though, with Benz's all-new twin-turbo V8 cranking out 320kW of power and 700Nm of torque giving the standard Mercedes range surging performance.

But the way it has worked the old V12 has produced more than double the torque of the new V8, with 1420Nm (1047lb-ft). While Brabus limits its output to 1100Nm (812lb-ft) to keep its gearbox alive, it's still good enough to hurl the two-tonne limo to 100km/h in just 3.9 seconds and it will keep surging in a wall of speed to hit 200km/h in only 10.3 seconds. That means the SV12 R Biturbo 800 will take just 6.4 seconds to sprint from 100km/h to 200, which is better than a lot of supposedly fast cars games take to hit the metric tonne.

While it hasn't skimped on luxury, the main focus has been on the SV12 R Biturbo 800's performance, so the 5.5-litre (336ci) V12 engine from Mercedes has been enlarged to 6.3 litres (385ci) thanks to both bore and stroke increases.

It now has larger pistons and balanced connecting rods, plus angrier camshafts, freer-breathing cylinder heads and a new, carbon-fibre air intake system.
It has four water-to-air intercoolers to feed its two turbo chargers and the powerplant is finished off with a four-tipped, stainless-steel exhaust system, all of which complies with EURO V emission laws.

It's not a high-revving engine though, with peak torque thumping home at 2100rpm and peak power coming and going at 5500 -- and it's still rear-wheel drive only, even though Benz offers the S-Class with an all-wheel drive option.

While Benz itself has high-tech seven-speed automatic transmissions available, they've not been designed to cope with this level of power, so Brabus has beefed up a five-speed auto (which doesn't seem to hurt its acceleration figures) and run the torque through a limited-slip rear diff.

Given that Benz limits its own S-Class sedans to 250km/h, Brabus has had to work hard to keep the SV12 R Biturbo 800 on the ground in braking, suspension and aerodynamic development.

The grip begins with the massive monobloc wheels, which range from 19- to 21-inches in diameter and wear either Pirelli or Yokohama sports 265/30 ZR 21 at the front and 295/30 ZR 21 tyres at the back.

With its own suspension system also fitted, the SV12 R Biturbo 800 uses enormous 12-piston, fixed aluminium brake calipers on a 380mm x 36mm steel front braking system, and there are six-piston calipers with 355mm x 28mm discs at the rear, to provide more than double the braking power of the standard S-Class.

Brabus also tweaked the Active Body Control's computer to lower the ride height 15mm (0.6 inches) to minimize body roll and to help keep the aerodynamics more stable at high speed, along with a distinctive front lip spoiler. There's also a clear-coated, carbon-fibre rear spoiler lip, too, and the new rear bumper has customised cut-outs for the four exhaust tips.

The interior upgrades include an iBusiness multimedia pack to sync the car to Apple-based systems, like the iPhone or iPad, while Brabus can tailor the interior trim to any colour of leather or carpet anybody might want.

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Renault hottie on sale

Renault's long-awaited Mégane RS is on sale -- at last
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Australia's hot hatch fans rejoice -- the choice of Gendarmes and French boy-racers alike, the all-new Renault Sport Mégane RS 250 is in dealers Down Under at last.

Launched this week in Melbourne, the new RS is the flagship of the updated Renault range. Debuted alongside the new Mégane five-door hatch and Fluence sedan, the new Renault Sport will be offered in Cup and Cup Trophée variants. The vehicle is available in a single three-door coupe-cum-hatch body style only.

The new RS is powered by a 184kW/340Nm turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine matched to a six-speed manual gearbox. No auto or dual clutch variant is offered. Though Renault sources admit the carmaker does have a sequential offering on the way, it's not clear when the update will surface. One pick is at the car's midlife facelift due late 2011 or early 2012.

Also high on the RS 250's spec list is a mechanical limited-slip differential and oversized Brembo brakes.

As part of its brand relaunch Renault Australia has simplified its model lineups and boosted standard specifications across board. Already well equipped in its outgoing Mégane F1 Team R26 limited edition guise, the new RS benefits less from this policy than cooking model Méganes.

The Mégane Renault Sport 250 Cup is priced from $41,990. Included in its standard specification are Sports antilock brakes and stepped stability control, headlight washers, LED daylight running lamps, 18-inch alloys, sports seats, auto lights and wipers, dual-zone climate aircon, foglights, electric window and mirrors, cruise control with speed limiter, USB interface and streaming Bluetooth audio and hands-free and rear park sensors.

Though satnav is not available, a multi-function RS Monitor Display allows users to measure a number of performance parameters including laptimes. The system also incorporates Renault Sport Dynamic Management system which allows the driver to choose the degree of electronic intervention from the stability control system as well as 'tuning' the throttle mapping.

Unlike most cooking model Renaults, the RS 250 allows the complete disconnection of the stability control for racetrack use.

Attracting a $5000 premium, the Cup Trophee adds keyless entry and start, 19-inch alloys (though 18-inch wheels can still be specified at no added cost), tyre pressure monitoring system, height adjustable Recaro front seats and more.

Options across the RS 250 range include leather upholstery, front park sensors and Bi-Xenon headlamps.

