2010 New York Auto Show (2-11 April)

~~~~About the New York Auto Show~~~~

The New York International Auto Show takes place every year at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. More than 1,000 vehicles are on display, filling 846,000 square feet of exhibition space. Officials expect more than 1 million people to visit the 2010 show. Attendees will be among the first to see such vehicles as the Acura TSX Wagon, Nissan Juke, Bentley Supersports Convertible and Lexus CT 200h luxury hybrid. The 2010 New York International Auto Show is open to the public from Friday, April 2, 2010 to Sunday, April 11, 2010.

This is the 4th auto show this year, and all the cars, till now are still very impressive. Now I am going to introduce to you the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX.



The 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX will look more like the WRX STI model by adopting the STI's wide-body look, including a wide track front and rear, and wider tires.

The front and rear tracks of the 2011 WRX are 1.5 inches wider, compared with the 2010 model. Wheel diameter remains at 17 inches, but the wheels get an inch wider at 8 inches. The wheels are fitted with 235/45R-17 tires.

The WRX powertrain for 2011 remains the turbocharged 2.5-liter flat-four engine, rated at 265 hp and 244 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a five-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive.

Subaru says the wide-body 2011 WRX, in four- and five-door body styles, gains 33 pounds over the comparable 2010 model. The car goes on sale this summer.

Next is the new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.



Hyundai's first hybrid based on the striking new Sonata sedan will be revealed Wednesday at the New York auto show, and today we're getting a glance what the car will look like.

Hyundai has released a teaser shot of the hybrid Sonata, and it appears to differ a bit from the gasoline-powered version with a different shaped grille and re-configured fascia.

It's expected to use a lithium-ion battery, John Krafcik, Hyundai's top U.S. exec, has said. Hyundai calls its eco-technology "Blue Drive." News of the Hyundai hybrid arose in August 2008, when Krafcik told reporters at a test drive about the company's plans. It showed a prototype at the Los Angeles auto show last year.

A turbo Sonata will also be revealed in New York.

Hyundai is using the Sonata to push ahead its design language and increase its penetration in the midsize segment.

Who will win World Car Of The Year?

Three finalists in.



Earlier this month, the three finalists for World Car of the Year award were announced at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show: the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Polo. The winner will be announced at the New York International Auto Show next week. But which one will take the coveted prize? The jury is still out.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class has an eye-catching look, opulent interior, sporty character and a list of safety equipment that'll boggle your mind, including an Attention Assist system designed to help drowsy drivers stay alert and a system that automatically dims the highbeam headlights to avoid blinding oncoming cars.



Toyota's Prius is a sentimental favorite among the eco-conscious, and this latest model proves that a fuel-efficient hybrid car can be a viable alternative to an ordinary midsize sedan for many consumers. Not only is the interior vastly improved over the previous model, the new Prius gets even better mileage: It's now rated at 51/48 mpg city/highway, 50 mpg combined.



And already a popular model in Europe, the Volkswagen Polo is set to make its U.S. debut sometime this year, just in time to compete with the newest small and sporty hatchbacks from the likes of Ford and Nissan, or even the already-available Kia Soul. The fifth-generation Polo that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show is purported to closely resemble the North American version of the car, but so far automotive writers and bloggers can only speculate on the VW Polo's look, feel and arrival date. Rumor has it the U.S. Volkswagen Polo will have a four-door hatchback style with at least two engine options and front-wheel drive.



Vehicles up for the World Performance Car award must meet the same criteria as WCOTY — currently in production and sold on at least two continents in 2009 — with the additional requirement of demonstrating specific performance attributes as well as selling at a minimum annual production rate of 500 vehicles. The finalists in this category are the Audi R8 V10, Ferrari California and Porsche 911 GT3.

The World Green Car finalists are the Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen BlueMotion vehicles (Golf, Passat, Polo), while the finalists for the World Car Design are the Chevrolet Camaro, Citroen C3 Picasso and Kia Soul.

Sporty, yet affordable cars

There is no point buying a very expensive car, just to drive and show off on the road. There's an economic recovery happening somewhere, but this Great Recession has shown us the folly of spending frivolously and has soured our appetite for expensive autos. The slump reveals something else: In good times or bad, the need for speed endures.



