Tag: schedule

Report: Audi to blitz 1.5M sales goal two years ahead of schedule

Filed under: Audi, Earnings/Financials

2013 Audi Q5 front three-quarter

Audi doesn’t seem to be having any trouble of hitting its relatively audacious sales goal of two million units by 2020 – it’s already on pace to eclipse 1.5 million sales two years ahead of schedule. According to Reuters, the Volkswagen-owned brand rode a wave of sales in China and the US to pace the early goal, with 780,500 deliveries at the halfway point of 2013. Particularly hot models include the Q5 crossover seen above and A4 sedan. Unless things go poorly in the second half of the year, 1.5 million sales shouldn’t be an issue.

That leaves it trailing BMW by just 24,000 units for the global luxury sales crown. If sales trends keep up, Audi will succeed in hitting its goal of two million units and besting its cross-country rival in Munich. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler smells blood, telling German newspaper Handelsblatt, ”We have overtaken Mercedes-Benz and we are now closer to BMW than ever before.”

Audi to blitz 1.5M sales goal two years ahead of schedule originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 25 Jul 2013 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kimi Raikkonen to run limited 2011 schedule for Kyle Busch Motorsports

Filed under: Motorsports, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Celebrities

Kimi Raikkonen

The rumors are true. Former Formula 1 champion Kimi Raikkonen will run a limited schedule in the Camping World Truck Series for Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2011. Raikkonen’s debut is scheduled for May 20 in the N.C Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as owner Kyle Busch’s teammate.

Raikkonen’s nine-year F1 career saw 18 wins, 62 podium finishes and the 2007 Drivers’ Championship. Since leaving the sport in 2009, Raikkonen has campaigned in World Rally Championship with his own team ICE 1 Racing.

Raikkonen’s debut for KBM will be the first step in what the champ hopes will be a successful transition from open-wheel and rallying to NASCAR, a switch that fellow F1 champ Juan Pablo Montoya made in 2007. Raikkonen’s sponsorship deal hasn’t been revealed yet, but will be announced before the start of the Charlotte race.

[Source: Kyle Busch Motorsports | Image: (C) Gepa Pictures/McKlein/Red Bull Content Pool]

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Kimi Raikkonen to run limited 2011 schedule for Kyle Busch Motorsports originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK revealed ahead of schedule [w/video]

Filed under: Convertible, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK leaked in French promo film

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK leaked in French promo film – Click above to watch video after the jump

Mercedes-Benz has pulled the drapes back on its 2012 SLK… by accident. A French promotional film made its way to the Internet, and the star of the clip is the redesigned hardtop convertible. We’ve got the video and a host of screen-grabs that show off some of the SLK’s new features.

The compact two-door Benz will be available with the company’s neck-warming AirScarf system, adaptive headlights, a seven-speed automatic transmission and a Magic Sky Control roof that darkens at the touch of a button.

The style of the Mercedes-Benz SLK has grown up to fall in line with the rest of the family. The front sports a very aggressive treatment with a gaping grille and a massive Three-Pointed Star. The whole package comes off as a miniature SL rather than a soft imitation of one.

Check out the 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK from all angles by taking a stroll through the gallery below, and then hop the jump to see the video. Hat tips to Douglas and K7!

Gallery: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK leaked in French promo film

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK leaked in French promo film2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK leaked in French promo film2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK leaked in French promo film2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK leaked in French promo film2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK leaked in French promo film

[Sources: CarScoop, bobaedream.co.kr]

Continue reading Leaked: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK revealed ahead of schedule [w/video]

Leaked: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLK revealed ahead of schedule [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mazda rotary reportedly at least a year behind schedule, but work continues

Filed under: Technology, Mazda

Mazda Renesis rotary engine

Renesis rotary engine in 2009 Mazda RX-8 – Click above for high-res image gallery

“We will never give up,” says Mitsuo Hitomi, general manager of Mazda’s powertrain division, referring to the automaker’s long-running investment into the rotary engine. This vote of confidence in Felix Wankel’s replacement for displacement will surely come as welcome news to rotor-heads the world over, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems in World of Wankel.

Apparently, the so-called 16X engine, which is the latest take on the pony-keg-sized engine that spins into the stratosphere, is failing to meet emissions requirements set by the engineering team at Mazda, despite the fact that it is 30 percent more fuel efficient than the previous Renesis rotary. Impressively, Hitomi stated that the 1.6-liter 16X is slightly more fuel efficient than the automaker’s standard 2.0-liter gas engine.

It would seem that the rotary’s well-known thirst for fuel has at least partly been quenched, but until the 16X is tuned to hit its emissions targets we can expect it to stay in the engineering department and off the showroom floor. So, when might we see a new rotary-powered machine from Mazda? “Maybe within two years we can tell you when we will introduce it to the market,” responds Hitomi.

Now, let the debate continue as to what kind of body and platform that engine will be featured in…

Gallery: 2009 Mazda RX-8 R3

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req’d]

Report: Mazda rotary reportedly at least a year behind schedule, but work continues originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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