Aside from the wheel sizes and designs, the Cup and Cup Trophee can be told apart by the colour coding of front bumper facing and rear diffuser-style valance. In the Cup the elements are black, while the Trophee gets gloss gunmetal finishes.

Read our launch review of the Renault Sport Mégane RS 250.

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Classic racer Batten to campaign F6 in Targa High Country

Hard-charging Volvo punter will swap to a turbocharged FPV for tarmac rally round

Paul Batten's name may not be familiar to many, but his bright red Volvo PV544 is a regular fixture in the Classic Handicap section of Australia's best-known tarmac rally, the Targa Tasmania.

Batten (pictured) is putting aside the ancient Volvo for a drive in a factory-supported FPV F6, contesting the Targa High Country. Sitting alongside Batten in the turbocharged six-cylinder sedan reading pace notes will be his father Mike, a former NSW rally champion.

Paul Batten is a rally champ in his own right and has won his class twice in Tasmania. For the Targa High Country event he's being nurtured by his employer, Prodrive, the company that owns FPV in partnership with Ford. Batten Junior is a chassis engineer testing cars at Ford's proving ground near Geelong for a day job.

Keeping the F6 on the road over the course of the Targa High Country will be a team of personnel gathered from Robinson Racing Developments, FPV and Ford. In his class, Batten will be up against Brendan Reevs in a Mazda3 MPS.

"Mazda has made a commitment to the Targa events, and now we have Paul with the Ford," said Mark Perry, event organiser.

"Mazda and Ford are both big names, and Reeves and Batten are both big talents.  I think it is a glimpse into the future of this competition."

Batten is naturally looking forward to the event and sees a lot of potential in the F6 over the route's faster roads.

"We are really looking forward to stretching the F6's legs in Targa High Country," Batten said.

"This is a great chance to mix our two passions, motorsport and the Ford product, and make a small contribution to the motorsport history of the Blue Oval.

"It will be great fun winding it out on the Targa roads the way it was designed to be driven. We haven't had a chance to test the car and we aren't sure how we will stack up in the results, but the FPV has real driving character and we will be enjoying every minute of it."

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Insightful pricing for Honda's new hybrid

Honda Insight hybrid car games undercuts arch-rival Prius on price with $29,000 entry point - but doesn't undercut the Prius on fuel economy
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Following Honda's announcement made at last month's Australian International Motor Show, the all-new Insight hybrid has today been released Down Under with entry-level pricing starting below the critical $30K mark.

Honda aims to grab potential Prius buyers with its competitive price point, which at the base level undercuts Toyota's popular hybrid hatch by $10,000.

The entry-level Insight VTi will start at $29,990 and features equipment levels on par with similarly sized conventionally powered rivals. Included as standard is climate control, cruise control, keyless entry, alloy wheels, trip computer, Bluetooth connectivity and reversing sensors.

Entertainment comes by way of a six speaker single-CD tuner with steering wheel-mounted remote controls, a USB port and 3.5mm auxiliary jack for audio devices.

The up-spec Insight VTi-L is priced from $33,490, more than $18,000 cheaper than Toyota's top shelf Prius i-Tech. The premium Insight model adds auto headlights, rain-sensing wipers, foglamps, leather steering wheel, 16-inch alloys, a DVD player, reversing camera and satellite navigation.

Safety features familiar to both Insight models include dual front and side airbags, stability control, traction control and anti-lock brakes with brake-force distribution and emergency brake assist.

Insight variants are powered by a 1.3 litre i-VTEC four-cylinder petrol engine with Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system putting power to the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The IMA is essentially an oversized starter motor designed to supplement petrol engine power and boost torque.

Honda claims a combined fuel economy average of 4.6L/100km, with emissions of just 109g/km. By the same measure, Prius records 3.9L/100km and 89g/km.

Visit the Carsales Network again for our local launch review of new Honda Insight range.

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High five! Audi unleashes stove-hot RS3

Throbbing turbo five-pot engine, flared lightweight carbonfibre-reinforced plastic wings and widened track are among the USPs of Ingolstadt's latest road rocket
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These are the first images of Audi's steroidal new RS3 Sportback, which packs the TT RS's turbo five-pot engine within its relatively sedate hatchback proportions.

The numbers alone make for tantalising reading, as the 2.5-litre turbo five belts out a robust 250kW and 450Nm (on tap from 1600 to 5300rpm), easily giving it bragging rights among the five-door hatch brigade.

Audi quotes a 0-100km/h split of 4.6sec and top whack of 250km/h, and these stats put it in exalted company that includes the likes of the BMW M3 and Mercedes C63 AMG. Needless to say, it blows into the weeds its lesser S3 sibling.

Drive from the warbling five-cylinder engine is relayed to all four wheels by a seven-speed S Tronic dual-clutch transmission and Audi's trademark quattro AWD system -- a viscous-coupled Haldex affair.

The RS3 tips the scales at 1575kg (about 60kg more than the four-cylinder turbo S3), and its none-too-portly girth is partly thanks to weight-saving measures such as carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) front wings and the use of "light vermicular graphite" for the engine block.