This is the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Volkswagen invented the idea of the hotted-up compact car back in the 1970s, and the GTI remains true to the original idea, providing tight handling and enthusiast styling. It's a shame that the engine hasn't improved with the latest-generation GTI. The 200-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-banger has plenty of pep, but it seems positively wimpy next to some of the other cheap hot rods in this segment. Still, you don't necessarily miss the horses when you're behind the wheel. The GTI has exceptional road manners and two marvelous transmission options in the 6-speed manual and the paddle-shift, dual-clutch DSG sequential manual.



This is very common on the road - Subaru Impreza WRX. Subaru's rally-bred Impreza WRX has always been a noisy, undisciplined tin can of a car, but its raw athleticism has always turned what would be drawbacks in any other vehicle into virtues. The current iteration somehow seems a bit less visceral; the hood scoops and spoilers are still there, but are less egregiously in your face. The WRX's mechanics have not been tamed; this is still a tremendously powerful and capable car.



Consider this: A Porsche Cayman has a 265-horsepower 2.9-liter 6-cylinder engine, does zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds and costs $51,400. A Nissan 370Z has a 332-horsepower 3.7-liter V6, does zero to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds.

The Porsche's engine is obviously more efficient, but we're willing to rile the Stuttgart purists and say that the Z gives you Porsche-like performance at a 20 grand discount. Plus, the Z offers an optional SynchroRev Match manual tranny that blips the revs for smooth downshifts at speed and an angry-looking exterior that will scare the lederhosen off of most German yuppie speedsters.

Last car will be...



This! The 2010 Mazda 3. Mazda's hottest "hot hatchback" has been restyled for 2010, ditching the car's previously ho-hum looks in favor of a maniacally grinning front grille and a combination of smooth, sharp lines that suggest a gust of wind caught fire. It carries over its predecessor's 263-horsepower 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and front-wheel driveline — and you'll get no complaints from us about that, since the little powerplant scoots the car from zero to 60 mph in around six seconds. In addition to its new skin, the suspension was also upgraded, so the car won't be the only one smiling during fast cornering.

New 2011 Kia Optima ( U.S.)



The 2011 Optima will make its world debut at the New York auto show next month. Beyond releasing a couple of teaser images, Kia is staying tight-lipped regarding what powertrains will be offered in the United States until the New York press conference.

From the pictures, we see the latest take on Kia's "tiger" front end, complete with LED accent strip above the fog lights.

Livening up things more is a coupelike profile, higher and more pronounced shoulder lines, flared wheel arches and front fender vents.

In addition to a more-stylish wrapper, the new Optima will grow some from the current model with an extended wheelbase.

New Mazda 2 (Sedan)



Exterior

Being the baby of the Mazda family, the Mazda2 is quick to showcase where it got its head-turning looks from. With an exterior design theme of “coordinated movements”, the new Mazda2 exudes a powerful energy that makes it look as though it’s about to move even when it’s parked. Every contour on the new Mazda2 has a look that changes depending on the way light falls on it. It’s sporty wedge figure have also been the talk of the town.

5 Point Front Grille
With an enlarged unique five-point grille, it accentuates a more dynamic feature of the visual movement in the front face and the overall body.

Body Kit
With the Mazda2 R-Grade, you’ll not only get greater vision with fog lamps, you also get a stunning full body kit with 16 inch alloy rims and a sporty rear spoiler.

Interior



The interior design conveys the same idea of movement as the exterior, with a surprisingly spacious design. With slim seatbacks, good forward visibility, and an instrument panel that extends to the far sides, the overall result of this car is a relaxing, high-quality environment where form and function are optimally balanced.

Price for this Mazda 2 sedan will be around $65,888.

CAMP!!

At the St John's Island.

I felt very excited when I woke on that miserable morning. Carrying my heavy camping bag, with lots and lots of stuff. It was so unlucky that it rained in the early morning.

I was supposed to take a ferry to St John's from Singapore. Afraid - quite afraid because I got seasick after going to Taiwan 2 years ago. I did not bring my pills at all. But luckily it is low-tide, so never mind.

The activities there is quite boring on the 1st day, because there are not much pretty fun games at that island. I miss the game called 'Flying Fox'! That game was really fun. I thought there will be such thrilling games, but there isn't any. The games are all prepared by the instructors.

The scariest part is the night trail, because at night, the whole place was very dark, even though there were lights around. We are supposed to do some activities at night and get a key to find a person - a secret person in our class. That is quite fun, the best activity on the 1st day.

Comes to tents. We pitched the tents in the morning, and we are going to sleep in the tents. Guess what I felt.

Bad...

It was extremely uncomfortable, with all the sharp roots sticking out, which made us unable to sleep well. I only slept at around 2.30am, till 6am, which is only three and a half hours. My classmates also could not sleep, and one of them actually played with his handphone in the tent! Everyone - almost everyone complained.

2nd day refreshed us. The activities was much better than on the first day. The most horrible game is the "Caterpillar". I have no stamina, so I had a hard time to push myself forward. But finally, we could overcome the obstacle and met the expectation.

Then it was the Captain's Ball. My favourite game, though. I got injured, sadly, but just a few scratches on my leg, by the rough floor. 2 teams? No. 6 teams in total. Different balls are given and thrown and points will be given. I remembered - "The smaller the ball, the more the points!"

At night, it was the campfire! Class by class went up to do skids, performances, and cheers. It was very fun. The fire was burning fiercely, and our class won the Merit Award for our cheers. I felt very happy to hear that. the present was food - biscuits. We had our supper after the campfire.

Anyway, the meal was extremely delicous. I broke my record of finishing my meal in just 10 minutes!

Finally, we did a swop with other classes to sleep in a house (or something). It was much better than the tents. We slept very fast, and it was very quiet.

On the third day, it was the time for us to bade goodbye to St John's Island and we left towards Singapore by boarding the ferry. Quite a high tide, so the ferry is quite wobbly.

I was extremely tired when I arrived home. I slept deeply from 3pm till dinner, which is 6.30pm, without knowing that my father actually came back from work. But i actually learnt a lot from the camp, using all the values in our daily lives.

2010 Suzuki Kizashi



The 2010 Suzuki Kizashi is offered in four trim levels: S, SE, GTS and SLS. All trims are powered by a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder that produces 185 horsepower when mated with the 6-speed manual transmission and 180 horsepower when equipped with the available CVT.

Standard equipment includes automatic climate control; power windows, locks and mirrors; push-button starting; and AM/FM/CD audio system with USB port. The SE adds a 10-way power driver's seat with memory, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and 17-inch alloy wheels. The GTS comes with fog lights, a sunroof, a 425-watt Rockford Fosgate audio system with Bluetooth audio streaming and cell phone connectivity, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

The SLS adds leather upholstery, heated front seats, power front passenger seat and rear park assist. Options include a navigation system with a rearview camera and an all-wheel-drive system with heated outside mirrors.



This is the cockpit system of the Kizashi. In my opinion, it is well-designed, especially the steering wheel, which looks very sporty in a luxury car.



This Kizashi has a 2.4 litre engine, so it is not impressive for it to be having a luxurious space between seats. But in overall for interior, it is excellent.



You do not have to worry when putting things that are long in length. This Kizashi involves a package called the "pass-through arm-rest".

The '-est'

Everyone loves a good superlative, especially when it comes to automobiles. In the vehicular world, the relentless drive for performance and utility has created some truly astounding machines that push the limits of physics, economics and three-dimensional space. These vehicles are considered to be the best for a specific reason. They are the most powerful, the fastest, the largest and the most expensive sheet metal on the street.

The Fastest from Zero to 60 mph

IT IS THE BUGATTI VEYRON 16.4 GRAND SPORT!



It is the fastest car in the world with a speed of only 2.5 seconds from 0-60mph! With a top speed of 253 mph, the original Veyron also held the title for the next category until 2007.

Top Speed

Even though it is not the fastest in the world, this car, called the SSC Ultimate Aero broke the record with a great speed of 257mph - 37mph faster than the Cessna 350 Corvalis, a type of fast plane.

Most Horsepower



Again, it's the Ultimate Aero from SSC. It has a most horsepower of 1183 horses. The Ultimate Aero has a 6.3-liter twin-turbo aluminum V8 engine that is nearly 20 times more powerful than a Generac Guardian Series 45-kilowatt generator capable of powering an entire house. And it can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, capable to fight with the Veyron. A hero, isn't it?