Efficiency tweaks include a delivery-on-demand oil pump and a regenerative system that recovers energy as the car decelerates.

Offsetting its extra oomph is a chassis that lowers the RS3 Sportback by 25mm compared with the standard A3, while balance and composure are boosted by a widened 1564mm track

The RS3 rides on 19-inch alloy wheels (available in machine-polished titanium look or a black finish with red rim inserts) shod with 235/35 series tyres at the front and 225/35 at the rear.

Electromechanical rack-and-pinion steering provides a suitably direct gear ratio of 16.2:1 for keen turn-in, while internally ventilated discs (370mm at the front and 310mm at the rear) boost stopping power.

Befitting its high-po orientation, the electronic stability programme (ESP) features a Sport mode that activates later intervention of the braking and acceleration retardation functions for added fun factor, and it can be switched off entirely for circuit use.

There's also aural rewards to be had as a sound flap in the exhaust branch intensifies the five-pot's intoxicating note when the driver presses the Sport button, which also varies throttle response.

Visual clues to the RS3's identity are in the form of a deeper front apron with enlarged air intakes, an anthracite coloured single-frame grille with diamond-patterned styling and xenon plus headlamps.

The side view is dominated by flared guards, 19-inch alloy wheels, prominent sill panels, mirror casings in matt aluminium look and a large roof spoiler. A high-gloss black diffuser insert and two elliptical exhaust tailpipes differentiate the rear.

Interior upgrades include a tactile flat-bottomed RS steering wheel, Fine Nappa leather sports seats with silver contrasting stitching, and inlays finished in Piano black or the new Aluminium Race look.

There's also a revised instrument panel and S tronic selector lever, along with a specially configured Driver's Information System that displays boost pressure and oil temperature and doubles as a lap timer.

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Mitsubishi's i-MiEV hits 5000 mark

It's taken about 15 months for Mitsubishi to get 5000 units of its i-MiEV off the assembly line. But the company expects volume to rise dramatically with LHD release
discount new cars  » Get the best price on a new Mitsubishi Mass production never starts as mass production. Mitsubishi's i-MiEV had been in production for 15 months when the company announced its 5000th unit rolled off its Mizushima commercial vehicle assembly line on Nov 23.

Of the 5000, about 3000 units of the world's first mass production EV have sold into the Japanese domestic market since production started in June 2009. Australia has taken delivery of 110, in an initial batch of 40 in August and a subsequent batch of seventy. Local spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher says demand has far outstripped supply.

"We've had hundreds and hundreds of enquiries and 300 firm offers," Fletcher told Carsales Network.

"And that's at early adopter prices [a $1740/month lease deal, which calculates out to a list price of about $63,000]."

Mitsubishi worldwide is doing everything in its power to bring it down ASAP, she said. "That's already happening to considerable effect in Japan and the UK. It helps that EVs attract all manner of subsidies and concessions overseas -- Australia's the only country not giving consumers any tax relief."

All i-MiEVs sold locally have gone to business buyers and to federal, state and local government fleets. Without exception, every one has gone out covered in the corporate livery of its buyer, no doubt delivering compound benefits on the taxation front,over and above its value as a promotional platform.

There's plenty of cause for optimism that prices will drop into the realosphere sooner rather than later, with pressure from Nissan via announcements about the affordability of its LEAF EV and with the economies of scale that go with its arrival in left-hand drive markets. The company expects a substantial hike in sales as of October 2010, when the car went into left-hand drive Euro-spec production.

It expects another boost in 2011 with the rollout of a US-spec i-MiEV production, after which it will shift production from the commercial vehicle assembly line to its higher-volume minicar plant nearby.


For more on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, click on this link


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Mazda 'i-stop' reaches Oz

Local testing of the Mazda Axela fitted with innovative green tech begins in earnest
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Mazda may be late to the party launching an auto-start system in Australia, but the company says it will be worth the wait.

The importer is providing technical and logistical support for a number of Japanese engineers out here to evaluate how 'i-stop' will cope in the Australian environment. Accompanying the engineers on the long flight from Hiroshima is a Mazda Axela (known locally as the Mazda3) fitted with the new feature.

Designed to work with direct-injection engines (the company's SKYACTIV engines specifically), the 'i-stop' system can restart an engine in 0.35 seconds -- half the time of a conventional auto-start system

Unlike conventional systems, i-stop ensures that the engine's pistons always stop at the optimum point for restarting. When the driver lifts the foot off the brake pedal, fuel is injected into the cylinder with the piston at Top Dead Centre at the start of the power stroke. The spark plug ignites the mixture and as the gases resulting from combustion push the piston down the cylinder, the starter motor engages to assist the engine starting. It is, according to Mazda, very fast and very smooth.

"The real-world fuel savings that i-stop brings has helped it to become firmly established in both Europe and Japan," Alastair Doak, Mazda Australia National Marketing Manager was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the company.

"And with much of Australian driving taking place in suburban environments, i-stop will bring significant real-world fuel savings to Australian Mazda customers from next year. i-stop is just one of the many improvements that the new SKYACTIV technologies will offer customers as Mazda strives to improve global average fuel economy by 30 percent by 2015."

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