Most Expensive Car

When you think of the fastest car, what do you think about the price?

Expensive, of course! But not only expensive, it's exceptionally expensive. Veyron from Bugatti made this record.

This fastest car, called the Bugatti Veyron (picture shown at 'Fastest Speed'), was the most expensive in the whole world - it's 1.7 to 2 million, in US dollars. The original hardtop variant in his bit had a price tag of $1.7 million; the new Grand Sport open-top models cost $2,027,760. Still not impressed/disgusted? The first Veyron Grand Sport sold at auction in 2008 for almost $3 million. And you thought there was a recession going on.

Last but not the least: Most Fuel-Efficient

It's the Toyota Prius, with the fuel economy of 51 mpg city/48 mph highway.



The Prius' outstanding 48 to 51 mpg rating is in no way related to the fact that the car's brakes may or may not work. The Prius has long been the standard bearer for fuel economy and environmental responsibility in the automotive world. It combines a small 1.8-liter, 98-horsepower gasoline engine with an electric motor to provide a no-compromises combination of drivability and economy via 134 net horsepower. The next-best contender for the fuel-efficiency crown — the Honda Insight — has a top EPA rating 8 mpg lower. And it doesn't hurt that the Prius is a surprisingly affordable piece of high technology, starting at $22,800.

Geneva Auto Show (Part 3)



Rolls-Royce is a luxury car full of luxury things, that's what makes this British car so expensive. However, this Ghost, which is a 2010 model, had been 'destroyed' into a sporty car, called Mansory Rolls-Royce Ghost. I don't like the colour either, because it's too bright for such a luxury car.



Aston Martin had made a very special car, or I mean a hatchback - a 2-door compact car. The Cygnet has a totally different design from other models of Aston Martin, because of it's size - it is pretty small!



Pagani had not been introducing any cars for 2 years. Finally, Pagani had introduced a new facelifted car - the Zonda Tricolor.



Two big eyes in front of me; starring at me. What's that? It's the new Nissan Juke. Very cute design, as you see two huge round lights a the front of the car. And two pieces of lights on top look like horns. A really strange, but creative design by Nissan.

There are more pictures of the other cars, which I had not written on those posts. You can go to http://editorial.autos.msn.com/autoshow/geneva to look for more if you are interested in cars!

Geneva Auto Show 2010 (Part 2)



Ferrari had introduced a car called 599 GTB Fiorano in 2008. Now in 2010, there is a new and upgraded 599, but a totally different name for this car - Ferrari Hy-KERS Hybrid Concept. It is the first hybrid car for Ferrari - it's really a supercar.



Another Citroen concept has been introduced into Geneva - Survolt Concept. It looks very sporty and conceptical, which is the objective for making concept cars. It may look big, but it is quite a small car, hence it looks quite special.



Last year, Mercedes introduced a F800 Concept in one of the auto shows. In 2010 Geneva Auto Show, the F800 Style had been renewed and the design had been upgraded and better as compared to the previous F800.



Here comes the fastest car in the world - Bugatti Veyron. Now Bugatti had upgrade its legendary car in a model called 'Grand Sport'.





Peugeot introduced two new cars in the Geneva Auto Show - the SR1 Concept and 5byPeugeot. Both are very stylish concept cars, and both are very impressive in design.



In the Detroit Auto Show, Audi introduces the new R8 Spyder. Now R8 Coupe had changed its body and its style, and its name to GTR, which means a sporty type of car. Similar to the design, R8 has been the most beautiful car in all Audi cars.





Porsche just introduced the Panamera 4-door coupe in 2010, then the Geneva pops out two sporty Panameras: one is called FAB Design Porsche Panamera, while the other one is called Mansory Porsche Panamera. The difference is that FAB Design has two doors, while Mansory had four.

Hanmann Tycoon Evo M is just like the BMW X6, just that it has added the accessories, which makes it look like a sporty SUV.



Looks like a lengendary car, isn't it? This Mercedes-Benz G-Coulture is just like a car from the past shown to look at histories of this car. From this design, this car truly looks like a legendary car in the past.

Geneva Auto Show 2010

After two auto shows, there is a auto show coming up again - the Chicago Auto Show. There are a lot of impressive cars in the auto show, including the super cars, like Ferrari and Porsche.



You may not know what this brand is. I also don't know what car is this, because I did not see this car before. However, I know that the name of this car is Hispano Suiza. I like this car, because I like the design of this car, and it truly looks like a sports car, especially the front of the car, which looks like a monster opening its mouth.



Above picture shows the Citroen DS3 Racing. It is developed after Citroen introduced a new car, DS3(not in Singapore). The shape of this car is quite nice and cute, but the orange colour part is not very suitable for the colour, even though it is 'Racing'.



This is the Porsche 918 Spyder Hybrid Concept. Quite a special design on the shape, which looks like the Bugatti Veyron, and the wheels, like an F1. Having the two exhaust pipes each on by the side, that is the most special thing in this Porsche car, although the Mercedes-Benz SLR already had this.



This is an Italian car - a car which is quite an expert in design. What's so special about this design is that the number plate is not on the centre, instead of the right side of the car, when you look at the front of the car. In this auto show, Alfa Romeo introduced a new concept car - Pandion Concept.



Although there are previous problems of Hyundai's door which automatically locked even though passenger is inside, Chicago Auto Show welcomes the Hyundai iFlow Concept.



Japanese cars have serious problems because of the material they used nowadays to fight with Korean cars, which are cheaper. Honda introduced a small bike - 3-RC Concept. Looks very small among cars, this car is the cutest among the cars in here.



Lotus? It has been a very long time to wait for new cars of Lotus, because there are only three models of Lotus - Elise, Exige, and the Europa. Now in this Geneva, Lotus introduces a hybrid car - 414E Hybrid.

New Porsche Cayenne, going to be in Singapore



This Cayenne is a very special car among all the Porsche cars, together with Panamera, because they are all four-door cars. The Cayenne is actually an SUV, shockingly, among all the sport cars, which are two-doored, like the Carerra(911), Boxter, and the Cayman models.

There are quite a number of Cayenne models, like the Cayenne S Hybrid, Cayenne S, Cayenne Diesel, and the Turbo. The S hybrid and Diesel are new models for this Cayenne 2011.

The design of the Cayenne has been more conceptical and more beautiful than the previos Cayenne, which truly, looks like a SUV. This design, when you see, may have shrinked a bit, what I think, because of the design of the front and the side looks 'cute', which is truly hard to be seen in a German SUV. When you compare with German SUVs like Mercedes-Benz GLK and the M-Class, BMW X3 and X5 (X6 is quite competitive also because of its design), Audi Q5 and Q7, it is seriously much better than them in form of design.

The interior is also a very nice design, which is quite similar to the Panamera. Having a sleek design, it has raced over almost all the German SUVs, which are not very competitive in the case of design of the interior. This car's technology has been advanced, because you can just press buttons by your side, which is simple and convenient, instead of pressing them in front, which is now replaced by the GPS system.

If I am not wrong, the price of the new Cayenne will be around $258,000 to $550,000.

Below will be a video about Cayenne - some models of it and you can see how they look like. Have fun!

Learning Style Online Assignment

This online assignment, I am going to do on my strongest point - music.

I am going to let you hear the style of the music at the starting of Lamb To The Slaughter. Because it is happy, and the relationship between the husband and wife is very close, the music shall be quite cheerful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E8xMcXmI9E

Above is a video which is a happy song, I think.

Then I need to compose a rap of a song about Mary Maloney’s decision to kill her
husband and her strategies to distance herself from her crime of passion. That is a really difficult task, although I am best at music.

Maloney, so stupid,
Use a lamb instead of knife,
She don't know that knife is easier
To kill her hatred husband.

Maloney, so cruel,
Husband leaves her she murder,
No wonder, husband don't like her
F-O-R-E-V-E-R!

Why Maloney kill him?
He didn't do purposely,
So why did you "sabo" him.

Why you always want him?
Can't you make more good friends,
Instead of "sabo" him.

Police come, you so scared,
As if that you got attacked,
Police say that you murdered
Someone but you denied.

At the court, you shiver,
Made your family quiver,
In the end, death penalty,
Everyone in court shiver!

Why Maloney kill him?
He didn't do purposely,
So why did you "sabo" him.

You deserve penalty,
Who ask you go kill him,
You regret but it's too late...